Ink Hues Meet Spring

Blurb for my next pre-release, Member Day, at the very bottom - This time, the interview subject was Liu Mo, a female calligrapher who had recently become a sensation. On the day they met, Liu Mo wore a long Chinese-style dress, with a jade bangle patterned with mountains and water on her pale wrist. Her voice was warm and gentle, and her smile was like the spring breeze rustling through willows. Her elegant face was as refined as the tea she served. During the interview, Mu Yuxiao calmly recalled two things: 1. Their families were distantly related, but their relationship was as bad as sworn enemies. Liu Mo was rarely sincere or kind toward her. 2. A few years ago, after they had been drinking, the two of them had somehow spent the night together. Liu Mo told her not to take it to heart. - With no one else around, the calligrapher held a slender cigarette between her delicate fingers and asked the interviewer teasingly, "Drinking this time?" Mu Yuxiao refused to back down. "Sure." Waking up beside Liu Mo again, she thought that some calligraphy bloggers seemed pure and noble on the surface, but smoked, drank, and slept with women in private. If she wrote about it, it would surely be a bestseller. Liu Mo saw right through her, wrapped an arm around her, and breathed against her ear. "Don't bring personal grudges into work." Grudges? She had been secretly in love with someone for years. Just when she'd thought she'd fallen out of love, she'd fallen for her all over again. But as far as the other woman was concerned, all they had were grudges. She hadn't planned to see Liu Mo much after the interview, but soon discovered that the woman was everywhere. She couldn't understand it. "What exactly are you trying to do?" Liu Mo fixed her with a questioning gaze. "Do you like avoiding me that much?" - Later, Mu Yuxiao dipped her brush in ink and, using the technique Liu Mo had taught her, wrote the character "Spring" beneath Liu Mo's smooth shoulder. "The thick ink surges silently, concealing a pool of spring longing that grows unchecked." [Younger woman, mutual pining.] Blurb written on 2023.9.21. Feel free to add it to your reading list. Member Day* Absent-minded, overconfident younger woman seeking new experiences x naturally unsmiling older woman, who initially gives herself up for the sake of a place to stay, then actively pursues her wife Zhan Qiu worked at a convenience store. Since last week, a new customer had been coming in frequently. Her polished appearance made it easy to tell she was a high-powered professional. Her presence was like a midday sky just after the snow had stopped: crisp, still, with a hint of warmth that was limited but captivating. There was one thing worth mentioning: she was probably interested in Zhan Qiu. Every time she checked out, she stared at Zhan Qiu, wanting to speak but holding back. One day, she finally spoke up. "You look familiar. Have we met before?" Zhan Qiu's lips curled up at the hook. "I don't think so. You're so beautiful, though. Even if I'd only seen you once, I wouldn't have forgotten you." Shen Qingci's gaze turned even colder. - Half a year earlier, while traveling, Shen Qingci had met a woman. The moonlight dissolved into the damp, gloomy rainy season, stirring up a vast tide of pent-up longing and pleasure. The rain had been pouring down. Before the woman left, Shen Qingci's heart softened, and she lent her a special umbrella that meant a great deal to her. Afterward, her beloved umbrella vanished without a trace. Six months later, they met again. Shen Qingci thought the other woman would explain and apologize. Instead, she heard: "Hello. It's Member Day. Buy one, get one free." - Shen Qingci didn't believe her, but Zhan Qiu really had forgotten. She'd suffered a fright six months earlier, and her doctor had said it was perfectly normal to forget things. "Let's exchange contact information first." "I'll help you look for it. Maybe one day you'll remember." One way to recover memories was to repeat things they'd done before. The two of them tacitly went along with it. Back to the endless rainy season. - "It's Member Day. Buy strawberry milk and get the prettiest clerk for free. How about it?" "I'd like to cancel my membership." Later, those words came true. Zhan Qiu returned the umbrella to her and decided to cancel her from her heart. Shen Qingci realized that the umbrella wasn't what she cared about anymore. "I'd like to sign up again. Not a regular membership. I want premium." "Every day is Member Day." Theme: Learn calligraphy well, promote traditional culture, and move toward a bright future