No matter what happened, Meng Chuwu found that her sleep was no longer disturbed.
A good night’s rest made her feel that even though being pulled into this book brought one frustrating situation after another, life still held promise.
Unlike in her previous life, where during filming seasons she suffered from insomnia, every sleepless night would leave her so drained that daytime work felt like it was eating away at her life. That eventually led to a tragic end.
“Sister Wu, did you have a sweet dream?”
As soon as Meng Chuwu opened her eyes, Xi Xiaoyan was already smiling brightly and teasing her gently.
Meng Chuwu noticed that Xi Xiaoyan, who had woken up earlier, was staring at her openly again, watching until she woke up, unwilling to look away.
“Why do you ask?” Meng Chuwu asked softly. The warmth of looking into the eyes of a beautiful woman often made her forget her worries.
“You looked so happy in your sleep, like your face was glowing and your lips were smiling.”
“Glowing with happiness? I mean…” Meng Chuwu reached out to gently brush a lock of hair from Xi Xiaoyan’s left temple, speaking slowly, “Are you sure it was me looking that way, or are you just feeling a bit lovestruck?”
“Sister Wu, stop it. I am not lovestruck!”
“Then why are you smiling so brightly?”
“It’s because…” Xi Xiaoyan suddenly looked down, avoiding Meng Chuwu’s gaze. “You’re terrible. You know I’m always happy just looking at you, and yet you still make me say it.”
“I didn’t know. I really didn’t know looking at me could make you so happy.” Meng Chuwu found it endlessly amusing to tease Xi Xiaoyan.
“Can you just answer my question already?” Xi Xiaoyan seemed tired of holding herself up and lay back down.
Meng Chuwu turned to face her, lying side by side. In that moment, she deeply understood the line from The Song of Everlasting Regret: “From then on, the emperor no longer attended morning court.” With such a lovely girl right in front of her, who could focus on anything else?
“Why are you staring at me like that? Is there something on my face?” Xi Xiaoyan asked with a slight pout. Meng Chuwu didn’t reply. Her thoughts were written all over Xi Xiaoyan’s soft and fair little face.
“Of course there is.”
“What?” Xi Xiaoyan quickly rubbed the corner of her eye. “Is it still there?”
“Did I ever say it was something in your eye?”
“Then what is it?”
Xi Xiaoyan, you really believe everything this sneaky Alpha says, don’t you?
Meng Chuwu decided to keep teasing and pointed at her own cheek.
But this time, Xi Xiaoyan didn’t fall for it. “Sister Wu, you’re lying!”
“Why would I lie to you? If you don’t believe me, grab a mirror and check for yourself.”
And just like that, Xi Xiaoyan fell for it again. She sat up, reached for the handheld mirror, and carefully looked at her reflection.
“Ugh! You tricked me again!” Xi Xiaoyan growled, then turned and grabbed a pillow, ready to smother Meng Chuwu.
“Hey, hey, I wasn’t lying this time!” Meng Chuwu dodged the pillow in time.
“I didn’t see anything!”
“I’m just saying,” Meng Chuwu said slowly again, “some people are only twenty-three, yet they already act blind.”
“Now you’re mocking me!”
“Mocking you?” Meng Chuwu suddenly sat up and leaned over to take the mirror, holding it up to Xi Xiaoyan’s face. “Take a proper look.”
Xi Xiaoyan looked again, carefully, but still didn’t notice anything.
“When you smiled at me earlier, your eyes and cheeks were full of cuteness. Smile again and you’ll see it.”
Xi Xiaoyan really did smile again. “Sister Wu, you’re so annoying.”
“Annoying? I don’t believe that.”
Xi Xiaoyan burst out laughing. Her laughter was like a soft spring breeze that gently stirred the curtains. It reached right into Meng Chuwu’s heart. She couldn’t even remember the last time she had felt this relaxed.
So this is what falling in love feels like. It really does make a person lose themselves.
If just being in someone else’s love story brought this much joy, then if Xi Xiaoyan truly loved her, wouldn’t that happiness be even greater?
Looking at Xi Xiaoyan, so full of joy, Meng Chuwu felt a greedy desire slowly grow in her heart.
You can do this. Just try a little harder. She whispered this quiet encouragement to herself.
“Was I laughing too hard just now?” Xi Xiaoyan’s clear eyes still shimmered with happiness.
“Not at all. I love seeing you laugh like that,” Meng Chuwu said sincerely.
She was the kind of person who couldn’t help but feel happy when the people around her were happy.
“Sister Wu, you’re always like this,” Xi Xiaoyan looked into her eyes, lips pressed into a line, “You always say something out of nowhere that touches my heart.”
“That touched you?” Meng Chuwu was surprised. “Aren’t you a little too easily moved?”
Xi Xiaoyan shook her head. “No, I’m only easily moved by you, Sister Wu.”
Her words were unexpected and full of emotion, building up layer by layer.
Meng Chuwu felt like she had just been force-fed sugar from the romance between Xi Xiaoyan and a typical bad Alpha.
More than being happy because Xi Xiaoyan was happy, what truly moved her was how deeply and sincerely she liked her partner.
“If you keep looking at me like that, I’m going to want to hug you.”
“Then go ahead.” Xi Xiaoyan opened her arms without hesitation, completely open and willing.
Meng Chuwu didn’t hold back. She wrapped her in a tight embrace. This woman, she wanted to spoil her. Not just for the next three chapters, but all the way to the end of the book.
“Sister Wu’s embrace is the warmest place in the world.”
Xi Xiaoyan’s voice brushed gently against her ear. The warm breath sent shivers down Meng Chuwu’s spine.
“It is warm, but I…”
“What is it?”
“I need another suppressant.” This body’s reactions were way too fast. Meng Chuwu still wasn’t used to it. She quickly pushed Xi Xiaoyan away. “We’ll hug again next time.”
She slid off the bed and went straight to the drawer where she kept her suppressants.
“Sister Wu, maybe we could just go ahead and do it.”
Meng Chuwu froze in place. Xi Xiaoyan hadn’t even said much. Just a soft whisper in her ear and her whole body was already burning. What was her blood even doing?
She didn’t dare respond. Once she snapped out of it, she tore open the suppressant and placed it in her mouth before turning back around.
“No.” Meng Chuwu said firmly. She didn’t want Xi Xiaoyan to feel forced. She didn’t want her to give herself up just for her.
“Only when your body is truly ready.”
“Is that so?” Xi Xiaoyan’s voice turned flat. The rejection seemed to hurt her pride.
Seeing her expression dim, Meng Chuwu quickly added, “We have our whole lives ahead of us. There’s no need to rush. You’ve already taken two doses of suppressants in just a few days. Right now, your body can’t handle another.”
“Alright. I understand.” Xi Xiaoyan turned away and no longer looked at her.
“I’m going out for some air.”
Xi Xiaoyan sat up straight on the bed, staring blankly at the bathroom door as Meng Chuwu stepped inside. She listened quietly to the sound of water running, and little by little, her messy thoughts began to calm.
When Meng Chuwu came out of the bathroom, she and Xi Xiaoyan locked eyes from across the room. They stared at each other for a few seconds. No words were spoken, yet it felt as if they had shared countless thoughts in that silent gaze.
It wasn’t until long after Meng Chuwu left the room that Xi Xiaoyan came back to herself. The emptiness left by that moment of eye contact lingered, but she finally got up and went to the bathroom.
She took a shower, changed into a cheerful spring outfit, then headed downstairs.
To her surprise, Ji Yi had come over again.
Meng Chuwu and Ji Yi were sitting in the living room, chatting about something.
After a brief hesitation, Xi Xiaoyan decided to walk over and greet them.
“Ji Yi, you’re here. Is there any new progress in my case?”
Because Meng Chuwu was in her sensitivity period, Xi Xiaoyan kept a safe distance.
Ji Yi glanced at her, then looked over at Meng Chuwu. It was only then she realized that her childhood friend, who always seemed so frail, had entered her heat.
“There is some progress, but I’m not sure if it’s good news.”
Xi Xiaoyan sat down on the far end of the sofa, about three or four meters away.
“Thank you for all your effort,” she said sincerely.
“This is our job. We take it seriously,” Ji Yi replied.
“What kind of progress is it?” Xi Xiaoyan asked again. Meng Chuwu had been right. If they didn’t find the person responsible, there was no guarantee it wouldn’t happen again.
Meng Chuwu answered for Ji Yi. “I’ll explain it to you later. Ji Yi still has work to do.”
“Alright.” Xi Xiaoyan stood up. “I’m going to have breakfast. Sister Wu, have you eaten yet?”
“I’m not feeling very hungry,” Meng Chuwu said quietly.
“I already ate,” Ji Yi added. It was clear she didn’t intend to stay long.
After Xi Xiaoyan left, Ji Yi also stood to leave.
“You don’t need to walk me out,” Meng Chuwu said. Her complexion looked pale. Although she had taken a suppressant, it didn’t ease her symptoms like it had the night before. In fact, her body felt even worse now, and she had no desire to move.
Ji Yi sighed softly, almost too quietly to hear. She didn’t understand what was going on with her friend. In the past, Meng Chuwu would never have forced herself to endure this discomfort, especially now that she was married.
Xi Xiaoyan had truly changed her. These days, the well-known clubs and nightlife spots in Lucheng had all but forgotten her name.
“I’m heading back to the station. If you feel any worse, call Tang Sijin and let him check on you. Why are you trying to endure it like this?”
Ji Yi couldn’t help but speak up again, worried for her.
“I’m fine. I already took the suppressant,” Meng Chuwu replied, waving her hand to signal Ji Yi to leave.
Ji Yi still had work to do, and she wasn’t the type to linger. Officer Feng had already asked her to pass on everything that needed to be said, so she turned and quickly walked out of the main hall.
Just as she stepped outside the front door of Meng Chuwu’s house, she suddenly ran into the very woman she had been trying so hard to avoid.
Ji Yi froze and immediately tried to turn away, but the woman was faster. She grabbed Ji Yi’s arm.
“Ji Yi!”
“Xi Xiaohe, are you serious?”
“Do I look like I’m going to eat you? Why are you running from me?”
“You do eat people.”
“Get lost.”
“Let go, and I will.”
“Ji Yi, we need to talk.” Xi Xiaohe didn’t waste time. She pulled Ji Yi toward the garden path.
“Xi Xiaohe, I have nothing to say to you.”
Her words said one thing, but Ji Yi didn’t resist. She let herself be pulled along. Her usual calm and collected image had completely vanished.
The two of them tugged at each other all the way into the small pavilion in the garden.
“Can you please let go of me first? Do you know how inappropriate it looks to drag a police officer like this?” Ji Yi was full of regret. She truly regretted ever getting involved with this woman.
“You run the moment you see me. Are you even a proper officer?”
Xi Xiaohe didn’t loosen her grip. Instead, she held on even tighter.
“If you have something to say, just say it. Stop acting like you’re here to collect a debt.” Ji Yi’s voice was almost pleading now.
“Why did you block me? Why did you pretend not to know me? Why won’t you face me? Why did you lie to me?”
“Listen to yourself…” Ji Yi felt her head buzz with all the questions being thrown at her. She struggled to pull away again. “Can you just let go?”
“No.”
“Why not?”
“Why not?” Xi Xiaohe’s eyes widened in anger. Her expression was full of fire.
“Are you even a grown woman?”
“Don’t I look like one?”
“Xi Xiaohe, can’t you be a little more carefree about this? It was just something casual.”
“I can’t. You told me you liked me. That’s why I…”
Even though no one else was around, Ji Yi panicked. She quickly covered Xi Xiaohe’s mouth.
“Please, I’m begging you. Can we not talk about this here?”
Xi Xiaohe mumbled and tried to pull her hand away.
They struggled with each other in the pavilion. Xi Xiaohe seemed fierce, but if Ji Yi hadn’t gone easy on her, she would’ve already been pushed down several times.
After a while, Ji Yi lost her patience. She pinned Xi Xiaohe against a pillar and glared at her.
“If you keep making a scene, I’ll just deal with you right here.”
“Deal with me how?” Xi Xiaohe wasn’t used to Ji Yi being this forceful. She immediately softened.
“You just want me to keep sleeping with you, don’t you?” Ji Yi tilted her head and whispered close to her ear.
“Ji Yi, you’re a scoundrel,” Xi Xiaohe shouted, but her voice had lost its edge.
“Yes, I am. You’d better start accepting that.”
Xi Xiaohe fell silent. With Ji Yi so close, her strength seemed to drain away. She relaxed her grip and let go of Ji Yi’s arm.
By the time she snapped back to reality, Ji Yi had already walked far away.
“Ji Yi! You’re the worst!” Xi Xiaohe stood in the pavilion, blushing furiously as she shouted at the figure walking away in uniform. “I hate you. I really do hate you.”
Ji Yi didn’t look back. She just covered her ears and kept walking.
It wasn’t until Ji Yi disappeared from view that Xi Xiaohe turned around and slowly walked back toward the main house.
When Chi Qing led Xi Xiaohe into the dining room, Xi Xiaoyan, who was still eating breakfast, was startled.
What kind of strange wind was blowing today?