She simply cooked herself a bowl of Yangchun noodles, tossed in a few green vegetable leaves, and poached an egg. As soon as it was ready, Lin Sheng took half of it.
Today was Sunday, and she had nothing much to do. Xiao Bao wasn’t due back until the afternoon. They had video called earlier that morning, it was Xiao Bao’s first time going camping with classmates, and she was clearly having a great time, her voice was practically chirping with joy. This put Yu Keqing at ease.
She didn’t really want Xiao Bao’s personality to be like her own. It wasn’t a good way to be, it made one prone to being overlooked and bullied. That feeling was miserable, like being forgotten by the world. Everyone else was vivid and colorful, while she alone was dim and lackluster, looking out of place even when trying to fit in, gradually becoming solitary.
Back in Mangshi, she had often encouraged Xiao Bao to make more friends at school and go out with classmates. Xiao Bao went occasionally, but most of the time she stayed home or spent the entire day doing homework at the café where Yu Keqing worked, waiting until she clocked off so they could go home together.
When she asked Xiao Bao why she didn’t go out with her peers, Xiao Bao said she just wanted to be with her. At the time, Yu Keqing felt a pang of guilt, blaming herself for being so busy working and earning money that she had no time to accompany her daughter.
While Yu Keqing sat dazed on the sofa, Lin Sheng had finished dressing and was ready to head out. She wore a black, sleeveless, high-necked long dress, swaying her hips with a rhythmic grace in her high heels. Her hair was swept back into a sleek, “great bright” style, revealing a full forehead and a flawless hairline. Her features were strikingly beautiful, and the diamond earrings on her lobes flashed with brilliant fire.
The scent of roses reached Yu Keqing before Lin Sheng’s red lips did. “I have an appointment, so I can’t stay home with you today.”
A lipstick mark was stamped onto Yu Keqing’s lips. She leaned her body back, trying to avoid Lin Sheng’s further demands, but Lin Sheng grabbed the back of her neck to hold her in place. A fragrant, soft tongue pried open her teeth, plundering her breath with an irresistible force.
She struggled, her hands flailing wildly.
Lin Sheng pulled back slightly, licking the messy smudge of lipstick on Yu Keqing’s lips. Looking down at her, she said, “Don’t hide.”
It seemed like last night’s incident had been smoothed over, but she knew Lin Sheng would settle the score sooner or later. This forced kiss was only the beginning.
Lin Sheng’s eyes were filled with possessiveness. She lowered her head to lightly bite Yu Keqing’s lower lip, taking the soft tissue into her mouth to suck and tease, pulling it outward until the color deepened. Yu Keqing frowned at the provocation, resisting and shrinking back intensely. Only then did Lin Sheng let go, but she soon covered her again, blocking Yu Keqing’s breath and voice once more.
This kiss was punitive, leaving Yu Keqing with nowhere to run. The suffocating sensation made her chest heave violently, like a fish out of water, gasping and near death. It was agonizing, her face flushed red, and tears were forced out, streaming down her cheeks in slick trails.
Every time she tried to turn her head away, Lin Sheng’s hand would grip her neck tighter, followed by another round of breathless, deep kissing, as if trying to consume her entirely.
She felt her chest tightening painfully. Faint gasps escaped her throat only to be swallowed by Lin Sheng, and saliva trickled from her parted lips.
For Yu Keqing, this was a long, drawn-out ordeal. By the time Lin Sheng was willing to release her, she was powerless, left to slump weakly onto the sofa.
Her lips felt scorched, numb, and painful. She raised a hand to wipe them.
Lin Sheng grabbed her wrist, her proud curves pressing close. Her fragrance billowed against the side of Yu Keqing’s neck. “This is just the interest. Once your body has recovered, I will collect the debt with interest.”
With her wrist pinned, Yu Keqing didn’t even have the strength to struggle. The burning pain on her lips hadn’t subsided, and the numbness crawled up from the tip of her tongue. Even her breathing was filled with Lin Sheng’s rose scent.
After last night’s turn of events, Lin Sheng was very guarded against her. It would be difficult to find another chance to catch Lin Sheng off guard and lock her up again. However, she wouldn’t compromise and cooperate with Lin Sheng. She would not mark Lin Sheng again, she had said so.
She moved her wrist and gave a bitter smile. “You have so many suitors. Wouldn’t it be better to pick one that satisfies you?”
Lin Sheng placed a finger on her lips. They were merely swollen; she had controlled her strength while kissing and hadn’t actually injured Yu Keqing.
“I don’t like them.”
“Then who do you like?” Yu Keqing looked up, her lips trembling and tears ready to fall. Please don’t let it be me.
Lin Sheng looked deep into her eyes. The answer was on the tip of her tongue, but because of last night’s incident, Lin Sheng was annoyed. She didn’t want to voice the answer that had been buried in her heart for ten years.
Even Lin Sheng wasn’t sure when she had fallen for Yu Keqing. Perhaps it started when she lost her temper time and again, yet Yu Keqing never got angry, continuing to tenderly care for her daily life and trying every way to coax her into a good mood. Or perhaps it was when she was miserably ill during pregnancy, and Yu Keqing still served her hand and foot without complaint, enduring every curse and every thrown object.
Regardless, she couldn’t remember clearly. But on the day Yu Keqing left behind a bullshit divorce agreement and took Xiao Bao away, she was so furious she nearly tore the house down. She had simply gone on a business trip, and when she returned, her wife and daughter were gone.
She stroked Yu Keqing’s tear-stained face, her gaze tender and her voice a soft inquiry. “Who do you think I would like?”
Yu Keqing’s lips twisted into a hideous smile. “You’ve had a secret crush on Man’er for so many years. Why didn’t you pursue her? Why didn’t you take her?”
Instead, she was here torturing her. She was just an ordinary person who had accidentally transmigrated into a book, yet she had to passively bear this karmic debt.
There was no one to tell of her pain.
Lin Sheng frowned, seemingly unwilling to mention Wen Man at a time like this. “That’s my own business. I don’t need to explain it to you.”
Yu Keqing regretted asking. She forcefully yanked her hand back, feeling so exhausted that even breathing felt like a chore.
Lin Sheng pursed her lips, a flash of hesitation crossing her face before she finally chose to explain. “I knew back then that Wen Man didn’t like me, so I didn’t say anything. Later, she started dating Jiang Shuang and she was very happy. I didn’t want to ruin her happiness.”
“So you chose to torture me.” Yu Keqing’s fingernails dug into her palms.
Lin Sheng looked away guiltily, defending herself in a small voice, “You were the one who hurt Wen Man first. That’s why I treated you that way. You were in the wrong first, you can’t blame me.”
The slight pain in her palm was nothing compared to the recurring ache in her heart. Yu Keqing wept silently. Her mouth moved, but she couldn’t find her voice.
“I explained to you that I didn’t hurt Man’er. You didn’t believe me.”
Even her sobs were kept extremely faint, leaving only her lips trembling slightly.
Lin Sheng’s heart suddenly constricted, as if someone had squeezed it hard.
She watched the tears falling from Yu Keqing’s reddened eyes and suddenly realized that from beginning to end, she had treated Yu Keqing as an emotional outlet. She couldn’t bear to touch or ruin Wen Man’s happiness, so she took all her insecurity, suspicion, and twisted feelings and hurled them all at Yu Keqing.