An Rong completely failed to perceive the dark, possessive desires hidden beneath Pei Chongxi’s calm demeanor.
An Rong mumbled, “But I want to go outside and see. It’s been ten years, I want to know how much the world has changed.”
As she spoke, An Rong sneaked a glance at Pei Chongxi out of the corner of her eye, her whole face wearing an aggrieved expression.
“You can’t just keep me locked up at home forever.”
An Rong’s voice grew softer and softer. She kept peeking at Pei Chongxi’s expression, deeply afraid of making her upset.
Her friend was wonderful in every way, but she was sometimes far too stubborn. Once she wanted something, she had to get it, and once her mind was set, she never compromised.
Back in their school days, simply to secure the top spot in their academic year, Pei Chongxi would study day and night, often sleeping for only two or three hours a night.
Pei Chongxi quietly observed An Rong’s vivid, lively expressions. After a moment of silence, she turned her face to the side.
“Suit yourself.”
With that, Pei Chongxi sat down at the dining table on her own.
On the table sat the cutlassfish An Rong had just fried today, along with a pot of pork stomach soup. The aroma alone felt deeply comforting to the stomach.
Sitting at the table, Pei Chongxi stared at the dishes in quiet contemplation for a long time. Finally, she closed her eyes and let out a heavy breath, her eyes dim with unreadable turmoil.
An Rong pitter-pattered over to her and leaned half against the dining table. Lowering her head, she kept picking at her thumb with two fingernails.
“Did I make things too difficult for you? I won’t spend much of your money while we’re out.”
“It’s not a matter of money,” Pei Chongxi said softly. To her now, money was no issue at all.
What mattered was…
Pei Chongxi’s feather like eyelashes fluttered downward, concealing the struggle in her eyes.
When she raised her head again, her eyes held a touch of pleading and obsession that even she hadn’t realized.
“An’an, after you go out, will you still come back?”
An Rong blinked, completely baffled. “Of course I’ll come back. Where else would I go if not here with you? Sleep under a bridge?” An Rong amused herself at the thought.
Another long silence followed.
Pei Chongxi pointed a finger at her own lips.
“Kiss me once, and I’ll take you out tomorrow.”
An Rong: !
Pei Chongxi pressed her finger against her pale lips, her gaze locked onto An Rong’s eyes. She repeated, “Kiss me once, and I’ll take you.”
After two seconds, Pei Chongxi added, “Besides, there’s nothing wrong with two girls kissing. No one is watching right now, and kissing you once won’t ruin my reputation or get me fired.”
Every single word made An Rong’s resolve waver.
In her heart, An Rong knew that two girls kissing was inappropriate, but she desperately wanted to go out.
Besides, with Pei Chongxi, let alone nuzzling faces or taking the initiative to kiss, they had even shared the same blanket before.
Forget it. Steeling her heart, An Rong leaned forward, pressing her hands against Pei Chongxi’s shoulders, and tentatively brought her moist lips to meet Pei Chongxi’s.
However, Pei Chongxi was not satisfied with just a gentle peck. She parted An Rong’s lips, deepening the kiss continuously as she tasted the subtle flavor of candy inside An Rong’s mouth.
“You snuck a candy,” Pei Chongxi said in a low, raspy voice.
An Rong could only make muffled “whimpering” sounds, unable to speak.
She had indeed eaten the candy kept in the living room fruit bowl for guests.
An Rong tried to push her away, but her waist turned soft first.
An arm wrapped around An Rong’s waist, pressing her down firmly onto Pei Chongxi’s lap.
An Rong was very light and had little extra flesh; her waist possessed the unique flexibility of a young girl, feeling supple and comfortable in hand.
“Alright, that’s enough…” An Rong had no idea how to breathe while kissing. Her entire face was flushed red, and her eyes glistened with tears, looking just like an utterly bullied little kitten.
When the two separated, a thin silver thread stretched between them.
Pei Chongxi used her thumb to wipe away the glistening moisture on An Rong’s lips, then brought it to her own mouth and licked it.
“Mmh, grape flavored candy. How many did you sneak?”
An Rong turned her face to the side, feeling like her entire body was about to catch fire.
“I ate three.”
The eighteen-year-old girl confessed honestly.
She stole a glance at Pei Chongxi. “They had English letters written on them, were they very expensive?”
“Not expensive,” Pei Chongxi said. “Remember to brush your teeth tonight.”
An Rong gave a muffled “oh.”
Pei Chongxi was a person who kept her promises. Having agreed to let An Rong go out the next day, she didn’t delay. Early the next morning, she stood in front of the full length mirror in the walk-in closet.
When Yu Shan pushed the door open, this was the sight that greeted her.
Her mentor was wearing a simple black dress. Wrapped three times around her wrist was a pearl strand, and in her hand, she carried a small black leather bag adorned with a white ribbon.
Slightly wavy long hair was tucked behind her ears, revealing a pair of gold earrings, the only bright color on her entire body.
Yu Shan didn’t dare step forward at first.
Although Pei Chongxi’s usual attire revolved around black, white, and gray tones, today’s outfit felt strangely bright.
Yu Shan thought to herself that it was likely due to those gold earrings.
Usually, Pei Chongxi preferred delicate, muted diamonds or pearl earrings, making her look as if she were constantly mourning someone.
“Is something wrong?”
Pei Chongxi neatly styled her hair until every strand was immaculate. Turning her head, she gave Yu Shan a nod.
Yu Shan said, “I came to your studio to pick up a painting ordered by a client earlier.”
Yu Shan held up her phone and pointed to the set schedule.
Her mentor’s memory was often quite poor, likely due to drinking, Yu Shan thought.
Oddly enough, after entering the room, she didn’t smell any trace of alcohol.
In a surprisingly good mood, Pei Chongxi nodded and patted Yu Shan’s shoulder as she passed by.
“Thank you for your hard work.”
“Oh, it’s no trouble at all.”
Assuming Pei Chongxi meant that the second floor studio was messy and finding a specific painting wouldn’t be easy, Yu Shan scratched her head and added, “I’m used to it.”
With that, Pei Chongxi walked down the stairs. Standing in the hallway, Yu Shan was passed by a lively girl in a white dress who came bouncing along.
The girl approaching her had a fresh, tender face that looked like it could burst with moisture at a touch. Two braided pigtails rested against her collarbones, bobbing up and down with her footsteps, decorated with two dainty cherry hair ties.
An Rong was muttering to herself, “It’s windy outside. I need to find a jacket.”
Like a nimble fish, An Rong darted into Pei Chongxi’s closet, rummaged through the wardrobe, and pulled out a light colored trench coat to put on.
“Ooh, it’s a bit big, but this will do for now. Ah! Sister Pei, where are you? Wait for me!”
An Rong rushed out of the closet in a whirlwind and shouted down the staircase, “Why are you walking so fast? Hey, aren’t you cold? Should I bring you a coat?”
Immediately after, An Rong scampered back into the closet with quick pitter-patters, picked out a jacket, and then darted back downstairs.
Throughout the entire process, Yu Shan stood by the door, completely dumbfounded.
So… this was the eighteen-year-old girl her boss was keeping at home?
She looked so young, was she truly an adult?!
A stormy sea of shock raged in Yu Shan’s heart, terrified that she might one day see her boss featured on legal news or trending topics on Weibo.
Moving her feet slightly, she watched as the tender young girl hugged the boss around the waist, looking outside and then inside like a cautious, vigilant cat.
“I don’t have any money on me. Will you really pay for everything for me?”
“Mmh.” Standing by the door, Pei Chongxi held a ring of car keys in her palm. “Which one do you like? Do you want to drive the convertible Porsche?”
Yu Shan gasped, shielding her face with her hand, thinking to herself. Teacher is utterly blinded by lust! Utterly blinded!