The softness beneath her palm only deepened the darkness in Gu Mian’s eyes. Her throat tightened as she watched Lin Chuyi melt before her; a deeper, more profound craving began to pool in her heart.
“Let, let me go.” Lin Chuyi’s eyes were rimmed with a bashful shimmer, the tears clinging to her lashes like crystalline dew on delicate peach blossoms in early spring.
Gu Mian wondered if she was born with such a ruthless streak. Seeing Lin Chuyi’s tearful pleas didn’t make her heart soften in the slightest; instead, it only made her more excited. The air was thick with a joy that made it hard to breathe.
Gu Mian leaned in, sensing the rising tide of Lin Chuyi’s own hidden emotions.
“Sister likes me, right?” Gu Mian asked.
Lin Chuyi’s gaze was dazed. Overpowered by Gu Mian, she could hardly find her voice. As Gu Mian leaned closer, Lin Chuyi felt like a tender bud heavy with morning dew—one that might fall at the slightest breeze.
Lin Chuyi didn’t understand what was happening to her. But she had to admit that in that fleeting second, she was moved. Gu Mian had always been within her innermost defenses. She didn’t reject her proximity; she was simply—
Simply ashamed of her own longing, ashamed to let herself be controlled by desire.
Lin Chuyi had always known that it wasn’t Gu Mian who controlled her, but her own curiosity and dormant needs. As Gu Mian’s warmth enveloped her, her resistance crumbled, replaced by a burgeoning curiosity about it.
She instinctively tilted her head back, surrendering to the inexplicable craving. Though her heart felt one way, her body pressed closer. Sensing Lin Chuyi’s yielding, Gu Mian moved in even further.
“Sister,” Gu Mian whispered, her voice a gentle caress. “Do you want to try? Aren’t you curious?”
“I.” Lin Chuyi’s throat felt tight.
“Just a try. If it feels uncomfortable, you can push me away, okay?” Gu Mian coaxed. Lin Chuyi finally relaxed a fraction. Just as her breathing leveled out, Gu Mian began to trail light kisses up from her neck.
“Relax,” Gu Mian chuckled softly.
Suddenly, a violent pounding erupted at the door. Gu Mian intended to ignore it, but the thunderous knocking soon turned into a rhythmic thudding—someone was trying to kick the door down. The noise was so loud that neither of them could ignore it.
The romantic tension shattered instantly. Gu Mian took several deep breaths, rolled off the bed, and opened the door with a face full of suppressed frustration. Standing there was Shen Qing, her face equally flushed.
Gu Mian and Shen Qing locked eyes. The mutual suspicion and predatory hostility in their gazes seemed to stem from the same source, ready to ignite at a touch.
“I’m taking Sister with me,” Shen Qing said, looking as if she wanted to tear Gu Mian to pieces.
“Heh, by what right?” Gu Mian was seething, her unvented energy turning into a dark, suffocating gloom. “You didn’t show up early or late—why precisely now?”
Shen Qing bit her lip but kept her body wedged firmly in the doorway, refusing to give Gu Mian a chance to shut it.
Since her eighteenth birthday, Shen Qing had noticed inexplicable changes in her own body—sudden, unprovoked waves of longing that she couldn’t explain. She had assumed it was just a sign of growing up. But just now, while lost in her own haze, she had heard Lin Chuyi’s voice through the wall calling “Gu Mian, Gu Mian,” and it had driven her mad.
In a flash of realization, Shen Qing had a suspicion.
Had she and Gu Mian established some kind of connection? A connection centered around Sister?
The hotter she felt, the more she could sense her own craving—a sensation that felt like both her own instinct and a reflection of Gu Mian’s perception.
Driven by this realization, Shen Qing lost all control. She suppressed her instincts and ran across the hall to pound on the door. Seeing Gu Mian’s similarly flushed face, her suspicion was confirmed.
“You can’t—Sister doesn’t understand anything.”
“Heh.” Shen Qing’s words hit a nerve. Gu Mian’s lips curled into a mocking sneer. She kept her voice low to ensure it wouldn’t reach the inner room. “And how ‘noble’ are your intentions? If she doesn’t understand, I’ll be the one to teach her. You needn’t worry yourself.”
Shen Qing shoved past Gu Mian and, for the first time, rushed toward the bedroom. Lin Chuyi was leaning against the headboard, trying to regain her composure. Seeing Shen Qing, she asked with concern, “What happened? Why are you over here so late? Is something wrong?”
Shen Qing opened her mouth, but the words wouldn’t come.
Her “Sister” understood nothing. If she ever truly did, would she choose Gu Mian, or Shen Qing—or would she choose to stay far away from both of them?
It was precisely because they feared Lin Chuyi might leave that Gu Mian and Shen Qing, despite their mutual loathing, both hesitated to force her “awakening.” They were both testing the waters with a mix of restraint and distance.
Shen Qing secretly hoped Lin Chuyi would stay “clueless,” because for now, Lin Chuyi treated her like a child. Even though Lin Chuyi was only three or four years older, as long as Shen Qing hadn’t crossed the line from high school to university, Lin Chuyi would always see her as a “kid.”
But being a kid had its advantages.
A sudden idea occurred to Shen Qing. She knit her brows and said softly, “Sister, I had a nightmare.” Her voice was low and she looked frail; she had been sweating, and the cold wind from the hallway made her look weak. “I needed to see you to feel better.”
Lin Chuyi stood up and smiled, touching Shen Qing’s forehead. “I’ve heard that in ancient times, there was a beast that ate people’s nightmares so they only had good dreams left. Do you think I’m that kind of beast?”
“No.” Shen Qing looked at her with burning intensity. “Sister is the most wonderful person in the world. Every look at you makes my day happier.”
“Always so sweet-tongued,” Lin Chuyi teased.
Shen Qing wanted Lin Chuyi to come back to her place to sleep, but Lin Chuyi didn’t agree. Shen Qing bit her lip and slowly retreated, looking back three times before finally crossing the hall.
As she passed Gu Mian, Shen Qing whispered, “If you bully Sister again, I will definitely take her away.”
Gu Mian raised an eyebrow coldly. She blocked Shen Qing’s path and challenged her: “How do you know I’m bullying her? Maybe she’s willing. Perhaps you’re the one who interrupted us.”
“You!”
“I’m telling you, there will be a next time. You’d better stay away,” Gu Mian said with a thin, mocking smile. “Don’t blame me for not warning you if Sister ends up hating you for it.”
Shen Qing suppressed her rage, refusing to lose her composure in front of them. Being viewed as a child was her current disadvantage. She was biding her time, ensuring she wouldn’t be discarded by Lin Chuyi before making a move.
Her eyes darkened with a predatory, wolf-like glint. “You’d better keep your mouth shut,” Shen Qing said. “Sister will be by my side sooner or later.”
“Stop looking at her, Sister. She’s already gone back to her room,” Gu Mian grumbled with exaggerated jealousy.
Though Lin Chuyi was dense regarding romance, she was attentive in other ways. She specifically reminded Gu Mian: “Shen Qing is a senior; her pressure must be immense. Don’t let anything disrupt her studies.”
“I know, I know. I knew you were biased.” Gu Mian reached out to take Lin Chuyi’s hand. “Sister, I’m going to be very busy again for a while. Once I’m done, let me take you to live in a big house, okay?”
Gu Mian still had small, stubborn pockets of resistance to deal with at her company. Recently, there had also been security issues; a few desperate individuals were repeatedly trying to steal trade secrets, and her company’s information security was struggling to keep up.
“Just focus on your work. I’m happy living here, and my job is here too.” Having spent so much time with Gu Mian, Lin Chuyi’s own latent laziness was starting to show. Simply put, she didn’t like moving. She was a homebody by nature and didn’t want to bounce around. Plus, she was waiting for Mengmeng and 0927 to return from the System Bureau.
“Understood.” Gu Mian toyed with Lin Chuyi’s fingers, her earlier desire slowly bubbling back to the surface. She hadn’t originally intended to push their relationship further tonight, but the atmosphere had been so perfect she couldn’t help wanting more.
“I have things to do, too,” Lin Chuyi said, thinking of the project Xinyi’s mom had mentioned. “I might have to go out and meet some people next week, so take good care of yourself.”
Lin Chuyi was also taking freelance orders online, usually working on them while at the library. She was becoming somewhat famous in certain circles as a “7-to-5 slacker” who essentially worked two jobs during office hours and vanished the moment the clock struck five.
“Mm.” Gu Mian nodded. “By the way, when will you make up that birthday wish to me, Sister?”
Lin Chuyi thought for a moment. “Do you have any ideas? Is there a specific gift you want?”
Gu Mian looked at her in silence. Lin Chuyi blinked back.
“Could Sister try those things ‘good friends’ do with me?” The mere words made Gu Mian’s blood race. Her voice was dry and tight, and she felt herself heating up again.
“What are you saying? You’re going to bully me again, aren’t you?” Lin Chuyi recalled the feeling of being pinned down earlier. Her face flushed. She shook her head. “No. Pick a different wish. Something easier to achieve.”
“Then,” Gu Mian smiled, “kiss me again, Sister.”
Lin Chuyi’s previous courageous attempt had been an unexpected delight for Gu Mian. Lin Chuyi was naturally soft-hearted and had very few boundaries regarding such things, while Gu Mian was the type to always push for more.
“No.” Lin Chuyi shook her head, though her tone had softened. Her face flushed inexplicably; Gu Mian had been quite dominant just moments ago, and Lin Chuyi couldn’t be certain that she would stop at just one kiss.
“Just one kiss, alright?” Gu Mian leaned in. Lin Chuyi retreated. Gu Mian pressed closer. Lin Chuyi backed away again until there was nowhere left to go.
Her back hit the cool wall, but her ears were burning.
Gu Mian leaned in once more.
“May I?” she whispered.
“Then, just one kiss?” Lin Chuyi was finally swayed. Truthfully, she was curious herself about what a real kiss felt like, but her social circle was so small that she had no one else to experiment with.
She was truly curious.
“Just one kiss,” Gu Mian promised firmly. She slowly drew near but stopped just short of contact. Her voice was like soft cotton candy, coated in a sweetness that made one’s mouth water. “You do it, Sister,” she coaxed. “Try it however you like. I won’t be like I was before, okay?”
“Alright.” Lin Chuyi looked at her.
Gu Mian’s beauty was undeniably striking. Though they had lived together for some time, Lin Chuyi still found herself occasionally captivated by Gu Mian’s long eyelashes, her soft lips, and the breathtaking silhouette that made one’s throat tighten. Her admiration for Gu Mian was like a deep sigh of wonder at a masterpiece of nature.
Hemmed in by Gu Mian against the wall, Lin Chuyi looked up, her breathing growing slightly heavy.
Then, she stood on her tiptoes.