Zheng Miaoning had known for a long time that Wen Zhao was a crybaby.
She never wavered or wailed recklessly; she would simply let her eyes redden in silence, saying nothing and making no sound. At her most sorrowful moments, she only allowed full, crystalline tears to fall one by one from her eyes, all while biting her lip tightly without letting go.
Zheng Miaoning also knew that Wen Zhao loved to cry for her sake most of all.
Today, Wen Zhao was crying for the grievances Zheng Miaoning had suffered several months ago.
It was a strange experience—so strange that Zheng Miaoning forgot she was still angry.
Wen Zhao waited for a long time without receiving a response. She wiped away the tears that were about to fall and prepared to clean up the pot that had boiled dry.
Before she could turn around, her shoulders were gripped firmly by someone.
Wen Zhao looked up at Zheng Miaoning and let out a sigh.
The System had forbidden her from seeing Zheng Miaoning, but the System hadn’t told her what to do if Zheng Miaoning took the initiative to come running over.
What could she do?
Wen Zhao rubbed the tips of her thumb and index finger together, saying nothing, waiting for Zheng Miaoning’s next move.
No matter what it was, Wen Zhao thought, she wouldn’t refuse Zheng Miaoning today.
What Wen Zhao truly wanted to ask was: Are you very sad today? Do you need me to hold you?
There was nothing left in Wen Zhao’s eyes but indulgent tenderness. Overwhelming heartache, like flowing water, spilled from her eyes and followed her gaze until it reached its destination—Zheng Miaoning.
Zheng Miaoning read Wen Zhao’s indulgence.
Her face, chilled by the night wind, was warmed by the heat of her blood. She pushed Wen Zhao away from the steaming pot.
“If only you had appeared sooner.”
Wen Zhao’s brow furrowed. Before she could understand why Zheng Miaoning said those words, she lost the right to speak.
The taller woman, carrying a faint fragrance, suddenly pressed down upon her.
Wen Zhao’s pupils contracted. She wanted to dodge, but her body wouldn’t move an inch.
Cold lips pressed against Wen Zhao’s, grinding against them. The moment Wen Zhao tried to push her away, her half-parted teeth were already pried open.
This was not their first kiss.
Wen Zhao didn’t withdraw her hands from pushing, but she didn’t move any further. Realizing she couldn’t escape, she simply closed her eyes, handing over control of her breath and heartbeat entirely to Zheng Miaoning.
The kiss was urgent.
The faint scent from the other woman’s neck flooded Wen Zhao’s nose once more with every breath, and Wen Zhao understood why she had come.
Wen Zhao’s tightly closed eyes trembled incessantly, her thick eyelashes like butterfly wings fluttering with the rhythm of Zheng Miaoning’s assault.
Wen Zhao’s hands slowly lowered.
The hands that had been braced against Zheng Miaoning’s shoulders dropped to her sides. Zheng Miaoning thought Wen Zhao had given up resistance and was about to stop to observe her reaction.
But Wen Zhao hugged her tightly.
Slender, soft arms wrapped around her with force.
Through the thin layer of clothing, Wen Zhao’s arms pulled them closer once more. Their two bodies, which had previously held some space between them, were now intimate and inseparable.
Zheng Miaoning, of course, would not let such an invitation pass.
The oxygen they had barely managed to gather was once again swept away by lips and tongue. Wen Zhao’s half-closed eyes were somewhat dazed, but if Zheng Miaoning had looked up at that moment, she would have noticed a flash of triumph in Wen Zhao’s gaze.
Wen Zhao surrendered all initiative to Zheng Miaoning.
As for herself, she simply held Zheng Miaoning tightly, her soft, slender palms pressing against Zheng Miaoning’s spine, supporting her with a maternal posture.
The ambiguous sounds of the kiss didn’t reach her ears, because Wen Zhao could only hear Zheng Miaoning’s urgent breathing and the occasional low sob escaping from between her teeth.
She was hurting.
Wen Zhao felt it as if it were her own—perhaps even more painfully.
Wen Zhao thought she had given Zheng Miaoning the best of everything, but Zheng Pingchun’s appearance made her realize she had still overlooked too much.
If she had known this outcome sooner, Wen Zhao would have finished writing the book—at the very least, she would have given Zheng Miaoning a certain, happy ending, rather than leaving her fate to mere possibility.
It wasn’t until their lips were rubbed numb that Zheng Miaoning finally let go of Wen Zhao.
The two of them held each other, panting, their lips slightly swollen. The faint scent on Zheng Miaoning had become hard to catch. Wen Zhao reached up, gently brushing a stray lock of hair from Zheng Miaoning’s cheek and tucking it behind her ear.
The source of the fragrance was the body wash Wen Zhao liked to use.
It was light, with a scent that didn’t last too long or too short.
Back when she was in her third year of high school, Zheng Miaoning had pestered her to use the same brand, and Wen Zhao had no choice but to give her the name.
Wen Zhao just hadn’t expected that Zheng Miaoning would still be using it today.
For Zheng Miaoning to come looking for her right after a shower meant it was likely a difficult problem to solve or an emotion hard to digest.
So, from the first moment she smelled that fragrance, Wen Zhao had decided to indulge her.
Having rested enough, though her waist was still tightly encircled, Wen Zhao couldn’t push her away. She could only look up helplessly to face Zheng Miaoning. “You…”
The kitchen light remained on. Wen Zhao saw Zheng Miaoning’s bloodshot eyes.
The words to drive her away got stuck in her throat. Wen Zhao pressed the back of her hand against Zheng Miaoning’s cheek and asked, “What’s wrong?”
“Nothing.” Zheng Miaoning took a step back and let go.
Wen Zhao didn’t mind the sudden distance. Catching a glimpse of the keys Zheng Miaoning had tossed onto the kitchen windowsill, she couldn’t help but ask, “I assume you didn’t drive here?”
“I did.”
“You can’t do that, you…” Wen Zhao frowned, offering a gentle reprimand.
Zheng Miaoning was pleased by Wen Zhao’s anxious expression and interrupted her slowly, “I lied to you. I was afraid of getting into a car accident from tired driving and never seeing you again, so I changed my mind before getting in the car and took a taxi.”
Wen Zhao closed her eyes and sighed, restraining herself from hitting her.
Zheng Miaoning lowered her head, giggling as she took Wen Zhao’s hands and forced Wen Zhao to cup her face.
“Don’t say things like that anymore,” Wen Zhao yielded, simply reminding her not to keep such morbid thoughts on her lips.
Zheng Miaoning certainly wouldn’t argue with her over such a small thing and quickly agreed.
After the brief exchange, both fell silent.
Wen Zhao knew that Zheng Miaoning and the System had a plan they were hiding from her; the two had long been allies.
Wen Zhao hadn’t thought about interfering.
The System’s only requirement for Wen Zhao was not to meet Zheng Miaoning. Well, the requirement was made this morning, and by tonight, Wen Zhao had already broken it.
She really didn’t know how to explain it to the System.
Even if the breach of contract had been passive.
Wen Zhao had also forgotten that she had once given Zheng Miaoning a key.
Her lips, which had been kissed to numbness, gradually came back to life. An itch like ants biting replaced the numbness, stinging Wen Zhao into having to face Zheng Miaoning.
Wen Zhao said, “You know Wen Qian too. Since you have a plan, then everyone should follow the deployment properly. After tonight, don’t come looking for me again.”
Because I have no way of refusing you.
Every time she made an exception for Zheng Miaoning, Wen Zhao loathed herself a little more. She detested her own weak-willed greed.
“If I asked you to choose between me and Wen Qian right now, who would you choose?” Zheng Miaoning grabbed Wen Zhao’s wrist, using her other hand to pinch Wen Zhao’s chin, staring into her eyes without blinking.
Wen Zhao took a deep breath. “I choose you, but I will listen to Wen Qian.”
Zheng Miaoning’s eyes turned even redder.
Before she could lose her temper, Wen Zhao pulled her hand away and proactively stood on her tiptoes to hug Zheng Miaoning’s head, letting her lean into her embrace. Wen Zhao rested her chin on the top of her head.
The posture was a bit uncomfortable for both of them. Wen Zhao thought for a moment, patted Zheng Miaoning’s back, and slowly pushed her toward the living room. She pressed Zheng Miaoning down into a chair, while Wen Zhao continued to hold her.
Zheng Miaoning was obedient throughout, saying nothing.
She was playing the part of the “good girl.”
Wen Zhao understood; she surely knew what Wen Zhao was about to say. Wen Zhao tightened her hold on her and said softly, “You keep coming back to me time and again because you’ve wagered correctly—that I can’t bear to truly push you away, right?”
“Mhm. My aim is indeed very accurate.”
“Today is perhaps your most vulnerable day, so I’ve indulged you once more. But Ningning, this kind of sweetness gained from ‘drinking poison to quench thirst’ is just an artificial sweetener.”
“The tongue is satisfied, but what about the stomach and the heart?”
As she spoke, several rows of tears fell from Wen Zhao’s eyes. She remained calm and gentle, holding and comforting Zheng Miaoning.
Wen Zhao had already learned from the System that its plan with Zheng Miaoning had already been patched many times because of Wen Zhao’s indulgence and Zheng Miaoning’s recklessness.
If it weren’t for the fact that Zheng Miaoning would be very sad today, and if it weren’t for Wen Zhao’s guilt, Zheng Miaoning wouldn’t have entered so easily.
Not to mention the tangled kiss just now.
As much as Wen Zhao had enjoyed drawing Zheng Miaoning in earlier, she was just as resolute now.
This was absolutely the last time.
To spoil a child is to kill a child. The words the System had spoken lightly before getting into the car had indeed woken Wen Zhao up.
Estimating that enough time had passed, Wen Zhao suppressed the feeling of heartache and moved her hand away from the hair of the woman in her arms, no longer proactively touching any part of her body.
Wen Zhao waited for her to recover on her own.
Zheng Miaoning lingered in her arms for a long time, neither answering nor moving, her thoughts unknown.
It lasted so long that Wen Zhao almost wanted to look down to see if she had fallen asleep.
Suddenly, Zheng Miaoning reached out and gripped Wen Zhao’s waist tightly—tightly enough to leave no room for any movement.
“Artificial sweetener?” Zheng Miaoning repeated the term, chewing on it.
The strength in her arms gradually increased. She wanted to crush Wen Zhao’s body—ideally into small pieces that didn’t need to be chewed—so she could effortlessly eat Wen Zhao bite by bite.
Artificial sweetener? Even if that sweetener turned into blood sugar, Zheng Miaoning would be willing to eat it.
As long as that sugar was laced with Wen Zhao’s love for her.
Zheng Miaoning gave a light chuckle. “What’s wrong with artificial sweetener? Weren’t you eating it quite happily just now? Now that you’ve had your fill, you want to drive me away and not let me eat?”
Her right hand climbed up Wen Zhao’s thin back. She slowly raised her head, her palm cupping the back of Wen Zhao’s head, looking at Wen Zhao with reddened eyes.
Unreasonable again.
Wen Zhao was about to bring up some practical examples to refute her, but the words died in her throat.
She hardened her heart and said, “Go now. I won’t see you again. This incident was outside my expectations, but I believe you can handle it. Ningning, go.”
If my existence and the love I give will only put you in a difficult position, then I am willing to hide it all away.
Only, Wen Zhao didn’t dare look into Zheng Miaoning’s eyes.
She didn’t dare look at Zheng Miaoning, but Zheng Miaoning saw her every expression with total clarity.
Zheng Miaoning’s gaze swept over Wen Zhao with a cold, licking intensity.
Wen Zhao’s frail body was squeezed until she was breathless and trembling. Zheng Miaoning’s gaze finally landed on Wen Zhao’s swollen lips, and she laughed softly. “Go?”
“Of course I’m going to go.”