After learning the news, Qiang Ning was so furious that she couldn’t sleep all night. Combined with the fact that this shabby little house was particularly hot in the summer, she simply gave up on sleeping altogether.
What a mess!
Lin Dongruan, she really…
Unfortunately, this person’s way of thinking was different from ordinary people, and Qiang Ning had no way of interfering with her.
Of course, what angered Qiang Ning the most was Lin Dongruan’s attitude of treating everyone equally—over these twenty-some years, Lin Dongruan was the person she had spent the most effort on, yet she herself was not the “only one” in the other woman’s heart.
This made Qiang Ning feel a deep sense of imbalance.
She had given so much; it was only reasonable and fair that she wanted to receive more in return.
And so, Qiang Ning turned her head to look at Lin Dongruan, who was sleeping peacefully beside her. This person’s sleeping posture was excellent, resembling a goddess in a mural. For such a long time, no matter which late night it was, Qiang Ning had never seen the other woman show a hint of passion or emotion, as if Lin Dongruan completely lacked the seven emotions and six desires.
Qiang Ning was not like her.
Although Qiang Ning held her head high and looked down on almost everyone, she knew that once she took a fancy to someone, she wouldn’t be able to help herself. Lin Dongruan was a rare beauty in this world, both in body and soul; no other woman could compare to her, and only Lin Dongruan would treat her this way.
Had it been anyone else, they wouldn’t spend all day restraining Qiang Ning, wouldn’t show her an attitude, wouldn’t strike her palms, or scold her for lying and being willful.
In her own fiefdom, Qiang Ning was lawless by nature, and no one had ever dared to control her like this. At the beginning of Lin Dongruan’s discipline, she would feel annoyed and ashamed, but perhaps she had grown used to it; now, she could even find a sense of pleasure in these small matters.
While her mind was wandering, Lin Dongruan, in a half-dreaming, half-awake state, subconsciously reached for the blanket beside her. Qiang Ning lowered her head and watched with her own eyes as the other woman, clearly not yet awake, instinctively pulled the blanket higher for her and tucked in the corners.
In an instant, Qiang Ning’s heart skipped a beat.
Of course, this wasn’t an illness. Had she not been sleepless tonight, Qiang Ning wouldn’t have known that Lin Dongruan cared for her so much. For a half-awake person to perform such a fluid action, it was undoubtedly because she did this every night, and it had already become a habit.
“Lin Dongruan… Dongruan…” Propping herself up on her arm, Qiang Ning stealthily leaned closer to the other’s ear to test the waters. “Can’t you sleep either?”
There was no response.
The other woman was clearly fast asleep.
Qiang Ning felt a mix of uncontrollable heartbeat and secret joy that the other was sleeping so soundly. In short, she was not some principled or ritual-abiding gentleman; if she didn’t take advantage of the situation now, when would she?
“Lin Dongruan, can I kiss you?”
“I’ll take your silence as consent.”
After whispering her question, Qiang Ning didn’t hesitate to lean in. She carefully tucked away Lin Dongruan’s soft black hair, brushed a few strands aside, and lightly kissed the other woman’s forehead.
After the quick kiss, Lin Dongruan had no reaction, but Qiang Ning herself was incredibly nervous, retreating alone to cover her racing heart.
Once her heart settled again, Qiang Ning leaned in with ill intentions once more, tentatively kissing the other’s cheek.
So soft. She didn’t know if it was just her imagination, but she always felt that Lin Dongruan smelled very good, carrying a fresh scent of plants and the slight bitterness of medicinal herbs, which smelled much better than the medicine in a clinic.
Like a cautious wild cat, Qiang Ning leaned in further to sniff the other’s neck. Besides the fresh fragrance, she inexplicably felt a warm, gentle scent.
How can she smell so good…
Qiang Ning very rudely loosened the other’s collar and looked down inside, finally understanding where the fragrance from a moment ago had come from.
She had touched it once before, but hadn’t thought much of it afterward. Now, enticed by this scent, the memories of that touch came flooding back. Coupled with the fact that the person was right there beside her within reach, it left her mouth dry and her mind wandering.
Qiang Ning’s throat moved slightly. Just as she was thinking of doing something more, she suddenly noticed that Lin Dongruan was awake.
Qiang Ning: “…”
With such a big commotion, it was indeed hard not to wake up.
She had been bewitched by her own ghosts and hadn’t been paying attention.
Meeting those eyes that were as clear and calm as water, Qiang Ning couldn’t utter a single word of excuse.
“A-Ning, why aren’t you sleeping?” Lin Dongruan had just woken up; her voice was low and weak, adding a lot of tenderness. “Is it too hot?”
The other woman’s first words weren’t questioning or blaming, but were actually caring for her? Qiang Ning was momentarily stunned by the question, and only then did she slowly recover from the embarrassment of being caught red-handed.
Qiang Ning stammered, “Oh, right… it’s too hot, indeed… um, Sister, I can’t really sleep… I thought I saw a small flying insect crawl into your clothes just now, so I wanted to catch it for you.”
What a seamless excuse.
Qiang Ning felt gratified by the lie she had told.
Seeing that the other woman had no objection, Qiang Ning asked in a small, suggestive voice, “How about… Sister, I continue to help you catch the small insect?”
Lin Dongruan said, “A-Ning, you know that I have always been a light sleeper.”
Qiang Ning: “…”
She knew now.
Lin Dongruan looked at her with a calm expression: “You lied.”
Now, it wasn’t a question of whether she lied or not. As soon as Qiang Ning thought about those several absurd kisses just now, she felt embarrassed beyond words.
So, she threw caution to the wind and replied, “Yes.”
Lin Dongruan: “You must not lie in the future, A-Ning.”
Qiang Ning replied quickly, “I won’t anymore.”
Admit fault this time, but dare to do it again next time.
Only then did Lin Dongruan let her off, quietly closing her eyes: “It’s late, go to sleep. Tomorrow when it’s light, we’ll think of a way to lower the heat in the room.”
She wasn’t going to press further?
Qiang Ning felt that she had been forgiven far too easily. But what about those few kisses? Did the other woman really not ask about them at all?
After recovering from the embarrassment and nervousness, Qiang Ning felt a delayed sense of frustration. She thought almost obsessively—why didn’t Lin Dongruan ask about those kisses? What exactly was the other woman thinking?
Qiang Ning whispered, “Sister, are you… not going to blame me anymore?”
Lin Dongruan’s voice sounded sleepy: “A-Ning, let’s sleep first.”
“Sister.” Qiang Ning’s eyes were bright, leaning in like a nocturnal wild cat. Seeing that the other wasn’t responding again, she persisted relentlessly, “Dongruan, Lin Dongruan, Dongruan, you…”
In the darkness, Lin Dongruan raised her hand and lightly pressed on her head: “No respect for your elders.”
The other woman’s strength was very light, but Qiang Ning unreasonably followed the force and leaned lightly against her heart: “Sister, I still have questions to ask.”
Lin Dongruan seemed to guess what she wanted to ask: “I’ll hit your palms when we wake up tomorrow, alright?”
Qiang Ning froze, instinctively saying, “Okay.”
Qiang Ning: “…”
What was wrong with her.
A moment later, she thought of an excellent idea—since she was going to get a beating anyway, she might as well take the opportunity to get a bit more benefit.
In the height of summer, Qiang Ning didn’t care if it was hot or not; she moved closer to Lin Dongruan, hugging the other’s waist tightly without any gaps, resting her chin in the crook of the other’s shoulder, and occasionally kissing her a few times. If she heard that the person was about to wake up from being unable to bear it, she would quickly pretend to be well-behaved and asleep. When the other fell fast asleep, she would repeat the process…
Listening to the other person’s sudden long sigh, Qiang Ning knew that Lin Dongruan must be getting angry. But because it was such a small matter, she didn’t want to wake up and scold her, so she could only continue to endure it.
How amusing.