Through a thin undershirt, Lin Su gently rested both hands over Ye Tong’s flat abdomen. Her outer wool sweater covered her wrists, and inside the garment, her slender fingers remained completely still, terrified of startling Ye Tong. The warm, comforting heat radiating from Ye Tong’s skin made Lin Su reluctant to pull away; her own hands were bone-chillingly cold all year round, impossible to warm up no matter what she did.
Even if they were impossible to warm, Ye Tong had always felt deeply protective, habitually grabbing Lin Su’s hands to warm them against her own skin just like she was doing now, using her body heat to thaw her freezing fingers.
Unfortunately, the Ye Tong standing in front of Lin Su right now was no longer the Ye Tong from the deep, alcohol-soaked recesses of her memories. Ye Tong felt a mix of irritation and amusement at Lin Su’s forwardness. Grabbing Lin Su by the wrists, she firmly pulled both of her hands out from under her shirt.
Finding her ingrained habit suddenly rejected, Lin Su knit her brows slightly. She lifted the hem of Ye Tong’s shirt, preparing to slip her hands back inside, but Ye Tong quickly pushed her away, snapping fiercely, “Don’t you dare come near me!”
Lin Su startled, looking up to stare at Ye Tong in sheer, dazed confusion for a long moment. Finally, she slowly retracted her hands, sitting quietly by Ye Tong’s side without making another attempt to close the distance, her delicate fingers nervously laced together in her lap.
Watching the exchange through the rearview mirror, Xiao Ziyu felt a wave of sympathy for her boss. She turned her head slightly to address Ye Tong. “Our President behaves exactly like a child when she’s drunk. Please don’t take it to heart she won’t remember a single thing that happened tonight when she wakes up tomorrow.”
Ye Tong was well aware that Lin Su would have absolutely no memory of tonight’s events once she sobered up, yet such intimate physical contact remained incredibly difficult to accept. Massaging her temples, she murmured wearily, “Secretary Xiao, why on earth didn’t you keep an eye on her? Why did you let her drink so much?”
“I tried to stop her, but it was completely impossible! Besides, I had to drive, so I couldn’t touch a drop of alcohol myself.”
Ye Tong fell silent. That morning, she and Lin Su had reached a clear consensus: Ye Tong would handle the social drinking, while Lin Su would secure the contract. Yet during the banquet, she had remained perfectly sober, while Lin Su was the one who had ended up thoroughly intoxicated.
Suddenly, she felt a gentle tug on the corner of her shirt. Turning her head, she saw Lin Su looking at her with wide, unblinking eyes, presenting her slender hands like a hopeful child. “Tongtong, warm my hands, please.”
Ye Tong snapped in frustration, “Warm your head!”
Finding herself scolded again, Lin Su pursed her red lips, her eyes still locked onto Ye Tong. Realizing her tone had been a bit too harsh, Ye Tong quickly suppressed her rising irritation, taking a deep breath to calm herself.
“You are a fully grown adult. If you know you can’t handle your liquor, why on earth did you drink so much? You’re thirty-six years old, yet you still have absolutely no idea how to take care of yourself.”
Xiao Ziyu turned her head, preparing to defend her boss, but the words died in her throat. Despite Ye Tong’s harsh words, her hands gently brushed a few stray locks of long hair behind Lin Su’s ear, before taking Lin Su’s freezing hands and pulling them securely against her abdomen.
Both of them are so incredibly stubborn, Xiao Ziyu thought, shaking her head. “Ye Tong, please forgive the President. Things have truly not been easy for her over the years.”
“Nothing in this life is easy,” Ye Tong replied flatly, her voice firm. “And things haven’t been easy for me either.”
Xiao Ziyu choked on her words. “Yes… you’re right. It hasn’t been easy for either of you.” She paused, before adding quietly, “But back then, the President truly had her reasons for doing what she did. Can’t you try to stand in her shoes for a moment and understand her situation?”
Ye Tong looked down at Lin Su, who was currently nesting contentedly against her shoulder. With her eyes closed, a delicate flush painted her pale skin, her hands resting warmly against Ye Tong’s abdomen. Lin Su’s face carried a look of pure, peaceful satisfaction.
Yet, the exact moment she sobered up, she would immediately restore her usual cold, detached facade.
It was Lin Su who had chosen to discard her back then, not the other way around.
Ye Tong’s voice turned frigid. “I can understand her situation, and I can forgive her reasons but I can absolutely never forgive her deception.”
“It was a well-intentioned lie,” Xiao Ziyu argued gently.
“It was a lie nonetheless.”
“You still haven’t let her go, have you?”
“Forget it. It’s all in the past, and I have no desire to keep dragging up old debts.”
Though Ye Tong’s voice was calm, it carried an unshakeable, final resolve.
Xiao Ziyu let out a helpless sigh. “You could easily start over. The President has been waiting for you all this time, if you would only choose to look back.”
Ye Tong countered, “Can a shattered mirror ever be truly made whole again?”
Xiao Ziyu choked on her words once more. Objectively, it was impossible… but if they could truly reconcile, her boss, who had quietly protected Ye Tong from the shadows for three long years, would be incredibly happy.
Despite being separated for so many years, one had secretly kept tabs from behind the scenes, while the other had worked tirelessly to build her career. If they had truly moved on, neither of them would have remained single to this day. The fact that her boss had finally gathered the courage to take this step laid bare exactly how precious Ye Tong remained in her soul.
Once they arrived at the hotel, Xiao Ziyu watched them enter the lobby together. She pulled out her phone and sent a quick text to Luo Huan: [Why are women always so incredibly stubborn? And why does the cold President’s character completely collapse the moment she’s drunk?]
A few seconds later, Luo Huan returned a highly dramatic reply: [Because their love for each other is simply too deep.]
If it is too deep, it only leads to a dead end where no one is willing to look back, Xiao Ziyu thought. Tucking her phone away with a sigh, she drove the vehicle down into the underground parking lot.
Lin Su had slept peacefully against Ye Tong’s shoulder during the drive. Although her mind remained hazy upon waking, her posture was still exceptionally straight, her steps elegant and light as they walked through the lobby. Had Ye Tong not been intimately familiar with her, she would have assumed the President was perfectly sober.
Lin Su possessed a stunning, statuesque physique, standing a half-head taller than Ye Tong even without heels. Seeing that she could walk perfectly fine on her own, Ye Tong refused to let her hold her hand. Though Lin Su attempted to clasp her fingers several times, Ye Tong firmly evaded her grasp.
However, the moment they stepped into the elevator, before Ye Tong could even turn around, Lin Su suddenly wrapped her arms tightly around her waist from behind.
Ye Tong’s body went rigid. Before she could protest, Lin Su’s soft, slightly raspy whisper echoed against her ear: “Tongtong, please don’t move… my head is spinning, and I can barely stand.”
Ye Tong let out a frustrated laugh. She tried to pry Lin Su’s hands away, but the grip was too firm. She could only thank the heavens that the elevator was empty.
When the elevator arrived at their floor, Lin Su maintained her tight hold, refusing to let go. Taking several deep breaths, Ye Tong forcefully pried her fingers off her waist.
Losing her anchor, the alcohol surged through Lin Su’s system, causing her to sway unsteadily. Terrified that she might fall and injure herself, Ye Tong quickly supported her frame, and the two of them ended up stumbling into the private suite in a tangled embrace.
The moment the door clicked shut, Ye Tong began to drag Lin Su toward the sofa. Now that they were behind closed doors with no one around, Lin Su became entirely shameless. The second her body touched the cushions, she locked her eyes onto Ye Tong’s waist, extending her arms to pull the other woman down flush against her chest.
“Lin Su, let go of me!”
They were pressed so tightly against each other that Ye Tong could clearly smell the delicate scent of Lin Su’s skin, and she could feel the soft friction of their chests pressing together. Her face turning crimson, Ye Tong quickly braced her hands against the sofa, fighting to create some physical distance between them.
Looking up, Lin Su evaluated the flushed face hovering above her. Ye Tong’s long, silky hair cascaded down, the ends lightly brushing against Lin Su’s cheek and throat, introducing a delicate, tickling sensation.
The corners of her mouth curved into a faint smile. Reverting to her old, intoxicated habit, she murmured softly against Ye Tong’s ear, “Tongtong, I want to take a bath.”
“Wash yourself.”
“No… I want you to wash me.”
Prying Lin Su’s fingers open one by one, Ye Tong firmly pinned both of her hands to the cushions to prevent her from pulling her close again. She coaxed her in a patient, soft voice: “Be good. You can bathe tomorrow. Go to bed and get some sleep, you’ll forget all about this when you wake up.”
Lin Su remained stubborn. “Bath first, sleep later.”
Too exhausted to bicker further, Ye Tong sat up and poured herself a glass of water. Why must every drunk person stubbornly insist on taking a bath? she thought. Why does this cliché always play out like some trashy drama?
Resolved to not fall for her antics, Ye Tong took a few sips of water to soothe her throat. Pouring a fresh, warm glass, she turned and presented it to Lin Su, who had already sat up on the sofa.
“Drink some water first.”
Accepting the glass, Lin Su stared up at her. “In the past… Tongtong always bathed me.”
Ye Tong nearly choked on her water. Walking over to the opposite sofa to sit down, she replied in a detached tone, “That was in the past.”
“Is it not permitted now?”
Lin Su’s question was completely innocent and wide-eyed, causing Ye Tong to grit her teeth. “No.”
“Why?”
“There is no ‘why’!” Faced with this childish, talkative version of Lin Su, Ye Tong felt a wave of restless heat surge in her chest. “I’ll call Secretary Xiao and have her come up to wash you.”
Lin Su’s eyes dimmed slightly. “Do you despise me?”
“Yes.”
“Why?”
Failing to secure a response, Lin Su sat quietly. Ye Tong pulled out her phone and dialed Xiao Ziyu’s number. “She wants to take a bath, and it’s highly inconvenient for me. Come up and assist her.”
Following a long, tensed silence, Xiao Ziyu wiped a cold sweat from her forehead, letting out a dry laugh. “Director Ye, please don’t joke with me. She is my boss, and I am merely her secretary it would be infinitely more inconvenient for me.”
Sparing a glance at Lin Su, Ye Tong turned her back and lowered her voice: “You two are friends in private, aren’t you? Is it not natural for friends to assist each other? Come up right now; I am completely unable to handle her.”
Following another long silence, Xiao Ziyu quickly calculated the absolute certainty of being slaughtered by the President once she sobered up. Deciding her life was far more precious, she decisively hung up the call.
“Hello? Secretary Xiao? Xiao Ziyu!” Ye Tong stared at the screen, which had already gone black.
What an absolute coward!
Lin Su sat perfectly still, neither making a scene nor complaining. She stared quietly at Ye Tong, returning her gaze with wide, crystal-clear eyes, occasionally offering a soft, breathtakingly gentle smile. Her innate grace and soft allure radiated from the very depths of her soul.
Evaluating her soft expression, the irritation in Ye Tong’s chest dissolved completely. Letting out a helpless sigh, she compromised. “Lin Su… I’ll draw the bathwater for you, but you must wash yourself.”
She truly lacked the heart to leave the drunken woman completely to her own devices. She figured she would simply treat it as returning a favor. Stepping into the bathroom, she filled the tub and carefully adjusted the water temperature.
Coming back out to sit beside Lin Su, she gently gathered her long hair, pulling the hair tie from her own wrist to bind Lin Su’s soft locks. Lin Su’s hair was pitch-black, silky, and incredibly smooth to the touch, the ends curling slightly.
Once she finished tying her hair, Ye Tong fetched a plush bathrobe from the master bedroom, pressing it into Lin Su’s hands. Guiding her into the bathroom, she stood her beside the tub. “Go ahead and wash yourself. Call me if you need anything.”
The moment Ye Tong turned to exit, her arm was firmly grabbed by Lin Su.
Turning her head, she saw Lin Su’s brow furrowed tightly as she asked in a low whisper, “Tongtong… why on earth do you despise me?”
Ye Tong felt a mix of helplessness and exasperation. Knowing it was useless to argue with a drunkard, she softened her voice to coax her: “I don’t despise you. I was merely lying to you earlier.”
“Lying to me?”
“Mmh. Lying to you.”
“Then why won’t you bathe me? And why haven’t you taken off your clothes?”
Lin Su asked with wide-eyed innocence, gently pulling Ye Tong’s hand closer as a soft smile broke across her face. “Tongtong… we always used to bathe together in the past.”