Tao Ningchu helped Yun Ni into the room, only to find her skin burning to the touch. “Sister Yun, are you okay?”
“N-n-no,” Yun Ni stammered, her tongue feeling heavy, but she forced an explanation. “There was… something in the wine.”
Tao Ningchu’s pupils contracted. “How could that be?” Realizing she was the one who had handed Yun Ni the glass, her face flushed with guilt. “I’m so sorry!”
“It’s not your fault,” Yun Ni said, her voice thin as a thread as she pinched her own thigh to stay conscious. “I’ll take a cold shower… I should be fine. You should go back.”
Tao Ningchu didn’t feel right leaving her alone, but she worried her presence might make Yun Ni more uncomfortable during the onset of the drug. “I’ll wait outside the door. I won’t leave until I know you’re okay.”
Yun Ni didn’t argue. She stumbled toward the bathroom. Hearing the sound of the shower, Tao Ningchu stepped out and closed the door behind her. She tried to piece it together—the wine came from the bartender, and she had a glass too. Why was only Yun Ni affected? Then it hit her: Yun Ni’s original glass had gone missing. Someone must have swapped it.
“Miss Tao.” A voice broke her thoughts. “Have you seen Yun Ni?”
Tao Ningchu jumped. Standing before her was Lin Zijin. “President Lin? What are you doing here?”
Lin Zijin didn’t answer. Instead, she asked, “Director Zhou sent me the trailer for your drama. There’s a shot of Yun Ni shooting an arrow. I asked him, and he said it wasn’t a stunt double. Is that true?”
Tao Ningchu nodded, puzzled by the flash of joy on Lin Zijin’s face. Why was she so happy about Yun Ni’s archery skills? It seemed like Lin Zijin had been in a good mood to begin with, but this confirmation made her ecstatic.
“Where is she?” Lin Zijin asked, now possessing the final piece of evidence and desperate to see her. “The Director said she felt unwell from the wine and came up to rest.”
Tao Ningchu instinctively glanced at the door. “She… she felt better and went home already.”
Given Yun Ni’s condition, letting Lin Zijin in would lead to a very “harmonious” but perhaps unplanned outcome. Since Yun Ni hadn’t asked for her, Tao Ningchu felt she should protect her friend’s privacy.
Lin Zijin arched an eyebrow at the door. “Is she in there?”
Just as Tao Ningchu was about to lie, a loud thud came from inside the room.
Abandoning formalities, Lin Zijin apologized, gently moved Tao Ningchu aside, and pushed the door open. As she stepped inside, she heard the sound of running water punctuated by a low, pained moan. A lightbulb went off in her head. Linking the Director’s words about the wine to Yun Ni’s behavior, she realized exactly what was happening. She turned back to the doorway. “You. Outside. Now.”
Tao Ningchu hesitated. “You’re not allowed to force her, President Lin!”
“I am not that kind of person.”
Lin Zijin’s serious expression was incredibly persuasive. Recalling Yun Ni’s own complicated feelings for Lin, Tao Ningchu relented. “If you bully her, I’ll get revenge for her!”
Lin Zijin didn’t respond. She walked toward the bathroom. She didn’t barge in; she knocked first. No answer.
“Yun Ni, I’m coming in.” She swallowed hard, feeling a sudden wave of nerves.
Creak—
As the door opened, a splash of vibrant red met her eyes. Yun Ni was in the bathtub, half-submerged in water, still wearing her red evening gown. Her face was flushed an unnatural crimson, and droplets of water clung to her forehead. The cold water made the fabric of her dress cling to her curves, revealing her silhouette with heart-stopping clarity.
Hearing footsteps on the tile, Yun Ni opened her eyes. The usual mask of obedience was gone, replaced by a shimmering, powerful gaze that felt strangely familiar to Lin Zijin.
Lin Zijin felt a tickle in her nose. She touched it and realized she was actually having a nosebleed. Being single for too long and seeing your crush like this… it’s a medical hazard, she joked to herself, quickly wiping it away. “Are you okay?” she asked, her voice rasping.
“I… mmm…”
The sound that escaped Yun Ni’s lips was a low, seductive rasp that made her immediately clamp her mouth shut. The atmosphere was thick with tension. Lin Zijin felt like she was the one drugged. She noticed the water was freezing cold and reached over to turn it off. “You’ll catch a cold using water this icy.”
Yun Ni’s vision was blurred. The concern in Lin Zijin’s voice only fanned the flames inside her. She curled into herself, letting the water submerge her to the neck. The drug was stronger than she thought; even physical pain was beginning to turn into a strange sort of pleasure.
Lin Zijin looked at her, her heart aching. “I saw the trailer,” she whispered.
Yun Ni’s brow twitched. Her clouded mind couldn’t quite process the implications.
“Director Zhou said you did the archery yourself. No double.” Lin Zijin looked her in the eye. “Are you still going to deny that you are that Yun Ni?”
Yun Ni’s hand gripped the edge of the tub into a white-knuckled fist. Her face grew even redder, and she bit her lip until it bled.
“Yun Ni.” Drawn in as if by a spell, Lin Zijin leaned forward. Her hand covered Yun Ni’s fist just as Yun Ni snapped her eyes open. Gone was the actress; in her place was the gaze of a ruler—distant, regal, and demanding submission.
“Your Majesty…” the words escaped Lin Zijin’s lips instinctively.
“Presumptuous!” Yun Ni snapped, trying to stop her.
She had bitten her lip so hard the taste of blood filled her mouth. The sharp pain brought a second of clarity, followed immediately by a wave of primal longing.
“Your Majesty,” Lin Zijin whispered, her right hand reaching out to wipe the blood from Yun Ni’s lip while her left hand traveled up her arm. “Your Majesty… let go of your lip, please?”
Yun Ni’s eyes lost their focus. She didn’t speak, but her mouth softened under Lin Zijin’s touch. Lin Zijin smiled and leaned into her neck. “Your Majesty, if you truly do not want this, push me away.”
But she knew someone under the influence of this drug wouldn’t—couldn’t—refuse. The heat of Lin Zijin’s breath against her neck was the final straw. Yun Ni reached up and wrapped her arms around Lin Zijin’s neck. In a fit of lingering frustration and dazed passion, she bit down hard on Lin Zijin’s lip.
Water splashed over the edge of the tub. The ripples on the floor reflected two figures entwined.
Lin Zijin had been waiting for this day since she realized her feelings. She had “studied” the theory for a long time, and now she was eager to put it all into practice. She had intended to be gentle for their first time, but the drug was relentless. After leaving the tub, the fire surged again. “Lust blinds the wise,” they say—and an assertive Yun Ni was impossible for Lin Zijin to resist. From the shower to the bed, the air in the room grew heavy with an intimacy that would make anyone blush.
The next morning, Yun Ni woke up feeling stiff and sore. Before she could even fully wake up, memories of her “insatiable” behavior from the night before flooded back. She turned her head and met a pair of smiling eyes.
“Do you feel uncomfortable anywhere?” Lin Zijin asked, her mood radiant. She reached out to massage Yun Ni’s waist. The feel of her skin made her breath hitch as she remembered the night’s wildness.
Noticing Yun Ni’s stiffness, Lin Zijin kept the movements therapeutic. “Is this pressure okay?”
“Mhm,” Yun Ni hummed, staring at the ceiling. One glass of wine had ruined all her plans. She had wanted to make a name for herself before officially being with Lin Zijin. Now, her identity was exposed, and things had… escalated.
Lin Zijin noticed her shifting expression and twirled a lock of Yun Ni’s hair. “Your Majesty, you aren’t planning on keeping your distance from me now, are you?”
“I’m thinking about what to do,” Yun Ni sighed.
“I gave you the chance to push me away last night, but you didn’t,” Lin Zijin teased, placing Yun Ni’s hand over her own heart. “I’m yours now. You wouldn’t go back on your word, would you?”
“I’m not going back on it.” Yun Ni felt like a “heartless scoundrel” who had slept and run. She shook the thought away and sighed. “Just call me by my name. There is no ‘Your Majesty’ here.”
Lin Zijin snuggled closer, resting her head on Yun Ni’s shoulder. “I like calling you that in private.” To her, it meant Yun Ni was hers and hers alone—not the girl the rest of the world knew.
Yun Ni let her be. But after a while, her arm went numb. She nudged Lin. “I need to get up and wash.”
“I’ll go too,” Lin Zijin sat up, her tone full of renewed energy.
Yun Ni, feeling a bit dizzy from the movement, looked away and pulled back the covers. There was no point in being shy now. Her body was weak, but she could at least walk. She stepped into the bathroom like she was walking on clouds and turned on the shower.
As the water began to fall, a warm body pressed against her back.
At the same time, the phone on the bed outside began to ring—urgent, persistent, and vibrating again only seconds after the first call went to voicemail.