Sister, I was wrong. I’m sorry, sister.
Shen Su’s nervousness slowly turned into bewilderment after knocking on the door three times with no response. “?”
What was going on? There was no answer from inside.
Shen Su had seen Qin Yu enter the room with her own eyes there was no way no one was inside.
She gently pushed against the door, but the tightly shut wooden panels had clearly been bolted from within and didn’t budge.
Tch. A grown man being so cautious at night, locking his door like a maiden.
What was “he” afraid of? That someone would come in the middle of the night to “devour” him?
Er…
Shen Su glanced down at herself, her eyes darting guiltily before she swallowed back all her words.
Wasn’t Qin Yu precisely afraid of someone like her, a temptress sneaking in at night to “consume” him?
But since she was already here.
If the door wouldn’t open, she’d just climb through the window.
Shen Su walked to the window and lightly pressed her slender, jade-like fingers against the frame. With just a slight push, the two shutters swung inward effortlessly.
Just as she’d expected.
All the windows in the temple were like this. Besides, today’s torrential rain had already battered the already-rotten wood. Now, the slightest touch was enough to open them.
Shen Su had discovered this earlier when she climbed in through the back window. Qin Yu, being the type to always use the front door, probably hadn’t considered this hence only bolting the door.
Light as a swallow, Shen Su effortlessly lifted her skirts, braced one hand on the windowsill, and nimbly slipped inside.
Inside the room, Qin Yu lay on the bed, covered in a sheen of sweat, gritting her teeth as she cursed:
“Su. Qing. Qing!”
This was the first time she’d ever experienced such a state her body burning, her cheeks flushed as if drunk or feverish.
Heat coursed recklessly through her limbs, like a nimble fish darting and circling, teasing her with an itch she couldn’t scratch before sliding down her waist and plunging into the “Dragon’s Gate,” taking root there.
Qin Yu, “…”
Qin Yu lay on her side, half her face buried in the pillow, flushed from face to neck with a mix of fury and shame at this unfamiliar sensation and impulse.
“Su Qingqing” was she even a woman?!
How dare she use such methods on her!
Qin Yu had initially thought “Su Qingqing” sought cooperation to preserve her chastity after all, a woman’s virtue was more precious than life, especially for an unmarried maiden like her.
But it turned out the other woman had set her sights on this “young master,” slipping something into her wine and scheming to climb into her bed.
Qin Yu wasn’t deaf to the faint knocking outside, muffled by the rain, she’d simply lowered her thick lashes and ignored it.
She’d assumed “Su Qingqing” would take the hint and leave.
Until she heard the unmistakable sound of a woman’s footsteps in the room.
Light. Slow.
Drawing closer.
This woman…
Was truly something else!
Qin Yu had certainly broadened her horizons today.
Looking back now, that glimpse of fair shoulders by the window at dusk had probably been deliberate!
At the peak of her anger, Qin Yu almost laughed.
“Su Qingqing” had schemed meticulously but she’d never have guessed that this “Young Master Qin” was actually a woman.
As the footsteps drew nearer, Qin Yu didn’t bother lifting her head.
Outwardly, she maintained her composure, but her body felt like it was sinking into quicksand every slight movement left her feeling mired, slick and unsteady.
She didn’t even want to move.
When Shen Su entered the room, the dim glow of the oil lamp revealed the scene before her.
Qin Yu’s disheveled bangs clung to her pale forehead and temples, damp with sweat. Her slender, bony fingers gripped the bedsheet beneath her, veins standing out on the backs of her hands.
Her long, straight legs were tightly pressed together and bent, toes curling as she bit her lip to suppress her breathing, as if trying to resist in some small way.
He was clearly awake, yet when she entered, he didn’t even spare her a glance.
Shen Su lifted the hem of her robe and crouched beside the bed, tilting her head to study Qin Yu’s expression. With a playful smile, she cooed, “Young Master Qin, good evening~”
“……” Qin Yu wanted nothing more than to strangle her. Good evening? As if.
Shen Su reached out, her fair, pink-tipped index finger gently brushing aside the hair stuck to his forehead. “Why so angry? I’m this beautiful, it’s not like you’re at a loss here.”
Though Qin Yu’s face remained expressionless, Shen Su could sense his fury.
Was he angry at her for scheming against him? Or was he angry at her for lacking self-respect?
“Get out,” Qin Yu snapped, glaring up at her.
Qin Yu had phoenix eyes sharp and imposing when he frowned, especially paired with his usual reticence. His gaze was often cold and detached, devoid of emotion.
But now, those same eyes were tinged with red at the corners, as if brushed with peach-blossom ink, lending them an unexpected allure.
Those cool, composed eyes shimmered with unspeakable frustration, making one want to cradle his face and coax him into calming down.
Normally, a single glance from those phoenix eyes carried an air of intimidation.
But now, lying helpless on the bed, the way he lifted his eyes to glare held no real threat only a bewitching charm. Just looking at those eyes, one might mistake him for a woman.
Shen Su grinned, resting her chin in her hands as she teased, “Get out where?”
Her voice, soft and velvety in the rainy night, curled like a hook into the depths of one’s heart. “How about into your arms?”
Qin Yu’s glare sharpened, as if he had never met a woman so shameless.
What infuriated Qin Yu even more was that just looking at Su Qingqing’s radiant face and hearing her honeyed voice made him involuntarily recall the glimpse he’d caught of her bare shoulder earlier.
Perhaps he had been alone for too long. The drug’s influence made Su Qingqing seem all the more enticing the longer he looked.
Shen Su glanced at the oil lamp by the bed. “Young Master Qin, are you afraid of the dark?”
“But if there’s light, I might get shy,” she added, feigning hesitation.
Qin Yu nearly laughed in disbelief. “You get shy?”
Did this woman even possess a shred of shame? Did she know the meaning of modesty?
“I’m afraid if you stare too openly at my body, I’ll feel embarrassed,” Shen Su purred, her seductive gaze sweeping over Qin Yu as she blew a teasing breath his way.
As she spoke, she crossed her hands over her knees, effortlessly shifting from coy to alluring without missing a beat.
Shen Su stood and blew out the lamp, her voice growing even more intoxicating in the darkness. “Earlier, you only saw my shoulder. How about letting you touch it now?”
She stepped closer to the bed.
Shen Su acted so boldly because she knew Qin Yu needed her as bait.
What Qin Yu couldn’t understand was why Su Qingqing had to go this far tonight when they had already agreed to cooperate. Wasn’t this just unnecessary?
She hadn’t explicitly stated she wanted to sleep with “Su Qingqing,” so “Su Qingqing” could have simply played along with her act without needing to actually sacrifice her pure and untouched body.
“You don’t have to do this,” Qin Yu said hoarsely. Her voice, no longer deliberately lowered in the night, sounded distinctly feminine.
“I never intended to take your body,” Qin Yu added.
Shen Su, lowering her head to untie her robe, nodded in response. “I know you didn’t want to sleep with me.”
Qin Yu, ever the refined one, couldn’t even bring herself to say the word “sleep,” opting instead for the bashful euphemism “take.”
Shen Su felt she’d hit the jackpot Qin Yu was clearly a virgin, which meant she didn’t have to worry about catching anything.
Qin Yu: “Then why are you?”
Shen Su chuckled, casually tossing her robe to the foot of the bed before bending down. “But I want to sleep with you. What do you say to that?”
Qin Yu: “???!!!”
She had underestimated the situation.
She’d actually run into a wanton woman!
“Don’t be scared. It’s my first time too, you won’t be at a disadvantage.”
“Su Qingqing’s” voice was right by Qin Yu’s ear, her warm breath brushing against her earlobe, sending a shiver down Qin Yu’s spine and raising goosebumps. Her breathing grew heavier.
Not from fear but from arousal.
The uniquely feminine fragrance of “Su Qingqing” was now tantalizingly close. Qin Yu’s grip on the bedsheets tightened. Just the scent alone made her imagine how soft the other woman’s body must be.
The bearded man had been right women from Jiangnan were made of spring water.
As Shen Su pressed closer, Qin Yu gave her one last chance. “Leave now, and I’ll pretend nothing happened. Otherwise, you’ll bear the consequences.”
Bear the consequences?
What consequences?
Shen Su blinked, cupping Qin Yu’s face with both hands. “Oh, I’m so scared,” she teased.
Qin Yu: “…” Infuriating.
Shen Su smiled, pressing her red lips to the tip of Qin Yu’s delicate nose, her voice soft and low. “If Young Master Qin is referring to that, then please don’t hold back just because I’m delicate and soft.”
Qin Yu gave up.
She’d brought this upon herself.
“Su Qingqing” was determined to court disaster, and she had tried to stop her but failed.
The rainy night was brighter than usual, and by that faint light, Qin Yu gazed meaningfully at the woman who had climbed into her bed.
“You want it, don’t you?” Qin Yu rolled onto her back, making no move to resist, her voice cool. “Then do it yourself.”
Shen Su froze, as if surprised by how quickly Qin Yu had surrendered.
Just moments ago, she’d been putting on the act of a bashful maiden, all “no, no.” Now, she’d transformed into a libertine, urging her to “take the lead.”
Tch. Men.
Shen Su snorted, her robe half-off, as she reached for Qin Yu’s belt.
Her mind lingered on the young master’s abs, and she couldn’t resist running her hands over Qin Yu’s waist a couple of times.
Qin Yu, trained in martial arts for years, had a lean, powerful waist, one that felt excellent to the touch.
Shen Su praised, “What a fine waist, Young Master,” though in the dark, her ears burned red, her cheeks scalding.
Qin Yu lay motionless, like a dead fish. “Why not go higher?”
Shen Su’s fingers slipped beneath Qin Yu’s inner robe, tracing the taut muscles until they reached.
Fabric.
Fabric???
Shen Su stiffened.
Why was there fabric wrapped around a man’s chest?
Almost instinctively, her hand slid lower, groping between Qin Yu’s legs.
Even the most impotent man would have given some reaction after being teased like this but Qin Yu didn’t.
There was nothing there.
No, that wasn’t right.
It should be her.
Qin Yu laughed, feeling an indescribable sense of vindication.
She asked leisurely, “What did you find?”
Shen Su was stunned. Kneeling on the bed in a daze, it took her a long moment to regain her senses.
She drew in a sharp breath.
Young Master Qin was a woman!!!
Shen Su’s gaze toward Qin Yu instantly changed.
It seemed she had stumbled upon some earth-shattering secret, would she be silenced for this?
Heaven knew she had only wanted to satisfy herself once before marriage. How had she ended up groping a woman instead?!
Shen Su, “……”
It took Shen Su a long while to find her voice again.
Kneeling with practiced grace and poise, she said, “Dearest sister, this was all a misunderstanding. Could you just pretend I was never here?”
Qin Yu let out a cold laugh, grabbing Shen Su’s wrist and yanking the unprepared woman into her arms. “The antidote.”
Shen Su wanted to die even more.
She was the antidote, how was she supposed to explain this to Miss Qin?