The second Xu pulled me under the water I stopped thinking clearly.
Cold spray soaked through my clothes in seconds. Her naked body pressed against mine. Her scent was everywhere, sweet and desperate and completely unfair. I had spent years telling myself I only looked after her because I had to. That the way my chest tightened when she used to call me jiejie was just responsibility.
I remembered it too clearly.
Xu at nine, carefully watering a row of tiny green sprouts on the balcony, tongue stuck out in concentration.
Xu at twelve, presenting me with a crooked little plant pot and saying “Jiejie, look, it grew because of me.”
Xu at fourteen, coming home to find every single plant tipped over, soil scattered across the floor. She had stood there in silence for a long time before turning to me with eyes that no longer held any softness.
“You did this,” she said.
I had not. One of the house staff had knocked them over while cleaning. But she would not listen. After that day the word jiejie disappeared from her mouth. She started calling me Wen Xiao. Then nothing at all. The distance grew until we could barely stay in the same room without arguing.
Now she was naked in my arms, heat-slick and trembling, and the only thing I could think about was how much I wanted to hear that old title again.
“Linling,” I said against her wet skin. My voice sounded wrecked. “I want to mark you. I want to make a complete mess of you. Tell me to stop if you do not want it.”
Her whole face went scarlet. She tried to turn away, but the shower wall left her nowhere to go.
“No,” she muttered. “That is too much.”
I caught her chin and made her look at me. Water ran down both our faces. Her eyes were glassy with heat, but underneath the need there was still that familiar stubborn spark. I brushed my thumb slowly across her cheek, wiping away a droplet.
“Call me jiejie.”
She stared at me like I had lost my mind. Her lips parted, but no sound came out. At least she did not turn her head away. That small mercy made something tight in my chest loosen.
“Yes or no?” I asked. My thumb brushed the corner of her mouth. “I need a clear answer.”
Xu’s eyes narrowed. Embarrassment and heat and leftover anger warred on her face. Finally she snapped, voice sharp and shaky at the same time.
“Do not ask me about it. Just do whatever you want.”
That was enough.
I kissed her slowly at first, giving her time to push me away if she changed her mind. She did not. Her hands came up to grip the front of my soaked shirt, pulling me closer instead. The kiss deepened. I tasted water and her and years of things we never said. When I finally drew back, her lips were slightly swollen and her breath came short.
My hands slid down her wet back, feeling every shiver. I gripped her thighs and lifted her carefully. She made a startled sound that turned into a soft moan when I pressed her against the tiles. The position left her open to me. I could feel how wet she already was, heat dripping onto my soaked clothes. I rested my forehead against hers for a moment, just breathing her in.
“Still talking too much,” I murmured against her neck, and then I kissed the sensitive spot just below her ear before biting down gently.
Not hard enough to break skin yet. Just enough to make her gasp and clutch at my shoulders. Her legs wrapped around my waist on instinct. I ground against her slowly, letting her feel the ache I had been fighting since the moment she said please. Every small movement made her breath hitch.
“Wen… ah-”
“Wrong name,” I said, and sucked a soft mark just below her ear. My voice came out quieter than I intended. “Try again.”
She glared at me even while her hips rolled forward seeking more friction. The sight was so ridiculous and so endearing that a low laugh slipped out of me.
“You look like you want to punch me and come at the same time.”
“Shut up.”
“Make me.”
I slipped two fingers between us and found her already dripping. The first slow stroke made her head fall back against the tiles with a soft thud. The second made her curse under her breath. By the third she was moving with me, chasing every press of my fingers like she had forgotten she was supposed to hate me. I watched her face the whole time, memorizing the way her brows furrowed and the way her mouth fell open when I curled my fingers just right.
“Jiejie,” I whispered against her mouth, just to see what it would do.
Her eyes flew open. A broken sound escaped her throat. I felt her clench hard around my fingers. The old title hung between us like something fragile and newly alive.
“That is cheating,” she gasped.
“You started it fifteen years ago.”
I added a third finger and curled them carefully. Xu’s whole body went tight. Her nails dug into my shoulders hard enough to sting. She came with a sharp cry, forehead pressed to mine, shaking so hard I had to hold her up. I kept my fingers moving through it, gentler now, drawing out every tremor until she was whimpering and trying to squirm away from the oversensitivity.
I did not stop right away. I pressed soft kisses to her cheek, her temple, the corner of her mouth, while she caught her breath. Her arms stayed locked around my neck like she was afraid I might disappear if she let go.