I really want to kiss her
It was almost ten o’clock, and Xiao Wanqing had to go home. Before leaving, she watered the succulents for Wen Tong and carefully locked the balcony’s French windows, turning off the overhead light. Unfamiliar with the switch positions in Wen Tong’s house, she accidentally turned off the living room light as well. In an instant, everything plunged into darkness. Xiao Wanqing took out her phone and activated the built-in flashlight, using its light to guide her.
Suddenly, the flashlight seemed to sweep across something, causing a glint that caught her eye.
Instinctively, Xiao Wanqing looked in that direction and saw, illuminated within the small circle of the flashlight, a display cabinet next to the TV wall. On the lower shelf of the display cabinet, there were variously shaped lighters and uniquely designed matchboxes. Positioned in the front was a silver metal lighter, which might have been the object that caught her eye earlier.
Xiao Wanqing continued walking forward, but as she passed by, she deliberately stopped and bent down to carefully examine the lighter.
The lighter was intricately carved with a minimalist forest. Upon closer inspection, one would notice the lush trees in the forest, with branches and leaves layered and arranged in an orderly manner, forming a prominent “時” character in the center of the lighter’s body.
Xiao Wanqing felt something familiar. With a moment of contemplation, she suddenly remembered this particular lighter.
Last year, during an interview that caused a sensation, she had seen this unique lighter on the table in Shi Jinglan’s reception room.
At that time, she followed Shi Jinglan’s secretary into the room. Shi Jinglan was standing by the window, exhaling smoke, her delicate face appearing hazy and ethereal amidst the smoke. Upon seeing her enter, she leisurely turned around, strolled elegantly to the couch, put down the lighter with one hand, and extinguished the cigarette between her fingers. She greeted her with a warm and friendly smile.
Because Wen Tong liked to collect lighters, she would subconsciously pay extra attention to unique lighters. When she saw Shi Jinglan’s lighter, which had a dazzling material and a creatively designed pattern, she couldn’t help but take a closer look.
Shi Jinglan noticed and boldly pushed it towards her, asking kindly, “Actually, I studied fine arts in college. I designed this during my vacation. Editor Xiao, are you interested in lighters as well?” Thus, Shi Jinglan considerately opened up the interview process for them.
During the interview, Shi Jinglan was approachable, but when it came to submitting the manuscript, she became demanding and left a deep impression on Xiao Wanqing. This made Xiao Wanqing vividly recall Shi Jinglan’s smile during that time, which infuriated her. As a result, she remembered those events particularly clearly.
How could a personal item end up being stored in Wen Tong’s display cabinet?
Inexplicably, fortune smiled upon her. Xiao Wanqing suddenly remembered the New Year’s Eve when Wen Tong left abruptly and coincidentally encountered Shi Jinglan. Also, a few days ago, before Wen Tong left, she confided in Xiao Wanqing that Shi Jinglan specifically mentioned wanting her to work for her. However, Xiao Wanqing rejected the promising invitation and instead went to the unfamiliar Changle.
Shi Jinglan, the legendary woman of Anjiang City. Over the years, the media has never been short of rumors about her.
Based on the most reliable information that Xiao Wanqing has heard, the following can be summarized about Shi Jinglan: Shi Jinglan, the youngest and only daughter of the Shi family, was considered a precious gem by her grandparents and parents since childhood. She was exceptionally intelligent and was seen as the most likely person in the Shi family to succeed. However, at the age of 16, she firmly expressed her disinterest in business and insisted on studying fine arts. At the age of 17, she entered the country’s top art academy with the highest score in the province. Just when everyone thought that the Shi family was about to produce a great artist, 19-year-old Shi Jinglan eloped with a nude model. The Shi family became the laughingstock of the upper class, and they publicly announced the severing of ties with her. At the age of 23, Shi Jinglan suddenly returned to the Shi family with a 2 or 3-year-old girl. Perhaps because she was their flesh and blood, the Shi family accepted her return. From then on, Shi Jinglan faced ridicule and pressure but managed to climb up from being the lowest-level employee at Shixing to surpassing her three older brothers and becoming the current chairman of Shixing.
Starting from when she returned to Anjiang City at the age of 23, Shi Jinglan wholeheartedly focused on her career and never had any formal relationships. However, there were rumors that Shi Jinglan… was bisexual. Particularly after she entered the media industry, there was a never-ending stream of rumors about her romantic involvement with both male and female celebrities.
Xiao Wanqing speculated about Wen Tong, the person in Wen Tong’s heart… Could it be her? If it was her, it seemed to fit the type that Wen Tong liked: capable, ambitious, and good-looking.
But wait, isn’t Wen Tong straight? And have they known each other for many years? However, upon careful consideration, it was not entirely impossible for there to have been some business interactions between Xinchao and Shixing. Wen Tong worked in marketing, and it seemed plausible that she had some contact with Shi Jinglan in the early years.
She began to seriously recall the expression on Wen Tong’s face when she mentioned that Shi Jinglan personally requested her. However, at that time, she was too engrossed in her own thoughts, and now, all she had left were vague impressions. The only thing she remembered clearly was that on that day, Wen Tong’s mood was as cloudy as the sky.
Xiao Wanqing straightened her back, and in the corner of her eye, she noticed the central layer of the display cabinet. There, several photo frames were placed. One frame held Wen Tong’s family portrait, and the rest were pictures of herself and Wen Tong. Strangely, there was one photo frame that was placed upside down, revealing only the blank back, encased within the frame.
There was a moment when Xiao Wanqing wanted to reach out and take down that photo frame, flipping over the picture. She vaguely felt that perhaps the answer she was desperately seeking now was hidden within that special frame, concealing the secret that kept Wen Tong longing and eventually leaving Anjiang City.
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But in the next second, she stopped her hand, suppressing her curiosity.
To put oneself in another’s shoes, everyone has secrets they don’t want others to know.
Just like how she couldn’t bring herself to tell Wen Tong about her feelings for Lin Xian, and Wen Tong didn’t want to reveal the truth about that person, they both had their own unspoken difficulties.
She withdrew her gaze, turned off the flashlight, slipped on her shoes in the dark, and left Wen Tong’s home.
As a friend, all she needed to know were the things Wen Tong wanted to share with her.
This was her duty and also a form of respect.
Little did she know, in Changze City, Wen Tong held a glass of red wine, gazing towards the direction of Anjiang City, her heart filled with hope and fear that Xiao Wanqing would discover the secret she had kept hidden for years.
When Xiao Wanqing returned home, it was already close to 11 o’clock. She walked heavily towards her front door, her heart filled with bitterness as she pondered if Lin Xian was probably already asleep.
Today… she hadn’t seen her the whole day.
Good.
Yet not so good.
As she opened her handbag, preparing to search for her keys, the security door in front of her suddenly clicked open.
Lin Xian’s sweet smiling face, radiating the warm yellow light from inside, shimmered in Xiao Wanqing’s dim eyes.
Xiao Wanqing was completely unprepared, caught off guard by this face she wanted to think about but dared not. She blinked, staring blankly at Lin Xian, momentarily frozen, unsure of how to react.
Lin Xian didn’t notice Xiao Wanqing’s unusual behavior. She opened the door wider, stepped aside to let Xiao Wanqing in, and proudly exclaimed with a playful smile, “I knew it was Aunt Xiao coming back just by listening to the footsteps! Am I super clever?”
Xiao Wanqing slightly closed her eyes, calming down her racing heart that had suddenly become uncontrollable, and regained her composure. She stepped inside with long strides, and in a caring tone typical of an elder, she advised the younger one, saying, “What if it wasn’t me and instead a bad person? Next time, don’t be so reckless. You should be even more cautious about safety when you’re alone at night. I brought my keys.”
When Xiao Wanqing entered the house, Lin Xian secretly wrinkled her nose and carefully sniffed, confirming that there was no smell of alcohol on Xiao Wanqing. She felt relieved and leaned against the wall, watching Xiao Wanqing bend down to change her shoes, her hair cascading down bit by bit, revealing a slender and graceful swan-like neck. The smile on her lips deepened, and Lin Xian playfully tilted her head and said, “If it were a bad person outside the door, I would have to scare him away. Otherwise, Aunt Xiao, what if you got scared when you came back at any time?”
Xiao Wanqing paused in her shoe-changing motion, listening to the girl’s innocent joking words. Her heartbeat became irregular once again. She bit her lip, not responding to the girl’s words, and naturally changed the topic, teasing, “It’s so late, why aren’t you asleep? Be careful, or you won’t grow taller.”
Lin Xian pouted, feeling a bit aggrieved, and said, “You didn’t come back, so I was worried and couldn’t sleep.” She paused for a moment and added thoughtfully, “And I was worried that you might have had to drink too much at your social event. If you come back too tired and forget to drink some hangover soup, you might get a headache the next day.”
Xiao Wanqing’s heartbeat became even more irregular. Unable to resist any longer, she straightened her body and, bathed in the dim light of the entrance hall, deeply gazed at the girl’s charming face, which carried an inexplicable tenderness.
Why is it that she can always, always easily stir her heart?
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Xiao Wanqing’s heart was filled with sweetness and bitterness, embarrassment and annoyance.
She averted her eyes, no longer looking at Lin Xian, and turned on the living room light, saying softly, “Don’t worry, Xianxian. I didn’t drink tonight. It’s late, you should go to sleep. I’m a bit tired, so I’ll take a shower and go to bed.”
Lin Xian watched her slender and weary figure. She had originally wanted to ask if Xiao Wanqing was hungry or if she wanted to have a late-night snack, but suddenly, that thought faded away. A tinge of sadness swept through her heart, but ultimately, she didn’t want to bother Xiao Wanqing with such trivial thoughts of her own.
After saying that, she cast a lingering glance at Xiao Wanqing, who was slumped on the couch, and turned to go back to her room. As she walked, she couldn’t help but gently clasp her hands together, placing them in front of her thin lips, and let out a long breath, trying to exhale the melancholy that had lingered in her heart all day.
The next moment, Xiao Wanqing unexpectedly called out to her in a startled voice, “Xianxian!”
Lin Xian halted her steps, turned around dazedly, and looked at Xiao Wanqing with a puzzled expression. “Aunt Xiao? What’s wrong?”
Xiao Wanqing abruptly stood up, swiftly walked towards her, unable to care about anything else. She reached out and lightly held Lin Xian’s delicate wrist, looking at the band-aid that was faintly stained red with blood. Anxiously, she asked, “What happened to your hand?”
Lin Xian stared at her furrowed brows, and in her gaze, she saw the nervous concern that was surging in Xiao Wanqing’s usually calm and gentle eyes. In her heart, it felt like a warm current was flowing through.
She reached out and peeled off the band-aid, revealing the already healed but still prominent long cut on her hand. She gently reassured Xiao Wanqing, “I accidentally cut myself while slicing meat. Aunt Xiao, don’t worry, it’s just a small cut. Look, it has already healed.”
However, Xiao Wanqing’s concern was evidently different from hers. She tightly bit her lip, looking at the cut that almost covered the entire finger joint, stained with red blood. Heartache, guilt, and regret surged within her. It felt as if her heart had been struck by a whole cactus, the pain distinct yet lingering.
If, if she hadn’t deceived Lin Xian by claiming to be busy with work, Lin Xian wouldn’t have cooked, wouldn’t have gotten injured.
If, if she hadn’t lied to Lin Xian about overtime, Lin Xian wouldn’t have had to wait so hard until now.
She was deceiving Lin Xian’s feelings, exploiting Lin Xian’s emotions, wasn’t she?
But, but…
She didn’t do it on purpose…
Her fingers slid up, cradling Lin Xian’s soft hand, and her thumb gently caressed the intact skin next to the cut, about five millimeters away. Her voice, trembling slightly, asked with difficulty, “Does it still hurt?”
Lin Xian felt as if, at this moment, it wasn’t her hand being held in Xiao Wanqing’s palm, but her heart. The fingers being gently stroked by Xiao Wanqing weren’t her own fingers, but her fervent and vibrant heart. Under Xiao Wanqing’s gentle touch, this heart swept away the day’s bitterness and sourness, leaving only a soft and soothing sensation.
She curved her eyebrows and softly tempted her beloved, “Aunt Xiao, if you blow on it, maybe it won’t hurt anymore…”
Xiao Wanqing saw in the girl’s dark eyes that there seemed to be starlight twinkling and water ripples swaying. It was captivating and enticing.
She couldn’t bear to refuse.
And she had no strength to resist…
Xiao Wanqing’s throat moved slightly. After a moment, she lowered her head, casting down her gaze. Her long lashes fluttered like small fans, gently and lengthily, as she blew a warm breath onto Lin Xian’s index finger.
She lifted her eyes, moist within, and softly asked Lin Xian, “Does it still hurt?”
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Lin Xian thought, it doesn’t hurt anymore.
She’s so adorable!
She wanted to give her everything!
She wanted to kiss her eyes. She wanted to bite her…
She began to regret it. If she had just told Aunt Xiao that kissing it would make it stop hurting, would Aunt Xiao have kissed her?
After hesitating for a moment, Lin Xian ultimately decided to stop there. She also felt sorry for Xiao Wanqing’s tiredness. She gently shook her head and sweetly said, “It doesn’t hurt anymore. It will be better tomorrow, so don’t worry.” She withdrew her hand and urged Xiao Wanqing to go to sleep, saying, “I’m going to rest now. Aunt Xiao, you should wash up and get some sleep too. You have to get up early for work tomorrow.”
Xiao Wanqing gazed at her suddenly empty hand, looking at the faint red mark left by the cactus thorn. Slowly, she let go and released her grip. She clenched her teeth and pressed her thumb firmly on the red mark, pressing it hard. The pain was shallow but enough to wake her up.
After a while, she lowered her eyelids and softly responded to Lin Xian, “Okay, goodnight.”