Praying for a hug
The warmth of her skin, even hotter than the stifling air outside, made her shiver slightly. A waft of alcohol hit her face as Ye Youqing hurriedly closed the door behind her.
“Why did you drink again?” Ye Youqing frowned, looking out the window. “In this place, they don’t teach anything good, only bad.”
“Did you hurt yourself when you fell?” Ye Youqing looked at the redness on the woman’s palm from hitting the ground and sighed.
“It hurts.” Ci Ke, intoxicated, replied. Her voice was like melting spring water, incredibly pleasant to hear.
“Where does it hurt?” Ye Youqing asked. As she spoke, she reached for medicinal wine in the nearby cabinet but saw the woman extend her index finger and point to her chest.
Ye Youqing’s movements paused.
The room, already not cool, seemed to heat up a few more degrees, making her cheeks burn.
Ye Youqing thought she was quite drunk, so she bent down, intending to pick her up. However, Ci Ke exerted force, pressing down on her shoulder and shakily stood up.
Ye Youqing was almost pushed over and had to brace herself with her hand on the ground, watching her stand.
“I’ll call Qin Xin to make some sobering soup, okay?” Ye Youqing, unable to muster even a bit of anger towards her, asked gently.
“No.” Ci Ke looked up at her, the candlelight reflecting in her eyes. Suddenly, she placed both hands on Ye Youqing’s shoulders and leaned in.
The scent of her perfume was pleasant but dizzying.
She stared intently into Ye Youqing’s eyes, seemingly longing to be held, to feel that comforting tingle.
Though it had only happened a few times, she had already grown accustomed to Ye Youqing’s embrace, her smile, her warm, soft hands.
It was almost like an addiction.
“Good thing we’re both women,” Ci Ke suddenly said, her voice dreamy and ethereal.
“What?” Ye Youqing asked, her body tensing up.
“This way, I can get close to you without any trouble,” Ci Ke whispered with a soft laugh. Her face was only half an inch away from Ye Youqing’s, just a slight move forward, and their lips would touch.
Those lips, with a gentle press, were irresistibly alluring.
Without any makeup, she was still breathtaking.
“Ye Youqing, don’t you think I’m bad?” Ci Ke’s legs wobbled, and she slid down against Ye Youqing, who quickly steadied her.
“Don’t talk nonsense,” Ye Youqing whispered, firmly pushing her to sit on a chair. “Stay put, I’ll make you some sobering soup.”
“I don’t want to sober up.” Ci Ke grabbed her hard, pulling Ye Youqing down to sit with her.
“I’m not talking nonsense.” Ci Ke let out a light chuckle, grabbed an ice cube from the dish on the table, and popped it into her mouth to clear her head.
The ice slid over her lips, leaving tiny, glistening water marks.
Ye Youqing looked away and patiently said, “I don’t think you’re bad.”
She just felt that every time Ci Ke climbed up from the mud with resilience, wearing that innocent yet alluring face like a little fox and scheming everywhere, it was really heartbreaking.
Ci Ke looked up, her eyes clouded and unreadable.
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Suddenly, she wrinkled her nose, covered her cheek with her hand, and lowered her head.
“What’s wrong?” Ye Youqing asked quickly.
Ci Ke’s shoulders were trembling, and she was breathing quickly and evenly. Afraid something might be wrong, Ye Youqing gently held her pointed chin and lifted her face.
“Open your mouth,” Ye Youqing said. Ci Ke blinked and obediently opened her mouth.
The ice had already melted into water, and her lips felt cool to the touch. Ye Youqing pressed on her lips, revealing a decayed tooth.
Sure enough, after a month, it had gotten worse.
“I told you to eat less sugar, why don’t you listen?” Ye Youqing shook her head. As she was about to pull her hand back, her eyes fell on Ci Ke’s slightly parted lips, reminding her of the delicious strawberry candy from modern times.
Like gummy candy dusted with sparkling sugar, soft and elastic.
The glistening in her eyes must be from the moisture caused by the toothache.
Ye Youqing felt her own breathing become uneven. She quickly let go, pushed the chair back, and stood up. The screeching sound of the wooden chair legs against the floor was jarring and snapped her back to reality.
“I’ll go get the sobering soup,” Ye Youqing said, opening the door and quickly disappearing into the hot night air.
Ci Ke remained seated, watching Ye Youqing’s figure leave. Her eyes gradually focused, and then she propped her forehead with a clenched fist.
Over there, Ye Youqing ran all the way to the kitchen, where she found the woman in charge and had her cook up a pot of sobering soup. She stood at the door with the soup for a moment, waiting until it stopped steaming before daring to enter.
The faint aroma of wine still lingered in the room, but Ci Ke was nowhere to be seen. Ye Youqing’s heart sank, so she quickly set down the bowl and planned to go look for her.
In the middle of the night, with a drunken woman, it would be best to avoid any accidents.
Fortunately, just as she was about to step out the door, she heard murmurs coming from the inner room. She breathed a sigh of relief, withdrew her foot, and closed the door.
“Ci Ke?” She briskly walked around the screen, only to see the woman, who had climbed onto her bed at some point, curled up into a small ball and sleeping under the covers.
“Ci Ke?” She lowered her voice, walking over cautiously, feeling a bit helpless. “Drink the soup before you sleep, or you’ll have a headache tomorrow.”
Ci Ke shrugged her shoulders and didn’t pay her any attention.
“Be obedient.” Ye Youqing’s tone was calm as she removed the thin blanket covering Ci Ke’s face. The candlelight illuminated her face, and Ci Ke turned slightly, half-opening her eyes and using her hand to shield them, revealing only one eye.
Ci Ke looked at her and suddenly reached out with both hands.
It was a gesture begging for a hug.
Some words can only be said with the help of alcohol, and some actions can only be done with a little bit of drunkenness.
“Ye Youqing.” She called her name again, her voice unusually soft.
Ye Youqing couldn’t resist her in this state. She felt her heart stick to her chest. Before she realized it, she was already wrapped in her embrace, feeling those warm, tender arms around her neck.
Ye Youqing felt like all she could do now was sigh. She closed her eyes, one hand holding the woman’s waist and the other passing through her knees. With a gentle effort, she lifted her up horizontally and walked out of the room.
“Why don’t you ever refuse me?” Ci Ke whispered in her ear, sounding somewhat aggrieved.
Ci Ke’s legs wobbled as she broke free from her embrace, stumbling backward to the table and steadying herself against it.
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Ye Youqing withdrew her outstretched hand, unsure of what to say.
Her mind was a mess. Everything had been perfect, she had been calm and collected as usual, but now Ci Ke had disrupted everything.
For the first time, she felt unable to control the turmoil in her chest.
“Don’t marry him,” Ci Ke cried like a child, sniffling and wiping her eyes with her arm, but unable to stop the tears from streaming down her cheeks.
“You’ll be killed by them,” Ci Ke choked out, “I don’t want you to end up like Auntie.”
The woman cried genuinely, as if something was caught in her throat, continuously gasping and slowly crouching down, hugging her knees.
“I’ve lost everything, Ye Youqing,” she buried her face in her arms, “I just want you to stay alive.”
Ye Youqing’s eyes welled up with bitterness. She quickly half-knelt in front of her, gently patting her shoulders. “Don’t be afraid. I won’t die, and I won’t marry Wei Yanei.”
Ci Ke lifted her head, her cheeks flushed. “Really?”
Turns out she had been upset about her engagement all along. Ye Youqing blinked, wiping away the bitterness from her eyes, and said gently, “Really.”
“He’s not worthy of you,” Ci Ke kept sniffing, reaching out to grab Ye Youqing’s sleeve.
“Yeah,” Ye Youqing replied.
“But what will you do? The Emperor has arranged the marriage,” Ci Ke’s hands went up, clutching her collar again. Perhaps from crying so hard earlier, her breathing wasn’t steady now.
“You’re better off not knowing,” Ye Youqing patted her head. What she was doing was risking her life, and those who knew were in danger too. It was better to keep her in the dark.
“Don’t cry,” Ye Youqing smiled helplessly. Ci Ke had cried in front of her so many times that she couldn’t even remember what she looked like when she smiled.
And she distinctly remembered from the memories of the original owner that even when Ci Ke was bullied so badly, she would endure it with fiery eyes.
But the Ci Ke she saw was different.
Ye Youqing remained in a half-kneeling position, reached out and grabbed the sobering soup from the table, and handed it to Ci Ke, nudging her chin up.
Ci Ke took back her gaze from Ye Youqing, picked up the bowl larger than her face, and gulped it down.
“Alright, go rest,” Ye Youqing looked up at the moonlight, “Tonight, you can only rest here.”
Ci Ke didn’t say anything. She handed the bowl back to Ye Youqing, then stood up, wiping the tears from her face. Despite her muddled mind from the alcohol, she was beginning to clear up.
Her cheeks, moist from crying, looked much brighter, especially her rosy lips, which were more vibrant than usual.
The tears she shed earlier due to drunkenness left a hint of blush on her cheeks, adding a touch of embarrassment.
When Ye Youqing called for toiletries, she also asked the maid to bring an extra blanket and laid it on the floor beside the bed. This time, she intended to let Ci Ke sleep on the bed, as she didn’t like sleeping on such a hard surface where she couldn’t stretch her legs.
Watching the woman finish wiping her face and hesitating by the bed, Ye Youqing asked, “Hmm?”
Ci Ke shook her head lightly, turned away, and took off her outer garment, revealing her smooth back. The light pink undergarment didn’t cover her arms entirely, only some parts of her skin.
Feeling uncomfortable, Ye Youqing lowered her head and tidied up the already neatly arranged floor bedding, rolling it up again and laying it out.
When the outer garment fell to the ground, Ci Ke didn’t pick it up. Instead, she untied her hair and slipped into the covers.
Her fair ankles flashed briefly before disappearing into the thin blanket embroidered with birds and flowers.
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Ye Youqing pinched herself, suppressing her swirling thoughts. Then she reached out to help Ci Ke pick up her outer garment. The summer clothes were thin, made of lotus-colored silk satin, smooth to the touch like water flowing.
They still carried Ci Ke’s body heat and fragrance.
What was wrong with her? Ye Youqing endured the strange feelings in her heart, folded the outer garment neatly, and placed it at the foot of the bed for Ci Ke.
“Go to sleep,” she said, then blew out the candle, plunging the room into darkness.
The night was quiet, with only the sound of their breathing intertwining. Ci Ke’s breath was almost inaudible, and Ye Youqing closed her eyes, drifting into a blurry consciousness in no time.
In a daze, it seemed like someone had settled in.
Ci Ke tiptoed behind her, guided by the faint light of the moonless sky. She knelt on the narrow bed behind Ye Youqing, then slowly lay down.
Her clean and warm arms wrapped around Ye Youqing’s waist tightly, and her cheek rested against Ye Youqing’s back, breathing penetrating through the clothes, tingling softly.
Ye Youqing subconsciously wanted to move, but she heard a shallow, quiet request from the woman behind her.
“Just for tonight, don’t make me leave.”
LP: Sorry for the no upload yesterday, my work schedule changed so I’m adjusting right now. I used to translate before work in the morning, but now I’m translating after work. Thank you for your understanding~
