Peaches and Plums Don’t Speak – Chapter 101

Them (Part 2)

“Reagents for the experiment: … methyl paraben, ethyl paraben …”

Anzhi wasn’t nearly as calm as she appeared. She was already thoroughly familiar with tomorrow’s experiment and only needed to review it one last time, but the contents of her notebook absolutely refused to register in her brain.

            

She resorted to reading aloud in a soft whisper, but she couldn’t focus.

Her Auntie, the person she liked, was wearing her pajamas and underwear, sleeping right there in her bed.

Anzhi shifted her gaze over. Yan Xi appeared to be asleep already, the blanket pulled up high right beneath her chin.

            

Faint dark circles shadowed her eyes, and her beautiful hair was scattered across the pillow and blanket.

Anzhi was entirely captivated at just a glance.

Looking at Yan Xi’s sleeping face, she dazedly recalled many things—memories from her childhood, her deliberate distancing and coldness toward Yan Xi, and the way Yan Xi had gazed at her during Third Uncle’s wedding.

            

Human emotion was truly a strange thing. When separated by distance, it felt as though the missing wasn’t so intense, as if even the frequency of those heart-fluttering moments had decreased. But that was merely an illusion. The moment they were close again, the longing and romantic yearning surged back in overwhelming waves.

She was incredibly happy that Yan Xi had finally confided her inner thoughts to her, yet her heart ached because she could genuinely feel Yan Xi’s loneliness.

What pained her was that she hadn’t been by Yan Xi’s side to keep her company. For her own selfish reasons, she had stayed away.

            

Anzhi silently gazed at Yan Xi’s sleeping face. Seeming to find the blanket resting against her chin a bit itchy, Yan Xi reached out to tug at it, nuzzling against the pillow in a very childish manner.

Anzhi pressed her lips together into a smile. She got up, went over, and tucked the corners of the blanket in for her. Yan Xi’s breathing was light and shallow, carrying only the faint floral scent of body wash.

Anzhi’s eyes fell upon Yan Xi’s lips. She bit her own lower lip lightly, her heartbeat entirely thrown into disarray.

            

I want to kiss her…

As if possessed, she lowered her head.

Yan Xi was asleep; she wouldn’t know. She would just steal a tiny kiss. Just one.

            

Just then, Yan Xi’s eyelashes fluttered, and she groggily opened her eyes. Anzhi froze instantly. They were practically face-to-face, so close their breaths intermingled.

Anzhi’s face instantly flushed crimson, and she hastily recoiled.

Yan Xi didn’t seem to notice the finer details. She rubbed her eye. “Finished your homework? Come to sleep.”

            

Anzhi feigned composure. “I just came over to see if you were covered up properly. I’ll go sleep in Mengmeng’s bed.”

To prove her words, Anzhi twisted around and walked to the opposite bed.

Yan Xi half-sat up. “Don’t you have trouble sleeping in beds you aren’t used to? Come sleep here.”

            

Anzhi’s heart trembled. Not daring to look back, she muttered, “No, it’s fine. I’m already so grown up…”

Ever since Yang Mengmeng moved in with her and started dating, she had taken every spare moment to educate Anzhi on this and that, even giving her GL comics to read.

Lin Han earlier had obviously been hinting at something; Anzhi had simply ignored it on purpose. But while Yan Xi clearly wasn’t making a suggestive hint, Anzhi very much wanted to take her words as one.

            

The moment this thought arose, Anzhi silently cursed herself.

Shameless.

Pornographic.

            

To stop her imagination from running wild, she hastily scrambled up onto the bed and burrowed into the blanket in one fluid motion. “Auntie, good night.”

Yan Xi was amused by her rapid-fire movements. Just as she was about to say another word, she saw Anzhi pull the covers completely over her head.

Having just slept for a bit, Yan Xi was still slightly groggy. The bed was warm, though a bit too empty for just one person, but…

            

Yan Xi remembered those inappropriate, sleazy actions buried deep in her mind…

She couldn’t push the matter any further. If Anzhi wasn’t willing, so be it.

She glanced toward the other bed, then lay back down. “Good night.”

            

Anzhi really wasn’t used to sleeping in other people’s beds. Yang Mengmeng’s bed had a different scent—likely from her shampoo—and the blanket felt different to the touch. Plus, there was no plush doll to hug.

Anzhi quietly rolled over, trying her best not to make a sound. She squeezed her eyes shut, imagining she was in her own bed. Yet her mind inevitably drifted to another detail: the graduate student dormitory allowed male visitors during the day, and Chen Wei had come by a few times. What if they had been on this very bed…

The moment the thought crossed her mind, she felt utterly grossed out. The bed suddenly felt as if it were covered in thorns, or as if countless hands were pushing her up from underneath. Anzhi took a deep breath. These are all fake. It’s just my mind playing tricks on me.

            

The cold night was dead silent. In the adjacent bed, Yan Xi must have fallen asleep again. Anzhi could have been resting in her arms, with Yan Xi’s hand draped gently over her back.

Stop! Anzhi screamed internally. I can’t surrender to this temptation.

Anzhi tossed and turned, struggling endlessly. She didn’t even know if she had fallen asleep; her consciousness was murky and blurred.

            

An unknown amount of time later, in the early hours of the morning when the sky was still a gloomy gray, Anzhi groggily got up to use the washroom. Her body possessed its own muscle memory; she walked straight back to her own bed, lifted the blanket, and climbed inside. Much more comfortable now.

Taking a deep breath, it was as if the fresh scent of white flowers seeped deep into her lungs. There was another person’s breathing beneath the covers—a familiar breathing. Strands of hair brushed lightly against her cheek, like a tender, delicate kiss.

Anzhi sank into it, finally falling into a true sleep.

            

When Yan Xi groggily woke up, she heard the sound of footsteps on the stairs and the faint ringing of a bell in the distance.

The next second, she was instantly wide awake. The young woman in her arms was sleeping soundly, letting out tiny snores, one hand clutching Yan Xi’s clothes at the waist.

Yan Xi blinked. Where was the rabbit plush doll she had been holding?

            

She lifted her head to look and saw the rabbit plush doll lying pitifully on the floor.

Meanwhile, the one in her arms was sleeping incredibly sweetly, her face flushed red.

The weather outside was still overcast. It was unclear if the rain had stopped.

            

Yan Xi felt a bit dazed. A similarly rainy day… It seemed there had been a rainy day like this in the past, where she woke up with Anzhi in her arms too.

It felt as if… this arrangement was perfectly natural and entirely right.

Yan Xi experienced a feeling she couldn’t quite articulate, but she didn’t reject it.

            

It was warm, a little achy, and incredibly soft.

Yan Xi didn’t know if Anzhi had morning classes. It had been easy to keep track during middle and high school, when she had classes every day except weekends. But after starting university, Anzhi rarely called or texted her, and Yan Xi hadn’t asked.

She was completely out of the loop regarding her situation.

            

Yan Xi felt a pang of guilt, blaming herself. Even if Anzhi had grown up, she still needed to care for her more.

Only now did Yan Xi realize that during the period Anzhi hadn’t contacted her, she herself had been afraid and disheartened. She had merely been using excuses like “children need their own space when they grow up,” “university life is exciting and her studies keep her busy,” and “she prefers to hang out with people her own age” to convince herself.

What she had feared most of all was that Anzhi no longer needed her, no longer cared about her.

            

But Anzhi’s considerate care last night, along with the familiar detail of her sneakily crawling into bed with her, put Yan Xi at ease. She even felt a rush of joy, as if she had regained something she thought she had lost.

Even though she had grown up, she was still her little Taotao.

She was debating whether to wake Anzhi up when her phone started buzzing. It was Liu Yiyi. “Xiao Wu, are you free today? You must have been frightened yesterday. Let me treat you to a meal.”

            

Yan Xi was just about to answer when Anzhi, as if disturbed by the noise, let out two displeased whimpers and nuzzled against her chest.

Yan Xi instantly lost her voice.

Liu Yiyi’s voice came through the phone. “Xiao Wu? Hmm? Is the signal bad?”

            

The signal wasn’t bad at all; Liu Yiyi’s voice came through loud and clear. Extremely displeased, Anzhi squirmed around in Yan Xi’s arms. Yan Xi had one arm half-propping up her body and the other holding the phone.

Beneath her struggling, Anzhi’s collar slipped loose, partially revealing her creamy breasts.

Even Yan Xi had to admit that the young woman’s figure was exceptionally moving—incredibly tempting.

            

Yan Xi felt as if her thoughts were drifting into the gutter again. In truth, all her emotions were tangled into a chaotic knot.

What was I going to say again?

“…Yan Xiao Wu! Can you hear me?!” Liu Yiyi shouted.

            

Anzhi scrunched up her face and groaned. Trying to open her eyes but failing, she mumbled, “Who is it?”

She heard Yan Xi’s soft voice. “…I’m at Taotao’s place.”

“What?! You two slept together all night?”

            

Anzhi abruptly opened her eyes within Yan Xi’s embrace. Her line of sight was aimed directly at Yan Xi’s full, soft breasts. She blinked, finally realizing exactly where she was.

“…Shh, keep your voice down. Anzhi is still sleeping…”

Anzhi continued to blink, remaining perfectly still.

            

“I know… We’ll head over at noon. Alright, hanging up now.”

Yan Xi pressed a button on her phone and tossed it aside. Anzhi’s heart began to hammer—thump-thump-thump. She remembered going to the washroom once, and then out of sheer habit, she must have crawled back into this bed. So they had cuddled together for another sleep, right?

After throwing the phone aside, Yan Xi didn’t make a sound. Why isn’t she saying anything? Should I wake up now, or pretend to be asleep?

            

Having missed the window to wake up naturally, I have no idea what to do now!

Most importantly, my face is only… a tiny distance away from Yan Xi’s chest.

One wrong move and my face is burying into her chest…

            

So pornographic. So thrilling…

Anzhi was so nervous that the dimples on her cheeks were practically trembling.

“Are you awake?” Anzhi’s face was tipped up by Yan Xi’s hand. Her fingers were slightly warm and silky.

            

Anzhi’s face burned uselessly. This gesture is way too flirtatious!

I can’t let my thoughts run wild. I can’t let my thoughts run wild.

“Hmm? Do you have class this morning?”

            

“…No, I have an experiment class in the afternoon.” Mustering her courage, Anzhi stealthily leaned back a fraction, distancing herself from the source of temptation. Cautiously, she lifted her face to look at her.

Yan Xi looked down at her, her gaze deep and gentle.

Anzhi met her eyes in a daze.

            

“Then… do you want to sleep a little longer? It’s still early.”

In that moment, Anzhi held her breath. Suddenly giving up all resistance, she threw her arms around Yan Xi’s neck. “Mn!”

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The author has something to say:

            

Don’t rush! Don’t rush! Don’t rush!

I know we are currently in the mutual-understanding phase. I am not someone who rushes things; I believe that if it’s not enough, it’s not enough.

The main story will not exceed 150 chapters, and should wrap up around mid-September.

            

As long as you support the official release, you can raise it until it’s fat¹.

Physical books will also be published, including the one with the ex.

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