Peaches and Plums Don’t Speak – Chapter 123
by Little PandaThem (Part 6)
Anzhi took care of the two little babies in the latter half of the night until dawn. After the dragon-phoenix twins1 fell asleep, she read for a while, not planning to sleep, because she wanted to adjust her jet lag to match Yan Xi’s. So as soon as morning came, she went to the kitchen to help with breakfast.
At one point, she went back to the room to check on Yan Xi. Yan Xi was resting her head on her pillow, one slender arm draped over the blanket, her long, thick lashes closed, breathing evenly and lightly, like the snowflakes drifting quietly outside the window.
Her two pink lips still held a slight upward curve, as if she were sleeping deeply and soundly, even dreaming sweet dreams.
Anzhi’s heart rippled with tenderness. She crouched down, held Yan Xi’s hand, and gently pressed a kiss to it.
She helped Auntie Xin prepare breakfast. As the family members ate breakfast one after another, she got food for Junjun, reminded him to take his homework, then went to help hold the babies so the adults could eat.
When Yan Xi came downstairs, Anzhi spoke to her with her eyes. Yan Xi, dressed in formal attire and drinking soy milk, looked back at her, then walked over and whispered in her ear, “Taotao, this afternoon, you go back to the apartment first.”
Her voice was low and soft, like a kiss on the ear. After speaking, Yan Xi passed by her, her arm brushing against Anzhi’s, sliding past. Anzhi pressed her lips together, dimples showing, her heart blooming like a flower.
In the afternoon, Anzhi naturally found an excuse to go back to the apartment first. She gave the whole place a quick clean, checked on the green plants Yan Xi was growing, watered them, removed dead branches, and so on. Finally, she went into Yan Xi’s room and changed the sheets and duvet, and after a moment’s thought, even sprayed some perfume.
Then she went to the nearby supermarket to buy vegetables, fruit, and meat, storing them in the fridge. There would be heavy snow in the coming days, so she bought extra — it was always good to be prepared.
She received a text from Yan Xi and timed dinner perfectly. A while later, she finally heard sounds at the front door. She ran thump-thump-thump to the entrance and waited by the door, counting the sound of the car parking, the closing of the main gate, then the outer door.
“One, two, three…” Anzhi counted the sounds.
The moment the door opened, a familiar fragrance mixed with the cold air from outside rushed in. Anzhi’s lips curled up, and with a delighted giggle, she threw herself onto her.
Yan Xi seemed to smile as well, raising her arms to embrace her.
“What time did you get here?” Yan Xi set her bag and keys on the shoe cabinet to the side, then wrapped an arm around her and walked a few steps forward.
“This afternoon. Is it cold outside?” Anzhi buried her face in Yan Xi’s shoulder, breathing in her scent.
“It’s okay, not cold.” Yan Xi was charmed by her posture, like a small animal seeking warmth. She was just about to lean down and kiss her when out of the corner of her eye she caught sight of the height markings on the entrance wall.
Those few short marks seemed to be gazing at her silently.
Yan Xi froze for a moment, immediately feeling guilty, and couldn’t help stopping her movement.
Snowflakes like light feathers drifted from the sky, and the outdoor temperature plummeted. Anzhi leaned on the sofa replying to emails, while Yan Xi sat on the other side of the sofa looking at her notes. For every program interview, she would prepare in advance, writing outlines to prompt herself, and after the interview, she would jot down a few of her own thoughts.
The room was quiet, yet there was a tacit comfort all its own.
After replying to a few work emails, Anzhi’s gaze fell on her.
Yan Xi had her hair half tied up, no bangs, with a center part revealing a fair, full forehead, with a hint of a widow’s peak. A strand of hair at her temple was too long, curling slightly and hanging beside her face. Her lowered long lashes cast a heart-stirring curve on her face.
She looked especially gentle and tender, beautiful and soothing.
Anzhi put down her laptop and moved closer to her. She stared at her for several seconds, but failing to catch her attention, she picked up her phone and simply lay down with her head on Yan Xi’s lap, scrolling through the internet. Yan Xi merely reached over to scratch her chin, her gaze never leaving her notes.
Anzhi pouted, scrolled through Weibo for a while, then used a VPN2 to browse some foreign news, and out of boredom, grabbed Yan Xi’s hand and squeezed it.
Her palm was warm and thick; the elderly said that was a sign of good fortune. Her ten fingers were slender, long, and flexible. Grandmother Yan had said they were perfect for playing the piano, but Yan Xi wasn’t very interested. She had only learned a few pieces in childhood and never touched the piano again.
Anzhi held her fingers, looking at the whorls on her fingertips, playing with them back and forth. She realized Yan Xi’s fingers were much prettier than hers, and the back of her hand was lovely too, the skin thin and translucent with a few faint veins. Her own hand, because of the burn, even after much care, still had uneven coloring on the back compared to the surrounding skin.
Anzhi didn’t disturb her, just held her hand, touching and playing with it. She had been awake for over twenty-four hours, her eyelids felt heavy, so she let out a lazy yawn.
“I was busy just now.” Yan Xi’s voice softened, and she reached out to wrap an arm around Anzhi’s slender shoulders.
Anzhi leaned lazily against her, not speaking, just gazing at her with a smile.
Yan Xi set her notes aside, glanced at the time, and said, “It’s late. Let’s go to bed.”
Anzhi nodded happily, then got up and very naturally walked to Yan Xi’s room to wash up. Yan Xi lagged a few steps behind, her footsteps hesitating for a moment before she followed.
After brushing her teeth, washing her face, and doing her skincare, Anzhi slipped into Yan Xi’s bed first. Yan Xi lit the Diptyque lavender scented candle; its warm and soothing fragrance filled the air, and a warm orange wall lamp cast a cozy glow over the two of them.
Then she calmed her thoughts before slipping into bed. As soon as she was under the covers, Anzhi’s soft lips leaned over and gave her a light kiss. Yan Xi narrowed her eyes, stroked her hair, and said, “Alright, it’s late. Go to sleep now.”
She picked up her phone, checked her alarm, then made a show of opening a news webpage to read.
Anzhi blinked, didn’t think much of it, and leaned against her shoulder, closing her eyes. Her routine was always punctual and regular; it wasn’t her usual bedtime, but adjusting to the time difference made her temples ache faintly and her eyelids heavy. Yet in her heart, she still didn’t want to sleep.
She wanted to treasure every minute and second with Yan Xi.
She opened her eyes and looked at Yan Xi’s face, silently staring at the phone screen. After a while, Anzhi frowned in confusion. Was she imagining things? It felt like after coming back to this apartment, Yan Xi had become colder toward her.
For a moment, Anzhi’s heart ached with bitterness, and the light in her eyes dimmed silently. Then she slowly pulled away from Yan Xi’s shoulder, quietly turned over, and faced the other side.
Almost simultaneously, Yan Xi’s finger paused on the screen, and she turned her head to glance at her.
Anzhi was curled up slightly, her jet-black hair spread across the pillow, her tender white nape easily drawing Yan Xi’s gaze.
Yan Xi reached out, but only to pull the blanket up for her and stroke her shoulder beneath it, soothing her to sleep with this gentle gesture.
But Anzhi’s shoulders trembled, and she looked somewhat sad.
Yan Xi’s heart softened with pity. She moved closer, nestling against her, and called softly, “Taotao, what’s wrong?”
Anzhi turned her face back, her pink lips slightly pouting, her eyes a little red. She glared at her reproachfully and murmured in accusation, “You’re so cold to me.”
Yan Xi paused, then reassured her, “No, I’m not. Be good and go to sleep.”
Anzhi’s pout deepened. “…Not even a goodnight kiss?”
The aggrieved tone made Yan Xi laugh instead. “There is.” She leaned down and kissed her forehead. “There, a goodnight kiss.”
Clearly, Anzhi was not satisfied with that kiss.
She wanted to say something, but swallowed it back. Her eyes seemed to redden, and her tone was a bit disheartened. “Forget it…”
She turned back over, looking very dejected.
Yan Xi’s eyes rippled with emotion. She wanted to speak but stopped, unsure what to do. After several seconds, she moved closer under the covers, pressing against Anzhi’s back, stroking her shoulder in silent apology and comfort.
Anzhi wanted to use her youth as an excuse to say some petulant words, but she still felt she didn’t have the standing. She felt wronged, yet also felt she should be more mature. She could only struggle with herself until her eyes stung red. However, Yan Xi’s soothing gesture seemed to convey some unspoken feelings, and in an instant her emotions rose and fell, and she couldn’t help but let out a sigh.
The girl’s sigh was very soft, yet it held an indescribable sadness.
Yan Xi suddenly felt a pang in her heart.
She bit her lip, gently turned Anzhi’s shoulder, and then kissed the lips that had just sighed, wanting to swallow that aggrieved sigh into her own heart, to digest it herself. She held her lips, entered her mouth, tender and sweet, advancing step by step.
Anzhi’s mind buzzed. Her fair little face quickly flushed red. Yan Xi’s tongue was agile, wet and soft, in her mouth, sucking and kissing hers.
A burning warmth gently assaulted her heart, dispelling the earlier bitterness and grievance.
She couldn’t help but let out a soft, low moan. Her voice was naturally soft and sticky, and this sound was tender and carried a special quiver.
Yan Xi had just given in to her inner impulse to kiss her, and hearing that sound made her mind go hazy.
She couldn’t hold back anymore. She moved her lips away, then kissed downward onto the girl’s creamy white neck.
Under her actions, the girl’s body trembled violently — a mix of excitement and fright from never having been treated this way, and a little bewilderment. She let out a small, brief gasp.
Yan Xi couldn’t think at all. Everything was a new, thrilling, enticing experience for her. She kissed the girl’s slender, tender neck, her hand instinctively lifting her neck to allow better access for her kisses.
“Ah… mmm…” Anzhi called out weakly, but before she could utter a second word, Yan Xi’s lips had already swiftly taken her earlobe.
Anzhi’s voice cut off abruptly.
Yan Xi kissed her earlobe, cheek, and chin meticulously, savoring the familiar fresh scent on her. Her soft, boneless body trembled continuously, as if waiting for more.
Yan Xi’s hand seemed to have a mind of its own, sliding down, slipping under the hem of her clothes to caress her smooth, tender abdomen.
Only then did Anzhi manage to gasp, her eyes misty, her gaze dazed, her lips trembling as if trying to grasp something, weakly calling out to her.
Yan Xi let out an indistinct low moan, completely losing her earlier restraint and composure, forgetting where she was, forgetting the marks downstairs that recorded their beautiful childhood memories. She only wanted to gently seal her voice with a kiss.
They gradually became lost in each other. A faint fragrance lingered around them, and a sweet feeling filled their hearts.
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