The Passerby Female Supporting Character – Chapter 52

Were they kissing just now?

Even the most oblivious person, seeing such a scene now, could sense something wasn’t right. The light inside the tent wasn’t bright, but Zhang San still clearly saw the overlapping figures of the two people beside her.

Their bodies were obscured by the blanket, but through the raised contour of the quilt, she could see Song Linlin’s upper body lying on top of Chi Qianning’s. Fortunately, thanks to the blanket’s obstruction, Zhang San didn’t see exactly where Song Linlin’s hand was placed, preserving a shred of dignity for everyone involved and preventing Song Linlin from suffering a social death.

            

Zhang San sat frozen in place, hugging her blanket blankly. Song Linlin, interrupted by the shout, now stared blankly back at Zhang San. All three people on the scene fell silent; for a moment, the atmosphere was terrifyingly quiet.

Although Zhang San had seen plenty of hugging and cuddling between Song Linlin and Chi Qianning these past days—the two were always very clingy—she had gradually become desensitized​¹ to it. She just assumed their relationship was exceptionally good, and sticking together whenever they had nothing better to do was barely understandable.

But that scene just now… Zhang San was sure she hadn’t seen wrong. Those two were just about to kiss, weren’t they?!

            

Especially with such an intimate posture…

Zhang San felt her worldview take quite a hit.

Her lips parted and closed several times as she tried to make a sound, to say something, but in the end, she didn’t know what to say. This situation was simply beyond Zhang San’s comprehension.

            

“You…”

“You two…”

Zhang San spoke haltingly. Song Linlin stared back at her, big eyes meeting small eyes, both caught in a wave of mutual embarrassment.

            

Song Linlin hadn’t expected Zhang San to inexplicably wake up at such a moment either. When she had turned to look at her earlier, the girl’s breathing had been steady, she was even drooling in her sleep—clearly looking fast asleep.

Yet, at this critical moment, Zhang San just happened to wake up. Song Linlin didn’t know how much she had seen.

This was something Song Linlin herself had overlooked. The commotion she and Chi Qianning had made earlier wasn’t loud, at most just slightly heavier breathing and panting.

            

Later, Song Linlin started pushing her luck​². Zhang San was, after all, someone who practiced cultivation, so she was somewhat aware of sounds around her. Then, she opened her eyes to see the two people sleeping beside her entangled together, faces so close, clearly indicating something improper was going on.

After struggling for quite a while over what to say, Zhang San’s expression was peculiar, looking like she had something bottled up she couldn’t get out. She was, after all, still a fifteen-year-old girl; stumbling upon her two companions doing strange things late at night instead of sleeping was just too awkward.

“Were you two… kissing just now?” Zhang San finally asked softly after a long pause.

            

Hearing such a direct question, Song Linlin’s face immediately flushed hot. Her hand was still between herself and Chi Qianning, fingers maintaining a grasping posture, feeling something prominent pressing against the soft flesh of her palm.

It had originally felt soft. This discovery made Song Linlin turn her head slightly, eyes shifting to Chi Qianning, who was right beside her. Her gaze held an emotion that was hard to define—more embarrassment, or something else?

Chi Qianning met Song Linlin’s gaze, her fair face completely red, feeling like a cooked shrimp. She was already thin-skinned, and now that Zhang San had discovered this, she became even more rigid.

            

A cool hand slipped under the blanket, reached out, and pulled Song Linlin’s paw away. Slender fingers easily grasped Song Linlin’s wrist. Chi Qianning looked at Song Linlin with eyes full of blame.

Song Linlin could only turn her head back sheepishly. She climbed off Chi Qianning and sat up straight, tidying her messy clothes slightly.

Faced with Zhang San’s question, although the other girl wasn’t wrong, and Song Linlin was tempted to nod, she still stubbornly said aloud, “No, you saw wrong.”

            

Zhang San: …

Zhang San looked at Song Linlin, her eyes full of disbelief. She had seen it crystal clear just now; Song Linlin and Chi Qianning were so close, from Zhang San’s angle, their lips had practically touched.

Yet Song Linlin could still lie so blatantly! Did she really think she was blind?!

            

Feeling Zhang San’s resentful gaze, Song Linlin could only pretend not to see it for now. She couldn’t exactly rush to admit she was up to no good late at night instead of sleeping, could she?

“I saw everything just now, you were clearly…” Zhang San pointed at Song Linlin, stopping short, too embarrassed to say the rest.

Song Linlin had good psychological fortitude; faced with Zhang San’s accusation, her expression remained unchanged. She repeated, “No, you just saw wrong!”

            

“You, you…”

Zhang San clearly wanted to say more. Chi Qianning had also sat up, right next to Song Linlin. Zhang San looked first at Song Linlin, then turned to look at Chi Qianning. Even in the dim environment, she immediately noticed suspicious red marks lingering on both their necks.

Before they went to sleep, their necks had been completely clean. Now, after only a short while, both their necks were covered in marks. It was hard not to suspect how those marks had appeared.

            

They couldn’t have been from pinching, right?

Zhang San suddenly remembered that when the three of them were staying at the inn in Yunxin City, she had seen red marks on Chi Qianning’s neck back then too. Combining that with the fact that Song Linlin and Chi Qianning shared the same room…

So, could it be that since that time, they had been hugging and kissing like this at night?

            

The more Zhang San thought about it, the more likely it seemed. The way she looked at Song Linlin and Chi Qianning grew increasingly strange. She wanted to say something but hesitated, the words stuck in her throat.

The three fell silent again. Just as Zhang San finally opened her mouth, ready to speak, Chi Qianning unexpectedly shot out a hand, palm striking Zhang San diagonally on the back of her neck.

The slap wasn’t heavy; the force and angle were controlled just right. With just that light tap, Zhang San suddenly couldn’t speak, her eyes closed, and her body went limp, collapsing onto the blanket.

            

Seeing Zhang San finally close her eyes again, no longer having to face her questioning, Song Linlin quietly let out a sigh of relief.

Although Song Linlin had strong mental resilience, facing Zhang San’s questions about herself and Chi Qianning, she couldn’t help but be reminded of the embarrassment when Zhang San caught them tangled together.

Zhang San definitely wouldn’t wake up again for a while now, so there was no need to worry about waking her. That girl would probably sleep soundly until dawn.

            

Thinking about the interrupted kiss and those bold actions earlier, now that only she and Chi Qianning were awake, Song Linlin couldn’t help but turn her head, her eyes looking at Chi Qianning.

Those actions at the time were certainly partly due to Song Linlin being spurred on by the intimate atmosphere, but perhaps more so, they stemmed from the deepest thoughts in her heart.

Their eyes met. Song Linlin’s gaze inevitably held some awkwardness, but looking closely, there seemed to be a hint of anticipation hidden within those dark blue eyes.

            

Chi Qianning averted her gaze, it was unclear whether she had noticed the emotions hidden deep in the other’s eyes or not. Her whole demeanor radiated a sense of awkwardness, though the blush on her face had faded considerably. The heat gradually subsided, leaving only a faint pink lingering on her earlobes.

Since the other didn’t speak, Song Linlin felt too embarrassed to initiate conversation either, her eyes just resting quietly on her. For a moment, the atmosphere inside the tent quietly began to foster a hint of tenderness.

Song Linlin placed her palm on the blanket, feeling the soft bedding beneath it, and again lost control of her thoughts. Her mind replayed the sensation of that hand grasping that soft mound.

            

Song Linlin hadn’t dared to use force then, just holding it lightly. The sensation was thrilling​³; once touched, never forgotten. It was different from holding her own; she found it hard to describe the difference.

Especially later, when Zhang San caught them almost kissing, perhaps due to the stimulation from nervousness, what was originally soft became different, pressing against her palm, the sensation too distinct to ignore.

Song Linlin realized her thoughts were gradually heading in a strange direction, her mind filled with unspeakable things. She deeply felt she had become a pervert.

            

Amidst this awkward and intimate atmosphere, afraid she might do something else out of line, Song Linlin didn’t dare look at Chi Qianning anymore. She abruptly lay down, shrinking into the blankets, leaving only her hair exposed.

Burying her entire body in the quilt, Song Linlin curled up, her voice muffled as it came from under the covers.

“I’m going to sleep first!”

            

Song Linlin’s tone carried a hint of panic; it didn’t sound like she was sleepy, but rather like she was hiding from something.

Chi Qianning, still sitting up, glanced at the bulging quilt, but ultimately said nothing. She lowered her head and straightened her already messy top. On the surface, she seemed calm, but inwardly, her complicated feelings were no better than Song Linlin’s.

She had never experienced this kind of thing before either. It was probably only during this time with Song Linlin that she began to have frequent physical contact with the other person.

            

Initially, it was Chi Qianning who couldn’t resist wanting to be close to Song Linlin due to her physical condition; now, it was Song Linlin who wanted to touch her whenever she had nothing else to do.

Faced with this situation, Chi Qianning just felt her mind was a mess​⁴. She chose to follow her heart’s response and didn’t refuse, which then led to Song Linlin becoming bolder and bolder, to the point where it could now be called pushing her luck.

Unable to sort out her messy thoughts, Chi Qianning also lay down, flat on her back in the bedding. Beside her, Song Linlin faced away from Chi Qianning, completely daring not to turn around and look at her. However, Chi Qianning’s hearing was excellent, so she could naturally hear clearly the forced calmness in the breathing of the person beside her.

            

After all that commotion, the night was already very deep. The bonfire outside the tent gradually weakened, the flames slowly shrinking, and visibility inside the tent grew dimmer.

Hearing rustling sounds nearby, Song Linlin felt the dip in the bedding as it compressed, knowing that Chi Qianning beside her had also lain down.

She huddled in the blanket. A small empty space separated the two of them. She didn’t move restlessly or try to touch the other person again. Chi Qianning also lay quietly, making no other movements.

            

Neither of them broke that small distance. In the quiet environment, only the sound of the bonfire burning and the occasional crackle of sparks could be heard. Beside them, Zhang San’s steady breathing continued; otherwise, it was completely silent.

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