Melted in Lin Xian’s embrace
Due to a tight schedule, the magazine company had a new project waiting for Xiao Wanqing to make decisions upon her return from a business trip. So, she had to head back to Anjiang City the afternoon following Qixi, making it impossible for her to attend the planned forum exchange meeting. Therefore, the next morning, she needed to meet privately with a few well-connected industry peers who would be participating in the exchange. They planned to catch up on recent topics and get a grip on the latest industry trends.
Just past seven in the morning, Xiao Wanqing phone buzzed by the bed, instantly waking her. Opening her eyes, she was greeted by the peaceful sleeping face of a little girl just inches away, bringing an instant smile to her face. She intended to reach for her phone to turn off the alarm, but as she moved, she realized that her whole body was loosely encircled by the girl’s slender arms.
Xiao Wanqing’s gaze softened even more. Not wanting to wake Lin Xian, she carefully lifted the girl’s arm and turned to grab her phone and switch off the alarm.
But as soon as she sorted the alarm, Xiao Wanqing turned back to find Lin Xian, who had seemingly at some point groggily opened her eyes.
Seeming not quite fully awake, her eyes bleary, her voice was husky in that sexy, half-awake way, she sleepily asked Xiao Wanqing, “Auntie Xiao, is it morning already?”
Xiao Wanqing’s cool hand gently covered the girl’s eyes, and the girl’s long lashes slowly swept across her palm, tickling her heart. Softening her voice, she coaxed Lin Xian, “Not yet, you can sleep a little longer. I have work this morning, so I have to get up early.”
Still somewhat groggy, the girl wriggled out from under Xiao Wanqing’s hand covering her eyes and clung to her childishly, burying her little head in her neck, coquettishly whining, “I don’t wanna. I want you to stay and sleep with me a bit more.”
Xiao Wanqing wrapped her arms around the girl, feeling the warm and soft presence in her embrace, and her entire heart melted with tenderness as she listened to her soft, spoiled words. She felt as though she finally understood what it meant to be so bewitched by someone that even an emperor would shirk his morning court sessions.
She lowered her head and kissed the top of the girl’s head, whispering gently, “My bad for waking you, but if we sleep in, I’ll be late, you know.”
Lin Xian pouted, blinked hard, and tried her best to wake up fully. She gave Xiao Wanqing’s neck an unhappy kiss, and feeling Xiao Wanqing’s body shudder all over, she finally smugly let go of Xiao Wanqing.
She lifted her head and planted a kiss on Xiao Wanqing’s cheek before sitting up. As she tossed back the covers and got out of bed, she considerately said, “Alright, go freshen up. I’ll dish out the porridge and the egg custard to cool them down.”
Xiao Wanqing sat up, leaning against the headboard, watching Lin Xian get down from her bed in an oversized T-shirt. Her long, fair, and straight legs moved towards the table not far away. Holding a ladle in one hand and lifting the lid of the electric stew pot with the other, Lin Xian looked back over her shoulder towards her, smiling brightly against the golden morning light: “Xiao Xiaowan, the porridge looks pretty good oh!”
Xiao Wanqing felt a surge of warmth flood her heart in an instant.
Such a scene was like something out of a dream.
She got out of bed and couldn’t help but wrap her arms around Lin Xian’s waist from behind once more, murmuring affectionately into her ear, “Lin Xian, will you always be here?”
Despite no longer daring to believe in promises and oaths, she couldn’t help but want to hear one, to hear Lin Xian’s assurance. Even if deluding herself, in this moment, she was content and happy.
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If this was a dream, she wished to wake up later.
Lin Xian reveled in Xiao Wanqing’s increasingly explicit affection, thinking Xiao Wanqing was asking whether she would wait for her at the hotel when she returned. Naturally lifting her face and planting a kiss on Xiao Wanqing’s jawline, she responded, “Of course, I’ll always be here. I want to wait for you. Can we go home together?”
Xiao Wanqing understood that Lin Xian’s answer was not to the same question she had asked, but she was still satisfied to hear the affirmative. A gentle smile unfurled on her lips as she said to Lin Xian, “Okay, I’ll go change my booking in a bit. We’ll go home together.”
Having finished her work in the morning, Xiao Wanqing declined an invitation to lunch with colleagues and hurried back to the hotel to join Lin Xian for lunch. After eating, Xiao Wanqing suggested they go out for a stroll nearby, but Lin Xian, concerned for Xiao Wanqing’s health, declined and chose to have a good rest with her in the afternoon instead.
In the scorching summer heat, with the air conditioning on and a thick blanket covering them, they snuggled close and slept soundly. Later, when it was about time, they packed up and hurried to catch the high-speed train back to Anjiang City.
After Xiao Wanqing rebooked her tickets, her seat ended up being separate from her colleagues and next to Lin Xian’s, situated on the right side in a pair for two.
On the high-speed train, luggage had to be placed on the overhead rack above the seats. Previously, putting her luggage up there used to be quite a struggle for Xiao Wanqing. When going here, she had been helped by a male colleague on her way there. But before she even made a move to hoist her luggage this time, a suave-looking man in his thirties beside her got up eagerly, ready to lend Xiao Wanqing a hand.
Lin Xian shot a glance at the man who clearly had his sights set on Xiao Wanqing, furrowed her brows, and without waiting for Xiao Wanqing to respond, smoothly took over the handle of her suitcase. She effortlessly stacked it on top of her own luggage, and just like that, both hefty suitcases were stowed away.
Xiao Wanqing blinked in astonishment, watching Lin Xian’s lean and slender figure, her gaze gradually warming with admiration.
Unwittingly, she thought back to the scene the night before where Lin Xian had effortlessly picked her up, Xiao Wanqing couldn’t help but be amazed: Are all long-distance runners this incredible? Not only does Lin Xian have an impressive lung capacity, but she’s also surprisingly strong.
Young as she may be, she always managed to evoke a sense of security that seemed beyond her years.
Lin Xian didn’t realize she had just scored some extra points in Xiao Wanqing’s eyes. Sitting by the window seat, she glanced at the scenery receding into the distance with a faint smile playing on her lips.
On the trip over, she was preoccupied with thoughts of Xiao Wanqing and hadn’t really taken in the sights along the way.
Xiao Wanqing followed her gaze, looking out the window with her, “Is this your first time here, Xianxian?”
Lin Xian turned her head to Xiao Wanqing and replied, “Yeah, I’ve been to the place next to it before. But that time I flew and had no idea this is what it looks like from the ground.”
“I’m sorry, you rarely come here, and I didn’t get to take you out to properly enjoy and see the scenery, and now we’re rushing back again,” Xiao Wanqing said with a sense of guilt.
Hearing this, Lin Xian took Xiao Wanqing’s hand gently in hers, downplaying her concern: “Who says I haven’t seen a beautiful scene?” Looking intently at Xiao Wanqing, she pressed Xiao Wanqing’s hand to her chest and said softly and earnestly, “You’re the most beautiful scenery I’ve seen here.”
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“And actually, I’ve always fantasized that one day we could sit side by side like this on the high-speed train, watching the passing mountains and rivers.” As she spoke, she took out her phone, connected the earphones, gave one side to herself and the other to Xiao Wanqing, leaned her head on Xiao Wanqing’s shoulder and said with a smile, “Just like this, it’s the scene I secretly dreamed of countless times.”
With tender affection in her gaze, she remembered that day when she traveled alone from the countryside back to the city, listening to songs and pondering over these thoughts along the way.
“Xiao Xiaowan, if I listen to the songs you’ve listened to, walk the paths you’ve walked, and see the sights you’ve seen, can I get a little closer to you, understand you a bit more?” She looked at Xiao Wanqing with deep sincerity. “Would you be willing to give me that chance, just a little more?”
She always wanted to unlock the knots in Xiao Wanqing’s heart, to liberate her completely from her past. Yet Xiao Wanqing never really opened up about it, that area being like a forbidden zone to her. Lin Xian realized she had never truly touched that part of Xiao Wanqing’s life.
But Lin Xian sensed Xiao Wanqing had softened a bit. Like the other day, when she talked about Uncle Xiao picking stars for her. Yet, Lin Xian yearned to know even more.
Xiao Wanqing, hearing the girl’s tender words, felt her heart quiver. But perhaps there always needs to be a bit of distance between people, a bit of mystery, to maintain a good relationship. Without that mystery, maybe the attachment fades too easily?
Like Yan Jia, who once chased after Xiao Wanqing bravely, infatuated with her. Before they got together, Yan Jia saw Xiao Wanqing as a perfect goddess. But after letting her guard down around Yan Jia, Yan Jia had criticized the real her more than once. That hurtful comment, “Act more mature,” had stuck with Xiao Wanqing for years. In the end, maybe Yan Jia stopped loving Xiao Wanqing after really getting to know her, lost interest, and that’s why she couldn’t hang on?
She lowered her voice and shared her deep-seated worries with Lin Xian, “Xianxian, maybe one day, when you get to know me better, you’ll find out I’m not the person you imagine me to be.”
Lin Xian’s eyes dimmed for a moment, but she chuckled dismissively.
Sitting up straight, she reached out and gently lifted Xiao Wanqing’s chin, replying earnestly, “Xiao Wanqing, my liking for you isn’t in the way one likes a goddess, but in the way one likes a girl.”
A goddess is idolized with a halo and thus held to unrealistic expectations. A girl is just a normal person, with strengths and weaknesses.
Lin Xian has always looked at Xiao Wanqing with eyes leveled, seeing her as an equal.
Her heart had been hurt by Xiao Wanqing’s fragility and hesitation; she clearly saw the imperfections in her Xiao Xiaowan. Yet, she still thought Xiao Wanqing was perfect, simply because she liked her—making even her flaws seem perfect.
She wrapped her arms around Xiao Wanqing, resting her cheek against her heart, and whispered, “Xiao Wanqing, whatever you are like, that’s just the way I like you. So, can you let me know all of you, please?”
Xiao Wanqing felt like she was melting into Lin Xian’s embrace.
By the time they returned to Anjiang City, it was nearly dinner time.
Without Lin Xian around, Xiao Wanqing’s fridge was always embarrassingly empty. Lin Xian checked the fridge, feeling a mix of annoyance and concern. She had told Zhou Qin she would return home tomorrow morning, but feared tomorrow would be too late. So, without a second thought despite the journey, she deftly started to cook some light porridge, urged Xiao Wanqing to tidy up and take a bath to rest, and took the keys to head to the supermarket to restock Xiao Wanqing’s food supplies.
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Xiao Wanqing simply couldn’t bear to let Lin Xian go alone. Every second of their meetings during the summer holidays felt like stolen time. Even though Xiao Wanqing had never expressed this to Lin Xian—in fact, sometimes when Lin Xian snuck over, Xiao Wanqing, worried about her returning too late and the lack of safety on the streets, would urge her to leave early.
But truth be told, she treasured every moment deep down.
Bested by Xiao Wanqing’s insistence, Lin Xian reluctantly agreed to go together on the condition that she would drive the car and Xiao Wanqing could relax as the proverbial ‘hands-off manager.’
Hand in hand as usual, they entered the supermarket, chatting and laughing all the way.
It was all playful and affectionate until Lin Xian, cuddling Xiao Wanqing in jest, caught sight out of the corner of her eye—the elegant lady who they had met once before, leading a little girl by the hand, staring intensely with a complex expression at Xiao Wanqing’s back.
In that moment, Lin Xian’s smile froze on her face.
LP: Yan Jia is hunting this chapter too much (ง ◉ _ ◉)ง