Untitled
In the room of the Shi Jinglan’s apartment, there was only a small bedside lamp illuminating the space. Wen Tong gently ran her fingers through her freshly dried hair, half-leaning on the bed, letting out a sigh of frustration.
Shi Jinglan was simply a workaholic; who would come back home in the wee hours of New Year’s Eve after watching a concert and immediately head to the study to work?
Having just finished showering and drying her hair in the room, Wen Tong waited for Shi Jinglan’s presence, but seeing no sign of her, she couldn’t help but walk towards the study where the light was still on, with a hint of anticipation and suggestion, asking her, “Aren’t you going to bed yet?”
Shi Jinglan was briefly distracted from her work, lifting her gaze to glance at the stunning Wen Tong, fresh from the bath, looking absolutely irresistible. Unmoved, she replied, “You go ahead and sleep, everything you need is in the guest room. I have some urgent work to attend to.”
Not knowing if her surprise and disappointment were too evident, Wen Tong could clearly see a playful glint in Shi Jinglan’s amber eyes the next moment. In an instant, she calmed down, reining in all emotions on display, putting on a casual and unaffected expression. Without missing a beat, she responded, “Okay then, I’ll go to bed. Goodnight.” With that, she turned on her heel and hastily made her way out of the study.
Wen Tong tugged at the blanket, rubbing her forehead in regret: why did she follow Shi Jinglan upstairs again?! And why did she entertain indecent thoughts of something happening?! She had been a vegetarian before, so why couldn’t she control herself after indulging in meat with Shi Jinglan twice?!
With a frustrated sigh, Wen Tong fell back onto the bed, ready to sleep peacefully. Deep down, she admonished herself: for someone like Shi Jinglan, rumored to have countless bed companions, her inability to distinguish between acceptance and rejection was probably laughable.
It was ridiculous that after so many years in the workforce, she still had moments of misjudgment. Tomorrow, she would wake up early, leave early, and make sure to be more tactful and not return.
However, just as she had laid down for barely two seconds, a gentle and rhythmic knocking sounded at the door. Followed by Shi Jinglan’s low, magnetic voice, “Are you asleep?”
Wen Tong furrowed her brow, staring at the door, clutching the blanket on her body. Just hearing his voice made her involuntarily swallow. She had to admit, Shi Jinglan’s voice was very much to her liking. Especially when… in moments of passion…
No, Shi Jinglan’s intentions were unknown. Wen Tong had already made up her mind; perhaps it would be best to pretend she hadn’t heard anything, Wen Tong thought, trying to be rational.
After waiting for her response for a long time, the silence outside the door prevailed. Wen Tong inexplicably felt a tinge of disappointment, thinking that Shi Jinglan had left.
However, the next moment, the door was pushed open directly.
In the dim light, Wen Tong could see the woman letting down her previously coiled hair, the long locks cascading beautifully over her shoulders. Dressed in a thin nightgown, she outlined a lovely silhouette against the night sky. She stood quietly at the doorway, capturing her gaze accurately in the dimness, locking eyes with her.
“You’re not asleep.” It was a statement of certainty.
Wen Tong, feeling helpless, sat up slightly and responded to her coldly, “I was just about to go to sleep. What’s the matter?”
Shi Jinglan let out a faint, low chuckle and pushed open the door, walking straight in. Sitting on the edge of the bed, she lifted a corner of Wen Tong’s blanket, and calmly asked her, “My blanket feels a bit cold. Is yours warm enough?”
The thin nightgown outlined Shi Jinglan’s graceful figure suggestively, almost revealingly. Wen Tong could even discern a provocative emptiness within Shi Jinglan’s nightwear.
Her throat moved slightly, her hands hidden under the covers subtly clenched, and as she closed her eyes in resignation, she compromised, “Come in.” Come into the covers.
Shi Jinglan, however, displayed a hint of a smile on her lips, as if hearing something incredulous. She gazed at Wen Tong ambiguously and repeated, “Come in?” She gracefully got into bed, her bare thighs extending straight into the covers, her icy feet gently brushing against Wen Tong’s warm legs. Leaning close to Wen Tong’s ear, she softly inquired, “Hmm? Where does Manager Wen want me to come in?” Her tone light and seductive.
Wen Tong glanced incredulously at Shi Jinglan, who was asking such provocative questions with a serious expression, and her whole body’s blood instantly boiled. This pervert! With a sudden movement, Wen Tong sat up completely, turned around, and sat on Shi Jinglan’s thighs, pressing her against the headboard of the bed.
“What do you want to do?” Shi Jinglan asked knowingly, staring at Wen Tong who was now so close, her eyes sparkling with a fine, teasing smile.
“Do something to warm you up,” Wen Tong lowered her head, answering softly as she kissed the corner of her lips. Her hands slowly slid under Shi Jinglan’s skirt, sensually teasing her slender waist.
As things were heating up, Shi Jinglan’s phone placed on the bedside suddenly started vibrating frantically. Shi Jinglan subconsciously turned to look, but Wen Tong lightly bit the distracted Shi Jinglan and domineeringly demanded, “Don’t bother.” At this moment, it was likely just a spam call.
However, workaholic Shi Jinglan’s thoughts were completely different from hers. The more unusual the timing of the call, the more likely it was to be an urgent call. Avoiding Wen Tong’s lips, she reached for the phone.
The caller ID on the screen made her heart skip a beat.
Wen Tong, feeling dissatisfied, mischievously retaliated by lightly biting Shi Jinglan’s adorable little ear, then gently licking it. Caught off guard, Shi Jinglan instinctively let out a soft, delicate hum, but the next moment, she bit her lip to stifle the sound and gently pushed Wen Tong’s head away with a hint of tender helplessness.
Worried that Wen Tong would cause a disturbance and disregarding the cold, she got out of bed naked and took a few steps, stopping in a place where Wen Tong couldn’t reach before answering the phone.
“It’s me, Aunt Shi.” A familiar female voice rang out from the phone, her usually clear voice now husky and tired.
Shi Jinglan unconsciously tensed and asked her, “I know, what’s the matter?” Ever since Xia Zhijin and Shi Man had been together, she hadn’t received a call intentionally from Xia Zhijin in a long time.
The girl remained silent on the other end of the phone for a moment before taking a deep breath and explaining laboriously in a hoarse voice. Shi Jinglan listened attentively, her red lips gradually pressed into a straight line.
Seeing that it was indeed an urgent call, Wen Tong was afraid Shi Jinglan would catch a cold while being naked, so she fetched her own coat from the bedside and draped it over her.
Shortly after, Shi Jinglan hung up the phone. She adjusted the coat on her body and turned back to Wen Tong, her eyes heavy as she explained, “I have something to attend to now, you can go to sleep.”
“Now?” Wen Tong was surprised, considering the late hour. She reached for her clothes, subconsciously showing rare consideration, “Where are you going? Let me accompany you.”
“No need,” Shi Jinglan refused. Xia Zhijin probably wouldn’t want an unfamiliar person witnessing her vulnerability in such embarrassing moments. But leaving Wen Tong waiting outside in the middle of the night made her feel a bit guilty. “You go to sleep, I’ll drive over myself.” With that, she decisively strode out of the room.
It was really cruel. Wen Tong licked her lips and watched Shi Jinglan walk away, unable to help but let out a despondent bitter smile.
In the dead of night, Zhou Qin kept thinking back to the various details of Xiao Wanqing’s interactions with Lin Xian. It felt like there were two little people in her heart madly fighting each other—one telling her to believe the truth, the other telling her it couldn’t be possible. Despite everything indicating that the truth was indeed true, she couldn’t help but deceive herself: it couldn’t be true. They had known each other for so many years, Xiao Wanqing wasn’t that kind of person. There must be some misunderstanding in between.
She couldn’t wait for even a moment longer, and she stormed off to Xiao Wanqing’s door with determination. However, just as she was about to insert the key into the lock, she stopped.
What was the point of silently entering in the dead of night like this? They should all be asleep by now, and what could she possibly ask? Or did she have to sneakily open their door? Zhou Qin’s upbringing and rationality prevented her from doing such a thing.
She withdrew the key, tightly gripping it in her palm. Overexerting herself, the key pierced into her palm, leaving a deep imprint, but she was oblivious to the pain. She took a deep breath, leaned against the security door, tiredly crouched down, and with eyes open, silently waited at the door.
Lin Zhan called her twice, but she didn’t pick up. She only replied to him with a text message: “Wait for me to come back before talking to you.”
Every minute and every second felt like they were infinitely stretched. Zhou Qin prayed countless times in her heart, wishing for the day to break quickly, or for the nightmare to end. She didn’t dare to think deeply about what would happen if everything turned out to be true, how could she bear it.
She had misunderstood Lin Xian, misplaced her trust. She was the one who had handed Lin Xian over to Xiao Wanqing.
As the sky gradually lit up, at half-past seven, Zhou Qin finally nervously opened the door with the key and entered Xiao Wanqing’s home.
The house was quiet, with the people inside and the city itself still deep in slumber. Zhou Qin placed the gift in the living room and then tiptoed towards Lin Xian’s bedroom.
Walking into the hallway, with just one glance, she saw that Lin Xian’s door was open… Zhou Qin’s heart skipped a beat instantly. As she had expected, Lin Xian’s bed was empty… Zhou Qin’s heart sank halfway.
Evidently, Lin Xian and Xiao Wanqing were sleeping together.
It wasn’t strange for people of the same sex to sleep together, but Lin Xian had always been a rather independent child, so the idea of being clingy to an elder for sleep seemed a bit odd. Zhou Qin tried to steady her mind, desperately comforting herself not to overthink it.
However, this time, as she looked at the furnishings in Xiao Wanqing’s house with a different perspective, she noticed that there were too many items for couples, big and small, paired together.
Zhou Qin sat heavily on the sofa, her thoughts weighed down, her eyes drooping slightly absentmindedly. Inadvertently, her peripheral vision seemed to catch something, and she suddenly widened her eyes in disbelief.
Under the coffee table, two pieces of underwear were scattered— one black lace, a bit more mature, and one white— the one she accompanied Lin Xian to buy. Xiao Wanqing, a person who loved cleanliness and orderliness, under what circumstances, could underwear be left scattered here without being put away? And even more so, what kind of situation could lead to both of their underwear being left here together.
Zhou Qin dared not think.
She turned her head and saw a few small rectangular pink packaging pieces thrown in the trash can, causing her to freeze for a moment. She crouched down, hands trembling, picked up a packaging for finger cots from the trash can, seeing the word “les” glaringly written on it. Zhou Qin’s whole body went weak, her mind feeling like it had exploded completely.
She could no longer care about manners and politeness, her face turning pale, lips trembling. She turned around and briskly rushed towards Xiao Wanqing’s bedroom, forcefully twisting the doorknob, vigorously pushing open the door.
Due to the door’s wide swing, it directly hit the wall, making a loud bang.
Last night, Lin Xian, satisfied with her mischief, didn’t let up on Xiao Wanqing until midnight. At this moment, both of them were still sleeping soundly. Suddenly hearing a loud noise, they were both startled and reflexively trembled, instantly waking up.
“What’s wrong?” Lin Xian asked in a confused and puzzled manner. Was she dreaming?
Xiao Wanqing, held in Lin Xian’s arms, just woke up as well, feeling groggy. She shook her head and subconsciously struggled out of Lin Xian’s embrace, sitting up to see what was happening.
Her nightdress was a suspender style, with her shoulders and a large part of her skin exposed to the air as she sat up, revealing ambiguous traces scattered across her body, shocking to the eye.
There was no more room for self-deception. Zhou Qin stood by the door, and as she observed their ambiguous sleeping posture and the marks of kisses on Xiao Wanqing’s body, a rush of blood surged to her head. Her head buzzed, and her eyes were about to pop out of their sockets. (LP: Oh sh*t!)
Xiao Wanqing touched her forehead, and as she sat up abruptly, she caught sight of Zhou Qin standing diagonally across the room, staring at them in disbelief. In an instant, she paled, her face as white as paper in alarm.
Zhou Qin staggered, seething with anger, glared at Xiao Wanqing and slowly approached them, trembling, gritting her teeth, “You’re doing great… just great. Xiao Wanqing, is this how you take care of my daughter?!”
Lin Xian, who had been playfully hugging Xiao Wanqing’s waist, froze at the sound of the voice, then belatedly sprang up from the bed. Recognizing the intruder, she exclaimed in panic, “Mom?! What are you doing here?!”
Reactively, Xiao Wanqing pulled up the blanket, embarrassingly shielding herself in front of Zhou Qin. She opened her mouth to say something to Zhou Qin, but upon seeing Zhou Qin’s grim expression, her throat seemed to close up, rendering her speechless.
The red marks covering Xiao Wanqing and Lin Xian prompted Zhou Qin’s already fragile nerves, agonizingly tested throughout the night, to reach their breaking point. Her temples throbbed rapidly, and she felt like she couldn’t breathe.
How could Xiao Wanqing, whom she trusted so much and entrusted her daughter to, do this?! How could she betray her like this? Xianxian was so young. Clenching her fists tightly, she suddenly raised her hand high and, with all her might, slapped Xiao Wanqing’s delicate face, shouting bitterly, “Xiao Wanqing, you have no shame!”
LP: Author really bringing the drama to the max!