That “Bad” Woman Next Door – Chapter 14

We’ll sleep together.

“Yuan Yue, be my girlfriend, okay?” As their four lips parted, Yu Xi dropped a soft whisper by her crimson ear.

Yuan Yue was dizzy from the kiss, her brain’s ability to think had not yet returned. She stared at her in a daze, “What did you say?”

Yu Xi’s scorching hand gently kneaded her scorching ear, a faint smile held on her sexy lips. She patiently repeated what she had just said, “I want you to be my girlfriend.”

Something in her head exploded with a boom. Yuan Yue gazed into Yu Xi’s eyes, which were filled to the brim with affection and sincerity. It took her a long time to digest the meaning of her words. A trace of secret joy flashed through the bottom of her heart, but it only lasted for a few short seconds. Yuan Yue grabbed the lapels of her shirt and asked, “Why?”

Yu Xi furrowed her brows, seemingly perplexed by her question. “You’re not willing?”

Yuan Yue nodded, then quickly shook her head. Deep in thought and bewildered, she asked her in a different way, “Do you like me?”

Yu Xi laughed, laughing at her foolishness. “If I didn’t like you, why would I ask you to be my girlfriend?”

Fireworks exploded in Yuan Yue’s head as if celebrating the New Year with crackles and pops¹. This should have been an answer to make one ecstatic with joy, but she wasn’t as happy as she had imagined. She just stared blankly at Yu Xi and asked again, “Then what do you like about me?”

Yu Xi leaned back slightly, creating some distance. Her appreciative gaze swept over her from head to toe. She hooked her lips into a slight smile and said, “I like your passion, I like that you’re frank and not pretentious. When I’m with you, I feel very comfortable.”

“That’s it?”

“That’s all I can think of for now.”

“…”

Yuan Yue knew the questions she was asking were foolish, but she had to ask. Liking someone might not require so many reasons, but she suddenly had some doubts about Yu Xi’s affection, because Yu Xi’s liking came too lightly.

It was just like every time Yu Xi flirted with her, intentionally or not, it was always so light, so casual, making her heart a restless ape and her mind a galloping horse², while at the same time leaving her anxious and uneasy.

To be frank, from the first moment she saw Yu Xi, Yuan Yue had a good impression of her. She liked Yu Xi too, but she also understood clearly that this kind of liking of hers was stuck on the surface, it was shallow. She wasn’t even sure how long this good impression she had of Yu Xi would last.

They didn’t understand each other. What Yu Xi had just said were all her good points. Could Yu Xi accept her flaws?

There were too many uncertainties.

So when Yu Xi confessed to her and asked if she wanted to be her girlfriend, aside from a little bit of happiness, Yuan Yue’s heart was filled more with doubt and worry. She was worried that Yu Xi was just like her, that this kind of liking was just a passing whim.

She even wondered, if not for the absurd events of that one night, would Yu Xi still have confessed to her?

Her worries piled up more and more. Before answering her question, Yuan Yue needed to seek further confirmation. “How long are you planning to stay in China?”

If Yu Xi was returning to Germany soon, even if she agreed to be her girlfriend, what meaning would a relationship like that have?

Regarding her career plans, Yu Xi had given it proper thought. She sat up a little straighter and answered very seriously, “For the next three to five years, I won’t be leaving for the time being.”

Three to five years wasn’t too short.

But this wasn’t the answer Yuan Yue wanted.

Yuan Yue was perhaps thinking further ahead. She gave a bitter smile and said, “So you’re saying, after three to five years, there’s still a chance you’ll leave?”

Yu Xi fell silent.

Three to five years was just Yu Xi’s mental expectation. As for the future, other changes might occur, things that couldn’t be predicted; she didn’t dare to speak too fully³. In her view, liking someone was a very simple matter. She hadn’t thought too far ahead, and she didn’t know what Yuan Yue was worried about.

Was I too hasty? Yu Xi placed both hands on Yuan Yue’s tense shoulders, lowering her gaze to look into her eyes. “Is it not okay? Yuan Yue, I can feel it, you like me too, right?”

Yuan Yue didn’t deny that she liked Yu Xi, but she was just worried. “We’ve only known each other for a short time. We still know so little about each other.”

A trace of loneliness flashed across Yu Xi’s face. She thought for a moment, then said, “Since that’s what you’re worried about, then let’s just keep spending time together for a while and see. You can get to know me slowly in the future, until you’re willing to accept.”

Yuan Yue didn’t know whether to say yes or no.

Yu Xi gave a light laugh, patting her shoulder to get her to relax. “I’m so sorry, I must have scared you, huh? If… you find this hard to accept, just pretend I never said anything. Don’t have any psychological burden, and we can just go on as we were before, okay?”

This was the gentlest tone Yu Xi had used since they’d met, as if she were truly afraid her bold confession had scared her away. Her voice was very, very soft.

Yuan Yue looked into her captivating eyes and nodded in a trance.

A flicker of disappointment passed through Yu Xi’s eyes, concealed by her long lashes. She didn’t want to put any pressure on Yuan Yue. She lifted Yuan Yue off her lap, placed her gently on the sofa, stood up, and tugged at her wrinkled clothes. In a lighthearted tone, she said, “Alright, we’ve eaten the watermelon. I’ll be heading back now.”

“Wait.” Yuan Yue subconsciously grabbed her hand.

Yu Xi cast a questioning glance at her.

Their gazes met, and Yuan Yue’s brain short-circuited again. She was completely unable to look directly into Yu Xi’s eyes and had no idea what she actually wanted to do. She slowly let go of Yu Xi’s hand, bit her lip, and said in a low voice, “In the future, if you want to eat fruit, you have to remember to come find me.”

Thinking she was about to say something serious, but not expecting it to be just this, Yu Xi let out a helpless laugh. She patted her head and said warmly, “I definitely will.”

Yu Xi left.

Yuan Yue stared blankly at the closed door, only coming back to her senses a long time later. She collapsed onto the sofa and started freaking out.

Am I crazy? I actually rejected Yu Xi!

Although she felt some regret in her heart, if the scene from just now were to happen again, she thought she would still do the same thing.

In the six years after breaking up with Sun Wenya, Yuan Yue had once longed for love with all her heart. She knew that some feelings, once lost, could never be recovered. She had never thought of turning back, which was why she was so cold when Sun Wenya came looking for her again.

If her rejection of Sun Wenya was due to reason, then her rejection of Yu Xi stemmed from an unease deep within her heart.

She had been lonely for too long. Yu Xi’s appearance was like a timely rain⁴, nourishing her, making her happy, and bringing her some unprecedented experiences. She was intoxicated by it, often losing herself. She wasn’t sure if she truly liked Yu Xi as a person, or if she just liked the novelty and excitement Yu Xi brought her.

Yuan Yue covered her face with a throw pillow and pressed her head against the back of the sofa, letting out a muffled wail, as if this could vent the anguish in her heart.

As night fell, she lay in bed twisting and turning like a snake, utterly unable to fall asleep. Her mind was completely filled with thoughts of Yu Xi, thinking about the words Yu Xi had said during her confession.

As she was thinking, a sudden cramping pain seized her stomach. Something flowed out with a whoosh. She froze, turned on the light to look, and saw that her Auntie had come⁵…

Yuan Yue slid out of bed and carefully shuffled into the bathroom.

The Great Auntie⁶ she had been hoping for for so long had finally arrived. Yuan Yue sat on the toilet, her abdomen cramping, with a premonition that she wouldn’t be getting a good night’s sleep tonight.

She had eaten so much watermelon during the day and quite a few cold things at night; the feeling was very unpleasant. Could this be retribution?

For punishing her for rejecting Yu Xi?

The abdominal pain was unbearable. Yuan Yue suddenly tossed over. In a daze, she heard a ringing sound. Enduring the pain, she reached out for the phone on her nightstand. Without even getting a clear look at the caller ID, she swiped to answer.

“Are you asleep?”

The familiar voice in her ear, its coldness filtered out by the night, sounded unexpectedly gentle and pleasant.

Yuan Yue froze for a moment, then quickly looked at her phone screen. Confirming it was undoubtedly Yu Xi, she hurriedly put the phone back to her ear. “Not asleep. It’s so late, why are you still calling me?”

“I can’t sleep.” Yu Xi paused, then said, “I wanted to confirm if you, like me, also can’t sleep.”

Yuan Yue pressed a hand to her lower abdomen, whimpering, “How could I possibly sleep? I’m about to die. Yu Xi, save me…”

“Knock knock knock——”

The sound of banging on the door was abrupt in the silent night. The rapid succession of knocks showed that the person outside was very anxious.

Yuan Yue mustered her old life’s strength⁷ to crawl out of the bedroom and open the door for Yu Xi. The moment the door opened, she could no longer support herself. Her body pitched forward and was caught by Yu Xi.

Yu Xi saw that her face was frighteningly pale and her breath was like a gossamer thread⁸. She was extremely worried. “Are you okay?”

Yuan Yue said weakly, “Not okay at all. I feel so awful, Yu Xi. I’m going to die.”

Yu Xi’s brows knitted tightly. She carefully helped her into the house and had her lie down on the sofa. As she was about to stand up, Yuan Yue grabbed her hand.

“Where are you going?”

Yu Xi held up her hand to show her what she had brought from home, comforting her in a soft voice, “I’m not leaving. I’m going to make you some brown sugar ginger water⁹. You just lie here properly, don’t move around.”

“Oh.” Yuan Yue let her go.

Yu Xi finished preparing the hongtang shui, brought it over to her, used a pillow to prop her head up a little higher, and held the cup to her lips. “Here, drink a little.”

Yuan Yue wasn’t used to the smell, but she couldn’t bear to betray Yu Xi’s kind intentions, so in the end, she reluctantly drank it all.

Yu Xi helped her to the bedroom. Yuan Yue lay on her side on the soft bed. The pain didn’t ease that quickly. She looked at Yu Xi with hazy eyes. “It’s all thanks to you. Otherwise, I would have died in bed tonight.”

Yu Xi quickly covered her mouth and shot her a glare, chiding her in a stern tone for the first time, “Don’t talk nonsense.”

Her lips inevitably touched Yu Xi’s warm palm. Yuan Yue’s face grew slightly hot. She pulled her hand away and said, “Yu Xi, thank you.”

“No need to be so polite with me.” Yu Xi brushed away the stray hairs covering her face and moved closer to look at her complexion. It was still very pale. She couldn’t help but worry. “Feeling any better?”

Yuan Yue honestly shook her head.

The hongtang shui had just been drunk, its effects weren’t immediate. Seeing her in so much pain, Yu Xi thought for a moment and said, “Do you want me to rub it for you?”

Yuan Yue froze.

After saying it, Yu Xi felt the suggestion was too forward. She was about to say “sorry,” but her wrist was grabbed.

Yuan Yue took her hand and placed it on her own lower abdomen, looking at her pitifully.

Yu Xi looked at her quietly for a few seconds, then began to gently rub for her.

The pressure was very comfortable. Yuan Yue felt that under her rubbing, the pain in her stomach seemed to have lessened a bit. Her constantly furrowed brows slowly relaxed.

Yu Xi observed her reaction while adjusting the pressure, sometimes increasing it, sometimes lightening it, rubbing here for a bit, then rubbing there. Throughout the entire process, neither of them spoke.

Separated only by a thin layer of fabric, the heat of her palm and her belly were equally scorching, yet neither of them had the slightest trace of a romantic thought. One’s heart ached with pity, the other was in too much pain for a clear heart and few desires¹⁰.

A fragmented light shimmered in the depths of Yuan Yue’s eyes, a kind of ineffably fragile beauty. When she said, “Okay, you don’t have to press anymore,” Yu Xi was lost in a daze for a moment. She leaned down and placed a light kiss on her forehead.

“Goodnight.”

Just as she was about to pull away, Yuan Yue gripped her hand tightly. Her eyes, wet with physiological tears¹¹ from the pain, gazed at her. Her voice was faint as she said, “Can you stay tonight?”

Yu Xi’s eyes shifted slightly. Her voice was very soft. “What are you planning to do?”

Yuan Yue pressed her lips together. Under the cover of the dim yellow light, she blushed and made a bold request, “I want you to stay with me.”

Bold indeed. Yu Xi raised an eyebrow, teasing her impassively, “Stay here and keep you company? Then I don’t get to sleep?”

Yuan Yue lowered her head, pretending to look at the lines on her palm. Her voice was nearly inaudible. “You can sleep here with me.”

“What did you say?” Yu Xi pretended not to hear clearly, leaning her ear closer.

Yuan Yue lifted her head, the two patches of blush that had appeared on her face now almost impossible to hide. She looked at Yu Xi, silent and stubborn.

If not for her physical condition, Yu Xi really wanted to kiss her fiercely.

The little pitiful thing was wordlessly acting spoiled¹² toward her with expectant eyes. Yu Xi quickly found herself unable to resist.

Unable to bear teasing her any longer, Yu Xi touched her fingers and asked in a deadpan voice, “Staying is fine, but how am I supposed to sleep?”

Yuan Yue saw she was still in her pajamas; she must have run over the moment she heard her cry for help. The pajamas had a V-neck, and the collar revealed her beautiful collarbones as she leaned over, gleaming charmingly under the light. Yuan Yue stared at that spot and heard herself shamelessly¹³ say, “Come up here. We’ll sleep together.”

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