That “Bad” Woman Next Door – Chapter 21

I am her girlfriend.

On the last day of the holiday, in the afternoon, Yuan Yue and her group said goodbye to their parents and prepared to return to A City.

Yuan Yue’s great aunt¹ had finally left. Yu Xi had driven on the way there, so it was naturally Yuan Yue’s turn to drive this time.

Just as she was about to get in the car, Jiang Yan suddenly ran over and grabbed Yuan Yue, lecturing her insistently, “You need to take what I told you the night before last to heart. Don’t let me down again the next time you come back.”

Yuan Yue hadn’t expected Jiang Yan to nag her about these things in front of an outsider and glanced guiltily at Yu Xi. Yu Xi wasn’t looking at them, so it was unclear if she was listening to their conversation. She lowered her voice, “Mom, didn’t you promise not to pressure me?”

Jiang Yan: “When did I ever promise you that?”

Yuan Yue thought about it carefully. It seemed Jiang Yan really hadn’t said she wouldn’t pressure her. Seeing that she couldn’t bluff her way through, she had no choice but to feign impatience and say, “Aiya, I know, I know. I’ll do my best.”

Having received this assurance, Jiang Yan finally relaxed a little, nagging again, “I’m not usually by your side, so you have to listen to your gege², you know?”

Whatever she said, went. Yuan Yue nodded obediently, “Mom, don’t see us off anymore. We’re about to leave. You and Dad need to take care of your health.”

Jiang Yan was still reluctant to see them go. When she looked at Yu Xi, her expression immediately switched to a kindly one. “Yu Xi-ah, you must come visit often in the future!”

Yu Xi, who had been pretending to look elsewhere, was suddenly called out. She froze for a moment, then came back to her senses and said with a smile, “Okay, Auntie. If I have time, I’ll come back with Yuan Yue to see you and Uncle often.”

Jiang Yan was very happy to hear this. She took Yu Xi’s hand and said, “Yu Xi-ah, none of your family is in the country. If you don’t mind, you can treat this place as your home. Our whole family will welcome you at any time.”

It sounded like polite talk, but Jiang Yan said it with such sincerity that Yu Xi was very moved. She couldn’t help but squeeze Jiang Yan’s hand and say, “Thank you, Auntie.”

Yuan Yue was just left standing to the side. Afraid her mom would nag endlessly, she interrupted the sentimental scene at a very inopportune moment, “Mom, the sun is strong outside. You should hurry back home.”

Only then did Jiang Yan let go of Yu Xi’s hand and walk under the shade of a tree to watch their car drive away.

The roads weren’t as congested on the way back. Yuan Xi’s car was in front, and Yuan Yue deliberately slowed down behind him. While driving, she didn’t forget to chat with Yu Xi, “From the looks of it, my mom seems to like you a lot.”

Yu Xi lowered her head and smiled slightly. “That’s a good thing.”

Yuan Yue remembered what Yu Xi had said last night about wanting to be with her. Her mood was a bit complicated, and she said with some worry, “My parents are very conservative. If they were to find out about you and me…”

She stopped halfway. Yu Xi turned her head to look at her, the corners of her lips twitching slightly into a half-smile. “You and me, what about us?”

Isn’t she asking despite knowing the answer? Yuan Yue’s eyes flickered. She decided to play dumb just like her, stammering past the question and finishing what she hadn’t said before: “If they found out, they would definitely strangle me to death.”

Yu Xi’s face turned serious in a second. “Is it that severe?”

“I’m not exaggerating.” Yuan Yue sighed faintly. “Don’t be fooled by how nice and smiley my mom is when she talks to you. Once she flies into a rage, even my dad is afraid of her.”

After only a few days together, Yu Xi couldn’t truly understand a person. She hadn’t expected it to be like this. She fell silent for a moment, staring at Yuan Yue’s worry-filled side profile for a long time before finally smiling and saying in a deliberately relaxed tone, “Then let’s just not let her know for the time being.”

Yuan Yue sighed again. Other than that, it seemed there was no better way.

The topic had suddenly become a bit heavy, and for a while, neither of them spoke.

The car moved forward slowly, the scenery by the roadside continuously receding.

After another moment of silence, Yu Xi started a new topic to ease the atmosphere, asking her, “Why don’t your parents live with you two?”

Yuan Yue watched the traffic ahead, answering nonchalantly, “My parents have their own jobs here. They’re both old employees of a state-owned enterprise and aren’t willing to leave the county town.”

Yu Xi: “So that’s how it is.”

It was rare for Yu Xi to ask about her family, so Yuan Yue thought for a moment and added, “My gege and I also left them for work reasons. As soon as my gege graduated from university, he came home and opened his first hot pot restaurant. Business was very average back then, and I couldn’t help him much. Two years later, a sum of money appeared out of thin air for me³. I didn’t know what to do with it, so I decided to work hard with him. Later, business gradually improved, and my gege’s ambitions grew bigger, so we sold the shop in the county town and moved to A City to develop. We never expected everything to go so smoothly after arriving in A City. I guess you could say we were lucky.”

Having to divide her attention while driving, Yuan Yue spoke very slowly, and Yu Xi listened very attentively. This should have been an inspiring story, but Yu Xi suddenly seized on a subtle detail in the middle and asked, “What do you mean, ‘a sum of money appeared out of thin air for me’?”

Yuan Yue: “…”

“Hm?” The question was thrown out, but the other party didn’t answer. Yu Xi looked at her, puzzled.

There was a red light ahead. The car stopped abruptly. Yuan Yue lowered her eyes slightly, looking at a certain spot on her left thigh covered by her pants, her voice dropping. “Six years ago, I was in a car accident. I got about one hundred and fifty thousand in compensation. It took a full year of recovery for this leg to heal completely. I was completely disheartened back then, feeling like my future was bleak. If my gege hadn’t kept encouraging me, I probably wouldn’t have known what to do.”

A car accident…

Hearing this word, Yu Xi’s heart jolted.

She suddenly remembered that night when Yuan Yue was drunk. She had taken off Yuan Yue’s pants and seen the distinct scar on her leg.

Yu Xi had asked her about it then, but Yuan Yue had been drunk and spoke incoherently, her words all jumbled.

The night before last, Yu Xi had seen that scar again, but it was because she had lost control, overcome with emotion. They were both so engrossed that there was no opportunity to learn about it in detail.

At this moment, hearing Yuan Yue speak of her past tragic experience in such a calm tone, Yu Xi couldn’t help but knit her brows, feeling an inexplicable ache in her heart.

Yu Xi didn’t consider herself someone who was good at comforting people. Acting on instinct, she gently placed a hand on Yuan Yue’s left leg, her fingers tracing the texture of the shorts, as if she could feel that scar.

Yuan Yue was startled by this sudden action. “What are you doing?”

Yu Xi’s brows were furrowed. She just stared at the base of her thigh and said softly, “I just want to touch it.”

Yuan Yue’s heart skipped a beat. She had never seen Yu Xi with such an expression, as if she were the one who had suffered. The affection revealed in those bewitching, captivating eyes—was it heartache?

Yu Xi felt heartache for her?

A hard-to-describe feeling suddenly rose in Yuan Yue’s heart. She pursed her lips and said nothing, nor did she stop her.

Yu Xi’s touch wasn’t lewd at all, just a little ticklish. When the red light turned green, Yu Xi showed no intention of pulling her hand back, and Yuan Yue didn’t tell her to stop either. She silently started the car, quietly feeling Yu Xi’s careful touch.

When Yu Xi’s hand slipped under her shorts and caressed her scar, Yuan Yue’s body tensed up instantly.

The action was very suggestive, and she glanced down, only to find that Yu Xi was just stroking it gently and with extreme patience, as if silently comforting her.

The tingling sensation made one want to get goosebumps. Yuan Yue bit her lip, breaking the strange silence. “After my car accident, Sun Wenya came to see me. Maybe my appearance was too horrifying and scared her. She left in despair, and after that, she just disappeared. When I called her, she said she wanted to break up with me. She also said… it was because her family found out about us, so they forced her to leave me.”

Yu Xi’s stroking hand paused. She looked up, staring at her in disbelief. “So, she abandoned you when you were at your lowest?”

“It wasn’t really abandonment. After all, I wasn’t her responsibility. She had a strict upbringing since she was little, and she’s timid and afraid of trouble.” At this point, Yuan Yue gave a bitter smile, her eyes darkening. “I used to blame her and hate her, but I’ve gotten over it now. I’ve lived through all these years, good and bad, on my own. The wounds on my body and in my heart have long since healed. It doesn’t matter.”

Does it really not matter?

Watching the lonely smile that hadn’t yet faded from the corner of her mouth, Yu Xi suddenly called out her name solemnly, “Yuan Yue.”

“What?” Yuan Yue took a moment to glance to the side, and the sight made her freeze. Yu Xi’s expression was a little strange. To be safe, Yuan Yue pulled the car over to the side of the road. She turned to face Yu Xi. “What’s wrong?”

Yu Xi’s hand was still on her thigh, her gaze tinged with a deep pain. “If only I could have known you six years ago.”

Yuan Yue was speechless for a moment. She tugged at the corners of her lips and asked, “Why do you say that?”

“If I had known you sooner, I definitely would have snatched you away.” And not let anyone break your heart. Yu Xi didn’t say the last sentence out loud, but her eyes and her tone were brimming with thick affection.

Yuan Yue stared at her blankly, somewhat lost in a daze.

She had never heard such seemingly domineering, yet in reality, gentle and moving words of love.

In fact, over the past six years, it wasn’t that Yuan Yue hadn’t met girls who caught her eye. But every time, just thinking about the hurt Sun Wenya had caused her, she didn’t dare to trust others easily. No matter how strong the feeling, she would force herself to stay away, and so she had remained single until now. She was like a coward who was once bitten by a snake⁴. To protect herself, she could only seal herself up tightly, preferring emptiness and loneliness over daring to touch the line of love.

But in that instant, she felt as if the heavily shackled door in her heart had been quietly opened by Yu Xi.

A wave of heat surged in her eyes, turbulent and moist.

Afraid she would cry, Yuan Yue sniffled hard, forcing the heat back down. She shrugged and said in a joking tone, “If you had known me sooner, you definitely would have looked down on me. I was so scrawny back then, didn’t know how to dress up, and my clothes were really tacky. I was basically an ugly duckling.”

Yu Xi listened quietly to her self-deprecation without offering any opinion. She took her hand, looked into her glistening eyes, and asked, “It’s because you were so hurt by your ex that you wouldn’t agree when I confessed to you, right?”

Yuan Yue let out a distinctly nasal “en” and nodded.

So that’s why.

Yu Xi sighed helplessly, squeezed her palm, and said, “I understand. I don’t blame you.”

If it had been her, she would have had the same concerns. She finally understood why Yuan Yue, despite clearly liking her, had to be contrary and refuse to admit it.

Yu Xi smiled at her and was about to pull her hand back, but Yuan Yue grabbed it instead.

“?” Yu Xi cast a questioning gaze at her.

Yuan Yue bit her lip and said in a small voice, “Continue.”

Yu Xi didn’t understand at first. Seeing her face slowly turn red as she guided her hand to rub slowly against her leg, she quickly understood. She raised an eyebrow and asked, feigning ignorance, “Continue what?”

Yuan Yue’s face flushed. She held Yu Xi’s hand, sliding her long, slender fingers under her shorts to touch the scar. “The wound is a little itchy. Help me scratch it.”

How could a scar from years ago be itchy?

Yu Xi listened to her talking nonsense with a straight face and didn’t expose her. She said with a smile, “You’ll get distracted from driving like this.”

“I won’t,” Yuan Yue said decisively.

Yu Xi gave her a deep look, then had a realization. “Right, you’re frigid.”

“Cough—” Yuan Yue nearly choked on her own saliva. Her eyes flickered as she retorted without much confidence, “How am I frigid?”

Yu Xi’s expression was a bit playful. “Last night.”

Last night…

The moonlight was perfect then. They had cleaned up and were lying in bed watching a movie on an iPad when Yu Xi suddenly said she didn’t want to watch anymore and wanted to chat.

“How about… you help me take it off?”

Yuan Yue’s head had really been overheating. She knew it was a trap, but she was still bewitched by her and reached out…

In the end, Yuan Yue was left with only a pair of panties, with a sanitary pad underneath. The situation was difficult to control, and just as she was about to fall prey to Yu Xi’s hands, her period brought everything to a screeching halt.

For special reasons, she couldn’t do that, but she thought she couldn’t let Yu Xi suffer, right?

So, in a dazed state, she reluctantly helped Yu Xi.

She had no experience, so she did whatever Yu Xi told her to do.

Finally, Yu Xi pulled her up and kissed her fervently.

A slightly sweet and astringent taste on the tip of her tongue—that was the taste of Yu Xi she had just sampled…

Yuan Yue closed her eyes in a haze and responded to her passionately.

The next night, they went to bed early again. This time, they didn’t watch a movie, just chatted under the air-conditioned quilt.

She couldn’t remember who made the first move, but when she was finally pinned down by Yu Xi, Yuan Yue suddenly remembered her period hadn’t ended. Her whole body instantly stiffened. She pushed against Yu Xi with both hands and said with a cold, resolute face, “No.”

After she scrambled to her feet and got dressed, she looked back and saw Yu Xi still in the same position, watching her without moving. Yuan Yue’s heart skipped a beat. This woman is truly a siren, she thought, and said with an awkward laugh, “It’s really not convenient today…”

Of course, Yu Xi wouldn’t force her. She just said faintly, “Then let’s sleep.”

Yuan Yue obediently lay down.

They both lay on their sides, their backs to each other. They didn’t have to face the awkwardness, but they each had their own thoughts.

Yu Xi moved closer, wrapping one arm around to stroke her back, while her other hand moved down to rub her lower abdomen.

Yuan Yue thought she was about to do something and her eyes widened.

Yu Xi rubbed for a while. Seeing her lying there like a block of wood, she stopped all her movements, finally kissed her on the forehead, and said softly, “Sleep. Good night.”

…

Yuan Yue had thought she had made Yu Xi angry at the time, so she hadn’t dared to mention a word about what happened afterward. She never expected Yu Xi to bring it up now to tease her about being frigid…

Yuan Yue was quite slow on the uptake. She cleared her throat and defended herself, “You didn’t say it directly. How was I supposed to know you still wanted to…”

This time, Yu Xi couldn’t hold it in and burst out laughing with a “puchi.” She was just teasing her, but she didn’t expect her to take it so seriously.

It wasn’t appropriate to talk about such topics in broad daylight. If they continued, and she lost control, they couldn’t possibly do it in the car…

At this thought, a wave of heat washed over Yu Xi. She lowered her eyes and chuckled, “Let’s just drive. Your gege and the others are far ahead by now.”

On the road, Yuan Xi called. “Where are you guys?”

Yuan Yue was already a slow driver, and stopping midway had delayed them. Her phone was on speaker. Yu Xi helped hold it as she spoke into it, “We’re about to get off the expressway.”

Yuan Xi: “Alright, I’ll wait for you at the intersection ahead.”

Yuan Yue: “You’d better not wait. You guys go back first, it’s not on the way.”

Yuan Xi: “That works too. You two be careful. Call me when you get home.”

Yuan Yue: “Okay. Hanging up now.”

“Wait a second,” Yuan Xi called out to her. “I forgot to tell you something. That day, a high school classmate of mine came to our house as a guest. Do you remember him?”

“I remember. What’s up?” Yuan Yue didn’t think much of it.

Yuan Xi chuckled. “His name is Xu Ming. He doesn’t have a girlfriend yet. He’s a good person, and his family and job are both pretty good. Mom’s idea is to have you two meet and see if you’re compatible. What do you think?”

Yuan Yue hadn’t expected Yuan Xi to suddenly bring this up. The phone was on speaker, so Yu Xi heard everything. The two of them exchanged a look of tacit understanding. Yuan Yue lowered her eyes and said coolly to Yuan Xi on the other end, “What do I think? I don’t want a boyfriend right now.”

“You can save that for Mom,” Yuan Xi gave her no quarter. “When we were leaving, didn’t you promise Mom you’d listen to me from now on?”

That was true… Yuan Yue responded cautiously, “And?”

Yuan Xi: “I’m not forcing you, but let me tell you, Xu Ming is my high school classmate, a good brother from the same dorm. I think he’s a good match for you. Why don’t you try dating him?”

Can’t we talk about something else? Yuan Yue was getting impatient. “Date what? I’m still driving. I’m not talking to you anymore, bye!”

Yu Xi helped her hang up the call.

Yuan Yue glanced at Yu Xi and let out a huge sigh of relief.

Yu Xi put her phone away. Recalling her nervous appearance just now, she couldn’t help but say, “You’re always deliberately avoiding the problem. That’s not a good solution.”

Yuan Yue looked dejected. “What can I do if I don’t avoid it? Do you really want me to go date those men?”

Yu Xi looked at her in silence for a few seconds, then said, “Your family situation is indeed quite different from mine. I have two older brothers. My eldest brother is married, and my second brother is still single. I just haven’t found the right person, and my family never rushes us, let alone forces us.” She paused, her voice lowering. “Sorry, I can’t give you a foolproof solution for now.”

It wasn’t that there was no solution. The only solution was to come out.

Yu Xi didn’t believe Yuan Yue hadn’t thought of this. She was already twenty-eight this year. As an older “leftover woman,” it was inevitable that her family would constantly pressure her to get married. But Yuan Yue would rather be pressured and nagged by her family than tell them her sexual orientation. Was it that she didn’t want to, or was it because she hadn’t met the person who would make her risk it all?

Yu Xi had no way of knowing just how much Sun Wenya had hurt Yuan Yue. She didn’t even dare to guess her own place in Yuan Yue’s heart, so regarding Yuan Yue being pressured by her family to marry, she could only stand by and watch.

She chose to respect her. She could wait.

Yuan Yue didn’t know that a thousand waves were already crashing in Yu Xi’s heart. She wasn’t trying to make Yu Xi share these vexing matters. She smiled and said, “You don’t have to apologize to me. I’m fine. I’m used to it anyway.”

Seeing her smile of feigned strength, Yu Xi felt a little bitter.

Traffic started to get congested after they got off the expressway. Seeing that Yuan Yue had been driving for a long time, Yu Xi asked to switch places with her. Yuan Yue was indeed a bit tired; she hadn’t fully recovered from the drain of her period, so she didn’t argue.

The car came to a stop in the middle of the road, unable to move. Yuan Yue gently rested her head on Yu Xi’s shoulder and said with sudden emotion, “Yu Xi, why are you so good to me?”

Yu Xi rubbed her head and said with a laugh, “If I’m not good to you, who else would I be good to?”

Yuan Yue’s heart felt sweet, but also a little worried. She struggled between these two conflicting emotions and couldn’t resist probing, “Then will you always be good to me?”

The hand stroking her head paused.

In truth, Yu Xi knew what she was worried about. She leaned over, kissed her on the forehead, and said sincerely, “I will.”

Yuan Yue suddenly lifted her face to look at her, unable to hide her smile any longer. “Yu Xi, I like you so much.”

This belated confession came so suddenly that Yu Xi was stunned for a moment.

Yuan Yue took advantage of her daze, hooked an arm around her neck, and initiated a kiss.

As their four lips touched, Yuan Yue could feel Yu Xi’s lips trembling slightly. This was a rare experience.

As she tried to pry open Yu Xi’s teeth, Yu Xi finally came to her senses. She took her hands off the steering wheel, hugged her tightly, and took the lead, kissing her back and teasing the tip of her tongue.

“Mmm…” This kiss was more intense than any before. Yuan Yue was kissed until she was almost breathless, but she was reluctant to push away and responded clumsily.

Fortunately, Yu Xi still maintained a final shred of reason. After a long moment of tenderness, she had to let her go.

The two of them were eye to eye, nose to nose, their faces flushed with a captivating blush. A smile played on Yu Xi’s lips. She raised a hand to wipe away the smeared lipstick and saliva from the corner of Yuan Yue’s mouth and said in a hoarse voice, “Me too. I like you. I like you so, so much.”

Those eyes, as captivating as the sea, were so gentle they could drown a person. Yuan Yue shyly lowered her gaze and said, “That’s so cheesy.”

Yu Xi pinched her ear, which was red enough to bleed. “You don’t like it?”

Of course she liked it. Yuan Yue nodded shyly, her eyes darting around. Her voice was as small as if she were whining, “But we’re still in the car.”

Now she remembers they’re in the car? She was kissing so passionately just now, she wasn’t afraid of being seen. Yu Xi chuckled in amusement, gently bit her ear, and said ambiguously, “Then let’s go home and continue somewhere else.”

Yuan Yue’s little eyelashes fluttered. She was actually looking forward to it.

But the reality was, they were still stuck on the expressway, unable to move forward or backward.

Yuan Yue pulled away from Yu Xi’s embrace and turned to look around. To her right was a large pickup truck, its body blocking her view like a solid city wall. She then cast her gaze to the left and, without warning, saw a woman sitting in the car over there.

It wasn’t Sun Wenya, but a complete stranger.

Probably bored from the traffic jam, the woman was playing on her phone while her eyes seemed to be glancing over at them. When she realized her peeping had been discovered, the woman instead met Yuan Yue’s gaze openly.

The woman wore heavy makeup and flamboyant clothes. Her dark eyes swept over Yuan Yue’s face, intentionally or not, and her chin was slightly raised as she pretended to look at the traffic ahead.

Yuan Yue guessed this woman had probably witnessed the entire process of her and Yu Xi’s passionate kiss; otherwise, she wouldn’t have that kind of disdainful look in her eyes.

But Yuan Yue didn’t care.

The moment she confessed to Yu Xi just now, Yuan Yue had thrown caution to the wind. Moreover, this was an irrelevant woman. If she saw, she saw. It didn’t matter.

Right now, the only people she cared about, besides her family, seemed to be Yu Xi. Yuan Yue had never felt a moment like this, where just thinking about the person beside her brought an inexplicable sense of peace to her heart.

She retracted her gaze. Taking advantage of the fact that the car hadn’t started moving yet, Yuan Yue clingily leaned her body over again. She rested her head on Yu Xi’s shoulder, her fingers idly playing with Yu Xi’s hair. She brought a strand to her nose and sniffed it; it had a faint scent, almost none at all. She couldn’t help but be curious. Her head moved, and her nose started sniffing all over Yu Xi’s body.

Yu Xi was staring intently at the road ahead when she suddenly felt something strange. She lowered her head and saw the woman buried in her chest, sniffing around like a little puppy. Puzzled, she asked, “What are you doing?”

Yuan Yue was very persistent, sniffing as she searched for the scent that had captivated her from the very beginning. She didn’t answer, but asked instead, “What brand of perfume do you use?”

Yu Xi: “I don’t. I never use perfume.”

“You don’t?” Yuan Yue was surprised. She looked up at her. “But you always have this really nice smell on you.”

It was rare to see her investigate something so seriously. Yu Xi looked at her with a half-smile and said, “How nice is it?”

“It’s just… really nice.” Yuan Yue couldn’t describe it and was about to continue her exploration on her body.

But Yu Xi was starting to feel uncomfortable. She blocked her puppy nose and said in a low voice, “Stop fooling around. I’ll let you search properly tonight when we get back, okay?”

Tonight… Yuan Yue’s eyes lit up slightly.

It was already completely dark when they got home. Yuan Yue was like a boneless creature, leaning against Yu Xi and wailing, “I’m dead tired.”

Yu Xi dragged the suitcase with one hand and supported her out of the elevator with the other. She inadvertently saw the high heels on Yuan Yue’s feet and chided with a laugh, “You always wear such high heels. It’d be strange if you weren’t tired.”

Yuan Yue had changed into flats while driving and only switched back to high heels after getting out of the car. She rested on the shoulder of Yu Xi, who was a head taller than her, and complained with a pout, “I’m short to begin with. If I don’t wear them, I look even shorter standing next to you.”

Yu Xi hadn’t realized this was what she was concerned about. She smiled and patted her head, “It’s not like I mind.”

Yuan Yue was unconvinced. “It has nothing to do with you. It’s my own insecurity.”

This sounded strange. Yu Xi asked, “Insecure about what?”

Yuan Yue glanced at her and mumbled, “I’m not as tall as you, I don’t have as good a figure as you, I’m not as pretty as you, and I’m not as capable as you.”

“What nonsense are you talking about?” Yu Xi didn’t know whether to laugh or cry, and couldn’t resist pinching her recently fleshy cheeks.

Yuan Yue winced and continued talking about her insecurities. “It’s true. You’re so outstanding, I’m afraid I’m not good enough for you, afraid you’ll run… Ouch!” Yuan Yue violently slapped away Yu Xi’s mischievous hand and loudly protested, “You pinched me too hard!”

Yu Xi looked at the red mark on her face from the pinch and said without a trace of sympathy, “Who told you to talk nonsense?”

Yuan Yue didn’t know which of her words had offended her. Seeing Yu Xi suddenly turn serious, she didn’t dare ask more. She pouted, automatically moved away a little, and walked straight towards her own door, dragging her suitcase in her high heels.

Yu Xi followed closely behind her. Seeing her take out her key to open the door, she tugged on her clothes. “I’m sorry. Does it hurt a lot?”

Slap someone first and then offer them a sweet? Who would want that? The key wouldn’t go into the lock after several tries. Yuan Yue turned to face her and said irritably, “How about I pinch you and see?”

“Okay,” Yu Xi offered her face generously.

Looking at her smooth and delicate little face, like a peeled egg, Yuan Yue couldn’t bring herself to do it. She said awkwardly, “Forget it. I know you didn’t mean it.”

After saying that, she turned back to open the door with her key.

Yu Xi pressed her body close, hugging her from behind. “I did mean it.”

Click— The sound of the key successfully unlocking the door. Yuan Yue’s body froze.

Yu Xi’s arms around her waist tightened. She nuzzled her head against her neck and said, “Yuan Yue, I like you very seriously, and I want to be with you. I’ve never thought about running away. Please, believe me on this.”

Yuan Yue was glad she was facing away from her right now. If Yu Xi saw her teary eyes, how embarrassing would that be? She was very moved by these words, but she deliberately didn’t respond. She calmly pushed the door all the way open. Once her emotions had stabilized, she slowly turned around, looked at Yu Xi, and said, “Are you hungry? There’s still a lot of fruit in the fridge that we haven’t eaten. Want to come in and have some?”

Yu Xi knew her habit of avoiding problems was acting up again. She smiled and said, “Sure.”

Once inside, Yuan Yue kicked off her high heels. She was truly exhausted. She couldn’t even be bothered with her suitcase, casually tossing it in the entryway. She ran barefoot to turn on the air conditioner and said to Yu Xi without looking back, “All the food is in the fridge. Take whatever you want to eat.”

The sound of wheels came from behind her. Yuan Yue glanced back and saw Yu Xi dragging both suitcases inside. She blinked and said, “Aren’t you tired at all?”

Yu Xi set the suitcases aside, still looking relaxed. “Not tired.”

Yuan Yue looked at her slender arms, legs, and waist, and felt a genuine sense of envy. “People who work out really are different. Such good stamina.”

Yu Xi gave her a meaningful look and said, “It’s you who’s too weak. You complain about being tired after just a few steps.”

Yuan Yue collapsed onto the sofa, stretched comfortably, and said, “What can I do about it? I just don’t like to move.”

Yu Xi walked over, pulled her up, and coaxed her, “If you’re really tired, go take a bath. Don’t get lazy again in a bit.”

Yuan Yue did want to lie down for a while, but a bath sounded good too. Her spirits lifted, and she was ready to act. “Then I’ll go wash up first. Make yourself at home.”

“Okay.”

…

Yuan Yue played on her phone while soaking in the bath. She had fewer than twenty friends on WeChat and rarely posted on her Moments. She closed WeChat and switched to browsing Weibo.

Suddenly remembering her whim to lose weight, Yuan Yue typed “fitness” into the search bar and followed a few popular bloggers. She randomly clicked on one of them and started watching some videos about weight loss and fitness.

Just as she was getting engrossed, Yu Xi suddenly knocked on the door outside. “Yuan Yue, can I come in?”

Yuan Yue’s heart jumped in fright, and her phone almost fell into the water. She quickly turned the volume down and stammered, “I-I’m not done washing yet.”

Yu Xi was silent for a moment, then said, “Your underwear fell. What are you going to change into later?”

Fell? Yuan Yue looked at the clothes she had hung on the wall and saw that, indeed, there was no underwear.

Careless again.

Yu Xi knocked on the door again outside. Yuan Yue, holding her phone, scrambled to stand up, but she was wet and quickly sat back down. She had a flash of inspiration and scooped the foam floating on the water to cover the crucial parts of her body. Only then did she say to the door, “Okay, you can come in.”

After getting permission, Yu Xi walked in silently.

Yuan Yue pretended to watch the video without looking away. As Yu Xi approached step by step, she grew nervous. She glanced up slightly and saw Yu Xi hang her lace panties on the wall.

The video was still playing, and the sound of the instructor clapping out a rhythm could be heard.

Yu Xi suddenly turned around and asked curiously, “What are you watching?”

The small part of Yuan Yue’s shoulders exposed above the water was ramrod straight. She pretended to be calm and said, “Watching how other people lose weight.”

Yu Xi naturally walked to her side, squatted down, and leaned over to glance at the video. Then she looked at Yuan Yue, who seemed to be studying it seriously, frowned, and said, “With me here, you don’t need to watch these.”

As her voice fell, Yu Xi smoothly took her phone away.

Without the phone as a cover, Yuan Yue instantly panicked. “What are you doing?”

Yu Xi looked at her scrutinizingly. Seeing her trying to shrink cautiously into the water, she held back a laugh and said, “Why are you playing with your phone while taking a bath? Aren’t you afraid of it falling in the water?”

Yuan Yue was conscious of the fact that she was completely naked and it wasn’t convenient to argue with her. She looked at her with pleading eyes and said, “But soaking in the tub is so boring.”

It wouldn’t be boring if we washed together. Yu Xi managed not to say this. She looked at her with a burning gaze until her cheeks flushed crimson and her neck and shoulders were dyed pink. Only then did she turn her head away and say, “Take your time.”

She turned to leave.

“Hey—” Yuan Yue called out to her, holding out her hand. “Phone.”

Yu Xi glanced at her foam-covered palm and hesitated.

Yuan Yue quickly grabbed her dirty clothes and wiped her hand clean.

Yu Xi couldn’t win against her and returned the phone. Just as she was about to remind her not to soak for too long, a ringtone suddenly sounded. It was Yuan Yue’s phone ringing.

Seeing the three words “Sun Wenya” on the caller ID, Yuan Yue was so shocked she almost couldn’t hold her phone steady.

The last time Sun Wenya had come to her shop, she had cried a river. Although it had nothing to do with Yuan Yue, she had later found Sun Wenya’s number in her call history and saved it.

Yuan Yue found it strange. That day on the expressway, Sun Wenya had clearly seen her and Yu Xi being intimate. Why was she calling her now?

Yu Xi was standing right beside her and hadn’t left, so she naturally saw the name on the caller ID as well. She was suddenly in no hurry to leave. She wanted to see Yuan Yue’s reaction, but she saw Yuan Yue’s finger swipe left, directly rejecting the call.

Yu Xi’s brow twitched. “Why didn’t you answer?”

Yuan Yue said with some annoyance, “I don’t want to.”

But in the next second, Sun Wenya’s call came through again.

This time, before Yuan Yue could make a move, Yu Xi squatted down, pressed her hand, and said, “Don’t hang up. I’ll take it.”

While Yuan Yue was still stunned, Yu Xi had already taken the phone. She watched with wide eyes as Yu Xi answered the call.

As soon as the speaker was turned on, Sun Wenya’s resentful voice drifted out, “You hung up on me again.”

The corner of Yuan Yue’s mouth twitched.

Yu Xi said into the phone with a blank expression, “I’m sorry, Yuan Yue is taking a bath right now. It’s not convenient for her to answer.”

Sun Wenya was taken aback and subconsciously asked, “Who are you?”

Yu Xi looked at Yuan Yue and said without thinking, “I am her girlfriend.”

As soon as these words were spoken, both Sun Wenya and Yuan Yue were shocked. She stared at Yu Xi with wide eyes.

Yu Xi showed no guilt for lying, her expression perfectly composed. “It’s so late. Does Miss Sun need something from our Yueyue?”

Our Yueyue…

Regardless of what Sun Wenya was thinking at that moment, Yuan Yue was completely stunned. She had heard many moving words of love from Yu Xi before, but she suddenly felt that all of those past words couldn’t compare to what Yu Xi had just said.

A warm current flowed through Yuan Yue’s heart, and her hand unconsciously reached out to touch Yu Xi’s arm.

Yu Xi’s gaze was fixed on her.

After a long time, Sun Wenya’s broken voice came through the phone, “You two… are really together?”

Yu Xi’s lips curved slightly. “That’s right. Does Miss Sun want to congratulate us?”

Yuan Yue didn’t know if it was her imagination, but she seemed to hear Sun Wenya gasp on the other end of the line.

“I…” Of course, Sun Wenya couldn’t say it.

Yu Xi didn’t expect her to offer any blessings either. She smiled and added, “I heard from Yueyue that Miss Sun just got married not long ago. It wasn’t convenient when we met on the expressway that day, so I’ll offer my congratulations over the phone. I wish you and your husband a happy marriage and that you grow old together.”

Even Yuan Yue couldn’t help but give Yu Xi a thumbs-up. She thought she had been ruthless enough, but she never expected Yu Xi to be even more so…

Sun Wenya probably hadn’t expected Yu Xi to use such a harsh move against her either. She managed to squeeze out two words through gritted teeth, “Thank you.”

The smile on Yu Xi’s lips deepened. “You’re welcome. I should be the one thanking you.”

“Thanking me for what?” Sun Wenya was startled.

Yuan Yue didn’t quite understand either and tilted her head to look at Yu Xi.

Yu Xi suddenly reached out and carefully wiped away the white foam that Yuan Yue had accidentally gotten on her chin, but her hand lingered on her delicate skin, reluctant to leave. She looked at Yuan Yue with a sticky gaze, but spoke cruelly to the person on the other end, “Thank you for leaving Yueyue, so that I had the chance to enter her heart.”

Yuan Yue’s mouth fell slightly open.

A strange “thud” suddenly came from the phone, as if the phone had been accidentally dropped, followed by a “beep-beep-beep” busy tone. The call had been abruptly terminated.

When Yu Xi handed the phone back to Yuan Yue again, Yuan Yue didn’t immediately take it. Instead, she gripped Yu Xi’s hand tightly and said, “You… you’re so ruthless!”

“Then do you think I went too far?” Yu Xi asked her.

Yuan Yue thought for a moment and shook her head.

Yu Xi’s face darkened slightly, her cool voice tinged with displeasure. “For someone like her who pesters unreasonably, you can only use such extreme methods.” She stuffed the phone back into Yuan Yue’s hand, taking the opportunity to stroke her face, and instructed her seriously, “If she looks for you again in the future, you tell me.”

“Tell you, and then what?” It was the first time Yuan Yue had seen this sharp side of Yu Xi, and she was very surprised.

“And then…” Yu Xi drew out the last syllable, speaking the harshest words in the gentlest tone, “we’ll invite her and her husband out for a nice meal, chat about life, and discuss our ideals.”

“…”

Yuan Yue was so impressed her five limbs prostrated on the ground⁵. She gave her a thumbs-up in praise.

Yu Xi smiled nonchalantly, reached out to test the water temperature, and reminded her, “The water is getting cold. Finish up quickly.”

Yuan Yue nodded hastily.

Her gaze swept over her slender white neck and slightly exposed shoulders. Yu Xi’s eyes paused. “Do you need my help?”

Yuan Yue’s face flushed bright red. She shook her head. “N-No, thank you.”

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