Lu Qingxue thought a quick kiss would be enough to soothe Yun Chun.
But reality proved different from her expectations.
The moment they got home, Yun Chun bolted straight for the bathroom. She not only brushed her teeth but also took a shower, emerging afterward in an oversized T-shirt. In an instant, the mature and seductive woman had transformed into a vibrant young college student.
At her age, she was indeed right in the middle of her university days.
Yun Chun had only washed her body, not her hair, but since she hadn’t tied it up, the ends were still damp.
Without a care for whether her hair was dry, she charged straight out of the bathroom and flung herself at Lu Qingxue—who had been anxiously waiting nearby, ready to rush in if Yun Chun struggled with the water heater or fainted from the alcohol.
Yun Chun clung to her like a monkey hanging from a tree.
Lu Qingxue tightly wrapped her arms around Yun Chun’s waist, supporting her to keep her from slipping off.
“I’ve washed up,” Yun Chun said to Lu Qingxue.
Lu Qingxue nodded with a gentle gaze. “Mm, let me take you to the bedroom.”
Something must have crossed Yun Chun’s mind, because she let out a couple of heh-heh laughs. “Back to the bedroom? Sure!”
Lu Qingxue couldn’t help but smile at her infectious mirth. She lightly patted Yun Chun’s back. “Get down from me first.”
Yun Chun tilted her head. “Can’t carry me?”
“It’s hard to walk like this.”
“Then float us there.”
“Then hold on tight.”
Yun Chun hummed in agreement. “Okay!”
Once they reached the bedroom, Lu Qingxue bent down to set Yun Chun on the bed. But Yun Chun’s arms stayed hooked around her neck, refusing to let go. Lu Qingxue chuckled. “Planning to be my personal accessory?”
On the way home, Yun Chun had stuck her head out the window in the wind, and now with the hot shower on top of it, she wasn’t actually that dizzy anymore. Her words just trailed off with a flirty lilt, giving her a tipsy charm.
At Lu Qingxue’s words, a humming laugh bubbled up from Yun Chun’s throat. “A one-meter-seventy accessory? Won’t that be a bit too obvious?”
“I want it obvious, so everyone knows the accessory belongs to me.”
“Mm… Then from now on, I’ll always hang off you—the kind you can’t shake off even if you tried.”
Lu Qingxue laughed twice. “People spout nonsense when drunk, but you? You’re whispering sweet nothings.”
Yun Chun’s eyes widened in round-eyed surprise. “Isn’t it ‘in vino veritas’?”
Lu Qingxue pinched her nose. “Is that the truth you’re spilling, little liar?”
Yun Chun got a bit annoyed. “I’m not lying to you.” She tugged hard, pulling Lu Qingxue right up to her face, and said earnestly, “You said it yourself—I belong to you.”
Yun Chun had neatly categorized herself as an accessory.
“And you agree with that?”
“Yeah.”
Lu Qingxue let out a speechless chuckle.
She lifted both hands to grab Yun Chun’s arms and pried them from around her neck. Noticing the damp ends of Yun Chun’s hair, Lu Qingxue straightened up and said, “Stay right here. I’ll grab the hairdryer and dry your hair for you.”
Drunk Yun Chun was unusually chatty, her already whimsical train of thought even more erratic, laced with a childlike innocence she rarely showed sober.
She asked Lu Qingxue, “Can’t you just whoosh it dry for me?”
Lu Qingxue paused. “Watched too many ghost movies?”
“I’ve never seen them. I’m a scaredy-cat—too chicken to watch.”
“I know you’re timid, so I’ve always lived like an ordinary person around you. That’s why… no whooshing.”
Yun Chun muttered, “…I’m not scared of you.”
Fine.
That line completely disarmed Lu Qingxue.
After drying Yun Chun’s hair, Lu Qingxue patted the pillow and glanced sideways at her. “All done. Time for bed.”
“Huh?” Yun Chun stared at her in confusion. “Bed?”
Lu Qingxue raised an eyebrow. “What else?”
“You haven’t…”
Yun Chun suddenly grew shy, her hands twisting the bedsheets as she cleared her throat to suppress the pounding of her heart. With exaggerated seriousness, she said, “You haven’t let me kiss you yet.”
“…”
Lu Qingxue realized she had been unusually silent tonight.
She asked, “Didn’t I already kiss you?”
“That’s you kissing me—not me kissing you. I don’t count it.” As she said the last four words, Yun Chun shook her head solemnly for emphasis.
Then she added, “You promised. You even said ‘okay’.”
Yun Chun’s gaze burned into Lu Qingxue, as if reminding her that a promise was a promise.
Lu Qingxue looked back at Yun Chun, inwardly helpless, and leaned her face closer. “Go ahead then.”
This only flustered Yun Chun more. Staring at the face now inches away, her cheeks—still flushed from the hot shower—grew even hotter.
Her heart raced like she’d just hauled two massive buckets of water up the stairs.
Of course, that simile wasn’t remotely romantic. Yun Chun just lacked experience with anything romantic.
What she really meant was that this moment left her more at a loss than scrubbing hundreds of dishes in twenty minutes.
Or handing out flyers under the blazing sun, mouth parched and throat dry!
Lu Qingxue was water—a single kiss would quench her thirst.
Kiss her.
Lu Qingxue had given permission.
Be bold.
Yun Chun’s grip tightened on the bedsheets. In that moment of resolve, she squeezed her eyes shut, leaned forward, and planted a kiss on Lu Qingxue’s cheek.
What a wondrous sensation—soft and cool.
When Yun Chun opened her eyes and met Lu Qingxue’s amused gaze, she couldn’t resist leaning in for another.
This time with eyes open, she caught the startled flicker in Lu Qingxue’s expression.
Yun Chun beamed radiantly and tilted her chin up. “Sister Qingxue, your face is so soft.”
“…”
What a terrifying drunk. Now she was flirting.
Lu Qingxue sat up. “Bedtime.”
Yun Chun’s heart lurched in panic. She grabbed Lu Qingxue’s clothes. “Don’t go.”
“I…” Yun Chun’s fingertips whitened with pressure. “…I want to sleep with you.”
When Lu Qingxue looked down at her, Yun Chun added, “Last night without you, I didn’t sleep well at all.”
Lu Qingxue wanted to say that she’d sat by the bed all night, watching Yun Chun sleep.
She didn’t know why Yun Chun was saying this, but she couldn’t help asking, “Didn’t you say we should sleep in separate rooms?”
Yun Chun shook her head vigorously. “I changed my mind.”
Lu Qingxue’s brows furrowed lower.
Her eyes were like deep ocean depths.
“Little Darling.” She paused for a few seconds before calling out.
“Mm?”
Lu Qingxue said, “Drinking is bad for you. Cut back in the future.”
She couldn’t hold out.
~~~
The consequence of not holding out was that Lu Qingxue got tugged onto the bed by Yun Chun, and they tumbled into each other’s arms.
Of course, whether it was entirely willing or half-hearted was something only Lu Qingxue knew.
The room lights were off, save for one warm bedside lamp.
The moment Yun Chun closed her eyes, the image that floated into her mind was that kiss on the bench—Lu Qingxue like a snow lotus on a high peak, pure and ethereal.
Yet with just one glance—one single glance—it lingered endlessly.
Unbidden, Yun Chun’s thoughts rewound further to those days when she couldn’t see what was happening.
The more she thought, the more restless she grew, the alcohol fueling the fire. She snapped her eyes open. “Sister Qingxue.”
Lu Qingxue lay beside her. “Mm.”
“…Are two kisses from me enough?”
“…”
Lu Qingxue paused before replying, “Yes, enough.”
Yun Chun deflated. “Oh.”
Lu Qingxue didn’t respond.
The curtains were drawn, hiding the moon and stars in the night sky. Lu Qingxue couldn’t fathom what was in the heart of this equally drunk Yun Chun.
Silence lasted only a few seconds.
The room filled with the scent of osmanthus body wash wafting from Yun Chun—sweet and inviting.
Under its influence, Yun Chun’s voice turned husky and soft, like osmanthus cake, drawing Lu Qingxue—the dessert lover— in with every word.
She wanted to take a bite.
Lu Qingxue calmly closed her eyes, planning to wait until Yun Chun fell asleep and then head to the living room.
But right then, Yun Chun called out again. “Sister Qingxue.”
Lu Qingxue reined in her emotions, her voice turning cooler. “Mm.”
Yun Chun thought she’d annoyed her with the questions. She pressed her lips together, falling briefly silent. Her face flushed as she held back, but finally, she ventured softly, “…Really enough?”
Lu Qingxue’s hard-won restraint crumbled.
She let out a soft sigh, propped herself up on one elbow, and looked down at the woman beside her. “What do you want?”
Yun Chun rolled over, propping herself up on her elbows, and gazed up at Lu Qingxue with a smile tugging at her lips. She proposed, “Can you… kiss me like you did in the dream?”
Shock surged in Lu Qingxue’s eyes, emotions churning beneath as something quietly began to flow.
Lu Qingxue pressed her index finger to Yun Chun’s forehead as she leaned closer, her tone unusually serious. “Yun Chun, do you know what you’re saying?”
“Of course.” Yun Chun grabbed Lu Qingxue’s wrist and moved the finger aside. Unimpeded now, she pressed forward until they were face-to-face, declaring with sincere directness, “I want you to kiss me like you did in the dream.”
She possessed the boldness and recklessness of her youth.
“…”
A long silence stretched out.
Lu Qingxue said softly, “The reason you want me to kiss you—is it still because I didn’t let you offer incense?”
“Of course not…”
“Then why—”
Before Lu Qingxue could finish, Yun Chun gave her answer:
“Because I like it when you kiss me like that.”
The words “I like” slipped from Yun Chun’s lips just like that.
They burned through Lu Qingxue like roaring flames.
Time seemed to freeze for a second.
Reason returned in that instant, and Lu Qingxue murmured, “We’ll talk about this tomorrow when you’re sober.”
She knew that come morning, Yun Chun’s answer would surely be different.
But there was no helping it—the woman before her was lost in drunken haze.
Yun Chun thought Lu Qingxue still found her distasteful. She scrunched her nose pitifully. “I’ve showered and brushed my teeth. No alcohol smell on me.”
“I’m not disgusted with you—that was just teasing,” Lu Qingxue said. “The point is to wait until you’re sober.”
Yun Chun let out an “oh.”
Her mind wasn’t working properly, and she didn’t quite grasp Lu Qingxue’s meaning for the moment. Yun Chun simply listened to her words and dazedly sank back into the pillow.
Gazing at the warm glow reflected on the wall, Yun Chun let out a yawn and murmured slowly, “Sister Xing said that liking someone means you see them and want to kiss them.”
Lu Qingxue’s eyelid twitched.
Yun Chun tilted her gaze up toward Lu Qingxue. “So, Sister Qingxue, do you want to kiss me?”
The scent of osmanthus bloomed richly in the air.
This single sentence from Yun Chun was even more tantalizing than before.
Especially if one delved deeper into its implications—Lu Qingxue recalled the park bench, how Yun Chun had asked this very question before following it up with something else.
But this time, Yun Chun continued, “I think you do want to kiss me.”
Lu Qingxue opened her mouth. “I—”
Yun Chun cut her off. “Are you about to say, ‘Think whatever you want’ again?” She let out a soft hum of laughter. “I’ve already said what I’m thinking, so you can’t use that line anymore. Say something else.”
A gentle shimmer rose in Lu Qingxue’s eyes. She leaned down close to Yun Chun’s face. “Wrong guess.”
“What I was going to say is… yes, I do want to kiss you.”
With that, Lu Qingxue pressed her lips to Yun Chun’s.
She could no longer hold herself back.
Even if this was just drunken nonsense on Yun Chun’s part, she could treat it like a dream.
Because she really, really wanted to kiss Yun Chun.
It was a kiss both familiar and strangely new.
Yun Chun’s eyes flickered for a moment, and without waiting for any cue from Lu Qingxue, she parted her lips on her own.
Just like in those later dreams—no more awkward hesitation, but an active response to Lu Qingxue’s kiss.
Amusement flashed in Lu Qingxue’s eyes. Her hand moved to Yun Chun’s jaw, tilting it up slightly as she angled her head to deepen the kiss.
Once again, the taste of pomegranate filled Yun Chun’s mouth. But this time, the toothpaste flavor wasn’t tea—it was strawberry. The two fruity notes mingled, layered with the pervasive osmanthus fragrance filling her senses.
Yun Chun grew even more intoxicated.
Her eyelids grew heavy as she surrendered completely to the gentle teasing of Lu Qingxue’s tongue.
By the end of the kiss, Lu Qingxue opened her eyes. No matter how she tried, she couldn’t hide the surprise and quiet laughter in her gaze.
Because the very person who had spent the whole evening clamoring for a kiss—the one who had responded so eagerly just seconds ago—
Had fallen asleep.
And she was sleeping soundly.
