The utterly perverted Little Yan Pig still couldn’t claim Jiang Shumo in the end. Just as she was about to pounce, Jiang Shumo grabbed her arm and hauled her to her feet.
“It’s getting late. Time to head back to your room and sleep.”
Yan Qingxu was pushed out of the room by Jiang Shumo, not even getting a chance to say a word. The moment she turned around, the door shut mercilessly in her face.
Ah, she really was that heartless woman after all.
But what was she supposed to do about getting even more excited?
With desire churning inside her, Yan Qingxu scratched furiously at the door for a bit until her nails hurt. Only then did she slink dejectedly back to her own room.
Eh, no big deal. They were lovers now, after all. She’d claim her sooner or later!
Finally hearing the noises outside the door die down, Jiang Shumo couldn’t hold back a chuckle. She turned and headed to the bathroom to soak in a bath.
Meanwhile, once Yan Qingxu got back to her room, she didn’t even bother washing her face. She just flopped onto the bed and rolled around, then couldn’t resist touching her lips. “Hee hee…”
After finally confirming their relationship today and getting that proactive kiss from Jiang Shumo, how could she possibly fall asleep?
Forget going to bed—she felt like she could run three laps around the mansion right now without stopping!
But Yan Qingxu hated running. Instead, she decided to roll around on the bed. She tumbled back and forth until the sheets were a tangled mess before finally stopping. Unconsciously, her fingers drifted back to the fading bite mark on her lip. Thinking of the seductive charm Jiang Shumo had just revealed, she grinned ear to ear.
As she touched it, Yan Qingxu suddenly remembered something. “What if she wakes up tomorrow and pretends it never happened?”
Even an active kiss didn’t prove anything. Weren’t there always those clichés online—like, “Last night was just a moment of impulse. I’m sorry, I love her, what I felt for you was only fleeting.”
Sure, the “her” that Jiang Shumo loved was someone else, but that didn’t mean she wouldn’t say the first half to Yan Qingxu.
The mere possibility made Yan Qingxu flip upright in bed with a carp leap. She traced the bite mark on her lip while pondering how to handle someone trying to weasel out of it.
As she touched it, enlightenment struck.
Wasn’t the bite mark on her lip proof enough?
If Jiang Shumo dared play dead and deny it, she’d send a photo of this mark to Liu Wan and call her a slag who kisses and ghosts!
She’d show it to Aunt Qiu, too!
Yan Qingxu put thought into action, snapping a close-up of her lips right away. Her shapely lips gleamed plump and rosy, with a neat row of tiny marks on the right side of her upper lip—clearly teeth marks upon close inspection. The sight was enough to stir impure thoughts, all sultry and ambiguous.
“Wow, her teeth are so straight.”
Yan Qingxu, who had been full of vigilance just moments ago, now propped up her face and grinned at the photo. “Even the bite mark looks this good…”
With a bite mark this pretty, she wouldn’t mind Jiang Shumo leaving even more all over her body…
Whoa, no more thinking about that. Save it for her dreams—tonight, she’d dream exactly this!
Yan Qingxu tamped down her wandering fantasies and sent the close-up she’d just taken to Jiang Shumo:
[Yan Qingxu (Little Pig Version)]: The mark you left~ Don’t deny it tomorrow, or I’ll send it to Liu Wan and let everyone know you’re a slag who kisses and ghosts!
[Yan Qingxu (Little Pig Version)]: Kitty licking lips.jpg
—Yes, after successfully claiming Jiang Shumo, Yan Qingxu had added “(Little Pig Version)” to the end of her WeChat name. She’d originally wanted “(Nabbed the Cabbage Version)”, but that would basically announce to the whole circle that she was dating. She didn’t mind, but she worried Jiang Shumo might not like it, so she settled for the next best thing: “(Little Pig Version)”.
Little pigs were meant to root up cabbages, after all!
After sending the message, Yan Qingxu sprawled on the bed, propping up her face as she waited for a reply. At first, she patiently waited about ten minutes—after all, when she’d left, Jiang Shumo hadn’t started her bath yet, just removed her makeup. She definitely couldn’t check her phone while bathing.
Yan Qingxu killed time by scrolling her mental snacks. After seeing the finale where He Yunqing rejected Prince Jin’s proposal and went to a border town to teach, the shippers for He Yunqing and Ming Zhao had doubled. Everyone knew the reason for the rejection—even if not directly because of Ming Zhao herself, it was because of what she’d said.
Now both Ming Zhao and He Yunqing had super topics called “Zhao Yun.” Yan Qingxu checked in daily with her alt account during car rides to schedules—from scraping the top hundred at first to barely cracking the top thousand now. She watched the super topic grow bit by bit.
After reading a couple of steamy quickies, Yan Qingxu checked the time. Nearly fifty minutes had passed since she’d sent her message, and a bad feeling crept in.
Had Jiang Shumo fallen asleep again?
No way. Yan Qingxu was over here too wired to sleep, and Jiang Shumo had calmly finished her bath, ignored her phone, and crashed?
The thought alone made Yan Qingxu fume.
Not at anything else—just annoyed at herself for not insisting on a couple more gropes. That way, Jiang Shumo could feel the exact same restless thrill!
Just as Yan Qingxu couldn’t resist rubbing her own face, the long-awaited notification finally popped up:
[Jiangjiang Brand Tender Cabbage]: …Don’t overthink it. Go to sleep.
[Jiangjiang Brand Tender Cabbage]: What’s with that name of yours?
“!”
So she was still awake!
Yan Qingxu’s mood was a rollercoaster—one minute thrilled, the next deflated. It left her completely alert.
Jiang Shumo had just emerged from her bath, her kiss-stirred restlessness fully settled. In her habitual pre-sleep message check, she spotted Yan Qingxu’s texts and couldn’t help but laugh in exasperation.
What kind of impression had she left on Little Yan Pig for her to think she’d deny it all?
Wait, what was this “(Little Pig Version)” about?
Her message had just gone through when the label above changed to “typing…” A new one popped up moments later:
[Yan Qingxu (Little Pig Version)]: Took you long enough to reply. I thought you’d fallen asleep QAQ
[Yan Qingxu (Little Pig Version)]: I worked hard and claimed you, so Little Pig Version it is. Wanted “(Nabbed the Cabbage Version)” originally, but that’s too blatant.
“…You really see yourself as a little pig?”
Amused, Jiang Shumo casually changed her nickname to “Little Yan Pig.”
[Jiangjiang Brand Tender Cabbage]: Was in the bath. Just got out now. It’s almost one a.m., and you’ve got a schedule tomorrow, right? Sleep.
Yan Qingxu hummed and hawed, firing off a line:
[Little Yan Pig]: So we’re officially dating now, right?
[Little Yan Pig]: Kitty being cute.jpg
Seeing those words, Jiang Shumo’s cheeks heated up again, but she fought through the shyness to reply: [Yes.]
“!!!”
Yan Qingxu nearly bounced off the bed. She screenshot it immediately for posterity—and as dating proof. Her fingers flew:
[Little Yan Pig]: Kisses for you. Hope I see you first thing tomorrow morning.
[Little Yan Pig]: Mwah!
The two lines conjured an image of Yan Qingxu puckering up for a kiss. Jiang Shumo’s cheeks burned hotter. She hastily sent a “Good night,” silenced her phone, and burrowed under the covers like an ostrich.
[Jiangjiang Brand Tender Cabbage]: Good night.
“Heh heh…”
Yan Qingxu had figured Jiang Shumo wouldn’t send anything like “kisses.” “Good night” was par for the course. “So shy. Tomorrow I’ll kiss those lips till they’re all swollen!”
Imagining Jiang Shumo with her lips red and puffy, that sexy allure in her mind’s eye made Yan Qingxu roll around on the bed a few more times.
God, why was she such a perv?
Jiangjiang had probably seen through her ages ago, calling her a little pervert pig early on. So she shouldn’t be scared off, right?
“…”
No, she still needed to rein it in. What if she actually frightened her off, thinking Yan Qingxu only lusted after her body?
Jiang Shumo got shy over a kiss—what if they jumped straight to adult stuff? She’d probably dump her on the spot. No way!
Yan Qingxu straightened her mindset at once. “Dream about it, that’s all. Lots of kisses and cuddles this month to desensitize her!”
That’s the plan!
Thoroughly satisfied, Yan Qingxu lay flat. She’d thought she’d toss and turn forever before sleeping, but before long, she drifted into sweet dreams.
~~~
Jiang Shumo was woken by the system.
“Get up! Get up!”
“?”
Still groggy, Jiang Shumo pushed herself up, head fuzzy. “…Why are you calling me?”
The system was incredulous. “You told me to wake you half an hour early. Don’t pin this on me!”
It might crave energy, but the Bad Woman wouldn’t smear its good name.
She’d asked Little Retard to wake her early—oh, right, Little Yan Pig wanted to see her first thing in the morning.
Suddenly wide awake, Jiang Shumo soothed it. “Okay, okay. I didn’t mean to blame you. Thanks—you did great.”
The system: “?”
Heh heh.
The system: “…No problem. Call me anytime. Going surfing.”
Jiang Shumo hopped out of bed and briskly headed off to wash up.
She had never been in a relationship before and had no idea how to love someone else. But now that she and Yan Qingxu were lovers, Jiang Shumo was determined to do her best to live up to Yan Qingxu’s expectations.
She would start with that promise: wanting to see her tomorrow morning.
After washing up, Jiang Shumo changed into a light blue fitted short dress. As she passed by Yan Qingxu’s room, she deliberately glanced at the door and saw that it was still closed.
She probably hasn’t left yet, right?
Jiang Shumo hurried downstairs. She had just reached the dining room when she spotted Aunt Qiu petting Little Fat Cat, who had its head buried in its food bowl, wolfing down its meal like there was no tomorrow.
Hearing the footsteps, Aunt Qiu looked up without thinking. When she saw it was Jiang Shumo, she was instantly surprised. “You’re up so early today?”
“I’ve got a lot on my plate today.”
Jiang Shumo made up an excuse on the spot and then asked casually as if it were no big deal, “…Has she left yet?”
Aunt Qiu got it right away. She beamed. “Not yet—” She checked the time. “Probably in five minutes. She’ll be heading down soon.”
Yan Qingxu usually left at this time.
Perfect timing.
Jiang Shumo let out a quiet breath of relief. “What’s for breakfast? I’m starving.”
“I made tomato shrimp porridge. It’s just finished.” As Aunt Qiu spoke, she had Aunt Song—the one who hadn’t been playing with the cat—serve a bowl to Jiang Shumo.
The moment Aunt Song set the porridge in front of Jiang Shumo, its fresh, savory aroma set her stomach rumbling. She was just about to take a bite when a familiar, soft meow rose from under the table: “Meow!”
She glanced sideways and saw Little Fat Cat squatting right by her feet. Its clear, gem-like heterochromatic eyes were wide and round, gazing up at her full of eager hope. It hadn’t even bothered to clean the bits of food stuck in its fur.
When it saw her notice it, Little Fat Cat let out another expectant meow.
Jiang Shumo thought it was unbearably cute. “You little glutton!”
Aunt Qiu quickly scooped Little Fat Cat back up. “Look at you—going around begging for food without even cleaning your fur first. We’re supposed to be a clean, pretty little kitty, got it?”
“Meow!”
Amused, Jiang Shumo reached for a shrimp to tease the chubby cat when a crisp set of footsteps echoed from the staircase behind her, accompanied by a familiar voice:
“Aunt Song, could you pack me an extra serving of buns today? And some siu mai too—my assistant snatched half of them yesterday—”
Yan Qingxu came rushing down the stairs in a whirlwind. Rounding the corner, she spotted the figure at the dining table, and her eyes lit up. She launched herself straight at Jiang Shumo. “Jiangjiang!”
“I really get to see you first thing in the morning! Woo-woo-woo, you’re the best!”
Jiang Shumo: “!”
Aunt Qiu: “!!!”
Under Aunt Qiu’s stunned gaze, Yan Qingxu threw her arms around Jiang Shumo in an enthusiastic hug. She bent down and planted several kisses on her cheeks before finally landing one right on Jiang Shumo’s lips. “I told you last night I’d kiss you—muah!”
Smack!
That last kiss on the lips rang out especially loud, leaving Jiang Shumo’s face burning hot.
Unable to resist, Yan Qingxu gave the corner of her lips a quick lick. Her eyes sparkled like stars. “I’m heading out now. Remember to come back early tonight!”
“I’m off!”
Yan Qingxu took the double breakfast portion Aunt Song had prepared and turned to leave. But she just couldn’t help herself—she bent down for one more kiss on Jiang Shumo’s lips. “Today is another day of loving you to bits. Don’t forget to think of me, okay!”
Ah, she really did love Jiang Shumo to death!
Jiang Shumo: “…See you tonight.”
“See you tonight!”
With that, Yan Qingxu rushed off in a whirlwind.
She left Jiang Shumo to face the most awkward scene imaginable, with both aunties staring at her in surprise.
Aunt Qiu looked absolutely delighted. “So, you two are official now?”
Jiang Shumo coughed lightly. “…Yes.”
