Chapter 3

It wasn’t yet nine o’clock. They could faintly hear the clamor from the next street, falling into the summer night, diluted into something docile by the evening breeze and clear moon.

Yun Huizhi tucked a stray strand of hair behind Chu Ruoyou’s ear, lowered her head, and sniffed the elegant lingering fragrance on her earlobe and the shell of her ear, listening to her breathing slowly become disordered.

The series of actions proceeded naturally. Not until her lips touched the side of Chu Ruoyou’s neck, and Chu Ruoyou instinctively resisted, dodging away, did Yun Huizhi stop.

Chu Ruoyou paused, then glanced sideways, teasing: “You’re hot. Drink more of that herbal tea.”

Yun Huizhi broke into a seemingly shy smile and confessed: “My heart is beating so fast, that’s why my body temperature is high. You?”

Lowering her eyes, Chu Ruoyou steadied her breathing before saying: “Me too.”

“Let’s compare whose heart is beating faster.”

“Okay.”

As soon as the words left her mouth, Chu Ruoyou agreed.

Yun Huizhi had a subtle feeling. It was as if Chu Ruoyou was afraid that if she didn’t answer quickly enough, given any room for thought, her answer would be “no.”

She moved her hand from Chu Ruoyou’s waist to her chest. Indeed, it was not calm there.

Beneath the softness, it felt like a mountain torrent during flood season plunging straight down a cliff, splashing up vast sheets of water spray.

Her palm followed the contour slightly downward. Just as she applied the lightest pressure, it was suddenly caught.

Chu Ruoyou’s voice, cool yet gentle, sounded: “Close the window.”

—

After finishing her wash-up, Chu Ruoyou came out. All the lights in the room had been turned off, leaving only one wall lamp in front of the bathroom.

In the dimly lit bedside area, Yun Huizhi was sitting with one knee bent, looking down and examining her ankle.

She looked up, her expression pitiful, and told her: “I think I got bitten by a mosquito. Did you?”

“No.” Chu Ruoyou sat down beside her.

“Ugh, I’ve been especially prone to mosquito bites since I was a kid. Maybe my blood is too tasty.”

Chu Ruoyou first noticed Yun Huizhi’s hands. They were fair, slender, and long, with nails trimmed impeccably.

Second, she saw the two raised red bumps and the surrounding scratch marks on her ankle. “Stop scratching. Find something to spray on it. You have something, right?”

“I do, but I think the smell is too strong. It kind of ruins the mood.”

As she spoke, she looked at Chu Ruoyou, frank to a fault. Her gaze was always full of innocence.

But those two words didn’t suit her at all.

Speaking of mood, Yun Huizhi specifically gestured towards the bedside. Only then did Chu Ruoyou notice the aromatherapy.

The scent of gardenia seemed as if it had been extracted, poured into a balloon, and chilled in an icebox all afternoon. Now, at night, the balloon had been popped. The fresh, fragrant scent shattered and splashed onto the skin, cool and icy.

Chu Ruoyou was stunned for a moment. “You looked at my profile.”

How could there be such a coincidence? The aromatherapy she often used at home just happened to be here too.

Yun Huizhi didn’t deny it. She moved closer, her eyes bright and holding a smile, explaining softly: “I was afraid you’d be nervous. Isn’t this a little better?”

Was it?

She hadn’t even noticed it earlier, nor smelled it.

Now she saw it and smelled it too. Yet this girl she’d only met a few hours ago was already starting to seduce her with the most blatant gaze.

She didn’t respond actively, slowly looking away, focusing on the intricate pattern of the carpet.

The inn owner clearly didn’t lack money besides having an artistic vision. This carpet didn’t look like a mass-produced item; it had a strong personal artistic style.

“Am I the only one who’s nervous?”

She calmly exposed her: “Aren’t you just changing the subject right now? I thought, by the time I came out, you’d already be undressed and under the covers.”

Yun Huizhi’s face heated up. She refuted disagreeably: “That would be too impatient, so boring.”

Chu Ruoyou let out a “Heh,” amused by her demureness. “I like boring.”

Yun Huizhi’s throat tightened. She was constantly being hooked. Whenever she took a step forward, she was blocked; when she didn’t, she was pulled forward.

When she was enthusiastic, Chu Ruoyou ignored her. When she was reserved, Chu Ruoyou laughed at her.

She stared fixedly at the woman speaking big words for a moment. Since she liked boring, liked impatience, then fine, let’s get on with it.

It wasn’t like she was afraid anyway.

So she tentatively touched her lips to Chu Ruoyou’s cheek. It smelled wonderful. The hibiscus-like face was soft, delicate, and tender.

After the kiss, she pulled back a small distance and looked at Chu Ruoyou up close. There was no smile or amorous feeling on her face. She seemed a bit absentminded, eyes lowered.

Did she not like it?

Yun Huizhi was in a dilemma.

Chu Ruoyou’s eyes shifted. She looked up and asked impatiently: “Why is the presentation of your meeting gift so dawdling?”

Yun Huizhi wanted to say, “I felt like you didn’t really want to accept it.” But before the words could leave her mouth, she realized they were pointless and changed them to: “Fine, I’ll be quicker.”

She cupped Chu Ruoyou’s shoulder, gently turned her face towards her, and kissed the skin below her lip.

The delicate sensation was captivating. Unfortunately, Chu Ruoyou had no other reaction. After a few tentative touches, she finally pressed her lips to Chu Ruoyou’s.

She felt Chu Ruoyou’s light breathing stop for an instant, her body going stiff.

But, having already been called a dawdler, could she stop now?

Stopping would make her a dummy.

Patiently, she gently nibbled on the lower lip, then the upper lip. Their breaths intertwined as they started a proper sparring of kissing techniques.

Chu Ruoyou wasn’t very proactive, letting Yun Huizhi take the lead entirely, responding half-heartedly.

After a while, Chu Ruoyou tired of holding the position and braced her hands on the bedsheet behind her for support.

This posture was originally for saving energy, but now it seemed like a different kind of encouragement. Yun Huizhi’s urgency was triggered.

Like a waterfall crashing down too fast, water mist obscured the moonlight, so hazy the path ahead was invisible.

Unable to withstand Yun Huizhi pressing down on her, Chu Ruoyou fell backwards. The instant her back hit the bed, her left hand braced against Yun Huizhi’s shoulder with force, preventing her from coming down with her.

Yun Huizhi opened her eyes and studied Chu Ruoyou’s expression. The relief was that she saw no discomfort or disgust.

The problem was, there was only calmness there.

Neither enjoyment nor dislike. Her expression was cool, her eyes clear.

“What’s wrong?” A sense of unease grew in Yun Huizhi.

“Are you doing this willingly? Nobody is forcing you?” Chu Ruoyou asked her seriously.

Yun Huizhi’s leaning posture blocked the only bit of light left in the bedroom. Neither could clearly see the other’s expression.

It took Yun Huizhi a moment to grasp her meaning. She wanted to laugh. How could Chu Ruoyou make her, the fake small-town girl who seemed to be fleecing her, sound like a pitiful soul?

“As long as you can be open-minded, there’s no one here who isn’t willing.”

At these words, the strength pressing against her shoulder withdrew. Yun Huizhi’s desire, filled to the brim, couldn’t be capped in time and spilled all over Chu Ruoyou.

Clothes no longer covered the body. Cold air assaulted exposed vulnerabilities. Moonlight, filtering through the cloud-patterned curtains, fell in strands, pale like frost.

Only their body heat was hot, scalding, summoning forth a thin, fine sweat that made them stick together.

The scent of gardenia permeated the air, like a faintly visible dream, temptingly immersive.

When her knees were grasped, the force suddenly applied, Chu Ruoyou was no longer composed. Her body language honestly betrayed unease and rejection.

Though even more lost in the moment, Yun Huizhi hadn’t lost her head. She immediately stopped and helped wipe the fine sweat from her temple.

“You… haven’t tried it with a woman before, have you?” Yun Huizhi voiced her intuition hesitantly.

Chu Ruoyou was dazed for a moment. Having no energy to fence with her, she admitted truthfully: “Mm.”

She liked girls, but she had never tried. Had she followed the traditional path to the end, only to find it unsuitable and decide to start over?

Or had she been so deeply hurt by a man that she switched to trying with a girl?

Yun Huizhi felt a pang of sullenness. She softened her voice and soothed: “We’ll take it slow. If you’re uncomfortable, just tell me, okay?”

Chu Ruoyou listened, unmoved. Yun Huizhi also stopped moving and quietly waited for her response.

A phone on the bedside table—no one knew whose—suddenly lit up, illuminating the disarray on the bed.

This thoroughly jolted Chu Ruoyou awake. She coldly withdrew from the game. “Let’s leave it for tonight. I’m a bit tired.”

By the faint light from a corner, it was hard to see clearly, but Yun Huizhi was almost prostrate before this body.

Their forms intertwined, slender and full-bodied contrasting each other, like a lavishly sensual palace poem from the Six Dynasties era.

Stopping at a time like this was both torture and relief for Yun Huizhi.

Although her worldly desires were strong, Chu Ruoyou wasn’t cooperating. She was overly tense, as if putting on a reluctant performance, restrained and unable to let go.

She’d broken out in a sweat but hadn’t tasted much flavor.

Chu Ruoyou picked up her phone to check a message. The screen light shone on her face, making it clear she was indeed very tired.

Yun Huizhi felt that the fatigue wasn’t from the travel today but from their recent interaction. She hadn’t liked it.

For most normal people, this kind of thing truly couldn’t be treated as a business transaction. It needed to happen naturally. If not mutual affection, it at least needed the right timing.

The two separately put their clothes back on. Yun Huizhi turned off the light. Each claimed one side of the bed and lay down to sleep.

Yun Huizhi had insomnia. She thought that, given Chu Ruoyou’s state earlier, she probably wouldn’t fall asleep right away either.

But the other party showed no intention of chatting with her, and she didn’t dare speak.

Insomnia made one vulnerable. Her mind was in turmoil. She suspected that their failure just now wasn’t due to unfamiliarity, but because she’d done something Chu Ruoyou didn’t like.

Could she wake up tomorrow wanting to go home?

Forget it. Whether she stayed or left was her business. Overthinking it was useless.

They each took what they needed. If they got it, fine; if not, they’d just part ways.

The weather forecast was indeed inaccurate. Before dawn, a sudden clap of thunder split the night’s silence.

Rain poured down as if thrown in basins from the highest heavens. Dense curtains of rain hung outside the window.

The bed was close to the window, so the sound was exceptionally clear. Yun Huizhi was awakened. She sat up, disoriented for a moment, and reached for her water to drink.

It was only when the first mouthful of water entered her stomach, the slightly cool liquid awakening her body after a night’s sleep, that she realized someone else was sleeping next to her.

Practically a stranger. Apart from the name, they knew very little about each other.

But after being lonely for so long, even such a person could share a bed. Even waking up on a rainy night could make her feel the warmth of being accompanied.

Just then, Chu Ruoyou turned over, moving closer to her.

Just as Yun Huizhi assumed she was unconsciously moving in deep sleep, Chu Ruoyou placed her hand on her leg.

It was cold.

The air conditioning had been on all night. Afraid she was cold, Yun Huizhi was about to tuck the blanket around her more tightly when she suddenly spoke: “You were right. There’s a heavy rain.”

“It woke you up.”

Although both were awake, Yun Huizhi instinctively kept her voice low: “It’ll lessen in a bit. Just go back to sleep. Do you want some water? There’s still half a glass.”

Chu Ruoyou said yes to drinking. As she sat up, Yun Huizhi turned on the bedside lamp.

Chu Ruoyou didn’t mind sharing, taking the glass and drinking a couple of sips.

There wasn’t really anything to mind. Yun Huizhi stared at her lips, thinking about how they’d kissed for a long time last night.

After finishing the drink and handing the glass back to Yun Huizhi, Chu Ruoyou scratched her arm. “I think I got bitten by a mosquito too.”

“Where? Let me see.” Yun Huizhi became nervous. The mosquitoes here were fierce; their bites were painful and itchy.

The arm was extended. The elbow area was red. Chu Ruoyou said, “A bit itchy.”

“It doesn’t hurt? If it doesn’t hurt, that’s good. It doesn’t look serious. Let’s spray some anti-itch, bite-prevention spray first. If it’s not gone by morning, or if it starts hurting, tell me. I’ll take you to buy some ointment.”

Chu Ruoyou deliberately said: “Didn’t you say it would ruin the mood?”

Yun Huizhi opened the bedside drawer. “Right now, what mood is there to speak of? Spray it and then go back to sleep.”

She carefully helped Chu Ruoyou spray on the medicinal mist. After smoothing it in, she asked: “Anywhere else bitten? It’s my fault. I forgot to plug in the mosquito repellent last night.”

Her mind had been entirely elsewhere.

Just a mosquito bite, yet in her eyes, it seemed like a really big deal.

Her expression was nervous when she sprayed. After spraying, as if afraid Chu Ruoyou was still uncomfortable, she blew gently on the red area.

Warm breath hit her skin. Chu Ruoyou immediately withdrew her arm.

She shook her head. The two lay down again.

The cool, minty scent of the medicine drifted in the air, intertwining with the gardenia fragrance. The sound of rain hadn’t yet stopped.

Just before sleepiness returned, Yun Huizhi’s left ear was kissed. She was so startled her eyes flew open instantly. She heard a sentence: “Let’s try again.”