Chapter 55

In Jin Yizhu’s arms, Wei Shuyu’s mind went completely blank.

Kissing her was nothing if it wasn’t said out loud. A kiss was just a kiss. Jin Yizhu’s lips were very soft, carrying the fragrance of peach lip gloss, and they tasted a little sweet. She liked it a lot.

But Jin Yizhu said, kiss me again.

Putting it into words so clearly made it… so embarrassing.

Moreover, Jin Yizhu held her tightly in her arms, their skin warm and pressed close together.

The autumn day was cool, but not yet cold enough for jackets. Through a thin shirt, Jin Yizhu’s body heat felt a bit higher than usual, scorching her until she lost her focus.

‘Really don’t want to kiss?’

She stayed still for a long time, and Jin Yizhu asked again, her voice still carrying a laugh, without any hint of anger.

‘If you don’t want to kiss, then forget it.’

The sunset fell perfectly behind the mountain, the orange-red light stretching long, pulling the tree shadows along until they reached their feet.

The wind was a little cool, yet carried the warmth of sun-baked earth. The air smelled of pine needles and soil, with an intoxicating quietness.

The setting sun slanted down, warming Jin Yizhu’s profile, even the shadow of her eyelashes appearing exceptionally gentle.

‘…It’s not that I don’t want to kiss.’

Wei Shuyu’s voice was very soft, so light it nearly melted into the wind. If not listened to carefully, it would scatter entirely, missing what she said.

Jin Yizhu leaned close to her ear and heard her words crystal clear. She immediately laughed.

‘Want to kiss, but too shy to death, right?’

She deliberately lowered her voice, her soft breath mixing with a husky tone, brushing Wei Shuyu’s ear and making her heart race even faster.

‘Really can’t do anything with you. You just said you liked me.’

Jin Yizhu sighed, then leaned even closer, planting a light kiss on Wei Shuyu’s earlobe.

‘Let’s go, they’re coming.’

Wei Shuyu’s ear burned. Jin Yizhu’s breathing suddenly sounded exceptionally clear, then exceptionally distant.

Jin Yizhu’s lips were very soft. Even lip to lip was like that, but the skin of the ear was sensitive, making the kiss even more noticeable.

After kissing, she acted as if nothing happened, calmly taking Wei Shuyu’s hand and heading toward the stairs.

Wei Shuyu followed, pulled along upward. Her heart pounded like a drum, as if it would leap from her chest. She couldn’t calm down at all. Her breathing grew rapid, and her once-blank mind now held only one thought.

Did Jin Yizhu just kiss her ear?

Her breath and kiss on the ear were more intoxicating than the evening glow at that moment.

The sky’s colors shifted slowly, from orange to pink, then fading bit by bit into light purple, like someone gently smearing a few strokes across the heavens.

The light no longer dazzled. The evening glow enveloped the entire valley, coating the trees, grass, and people in a soft hue. The surroundings were exceptionally quiet, with faint insect chirps and the rustle of wind through leaves.

Wei Shuyu stood there, watching the sky’s colors lighten bit by bit, somewhat lost in thought.

Jin Yizhu stood beside her. Neither spoke, but their heartbeats inexplicably slowed, as if subdued by the sky’s hue.

Looking again at Jin Yizhu beside her, she seemed as if nothing had happened, her expression unchanged.

Wei Shuyu glanced at her a couple more times. Jin Yizhu noticed her gaze and quietly turned her head away, avoiding eye contact. Only then did Wei Shuyu realize that the corners of her lips curved upward slightly, unable to suppress her smile.

What was that? She acted so calm, but she was shy too.

Wei Shuyu snickered inwardly and reached to hook her hand.

Jin Yizhu held her phone in her left hand, unsure if she was really focused on it or pretending to be calm. Her eyes fixed on the screen, but as soon as Wei Shuyu’s hand touched over, she naturally hooked her pinky with hers.

Wei Shuyu looked down at their pinkies and gave a light shake.

Jin Yizhu didn’t pull away. Instead, her hand moved, fingers intertwining fully, shifting into a proper hand-holding clasp.

Looking at Jin Yizhu again, her smile was even more evident.

For some reason, though they hadn’t done much, Wei Shuyu felt her heart sway unsteadily, like it was soaked in honey. She wished time would stop forever, just like this, hand in hand with Jin Yizhu, stepping into eternity together.

Karuizawa’s breeze blew steadily, just loud enough to hear distant leaves rustling and occasional footsteps on dry leaves. At the end of the path, voices chatted about something, and people approached, seemingly admiring the scenery as they walked.

They stood by the roadside, neither too close nor avoiding, looking like ordinary travelers who just happened to hold hands.

‘Is it okay to hold hands?’ Wei Shuyu asked her. ‘What if they see?’

‘If they see, they see. What’s the big deal?’ Jin Yizhu looked down, her tone utterly indifferent. ‘Or do you not want to be seen?’

‘I’m fine,’ Wei Shuyu laughed. ‘Afraid it’ll cause you trouble.’

‘It won’t. What’s wrong with two girls holding hands?’ Jin Yizhu laughed, declaring righteously. ‘Later I’m going to soak in the hot springs with you and sleep in the same bed at night. So what? Any problem?’

‘Of course no problem,’ Wei Shuyu suppressed her laughter, shaking their joined hands. ‘Then look up at me. Are you being shy?’

‘I’m being shy, got a problem?’ Jin Yizhu retorted. ‘This is my first time kissing someone!’

Perhaps from shyness, Jin Yizhu’s tone was stiff, sounding almost angry.

Wei Shuyu finally couldn’t hold back and let out a light laugh. So cute. Jin Yizhu pretending not to care to hide her shyness was cute. The Jin Yizhu who was clearly coquettish but sounded angry was also cute.

‘Is it that funny?’ Jin Yizhu got sulky from her laugh. ‘Yeah, yeah, I’m a hopelessly straight girl. Never kissed a girl, don’t know what it feels like…’

‘This is your second time kissing someone.’

Wei Shuyu hooked her fingertip, interlocking their fingers tightly and cutting her off.

‘The first time was at Tokyo Disneyland, and it was me you kissed.’

‘What, planning to kiss and then ghost?’ Wei Shuyu leaned closer, tilting her head up slightly with a deliberately aggrieved expression. ‘The next day you were gone. I thought I’d been abandoned.’

It started as feigned grievance, but when she said ‘I’d been abandoned,’ her tone dipped uncontrollably, carrying real hurt.

It wasn’t Jin Yizhu’s fault.

Wei Shuyu knew clearly that what Jin Yizhu did fell far short of abandonment.

It was just… facing this word that was a joke to others but hard for her to speak of, she struggled to control her emotions.

Shouldn’t have said it. Now she really felt a bit aggrieved.

‘I won’t abandon you,’ Jin Yizhu sensed that ambiguous hint of grievance and grew serious. ‘Something came up that day. My dad laid a trap in Hong Kong, and I had to go back… Never mind, we’ll talk later.’

The reason didn’t matter, nor did the explanation. What mattered was that it happened.

She kissed Wei Shuyu at Tokyo Disneyland and then vanished.

‘I was wrong that day. I shouldn’t have run away or left you alone at home.’

Jin Yizhu gripped her hand tighter and gently patted her back, offering comfort.

‘But…’

She hesitated a second but said it anyway.

‘If this is something that makes you uncomfortable, don’t joke about it.’

Though they stood by the roadside with cars passing now and then, not a place for too much intimacy lest they seem frivolous, Jin Yizhu couldn’t help pulling Wei Shuyu into her arms.

She pressed Wei Shuyu’s head between her shoulder and neck, stroking her hair in a deeply comforting gesture.

‘I can promise I won’t let you feel that way again, but I also hope you respect your own feelings.’

Jin Yizhu spoke slowly. Before, she had frankly enjoyed Wei Shuyu’s compliance, but after learning of her feelings, continuing to bask in her tenderness wasn’t upright.

This wasn’t something money could fix, especially since she didn’t want their relationship to be just about money.

‘Wei Shuyu, can we start over, on the basis of mutual honesty?’

After caging Wei Shuyu with money, Jin Yizhu personally offered the key, freeing her little bird.

Though she wasn’t sure if her feelings could keep her.

If she couldn’t hold on… She wouldn’t let that happen.

A shadow flitted through Jin Yizhu’s heart. She didn’t want to think of it, but tangled family intrigues and messy company struggles suddenly surfaced, filling her mind and unsettling her for a moment.

…What if she couldn’t handle those things and dragged Wei Shuyu into trouble? She didn’t want to consider it. At least this moment, she wanted it to belong only to her and Wei Shuyu.

Jin Yizhu looked at the person before her, awaiting her answer.

As if Wei Shuyu’s upcoming words were the cross to judge her.

The surroundings seemed to quiet down. The mountain wind blew steadily, swirling up a few fallen leaves.

A few maple leaves still clung to the branches, vividly red, swaying gently in the evening breeze. Few cars passed on the roadside; those that did soon faded away. The mountain’s outline was outlined by the sky’s last light, faint, as if veiled and indistinct.

Wei Shuyu was silent for a moment. In Jin Yizhu’s embrace, her restless mind gradually calmed, slowly realizing what Jin Yizhu meant.

In Hong Kong’s drizzling rain, she had once gazed at the neon lights outside the window, her words sharp as she mocked Jin Yizhu’s hypocrisy.

She told Jin Yizhu that if she really wanted something, she should give a little first.

She wanted her to know true feelings were exchanged with true feelings.

Wei Shuyu couldn’t tell if the her back then truly wanted Jin Yizhu’s sincerity, or if she had merely projected her own desires onto her, saying things she shouldn’t.

But words she said offhand had been taken to heart by Jin Yizhu, who now offered that heart to her.

‘…Okay.’

Wei Shuyu tried to sound calm, but her voice carried an involuntary sob.

‘Jin Yizhu, pleased to meet you.’