Chapter 115: A Play Within a Play Part 1

Xu Yinian scrambled to make use of every second, quickly messaging Bai Ran to let her know Qin Jiashu was here and that she should head home first to avoid an awkward encounter.

But Qin Jiashu was already standing right in front of her.

Beneath her oversized long down coat, she wore a form-fitting black sweater and a studded leather skirt that perfectly accentuated her graceful curves. She completed the look with high-heeled tall boots. Mature and seductive, she remained the most vibrant and uninhibited flame in the dead of winter.

“Sen—”

The moment Xu Yinian managed to squeeze out half a soft syllable, she was completely enveloped by the heady, dizzying scent of “Burning Rose” perfume. The rest of her words died in her throat.

In the next heartbeat, a hand slid naturally around her waist, pulling her directly into a scorching embrace that was far warmer than the average person’s.

It was hot and soft—

Xu Yinian couldn’t help but picture the tight-knit sweater she had just seen with her own eyes. Her entire body went rigid instantly.

Since that mixer, the only other time she had seen the Senior Sister was when the older girl specifically asked her out to apologize. Qin Jiashu had told her that someone had reported her for doing private voice acting work to her supervisor, forcing her to withdraw from the project halfway.

Xu Yinian had heard the Senior Sister mention that her career goal was to be an announcer and host for the national television station, and she knew how severe the impact of “moonlighting” in the dubbing industry could be for someone in that position.

Even though Qin Jiashu refused to admit it—even turning her fox eyes toward Yinian to comfort her, claiming it was just a few scoldings from her mentor—the fact that she had been busy and unreachable for several days afterward seemed to confirm she had been punished.

Knowing that Qin Jiashu had only taken the voice acting role to look after her, yet still apologized to her, Xu Yinian’s guilt had only deepened. This pity and remorse had transformed into a desire to care for and accommodate the Senior Sister as a way to make amends. It had returned their relationship to how it was before the confession: Xu Yinian using her soft voice to offer praise and looking at the Senior Sister with starry eyes, her heart set on being good to her.

But now… Xu Yinian could hear her own heart thumping in a chaotic rhythm.

Half of her was remembering the confession, her cheeks flushing a deep crimson, while the other half was so weighed down by guilt that she couldn’t bring herself to push away. She endured the embrace in silence.

“I’ve been waiting for you for ages.”

“Baby.”

Then, those words exploded in her ear.

Qin Jiashu’s “cool girl” voice was simply unfair when she spoke like that. It carried the sticky, indulgent tone one only used when acting spoiled with a girlfriend. And that “Baby” made Xu Yinian both ashamed and startled, her limbs turning to jelly.

“I told you I wasn’t single. Do you believe me now?”

Qin Jiashu kept her arm around Xu Yinian’s slender waist, turning her head slightly to address someone beside them. Her usual flirtatious, carefree voice had turned cold and sharp with a hint of disgusted rejection.

As she spoke, a stranger came into view. Only then did Xu Yinian realize Qin Jiashu wasn’t alone.

Standing there was a tall girl with shoulder-length hair and sharp, handsome features. She had a similar style to Qin Jiashu; while she wasn’t as unnaturally beautiful as Ji Yan, she was striking enough to stand out in a crowd. At a glance, she was a typical “Top”—exactly the type Qin Jiashu used to prefer.

The stranger’s gaze flickered between Yinian and Qin Jiashu in disbelief. Her face slowly turned ashen, but she asked one last time, unwilling to give up.

“I thought it was just an excuse to reject me… but are you really not going to get back together with me? I’m being serious. I wouldn’t have kept coming to find you otherwise.”

Hearing this, Xu Yinian quickly tucked her face into Qin Jiashu’s shoulder, terrified that the stranger would spot a flaw in their performance. She finally understood what the abrupt hug and the “Baby” were all about. It seemed the Senior Sister was using her as a fake girlfriend to escape the pestering of an ex.

Thinking of how the Senior Sister had looked after her and the guilt of the punishment, Xu Yinian didn’t hesitate to help.

“Ignore her. She’s nobody. Wait for me for a moment, baby.”

The word “baby” made Xu Yinian’s legs feel weak again. A naturally seductive, mature voice only needed a hint of indulgence to sound like a whispered love confession that was impossible to withstand.

Qin Jiashu had previously been a “Bottom,” but because of her natural hardware, many people assumed she was a beautiful “Top.” When she ran into someone of the same “role,” they often remained obsessed with her. Now, playing the role of a devoted lover for Xu Yinian’s sake came to her with practiced ease.

However, the term “Baby” was exclusive to Xu Yinian. Qin Jiashu had never called any of her previous casual flings by that name.

Xu Yinian was so easy to hold, as if she had no bones at all. She was like a soft, sweet glutinous rice ball. There wasn’t a single part of her that wasn’t soft, making it easy to pull her into a full, snug embrace.

Even though she was trembling and anxious in the embrace, she remained quiet and obedient. She had no idea that the more she acted like this, the more the wolves surrounding her wanted to devour her completely.

Qin Jiashu reluctantly let go, shielding Xu Yinian behind her. When she faced the stranger, there wasn’t a trace of the soft indulgence she had shown Yinian.

“Sending messages in the middle of the night, stalking my social media, calling me from different numbers after being blocked, even following me to my front door… That’s what you call ‘trying’ to find me? If you annoy us again, we’re calling the police!”

Shock and panic flashed in Xu Yinian’s eyes as she looked down.

That’s so thuggish and perverted…

No wonder the Senior Sister was so distressed that she needed a fake girlfriend to end it.

Without waiting for the stranger to respond, Qin Jiashu gripped Xu Yinian’s wrist tightly and led her away. Once they reached the next aisle, Xu Yinian tried to pull her hand back, but she felt the other woman’s grip tighten slightly.

“She’s crazy enough that she won’t believe you’re my girlfriend easily,” Qin Jiashu said, sounding apologetic and helpless. “She’ll sneakily follow us to observe.”

Xu Yinian immediately schooled her expression, even taking the initiative to lean closer to Qin Jiashu’s side. The moment she thought about their current roles as a couple, an air of ambiguity began to grow wildly between them. What would normally be standard physical contact between girls suddenly became a catalyst for a racing heart and flushed cheeks.