Chapter 78
Ah, it was over again.
Xu Ling watched as Qin Cong’an opened her collar and reached inside, looking for a gift with a serious expression. Her mind was filled with only one thought: tonight, she could probably only offer herself as a gift.
“Nothing here either.” Although it was very smooth and fragrant. After Qin Cong’an had finished rummaging like a little raccoon, she held out her hands to her in disappointment. “So… where’s the gift?”
Xu Ling swallowed, looked up at her, and rested her chin on her palm like a cute little animal, even sticking out her tongue to lick it.
Qin Cong’an’s eyes sharpened, and the corners of her lips lifted slightly.
“Xu Ling.” Qin Cong’an pinched her cheeks, her fingers rubbing her ear. “You don’t dare to take it out. Are you scared?”
Huh?
Xu Ling was dazed. What didn’t she dare to take out? She didn’t dare to say it, afraid that Qin Cong’an would ask, “Why didn’t you buy it in advance?” while slapping her.
“I saw it a long time ago.”
Meow? Why was it getting harder and harder to understand?
Qin Cong’an had already gotten up from her, reached out, and pulled up the dazed Xu Ling, who seemed to have lost her soul from fear, and walked into the bedroom.
After pushing Xu Ling into the bathroom, Qin Cong’an closed the door and even found something to block it so that Xu Ling couldn’t open it from the inside. But it seemed Xu Ling didn’t even try.
A little strange. So was she mentally prepared or not?
In any case, Qin Cong’an walked to the walk-in closet and took out a black object from a drawer. A while ago, while looking for a document, she had accidentally seen the item that Xu Ling had hidden here. At that time, she had played with it for a while. The grip was pretty good. She had been wondering when Xu Ling would take it out. It turned out to be her birthday gift.
Mmm, very satisfied.
At this moment, Xu Ling was still thinking, what, what, what? Was it something she had bought for herself before that Qin Cong’an had mistaken for a surprise?
So awkward. But no matter what it was, it had saved her life.
Knowing she was in the wrong, and that the logistics from abroad were an uncertain factor, she should have ordered it earlier. So, very consciously, she started to fill the tub.
Qin Cong’an couldn’t swim but loved to play in the water, and also loved to play in the water. She really didn’t understand. It was so tiring, eight hundred times more tiring than in bed. But after all, it was her birthday, and the first one they had spent together. She had to satisfy her, to serve her well.
The door was pushed open. Xu Ling looked over obediently, with a wifely look. “The water is filling up. It’ll be a little while longer.”
“No rush.” Qin Cong’an undid two buttons of her shirt, her gentle voice as if carrying a knife. “It will hurt if it gets wet.” ???
A few question marks appeared above Xu Ling’s head before she finally reacted. She widened her eyes and looked at the approaching Qin Cong’an in terror, falling to the floor with a plop.
“Wait! No way!”
“Hmm?” Qin Cong’an took out a black leather whip from behind her and swung it in the air. “So this isn’t the gift?”
“…” To die!!
Xu Ling had ordered it on an impulse. After receiving the real thing, she had been a little scared and had secretly hidden it, thinking of using it one day when she was in the mood. Later, she had forgotten about it.
She hadn’t expected that Qin Cong’an had discovered it a long time ago, and because she was hemming and hawing and couldn’t produce a birthday gift, she had mistaken the gift for this whip.
Qin Cong’an held both ends of the whip and pulled it forcefully, creating a short and powerful crack. “So it wasn’t this. Right, no matter how you look at it, this also looks like a gift for you.”
No, no, no, no, no—
It was hard to say that this was a gift for her. After all, this was completely different from the scene Xu Ling had imagined. It wasn’t this scary! What was with this sound? Would her skin be torn open??
“You really don’t have a gift… Xu Ling, how could you do this?” Qin Cong’an said, testing the pain of the whip on her palm with different forces. She was a little sad, but she couldn’t really hurt her.
“No, no, listen to my explanation…”
The sound of the whip on her palm didn’t seem to have any intention of listening to her explanation, loud and crisp.
After receiving the goods, Xu Ling hadn’t even opened it to try it. She had hurriedly found a drawer to hide it in. Honestly, she didn’t even remember where she had hidden it.
So she didn’t know that this thing was designed to be very loud but not very painful when used.
Listening to this sound, Xu Ling’s scalp tightened again and again. Forget it. Whether she said it or not, the fact was that on Qin Cong’an’s birthday, there was no gift.
She had to take this whip.
The tip of the whip gently brushed over her neck, a tingling itch. Qin Cong’an didn’t speak, but Xu Ling felt that this was a command, an order for her to take it off.
…
When the whip came down, Xu Ling gritted her teeth, and a scream was squeezed from her throat. The fear in her heart was far greater than the physical sensation.
Hmm? It didn’t seem to hurt.
It wasn’t completely painless, just a little bit, the kind of pain that was close to pleasure.
Wait, could her consciousness have been disordered by the whipping? The sound was so scary. How could it be this feeling? It was over, it was over… Xu Ling looked at Qin Cong’an pitifully.
Qin Cong’an looked at her tear-filled eyes and couldn’t help but hug her. “So cute, baby.”
Cute? But she was just looking at her with fear. Qin Cong’an was a pervert! But being held by her, Xu Ling felt that her consciousness and her body’s feelings were not disordered. It really didn’t hurt. It was really… good.
However, when she heard the sound again, Xu Ling was still scared into a shiver, but at the same time, her spine was also numb.
“I forgive you.” Qin Cong’an loved every one of Xu Ling’s reactions, every expression. Whether it was a look of fear or a look of daze, it was all so cute. “I’m very satisfied with this non-gift gift.”
“Then… then are we not playing anymore?”
Hearing the regret in Xu Ling’s voice, and her hand even wrapping around her as if to say, don’t, Qin Cong’an ignored her and was about to put it away. “Of course. How could I bear to see you in so much pain?”
“Huh? But, but I didn’t buy you a birthday gift. Are you just going to let me off so easily?”
“I’m very generous, aren’t I?” Qin Cong’an said with a smile.
Xu Ling was so unbearably eager. Just as she reached out to grab her, thinking of putting down her pride and saying that she felt so good and wanted more, please, Qin Cong’an suddenly frowned and looked at her.
“But you’re not just guilty of not buying me a gift today. You also danced with another woman and made a heart with her on my birthday, in front of me.”
Ah, right, right. So please don’t forgive me so quickly!
…
In the bathtub, Qin Cong’an didn’t dare to whip Xu Ling’s body. It would really hurt. And she didn’t have the time. Xu Ling obediently leaned over to serve her. Look how guilty this person was. She was working so hard because she didn’t have a gift. So cute.
Qin Cong’an didn’t need any gifts. Just being able to hold Xu Ling was so happy.
This was the happiest birthday. In previous years, her birthday was just an ordinary day. At most, she would receive some beautiful dresses or a large, multi-layered cake. It was a surprise. Her parents seemed to not even know that she didn’t like to wear dresses, let alone eat cake.
The best memory of her birthday in the past was when Xie Jing had secretly taken her out to play with stray cats.
“Actually, I did buy a gift. Really,” Xu Ling said softly in Qin Cong’an’s arms before bed. “It’s just that there was a problem with the logistics, and it didn’t arrive on time. It should arrive tomorrow.”
Qin Cong’an’s lips curved. “Then can I look forward to it?”
“Of course! You’ll definitely like it.” Xu Ling nuzzled her neck. “I’m free tomorrow during the day. I can make up for your birthday. Let me think. Right, how about I make your favorite seafood paella for you?”
Xu Ling had never cooked before. Qin Cong’an had seen her on a variety show, where she even needed someone to teach her how to wash vegetables.
“If you want to, okay. But I hope I have the right not to eat it.”
Xu Ling pouted and glared at her. “Then I won’t make it!”
“Yay.” Qin Cong’an cheered blatantly and even raised her fist and shook it. “That’s great.”
“I’m going to make it, and you have to eat it.”
“Okay.” Qin Cong’an pulled her over and had her lie down again. “I’ll listen to my wife.”
Xu Ling immediately started to giggle and also called her one after another, “Wife… wife… wife is so fragrant and delicious.”
The next day, the carefully selected gift and the ingredients for the seafood paella arrived one after another.
She looked at the pile of seafood and didn’t know how to handle it. How had she had the courage to challenge such a difficult dish right off the bat!?
Forget it for now. First, give the gift to the birthday girl.
Receiving the hardcover book, Qin Cong’an was a little surprised. Xu Ling had really put her heart into it. She had work to do abroad for the New Year and had originally planned to buy it then. She hadn’t expected Xu Ling to give it to her as a birthday gift.
“Thank you, Little Ling.”
Xu Ling felt that this was also a very meaningful book between them. She hadn’t confessed before. Now she told her, “At first, I thought you were reading this book to hint that you were cheating on me…”
Seeing Qin Cong’an laugh, Xu Ling continued, “Because the most famous thing about this book is that the female protagonist cheats!”
“Then I also misunderstood you. You don’t have an ex. Why were you so invested in that what-was-it, broken mirror reunited novel?”
“…I’m dizzy!” Xu Ling answered her with Jiang Jiang’s words. “I’m also very invested in stories about murder. Does that mean I’ve also killed someone!”
Qin Cong’an smiled helplessly. Prejudices were easily deepened but hard to eliminate. Once you had a preconceived fact, you would unconsciously treat all related things as corresponding hard evidence.
Xu Ling opened the jewelry box and held it in front of Qin Cong’an, asking nervously, “How is it? Isn’t it beautiful?”
“It’s beautiful.” It was a style that Qin Cong’an liked, simple but not plain, very finely polished. The way the diamonds were set was also unusual, with a hint of bright green as an embellishment, exquisite and understated.
Xu Ling took the necklace and put it on for Qin Cong’an from behind. She was so excited her hands were trembling a little, and she was a little anxious that she couldn’t fasten the clasp. Qin Cong’an’s “take your time” calmed her down, and she finally put it on.
Qin Cong’an’s neck made the necklace even more beautiful, and vice versa. Xu Ling couldn’t take her eyes off it.
Xu Ling’s ears were burning. “So beautiful, wife.”
They took a photo with the couple’s jewelry on, but Xu Ling didn’t dare to post it. It was too ambiguous. It was Qin Cong’an who posted it on IG.
The account Qin Cong’an had registered was not verified and had never posted anything before. The first post was this.
Xu Ling glanced at it and was first scared by her high-profile coming-out stance, then looked at her account and was puzzled. “Hmm? Your name feels so familiar. Have you liked many of my posts?”
“Yeah, I’ve been stalking you and your beautiful friends for a long time. Didn’t I say? How would I know that ring was the matching one Li Yan gave you if I didn’t look?” she replied very calmly.
“…”
“Okay, shouldn’t my seafood paella be made now?”
Xu Ling was dizzy. Qin Cong’an had said she had seen the photo she had taken in Tokyo, but this account had liked her posts with high frequency, which was even earlier.
The “long time” she had mentioned was probably a really long time.
Qin Cong’an didn’t wait for Xu Ling to say anything more and pushed her to the kitchen. “Ready to watch a good show.”
Xu Ling immediately became flustered and clumsy, making a clattering sound in the kitchen.
Soon, Qin Cong’an couldn’t watch anymore and was also softened by Xu Ling’s pitiful “wife, I really don’t know how, help me.” She took over the ingredients. But it was also her first time handling seafood, so she wasn’t very skilled.
Xu Ling leaned on the side and kept clapping. “Wow, so amazing.”
She thought to herself, tsk, and you wanted to watch a good show. You’re the one being handled.
Qin Cong’an stared over, a look of seeing through Xu Ling in her eyes.
“So great, An An!” Xu Ling clapped even louder. “I love how reliable you are! My heart is fluttering!”
…Fine.
