Chapter 53

She downed one glass after another. Since she was sitting at the bar, the bartender had noticed Shen Zhirou long ago. When she finally slumped over onto the counter, he grew worried something might happen and hurried over to ask, “Miss, you’re drunk. Do you need us to call someone from your family to come get you?”

Shen Zhirou didn’t even lift her head from the bar, her voice thick with tears. “Family? I only have one sister. She’s my only family… only her…”

Her words tumbled out in a jumbled mess, confirming to the bartender that she was thoroughly intoxicated. “Miss, how about you unlock your phone with your fingerprint? I’ll call your family and have them come pick you up.”

“No… can’t call. Can’t worry Mianmian.” Shen Zhirou was completely out of it, but she still clung to the thought of not troubling Shen Yumian.

Seeing how wasted she was, the bartender had no choice but to hold her phone steady while she fumbled to unlock it with her fingerprint. He found “Yaoyao” listed as her emergency contact.

At this point, whatever he asked Shen Zhirou got nothing but nonsense in response, so he simply dialed the number.

Lu Yao had returned home from the company, eaten a simple meal, and gone straight to bed. She felt drained, her mind replaying the things Shen Zhirou had said to her over and over. Around nine o’clock, her phone suddenly rang.

Frowning, Lu Yao picked it up and glanced at the screen. It was a call from Shen Zhirou. In the next instant, she was wide awake and answered immediately.

“Jie Jie?” Lu Yao’s voice held a note of trepidation, hardly daring to believe that Shen Zhirou had called her of her own accord.

“Hello, miss. Your friend got drunk here at Crown Bar. We’re worried something might happen, so we called the emergency contact in her phone. Are you able to come pick her up?”

“Yes, I’m on my way.” Lu Yao hung up, quickly changed clothes, grabbed her keys, and headed for the elevator. Her heart pounded faster with every beat. So, she was still my emergency contact? I’m the one she trusts most. The thought warmed Lu Yao from the inside out.

Fifteen minutes later, Lu Yao’s Bentley pulled up outside Crown Bar. She hurried out of the car and made a beeline for the bar counter, where Shen Zhirou was still slumped over the table, mumbling incoherently to herself.

Lu Yao glanced at the bartender. “I’ll take her home.”

“Alright, here’s her phone. I kept it safe so it wouldn’t get lost in the crowd.” The bartender handed Shen Zhirou’s phone to Lu Yao.

Lu Yao clutched the phone and wrapped an arm around Shen Zhirou’s waist, trying to help her up. “Jie Jie, let’s go home.”

“Home… yeah, I want to go home. It’s too late.” Shen Zhirou’s head swam, and she had no idea who was speaking to her. She just instinctively felt that the blurry figure before her was familiar—someone she could trust.

She leaned into the support and stood with Lu Yao’s help. The tears on her face hadn’t fully dried, and her eyes were red and puffy, as if she’d been crying for hours. She kept murmuring something under her breath.

Supporting Shen Zhirou carefully, Lu Yao leaned in to catch her fragmented drunken ramblings. “I… I don’t have Mom and Dad anymore. Grandma, I miss you so much. I don’t have a home anymore.”

Her words came in broken bits, making no real sense, but they tugged at Lu Yao’s heart. She had never paid much attention to Shen Zhirou’s family situation before and had never asked about it. All she knew was that Shen Zhirou’s parents were divorced and that she kept in touch with her mother.

“Why does my money have to go to my brother? Can’t I have a home too? Why have they never liked me and my sister since we were little? Why does Yaoyao have to treat me like a stranger? I really like her…” Shen Zhirou sobbed in Lu Yao’s arms like a child.

Lu Yao gazed at her with heartache. This was the first time she’d seen Shen Zhirou break down and cry like this. Before, she’d only ever thought about clinging to Shen Zhirou when she needed her, never about learning more about her life.

There was a hint of helplessness in the way Lu Yao looked at Shen Zhirou as she murmured, “Jie Jie, I never treated you like a stranger. I like you too. Let’s go home.”

She guided Shen Zhirou toward the exit, pausing now and then to dab at her tears with a tissue. Only when they reached the car did Lu Yao gently ease her into the back seat to lie down and rest.

Lu Yao brushed the stray hairs from Shen Zhirou’s forehead back behind her ear and cooed softly, “Jie Jie, we’re going home now—to our home, just the two of us.”

As she spoke, Lu Yao’s eyes grew slightly red-rimmed. She didn’t even want to get up and head to the driver’s seat. It had been so long since she’d been able to gaze at Shen Zhirou like this. For a moment, she was reluctant to tear her eyes away. But then she remembered that she was Shen Zhirou’s emergency contact, and Lu Yao let out a subconscious sigh of relief. So Jie Jie still cared about her, deep down.

Straightening up, she closed the rear door and hurried to the driver’s side, slipping inside.

On the drive back, Lu Yao worried that Shen Zhirou might feel uncomfortable lying in the back, so she drove faster than on the way there. Just over ten minutes later, she pulled into the underground garage of their complex.

Getting out, Lu Yao opened the rear door to help Shen Zhirou—and found her fast asleep.

The harsh fluorescent lights of the garage cast a soft glow on the car window, as if plating Shen Zhirou in a gentle halo where she lay on the back seat. Lu Yao leaned in to support her, but froze at the sight of that face so close.

It had only been a little over a month since she and Shen Zhirou had parted ways, but to Lu Yao, it felt like forever. She’d missed her terribly during all that time.

Lu Yao gathered Shen Zhirou into her arms, letting her lean against her chest, and with some effort, maneuvered her out of the back seat. Then she supported her all the way back home.

Worried Shen Zhirou might be uncomfortable, Lu Yao carried her straight to the master bedroom and laid her on the bed. She helped her out of her shoes so she could rest properly.

Lu Yao grabbed some makeup remover from the bathroom and gently wiped it off Shen Zhirou’s face. Then she used a warm, damp towel to clean her face and hands. Standing by the bed, she hesitated. Shen Zhirou was too drunk to take a proper shower, but sleeping in her clothes wouldn’t be comfortable.

They’d done this sort of thing many times before, yet Lu Yao’s earlobes flushed pink as she stood there. Jie Jie was still mad at her—she couldn’t just touch her without permission. But seeing Shen Zhirou’s furrowed brow, Lu Yao decided to at least change her into a nightgown so she could sleep well.

Taking a deep breath, Lu Yao leaned down and gently caressed the side of Shen Zhirou’s face. It had been so long since she’d looked at her like this. “Jie Jie, I miss you so much. This time you’ve come back, please don’t leave again, okay? You have no idea how empty and cold the house feels without you. I don’t even want to come home anymore. Can we start over?”

Perhaps finding Lu Yao’s cool palm soothing, Shen Zhirou leaned into it, nuzzling her cheek against the center of Lu Yao’s hand.

Lu Yao’s hand trembled. A tingling numbness shot from her arm straight to her heart. It was intoxicating, especially since it was the person she loved so much. Her heartbeat quickened with every thump. She missed Shen Zhirou terribly—missed her holding her like she used to, missed being pulled into her arms for a kiss.

Just over a month ago, these had been their everyday intimacies. A little coquetry from Lu Yao, and Shen Zhirou would give in to anything. But now, they felt like an impossible luxury.

Restraining the flutter in her chest, Lu Yao carefully undressed Shen Zhirou. She’d seen it all before, yet she still felt her mouth go dry. She wanted so badly to give in and make love to her like old times, but reason held her back. Doing that would only push Shen Zhirou further away.

Love meant respect. It meant restraint. If only she’d realized that sooner.

By the time she’d helped Shen Zhirou into her nightgown, Lu Yao was covered in sweat. She gently settled her on the bed, then dashed to the bathroom for a quick shower. When she came out, she poured a glass of warm water, hoping Shen Zhirou could sip some to feel better.

Gazing at Shen Zhirou sunk into the soft mattress, Lu Yao steeled herself inwardly. With Jie Jie this drunk, feeding her from a cup might just make a mess. Better to do it herself.

Tucking a strand of her slightly curly brown hair behind her ear, Lu Yao fixed her gray-brown eyes unwaveringly on Shen Zhirou. They’d kissed so many times before, yet now she felt inexplicably nervous.

Lu Yao took a gentle sip of water, her heart pounding like thunder as she leaned close. She pressed her lips to Shen Zhirou’s and slowly let the water trickle in.

Shen Zhirou’s throat was burning from all the hard liquor she’d drunk that night. Sensing the warm liquid, she instinctively latched on in her haze, her right hand pressing the back of Lu Yao’s neck to keep her from pulling away, greedily drawing in more.

Lu Yao’s earlobes turned scarlet. Her right hand nearly knocked over the glass. Eyes closed, she yielded to the kiss, enduring it until Shen Zhirou finally released her.

“More… I want water,” Shen Zhirou murmured. That single sip had been a drop in the bucket—her throat still burned fiercely.

A blush spread from the corners of Lu Yao’s eyes. Her thin, tender lips had turned a swollen peach color from the recent kiss. When Shen Zhirou said she still wanted more water, Lu Yao’s gray-brown eyes darkened inscrutably. “Alright, I’ll feed Jie Jie right now.”

Lu Yao took another mouthful of warm water. Afraid of choking Shen Zhirou, she fed it over bit by bit. But Shen Zhirou didn’t feel quenched and pulled Lu Yao close, sucking the water directly from her mouth.

By the time the cup was empty, a fine sheen of sweat had broken out over Lu Yao’s body, and a restless ache had bloomed between her thighs. The bath she’d just taken might as well have been for nothing.

She set the empty glass on the bedside table and draped herself over Shen Zhirou, struggling to calm the heat stirring in her chest. Lu Yao hadn’t expected a mere kiss to arouse her so intensely.

With a touch of grievance, she gazed at Shen Zhirou, her eyes misting over. She had no idea how much longer she could hold out before coaxing Zhirou back to her old self—the one who would take her like before.

Her eyes reddening at the rims, Lu Yao sniffed and resignedly headed to the bathroom for another shower before returning to the master bedroom.

Her gaze settled on Shen Zhirou’s face, then drifted to those still-crimson lips. In no time at all, she found herself yearning for the sensation of their kiss once more. Lu Yao sighed and lay down beside her, rolling onto her side to watch, like trying to quench her thirst by staring at plums.