Chapter 66: Let Me See

“Miss me?” Yang Zhao asked with a smile.

She always liked asking such questions.

Hua Man instinctively avoided the question and changed the subject. “Are you in a hotel?”

Even though she hadn’t answered, Yang Zhao suddenly laughed, certain as ever. “You missed me.”

Hua Man stiffened her face and refuted, “No.”

She didn’t want to admit that she’d been thinking of her these past few days.

Unfortunately, Yang Zhao was like a worm in her belly—or rather, her confidence had gone overboard. She grew even more affirmative. “Don’t deny it, baby. You missed me.”

Hua Man fell silent.

Yang Zhao quietly admired Hua Man’s expression before deliberately asking, “Hm? Why aren’t you talking?”

Hua Man sighed inwardly and looked at her helplessly. “Did you call just to ask that?”

“Of course not.” Yang Zhao denied it. “I missed you.”

With that, she leaned closer to the screen, deliberately lowering her voice. Even through the screen, it made Hua Man’s ears itch.

“I missed you everywhere.”

It was a phrase loaded with innuendo.

Hua Man’s face burned as she pretended not to grasp the deeper meaning, staying calm. “Then you can come find me tomorrow.”

“But what if I want you now?”

Yang Zhao sighed.

What to do?

Hua Man glanced at the time—it was already past nine.

“You want me to come to you right now?” she asked.

“I’m too far from you, and it’s not safe.” Yang Zhao sighed wistfully. “How could I bear to see you rushing over, putting yourself in danger?”

Her tone rose playfully at the end.

If she didn’t want Hua Man to come over, then what did she mean?

Hua Man soon got her answer.

In the video, the camera shook slightly as Yang Zhao moved to the window. Her voice carried a smile. “Manman, remember that time by the window? You were like water.”

Hua Man’s hand tightened involuntarily around her phone.

The person on the other end kept going, saying things that made her cheeks burn and her heart race.

Just listening to it made those scenes flood back uncontrollably, and her body soon reacted. She clamped her legs together instinctively and cut her off. “Is this what you called to say?”

Her voice was especially cold.

Yang Zhao watched Hua Man’s expression for a moment on the other end before suddenly bursting into laughter. “Manman, you’re showing, aren’t you?”

Caught off guard, Hua Man’s face flushed crimson.

Even through the screen, Yang Zhao couldn’t tell if she was lying, so Hua Man denied it without hesitation. “No.”

“No?”

“No.”

Yang Zhao shifted on the bed. “Fine, seeing is believing, hearing is deceiving. Show me.”

Hua Man’s mind exploded with a boom. She asked instinctively, “What?”

“I want to see.” Yang Zhao replied patiently.

In that instant, Hua Man realized this was the real reason Yang Zhao had made the video call.

She clenched her jaw. “Can we skip it?”

“Why not?” Yang Zhao raised a brow. “If you think it’s unfair, I can show you too.”

With that, before Hua Man could react, Yang Zhao undid her bathrobe.

A swath of white from the horizon, tinged with vibrant red clouds, appeared before Hua Man’s eyes. Even through the screen, she could feel how stunning it was.

It was a beautiful, sweet cake.

Having tasted it for real before, those sensations felt even more vivid and clear.

Hua Man froze but couldn’t tear her gaze away.

After staring stiffly for a while, she looked away, a hint of submission in her voice. “Next time?”

“Hm?” Yang Zhao raised a brow. “Why not look at me? Why next time?”

Her tone turned commanding. “Now. Look at me.”

Hua Man: “…”

After several seconds of mental preparation, Hua Man looked back. But when her eyes landed on the screen, she realized her preparation had been insufficient.

Yang Zhao’s face was no longer visible.

All she could see were Yang Zhao’s slender fingers brushing over petals, parting them to draw out nectar.

“Look.”

From off-screen, Yang Zhao’s voice smiled. “See how much I missed you.”

Hua Man couldn’t remember how she fumbled to end the video call in a panic. She sprawled on the bed like a starfish, the images replaying in her mind as her face grew hotter.

Her body’s reaction was impossible to ignore.

She rolled onto her side, clamping her legs together unconsciously to stop it from flowing more.

But it was utterly uncontrollable.

Yang Zhao’s call came through again soon after.

This time it was voice only. Hua Man hesitated for a few seconds before answering.

The moment she connected, Yang Zhao’s ragged breaths slipped into her ear.

Hua Man pressed her lips tight. The bath she’d just taken was wasted.

“Manman, listen—”

Amid urgent breaths, Yang Zhao’s voice, brimming with spring colors, rang out.

Hua Man held her breath. With the sounds right in her ear, she tried to restrain herself but couldn’t quell the agitation inside.

“Manman, don’t you miss me?”

Hua Man didn’t respond. Her fingers gripping the phone turned white-knuckled as she endured, finally breaking through her last mental barrier. Her other hand found its way down.

Rain had started falling outside the window.

She bit her lip, listening to Yang Zhao’s voice in her ear as she moved gently.

It was her first time doing this. She didn’t want Yang Zhao to notice, so she restrained herself fiercely, not daring to go too fast.

But having experienced the real thing with Yang Zhao, this only made her feel emptier.

She felt like a bottle.

She desperately wanted to fill it.

She wanted to have Yang Zhao.

She wanted to lose control together with Yang Zhao.

Even until the end, Yang Zhao never realized Hua Man had climaxed silently along with her. After her own release, her voice still carried heavy breaths, but it was full of complaints.

“Are you made of wood?”

“Hua Man, why didn’t you react at all?”

No reaction?

Hua Man dazedly looked down at the wetness on her fingers. Her face burned even hotter as she said awkwardly, “Yang Zhao, get some rest early.”

With that, she hung up immediately.

Her previous bath was wasted. Hua Man rested for a bit before getting up and taking another one.

A message from Yang Zhao still sat in WeChat.

Furious at Hua Man’s “lack of reaction,” she declared she’d make her pay next time.

Hua Man furrowed her brows. To avoid needing another bath later, she immediately stopped herself from dwelling on Yang Zhao’s words.

She couldn’t help pulling the blanket over her head, refusing to think about it.

Unfortunately, the blanket still held the scent Yang Zhao had left last time—sweet and fragrant, utterly intoxicating.

Annoying Yang Zhao. Even when she wasn’t around, she kept Hua Man from sleeping well.

…

Hua Man soon found a suitable part-time job.

It was tutoring.

She just needed to tutor a high school first-year girl who was homebound due to illness. Hua Man handled math: two hundred per hour, one hour each morning. The girl had other study arrangements the rest of the time.

The girl was very obedient and smart, with top grades at school.

Hua Man had tutored before, so this job was fairly easy for her.

But she hadn’t expected the girl’s perpetually busy sister to be Bai Qinghe.

Hua Man arrived at the Bai Family Home around nine and left by ten, while Bai Qinghe was swamped at the hospital. They hadn’t crossed paths in the first half month.

Hua Man only heard about her from her student Bai Zhilan: a super-busy big sister, like a dragon you saw the head of but never the tail—busier than the emperor.

The day they ran into each other was rainy. As Hua Man came downstairs, she met Bai Qinghe, who was approaching with an umbrella.

“Miss Hua?”

Bai Qinghe seemed surprised to see her.

“Dr. Bai.”

Hua Man was surprised too. She hadn’t expected to run into Bai Qinghe here.

Hua Xi was recovering well now, doing great with rehab—all thanks to Bai Qinghe.

Bai Qinghe asked proactively, “Are you Zhilan’s tutor?”

“Yes.” Hua Man nodded, now fully certain. “Dr. Bai, you’re Zhilan’s sister?”

Bai Qinghe smiled. “Yes.”

She said gently, “You can call me by name—Qinghe or Bai Qinghe is fine.”

Calling her Qinghe felt too intimate, and Bai Qinghe seemed a bit distant. Hua Man was used to Dr. Bai.

But since she’d offered, Hua Man nodded.

After a thought, she added, “You can call me by my name too.”

“Okay.” Bai Qinghe agreed.

They didn’t chat much longer. The driver who came for Hua Man arrived soon. After saying goodbye, she hurried to the car.

The driver was still old Zhu Shu.

The moment she got in, it hit her—he was Yang Zhao’s eyes and ears. Would he tell Yang Zhao what just happened?

After a moment, she said, “Back to the apartment.”

Better safe than sorry, in case Yang Zhao lost it in front of Hua Xi later.

By afternoon, she knew how right that decision had been.

When Yang Zhao’s “Open up” message came, “As expected” flashed through Hua Man’s mind.

Bracing for Yang Zhao’s meltdown, she opened the door.

Outside, Yang Zhao’s expression was neutral—no obvious anger. But Hua Man’s eyes were drawn to the suitcase beside her. Why a suitcase?

Seeing Hua Man freeze, Yang Zhao lifted her chin. “What are you standing around for?”

Hua Man snapped back and reached out to grab the suitcase. Hearing footsteps behind her, she reminded, “Close the door.”

“You’re quite the bossy one.”

Yang Zhao tsked in dissatisfaction.

The door clicked shut firmly. Hua Man paused mid-step and couldn’t help glancing back at Yang Zhao.

Yang Zhao still looked displeased.

But the door was securely closed.

Seeing Yang Zhao look her way, Hua Man asked, “Did you finish handling your business?”

Yang Zhao sighed wistfully. “If I said it failed and now I have nowhere to go, you’d have to take me in—would you kick me out?”

Hua Man’s eyes flickered.

She studied Yang Zhao closely, trying to discern truth from lie.

Unfortunately, she couldn’t tell.

“I’ve helped you a lot, after all. If I’m in trouble now, it’s only right for you to lend a hand, right?”

Seeing Hua Man silent, Yang Zhao narrowed her eyes. “Don’t tell me you won’t?”

Had she discarded her now that Hua Xi’s surgery was done?

Hua Man sighed. “Stop teasing me.”

“I’m not.” Yang Zhao lowered her gaze. “Yan Wei and Qin Fangqin teamed up and kicked me out.”

Hua Man still didn’t fully buy it.

But she didn’t call her out. “Fine, I’ll take you in.”

If it was true, sheltering Yang Zhao for a while was the least she could do—no matter how she looked at it, she couldn’t let her end up on the streets.

If it was fake, this wouldn’t offend her either. Besides, if Yang Zhao wanted to stay, Hua Man couldn’t stop her anyway.

Yang Zhao was capricious, acting on whims. If she wanted to play like this, Hua Man could humor her for a bit.

“You’ll really take me in?”

Yang Zhao’s face lit up with a grin.

Hua Man: “Really.”

Seeing Hua Man head to another room with the suitcase, Yang Zhao caught up in three strides. “I want your room.”

Her tone was commanding, as always.

Hua Man stopped. “My room’s small. You sure you want to squeeze in with me?”

“I’m a guest under your roof now. Of course I’ll humble myself and squeeze in.” Yang Zhao reminded her.

Hua Man: “…”

Where did she look like a humble guest?

Yang Zhao prowled the living room like inspecting her territory before stopping at the doll. Her brows furrowed. “You just bought this?”

She reached out and picked it up.

Hua Man’s breath hitched slightly. “Mm.”

Yang Zhao squeezed it, staring into the doll’s eyes. Her brows knit tighter. She shook it, then reached to tug at the eye.

Hua Man’s expression shifted. Just as she moved to stop her, Yang Zhao pulled a camera out of the doll.