Chapter 59: The Humiliated Young Miss of the Marriage Alliance (4) Part 1

Bai Qian’s movement had been too sudden for anyone to react in time, much less remember to push her away.

Having warm, fragrant, soft jade in her arms should have been a delight, but to Chi Miaohan, it felt more like someone had shoved an unpredictable bomb into her embrace—one that might detonate without warning. After a brief moment of stunned immobility, she nearly sprang off the bed.

Her entire back was already pressed flush against the wall, however, and now a soft, fragrant girl had burrowed right into her chest. Caught between foes on both sides, she didn’t dare make the slightest move.

Chi Miaohan tentatively reached out, trying to shove the girl away, but the instant her palm brushed against that cool arm, it was as if she’d been stung by an insect. She yanked her hand back at once.

“You made out of water or something?” she growled under her breath.

Why did she have to be so soft? Chi Miaohan didn’t even dare push hard!

Only after the words left her mouth did she notice the girl in her arms trembling slightly in fright. Her voice softened unconsciously as she continued, “I’m not interested in sniffing whatever scent you’ve got on you. If you don’t want me tossing you off the bed, let go of me right now.”

Bai Qian obediently released her hold and scooted backward.

Her arms suddenly felt empty and forlorn. Chi Miaohan clenched her fists at her sides on instinct, only to realize that this unruly hand of hers had been trying to hold on. Her expression darkened in an instant, and she twisted away in a panic, as if fleeing from something.

The girl’s scent still lingered thickly in her nostrils, refusing to fade even as the distance between them grew. Chi Miaohan’s brows knitted so tightly they could have crushed a fly. “I told you, stop getting so damn close to me! You’ve got all that space over there—why not scoot further away? It’s the dead of summer—do you have to squeeze in here with me?”

Rather than moving, Bai Qian stayed put. “Miaohan, are you hot?” she asked with concern.

“What do you think? Aren’t you?” the girl shot back irritably.

“I feel just fine.” Bai Qian poked her experimentally with one finger, offering herself up with utmost sincerity. “My body’s cool year-round. If you’re too warm, I can stick right to you.”

“I don’t need that. The best thing for me is you staying far away. Got it? Far away!”

“Alright, then.” With such a prickly attitude, Bai Qian had no choice but to drop it.

She knew full well that some things couldn’t be rushed all at once.

Take getting Chi Miaohan to accept her, for instance.

Today’s outcome was already far better than she’d dared hope—sharing a bed hadn’t even been part of her original plans.

Reflecting on everything she and the girl had gotten up to over the past half day, Bai Qian finally settled contentedly on the bed’s outermost edge. She murmured a soft “goodnight” to Chi Miaohan and closed her eyes, falling quiet.

Chi Miaohan had no attention to spare for a reply. She was trapped in a hell of fire and ice.

She knew the girl had only wiped herself down with warm water earlier. The fragrance now assaulting her senses was purely the girl’s natural body scent.

It wasn’t overpowering—just faint, delicate wisps—but their proximity packed them all into her, crowding relentlessly.

Before long, they seemed to take on a tangible form, like a seductive hand teasing her to the edge of madness.

Chi Miaohan couldn’t stand it any longer. She let out a heavy breath and rasped, “You asleep yet? If not, get up and take another bath.”

There was no body wash in the house; she normally cleaned herself with a bar of mint-scented soap.

Chi Miaohan was all too familiar with that smell—it clung to her own skin right now. If the soap could mask the girl’s fragrance too, at least she wouldn’t be in this wretched state.

Bai Qian offered no response. Chi Miaohan called out a few more times, her impatience mounting, until she couldn’t wait any longer and twisted around in a huff to look.

Moonlight streamed in through the window, bathing the sleeping girl’s face. It lent an extra layer of heart-melting tenderness to her already exquisite features.

Unwittingly, Chi Miaohan stared, entranced. When she finally snapped out of it and realized what she was doing, she hurriedly scanned the girl’s expression.

Bai Qian remained fast asleep.

Only then did the guilty party breathe a sigh of relief, secure in the knowledge that no one had witnessed her lapse.

Tentatively, she called the girl’s name again—this time deliberately louder.

A single raindrop falling into a pond stirs no great ripples.

Chi Miaohan’s upper body began inching toward Bai Qian of its own accord.

The closer they drew, the more intense that maddening fragrance grew.

By now, she was like an addict who’d unwittingly inhaled the drug—knowing her actions were wrong, yet helpless against the mounting haze as she sank deeper into it.

Her nose hovered just beside the girl’s cheek, her breaths coming in heavier and heavier waves, as if desperate to pinpoint exactly which part of the other girl’s body this intoxicating fragrance was emanating from. Unable to help herself, she inched upward a little more. The moment her nostrils brushed against the other’s loose, flowing hair, a soft, bone-melting murmur exploded in her ear like thunder.

Chi Miaohan went numb all over.

The horrifying prospect of being caught by someone she despised sniffing her scent—no one could stay calm in the face of that.

Before she could come up with a flawless excuse, Bai Qian slowly stirred awake and finally noticed the girl right in front of her face.

She hadn’t realized what the other had done while she slept. The pampered young miss, who had never known true hunger, felt her eyes well up the instant she woke, her body protesting loudly against the gnawing emptiness.

Turning her head aside, the flush at the corners of her eyes caught the moonlight, lending them an alluring tint.

She whimpered pitifully, “Miaohan, I’m hungry.”

Realizing her “perverted behavior” hadn’t been exposed, Chi Miaohan let out a quiet breath of relief even as she subconsciously replied, “What do you want to eat?”

The words had barely left her mouth when her thin lips pressed into a tight line.

What was she doing?!

Had she forgotten who it was that had spat out that bite of food without a second thought that afternoon?!

The memory flashed through her mind, and the restless haze induced by the fragrance finally cleared from Chi Miaohan’s thoughts.

She was about to mock her sharply: “There’s no one like you in this—”

“Miaohan, could you fry an egg for your big sister?” Bai Qian cut her off with a pitiful whine. Under her gaze, she held up a single dainty pinky finger and wiggled it coaxingly. “My stomach’s not big at all. Just one egg will do. Miaohan, I want an egg. Won’t you make one for your big sister?”

Bai Qian had thought this through carefully before asking for just an egg.

The gap in their living conditions was too vast. No matter how well Chi Miaohan cooked the vegetables, the result would surely be the same as that afternoon—spat out without hesitation.

Eggs, however, were something even the original host ate regularly.

“What time is it? You think frying an egg is that easy? Forget it. No way.”

Bai Qian knew full well that frying an egg here wasn’t the same as doing it back at the Bai Family home.

If she had a better solution, she never would have resorted to this.

Her body’s resistance was nearing its breaking point, and she knew it wouldn’t tolerate anything that didn’t align with the original host’s status anymore.

In other words, right now, all she could do was act spoiled and beg sweetly—nothing proper or sensible.

The thought had just crossed her mind when her body reacted exactly as expected.

—Forcing her to cry out once more.

This time it was even worse. After just two sobs, she burrowed into Chi Miaohan’s arms again, utterly aggrieved. Her delicate pink fingers clutched the other’s clothes so tightly that even her fingertips turned white as snow.

As she whimpered, her body trembled faintly. They were pressed so close that Chi Miaohan could feel every quiver.

Her scorching, pounding heart throbbed in sync with the other’s, its wildly erratic rhythm impossible to ignore—like it might leap right out of her chest at any second.

“Miaohan, your big sister wants an egg. Wuu wuu, make me an egg, please?”

Crack.

Chi Miaohan’s resolve shattered.

…

Starting the fire wasn’t complicated, and that wasn’t what irritated Chi Miaohan.

She glared at the haughty young miss standing all alone at a distance, refusing to come any closer. Her expression was far from pleasant.

“Who am I frying this egg for? Why are you standing so far away?”

Bai Qian couldn’t get any closer. She explained, “I took a bath earlier. That area’s a bit dirty. I can’t come over.”

She wanted to, but her body wouldn’t let her. There was nothing she could do.

Chi Miaohan couldn’t help but laugh in exasperation at her innocent look. She shot up from the stool. “Fine, I’m done. Starve then. If you’ve got the guts, cry until dawn. See if I care.”

No sooner had the words left her lips than the familiar whimpering started up again.

Bai Qian’s mind refused to let her cry, but her body insisted. In the end, her mind lost the battle.

The girl’s teary eyes were heartbreaking. “Miaohan, I’m hungry. I’m really, really hungry.”

“…”

In the end, Chi Miaohan fried a pair of eggs. Bai Qian couldn’t bring herself to sit at the rickety old table, so she stood there holding the bowl in one hand and chopsticks in the other. She took a small bite of the golden, crispy egg white, chewed thoughtfully, then praised her without reservation. “Miaohan, your cooking is amazing.”

The girl busy washing the pot snorted dismissively at her praise. Catching sight of her out of the corner of her eye, she furrowed her brows. “Did I stop you from sitting down? Don’t act like I’m the one abusing you. Who knows who’s really tormenting whom here.”

Bai Qian shook her head. “I’m choosing to stand on my own. Don’t worry about me—I’ll finish eating soon enough.”

Chi Miaohan naturally wanted nothing to do with her, but her body betrayed her resolve, compelling her to steal glances at the spot where the other woman stood every few moments.

In the end, Bai Qian even brought her bowl over, and Chi Miaohan still hadn’t finished scrubbing the pot.

The girl sidled up beside her, looking troubled as she displayed the half-eaten fried egg still in her bowl. “Miaohan, I can’t eat any more. What should I do?”

With that, she picked up the half-bitten egg with her chopsticks and held it to Chi Miaohan’s lips, hesitating as she asked, “How about you help Sister finish it? We’re both girls—you won’t mind, right?”

“I mind a lot. Just throw it out.”

Bai Qian blinked in surprise. “You waste food too?”

Chi Miaohan had no intention of admitting she never wasted food. Sharing chopsticks with someone she despised was far worse than tossing it.

She let out a scoff. “What else am I supposed to do, eat your saliva?”

Bai Qian had grown accustomed to her occasional barbs. Meekly, she dumped the leftovers and handed over the bowl.

“Then Sister’s heading to bed first. Good night, Miaohan.”

Chi Miaohan gnashed her teeth. “I haven’t gone to sleep yet, and you’re already turning in?”

She had spent half the day bustling about—for whose sake, exactly?!

This phony sister truly had no heart!

Bai Qian let out a sleepy yawn, physiological tears welling at the corners of her eyes. She resembled a languid cat, her soft voice making it impossible to stay mad.

“If Sister doesn’t get to bed, she’ll start crying.”

Her body was already issuing silent threats; Bai Qian figured she could hold out maybe a few more minutes.

Chi Miaohan was utterly speechless.