Chapter 66: The Humiliated Heiress of the Arranged Marriage (11) — Now, Go and Coax Her Properly Part 2

Bai Qian gradually quieted, nestling her small frame against Chi Miaohan’s chest. Her sobs softened to a choked murmur. “If you trick me again… if you kiss me again… I’ll really ignore you next time!”

Chi Miaohan seized the moment to voice the question that had weighed on her heart for so long. “Sister doesn’t like it when I lie to you… so why did you lie to me?”

The girl jerked her head up from Chi Miaohan’s embrace, her big, watery eyes flashing in defiance. “I never lied to you! You’re being so mean today—doing wrong yourself and shoving the blame onto me! Waaah, I shouldn’t have come to class with you! Waaah, and you kissed me twice—how could you kiss me twice? Waaah, you stuck your tongue in! You even—mmph!”

Fresh from her second “bullying,” Bai Qian found her mouth claimed once more.

Chi Miaohan took her time with a thorough, lingering kiss before finally releasing the tear-soaked bundle of fragility. She ruffled her hair and asked warmly, “Does sister want a fourth kiss?”

Bai Qian shook her head in misery, her pretty face scrunched up in such a pitiful pout.

“Then… can sister hear me out first before hating me?”

She started to shake her head on instinct, but fear of another kiss won out. With great reluctance, she nodded, choking out, “Chi Miaohan… you’re really annoying!”

Afraid of tempting fate, she yanked her hand free and clamped it nervously over her own mouth.

Chi Miaohan found her this way utterly adorable, the amusement in her eyes deepening a touch. Yet she refrained from breaking her word again by leaning in for another kiss. “Sister clearly promised to let me go with you for registration, but in the end, you went off alone. Sister doesn’t like me at all—she doesn’t take her promises to me seriously. Sister’s a liar too—”

“I did not!” Bai Qian cut her off, refuting the claim with heartfelt grievance. “You never even said you wanted to come with me. You’re the liar!”

Chi Miaohan tilted her head. “This morning, when Sister woke up, I told you, and you nodded right then in agreement. How can you deny it now?”

“I didn’t! I was dead tired—how could I even hear you?” Bai Qian felt utterly wronged.

Chi Miaohan paused, then mentally replayed the moment.

On second thought, her expression shifted. The other girl hadn’t exactly been awake at the time.

Realizing it was all just a misunderstanding, the crushing weight lifted from her chest. But in its place rose something far more disquieting.

Oh no.

She had kissed her sister to tears.

Not only had she skipped the usual coaxing to calm her down, she’d doubled down with a third kiss.

The young lady, now fully enraged, had finally shoved her away.

Bai Qian stormed off ahead, ignoring the Little Wild Dog who hurried after her, desperate to soothe her temper. Every time the girl edged closer, red-eyed glares forced her back to a safe step’s distance.

After a few rounds of this dance, Chi Miaohan opted not to push her luck. She stopped closing the gap deliberately and simply trailed a precise pace behind.

They’d barely taken two steps when Bai Qian halted abruptly.

Chi Miaohan nearly collided with her but caught herself just in time, her reflexes kicking in. She steadied and retreated another step, playing it safe.

To her dismay, that only set her off further. Fresh tears spilled down the girl’s cheeks, her face a picture of pitiful aggrievement that tugged at the heartstrings, urging Chi Miaohan to scoop her up and comfort her.

Sobbing, the girl wailed, “Chi Miaohan! Don’t you like me anymore? Waaah, you always coax me until I’m happy, but today you barely tried before giving up! Waaah, there must be other girls in your class you like more, so you’ve got no patience left for me!”

“…”

Chi Miaohan snapped into action, closing the distance in two strides to sweep the delicate young lady into her arms.

Bai Qian squirmed at first, just as before, but Chi Miaohan held firm this time, refusing to relent until the struggles ebbed away bit by bit.

With her soothed once more, Chi Miaohan wasted no time dawdling on campus. She took her straight home.

Bai Qian curled up on the sofa, phone in hand as she lost herself in a game. Chi Miaohan approached with a plate of freshly sliced fruit, popping a piece into her mouth while asking, “Sister mentioned wanting fish this morning, right? It’s too late to cook now, so stay here and wait for me. I’ll grab some from outside, bring it back, and we can eat together. Sound good?”

Only after hearing her assent did Chi Miaohan exhale in relief.

The door clicked shut behind her, and the chill wind hit like a slap. Only then did it dawn on her.

The three kisses in the classroom… they were just going to slide?

Chi Miaohan couldn’t suppress a grin. What a perfect day.

~~~

An utterly ordinary night.

Chi Miaohan jolted awake from her dream once more.

Darkness cloaked everything—including her ears, flushed such a deep crimson they seemed ready to bleed.

School had been in session for nearly a month now, and her once-solid sleep had gone into freefall ever since that classroom kiss with Bai Qian.

Simple reason: those kisses had been like the hand prying open Pandora’s Box. With a snap, the lid flew free, unleashing every secret, forbidden urge inside.

They haunted her dreams now, parading her through every nook of the house in vivid vignettes.

And without fail, her companion in these fevered serials was the very girl currently nestled trustingly in her arms, lost to peaceful slumber.

Chi Miaohan had grown accustomed to stirring at this hour. She drew deep, steadying breaths, methodically purging the lurid scenes from her mind. Then, with utmost care, she slipped her arm free.

As she rose from bed, her hand brushed her back—slick with sweat.

Muscle memory took over. She snagged fresh sleep clothes and navigated to the bathroom in pitch black, no light required.

The bathroom light bloomed to life, its glow seeping through the door crack into the bedroom. Moments later came the soothing patter of water.

Chi Miaohan’s body ran at the perfect warmth. Cuddled against her in sleep, Bai Qian never needed extra heat even in winter.

But tonight, the usually docile girl shifted unconsciously in her dreams. The blanket, neatly tucked earlier, slipped down unnoticed.

Winter’s merciless chill snaked through the gap, invading the bed.

Chi Miaohan changed clothes without noticing that Bai Qian was already awake. The moment she lay down on the bed, a soft, fragrant little bundle immediately burrowed into her arms.

The young lady, tormented awake by the cold wind in the middle of the night, whimpered in grievance and resentment, venting all her frustration on the other girl.

“Wahhh, it’s all your fault! Why’d you have to take a bath in the middle of the night? Wahhh, now I’m freezing.”

Chi Miaohan casually pulled the blanket tighter, sealing every last gap, before drawing the kitten scratching at her with soft paws into her embrace. Naturally, she began coaxing her in a low voice.

Perhaps it was the deep stillness of the night that made all her senses unusually sluggish tonight.

By the time Chi Miaohan realized what was happening, her lips had veered from their path of mere comfort and were now inappropriately brushing against the corner of the other girl’s mouth.

Her freshly bathed body grew feverish again. The girl’s sweet, cloying fragrance, trapped under the covers, burrowed madly into her nose.

Those “lewd scenes” that had haunted her like nightmares in the darkness flashed inappropriately before her eyes one by one.

The corners of her eyes were red.

Her eye sockets were red.

Her skin glowed pink.

And those long scratches raked across her back by fingernails were even redder.

Chi Miaohan’s breathing grew heavier. She knew that staying in such close contact any longer might lead her to commit an irreparable mistake.

Reluctantly, she loosened her hand from the girl’s back, where it had been soothing her, hoping to calm herself by reducing physical contact.

Bai Qian, so used to being pampered, sensed something amiss the instant Chi Miaohan eased her grip.

Dissatisfied, the girl pressed even closer into her embrace, mumbling, “Don’t you dare let go! I haven’t fallen asleep yet! Keep coaxing me!”

Her soft, coquettish tone was like a garnish, adding an even more tantalizing flavor to this already delectable treat.

Chi Miaohan’s voice came out hoarse, almost unrecognizable as her own.

“Sister, how about you sleep alone tonight?”

Bai Qian instantly lifted her head from Chi Miaohan’s arms at those words. “Why?”

Chi Miaohan knew she couldn’t hold back much longer, or she’d truly lose control. Gritting her teeth, she decided to lay it all bare.

“Sister, I want to kiss you. Ever since that day in the classroom when I kissed you, every night I dream about kissing you.” She paused, not mentioning even more intimate acts. “I promised you I wouldn’t kiss you without permission before we start dating. Last time was an accident, so even though I really want to kiss you right now, I won’t do it without your say-so.”

“So, Sister, let me sleep on the sofa tonight, okay? Otherwise, I’m afraid I won’t be able to hold back and might make you cry again.”

She must have been truly tormented, because Chi Miaohan didn’t wait for Bai Qian’s reply. Like a fleeing soldier, she bolted out of bed and rushed out the door.

The sound of the door closing jolted Bai Qian from her thoughts.

Without that familiar warmth enveloping her body, it began to stir restlessly again.

The longer Bai Qian fused with it, the more often she suppressed it at crucial moments.

Like tonight—the first time she’d controlled her body, which couldn’t fall asleep without being held.

Sensing it had quieted, Bai Qian relaxed.

She rolled over, closed her eyes, and prepared for the first solo sleep since entering this world.

Three minutes later, she opened them again.

She couldn’t sleep.

Chi Miaohan’s scent lingered in the sheets. Far from fading with her departure, it now felt even more precious in her absence.

Her body no longer resisted, but her soul struggled in the night, crawling out of bed.

~~~

She sensed that liking someone felt like this.

So simple, it turned out.

As long as she knew it was her soul holding on, that was enough.

Bai Qian got out of bed to find her.

She had just thrown back the covers when she heard something gently leaning against the door from outside.

Chi Miaohan’s hoarse voice had returned to its usual gentleness. “Sister, I knew you wouldn’t be able to sleep, so how about I tell you a story from out here to lull you to sleep? What does Sister want to hear tonight? Let me tell you one…”

The girl froze for a moment, then lay back down.

She listened quietly as Chi Miaohan spun one cute little tale after another. Suddenly, she thought how lucky she was to be liked by someone like this.

Bai Qian had meant to tell her tonight that she understood her own feelings, but unexpectedly, the bedtime stories lulled her to sleep.

Unaware of what she’d missed across that door, Chi Miaohan felt she’d told enough. She picked up her phone from the floor beside her and checked the time.

Nearly an hour had passed since she’d sat down.

She pushed herself up using the door, easing the numbness in her legs from holding the same position for so long. Once the feeling returned, she quietly opened the door.

Bai Qian was already asleep, her breathing light and even.

Gazing at the girl’s peaceful sleeping face, those restless thoughts churning in her mind finally settled once more.

In the end, Chi Miaohan drifted off to sleep while holding Bai Qian.

The next day, she woke earlier than usual. The unfulfilled longings from the night before sprouted up again like bamboo shoots after a spring rain.

Chi Miaohan silently cursed her own filthy mind that thought of nothing but dirty things all day, but there was nothing she could do about it. She quickly slipped out of bed before the girl woke up.

She prepared breakfast and sent a quick explanatory message on WeChat. Not daring to linger, she hurriedly left by herself.

Bai Qian woke up not long after. While brushing her teeth, she noticed the message from Chi Miaohan. Reading what it said, she felt utterly speechless.

Getting all hot and bothered first thing in the morning—who knew what was going on in that girl’s head all day.