After entering the house, she first smelled the scent of the clean clothes on the balcony. The lingering detergent fragrance, baked by the sunlight, was like the finest spices.
At first, Zhao Chiyun found these smells unfamiliar. In the Prince’s Mansion, the laundry yards were quite far from her residence; she didn’t even know their exact location.
The most luxurious fabrics and garments she had ever seen in her life were fumigated with imperial tributes and paired with exquisite hairpins and dangling ornaments.
Once she put on the corresponding robes, she became the person that identity demanded her to be.
Thus, people like her Big Sister, who had face blindness but didn’t want to slight others, often judged people first by their attire.
In short, it wasn’t people wearing clothes; it was clothes defining people.
Only here was it different.
Here, clothes took on new meanings.
Every time she returned home, whether Gan Xun was there or not, just smelling the sun-dried clothes calmed her heart immensely.
Any fatigue or weariness vanished in an instant. This was their home.
Although Zhao Chiyun had also been tutored on some luxury brands and could recognize simple styles, she no longer had to deal with the vast gap between nobles and commoners like in the Mirror Country, where it was impossible to ignore.
As Gan Xun had said, here she was a commoner. No one would reprimand her for her clothing; she could freely choose any outfit within her means.
Like this blue skirt that Gan Xun liked.
Zhao Chiyun glanced at Gan Xun and saw her changing shoes with a relatively normal expression, standing by the shoe cabinet and messaging her colleague.
She didn’t need to see the content to know it was to her colleague—Gan Xun’s face was as serious as if she were holding court, her brows slightly furrowed, typing speed not fast, each sentence carefully considered.
She first poured two glasses of water, placing one nearby for Gan Xun. Looking at the mediocre view outside the kitchen, she pondered how to cheer Gan Xun up.
During their meal, the gym owner had sent several messages one after another. Zhao Chiyun had initially said to delete them, but Gan Xun said no, to deal with it after eating.
The messages went from probing if she had a partner, to asking when she was free for a trial class, then inquiring about her impression of him. He deliberately mentioned his 182.5 cm height and single status, then sent gym facilities and coach intros.
Finally: “Beauty, why aren’t you replying?”
The whole process was a battle between his upper and lower brains, thoroughly refreshing Zhao Chiyun’s understanding, but it was all within Gan Xun’s expectations. Gan Xun must have seen plenty.
Gan Xun was secretly upset. Though she didn’t lash out, it was obvious she was sulking, as if the harassment was aimed at her personally. She hadn’t cooled off after an entire meal.
Zhao Chiyun felt quite innocent. Her experience reading people wasn’t as extensive as Gan Xun’s; she hadn’t anticipated this and couldn’t judge it.
As for Gan Xun saying she had chatted and laughed with him, Zhao Chiyun hadn’t noticed. She had only politely curved her lips when he laughed.
Gan Xun said that wouldn’t do, that her smile was too captivating and would give him the wrong idea.
This reasoning was absurd. Was smiling beautifully her fault too? Gan Xun was acting spoiled with pampering.
After the meal, Zhao Chiyun had deleted the man. His gym was far away anyway; she had only added him out of politeness for his enthusiasm, but actually going for classes would be inconvenient.
But Gan Xun still hadn’t cooled off.
It wasn’t about right or wrong; someone had taken it to heart. Zhao Chiyun wasn’t upset and tolerated Gan Xun’s willfulness.
She knew that in relationships, people could be a bit capricious. Her Big Sister had been like that before.
Big Sister had once thrown a huge tantrum because her husband seemed to glance at the dancers a few extra times at a banquet and stormed back to the Prince’s Mansion.
Her husband didn’t dare neglect her, came to coax and plead, and was scolded a few times by Zhao Chiyun, playing vanguard and borrowing Big Sister’s authority. Only then did the matter pass.
Cui Can was the same. Every time she showed up at the Book Garden barefaced, Zhao Chiyun would guess: “You two fought.”
Now, whenever Cui Can fought, she lost the mood to do her makeup.
At first, Zhao Chiyun was concerned and couldn’t imagine how someone as emotionally stable as Tang Sifeng could provoke Cui Can like that, so she would ask the reason.
All sorts of bizarre things, like not saying goodnight before bed or refusing to put down phones together despite living together.
It left Zhao Chiyun sighing in amazement. Humans had so many landmines.
But Gan Xun wasn’t that dramatic or sensitive. Once Gan Xun finished messaging, she came over, drank the water Zhao Chiyun had poured, and hugged her.
Zhao Chiyun turned in her arms, smiling as she asked: “Tell me first, do you like me in this skirt?”
She liked it immensely, so she assumed from her own perspective that no one could resist or pass up Zhao Chiyun like this.
Gan Xun restrained herself and said: “It looks good, but the neckline is a bit low.”
Zhao Chiyun looked down, puzzled. “Is this low?”
Gan Xun guessed she was inwardly calling her old-fashioned again and preemptively unleashed her attack: “Fine, it’s okay. It doesn’t even show the hickey I left you.”
“You…”
Zhao Chiyun probably wanted to curse but couldn’t get it out. She raised her long brows, pushed her away, and refused to hug anymore.
The moment Zhao Chiyun chatted amiably with others while bearing her marks pushed Gan Xun’s possessiveness to the peak.
She darkly thought that if she had left it on her neck last night, others wouldn’t dare have such thoughts.
Though she thought this, Gan Xun didn’t show it on her face. She finished her water and followed behind with a normal tone: “I didn’t sleep well last night. If I’m free this afternoon, I want to nap.”
Zhao Chiyun wasn’t sleepy: “I’m not sleeping. I want to read.”
Gan Xun paused, hesitated, then chose not to say more: “Okay, you do your thing. I’ll shower and sleep.”
When Gan Xun emerged steaming, changed into pajamas, and said she was going back to her room to sleep, Zhao Chiyun felt that if she let her sleep alone, she would get angry.
She seemed to have dropped it now, but that was the problem. They had agreed to talk after coming home.
After thinking, Zhao Chiyun showered too, planning to nap with her.
Nap, wake up, watch a movie, chat—this trivial matter would pass.
When Zhao Chiyun in pajamas appeared in Gan Xun’s room, Gan Xun wasn’t surprised but still symbolically asked: “Tired too?”
The curtains were drawn tight, the room dim.
Zhao Chiyun said: “Why aren’t you asleep yet?”
Gan Xun: “I’m brewing.”
“Brewing with your phone up?”
Zhao Chiyun raised the doubt but didn’t press, lifted the covers, and slipped into bed.
Gan Xun turned off her phone and rolled over to face her.
Zhao Chiyun looked into her eyes. Now she understood what the red-haired woman—who had cheated on Cui Can’s ex—meant when she said Gan Xun “wore colored contacts.”
She had seen Cui Can put them on and take them off. Cui Can was skilled and nimble, but Zhao Chiyun still found it scary—sticking things into eyes. Modern people really thought of everything.
She gently stroked: “Still unhappy?”
Gan Xun’s eyes itched at her touch. She didn’t want to admit it but couldn’t help the truth: “Who made me so old-fashioned.”
“Still petty and grudge-holding.” Zhao Chiyun laughed.
Gan Xun pursed her lips.
She wasn’t unhappy because Zhao Chiyun wore a beautiful, figure-flattering skirt, or because she chatted happily with a flirt, or because she added a gym owner to inquire about classes.
What upset Gan Xun was all these piling up.
She had anxiously wrapped up her colleagues who wanted to discuss post-meeting, eager to meet Zhao Chiyun quickly and enjoy being picked up from work.
Instead, she ran into that scene.
She couldn’t even call it jealousy; it was burning envy. Yet Zhao Chiyun hadn’t caught on.
Gan Xun usually wasn’t the type to get angry or jealous, so Zhao Chiyun thought she was seriously asking about swimming.
Thus, she didn’t take it to heart and even called Gan Xun old-fashioned!
She didn’t see how dangerous this was, her vigilance toward modern society waning—that dissatisfied Gan Xun.
She wanted to tell her not to add shady people anymore, but feared sounding harsh and upsetting Zhao Chiyun.
She could only endure first.
When Zhao Chiyun tentatively kissed her, the emotions Gan Xun had suppressed ignited instantly, and she easily undid Zhao Chiyun.
Zhao Chiyun wasn’t very cooperative during, primly saying it was broad daylight and they should restrain themselves.
Gan Xun wouldn’t restrain and said seeing clearly in daylight.
Such shameless words from her mouth left Zhao Chiyun stunned, briefly dazed for seconds.
By the time she reacted, Gan Xun had kissed down, soon adding to the previous marks.
The plum blossoms threatened to spread to her neck, but Zhao Chiyun pushed her away, saying no. Gan Xun immediately played cute: “Just kisses.”
Starting with unpleasantness, Zhao Chiyun had braced for punishment. She found Gan Xun willful but didn’t resist much. As the saying went, fights at the head of the bed made up at the foot.
But what she received was too full, too intense; she felt bad suspecting her pillow companion of punishment. It had nothing to do with that.
Gan Xun cared deeply for her and was infatuated.
She reached this conclusion amid her climb to climax.
Gan Xun had no intent to punish with this, but from sensing danger today, she wanted possession.
Possession of Zhao Chiyun on every level, using fulfillment to soothe her own paranoia. She admitted her weakness and obsession.
Zhao Chiyun was hers; others coveting her was unacceptable.
She could be oblivious to everything, blunt toward the present, as long as Zhao Chiyun was by her side, as long as Zhao Chiyun’s eyes held only her.
That was her bottom line, untouchable.
These days of trials had prepared Gan Xun ahead. She didn’t want Zhao Chiyun to indulge her, nor could she suppress her growing greed.
–
When she paused the kiss to grab something from the bedside drawer, Zhao Chiyun’s shattered gaze was nearly innocent, not understanding her withdrawal.
But soon, as Gan Xun followed their unfamiliar map to the destination, she got the signal.
Intimate without gaps, she and Gan Xun.
Gan Xun was prepared for Zhao Chiyun’s dislike; if not wanted, end it promptly.
But Zhao Chiyun’s acceptance exceeded her imagination, letting Gan Xun rush to the goal, unwrapping a long-awaited gift.
–
Her sense of time weakened; soon dusk fell. Zhao Chiyun was exhausted and hungry, nearly losing composure and crying several times, her thoughts dismantled and reassembled countless times.
Gan Xun occasionally soothed her gently, but mostly teased with a few words.
Zhao Chiyun’s teary eyes glared: “How are you so shameless?”
Gan Xun didn’t stop, murmuring by her ear with a smile.
“Pervert.” She gritted out.
