Chapter 93

Thinking of Ning Jiuwei’s return home, Su Jinglan woke early in the morning. The woman in her arms slept soundly, her little head nestled against Su Jinglan’s chest without a care for any breathing trouble.

Su Jinglan lowered her head and gazed at Ning Jiuwei, the corners of her mouth curving upward uncontrollably. She stroked gently from the crown of her head down to the tips of her hair, and the love pulsing in time with her heartbeat coursed through her veins to every corner of her body. After their profound physical intimacy, her longing and dependence on Ning Jiuwei had only intensified.

That was love for you—bound together through life and death, inseparable.

Su Jinglan wanted to get married. She no longer wanted to settle for being girlfriends or mere bedmates. She wanted to drag Ning Jiuwei straight to the marriage registration office and tie her to her side for good.

If they counted from high school, they had been together for fifteen years. Marriage wouldn’t come out of nowhere.

The faint dawn light blossomed into brilliant warm sunshine, golden rays slipping through the curtain gaps into the bedroom. Ning Jiuwei stirred, her eyelids fluttering as she awoke.

The moment she lifted her head and blinked her sleepy eyes open, a hand cupped her chin. A tender kiss followed, Su Jinglan nipping lightly at her lips before the kiss deepened into a fervent tangle. Propping herself on the bed, she rose slowly to hover over Ning Jiuwei.

The kiss shifted from shallow to deep, stirring sensations in her sensitive body with ease. Ning Jiuwei offered no resistance to Su Jinglan’s claim on her; she looped her arms around her neck and kissed back with equal passion.

They ended up delaying their morning routine by half an hour.

~~~

Ning Jiuwei drew back the curtains, letting the warm light bathe her already alert body. She gazed out into the distance, her expression softening, before turning to look at Su Jinglan on the bed.

Su Jinglan lounged against the headboard, tapping away on her phone. Her tousled long hair spilled over her shoulders, tucked behind her ear on Ning Jiuwei’s side to reveal the sharp line of her profile. Her flawless skin gleamed temptingly pale in the shadows beyond the sun’s reach.

She was absorbed in her messages, showing no sign of getting up. Ning Jiuwei watched her for a moment, then headed to the bathroom to freshen up.

They hadn’t put a formal label on their relationship, but Ning Jiuwei had quietly permitted Su Jinglan to stay in her home—for as long as she liked.

After the bathroom, she moved to the walk-in closet and slipped out of her pajamas. The hickeys on her body hadn’t faded overnight. Could they really linger this long?

She had some trauma wine at home, the kind that promoted blood flow and dispersed bruises. She’d bought it on a pharmacist’s recommendation back when her muscles and joints were sore. Hickeys counted as bruising, right? Ning Jiuwei dressed and went to the living room, rummaging through the coffee table’s storage drawer.

That’s where she kept her medicines. A quick search turned up the trauma wine, packaging still intact.

“What’s wrong, Jiuwei? What medicine do you need?” Su Jinglan, who hadn’t let her out of sight, tensed at the sight of the bottle and hurried over.

Ning Jiuwei tucked it away for a second, her smile gentle and her face serene. “It’s nothing.”

Mental health struggles had a way of resurfacing; Su Jinglan’s heart leaped into her throat, her voice laced with a plea. “Tell me, Jiuwei. I want to know everything about you.”

It felt like Su Jinglan might actually cry.

Ning Jiuwei had never seen her cry.

Suppressing any impulse that might push her over the edge, Ning Jiuwei handed over the trauma wine.

Su Jinglan sniffled, blinking back tears. She braced for names like fluoxetine or citalopram, but the bottle had some weight to it. Glancing at the label, she froze.

“Trauma wine?” Su Jinglan cracked open the box. Sure enough, it held a brown bottle of the stuff, meant for bruises and sprains.

She hadn’t heard any falls or thuds. Su Jinglan looked up hesitantly, her eyes roaming over Ning Jiuwei. “Where does it hurt? Let me rub some in—warming it up first works best.”

Ning Jiuwei took the bottle back with a soft smile. “No need. It’s not convenient.”

“I’ve seen every inch of Teacher Ning’s body. Why stand on ceremony?” Su Jinglan tugged her down onto the sofa and poured a dollop into her palm. “Come on, where do you need it?”

Ning Jiuwei hesitated. “…Really, no need.”

She capped the bottle and stowed it back in the drawer, abandoning a baffled Su Jinglan to return to the walk-in closet.

The trauma wine’s pungent aroma hung heavy in the air—no need to look to know Su Jinglan had trailed after her. Meeting those eyes full of concern, Ning Jiuwei smiled and spritzed her usual light perfume onto her wrist from the vanity. “I wonder if trauma wine fades hickeys faster. Any idea, President Su?”

Su Jinglan realized at last that she was the culprit. Last night, restraint had gone out the window; in possessing Ning Jiuwei, she’d littered her body—front and back—with countless love bites.

All in spots clothes would cover, and they’d fade on their own. The medicinal scent clinging to her, Su Jinglan closed in, her worry flipping to mischievous invitation. “I only know how to add more hickeys. Want some, Teacher Ning?”

Ning Jiuwei misted perfume over her instead. “Go wash up already, President Su. You reek right now.”

The medicinal wine smelled far worse than the regular wine she’d drunk.

Su Jinglan glanced at her hands and headed to the bathroom for a thorough wash. She alternated between hand soap and body wash until her hands were finally free of that foul odor, now carrying only a fresh, clean scent.

“Teacher Ning, what time are you heading out?” Su Jinglan thought it would be a shame not to put these freshly washed hands to better use.

Ning Jiuwei lifted her wrist to check the time. It was just past nine, and she could head home before lunch—no rush. “In half an hour.”

Before the words had fully left her mouth, she found herself enveloped in a warm embrace. Su Jinglan held her close, facing her with a gentle smile, her heated gaze fixed on those soft lips. Her fingertips expertly teased the sensitive spot at the small of Ning Jiuwei’s back. “I’ve washed my hands clean.”

Ning Jiuwei cursed her own quick reactions as her heartbeat suddenly accelerated, a wave of heat rising within her. Her mind recalled those indecent scenes before her body could even respond. She pushed Su Jinglan away and refused righteously, “It’s daytime right now. Don’t get any funny ideas.”

“What’s so funny about wanting my own wife?” Su Jinglan hooked an arm around her waist and pulled her back in. “It’s just a normal physiological need.”

“I’m leaving right now.”

Ning Jiuwei changed her mind and decided to head to her parents’ place immediately.

Su Jinglan wouldn’t let go, interlocking their fingers and holding her tightly in her arms. She switched to a flirtatious tone, but her words were serious and deliberate as she brought up the big question of their lives. “Ning Jiuwei, let’s get married. If it’s convenient, our families could meet today to set a wedding date.”

The pace was too fast. Ning Jiuwei, caught off guard, fell silent as she pondered it.

Su Jinglan watched her reaction closely, understanding the unspoken meaning behind the silence. She didn’t loosen her grip, keeping her smile gentle. “What I feel for you isn’t some fleeting novelty. I’ve long since decided to spend my life with you. It might be sudden for you, and if you really don’t want to get married, I hope I can stay by your side forever. Jiuwei, if you’re willing to marry, I want to be the one you marry.”

Without the cover of seductive night, Ning Jiuwei kept her wits about her. She didn’t lose herself in the gentle words and impulsively agree. “Don’t you think we’re moving too fast?”

Su Jinglan gave her a questioning look with her eyes. Ning Jiuwei smiled. “I don’t mean sleeping together. Adults hooking up for a one-night stand or a few nights to satisfy their needs is common enough. I mean marriage. Getting engaged and married without even dating first—isn’t that too fast?”

“Not fast at all.” Su Jinglan’s answer was firm and decisive. “Getting married first and falling in love later is pretty common.”

Ning Jiuwei fell silent, not arguing with Su Jinglan.

Deep down, could she marry Su Jinglan? Ning Jiuwei had a clear answer: no. She couldn’t marry under uncertain conditions. Marriage wasn’t child’s play—breaking up was easy, but divorce was hard. She was used to meticulous planning before acting, especially when it came to emotions.

“Alright, I respect Designer Ning’s decision.” Su Jinglan slowly released her hold, her downcast eyes dimming with lost spirit.

She felt like a resentful wife desperate for marriage right now, going against her heart to accommodate her girlfriend. Su Jinglan left Ning Jiuwei’s home and headed across to her own place, still in her pajamas.

The moment she left, Ning Jiuwei’s heart suddenly grew uneasy. That clear answer began to waver and blur in the wake of her departing figure.

The door closing wasn’t loud, but it rippled across her heart like a stone dropped in a lake, the waves spreading far and wide. Ning Jiuwei clutched her chest, feeling her heart pounding fiercely beneath her palm, calling out Su Jinglan’s name.

Her heart was tied to Su Jinglan—one separation, and it reacted.

Time ticked by. Five minutes passed, and Su Jinglan didn’t return. Ten minutes went by with no doorbell. Ning Jiuwei realized she hadn’t given Su Jinglan the door code yet.

She slipped off her house slippers and opened the door to Room 2201, peering across at the opposite door. Hesitating, she went over and knocked.

Su Jinglan opened the door.

“I’m heading to my parents’ place.” When she got back from her parents’, she and Su Jinglan could follow the normal steps all the way to marriage. “If you want to stay over at my place, you can just go ahead.”

Su Jinglan’s gaze flicked past Ning Jiuwei to the door across the hall. “Okay.”

An invitation without the code was just polite empty talk. Su Jinglan understood.

The next second, Ning Jiuwei gave her the door code. “The code is 95175382.” She checked the time. “We’ve got time. How about I add your fingerprint to the system?”

Ning Jiuwei’s initiative instantly cheered Su Jinglan up. As she savored the code, Su Jinglan’s expression shifted slightly. She masked her emotions and asked casually with a bright smile, “Whose birthday is this code from?”

It wasn’t Ning Jiuwei’s birthday, nor was it Su Jinglan’s—the one Ning Jiuwei had once liked. Alarm bells rang in Su Jinglan’s mind as she recalled Shi Wanxu’s documents. Shi Wanxu’s birthday was August 2nd.

Using her birthday for the code, yet claiming she didn’t like Shi Wanxu?

The last two digits were Shi Wanxu’s birthday—so what did the first six mean?

Ning Jiuwei answered her, “It’s no one’s birthday.”

She helped Su Jinglan register her fingerprint, then handed the house over to her and drove home alone.

She was gone for two whole days. During that time, she only exchanged WeChat messages with Su Jinglan—not a single phone call.

Sleeping in a bed without Ning Jiuwei, Su Jinglan endured two agonizing nights by clinging to the lingering scent on the pillow. Her desires had built up to the bursting point; the slightest touch would ignite her, melting her bones and searing her flesh. She yearned for Ning Jiuwei so desperately that her soul seemed to abandon her body.

Ning Jiuwei, do you really have no needs in that department? You said two days, and it’s exactly two days—no coming back early.

On Monday morning, Su Jinglan headed to the company. Realizing the first and second periods that morning were Shi Wanxu’s Cognitive Psychology class, she instructed Assistant Lin to brew a cup of heat-clearing, fire-quelling tea to douse the flames burning in her body and her heart.

Assistant Lin was utterly obedient. When asked to make fire-quelling tea, she prepared a strong, potent brew.

A little past ten, Ning Jiuwei finally strolled in. Su Jinglan shot her a cold glare and downed the bitter honeysuckle tea.

Sure enough, Ning Jiuwei had gone to attend Shi Wanxu’s class again.

Abandoning her delicate wife for a class taught by a thirty-eight-year-old woman.

“President Su, don’t we have a meeting this morning?” After leaving her parents’ house, Ning Jiuwei felt much lighter at heart. The moment she arrived at the company, she sought out Su Jinglan, using work as an excuse to strike up a conversation.

Su Jinglan let out a cold scoff. “How could a meeting possibly compare to Teacher Shi’s Psychology class?”

~~~