Chapter 15: Don’t Be Nervous Part 2

Some things happened naturally once emotions reached a certain point, but she and Mu Shanyi clearly weren’t there. She was about to do the world’s most intimate act with someone she barely knew.

After removing her rings, Mu Shanyi tilted her face up slightly, as if sighing softly. Then she turned to Miao Zhu and spoke her first words since they met that night: “Hungry? Want something to eat first?”

Something to eat first… first eat… first…

“I’m not hungry. C-can I shower first?” Miao Zhu stammered.

“Shower or bath?”

“Shower… I guess.”

Of course that was fine. Mu Shanyi led her to the master bedroom.

The master bedroom door was half-open, the light inside even dimmer.

The scent was rich, detectable from the doorway— the same woody aroma as on Mu Shanyi’s skin.

This warm, serene fragrance was like an invisible hand, fingers splaying to grip Miao Zhu’s ankles, seeping inch by inch along her skin.

Even if not her usual home, this was Mu Shanyi’s private domain, imprinted with her essence everywhere.

Mu Shanyi turned on the shower, grabbed some loungewear, and looked back to find Miao Zhu hadn’t followed, still rooted at the bedroom threshold.

“What’s wrong?” In the dim light, Mu Shanyi approached.

Miao Zhu bit her lip, murmuring after a pause: “…I’m nervous.”

Miao Zhu’s ears flushed red. Mu Shanyi raised a brow in surprise, then tilted her head with a laugh. In that moment, the thin frost over her melted away magically.

She took Miao Zhu’s hand and led her into the room.

“It’s nearly two.” Mu Shanyi released her hand but didn’t step away, her fingertip lightly stroking the back of Miao Zhu’s hand. “Tired?”

Just a feather-light touch, barely there, yet Miao Zhu felt electrified. She hadn’t realized even her hand was so sensitive. What was Mu Shanyi saying? …Oh, asking if she was tired.

Tired, of course—especially her waist, from hours of playing cello. But since Mu Shanyi had summoned her, she couldn’t kill the mood: “I’m okay…”

Mu Shanyi studied her closely until a blush crept over Miao Zhu’s face.

“I didn’t prepare…” Mu Shanyi leaned to her ear and whispered two words, her rich scent enveloping Miao Zhu: “Don’t be nervous. Go shower.”

Miao Zhu’s breath, thrown by those two words, only steadied under the warm water.

After showering, Miao Zhu changed into the loungewear Mu Shanyi had prepared—silk, light-colored with subtle embroidery at the collar and cuffs, a standard shirt-and-pants set.

In the mirror, a question mark weakly popped up in Miao Zhu’s mind.

Why such a modest style? Was this normal between lovers?

In the room, Mu Shanyi had showered too, now wearing gold-rimmed glasses and sitting on the bed’s edge, reviewing a tablet while speaking on the phone in a foreign language.

Her loungewear was the same style, just a different color—Miao Zhu confirmed after a couple glances.

“…” Even the lambskin slippers. Who knew if Mu Shanyi had picked them specially or just been lazy.

Miao Zhu walked to the other side of the king bed. A half-glass of milk sat on the nightstand.

She had a habit of drinking milk before bed.

Mu Shanyi switched to her native tongue: “Want it warmed?”

The scene felt too domestic, especially between them—like they’d been cohabiting familiarly for ages.

“Cold’s fine.” Miao Zhu picked up the glass. While drinking, she eavesdropped; Mu Shanyi was discussing new financial regulations.

After finishing the milk and brushing her teeth again, Miao Zhu returned. Mu Shanyi had ended the call and put away the tablet.

They exchanged a glance. Miao Zhu lifted the covers and lay down, then—rather impolitely—turned her back: “Sister A-Heng, good night.”

Mu Shanyi’s gaze lingered on her back as she turned off the light.

At three a.m. in summer, faint dawn light filtered outside, but the blackout curtains plunged the room into total darkness.

The coffee had long worn off. Exhausted and drowsy, Miao Zhu’s mind drifted the moment her head hit the pillow.

A faint metallic clink—Mu Shanyi removing her glasses.

The rustle of fabric on bedding—Mu Shanyi lying down too.

The room’s temperature and humidity were perfect, the mattress firm yet yielding, cradling her weary body.

As Miao Zhu dozed off, a hand landed on her back.

The palm pressed against her right shoulder blade, sliding down to stroke a certain spot.

There…

A tiny red mole, just a small bump. Seeking it through thin, skin-friendly silk was faint, easy to lose.

Mu Shanyi didn’t hesitate. Her fingers trailed down Miao Zhu’s spine, slipping under the hem of her loungewear.

Now with no fabric barrier, the skin beneath was warm and smooth. Mu Shanyi deftly found the mole under the shoulder blade, her fingertip circling it.

Miao Zhu couldn’t help turning her face, her voice soft and helpless: “Didn’t you say no…?”

“Mm.” Mu Shanyi hummed through her nose, her body pressing closer as she kissed Miao Zhu’s lips. “No.”

Mu Shanyi’s scent filled Miao Zhu’s nose. Using Mu Shanyi’s products, she now smelled the same. Whether from the fragrance or sheer exhaustion, Miao Zhu’s mind went blank. Mu Shanyi’s kisses varied in depth, leaving only primal instinct as she traded heated breaths.

Mu Shanyi encircled her, fingers drifting lower to her waist, kneading gently—not too hard, not too soft—to loosen the muscles and ease the fatigue.

Miao Zhu’s scalp tingled with pleasure. She parted her lips in a soft gasp; Mu Shanyi’s kisses trailed to her ear, sucking the lobe.

Heavy breaths exploded in Miao Zhu’s ear, amplifying endlessly. Her ears burned, limbs went limp. The bed beneath became a hazy whirlpool, drawing her in—floating, spinning, unable to stifle her sounds.

Mu Shanyi covered Miao Zhu’s mouth, left her ear, and buried her face in the nape of her neck, whispering: “Longlong, so sensitive.”

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