Chapter 32: Some Expectations Will Fall Through Part 1

It was a little past nine in the morning, and the sun had already climbed high. Sunlight pierced through the glass curtain walls, draping over the person on the sofa like a waterfall.

Miao Zhu stared unblinkingly at Mu Shanyi as she packed her luggage for the business trip.

There wasn’t much luggage that Mu Shanyi needed to pack personally—just some intimate clothing and everyday items she was used to.

“You have a skirt at my place,” Miao Zhu suddenly remembered.

That had been two months ago, the first time she stayed overnight at Tower Shadow Sunny River. Her changed-out gown had been sent for dry cleaning, so she had borrowed Mu Shanyi’s skirt to leave, and she had never found the chance to return it since.

Mu Shanyi finished packing, but she was still missing a pair of glasses. She looked around and spotted the brown leather glasses case on the coffee table in front of the sofa. She walked over, picked it up, and planted a kiss on Miao Zhu’s forehead.

“I’ll bring it to you next time,” Miao Zhu said as she slid off the sofa, slipping into her slippers and following close behind Mu Shanyi.

“Sure,” Mu Shanyi replied casually.

A deep hickey marked Mu Shanyi’s neck.

…It had happened after she said, “Cats have heat cycles—does my baby have one too?” Overwhelmed by surging desire, Miao Zhu had lost herself and sucked a kiss onto her skin.

“There’s a mark here,” Miao Zhu pointed out gently with her fingertip on the hickey, reminding Mu Shanyi.

“Mm, I saw it,” Mu Shanyi said as she tucked the glasses case into her suitcase.

With the luggage packed, it was time for Mu Shanyi to leave.

A hand reached out from behind Mu Shanyi and silently snatched the glasses case away.

“…” Mu Shanyi chuckled and turned around. “Hiding it?”

“I’m not hiding it.”

The mood of parting thickened in the air. Mu Shanyi softened her voice. “I’ll try to come back early.”

Miao Zhu found no comfort in that. Her voice remained muffled. “The housekeeper sent the gown for cleaning. Lend me another one?”

Mu Shanyi took Miao Zhu’s hand, and the two headed to the walk-in closet.

The closet followed the same design style as the rest of the place, curved into an arc that was quite unique, but Miao Zhu had no mind to appreciate it.

Mu Shanyi stopped in front of a row of racks on the left. “These are all prepared in your size. Pick one.”

Miao Zhu was startled.

Mu Shanyi had asked her before—did she want to keep clothes here? She had said next time, but that was just an excuse, and Mu Shanyi surely knew it.

It wasn’t appropriate for her to leave clothes here.

But Mu Shanyi had prepared these for her anyway. Wasn’t she worried about her girlfriend finding out?

Or did she and Xiao Hui actually have the same measurements?

Miao Zhu quickly shut down the unpleasant thought. Since every meeting felt like a countdown, she shouldn’t overthink it. She should act surprised instead.

But the surprise was fleeting—after all, she wouldn’t see Mu Shanyi for the next two weeks.

To be fair, they didn’t meet that often. Two weeks would pass in a flash.

But they had agreed on once a week. Habits were scary. With Mu Shanyi absent during her allotted time, Miao Zhu felt a painful withdrawal.

Miao Zhu nuzzled into Mu Shanyi’s arms, letting out little hums now and then. Helpless, Mu Shanyi carried her out of the closet and set her back on the sofa.

“Stay in touch with me, okay?” Mu Shanyi knelt one knee on the edge of the sofa, her hands scooping under Miao Zhu’s knees, cradling her like a steady cloud. “Text me, call, video—whatever.”

Miao Zhu was reluctant. “I’ll really miss you.”

Her reluctance was so thick that Mu Shanyi had no choice but to kiss her.

Before boarding, Mu Shanyi dropped Miao Zhu off at the parking lot near the theater. Miao Zhu drove her own car back to Moon Reflection Villa.

Enveloped in the melancholy of parting, Miao Zhu remained low-spirited. But as the wheels rolled and Moon Reflection Villa drew near, her melancholy gave way to tension, laced with a hint of excitement. Her hands trembled slightly on the steering wheel.

Now, more pressing matters demanded her attention.

She hadn’t come home all night and had been unreachable with her phone off. Miao Ling wouldn’t let that slide.

As expected, Miao Ling never disappointed.

“Where did you sleep last night?”

Incense burned in the tea room, adorned with a “Calm the Mind” scroll painting in a Zen-inspired setup. Yet Miao Ling sat rigidly behind the tea table, on the verge of exploding.

“In the dorm,” Miao Zhu said, drawing out a long breath to cool her still-excited emotions.

“Why was your phone off?”

“Probably ran out of battery. Didn’t notice.”

“Whose skirt is that you’re wearing?”

“Mine.”

Miao Ling slammed the tea table!

“Why didn’t you say ahead of time you’d be in the dorm? Why not charge your phone if it died? And when did you buy that skirt?!—Lies! All lies!” She snatched the delivery bag from the chair beside her and hurled it across the table at Miao Zhu. “I think you’ve lost your mind—possessed by a ghost!”

Miao Zhu didn’t dodge. The bag was already opened; it hit her shoulder and spilled open on the floor, contents scattering.

A full set of black leather restraints landed first, followed by scraps of flimsy, tAngeld fabric that fluttered lightly to the ground. The scene was both bizarre and erotic.

There was even a small bottle of some liquid—Miao Zhu didn’t remember buying that; maybe a freebie. Her gaze shifted from the sex toys to Miao Ling’s flushed, vein-popping face.

“Mom.” Miao Zhu licked her lips, but it did nothing for her tight throat. Her heart pounded harder than ever.

She met her mother’s eyes—the ruler of her 24 years—and said evenly, “Not everything will go the way you want. Some of your expectations for me will fall through.”