The thin blanket wasn’t large, and Shao Yu sat primly upon it.
Song Yingqiu, by contrast, had melted into a boneless, sinuous sprawl, one knee propped between Shao Yu’s legs, half nestling against her with all the lazy charm of a woman who knew exactly what she was doing.
The half of her body pressed close to Song Yingqiu seemed to alternate between ice and fire, losing all sense of warmth and cold.
But touch and smell remained.
Soft and yielding, rich and sweet, almost dizzying.
Shao Yu’s peripheral gaze snagged on the smooth, slender line of Song Yingqiu’s arm, and when she spoke again, her voice had gone hoarse, rough as crushed ice.
“I won’t be angry with you.”
Her voice wasn’t gentle. It was simply a cold, flat statement of fact.
Song Yingqiu knew Shao Yu’s temperament well. Shao Yu said little, but she always meant exactly what she said.
Reassured, Song Yingqiu switched to a playful pout.
“If you’re not angry, why so frosty? You startled me.”
As she spoke, she rested her chin on Shao Yu’s shoulder.
She parted her lips to say more, but the instant her breath drifted over, Shao Yu’s body tipped sharply away.
Song Yingqiu lost her balance and caught herself on the bed with one hand, half exasperated, half amused. “What are you dodging for?”
“I’m not used to it,” Shao Yu said evenly.
Song Yingqiu clicked her tongue softly. “Then how come you were used to it that time at Drunken Haze?”
After all, she’d done the exact same thing the very night they first met.
With that, she leaned in again. Shao Yu had already retreated to the edge of the bed with nowhere left to go, letting her settle right back onto her shoulder.
This time Song Yingqiu pushed it further, even reaching up to tip her chin.
Nude-pink, curved nails brushed Shao Yu’s cheek. Eyes on her ear, Song Yingqiu teased, “You’ll get used to it after a few more times. Don’t you like being close to your big sister? Or is it that my Shao Yu’s ears go red from shyness when I do this—”
Abruptly, the lazy, teasing laughter cut off.
The wandering hand had been caught mid-motion, Shao Yu’s grip heavy. Heavy enough that through the coolness of her skin, Song Yingqiu could feel every line of her palm.
“Are you in the habit of doing this to women?”
Shao Yu turned her head and looked her straight in the eye, her tone unnervingly calm.
Song Yingqiu froze for a beat.
Before she could answer, her phone buzzed against her knee. Both of them looked at once, and the name “Ning Wanmei” lit up the screen.
Someone they both knew well.
Shao Yu released her hand. “Go answer it.”
With that, Shao Yu stopped looking at her, pulled her laptop over, and went back to skimming the top journals in her field, a single strand of hair falling against her cheek.
Song Yingqiu picked up the phone, exchanged a few words with Ning Wanmei, then glanced back at Shao Yu. Afraid of disturbing her, she slid off the bed and padded quietly out of the room.
Perhaps she’d heard her tell Shao Yu “I’m heading back to my room,” because the moment the door closed, Song Yingqiu heard Ning Wanmei ask:
“With Shao Yu right now?”
“Mm-hm. Just got back to my room.”
“Getting along well, I see?”
“Yep.”
“Well, you two were best friends to begin with. Is she cold and aloof around you too?”
Song Yingqiu had never told Ning Wanmei the truth about her relationship with Shao Yu; no one would have believed it anyway. She only ever said Shao Yu was a pen pal she’d met online who had since become a dear friend.
At first Ning Wanmei had taken it for one of her friend’s passing whims. It took a few incidents before she realized just how much Song Yingqiu valued Shao Yu, and only then did she truly take the girl to heart.
Leaning against the sofa back, gazing out at the city lights, Song Yingqiu smiled tenderly into the night sky. “Let me tell you, forget that frozen face of hers. She actually takes such good care of me.”
Ning Wanmei: “Hm?”
Savoring the memory, Song Yingqiu’s smile deepened. “When the night wind turned cold, she was worried I’d freeze, so she quietly shifted over to block it for me. When I went with her to look at properties, she worried I’d get tired, and ordered me something nice so I could wait at a café while she finished up.”
Her tone was pure showing off.
Her little sister, aloof? She was doting through and through.
Ning Wanmei said, disdain dripping, “Yeah, yeah, we get it.”
Song Yingqiu curled her legs up. “But… there is one problem.”
She told Ning Wanmei what had just happened, sounding genuinely troubled. “Do you think Shao Yu finds me too forward? All this casual touching, like I do with everyone else?”
“Rare to see you reflect on yourself. Aren’t you always like this, flirting with everyone?”
“But Shao Yu’s never been around me before. It might be too much for her. She’s a proper, serious person at heart.”
Before Ning Wanmei could get another word in, Song Yingqiu had already made up her mind.
“I’ll rein it in from now on.”
Ning Wanmei needled her: “The social butterfly, reforming herself for her little sister?”
Song Yingqiu laughed and cursed, “What’s that supposed to mean? I’ll just behave a little better around Shao Yu. Flirting with other people is one thing, but I can’t go around carelessly flirting with Shao Yu.”
Ning Wanmei: “You’d better not.”
Song Yingqiu: “You don’t trust me?”
“It’s not that I don’t trust you. It’s that Shao Yu is simply too gorgeous… Living with her day and night, could you really hold back?”
Song Yingqiu’s first reaction was that the question was absurd, but Shao Yu’s face surfaced in her mind unbidden.
Honestly, Shao Yu’s looks had been grown precisely to her taste, and she’d adored them since childhood.
In the very beginning, before she knew it was a body swap and thought she’d transmigrated into Shao Yu’s body, her one and only comfort had been that the swap had given her a face she liked even more.
But appreciating her little sister’s face didn’t change her conclusion.
She declared flatly, “What are you imagining? In my heart she’s my own little sister. Besides, Shao Yu isn’t even into women.”
Ning Wanmei quipped, “Straight girls you’ve bent are beyond counting,” and Song Yingqiu simply shooed her off with a “go, go, go,” hung up, and washed her hands of her.
Lying down to sleep, she thought of that phone call again.
Dating Shao Yu?
She couldn’t even picture it. Absolutely impossible.
The next few days passed peacefully.
Song Yingqiu had work, while Shao Yu still had a sliver of vacation left, and she spent it squeezing in get-togethers with fellow disciples and friends who worked in Lingguan.
At night, either Song Yingqiu had social obligations or Shao Yu was out, so both of them being home usually had to wait until nine or ten o’clock.
Whenever Shao Yu returned, she went straight to her own room. Song Yingqiu peeked in once, saw her reading academic papers, and didn’t disturb her again.
Still, Song Yingqiu did do one thing.
She instructed Wu Rui to scout properties and shortlist three worth a look, then went to view them herself.
On Saturday, she found time to see all three and paid in full for one on the spot.
She had Wu Rui stay behind to handle the paperwork, while her driver took her home to pick up Shao Yu, and the two of them headed off to the premiere of 《No Regrets》.
By the time they arrived at the venue, Shao Yu had spotted Chao Yushan before Song Yingqiu did.
Chao Yushan wore a silver-red evening gown, absolutely radiant.
By the time Shao Yu noticed her, Chao Yushan was already on her way over, her smile as genuine as a smile could be.
She came up calling, “Yingqiu!”
“You finally came. I was starting to think you weren’t going to visit me at all.”
Chao Yushan was a southerner, her voice always soft and honeyed, every sentence guaranteed to set the imagination drifting.
Shao Yu’s gaze shifted to Song Yingqiu.
Song Yingqiu looked thoroughly pleased with herself, her cherry-red lips curved in a smile, every strand of hair radiating contentment. A siren back in her own waters, of course she fit like a fish returns to the sea.
Song Yingqiu said, “I told you I’d come. When have I ever stood you up? You’re the undisputed star of the night. You look stunning.”
Chao Yushan touched the diamond necklace glittering at her throat, her eyes brimming with feeling. “I absolutely adore your gift. I even picked this dress specifically to match it. I’m just glad you like it.”
Song Yingqiu, who had no idea what Wu Rui had sent, replied, “Being able to grace you tonight is its honor.”
At that, she glanced at Shao Yu, then back to Chao Yushan. “No introductions needed between the two of you, I know, but I haven’t introduced you yet. This is my dear friend Shao Yu. Just call her Doctor Shao.”
Chao Yushan greeted her. “Hello, Doctor Shao.”
As she spoke, Shao Yu’s gaze was still fixed on Song Yingqiu.
Flirting right in front of her. Lovely.
A full second or two passed before Shao Yu looked away and turned to Chao Yushan.
The moment her face came fully around, the radiant actress lost her composure on the spot.
Apparently oblivious, Shao Yu nodded politely and said:
“Hello. I’m Shao Yu.”
Chao Yushan said blankly, “My god. If Doctor Shao ever entered show business, I wouldn’t even make the lineup for tonight’s premiere.”
Song Yingqiu laughed. “Isn’t that a bit much?”
Then again, she liked this blunt streak of Chao Yushan’s.
Her little sister deserved the praise, of course. Being showered with flattery, Song Yingqiu stayed modest on the surface while quietly preening inside.
She turned to Shao Yu, about to show off to Chao Yushan just how close the two of them were, when Shao Yu, ordinarily unmoved by anything under heaven, seemed unable to stomach one more drop of the actress’s flattery, and actually smiled, her voice low and magnetic:
“Getting to stand here takes more than a pretty face.”
It was nothing more than a politely phrased statement, yet Song Yingqiu watched, wide-eyed, as Chao Yushan… blushed?
Blushed. Blushed.
Song Yingqiu was stunned.
Was something off here?
