Chapter 27

Wen Xin slipped off her shoes and crawled up the bed from the foot, inching forward bit by bit.

They had turned off the lights before getting into bed, leaving the room in near-total darkness. The only illumination came from the streetlights and moonlight filtering through the window, casting faint, starry specks across the floor.

Wen Xin’s vision was hindered by the gloom; she couldn’t make out everything clearly. Within her limited field of view, she groped her way from the hem of Shi Qianyu’s clothes to her abdomen, then up to her chest and collarbone.

As she explored, Shi Qianyu came into sharper focus. They had both just showered, their bodies carrying a fresh white tea fragrance mingled with each other’s scents. It spread gradually through Wen Xin’s nostrils, leaving her dizzy and entranced. In the night shadows, she caught Shi Qianyu’s gaze, propping herself up to look up at her.

The motion filled her with shame. Shi Qianyu was wearing her pajamas, with soft strands of hair cascading loosely around her. Her fair skin peeked teasingly from beneath the fabric, and the smile in her eyes was a blatant, alluring provocation.

“Director Shi,” Wen Xin murmured, her voice thick with shyness and awkwardness. “I’ve finished showering.”

“Don’t call me that.” Shi Qianyu shook her head in the darkness. By the moonlight’s glow, she gently raised a hand. Wen Xin lay before her like a smooth, warm pearl—obedient, inexperienced, entirely at her mercy.

Shi Qianyu cupped her face in her palm, caressing every inch with care: from her eyes, along the bridge of her nose, to her lips, and finally to the soft lobe of her ear. Her fingertips lingered there, warming that small patch of skin until it burned.

“Call me A-Yu,” she said, her gaze dropping as she leaned closer in the charged atmosphere. Her breath brushed against Wen Xin’s skin, heating her sensitive ear once more. “Aren’t we lovers?”

She smiled, her tone playfully coquettish. “I like it better when you call me that.”

“Okay.” Wen Xin nodded on instinct, her body and voice trembling in unison. She wasn’t drunk tonight—her mind should have been clear—but Shi Qianyu was intoxicating, her whispered words seeping in like liquor, leaving her inexplicably tipsy.

“A-Yu.”

“A-Yu.”

Her eyes were fixed intently ahead, her soft lips parting and closing with each syllable—an unwitting seduction. In that gaze, there was only Shi Qianyu. She had no idea how she looked in that moment. Everyone had many facets; innocence and desire weren’t at odds. They could coexist.

Those were just two ordinary words, yet they captivated Shi Qianyu all the same. At last, she withdrew her hand and lowered her head to kiss the woman before her. Perhaps this kiss had been inevitable from the start, but she had suppressed it all day long. Now that it had finally surfaced, it refused to end. In their tangled embrace, the two of them grew utterly inseparable.

Wen Xin was kissed breathless, her tongue aching from the intensity. Perhaps sensing her fatigue, Shi Qianyu pressed her body down, guiding her into a new position. Wen Xin’s back sank into the soft bedding as her senses were slowly overtaken by the woman above her. Shame crept over her, wrapping around her entirely.

Until the kiss finally broke.

Oxygen-starved, Wen Xin gasped for air. Shi Qianyu had worked up a sweat on her body, and tears welled in her eyes. In the brief pause and ensuing silence, their gazes locked. Unsure what came next, Wen Xin called out on reflex. “A-Yu.”

“Mm.” Shi Qianyu dipped her head again, this time for featherlight kisses. Lovers couldn’t speak of love outright, so she poured it into every glance, every gesture. “Sister.”

She knew it would embarrass Wen Xin, so she teased her with it again and again. The effect was immediate—Wen Xin’s eyes darted away. “Don’t call me that…”

Shi Qianyu refused to relent, feigning innocent confusion. “Why not?”

Wen Xin shook her head, too flustered and foggy-headed to reply. She reached out on impulse to push her away, only for Shi Qianyu to capture her fingertip between her lips.

Shi Qianyu’s mouth was warm and wet, her soft tongue laving over the pad of Wen Xin’s finger. It tickled, yet it was more than that. Pinned by the grip on her wrist, Wen Xin could only meet her eyes once more, absorbing every motion.

Puzzled at first by the gesture, she understood only when Shi Qianyu took her hand and guided it to the next step.

“Have you ever done this to yourself before?” Shi Qianyu whispered. That night at the bar, she had taken the lead—but tonight, she surrendered control. “Sister, will you do it for me? Let me watch?”

The suggestion was mortifying. Utterly mortifying.

They were both adults with needs; Wen Xin couldn’t deny her own inexperience. But that didn’t mean she could bare it all before Shi Qianyu, even in the dim light.

Yet Shi Qianyu waited patiently, silently, for her answer. Wen Xin looked into her eyes and found them smoldering.

It was a wordless craving—she wanted her, needed her, anticipated her. Wen Xin’s heart hammered wildly as shame and nerves crashed over her like a tidal wave.

At the same time, something else stirred within her, budding uncontrollably. She couldn’t name it, only that it thrilled her. Long-buried emotions surged forth, straining against their restraints.

Wen Xin startled herself by voicing her assent amid their prolonged stare. “Okay.”

She loved being needed. If that’s what Shi Qianyu desired, she would hold nothing back.

Shi Qianyu moved to the next step, drawing a shudder and ragged breaths from Wen Xin. She kissed her lips soothingly, then brushed away the tears spilling from the corners of her eyes. Only when Wen Xin grew exhausted did she grasp her wrist and guide her further.

Wen Xin’s strength ebbed away. Sometime during the night, the streetlights outside had flickered off unnoticed, deepening the shadows. Unable to find Shi Qianyu’s face in the dark, she called out instinctively. “A-Yu… A-Yu…”

She longed to be needed by Shi Qianyu—and truth be told, she needed her just as much, though she didn’t realize it. She only knew to cling to her neck whenever Shi Qianyu leaned down, pressing their bodies flush.

With every inch closer, her heart settled further. Shi Qianyu was like a large, warm cat, her body radiating heat, her hair silken-soft. Tilting her head up to kiss her cheek, Wen Xin felt the dampness there.

She panicked. “A-Yu, are you crying?”

“It’s not me.” Shi Qianyu shook her head and pulled her even tighter. “It’s you who’s crying.”

Me?

Wen Xin didn’t believe it. She withdrew the arm looped around Shi Qianyu’s neck and brushed her fingertips lightly over her own cheek, confirming the truth.

She really was crying. Why was she still crying?

“Hungry?” Shi Qianyu asked patiently, wiping the tears from her eyes as they lay in cozy silence.

“A little.” Wen Xin was ravenous, drained of all energy. She recalled the food Shi Qianyu had brought—surely cold by now. “I’ll go heat it up.”

“No need.” Shi Qianyu held her back, thwarting the attempt. She rose then, straightening her clothes. “I’ll handle it.”

Wen Xin shook her head, propping herself up anxiously. “That doesn’t feel right…”

“I want to take care of you, Sister. Is that okay?” Shi Qianyu laughed softly, her gaze meeting Wen Xin’s. Her heart melted in an instant. Wen Xin was so accustomed to fending for herself—unfamiliar with being cared for or helped, always insisting on doing everything alone.

But Shi Qianyu didn’t want her worn out like that. She wanted Wen Xin to learn how to love and be loved in return. The Lover Contract was far from the whole story; she craved Wen Xin’s body, yes—but her heart most of all. She wanted to give her confidence, strength, and warmth.

“I’ll be right back.” She perched on the edge of the bed and flicked on the bedside lamp. Warm amber light flooded the space, turning the dim room serene and inviting. “Just wait for me, okay?”

“Okay.” Wen Xin nodded gently, her eyes tracking Shi Qianyu until she vanished through the doorway.

Perhaps it was the lingering heat from their fervent intimacy, but Wen Xin’s skin still burned—and so did her heart, equally warmed. She knew it was all thanks to Shi Qianyu. All because of her lover.

“Lover.”

Wen Xin whispered the word to herself, her eyelids growing heavy. Perhaps come morning, she’d second-guess it all, convinced tonight’s version of herself was unrecognizable, every act too shameful. But for now, those doubts hadn’t surfaced.

She simply felt safe. Relieved, even, that she’d signed the Lover Contract.

Whatever Shi Qianyu’s motives, Wen Xin only hoped she’d stay longer. That she’d be needed. That she’d never feel alone again.