Chapter 37

Wen Xin followed Shi Qianyu into the hotel.

She had already foreseen what they were about to do, so deep shame washed over her. She didn’t dare meet the receptionist’s gaze and buried her head even lower when Shi Qianyu requested just one room.

Shi Qianyu, by contrast, was utterly composed as always. After checking in at the front desk, the two stepped into the elevator. Shi Qianyu turned to her with a smile in her voice. “Send me that photo from earlier, okay?”

“Okay.” A little nervous, Wen Xin pulled up the picture and forwarded it to Shi Qianyu on WeChat.

“Sent.”

The elevator dinged at their floor right then.

The hallway was deathly quiet. Rain had fallen all day, leaving the hotel mostly empty. Silence reigned, broken only by the sound of Wen Xin’s heartbeat in her ears.

It wasn’t their first time together, but the unfamiliar setting heightened her tension rather than easing it.

Shi Qianyu paused at the door, swiped the key card on the sensor, and pushed it open.

They weren’t random travelers with piles of luggage, so they could skip the unpacking and dive right in.

Wen Xin’s cheeks burned as she spoke up first. “A-Yu, you go shower first.”

She looked so shy.

Shi Qianyu only made it worse with her teasing grin. “How about together?”

Wen Xin jerked her head up. “Wha—”

Shi Qianyu caught her hand before she could finish.

“Sister, okay?”

Her palm burned hot against Wen Xin’s skin, her touch intimate and playful, fingertips caressing like a flirtatious plea.

Wen Xin’s lingering desire flared right back up. Caught up in the moment, she nodded and let Shi Qianyu lead her into the bathroom.

The lights blazed bright, but hot water soon poured from the showerhead, filling the air with steam that blurred their vision.

Shi Qianyu shed her clothes and glanced back at Wen Xin’s hesitation. “Need a hand?”

“No!” Wen Xin shook her head fast, lips pressed tight as she fumbled with her buttons, eyes downcast.

Soon they faced each other bare. Shi Qianyu beckoned from under the spray. “Wen Xin, come here.”

Her voice dripped honey, but it was a blatant lure, drawing Wen Xin straight into the trap.

Wen Xin couldn’t resist. She melted into Shi Qianyu’s embrace. The cramped space offered nowhere to sit, so she tilted her head back under a flurry of soft kisses, legs quaking until she could scarcely stand.

They shifted quickly. Shi Qianyu guided her to the vanity for support, one arm snaking around Wen Xin’s waist while the other trailed down her neck, dipping lower, plunging deeper.

Wen Xin lost control of her voice. Soft, sweet moans spilled out in rhythm with Shi Qianyu’s touch. The rushing water masked most of it, sparing her the worst of the embarrassment.

She ought to have been grateful—until Shi Qianyu murmured from behind her.

“Look up.”

Obediently, Wen Xin raised her eyes to the mirror over the sink. Steam had fogged it thick, turning their reflections into hazy silhouettes.

From her angle, she caught only fragments of the scene.

Just their faces, features lost to the mist, but the flush staining their cheeks stood out sharp.

After a beat, Shi Qianyu flicked off the shower.

“?! “

Wen Xin whipped around in disbelief. Their gazes locked for a heartbeat.

Then Shi Qianyu dipped her head to kiss Wen Xin’s shoulder, kiss turning to a gentle nip. Time melted away in their tangled closeness as the fog on the mirror thinned layer by layer.

Wen Xin watched her own face emerge bit by bit, unbidden. Shame burned hot—the sight forced her to face the passion and need she’d tried so hard to conceal. But it was pointless. She couldn’t hide a thing. Every raw impulse, fitting or not, lay exposed.

Maybe they’d denied themselves too long. Tonight wouldn’t end after once.

The lights overhead winked out. They tumbled into the soft bed together, surrendering to each other once more. The night stretched long ahead, ripe with time for more.

Wen Xin abandoned all restraint. Her fragmented whimpers cut clear through the quiet dark. Luck was on her side: the rain had scared off guests, and the rooms next door stood empty.

Or so she thought.

A door slammed somewhere close. Voices followed—chatter, raucous laughter—just one thin wall away.

Shi Qianyu froze mid-motion.

The clamor next door clashed jarringly against their heated haze. She knew Wen Xin’s hushed, stifled breaths stood little chance of carrying.

Still, she leaned in close, voice a wicked murmur. “Sister, what now?”

“Keep going?” Her teeth grazed Wen Xin’s lip as she whispered the dare.

Wen Xin was too mortified to speak, but her body’s frantic response shouted yes.

Shi Qianyu sank lower, offering herself up without reserve.

She smiled, all seduction. “Want it?”

Some endless stretch later, Wen Xin spent her final strength and sank into deep sleep in Shi Qianyu’s arms.

Shi Qianyu cradled her close, steadying her own breath. Those bites from Wen Xin had stung—more than stung, really. Somewhere along the way, she’d become the one risking it all. Good thing her endurance never failed her; she powered through.

Insane. They were both utterly insane.

The noise next door had died down. It was far too late for revelry. She caught a girl’s voice bidding her friend goodnight.

Then silence blanketed everything. Even the rain outside had quit without fanfare. Shi Qianyu heard only the wind beyond the window and the soft, steady breaths of the woman beside her.

Bliss like this—she wished every day could unfold so peacefully. Drowsiness tugged at her now, too.

But sleep could wait. She grabbed her phone, opened Wen Xin’s WeChat, and saved the photo they’d taken not long ago.

Into the gallery, and into her phone’s diary app. That hidden nook was hers alone—no one else knew.

She’d never bothered with diaries before reuniting with Wen Xin. Now she chronicled daily: mostly her, with scraps of others.

This day or that: Wen Xin bought her new shoes.

Another: breakfast for two.

Yet one more: Wen Xin welcomed her home, let her stay the night.

And now.

Shi Qianyu slotted the photo into the entry, typing with a fond smile—

【I received Wen Xin’s flowers—a gorgeous bouquet. I love it so much.】

【I never cared for roses before, but right now, I decide to love them. Because they’re from Wen Xin. I love her, so everything she gives me wins me over by extension.】

【Good or bad.】

【With her here, every day is the happiest.】