One night passed in the blink of an eye.
Wen Xin had exhausted herself the night before and slept straight through until nine in the morning. Fortunately, it was the weekend, so she didn’t have to drag herself out of bed for work.
She had never been fond of sleeping in hotels. The unfamiliar surroundings always left her feeling insecure, robbing her of a good night’s rest and filling her dreams with endless nightmares.
But today was different.
They had only checked in the evening before, and checkout was still hours away. There was no rush. Wen Xin rolled over, blinking sleepily as she woke, only to find Shi Qianyu no longer beside her on the pillow.
She hadn’t gone far, though. Near the window sat a set of armchairs, and Shi Qianyu occupied the one facing the bed, her head bowed over some documents in her lap.
Wen Xin glanced over quietly. Her first thought was how hard Shi Qianyu worked. The weight on a general manager’s shoulders was immense. While her employees could relax and play on the weekend, she always seemed buried under endless tasks.
Only her second thought brought back the memories of the previous night.
After a moment, Wen Xin halted her attempt to sit up and quietly lay back down.
“…”
Last night had been a bit too wild.
It had probably been too long since they’d been intimate. Both she and Shi Qianyu had clearly lost control. A hotel wasn’t as private as home, and the soundproofing left much to be desired. At least the running water in the bathroom had masked some noise, but back in the room, she’d had to bite her lips to stifle herself.
Worried that Wen Xin might hurt herself, Shi Qianyu had leaned down and offered her own lips instead. Amid their prolonged passion, they had kissed without parting, and Shi Qianyu had welcomed everything Wen Xin had to give—her gasps, her moans, her frenzy, her restraint.
Her influence was profound. Led and teased by Shi Qianyu, Wen Xin had done things she’d never even dared imagine on an ordinary day.
When the kiss finally ended, the rest hadn’t stopped.
Wen Xin still couldn’t hold back. Even when she clapped a hand over her mouth, the sounds leaked through her fingers. This time, Shi Qianyu leaned down again, but what she offered was no longer her lips.
Wen Xin felt something soft pressing against her lips and froze for an instant. Fireworks exploded in her mind. She snapped back to awareness and looked up at Shi Qianyu in a panic.
Shi Qianyu’s lips curved in a gentle smile, her eyes blooming with seductive allure. Her voice was equally enticing, laced with charm.
“Do you want it?” she asked.
Of course she did.
From that moment, everything spiraled even further out of control.
In the span of just a few minutes, waves had crashed through Wen Xin’s mind. Perhaps noticing she was awake, Shi Qianyu set aside her documents and stood.
Wen Xin was terrible at faking sleep, especially now that she’d been caught. There was no point. Blushing fiercely, she lifted her gaze to meet Shi Qianyu’s.
“A-Yu, good morning,” she said softly, her eyes drifting downward involuntarily to Shi Qianyu’s chest, trying to check on her.
Unfortunately, Shi Qianyu was already fully dressed. Her pale skin was hidden beneath the fabric, leaving nothing visible.
“Morning.” Shi Qianyu came to the bedside and sat down, leaning in to kiss her forehead. “Did you sleep well last night?”
“Pretty well.” Wen Xin felt a little embarrassed.
Shi Qianyu paused for a few seconds before asking, “Anywhere feel uncomfortable?”
This time, Wen Xin didn’t reply, just shook her head.
Her cheeks burned like a ripe red apple, her expression one of utter shyness. It was hard to connect this version of her to the woman from the night before.
Shi Qianyu rarely saw this side of her. Somehow, it evoked echoes of Wen Xin as a child. Back then, she hadn’t been as introverted as she was now. Adorably hamster-like but with a fierce streak—a hamster that bit.
Shi Qianyu remembered one time when they had gone to play by the river together. They gathered a bunch of pretty shells and headed home loaded with treasures, only to run into a bratty kid a few years older who insisted on snatching them.
Shi Qianyu hadn’t wanted to waste time arguing with someone like that. A few worthless shells— she could have just handed them over. But Wen Xin saw it differently. She had sworn to the person beside her that as long as she lived, she would protect her. Now that danger had appeared, how could she stand by?
So Wen Xin bit the kid, hard. She was smaller and weaker, so she couldn’t match him in strength. Instead, she outlasted him, refusing to let go no matter how he shoved her.
In the end, the kid broke first, bursting into tears and apologizing profusely.
Wen Xin had been hurt by his pushing but held back her own tears. Once the “battle” was over, she dashed to the nearby store, bought a bottle of water, and rinsed her mouth frantically, as if she’d bitten something filthy.
Only then did she turn to Shi Qianyu with a proud grin, her eyes sparkling. “Sister, I didn’t lie, did I?”
“Next time a bad guy shows up, I’ll bite him too. I promised to protect you!”
Remembering this, Shi Qianyu couldn’t help smiling. Years later, Wen Xin had deployed her biting skills again—but no longer on villains. On her.
Not entirely true, if she was honest with herself. Wasn’t she a bad person too?
Shi Qianyu hadn’t forgotten a single one of those childhood memories involving Wen Xin. The atmosphere was perfect now, with plenty of time. She could have used the moment to reminisce together. But Wen Xin had long since forgotten her—and probably those memories too.
Shi Qianyu didn’t want to invite disappointment. She dreaded seeing confusion on Wen Xin’s face, the inevitable sadness that would follow. Better to steer clear.
“Hungry?” She smiled softly at the woman before her. “It’s the weekend, and I don’t have much work. Want to head to my place later?”
“There’s plenty of ingredients in the fridge. I can make whatever you’d like.”
That seemed like too much trouble.
It was a rare day off, and Wen Xin didn’t want Shi Qianyu overexerting herself. She remembered the breakfast vouchers from check-in; it probably wasn’t too late. “Don’t we have vouchers? Why not eat at the hotel? Saves you the cooking.”
“No. I’ve never eaten here before. I don’t trust their ingredients or flavors.” Shi Qianyu refused, her gaze sweeping over Wen Xin’s skin and lingering on the kiss marks still visible there.
Her smile deepened, like a big cat who had discovered a prized treasure, satisfaction gleaming in her eyes. “If you really want to try their food, I’ll sample it first someday and bring you along.”
“But not today. I’ve learned a few new dishes lately. I can’t tell if they’re any good myself—Sister, will you taste them for me?”
She was deliberately acting coquettish, knowing full well it was Wen Xin’s weakness.
Sure enough, after a moment, she got the response she wanted. Wen Xin nodded. “Okay.”
~~~
They checked out and returned to the car together.
Wen Xin rarely had this much time with Shi Qianyu. Usually, it was just a couple of scattered hours in the evening, and if Shi Qianyu had business dinners, even that was cut short.
Today was a rare exception—a full stretch of time.
Wen Xin buckled her seatbelt, her waist still faintly aching from last night’s fervor. It kept her from settling her thoughts, leaving her with a nagging sense that something was off.
There weren’t that many things lovers could do together. They’d both gotten what they needed, burned off their desire, and should have parted ways the moment they left the hotel.
Yet inexplicably, here she was in Shi Qianyu’s car, heading to her home to cook and share lunch—to spend a leisurely afternoon together.
It gave her the strange illusion that they were living in their own little world. She’d felt glimmers of it before, but never as intensely as today.
With that in mind, she stole a sidelong glance at Shi Qianyu’s face. Her lover was focused on driving, her expression as calm and composed as ever.
After a while, Wen Xin slowly looked away.
Maybe she was overthinking it…
The car soon reached its destination.
The upscale complex boasted beautiful surroundings and top-notch facilities—a world apart from Wen Xin’s rundown neighborhood. Shi Qianyu had always been the one visiting her place; Wen Xin hadn’t come here often and still felt out of place. A twinge of bitterness stirred in her. Houses like this were far beyond what she could ever afford, maybe even rent.
No, forget buying—renting would strain her too. If circumstances allowed, Wen Xin would love to leave her current home for something better, a fresh start.
Perhaps there would be a chance someday.
Wen Xin shook her head, pushing the thoughts aside, and followed Shi Qianyu into the elevator.
Just as she’d said, the fridge was stocked full. It seemed Shi Qianyu had planned ahead in her spare time, listing off all the dishes she intended to make for Wen Xin.
How could Wen Xin let her do it alone? She trailed after Shi Qianyu into the kitchen. “What can I help with?”
“I can manage by myself.” Shi Qianyu shook her head, turning down the offer. Wen Xin had been up late thanks to her antics the night before; her body needed rest. How could she ask her to work? “Go relax.”
But Wen Xin was stubborn on this front and wouldn’t back down easily. “I want to help you, A-Yu.”
Somehow, they wound up at an impasse over this trivial matter for quite some time.
A moment later, Shi Qianyu let out a soft sigh, as if conceding defeat. “Fine, there really is something I need your help with.”
“Come here, will you?” she said, stepping out of the kitchen and leading Wen Xin into the bedroom. After drawing the curtains closed, she sat down on the edge of the bed and abruptly began unbuttoning the collar of her shirt.
Wen Xin jumped in alarm, momentarily baffled by her intentions, her mind leaping to the naughtiest possible conclusion on pure reflex. “A-Yu, you…”
“Sister, you’re such a perv,” Shi Qianyu said, instantly seeing through her thoughts and ruthlessly calling her out. She smiled, unusually holding back from further teasing, and instead pulled open the drawer in the bedside table, retrieving a tube of ointment from inside.
It had to be said—the spots where Wen Xin had bitten her packed quite the delayed punch. She’d been able to grit her teeth through the pain that morning, but now it throbbed worse than ever.
She placed the tube in Wen Xin’s hand, then unclasped her bra, lowering her eyes to survey the “battle scars” Wen Xin had left on her body the night before.
Both women gasped in unison, though Shi Qianyu beat Wen Xin to it by a split second. The damage on her skin was pretty brutal, yet she seemed blissfully unaware, even managing to find humor in it. “Whoa, that’s quite the spectacle~”
Those words left Wen Xin mortified, her face burning with nowhere to hide.
She could scarcely believe her eyes. After a stunned pause of a few seconds, she hurriedly apologized to Shi Qianyu. “I’m sorry! I-I didn’t mean to!”
“I’ll put the ointment on for you right now!” Guilt and panic churning inside her, she squeezed some of the cream onto her fingertip and gently dabbed it onto Shi Qianyu’s skin. But in her fluster, she failed to control her pressure.
Shi Qianyu promptly cried out in pain. She looped her arms around Wen Xin’s neck, her tone a mix of feigned reproach and playful coquetry. “Sister, you’re so mean.”
“Go easy, okay?”
