Yun Chun still leaned in for the kiss.
Following Lu Qingxue’s instructions, she first gently pressed her lips against Lu Qingxue’s. The moment they touched, a thought flashed through her mind: so soft.
Even though she had kissed her just before, Yun Chun was still surprised by the softness of Lu Qingxue’s lips, which carried a slight coolness—soft and cool. For a moment, she couldn’t think of anything to compare them to.
Trembling, she closed her eyes and kissed her delicately.
If she couldn’t think of a comparison, so be it. Lu Qingxue was one of a kind.
As Yun Chun kissed her, Lu Qingxue remained still, letting her do as she pleased, as if quietly observing, watching just how “sincere” she could be.
Yun Chun didn’t want to be looked down on by Lu Qingxue.
Then she thought that Lu Qingxue might not feel much from something as wonderful as kissing, so she put her all into it, using every technique she had learned from Lu Qingxue. But her experience came only from those previous dreams, so even as she imitated them, her kisses came off a bit clumsy.
Whenever Yun Chun felt embarrassed and wanted to give up, she would hear a soft hum from Lu Qingxue, like encouragement.
As if she were enjoying it.
But only Yun Chun knew that the one truly savoring it was herself.
She shrugged off her jacket, her hands roaming over Lu Qingxue’s body, naturally brushing past the peaks before climbing up to them.
In response, Lu Qingxue slipped her fingers under Yun Chun’s hoodie, her fingertips lightly teasing the soft flesh at her waist.
Yun Chun’s heated body shivered at that moment, craving the gentleness and coolness of Lu Qingxue’s fingertips.
She ended the kiss and collapsed onto Lu Qingxue, panting softly.
In a whisper like a secret, she murmured, “Sister Lu…”
Lu Qingxue hummed in acknowledgment. She withdrew her hand from under Yun Chun’s clothes and placed it on her back, patting lightly as if to soothe her. “Tell me, what’s wrong?”
She could sense Yun Chun’s low spirits. During the kiss, Yun Chun’s emotions had carried a mix of flattery, release, and a faint, irrepressible sadness.
At Lu Qingxue’s words, Yun Chun’s nose stung, but she said nothing. Instead, she lifted her head from Lu Qingxue’s shoulder and asked, “Did you… feel anything just now?”
As she spoke, a flush of shyness colored the lashes over Yun Chun’s eyes.
“I did.”
Lu Qingxue said, “Baby kisses so well.”
Baby…
Yun Chun cleared her throat awkwardly. “As long… as you like it.”
At Yun Chun’s bashfulness, Lu Qingxue smiled. “Yeah, I loved it. Even those two little nips you gave me—I liked those too.”
Lu Qingxue reached up and pinched Yun Chun’s cheek, her gaze soft as she watched her. “So, can you tell me what’s got you in a bad mood?”
At that, Yun Chun bit her lip, blinking back tears and swallowing the ache in her chest. She leaned down and pressed a kiss to the corner of Lu Qingxue’s mouth. “I’m not in a bad mood. Not at all.”
She had been at first, but after kissing Lu Qingxue, it was gone.
Lu Qingxue was like a piece of warm jade, nurturing the soul.
Since Yun Chun didn’t want to say, Lu Qingxue didn’t press. She cradled Yun Chun’s cheeks, her fingers—long and slender from years of holding a paintbrush—gently tugging at Yun Chun’s earlobe. Her thumb stroked the corner of Yun Chun’s mouth, wiping away the moisture from their kiss, her voice gentle. “Good.”
Chatting casually, Lu Qingxue’s tone lightened. “Where’d you go today?”
Caught off guard, Yun Chun blurted, “Master Xu’s place.”
She choked on her words and buried her face in Lu Qingxue’s shoulder, hiding her regretful expression.
Lu Qingxue seemed to guess something at that moment, though she wasn’t sure of the details. But she wanted to confirm something else—whether Yun Chun truly saw her as one of her own.
Probing gently, Lu Qingxue asked, “What did you go to her for?”
Yun Chun hesitated inwardly. She couldn’t tell Lu Qingxue about her mother.
Otherwise…
After a pause, Yun Chun chose to hide it from Lu Qingxue. “To drink with her, that’s all.”
Lu Qingxue tilted her head to look at her. “When did you two get so close?”
Yun Chun spun another lie. “We’re like old friends across generations, haha.”
At Yun Chun’s concealment and lack of trust, a shadow dimmed in Lu Qingxue’s eyes, though she kept smiling on the surface. “Mm-hmm.”
Yun Chun had no idea that Lu Qingxue already knew what she was trying so hard to hide. Blinking innocently, she wrapped her arms around Lu Qingxue’s neck. “Your turn to kiss me now, right?”
Lu Qingxue set aside her thoughts, her brow arching slightly. “You want more?”
“Why not?”
As she spoke, Yun Chun withdrew her hands from Lu Qingxue’s body and grabbed the hem of her hoodie. Under Lu Qingxue’s gaze, she lifted it up.
Her slender waist was revealed in an instant, and as Yun Chun pulled the hoodie up to her chest, about to take it off, her hand was stopped.
Lu Qingxue’s voice was low and husky. “What are you doing?”
Without hesitation, Yun Chun stripped off the hoodie, revealing the black sports bra underneath. She tossed the hoodie onto the sofa and hugged Lu Qingxue again before saying, “It’s hot.”
Not just physically hot—there was a restlessness burning inside her.
Only a cold shower or ice water could suppress it effectively.
But Yun Chun had a better idea: hug Lu Qingxue.
It was dry autumn weather, so static crackled as she undressed, sending a few strands of Yun Chun’s hair standing on end.
Seeing it, Lu Qingxue reached out to smooth them down.
Her fingertips trailed from the roots along the strands to the tips, stopping at Yun Chun’s collarbone.
The pad of her finger pressed against Yun Chun’s collarbone as Lu Qingxue eyed the fine layer of goosebumps rising on her skin from the cool room air. A smile tugged at her lips, and she met Yun Chun’s eyes.
“Open your mouth. Stick your tongue out a little.”
At Lu Qingxue’s commanding tone, Yun Chun paused for a beat before instinctively obeying.
She parted her lips slightly, her pearly teeth flashing as the tip of her pink tongue pressed against them, not extending fully but still brushing the air.
Just like her body, trembling twice in the room’s chill after shedding her clothes.
This, without a doubt, was fuel to the fire of their desire.
Lu Qingxue’s eyes narrowed, pleased with Yun Chun’s obedience. She slowly lifted her fingers from the collarbone, brushing like a spring breeze through pear blossoms, lightly arriving at Yun Chun’s lips.
“Suck.”
Hearing Lu Qingxue’s gentle yet irresistible voice, Yun Chun’s heart pounded. Lowering her gaze to Lu Qingxue’s fingers, she slowly moved her head forward until her tongue made first contact.
“…”
A half-minute later, Lu Qingxue looked at Yun Chun’s flushed cheeks and chuckled warmly, her voice husky and sensual. “Baby’s face is so red. Are you really that hot?”
Yun Chun fluttered her lashes, speechless.
She had thought hugging Lu Qingxue would ease the heat in her body, but now the agitation inside her felt hotter than the sun.
In a feeble voice, she said, “Had enough fun yet? Can we… kiss now?”
Lu Qingxue’s hand rested against Yun Chun’s back, her shallow breaths tickling her ear. Honoring Yun Chun’s request, she murmured with a low laugh, “Alright.”
She was annoyed at Yun Chun for hiding things from her and hadn’t intended to indulge her, planning to tease instead. But that notion vanished the instant it arose.
She saw the watery gleam in Yun Chun’s eyes as she looked at her.
This time, Lu Qingxue said nothing. She grabbed Yun Chun’s wrist and pressed her lips to it. Throughout the kisses, their eyes locked; each one landed like a jolt of electricity, sending tingles through Yun Chun’s heart and an itch over her skin.
Lu Qingxue trailed kisses up Yun Chun’s arm until she reached her lips.
Her thin, pear-blossom lips met Yun Chun’s rose-thorn ones.
In that moment, Lu Qingxue let go of all other thoughts.
Even if they parted the next second, she immersed herself in Yun Chun’s initiative, drowning in the warmth surging between them.
For the slightly tipsy Yun Chun, tonight was a night of tender entanglement.
Finally not in a dream—she deeply experienced Lu Qingxue’s kissing skills in reality. And more than that, she felt even more profoundly the “naughtiness” deep in Lu Qingxue’s bones, the irresistible kind.
~~~
Yun Chun’s name from the Milan trip not only returned to the domestic spotlight but even gained international attention.
She had always been a hidden pearl; it was just a matter of how long the dust had covered her before the wind blew it away.
Under Yun Chun’s influence, Qin Xing’s company was thriving. Aside from the model Qin Xing had signed, Xiang Ze had brought on several new ones in succession. With SNOW’s backing, the company secured collaborations with multiple brands one after another.
Prospects for the company were bright red.
Another week passed.
Yun Chun grew even busier that week.
Fortunately, her work was nearby, so she still had time to visit Yun Yueqin.
She went twice, and both times Yun Yueqin asked how she was thinking things over. Yun Chun firmly refused each time.
Yun Chun tried to persuade Yun Yueqin to accept it too, but Yun Yueqin dismissed her with talk of the living and the dead walking different paths.
Mother and daughter couldn’t see eye to eye, no matter how they talked or negotiated.
Yun Chun figured her own stubbornness must be inherited from Yun Yueqin—on this matter, they were both surprisingly obstinate.
Neither would budge.
Yun Chun thought there was no rush; better to let it sit and take it slow.
But she didn’t know Yun Yueqin thought the opposite—she wanted to end it as soon as possible.
That day, Yun Chun was shooting an event at a mall in the city. After stepping off stage and returning to the lounge, Qin Xing handed her the phone. “Master Xu called for you earlier.”
With that, Qin Xing gave Yun Chun a strange look. “Don’t tell me you still haven’t undone that ghost marriage on you.”
Yun Chun laughed guiltily. “Uh-huh.”
Qin Xing opened her mouth at that, wanting to say something but unable to find the words.
She simply shut up. She couldn’t control Yun Chun’s decisions.
“Had a tough day—wanna grab a bite together?” Qin Xing asked.
Yun Chun was in the middle of calling Xu Lanmeng back and casually replied, “Sure.”
The call connected almost immediately, and Xu Lanmeng’s anxious voice burst through the moment it did. “Yun Chun, your mom is missing.”
Yun Chun had been sitting in a chair, but at those words, she shot to her feet.
The sudden noise drew sidelong glances from Qin Xing and Weiwei right beside her.
Weiwei quietly asked Qin Xing what had happened. Qin Xing shook her head, her eyes fixed on Yun Chun.
She heard Yun Chun ask, “What do you mean, missing?”
Xu Lanmeng sounded urgent, but her words came out steady and logical. “It was ten minutes ago. I saw off a guest and went into the study, only to find a note from your mom. It said she had something to take care of and was heading out—she told me not to worry. What could she possibly have to do? I’ve got a pretty good guess from the things you’ve mentioned these past few days, so I think—”
Xu Lanmeng continued, “Could she have gone to find Lu Qingxue?”
Yun Chun pursed her lips. “Very possible.”
Xu Lanmeng asked, “Where’s your place? I’ll go check it out.”
Even though Lu Qingxue had once said she wouldn’t touch Yun Yueqin, Xu Lanmeng still worried that Yun Yueqin might be walking right into danger if she showed up on her own.
Yun Chun gave her the address. “Wait for me—I’m heading back right now.”
After hanging up, Yun Chun clutched her clothes with a hint of anxiety and hurried to the changing area to swap out her evening gown.
Yun Yueqin had vanished just ten minutes earlier. Yun Chun could only pray she made it home before her mother tracked down Lu Qingxue.
Otherwise…
As she changed, Qin Xing approached the curtain and asked, “What’s going on?”
Yun Chun hesitated. “…Something came up at home.”
A second later, she added, “Sister Xing, lend me your car keys. I need to borrow your car.”
