Chapter 87: Possession

As soon as Yan Ningxi left, Qi Xuexin picked up the laptop bag and tossed it onto Ming You’s lap. “What are you looking at? Hurry up and follow.”

Ming You sighed and held up the bag as she said to the people blocking the way, “Excuse us, please.”

She had no idea how much Yan Ningxi had drunk before she arrived, but Yan Ningxi’s figure looked unsteady, yet she walked even faster than a rabbit.

Ming You had to jog a few steps to catch up. She grabbed Yan Ningxi’s wrist and asked coldly, “Wasn’t it you who wanted me to come? Why aren’t you talking now?”

“I didn’t ask you to come.” Yan Ningxi was upset by Ming You’s impatient attitude, so she deliberately said the opposite of what she meant.

“Fine, I was being presumptuous and misunderstood.” Ming You didn’t let go of her hand and dragged her toward the exit. “If you’re entrusted by someone, you must see it through. Since I promised Teacher Qi I’d pick you up, I have to handle what she asked and get you home.”

Yan Ningxi didn’t dare believe it until she sat in the passenger seat. She had actually managed to trick Ming You into coming by getting drunk. It was Qi Xuexin’s idea—not clever at all—but she had gone along with it.

As soon as the car pulled out of the street, Ming You rolled down the window and let the cold wind pour in. In just a few seconds, it was enough to blow Yan Ningxi “sober.”

Back at the apartment, Yan Ningxi didn’t even change her shoes after coming in. She just stood there leaning against the wall in a daze, staring at the floor like a kid who had done something wrong and was waiting to be scolded.

Ming You set down the laptop bag and calmly glanced at Yan Ningxi. If they hadn’t been on the outs, she would have already hugged her and “bullied” her. Heaven knew how hard she had to restrain herself to keep from touching or kissing Yan Ningxi.

After waiting a while and seeing that Yan Ningxi had nothing to say, Ming You had nothing to say either, so she turned to leave.

She had barely moved her foot when the dazed woman suddenly grabbed her clothes with quick hands. As Ming You turned back, Yan Ningxi’s whole body leaned into her.

Ming You was forced to reach out and hold the woman who threw herself into her arms. The next second, her lips felt cool. Before she could react, the woman’s wet, soft tongue boldly invaded her territory.

Their breaths mingled as Ming You’s hands roamed over her body, and the kiss was no longer satisfied with just lips.

Good wine needs no bush. Ming You followed the enticing aroma of alcohol and wreaked havoc in Yan Ningxi’s mouth, scraping every inch clean from the tip of her tongue to its root.

Kissing someone who had been drinking and then driving—did that count as driving under the influence?

She couldn’t worry about driving under the influence right now. Kiss enough first.

The coat fell to the floor, and as the buttons on the back came undone, Yan Ningxi realized what an embarrassing thing she had done.

At that moment, not only did the girl’s kiss reach her ear, but the girl’s hand also arrived where it wanted to go. Shame was swallowed up by pleasure, and she closed her eyes, deciding to go all in.

—Since buying gifts wasn’t working, she’d use the simplest, most direct way to coax her: kissing. One kiss wasn’t enough? Then two. Two still not enough? Then coax her in bed.

That was what Qi Xuexin had taught her.

But Ming You didn’t want to let the woman get away with it so easily, so she teased, “Teacher Yan is so enthusiastic and proactive in seducing me. Do you want me to give you a bath?”

Sure enough, Yan Ningxi stiffened upon hearing that, and her eyes opened.

She wished the ground would swallow her up.

Ming You had only said it to test how drunk she was; she wasn’t really trying to humiliate her. She pulled back half a step and withdrew her hand. “Looks like Teacher Yan is very sober. My task is complete…”

“It was me.”

Yan Ningxi suddenly spoke up. She was afraid that if she didn’t say something now, the girl she had finally gotten to show up would leave again. “It was me who wanted you to come.”

Ming You’s heart softened. She knew how hard it was to make Yan Ningxi bow her head, how difficult it was to make her take the initiative.

But if she didn’t push, how would she know how important she was in Yan Ningxi’s heart?

Love wasn’t a one-woman show; it was a matter for two people. She couldn’t keep pursuing alone, giving alone, loving alone—that left no future.

She hated to make Yan Ningxi bow her head, but at this point, no matter how much she hated it, she had to.

She needed a response too. Only with a response would she have the confidence to keep going down this road, instead of propping it up alone by constantly changing herself.

With those steps provided, Ming You changed her shoes and went inside.

Yan Ningxi picked up the coat from the floor but suddenly remembered something before putting it on. She tossed the clothes onto the shoe cabinet without even changing her shoes and hurried inside. She quickly went around Ming You and hugged the blanket from the sofa into the bedroom.

Seeing Yan Ningxi’s flustered expression, the light in Ming You’s eyes darkened.

Her heart ached faintly.

The blanket folded neatly on the sofa clearly wasn’t just placed there temporarily. Though it didn’t have the bedroom pillow, what had just been pressing on it was the lemon body pillow she had once bought.

Why was Yan Ningxi sleeping on the sofa?

Or had some other important person come to the apartment, and Yan Ningxi given up the bed for them?

Ming You looked around. There were no unfamiliar personal items, no extra shoes at the entrance, and the smell in the apartment hadn’t changed.

She sat on the sofa and stared at the wilted bouquet on the TV stand.

How many days had it been?

Starting from the day after she returned to the apartment during her break.

If she and Yan Ningxi hadn’t had their falling out, the flowers should have been replaced a couple of days ago. And just tonight, before her shower, she had seen their wilted state on Moments.

After putting the blanket back in the bedroom, Yan Ningxi didn’t explain anything. She went straight to the kitchen, boiled some water, mixed a cup of warm water, and brought it out. “Drink some water and go take a shower. I have a bit of a headache from the alcohol. I’ll rest and shower later.”

“No need.”

Letting Ming You shower first was to make sure she wouldn’t leave again. But Ming You’s “No need” dashed Yan Ningxi’s hopes.

After taking a sip of the warm water, Ming You noticed that Yan Ningxi was staring blankly at the phone she had placed on the coffee table.

The phone screen was still lit up with the post Yan Ningxi had made on Moments two hours ago under the influence of alcohol—a picture with no caption.

A picture that only Ming You could understand.

Ming You stood up from the sofa and held out the cup she had drunk from. “Want some?”

There was no reaction for several seconds. Just as Ming You was about to set it down, Yan Ningxi grasped her forearm with both hands and gulped down all the water in the cup without changing position.

It was rare to see such an adorable Yan Ningxi.

Ming You finally couldn’t hold back. She reached up and stroked Yan Ningxi’s head. “Why did you post that photo on Moments? Was it for me to see?”

Yes, she had posted it for Ming You to see. The flowers had wilted; it was time to replace them. Why hadn’t she come back?

Getting no answer, Ming You patiently asked again, “I’ve come home, drunk the water—what next? Do you hope I leave, or hope I stay?”

Yan Ningxi bit her lower lip.

Without the alcohol, her thin-skinned self never could have stood there foolishly letting the girl tease her like this on purpose.

“I guess Teacher Yan must hope that I…” Ming You took Yan Ningxi’s right hand with her free left hand and brought it to the zipper of her down jacket at her neckline. Her words were teasing, just like when they had met again at the wedding banquet. “Stay…”

As soon as her fingertips touched the cold zipper, Yan Ningxi pulled her hand back.

Ming You smiled and set down the water cup. She unzipped her jacket halfway herself. “I already showered at home before coming to pick you up. Showering again would probably scrub off a layer of skin.”

Seeing that the girl was wearing pajamas under her down jacket, Yan Ningxi felt extremely embarrassed. She lowered her head and turned to go into the bedroom.

She showered very quickly, afraid that if she took too long, the person outside would change her mind when she came out. Shame was shame, but she didn’t want to sleep alone tonight.

【Qi Xuexin: You home yet?】

【Qi Xuexin: What’s the situation?】

【Ming You: Made it.】

【Ming You: Sleep in the bed or on the sofa—pick one.】

【Qi Xuexin: You’re kidding me.jpg】

【Qi Xuexin: What do you have against the bed?!】

【Qi Xuexin: It’s not like you haven’t slept there. You’re her big baby—sleep however you want!】

Was this the experienced driver speeding her onto the highway?

Before she could decide whether to reply, Ming You saw Yan Ningxi come out of the bathroom with water still dripping from her hair ends.

She tossed aside the phone, pushed her back into the bathroom, grabbed a towel to dry her hair, then took the hairdryer from the drawer and blow-dried it carefully.

The two faced each other, their bodies pressed very close.

Yan Ningxi instinctively leaned forward, her hands wrapping around Ming You’s waist.

In the steamy mist, the afternoon cable car accident news flashed through her mind again, giving her the illusion of having survived a disaster. Only in this moment of hugging Ming You did she truly come alive, her heart and body warming up again.

The hairdryer’s sound stopped.

Ming You freed her hands to hug Yan Ningxi, patting her back and stroking her long hair.

In the silence, she pulled back a little, unzipped her jacket all the way down, then took Yan Ningxi’s arms so her cold hands could slip into the warmer down jacket.

Yan Ningxi’s heart warmed, and she tightened her arms a bit more. She buried her hot face in Ming You’s shoulder hollow and heard the hairdryer start up again by her ear.

Tonight, she held her beloved girl close, still favored and carefully cherished by her. The tears swirling in her eyes finally spilled over uncontrollably.

Back at the bar, Qi Xuexin had asked her a question: “Setting aside all the unavoidable external factors, just tell me—do you really want to be with Ming You from the bottom of your heart?”

When she said that “yes,” she had held back tears once already.

The day she set the “six-month period” with Ming You, she had said it herself: if someone was worth it, she would stand in the sunlight with that person and face everything together.

But when the time actually came, she realized how hard it was. The hard part wasn’t standing in the sunlight—it was not being able to see the road ahead even in the sunlight.

—Yan Huahua, many things in life don’t just happen naturally. Like how you like Ming You and want to be with her—only if you want it, only if you try, is there any hope of success. If you don’t even dare to want it or try, then you’re shutting down every chance of success yourself.

—There’s a cliché I have to say to you myself today. Anything that can be solved with money isn’t a real problem.

—You have family, friends, me, Ming You behind you. Our purpose is to stand together with you, fight side by side, trouble each other, and be entangled with each other. Teacher Yan, you’re such a wise person—don’t make the low-level mistake of outsmarting yourself and wasting that degree you earned after three hard years of study. That’d make you even worse off than me.

Besides her parents, the only one who dared to lecture her like this and whom she would actually listen to was Qi Xuexin.

She had taken it to heart, or else she wouldn’t have gotten herself drunk. The method was childish, but at least she had successfully seen the person she thought about day and night.

After blow-drying for over ten minutes, Ming You put the hairdryer back in the drawer. The person in her arms showed no sign of letting go.

Thanks to her few centimeters of height advantage, she could easily kiss Yan Ningxi’s forehead and cheeks by tilting her head. After several kisses, she cupped Yan Ningxi’s face and noticed her red, tear-streaked eyes.

Ming You panicked. No longer caring about who was right or wrong, she kissed Yan Ningxi’s eyes one after the other, held her close, and cooed softly, “Sister Yan, I was wrong. I shouldn’t have stormed out in a huff or bullied you. I don’t blame you anymore for using me as an example.”

But Yan Ningxi lowered her head again. Her breath brushed Ming You’s exposed neck, followed by a cool kiss landing on Ming You’s “Adam’s apple.”

It was itchy, seductive, and… ridiculously arousing.

Ming You stiffened, unable to stop herself from swallowing. “Yan Ningxi, do you know what you’re doing?”

Her response was another lip-sealing kiss. “I know.”

From the bathroom to the bedroom was just a few short steps. Dry tinder met blazing fire, igniting in an instant with a sizzling roar.

Clothes scattered on the floor as the two rolled into the bed embracing. After the intense kissing, the girl could no longer suppress her longing for the woman. Her voice hoarse, she asked, “If we go further with our hands, you won’t have a way out anymore… Yan Ningxi, I’ll ask you one more time: do you want to stop?”

The woman’s voice was equally hoarse: “Silly, don’t be afraid. I was willing.”

Waves crashed against the shore, surging in thousands of layers.

That night, the girl’s fingertips were finally stained with blood. She truly possessed her in every sense. The girl’s confession to the woman was no longer “I like you,” but the deeper “I love you.”

…

At seven o’clock, the alarm rang, and Ming You woke up with a start. She had thought last night was just an erotic dream. Luckily, the person in her arms was real.

She turned off the alarm and contentedly hugged Yan Ningxi, kissing her nonstop.

The person being kissed curved her lips, though her eyes remained closed. She shrank back to avoid the girl’s kisses, then reached out to pinch the girl’s springy and bouncy ears: “Teacher Ming, don’t be late.”

“I really want to call in sick.” The girl was drowning in tender affection and couldn’t bear to get out of bed. She whined in a soft and sticky voice, her hands also getting a bit restless. “Does it still hurt?”

The woman grabbed her hand and turned her back to her: “Hurry to school. A teacher should act like one.”

“It really doesn’t hurt?” Last night, she had helped Yan Ningxi wipe down her body and even changed the bedsheets once. She had seen the bloodstains on the sheets with her own eyes. “Let me carry you to the bath? We’ll wash together. You can keep sleeping after, and I’ll feel better going to school.”

Faced with the girl’s persistence, Yan Ningxi could feel her own face must be red as an apple: “I can wash myself.”

“But…”

“Ming You!” Yan Ningxi could only call her name. “Will you listen?”

“Fine.”

The girl hurriedly finished washing up, then returned to the bedroom and squatted by the bed. She kissed Yan Ningxi’s forehead: “Do you have work today?”

“Mm, I have an appointment at one in the afternoon.”

“Then rest well in the morning and stay in bed longer. Don’t go buying groceries or anything in the afternoon. I’ll pick you up, and we’ll eat out before coming back.”

“Aren’t you going home? Your mom’s birthday… when is it?”

“Not yet.” Ming You smiled and brushed back the hair covering Yan Ningxi’s face. “In a couple days, we’ll go have dinner with her together. She really wants to see you.”