Chapter 56
Lin Zhao secretly spat at herself, then saw Chu Xihuan sitting on the bed, the quilt having slipped down to her waist, and couldn’t help but frown.
“Aren’t you cold?”
In this weather, if you caught a cold, it could be fatal.
“Are you concerned about me?” Chu Xihuan asked back.
Lin Zhao was speechless.
She was so choked by Chu Xihuan’s words that her liver ached. “Whether you’re cold or not, what does it have to do with me!” she said in annoyance.
With that, she immediately turned her back to Chu Xihuan. She had just been being nosy!
Seeing her angry appearance, Chu Xihuan, who was behind her, let out a low laugh. She lay back down, pulled the quilt over the two of them, and then slowly snuggled up to Lin Zhao, her arm wrapping around her from behind.
Compared to before, Lin Zhao’s body was much stronger. Chu Xihuan felt a solid sense of reality as she held her, and the heart that had been tossed about for three years finally settled down.
“Lin Zhao, I know you’re concerned about me,” Chu Xihuan’s kiss fell on Lin Zhao’s ear, her voice a murmur, whispering their private words.
The moment the person behind her pressed against her, Lin Zhao’s body stiffened again, especially when Chu Xihuan gently nibbled on her earlobe. Her heart started to beat uncontrollably, and Lin Zhao’s mind went blank.
Years had passed, but she found that her body still held an instinctive joy at Lin Zhao’s arrival.
Lin Zhao was speechless.
She bit her lip, not responding or refusing Chu Xihuan’s closeness, just enduring it.
“Lin Zhao, forgive me, okay? I’ll never hide anything from you again,” Chu Xihuan pecked at her ear from time to time, whispering.
Lin Zhao gritted her teeth and endured, feeling as if the Chu Xihuan behind her had turned into a demon, every word she said bewitching her.
Chu Xihuan’s hand slowly slipped into Lin Zhao’s waist and touched her firm abdominal muscles, slightly taken aback. It was clear how intense Lin Zhao’s activities had been over the years.
Lin Zhao immediately grabbed her hand and growled in a suppressed voice, “What are you doing!”
“You’ve been away for so many years. Don’t you miss me?” Chu Xihuan didn’t care about the hand she had grabbed, but instead nibbled on her earlobe again, the hot breath on Lin Zhao’s ear causing a sensitive shiver.
“Miss you for what? Who has the time to miss you!” Lin Zhao said angrily, but she couldn’t just push her away. The bed was only so big. If she moved too much, she was afraid of pushing Chu Xihuan off the bed.
“But I miss you,” Chu Xihuan said softly.
Lin Zhao was speechless.
Her heart seemed to have been fiercely plucked. Her mind was quickly filled with all the things from the past. Lin Zhao’s throat bobbed, and she gripped Chu Xihuan’s hand even tighter, trying to restrain the throbbing in her heart.
“Lin Zhao, you’re hurting me,” Chu Xihuan’s voice was even softer, so soft and delicate that it made Lin Zhao’s ears tingle.
Her face flushed. This was the first time she had encountered such a Chu Xihuan. She was a little unaccustomed to it, but at the same time, her heart couldn’t help but itch.
She immediately let go of Chu Xihuan’s hand and pressed her lips together, unable to speak.
However, after she let go, Chu Xihuan did not withdraw her hand, but instead continued to stroke her with her fingertips. “Are you cold?” she asked.
Hearing this, Lin Zhao finally knew how to answer. “Are you cold?” she asked back.
Speaking of which, the quilt in the inn was not very thick. Although there was a charcoal brazier on the side, it might not be enough for Chu Xihuan. Thinking of this, she said, “If you’re cold, you should go back quickly, while it’s not too late.”
But not only did Chu Xihuan not get up and leave, but she also pressed even closer to Lin Zhao. “You’re warm. You can hold me while I sleep. Besides, even if I go back now, without you by my side, I won’t be able to sleep warm.”
She very boldly placed her foot next to Lin Zhao’s, as if she wanted her to warm it for her.
Lin Zhao was speechless.
Seeing that Lin Zhao was not moving, Chu Xihuan continued, “If I catch a cold, I’m afraid I’ll need you to take care of me. And that child, if I can’t take care of her, you’ll have to.”
At her words, Lin Zhao’s anger flared. “Who wants to take care of her! And you can go home. There are plenty of people to take care of you!”
“But you’re already back. If I go back home, what will people think of us?” Chu Xihuan was not angry, but still spoke in a very gentle tone.
“And because of that child, I’m already being speculated about a lot. Now that you’re back and staying in an inn, and I’m going home, what will outsiders think of us? Aren’t you tacitly telling people that I’ve done something to wrong you?”
Lin Zhao was dumbfounded. She hadn’t expected Chu Xihuan to say these things. But thinking about it, things did seem to be heading in that direction. She couldn’t help but be angry. She turned over and glared at Chu Xihuan. “You’re doing this on purpose, aren’t you?”
Deliberately saying these things to make her uneasy, or was she also sure that she wouldn’t joke with her reputation, making her as anxious as an ant on a hot pan now.
“Mm, I’m doing it on purpose,” Chu Xihuan admitted frankly, looking at Lin Zhao with a smile in her eyes.
Lin Zhao was speechless.
She had admitted it, but Lin Zhao had no way to deal with her.
She was angry. She sat up and threw off the quilt on the two of them, looking at Chu Xihuan in annoyance. “What are you standing there in a daze for? Go and get dressed!”
However, looking at her series of actions, Chu Xihuan was not at all stunned. On the contrary, the smile in her eyes grew wider. She also sat up. “Get dressed, and then what? Where are we going?”
A series of questions made Lin Zhao’s face flush in the candlelight. She looked at Chu Xihuan through gritted teeth, feeling that this person had achieved her goal and was now teasing her!
She said no more, got out of bed, and got dressed. The clothes Chu Xihuan had made for her were a little big, but they were very suitable for her now.
Seeing her get dressed without a word, a soft, faint smile appeared on Chu Xihuan’s lips. She also got up and got dressed. Then, she saw Lin Zhao walk out with a dark face. She also followed, and the two of them went down to the first-floor lobby, watching her ask to check out.
Seeing this, Chu Xihuan finally sighed in relief. She took two steps forward and placed her hand in Lin Zhao’s, her fingertips passing through her fingers, and their five fingers intertwined.
Lin Zhao was taken aback and turned to look at her.
Chu Xihuan raised an eyebrow at her and smiled.
Lin Zhao was taken aback, turned her head back, and didn’t look at her again. However, her ears quietly turned red, and her heart started to beat faster and faster. She felt that Chu Xihuan was a demon!
If she wasn’t a demon, how could she control the speed of her heart!
The two of them walked out together. During this time, Lin Zhao did not shake off her hand. At this moment, it was already dark, and the lanterns on both sides of the street cast a not-so-clear but definite path. The two of them walked step by step toward home.
The atmosphere was a little quiet. Lin Zhao bit her lip and said with a tense face, “Let me make it clear first. I haven’t forgiven you yet.”
Chu Xihuan let out a low laugh. “Mm, I know.”
Lin Zhao awkwardly closed her mouth again. It was so cold, but she still felt that the hand that was intertwined with Chu Xihuan’s was so hot and wet.
When they reached the alley of their home, one of the houses suddenly opened its door, and then they saw the two of them holding hands. Their gaze lingered on Lin Zhao’s face for a moment, and they couldn’t help but say with surprise, “It’s really you, Lin Zhao. I didn’t dare to recognize you when I saw you this afternoon.”
The Lin Zhao of today was not the street loafer that everyone looked down on in the past. After she joined the army, she was said to have performed very well and had even become a Centurion! Good heavens, for them, the common folk, this was already an existence they couldn’t afford to offend.
Suddenly seeing a neighbor, Lin Zhao was a little at a loss. She forced a stiff smile and nodded. After all, they had not been so friendly in the past.
The neighbor looked at Lin Zhao, then at Chu Xihuan, and smiled. “It’s good that you’re back. Miss Chu has also been waiting for you for these years. Live a good life in the future.”
Lin Zhao was speechless. She didn’t know what to say.
“Mm, we will,” Chu Xihuan, who was beside her, said warmly, then added, “It’s getting late. We’ll be going back now.”
“Alright, alright. We won’t chat anymore,” the neighbor said, watching them walk in. Seeing that their relationship was still quite good, she couldn’t help but mutter to herself. Was that Lin Zhao so trusting of Chu Xihuan? She hadn’t even made a fuss about the extra child.
Meanwhile, Lin Zhao turned to look at Chu Xihuan beside her, recalling what she had just said to the neighbor.
Will they live a good life in the future?
“What are you looking at? Can you see clearly in this darkness?” Chu Xihuan’s words were filled with a smile, clearly in a good mood.
Although Lin Zhao’s attitude was still a little difficult, from a series of actions and observations, Chu Xihuan was still very sure that Lin Zhao still had her in her heart. As long as the two of them got along well in the future, there would be a day when she would let go of the past.
Back at home again, thinking of the grand words she had said this afternoon, Lin Zhao felt a little embarrassed. This was the house her mother had left her. How could she really not want it, as she had said this afternoon?
Although she had not been at home for long this afternoon, she could still notice that the house had been well-maintained by Chu Xihuan and was still the same as when she had left.
Just as she was lost in thought about the afternoon’s events, the two of them had already stepped into the bedroom. As the door closed, Lin Zhao was pressed against the door by a force of inertia, and a person quickly pressed against her.
“Lin Zhao, you’ll miss me, right?”
A scorching kiss fell on Lin Zhao’s neck, instantly melting a corner of her heart.
**
Author’s Note:
Xixi: Seduction~
