Chapter 68 Part 2

“Finally gave her my first time. The plan is proceeding smoothly, making it easier to deal with those people.”

The handwriting matched the first entry perfectly, but Yue Bai felt a chill surging through her, crawling up her spine.

“Finally.” Yue Bai echoed the notebook’s words, her fingertip pressing down on those two characters.

The cold page rustled beneath her touch.

“Going to all that trouble?” she murmured.

What she had taken for uncontrollable passion was actually the other’s long premeditated scheme. Yue Bai suddenly felt a pang in her heart. Countless emotions flooded her chest, choking her.

She refused to believe Senior Sister would scheme against her. Yet those words filled her with an indescribable sadness.

Her eyes vacant, she reached out and tugged at the necklace around her neck.

The metal chain had warmed slightly in the room’s cozy air.

She squeezed her eyes shut tight, burying the grief and confusion swirling in their depths.

“What exactly is Senior Sister afraid of?” Yue Bai closed the notebook. She couldn’t make sense of it. How could someone so confident and radiant harbor emotions that bordered on self-abasement?

Footsteps sounded from outside. Her heart skipped a beat, and she hurriedly shoved the notebook back under the bed.

“Little Bai, just wait for Senior Sister five more minutes, okay?” Sang Wan stepped into the bedroom, grabbed her tablet, and headed to the living room.

Yue Bai’s mouth opened, but in the end, she didn’t call out to the retreating figure.

“So much like.” Yue Bai savored the words from the page. “How much does she like me?”

The thought made Yue Bai grin uncontrollably, as if her mouth were filled with honey. She couldn’t suppress the curve of her lips.

It felt wonderful. The person she liked liked her just as much.

She rolled onto her side on the bed, gazing aimlessly at the white wall ahead. Her slender fingers still seemed to carry the lingering stickiness from earlier.

Yue Bai licked her lips.

She sat up and slipped quietly off the bed.

Cracking the bedroom door open just a sliver, Yue Bai peered out at the figure seated outside.

Sang Wan sat ramrod straight, her back to Yue Bai. From this angle, Yue Bai couldn’t make out her expression.

The tablet’s soft glow was all but lost amid the bright overhead lights.

The living room blazed with light, yet Sang Wan sat alone on the sofa, her fingers sliding ceaselessly across the screen.

She was coordinating tomorrow’s meeting spot with her family.

Yue Bai eased the door shut and climbed back into bed.

Figuring Sang Wan wouldn’t return anytime soon, she yanked out the charging phone.

The screen flashed a “Battery below 20%” warning, which Yue Bai ignored.

“Senior Sister Wen, can I ask what Senior Sister went through before? If it’s inconvenient, no worries.” Yue Bai typed.

Wen Mo replied almost instantly: “Did something happen?”

“No, tomorrow I’m meeting Senior Sister’s family. I want to know a bit about her ahead of time.” Yue Bai.

“Don’t worry about it. With Sang Wan there to run interference, her family won’t say a thing.” Wen Mo.

“Okay.”

Yue Bai frowned. She’d asked Wen Mo the same thing at noon and gotten nothing, and now it was the same result. Probing Senior Sister Wen for info was a dead end.

Ding dong. Another message chimed.

“Sang Wan has very little sense of security. If you can, express your feelings for her more often.” Wen Mo had leaned back against Zhou Qingyan, pondering for a long moment before sending that.

Yue Bai’s heart leaped at the words. She’d just read Sang Wan’s notebook entry, and now this? If it weren’t impossible, she’d swear Wen Mo had some prophetic gift.

Senior Sister has so little security. Yue Bai’s knuckles whitened as she gripped the phone. It was plain from the notebook’s words.

And she hadn’t noticed a thing before.

“Damn it.” Yue Bai thumped her thigh in annoyance. What a lousy girlfriend she was. Always hanging around Senior Sister, letting herself be pampered, yet blind to the slightest shift in her mood.

“Express my feelings more.” Yue Bai got the message. She plugged the charger back in and settled half-reclining on the bed, waiting quietly for Sang Wan.

Starting now, she’d give Senior Sister all the security she needed.

“Have you been waiting long? Do you have time tomorrow at noon?” Sang Wan slipped into the bedroom, a faint chill clinging to her. She shook out her sleeves and sat gently on the bed’s edge. The black sleepshirt hugged her figure, making it all the more alluring. “My family wants to come over and share a meal with you. Is that okay?”

“Of course—we already agreed, didn’t we?” Yue Bai wrapped her arms proactively around Sang Wan’s waist, her fingers sneaking into the gap between the buttons.

Sang Wan caught the errant hand. Her slender fingers trailed upward, undoing two buttons.

She turned, lifted the corner of the blanket, and slid underneath.

“Behave yourself.” Sang Wan’s voice came out husky.

“Oh~” Yue Bai drew out the sound on purpose before obediently pulling her hand free.

She didn’t touch Sang Wan again, content to hold her from behind. Usually, it was Yue Bai nestled in Sang Wan’s embrace—this was the first time she’d held her this way.

Her breath ghosted over Sang Wan’s earlobe. Yue Bai inhaled deeply, lost in her fresh scent. She hooked a loose strand of hair and twirled it twice around her fingertip.

“Senior Sister, let’s get up early tomorrow. I want to buy something for your family.” Yue Bai rested her chin on Sang Wan’s shoulder.

“No need.” Sang Wan turned down the idea. “They’re just coming for a meal—no need for formalities. We can bring something next time we visit my house.”

Yue Bai considered it and nodded.

“It’s Valentine’s Day today. Want to do something?” Sang Wan reached back, drawing Yue Bai close and rolling to pull her into her arms.

The hint was unmistakable.

“Finally gave her my first time.” The notebook’s words echoed in Yue Bai’s head—what Sang Wan had written down.

She shook her head. “Better to rest early. We can’t wear ourselves out.”

Sang Wan smiled tenderly, with no argument. “Then let’s turn in.”

“Good night, Senior Sister.” Yue Bai hugged one of Sang Wan’s arms, pillowing her neck on it while draping a leg and an arm over her. “I’ll always, always like you. Only you, Senior Sister.”

The girl’s voice was light and clear, softer still on the edge of sleep. To Sang Wan, though, it rang like thunder.

She shifted to pinch Yue Bai’s cheek. “Senior Sister likes you too.”

“Just like? I love you so much, Senior Sister.” Emboldened by the darkness, Yue Bai buried her face in Sang Wan’s armpit. Blushing furiously, she said it right to her face—and felt her own heat rising.

Sang Wan froze for a split second, clearly caught off guard by the bluntness. Her throat worked as she lifted Yue Bai’s chin with one hand, gentle as if handling something fragile.

“Little Bai, what did you just say? Could you say it again?” Sang Wan’s voice trembled. That single word had sent ripples across the calm surface of her heart, forming beautiful patterns.

“Some words only get said once.” Yue Bai was too shy to repeat it. Her arms tightened around Sang Wan’s waist.

“Good girl, say it one more time? Please?” Sang Wan coaxed with endless patience.

Yue Bai’s face scrunched up. Words like that took all her courage the first time—there was none left for a second. That was her mindset now.

She peeked up, moonlight spilling through the window to illuminate Sang Wan’s face.

Even in the dark, her eyes sparkled brilliantly.

Gazing into them, Yue Bai lost herself. Those black pupils exerted an invisible pull, drawing her in completely.

Yue Bai leaned up to kiss the little mole on Sang Wan’s jaw, sucking lightly. “Senior Sister, no matter when, no matter what happens—I will always love you.”

Dampness spread across Sang Wan’s jaw. Her arms went rigid as she pulled Yue Bai close, pressing her fiercely against herself through the thin fabric.

“Little Bai, Senior Sister loves you too.” Sang Wan captured Yue Bai’s earlobe between her lips, whispering low.

A sour ache flooded her body. Sang Wan’s nose twitched, her eyes glazing with unshed tears. She tilted her head back, fighting to hold them in.

All the past hurts and hardships seemed ready to burst forth right then. Her chest heaved with the effort.

“Senior Sister?” Yue Bai sensed something was wrong. She tried to sit up and check, but Sang Wan pressed her head firmly against the crook of her neck.

Yue Bai didn’t dare struggle too hard. Instead, she obediently draped herself over Sang Wan’s body.

She wasn’t sure how much time passed—maybe just a few seconds, or perhaps a few minutes—before the grip on her head loosened slightly. Sang Wan’s pale hand trailed down from the back of Yue Bai’s head, sliding all the way to her waist.

“Senior Sister?” Yue Bai lifted her head, gazing worriedly at the woman now half-reclining against the bed.

In that moment, Sang Wan looked incredibly fragile.

“It’s nothing.” Sang Wan swallowed hard, her fingers slowly kneading Yue Bai’s cheek. “Senior Sister is just… too happy.”

Look at that, Sang Wan. You are loved, too.

“Good girl. I love you, too.” Sang Wan leaned down and pressed a soft kiss to Yue Bai’s forehead.

That night, Sang Wan slept more peacefully than she had in ages. When she woke the next morning, she was still holding Yue Bai around the waist, just as she had the night before.

Reluctantly, she buried her face against the warmth of the woman in her arms.

A little past nine, Sang Wan gently roused the still-slumbering figure.

“Little Bai, time to get up.” She patted Yue Bai’s back lightly.

“Mmm.” Yue Bai nodded in her sleep, her body instinctively snuggling closer to Sang Wan’s warmth as her breathing evened out.

“You…” Sang Wan tapped her lip in exasperation, then carefully unwound the arms looped around her before slipping out of bed first.

By the time Sang Wan had dressed, finished washing up, and drawn back the curtains at the window, sunlight was streaming into the room. She turned around. “Little Bai, the sun’s on your butt—aren’t you getting up?”

Yue Bai didn’t stir, her brows furrowed in a sleepy tangle.

Sang Wan sighed. This oversleeping habit was getting serious. Just a few days ago, she’d been getting up early for workouts. Clearly, it had been nothing more than a flash in the pan.

“Time to get up.” Sang Wan called out patiently, over and over.

“Mmm…” Yue Bai sat up slowly, her eyes still squeezed shut. She stretched out her arms. “Senior Sister, hug.”

“How are you so good at acting spoiled?” Sang Wan chuckled and gave her a quick embrace.

“Kiss,” Yue Bai demanded.

Sang Wan cupped her face, leaning in to kiss her, but Yue Bai turned her head aside.

“Not brushed my teeth yet. Kiss my cheek,” she mumbled indistinctly.

Amused, Sang Wan pecked her cheek. “But you haven’t washed your face either.”

Yue Bai pouted. “Senior Sister thinks I’m gross?”

“Silly girl, never.” Sang Wan laid out her clothes on the bed for easy access.

By the time Yue Bai finished washing up, it was nearly ten o’clock. She plopped down in front of the vanity in a panic. “Senior Sister, when are your family arriving?”

Sang Wan lifted her gaze lazily, a smile playing on her lips. “Panic-stricken now, are we? You didn’t react at all when I first tried waking a certain someone.”

She stepped behind Yue Bai, bracing her arms on either side of her shoulders. “No need to make a big production out of it. They’re family—just relax.”

Yue Bai shook her head firmly. “No way. It’s our first meeting. I have to make a good impression. They need to like me, for your sake.”

Sang Wan’s heart fluttered. She bent down low. “I think… my approval matters more.”

Her thumb brushed across Yue Bai’s lips. She leaned in closer, meeting the eyes staring back from the mirror. “And I’ve always approved.”