Chapter 86

The room fell silent for a moment. Jiang Sisi waited a while, but Leng Xiang didn’t speak.

Jiang Sisi asked, “Are you asleep?”

Leng Xiang shifted under the covers and realized she was still firmly held in Jiang Sisi’s arms.

Jiang Sisi’s body was only slightly warm. Even wrapped in the thick blanket, it seemed like it couldn’t retain any heat.

Leng Xiang was silent for a moment before she said, “There’s nothing worth talking about with my past.”

Leng Xiang then asked, “Is your body always this cold?”

Under the covers, Jiang Sisi quietly took her hand and intertwined their fingers.

“I was too naughty as a kid. One time while playing outside, I accidentally fell into a lake. After being rescued, I developed this issue—poor circulation. No way to fix it.” Jiang Sisi held her close and nuzzled against her, grinning as she added, “But it’s fine. Your body is nice and warm. Holding you while I sleep is super comfortable, like being covered in heating pads all over.”

Leng Xiang: “…”

Had she really been reduced to Jiang Sisi’s personal heating pad?

A car seemed to speed by on the road outside the window. The night was utterly quiet, which only emphasized the silence in the room.

Jiang Sisi said again, “Tell me about yourself. I really want to know.”

Leng Xiang couldn’t resist her persistence and racked her brains for how to explain her past to Jiang Sisi.

There really wasn’t much to say. It was just a mess.

Leng Xiang tugged at the corner of her mouth and said, “After I graduated from junior high, my mom found a scout and got me into Excellence Media. I shot some TV dramas and a few movies, all pretty bad ones. Nothing worth mentioning up until now.”

Jiang Sisi asked, “Why didn’t you go to high school?”

Leng Xiang said flatly, “Because my mom was desperate for money and was counting on me to start earning it for her as soon as possible.”

Jiang Sisi hugged her tighter.

Speaking these things out loud felt like pulling a needle from the tip of her heart. The wounds she’d sealed away were ripped open, pus and blood flowing from her chest in excruciating pain—but also a kind of release.

She had never told anyone about this, not even Shen Cheng, who only knew she had a debt-collecting mom and nothing else.

Leng Xiang bit the tip of her tongue. Sourness filled her mouth as saliva welled up. She swallowed hard a few times, but her throat felt blocked, leaving her speechless.

Her throat bobbed as she closed her eyes. After a long pause, she continued, “My dad was a gambler who owed a ton of loan shark money. One day, my mom saw a casting call poster from a film company on the street—they were looking for good-looking girls. She spotted it, brought a scout to our house, and told me to go earn money to pay off the debts right away.”

If it hadn’t been a film company casting call, but something else…

The consequences didn’t bear thinking about.

Leng Xiang said, “She was so desperate for cash back then that she signed a predatory contract with Excellence Media. For fifteen years, I’d only get five percent of my earnings, and the company would take ninety-five percent.”

“The upside for her was that she got a fifty-thousand introduction fee straight from the company.”

Fifty thousand from over a decade ago was no small sum.

Jiang Sisi’s heart ached as she listened.

She knew Leng Xiang had entered the industry young and weathered many ups and downs over the years, but she hadn’t imagined it started like this.

Leng Xiang had been so young then.

Jiang Sisi asked, “And now?”

Leng Xiang replied, “Now? The company restored my normal split. I got my full pay for Luxury Goods. Speaking of which, I should thank you for that.”

Jiang Sisi covered Leng Xiang’s eyes with her hand.

Leng Xiang blinked in her palm, her mind blank.

Little bubbles bubbled up in her heart, each one popping to reveal bitterness and sorrow.

It had been so long ago—why did she suddenly feel aggrieved now?

She hadn’t thought much of it before.

Jiang Sisi asked again, “What about your parents now?”

Leng Xiang closed her eyes, was silent for a moment, then said flatly, “I don’t know. Probably dead.”

Jiang Sisi: “Dead?”

Leng Xiang: “Yeah. I haven’t been in touch with them for a long time.”

Half-truth, half-lie—that was all Leng Xiang could say.

As for the first fifteen years of her childhood at home, how Liu Lingshu had latched onto her now, and that so-called “home”…

She didn’t want Jiang Sisi to know.

Maybe one day she would, but not now.

Jiang Sisi held her and kissed the back of her neck.

Leng Xiang trembled slightly but didn’t move or refuse.

They slept like that through the night.

…

It was eleven in the morning.

Leng Xiang slowly woke from a deep sleep. She lay sunk into the soft bedding, completely enveloped by it.

She opened her eyes and stared at the ceiling for a long time, looking around in confusion before remembering where she was.

She was in Jiang Sisi’s home, in Jiang Sisi’s bed.

She remembered the curtains hadn’t been drawn last night, but now they were closed. The door was shut too. The heavy purple curtains blocked almost all the light from outside, leaving only a dim, somber hue.

The room resembled a cloudy day after rain—very dark.

There seemed to be rain sounds outside.

She reached for her phone on the nightstand and checked the time.

Eleven-oh-three.

Leng Xiang’s eyes widened in surprise.

No matter how late she slept in recent years, she never woke up this late.

She’d slept too deeply.

Leng Xiang turned off the phone and tossed it back onto the nightstand.

She turned her head to look at the other side of the bed.

Jiang Sisi was no longer there. Leng Xiang reached out and touched the covers—ice cold.

Jiang Sisi must have gotten up quite a while ago.

Leng Xiang got out of bed, her bare feet sinking into the carpet as she walked to the window and yanked open the curtains with a swish.

Sure enough, a light rain fell outside.

It wasn’t heavy—just the hazy drizzle of early spring.

From Jiang Sisi’s room, she could see the lake in the villa’s small garden, the distant lakeside hills.

Even the swing hanging under the old tree was visible.

Last night, they’d confessed to each other there. Today, they’d shared a bed.

A flush crept onto Leng Xiang’s face.

Even if her body could accept Jiang Sisi’s touch, the pace was a bit too fast.

Leng Xiang turned away from the window and went to the bathroom to freshen up.

She found a new toothbrush and towel in the drawer under the sink. As she finished brushing her teeth, she heard scratching at the door.

Followed by faint meows.

Leng Xiang washed her face, came out of the bathroom, and pressed her ear to the door.

Outside, Jiang Sisi was struggling to stop Xiangxiang in her arms from clawing at the door.

Jiang Sisi whispered, “Xiangxiang, don’t disturb her sleep. Be good and listen. We’ll go downstairs for some dried fish. Stop scratching!”

Leng Xiang inside the door: “…”

Leng Xiang opened the door and locked eyes with Xiangxiang in Jiang Sisi’s arms.

Their eyes looked surprisingly similar. Xiangxiang stopped scratching and instantly became meek and quiet. “Meow.”

Holding the cat, Jiang Sisi said, “Xiangxiang usually sleeps with me. Last night it slept downstairs. This morning I went to feed it, but it ignored me and threw a tantrum. I wasn’t paying attention, and it ran up here to scratch.”

Jiang Sisi added, “Did it wake you?”

Leng Xiang shook her head. “No, I just woke up.”

Xiangxiang wriggled in Jiang Sisi’s arms for a while, then stretched out its little paws toward Leng Xiang.

Jiang Sisi could barely hold it and had to hand it over.

Jiang Sisi poked Xiangxiang’s nose with her finger. “You little traitor.”

Xiangxiang: “Meow!”

Leng Xiang chuckled softly and took Xiangxiang into her arms.

Still in her pajamas, she skillfully petted the cat for a bit. Xiangxiang purred contentedly in her embrace.

Jiang Sisi poked Xiangxiang’s nose again and complained, “This is my wife. Watch yourself.”

Leng Xiang: “…”

Leng Xiang’s ears quietly turned red again.

She coughed lightly, shoved Xiangxiang back into Jiang Sisi’s arms, and said, “You hold Xiangxiang and go out first. I need to change.”

Jiang Sisi naturally noticed her reddened ear tips and the face she was trying so hard to keep composed.

After all this time, she was still so easily shy.

Being shy was cute, though.

Jiang Sisi’s face beamed with a grin, her heart even happier.

She scooped Xiangxiang back up and used its little paw to wave as she said to it, “Mommy’s changing clothes. Let’s go out first, okay?”

Xiangxiang: “…Meow?”

Leng Xiang: “…”

She wouldn’t be Jiang Sisi if she didn’t tease.

Leng Xiang rolled her eyes inwardly. “Get out.”

Jiang Sisi grinned roguishly, leaning against the doorframe. “I said we’d take it slow last night. I haven’t seen you change yet. How about we start there?”

Leng Xiang: “…”

Jiang Sisi and Xiangxiang were both shooed out by Leng Xiang. The door slammed shut in her face with a bang.

The beige long dress Leng Xiang had worn yesterday had been washed, dried, and neatly folded on the bedhead—along with her bra and panties.

Had Jiang Sisi washed them for her this morning?

Jiang Sisi seemed like the delicate type who never lifted a finger for chores—yet she’d done her laundry?

Warmth bloomed in Leng Xiang’s heart. Looking at her bra and panties, her face flushed again.

Oh god.

What was this?

Leng Xiang changed and went downstairs. Three dishes and a soup were already laid out on the dining table on the first floor—colorful, aromatic, and appetizing.

The living room, which had been a mess last night, was spotless, as pristine as a model home.

Xiangxiang nestled on the carpet, head buried in a round bowl of cat food.

Jiang Sisi looked up as Leng Xiang came down, smiled, and said, “Eat first. You must be starving.”

Leng Xiang eyed the spread suspiciously. “…You made this?”

She’d clearly said in the Love Cottage that she couldn’t cook.

Jiang Sisi replied, “How could I? The auntie made it. She cleaned the living room too. She just left.”

Glancing at Leng Xiang’s clothes, Jiang Sisi added, “The auntie washed your outer clothes this morning too.”

Jiang Sisi had a live-in housekeeper on call twenty-four-seven, though she didn’t stay in the house except in special cases.

Leng Xiang: “…”

False alarm on the sentiment.

Jiang Sisi smirked wickedly. “But I hand-washed your bra and panties.”

Not content with words, she even gestured with her hands, circling in the air as if still savoring it. “Pretty big.”

Leng Xiang: “…”

Damn this pervert.

Was it too late to break up?!

Jiang Sisi didn’t think she was perverted at all and urged Leng Xiang to come eat.

Leng Xiang sat two seats away from her, ignoring the calls to sit closer, and quietly ate.

After lunch, Jiang Sisi had to head out for work.

Leng Xiang said she should go home too.

They stood at the entryway changing shoes. Jiang Sisi watched as Leng Xiang bent down to tie her laces—a glimpse of pale skin at her neckline, and the faint curves of her breasts.

Jiang Sisi’s gaze lingered there before she looked away and said, “Why don’t you move in with me?”

Leng Xiang looked up at her. “Your dad’s still here. What would that look like?”

Even though they’d started dating, moving in suddenly—and with her dad there—felt inappropriate.

Jiang Sisi said, “Not here. I have an apartment in the city too—the one you visited before. I stay there most of the time. Move in with me.”

Leng Xiang lowered her head, tied her laces faster, and stood up straight.

Casually, she said, “To do your laundry, cook, and warm your bed?”

Jiang Sisi nodded. “Exactly.”

Leng Xiang: “…”

She knew Jiang Sisi was joking, but she was still shocked by the shamelessness.

Leng Xiang refused flatly. “No.”

Jiang Sisi sighed regretfully. “Why not?”

Leng Xiang extended a finger and poked it against Jiang Sisi’s chest, saying solemnly, “I’m not going to wash your clothes, cook your meals, or warm your bed.”

Jiang Sisi reached out and grasped the finger pressed to her chest, bringing it to her lips and kissing it devoutly.

Leng Xiang froze for a moment and didn’t move.

A wet, slick, and soft sensation transmitted from her finger.

Seeing no rejection, Jiang Sisi took the finger into her mouth, licked it all around, and finally nipped at the pad.

It was a strange sensation.

But not unwelcome.

Leng Xiang’s face flushed red. She wanted to pull her hand back, but Jiang Sisi held her wrist fast. That kiss trailed from her fingertip downward, landing on the back of her hand. She could even feel the warmth and softness of Jiang Sisi’s lips—light yet wet and hot.

Jiang Sisi’s lips moved from the back of her hand to her wrist. She looked up at Leng Xiang and bit down on it.

“Hiss—”

It hurt.

Veins and nerves ran densely through that spot. Pain shot through Leng Xiang’s wrist, leaving a clear tooth mark behind, glaring like a stamp.

It was just a kiss on the hand, yet it felt utterly intimate.

Leng Xiang’s face burned like fire. She withdrew her hand and glared fiercely at Jiang Sisi.

Jiang Sisi laughed. “We agreed to take it slow, but we won’t see each other until Saturday. You have to give me a little sweetness first, right?”

Leng Xiang’s face was still flushed, her expression fierce, but her heart had taken quite a hit.

Why did Jiang Sisi’s flirtations feel so natural and justified? Why couldn’t she resist at all?

She wasn’t even angry. More than anger was a sweetness she was reluctant to admit.

Jiang Sisi leaned in and kissed her lips, rubbing against them lightly before smiling. “Come on, I’ll drive you back.”

Jiang Sisi drove Leng Xiang back to her rental place. An hour later, the car pulled up downstairs from the apartment building.

Leng Xiang got out of the passenger seat. Instead of heading straight upstairs, she walked around to the driver’s side where Jiang Sisi sat.

Jiang Sisi rolled down the window. “What’s wrong? Did you forget something?”

Leng Xiang’s face was taut, still not recovered from the shock at Jiang Sisi’s doorstep. She said, “Lean over a bit.”

Puzzled but compliant, Jiang Sisi leaned outward.

Before she could react, darkness fell before her eyes, and a wet, hot sensation pressed against her lips.

Leng Xiang kissed her forcefully, nearly scraping the corner of Jiang Sisi’s mouth raw.

Once done, Leng Xiang didn’t spare Jiang Sisi a glance. She turned and strode into the apartment building.

A resounding “Goodbye!” echoed through the air from afar.

Forceful and full of vigor.

Jiang Sisi sat there in a daze for a long while, still in the driver’s seat. She subconsciously touched the corner of her mouth.

It stung a little—probably bleeding.

Suddenly, she curved her lips into a somewhat silly, goofy smile.

…

Meanwhile, in a hidden urban village on the sixth ring road of B City, inside an old residential building’s basement room.

The basement had no windows and spanned over twenty square meters. Dark, damp mold spots covered the walls. In one corner, a small area had been walled off into a kitchen with a rickety old wooden door. Inside were pots, pans, bowls, a stove connected to a gas canister, and an exhaust hood pipe extending from the ceiling corner—the nearby walls blackened from soot.

A woman cooked in the kitchen, occasionally coughing from the smoke.

The floor was bare cement but very clean, evidence that the basement’s owner cleaned it frequently.

The furnishings were sparse: a fabric sofa, a wooden table serving as a coffee table, an old television in front of the sofa, and a bed against the wall. That was it.

A man lay sprawled across the sofa. His socks had several holes crudely patched; he didn’t seem to care. He held the remote lazily, watching TV.

The TV was an antique scavenged from who-knows-where, with a massive rear cabinet—a relic in this era of slim LCD screens.

It barely picked up a few channels. The man fiddled with the remote idly, grabbed an apple from the wooden table, and took a bite.

The apple carried a musty taste, nearly juiceless, its skin shriveled.

He spat out a mouthful and cursed, “What the hell is this!”

But there was nothing else edible in sight. Listlessly, he kept munching on the apple, eyes on the TV as he channel-surfed at random.

His hand suddenly froze on the remote. He stared fixedly at the screen.

A variety show promo was playing. He looked closer—it seemed to be called Love Diary, airing its first episode this Saturday at eight p.m.

He had no interest in the show, but the person in the promo caught his attention.

That was his daughter.

His daughter was dressed glamorously and beautifully, apparently making a cake with a man in what looked like a luxurious restaurant.

Though she appeared for only three seconds, he recognized her.

The man grinned, revealing a mouthful of yellowed teeth.

He bellowed toward the kitchen, “You stinking hag! Is the food ready? Get out here!”

Liu Lingshu wiped her hands on her apron and hurried out through the rickety wooden door, smiling as she emerged.

“It’s almost ready. If you’re hungry, have an apple to tide you over first.”

The man hurled the apple at Liu Lingshu and snarled, “Eat, eat, eat—what the hell do you eat?”

He jabbed a finger at the TV. “Look at your daughter. She’s made it big, raking in the cash.”

Cursing all the while, he grabbed a bowl from the wooden table and smashed it too. It shattered on the floor with a crash.

He pointed at Liu Lingshu and berated her. “Useless piece of trash—good for nothing but ruining things. Your daughter’s making that much money, so why the hell are you still hanging around here? Go demand some from her!”