Shen Mingjin’s slightly cool lips seemed to be covered in a thin layer of frost. As they lightly brushed against Ye Xi’s scorching ones, they carried away the heat that had troubled her for so long.
The kiss was very light, yet it carried the sweet fragrance of candy that spread between their lips and teeth, entwining her tongue tip and stealing her thoughts.
Compared to that initial unprepared kiss, Ye Xi’s body had anticipated this one. She watched as Shen Mingjin leaned in to kiss her, but she still passively ceased thinking, devoting herself entirely to feeling the gentle press of those lips.
Even Shen Mingjin’s breath seemed to carry a unique coolness, wrapped in a sweet, soft fragrance.
By the time her thoughts slowly gathered and she could think normally again, Shen Mingjin’s snowy-white wrist had already draped over the back of Ye Xi’s neck.
Shen Mingjin was drawing her body down completely.
Now it should have been Ye Xi’s turn to scold Shen Mingjin, perhaps to accuse her of bullying, but Ye Xi had to admit that she didn’t mind Shen Mingjin’s kisses at all.
They were soft, slightly cool, and carried a fragrant scent.
Ye Xi couldn’t control her body’s descent. She practically collided with Shen Mingjin’s body. The exposed skin pressed tightly against Shen Mingjin’s smooth, delicate skin. Her chest adhered to Shen Mingjin’s even fuller softness. The dampness from the ice water lingering at the collar seeped through her clothes, and the chill mingled with the softness, crawling over Ye Xi’s body.
The overly unfamiliar sensation made Ye Xi’s ear roots flush red rapidly. The pretty crimson climbed up her snowy white face and neck, and the unusual heat disrupted her even breathing.
Her throat unconsciously swallowed twice. The stinging pain from the burn there had long dissipated, replaced by flustered gulps.
She had never been this close to anyone before and couldn’t help but clench her palms quietly.
For her own protection, Ye Xi should have pushed Shen Mingjin away, but before her hand could extend, her peripheral vision caught sight of Shen Mingjin’s exceptionally aggrieved expression.
At this moment, Shen Mingjin resembled a drenched flower battered by the wind—petals soaked with moisture, stamen slightly drooping, looking both disheveled and pitiful.
The desire to push her away weakened. What gripped Ye Xi’s heart tightly was concern: “Sister, are you okay?”
Shen Mingjin didn’t respond, so Ye Xi lowered her head to look.
They were too close. As Ye Xi looked down, she could see Shen Mingjin’s fair skin tinged with flush, smell the fragrance emanating from her body, and meet Shen Mingjin’s gaze without any obstruction.
Suddenly, a mass of thick ink spread in Shen Mingjin’s beautiful eyes. The complex emotions that had filled them moments ago turned into dense ink spots—empty, pitch-black, devoid of emotion, leaving only a patch of deep darkness.
Ye Xi had never seen such profoundly dense black ink in a person’s eyes. She couldn’t help but wave her hand in front of Shen Mingjin’s face. “Sister?”
Shen Mingjin’s thick, feathery lashes trembled. Amid the black ink in her eyes, a speck of red ink suddenly appeared, rapidly diffusing and devouring the darkness.
The eerie scene made Ye Xi rub her eyes involuntarily.
When Ye Xi looked again, the thick black and red ink had vanished.
She must have been seeing things again.
Ever since her body temperature had become abnormal, her hallucinations had increased in frequency.
Ye Xi lowered her raised hand. Her pretty, clean knuckles sank deep into the long-pile rug, her gaze still lingering on Shen Mingjin’s eyes.
She hadn’t noticed it before, but now with her palm fully pressed against the carpet, Ye Xi realized the rug on the floor was unusually soft. It showed no dampness despite the water marks on both of them drawing near. The long fibers remained soft and dry, tickling her palm lightly, accompanied by a strangely reassuring warm fragrance.
Ye Xi rubbed the rug twice and had just exhaled a turbid breath laced with heat when Shen Mingjin’s voice sounded in her ear: “Aren’t you going to get off me?”
The calm, gentle voice was no longer as soft as before; it carried a hint of shy annoyance. Shen Mingjin seemed angry.
The spring colors in Shen Mingjin’s eyes faded under her gaze, her consciousness returning to a controllable state. A coldness surfaced on that stunningly beautiful face.
The clarity in her pretty eyes was unmistakable. Ye Xi stared into Shen Mingjin’s eyes, ignoring the sudden aloofness, and sincerely asked, “Sister, are you better now?”
“You…” Hearing this, Shen Mingjin’s shy annoyance deepened. “Get up.”
That sudden blaze of fire had come abruptly and extinguished just as quickly.
Now that the fire was out, there was no need to taste the life-saving water anymore.
She had been “abandoned” just like that. The kiss and intimate contact from moments ago seemed as if they had never happened. Shen Mingjin didn’t apologize and suddenly turned cold toward her.
This stirred an unusual sense of loss in Ye Xi’s chest. Even Shen Mingjin’s urging voice to get up sounded a bit grating.
Ye Xi didn’t pull away for a long time, so Shen Mingjin instinctively struggled a couple of times.
At their current closeness, Shen Mingjin’s struggles not only failed to create any distance but instead caused even deeper friction between their bodies. An unusual heat rose, making both Shen Mingjin and Ye Xi freeze simultaneously.
Shen Mingjin didn’t dare move recklessly anymore. Her neck flushed a bit more, and only a faint voice remained: “Ye Xi, can you get up, please?”
The Shen Mingjin who had just had the strength to yank her down now seemed to have been drained of all power. Her palms pushed hard at Ye Xi’s shoulders, but Ye Xi didn’t even sway.
Meanwhile, Ye Xi’s palms were spread on either side of Shen Mingjin’s body, pressed close to the long-pile rug. Her body arched slightly, her gaze lowered to meet Shen Mingjin’s.
Shen Mingjin lay on the rug, her legs still pinned by Ye Xi’s.
The fabric at her chest had been soaked by the ice water earlier. The barely dried material became even more translucent now, faintly revealing the snowy white softness beneath. From the earlier skin-to-skin press and squeeze, Shen Mingjin’s arms and collarbones were tinged red.
Shen Mingjin’s eyes also held a faint redness. Her lashes, damp from water, trembled lightly. The tone in which she asked Ye Xi to get up was soft and aggrieved, as if Ye Xi had trapped her on this rug and done something to her.
Hadn’t she been the one pulled down?
For a moment, Ye Xi felt dazed. She thought the current situation was utterly bizarre, as if their roles had been absurdly swapped.
