Sunlight slanted in through the gap in the unclosed curtains, falling on Su Qingqiu’s face. The light was glaring, so she frowned and slowly opened her eyes.
Then she realized she was lying in bed.
Her mind was still a bit foggy, and it took her a moment to recall what had happened the night before.
Last night, Rong Jin had trouble sleeping because her leg hurt, so Su Qingqiu had kept her company while working late. But Su Qingqiu usually had a very regular schedule—after putting Su Xijing to bed around nine at night, she herself would go to sleep no later than ten.
Yet last night, after Rong Jin asked why she had invited her to Su Xijing’s birthday banquet, Su Qingqiu’s nerves had tensed up and then relaxed. It was already well past her usual bedtime, and exhaustion had hit her all at once. She had curled up in the chair and fallen asleep just like that.
…
She was the one who was supposed to keep Rong Jin company through the night, so how had she ended up falling asleep?
A flash of annoyance crossed Su Qingqiu’s eyes.
Wait, this wasn’t her room.
Rong Jin had a limp, and Aunt Zhao wasn’t around, so there was no way she could have carried her back to the second floor. Of course this wasn’t her own room.
…
So she had slept in Rong Jin’s bed?
Had she and Rong Jin slept together all night?
Su Qingqiu blinked in belated realization. Her body under the covers stiffened instantly, and her face slowly turned red.
She lifted the blanket and looked down.
Her pajamas were still properly on.
Su Qingqiu let out a sigh of relief.
She couldn’t tell if it was relief or regret.
Rong Jin was nowhere to be seen, and she was the only one on the bed. She reached for her phone on the bedside table and glanced at the time, startling herself.
It was already ten in the morning.
She only set her alarm for weekdays, and today was Saturday, so it hadn’t gone off. But her biological clock usually woke her at seven-thirty sharp every morning.
She was also picky about beds—when traveling for work, she never slept well in hotel beds, and she had never slept in this guest room bed before.
Yet now she had slept straight through to ten o’clock on this bed.
Su Qingqiu wanted to throw off the covers and get up, but her sharp ears suddenly caught a small commotion at the door.
Outside, Su Xijing and Rong Jin were whispering together.
Su Xijing’s voice was soft and milky as she asked, “Auntie, why hasn’t Mommy gotten up yet? Xixi wants to go to the park and fly kites with Yan Yan.”
Rong Jin replied, “Your mommy worked very hard last night and is a bit tired. She needs to sleep a little longer, so Xixi shouldn’t disturb her, okay?”
Su Xijing tilted her head and thought for a moment before saying, “Weiwei told Xixi before that whenever her mommy and mama stayed up late working together, her mommy couldn’t get up in the morning either.”
Su Xijing came to a conclusion: “Work is so tiring.”
She asked again, “Auntie, you stayed up late working with Mommy last night too. Why aren’t you tired?”
Rong Jin: “…”
Su Qingqiu, eavesdropping inside the door: “…”
The couple from the Qu Family staying up late to “work” was one thing, but how could they talk about that kind of thing with a child?
Rong Jin instructed her meaningfully, “Xixi, if Weiwei tells you about her mommy and mama in the future, remember not to listen to a single word.”
Su Xijing asked puzzledly, “Why?”
Rong Jin patted her head. “Because Xixi is still too little to know about these things.”
She would have to have a good talk with Su Qingqiu someday about Su Xijing’s early sex education.
Rong Jin changed the subject. “Auntie baked some shortbread cookies. Does Xixi want some?”
Su Xijing said happily, “Xixi wants some! Xixi loves shortbread cookies!”
Rong Jin then took her to the kitchen to get the cookies, and their voices grew fainter until they disappeared.
Su Qingqiu covered her face and lay back on the bed, the heat on her cheeks lingering for a long time.
What the heck.
Staying up late working and such.
But…
They really had slept together all night.
Why did she have no memory of it at all?
A hint of regret lingered on her tongue as she quietly burrowed back under the covers, rolling two circles on the bed until she reached Rong Jin’s side.
Rong Jin always got up early, so the warmth on that side had long dissipated, leaving only a faint, subtle fragrance.
It was Rong Jin’s scent.
Rong Jin never wore perfume unless it was a necessary occasion. She usually only applied a bit of light base makeup, and since she was beautiful to begin with, makeup made little difference.
Su Qingqiu couldn’t help but hide under the covers and sniff lightly. Moments later, she suddenly realized what absurd thing she was doing and rolled back to the other side, still wrapped in the blanket.
Her face burned even redder.
Wrapped in the thin blanket, she looked like a round ball rolling back and forth.
She hadn’t been still for half a minute before she gave in to her desire again and rolled back to Rong Jin’s side, burying her flushed face in the pillow.
It smelled so good.
After a while, a scent of baking shortbread cookies suddenly reached her nose, scattering her fanciful thoughts. Only then did she remember.
Rong Jin, with her lame leg—how had she managed to bake shortbread cookies?
What if something happened?
She hurried out of bed without even putting on shoes and rushed barefoot toward the kitchen.
In the open kitchen, Rong Jin and Su Xijing stood in front of the oven. Rong Jin, wearing thick mitts, bent down to take out a tray full of cookies.
The aroma of the shortbread cookies grew even stronger, filling the entire living room.
Rong Jin heard the noise and looked up to see Su Qingqiu standing there in her thin pajamas.
She wasn’t wearing slippers.
Her feet stepped on the cold marble floor of the kitchen, and with the central air conditioning blasting cold air in the living room, her ankles took on a very pretty watery pink hue.
Even the curve from her ankle to her heel was beautifully sculpted by God himself.
Rong Jin’s gaze fell on her feet.
Her toes were still pink.
Rong Jin’s throat bobbed involuntarily. The tray in her hands shook a little, bumping against the counter with a crisp sound.
Su Qingqiu grabbed the other mitt and bent down to take the tray. “Let me.”
As she bent over, the thin fabric at her chest hid nothing. Long brown curls fell to her chest, carrying a slight itch.
Her lowered eyes had long, curled lashes drooping obediently, and her earlobes still held a bit of lingering red.
The pure innocence and sensuality unique to a woman hit her full force.
To think someone could combine purity and sexiness in such a bewitching way.
Rong Jin coughed lightly and looked away, saying softly, “Put on your shoes. The floor is cold.”
Milk trotted over with her cotton slippers in its mouth, placed them by her feet, and meowed obediently.
Su Qingqiu set the tray of shortbread cookies on the counter, slipped on her slippers, bent down to pet Milk’s head. Milk rubbed against her palm and meowed twice more.
Su Xijing had been eyeing the cookies for a while, but the counter was too high—even on tiptoes, she couldn’t reach. Anxiously, she said, “Mommy, Xixi wants a cookie.”
Su Qingqiu handed her one, reminding her, “Careful, it’s hot.”
Su Xijing took a bite and instantly showed a soft, angelic smile of satisfaction. “Auntie’s cookies are so yummy!”
Su Qingqiu turned to look at Rong Jin’s left leg, still in its cast, and said, “Why did you suddenly decide to bake cookies? Is your leg okay?”
Last night, Rong Jin had watched Su Qingqiu’s sleeping face, her emotions surging. Suddenly, she had it all figured out—she didn’t care if Su Qingqiu liked her or not; she knew she liked Su Qingqiu.
She accepted it.
With one lame leg, through great difficulty, she had managed to move the sleeping Su Qingqiu to her bed.
Su Qingqiu had woken a few times, it seemed, but she was so exhausted that she groggily glanced over, saw it was Rong Jin, and fell back asleep.
Once she had placed Su Qingqiu on the other side of the bed, Rong Jin lay on her own side. At two-thirty in the morning, her mind was strangely clear—excited, even—with no sleepiness at all. She propped her face and watched Su Qingqiu.
She watched as Su Qingqiu first lay quietly flat on the bed, then after a while turned over, back to her, and slowly curled up, taking up only a tiny bit of the bed as she fell into deep sleep.
Rong Jin had read many miscellaneous books in college and had some shallow knowledge of social sciences. She knew this sleeping position represented extreme sensitivity and a lack of security in psychology.
Rong Jin thought she needed to do something.
Since she liked her, she should do something.
She thought about it all night.
Su Qingqiu lacked for nothing now, but somehow lacked everything. The only thing she truly valued was her precious little daughter. What could she do for her?
It had been so many years since Rong Jin had liked anyone, dated, or gone all out for someone. She inevitably lacked experience, limiting her options.
In the end, she came up with a terrible idea.
She got up early and baked shortbread cookies for Su Qingqiu.
Su Qingqiu and Su Xijing both liked sweets anyway.
The Su household had all kinds of ingredients stocked in the pantry and every tool imaginable.
Early in the morning, she wheeled herself to the kitchen, got out the needed materials and tools. The wheelchair was just short of the counter height, but she discovered this magical electric wheelchair could adjust its height.
If she’d known, she could have made breakfast for Su Xijing last night instead of waiting hungrily for Su Qingqiu to come back.
She had never baked cookies before, but following the online steps, she fumbled through beating eggs and mixing flour, somehow unlocking a baking skill on her own. The final product actually turned out pretty good.
Hearing her speak, Rong Jin smiled. “My leg is fine. You slept through the morning, and Xixi and I were starving. Then I found out this wheelchair adjusts height, so I could reach the counter. I made breakfast and tried baking some cookies.”
“Don’t you like sweets? Try them and see if you like them.”
Su Xijing, still holding a cookie, said, “Auntie’s cookies are sweet, and Xixi likes sweet things.”
Su Qingqiu lowered her eyes.
She took a cookie and bit off a small piece.
The sweetness spread from her tongue, melting softly in her mouth.
She had insisted on having Rong Jin move in at first to take care of her while she was mobility-impaired.
Instead, she was the one being taken care of again.
Back in high school, Rong Jin’s pockets always had candy ready. Whenever Su Qingqiu felt down, she would secretly slip her some because she liked sweet candy.
Now Rong Jin was willing to bake cookies for her.
Maybe she had truly forgiven her and let go of the past.
That was just how Rong Jin was.
Once she forgave, it was complete, and their relationship would slowly return to normal.
It matched her own wishes perfectly.
Yet a strong wave of panic and unease suddenly surged in her heart.
She forcibly suppressed it and said softly, “Thank you. They’re delicious.”
