Not every woman looks good without clothes on.
Some girls looked far better dressed than undressed, but Lin Cheng couldn’t quite put his finger on whether it was because he knew Jiang Lingxue’s body too well. Regardless, she truly looked stunning naked.
Her figure was slender and perfectly proportioned, without a trace of excess fat. She was slim to an extreme where she ought to be, yet full and curved where a young woman should be, her skin porcelain-white like the first snows of early spring, blushing faintly with hints of peach blossom pink. Her red hair hung wet and limp across her collarbone.
Lin Cheng held her gaze for several long seconds.
“Why are you staring at me?” Jiang Lingxue asked flatly.
“Aren’t you the one staring at me?”
“I’m wondering if you’re going to sleep with me tonight.” Her voice was remarkably calm—perhaps excessively so. Of course, Lin Cheng felt no shame about it. After all, they had lived together for over a year; deciding whether to get intimate was as routine as choosing to eat or drink.
“Heh heh, I’m over it,” Lin Cheng said, his voice tinged with guilt.
People’s boundaries could crumble so easily. One time led to a second, then a third and fourth. But after that, he had no idea how to define their relationship. “Good friends” barely scratched the surface anymore. Sometimes Lin Cheng wanted to confront it head-on, but he could never pinpoint exactly where things stood.
“Is that so?” Jiang Lingxue let out a soft “oh.” “Then I’m leaving.”
She gathered the clothes she had set aside: a white blouse, a black hip-hugging skirt, open-crotch black silk pantyhose, and even a string of small black beads.
So damn sexy!
“It’s raining outside. Why not… head out later?”
“Are you sick or something?” Jiang Lingxue glanced up at him and rolled her eyes. “Are we doing this or not?”
“Let me think a bit more…”
“Pervert.” Suddenly, she closed the distance. Before Lin Cheng could react, she pinned him against the bathroom wall with one hand. In the next instant, she lifted a leg, resting her ankle above his shoulder, and leaned in closer. “I’m giving you five seconds to decide.”
“Wait, what’s this—a new move?”
Lin Cheng, caught in her leg-dom, was still processing it. Jiang Lingxue’s eyes held a hint of disdain. “You think being an idol is easy? Dance training requires stretching your ligaments to the limit.”
The bathroom door flew open without warning.
Xu Wanyue wandered in, bleary-eyed. She froze for a split second upon seeing the pair, then clapped a hand over her eyes. “I just… need to use the bathroom.”
The moment hung awkwardly for two or three seconds before Lin Cheng scooped up Jiang Lingxue—still draped over him—and carried her out.
A good while later, Xu Wanyue emerged from the bathroom. By then, Lin Cheng was pinned to the sofa, getting thoroughly teased by Jiang Lingxue. Xu Wanyue hurried past, pretending she had seen nothing.
Another while passed, and Jiang Lingxue stood up. Her gaze fell on a pair of high heels by the sofa, and she slipped them on. Lin Cheng’s eyes widened. “Hey, those belong to someone else!”
“I don’t care.” She finished putting on the shoes and leaned against the wall. “I want to wear them.”
It was three in the morning.
Jiang Lingxue pulled on a white T-shirt and hot pants. Her sneakers sat by the shoe cabinet, right where she had left them when she arrived. Lin Cheng stared at her blankly. “You’re leaving?”
“You want me to stay and cram onto the sofa with you?”
“You could… share the bed with her.”
“I’m not sleeping with a stranger. I wouldn’t be able to anyway.”
Lin Cheng watched her finish dressing and scratched his head. “Want me to walk you out?”
“I drove here. What do I need you for?”
“Then why the cold shoulder now that you’re dressed?”
“The tool’s been fully used up. Why bother giving it a friendly face?” Jiang Lingxue said coolly. Lin Cheng ground his teeth in frustration. He opened his mouth to retort, but she had already opened the door and left.
What the hell?!
Lin Cheng slumped on the sofa for a long time before dragging himself upright. He slipped into his pajamas and headed to his room. Xu Wanyue was probably asleep by now, right? He had just settled into bed when she picked up the Black Cat she had been hugging and placed it between them.
“I thought you were asleep.”
“I was just about to drift off when you came in.”
Lin Cheng sensed a faint hoarseness in her voice, stirring an inexplicable unease. He leaned in closer, but the room was pitch dark—he couldn’t make out her eyes.
“Then… let’s sleep?”
“Oh.” Xu Wanyue slid under the covers and pulled the blanket over her head. A moment later, Lin Cheng reached out and poked her shoulder. “Share some of the blanket?”
“No.”
“But I can’t sleep without any.”
A few seconds passed. Then Xu Wanyue dumped every bit of the blanket onto him, rolled over to face away, and curled up. Lin Cheng tentatively reached for her waist, but she immediately grabbed his hand and moved it away.
“No,” she whispered.
“Are you… mad?” Lin Cheng asked cautiously.
“I don’t like you. Why would I be mad?”
“A few hours ago, there was a little bit, wasn’t there?”
“Not anymore.” Her voice carried a hint of grievance mixed with stubbornness.
Lin Cheng didn’t know what to say.
He had almost forgotten that her getting upset was the normal reaction. It was his own thinking that was off-kilter. But he wasn’t good at sweet-talking people—that usually meant lies, and lies felt like pointless deception.
“I was wrong.”
“You’re not.”
“I really was.”
“You’re not wrong.”
“Then why won’t you turn around and look at me?”
“I don’t want to see you.”
“Just one look? Please?”
“No. I’m going to sleep.”
Lin Cheng’s fingertips poked at her back in the darkness. They brushed her smooth, soft skin, and that’s when it hit him: Jiang Lingxue had carried her straight out of the bathroom earlier. Xu Wanyue wasn’t wearing slippers, and right now, on her body…
“Do. Not. Poke.” Xu Wanyue said, enunciating each word deliberately.
Lin Cheng sheepishly withdrew his fingers. After a long pause, he whispered, “I… didn’t originally plan to hook up with her.”
“It has nothing to do with me. You don’t need to explain.”
“I couldn’t resist the temptation.”
“I know. It’s just the kind of mistake boys make.”
Lin Cheng detected a passive-aggressive edge to Xu Wanyue’s tone.
“Since when did you get so sarcastic?” He sighed helplessly and gave her back another gentle poke. This time, she finally turned around. Good thing it was too dark to see anything.
“I’m not mad, so don’t feel guilty or explain yourself. I’m serious.”
“Mm, got it.”
“Then sleep.” Xu Wanyue said.
“Can I have a hug?”
“No.”
“Why not?”
“Because I don’t like you anymore.”
“Why not? How can you not like me?”
“Not every girl has to like you. Plenty of others do—Xiaoxiao likes you a lot, and so does Jiang Lingxue. You don’t need me to.”
“I do need you.”
“I don’t want to.”
Lin Cheng quietly extended his hand. When his fingertips brushed her cheek, they felt a trace of wetness.
She had been crying.
He had no idea what to say next. This wasn’t the kind of problem that could be fixed with whining.
“You’re just too greedy,” Xu Wanyue murmured, her voice barely audible.
“I’m sorry.”
“I’m not blaming you. Anyway, I don’t like you anymore.”
“Could you like me again tomorrow?”
“No.”
“Never again?”
“I don’t know.”
That “I don’t know” gave Lin Cheng a sudden spark of hope.
His phone buzzed. Curious, he picked it up for a look. It was a message from Jiang Lingxue.
“Need me to teach you how to sweet-talk a girl?”
“Who do you think you’re underestimating?!”
Lin Cheng tossed the phone aside. After a moment’s hesitation, he said, “You’re right. It was just a typical boy mistake.”
“…You’re getting more shameless by the day, Lin Cheng.” Xu Wanyue reached out and pinched his cheek.
“But I can’t control myself.”
“Oh.”
“But tonight, I really didn’t plan to do anything to you because… I promised.”
“Oh.”
“Because I like you, I’ll try my best to keep my promises.”
“It’s clearly because you were already spent,” Xu Wanyue said wistfully.
“Nuh-uh. Heh, otherwise I’d pounce on you right now and take advantage.”
“I wouldn’t let you.” She sighed softly. “You really are awful, Lin Cheng.”
Lin Cheng fell silent.
“But… I’m starting to really dislike myself too,” Xu Wanyue whispered. “I should just ignore you. Then none of this would happen—no sadness, no disappointment, no urge to cry.”
Lin Cheng didn’t know how to respond. Xu Wanyue sat up slightly, peering at him through the darkness. Then she said, “You still owe me a kiss.”
Lin Cheng blinked in surprise.
She poked his cheek. “Kiss me.”
“Why a kiss right now?”
“After the kiss, I’ll completely stop liking you. Now—kiss.”
For the first time, her voice took on a commanding edge. Lin Cheng sat up a little. “What if you’re satisfied? Will you like me just a tiny bit again?”
“No.”
“I’ll do my best.”
“Forget it. No kiss. Let’s sleep.”
“Come on, I’ll make it good for you, sis.”
“No…”
But her legs had already been gently parted. She fell silent for a moment, biting her lip. Perhaps out of anger, her pale, soft thighs clamped tightly around his face. The tender skin of her inner thighs burned hot against him.
“It’s all your fault.” Lin Cheng had finally found a legitimate excuse to turn the tables.
Xu Wanyue held a wet wipe, wrapped in the blanket, and carefully dabbed at his face. Her voice held a trace of guilt. “I… didn’t mean to… it was you who…”
“I don’t care. I’m all messy now. You have to take responsibility.” Lin Cheng stared intently at Xu Wanyue.
She held his gaze for three or four seconds before finally looking away with a sigh and ruffling his hair.
“No way. I’m going to sleep.”
With a soft huff, she yanked all the blankets over herself, wrapping up completely.
