Yu Lingshan’s lips were so soft.
She only drew near for a light taste, not pressing close, not kissing deeply, just a gentle touch against Xu Shi’s lips. When Xu Shi leaned in, she would retreat, but when Xu Shi pulled away, she would lean in again.
Back and forth, she made Xu Shi’s heart itch with anticipation.
It felt like she could have it, yet she couldn’t. In the end, just as Xu Shi wanted to take a step further, Yu Lingshan extended an index finger, pressed it to Xu Shi’s lips, and pushed her away.
“Mm~” Yu Lingshan’s eyes curved into crescents. “That’s enough.”
Xu Shi took a light breath and pulled back as well.
It was indeed enough for Yu Lingshan. After the kiss, she pulled down the vanity mirror and began reapplying her lipstick.
She left Xu Shi in her seat, idle and lost in fantasy.
How could this person be like this?
“How could I be like this?”
Yu Lingshan’s words echoed Xu Shi’s inner thoughts almost simultaneously. Xu Shi turned her head to see Yu Lingshan press her lips together in the mirror’s reflection before snapping the lipstick shut with a click.
“I’ll take you home,” Yu Lingshan said.
Xu Shi murmured an “oh” and fastened her seatbelt.
On the way back, Yu Lingshan was visibly in a good mood. With the windows rolled up, she played a song with a strong beat and even hummed along for a couple of lines, making Xu Shi’s spirits soar along with her.
Yu Lingshan still had Xu Shi’s hair tie on her wrist, which gave Xu Shi an inexplicable sense of peace.
The evening rush hour had passed, and Yu Lingshan quickly dropped Xu Shi off at the entrance to her residential complex.
Xu Shi unbuckled her seatbelt. “Don’t drink too much tonight. Go home early.”
Yu Lingshan: “Got it, big sister.”
Yu Lingshan’s “big sister” made Xu Shi chuckle.
Yu Lingshan: “Come over early tomorrow morning. I want to eat braised fish.”
Xu Shi: “Okay.”
Yu Lingshan: “I also want potatoes, and corn and pork rib soup.”
Xu Shi smiled. “You got it.”
“And…”
Yu Lingshan paused, and Xu Shi waited, but she didn’t say anything for a long time.
So Xu Shi asked, “What else do you want to eat?”
Yu Lingshan looked at Xu Shi. “Next time, I want a proper kiss.”
Xu Shi paused for a moment.
Yu Lingshan continued, “Please say you miss me properly. Don’t mumble, I can’t hear you.”
Xu Shi smiled, pressing her lips together. “Got it.”
Yu Lingshan unlocked the car doors. “See you tomorrow.”
Xu Shi: “See you tomorrow.”
Xu Shi’s steps were light on her way home. Inside the elevator, her mind was hopelessly replaying that push-and-pull moment with Yu Lingshan. It was enough to make her flush.
After dinner, Xu Shi went to her room to draw. She worked until eleven, finishing everything she had planned for the day. After washing up and returning to her room, she still hadn’t received any messages from Yu Lingshan.
Once in bed, Xu Shi thought for a moment before sending Yu Lingshan a pointless message.
Xu Shi: I’m going to sleep. Go home early, don’t drink too much.
Unexpectedly, just as the message was sent, her phone rang.
Xu Shi turned off the light and answered Yu Lingshan’s call.
“Hello.”
“Xiao Zhi.”
Yu Lingshan called her name from the other end.
Judging by the background noise, Yu Lingshan seemed to be in a relatively quiet corner of a lively place.
Xu Shi: “You’re not home yet.”
Yu Lingshan said, “Yeah.”
Xu Shi asked, “Have you been drinking?”
Yu Lingshan: “A little, not much.”
After that, Xu Shi didn’t know what else to say, but she didn’t want to hang up, and Yu Lingshan on the other end didn’t seem to want to either. The two of them just held their phones in silence.
Eventually, Xu Shi heard someone call out to Yu Lingshan from a distance. Yu Lingshan moved the phone away from her mouth to reply.
“I have to go in, the birthday girl is cutting the cake,” Yu Lingshan said.
Xu Shi: “Go on.”
Yu Lingshan still didn’t hang up. She asked Xu Shi, “Do you like cake?”
Xu Shi: “It’s okay. I like it if it’s good.”
Yu Lingshan laughed. “Then would you eat one I made?”
Xu Shi: “I would.”
Yu Lingshan: “What if it’s not good?”
Xu Shi: “I’d eat it anyway.”
Yu Lingshan asked, “Is everything about me good?”
Without a second thought, Xu Shi said, “Yes.”
Yu Lingshan chuckled. “I’m going in.”
Xu Shi: “Okay, go on.”
Yu Lingshan: “You’re about to sleep, right? Say good night to me.”
Xu Shi laughed. “If I’m going to sleep, shouldn’t you be the one saying good night to me?”
“Alright, then,” Yu Lingshan immediately agreed and said softly, “Good night, wife.”
Xu Shi instantly burrowed under her covers, a tingling sensation washing over her. But before she could say anything, Yu Lingshan had hung up the phone.
Xu Shi stayed huddled under the covers for a good while to compose herself before opening WeChat to send Yu Lingshan a follow-up: Good night
That night, Xu Shi dreamed of Yu Lingshan.
She was wearing the same dress Xu Shi had seen her in that evening. In the dream, it was her birthday. Xu Shi was standing in a grand banquet hall, surrounded by many people.
And Yu Lingshan was standing alone on the second-floor corridor, a faint smile on her face. Holding a small piece of cake, she looked down and said, “Girlfriends, wish me a happy birthday.”
When she woke from this dream, the sky was still dark. Xu Shi rubbed her head, thinking how ridiculous she was. In the dream, she had been happy just to be one of Yu Lingshan’s girlfriends.
The next day, Xu Shi got up at the same time as her mother. They ate breakfast together and went downstairs together.
It wasn’t until they were outside the complex and her mother asked a couple of questions that she realized Xu Shi wasn’t just accompanying her to buy groceries today, but needed to buy some for herself.
“I was wondering why you were so nice as to come down with me today.”
Xu Shi smiled.
Her mother shook her head. “You’re going to your friend’s place after buying the groceries, right? Yu… Yu what?”
Xu Shi: “Yu Lingshan.”
Her mother hummed in acknowledgment. “How did you two meet? At that event last time?”
Xu Shi thought about it and decided it was best not to tell her mother about their actual first meeting.
So she gave a concise version, saying she had been assigned to Yu Lingshan at the event.
“Quite a coincidence,” her mother smiled. “And then? How did you end up talking about the competition?”
Xu Shi linked her arm through her mother’s and explained, “I probably mentioned that I used to study design, and she took it to heart. She’s a jewelry designer, so we’re in the same field, in a way. Coincidentally, she knew a teacher I really admire, so she introduced us after the event.”
Her mother nodded. “That’s nice. I’ve noticed you’ve been in a very good state when you come home recently.”
Xu Shi laughed. “Oh? Really?”
Her mother: “You’ve always been like this, so I didn’t think much of it before, but it’s different lately. You have a great energy about you, my girl.” Her mother then asked, “How are the preparations for the competition going?”
Xu Shi: “I’m not sure. I’ve never participated in a competition like this, so I don’t know what the skill level of the others is.” Xu Shi smiled. “But there’s no pressure. I’m just thinking of giving it a try. If it doesn’t work out, it doesn’t work out.”
“It’s good that there’s no pressure,” her mother said, patting Xu Shi’s hand. “The result isn’t important. What’s important is that you’re happy.”
Her mother turned to smile at Xu Shi. “People shouldn’t live with regrets. Life is so short. Every stage has things you want to do. It’s not just that the opportunity is gone when you miss it; the right state of mind is gone, too.” Her mother sighed. “When I later went to Wanghai to see the sunrise, I said it was to fulfill your father’s last wish, but really, it was just to give myself some peace of mind.”
Xu Shi: “Mom.”
Her mother smiled. “Why are we talking about this so early in the morning?”
Xu Shi: “Don’t overthink it. Dad definitely wouldn’t blame you.”
“Alright, it’s fine,” her mother said. “And about that Junjun, if you don’t like him, then forget it. My brain wasn’t working right a few days ago.”
Xu Shi was amused. “What are you talking about?”
Her mother suddenly steered the conversation back. “That Yu Lingshan, what about her parents? Are they in A-City?”
Xu Shi shook her head. “I don’t know. She’s never mentioned her family.”
Her mother: “Is that so.”
Chatting, the two arrived at the supermarket. Xu Shi was inexperienced with grocery shopping, so her mom helped her buy her things first before getting her own. She even told Xu Shi that her aunt was coming over for boiled fish in the afternoon, and that Xu Shi was missing out.
Xu Shi replied with a few “yes, yes, yeses” and then said goodbye to her mother.
On her way, Xu Shi replayed her mother’s words from that morning, feeling that something was a little strange.
She had woken up early, so it was only nine o’clock when she arrived at Yu Lingshan’s place.
Yu Lingshan was definitely not awake. Unsure how soundproof the apartment was, Xu Shi tiptoed inside, even opening the refrigerator door gently.
However, after putting the groceries away and returning to the living room, she grew a little bored. She sat on the sofa for a few minutes before deciding to make her presence known to Yu Lingshan.
Walking to the bedroom door, Xu Shi mentally calculated the probability of being murdered by Yu Lingshan if she woke her up.
Perhaps because she calculated that she had a one percent chance of survival, she knocked on the door.
Three knocks. There was no movement from inside. Xu Shi opened the door and went in.
There wasn’t a sliver of light in the bedroom. Xu Shi stood at the doorway for a few seconds to let her eyes adjust before walking in.
Yu Lingshan hadn’t been woken up. She was lying on her side, half her face hidden. On the large bed, she occupied only one side, a small figure curled up under the covers.
Xu Shi hadn’t intended to disturb her; she just wanted to come in and have a look.
But she thought to herself, if Yu Lingshan hadn’t woken up from that far away, then getting a little closer probably wouldn’t matter.
So she took two steps toward the bed.
Then another step.
And another half step.
Just as she reached Yu Lingshan’s side and was about to crouch down, the covers were suddenly thrown open.
Xu Shi yelped in fright. The next second, Yu Lingshan wrapped her arms around her waist and pulled her directly onto the bed.
“Ah, haha, you scared me to death,” Xu Shi said after settling down.
That one move seemed to have drained all of Yu Lingshan’s energy. After Xu Shi was lying down, she draped herself lazily over Xu Shi’s body.
“What time is it?” Yu Lingshan asked.
Xu Shi: “A little after nine.”
Yu Lingshan lamented, “So early.”
Xu Shi: “How did you know I was here?”
“I heard you knock.” As she spoke, Yu Lingshan pinched Xu Shi’s cheek, but her hand lacked strength, probably because she had just woken up.
Her mouth, however, was plenty strong. “Knocking! So! Loudly.”
Xu Shi laughed.
She had survived, against one-percent odds.
Xu Shi: “What time did you get back yesterday?”
Yu Lingshan buried her face in Xu Shi’s shoulder, her voice muffled. “I don’t know.”
Xu Shi patted her head. “Go back to sleep. I’m going out.”
“No.”
Before Xu Shi could get up, Yu Lingshan grabbed her. “Sleep with me.”
Xu Shi: “Alright.”
Yu Lingshan let out a sleepy, whimpering sound from her nose, wrapping her arms around Xu Shi and draping a leg over her as well.
Xu Shi let her be, assuming she would gradually fall asleep. But unexpectedly, Yu Lingshan snuggled closer and closer, then began to nuzzle Xu Shi’s neck with either her nose or her mouth.
So, it wasn’t long before Xu Shi started to feel hot.
She couldn’t control herself.
And so, Xu Shi wrapped her arms around Yu Lingshan too. Yu Lingshan’s pajamas were impossibly smooth, and her waist was incredibly slender. Before she knew it, Xu Shi had pressed Yu Lingshan down beneath her.
Xu Shi’s head felt like it was about to explode, not to mention Yu Lingshan was now caressing her.
The atmosphere was indescribably perfect. Xu Shi lowered her head to nuzzle back, breathing in the scent of Yu Lingshan’s neck.
This person smelled so good.
The tip of Xu Shi’s nose traveled upward, slowly tracing past Yu Lingshan’s jawline.
But suddenly, Yu Lingshan turned her head and pushed Xu Shi away.
“Okay, stop moving. Sleep.”
Xu Shi: “…”
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