Amidst their ragged breaths, their hearts beat in resonance.
The moment their lips touched, Lin Yi seemed to hear the sound of a flower blooming, trembling slightly as it slowly opened. Then, two flowers on a single stem intertwined, just like the hot, moist breath of Xu Shuyan that slipped past her lips.
She was terrible at kissing. Her only two experiences consisted of a drunken blackout and a dream built on imagination—like an ethereal mist in the sky, impossible to grasp or taste, offering no practice for the real thing. So after the initial impulse, she let Xu Shuyan guide her completely, exploring a new experience.
The door was thrown open and then shut, startling the sheer curtains in the bedroom, which was filled only with the soft, wet sounds of their kisses. The fabric slowly settled back into place.
Xu Shuyan tucked Lin Yi’s long hair behind her ear. The fine strands fell lightly from her fingertips, like a spark that could start a wildfire. Xu Shuyan’s palm cupped her cheek, the delicate, fair skin burning hot under the pads of her fingers.
So hot.
Lin Yi’s mind turned to mush. Her lips, kissed by Xu Shuyan until they burned, were so red they looked like they could bleed. She heard Xu Shuyan’s heartbeat thrumming against her through the air. Xu Shuyan’s affection was like overflowing orange juice, sweet with a hint of tartness, filling their kiss.
She fell onto the bed.
She wrapped her arms around Xu Shuyan’s neck, her fingers tangling in Xu Shuyan’s thick, long hair. In the near-suffocating kiss, her peripheral vision suddenly caught the digital clock on the bedside table. Eleven fifty-nine. The numbers in the seconds column were changing—a ten-second countdown.
Ten, nine.
Xu Shuyan was such a good kisser. It felt so good.
Eight, seven.
After a brief separation, their lips met again.
Six, five.
Xu Shuyan held her. In their intimate closeness, she completely lost all her defenses, letting down all resistance to let Xu Shuyan kiss her, hold her, and accept her.
Just like that night.
Four, three.
In a daze, Lin Yi thought of something.
Two, one.
She suddenly came to her senses. The birthday… she had to wish Xu Shuyan a happy birthday at the last second. She gave Xu Shuyan a light push but couldn’t move her. Her voice was muffled by the kiss. “Xu… mmmph, Xu Shuyan, ha-happy birthday!”
The countdown ended.
The new day began with her stifled blessing. She heard Xu Shuyan chuckle. When a slipper fell to the floor, a brief, cool breeze blew in, and she couldn’t help but shiver. Xu Shuyan kissed her lips. “I’m very happy.”
She said she’s very happy.
Lin Yi thought dazedly, Xu Shuyan said she’s very happy. Is it because of the kiss? Is it because I opened the door to my heart and welcomed her in? Or is it because of what’s… what’s going to happen next?
“Do you want to?” she heard Xu Shuyan ask.
Her wandering gaze fell on Xu Shuyan’s face. The lipstick on Xu Shuyan’s lips had been completely kissed away, but the kiss had brought out a red more magnificent than any lipstick—bright and alluring, glistening with moisture. There was even a small cut on the corner of her mouth.
She raised her hand and touched it. Xu Shuyan hissed softly but didn’t pull away.
“My kissing is so bad.” Lin Yi’s voice was so light it could float away. The pad of her finger drifted over Xu Shuyan’s lips, sometimes touching, sometimes pulling away. She asked, “Does it hurt?”
Xu Shuyan grabbed her hand, pressed it against the cut, kissed her fingertip, and stared at her. “It won’t hurt if you kiss it better.”
Lin Yi asked, “Really?”
Xu Shuyan lowered her head, pressing her forehead against hers, her nose brushing against hers too. They were so close. Her crimson lips moved slightly, and the word she uttered slipped past them, tempting her. “Try it.”
Lin Yi tentatively moved forward and lightly touched the cut on Xu Shuyan’s mouth.
Like a young animal licking a wound.
Gingerly.
Xu Shuyan guided her. “Continue.”
She received the command and began to kiss Xu Shuyan’s lips, one after another. She had thought about this for so long that when it finally came true, she felt a bit dazed. She had agreed to Xu Shuyan, invited Xu Shuyan into her city. She had said, “If you want to,” and then asked Xu Shuyan, “Do you want to?”
Xu Shuyan did. This was the person she loved. After realizing she loved Lin Yi, her desire to have her grew stronger and stronger. Sometimes, even when Lin Yi was right in front of her, she wanted to get a little closer, and then a little closer still, until they couldn’t be any closer, until there was no distance between them, and they could hear each other’s heartbeats.
Now, Lin Yi was asking her if she wanted to.
Of course. She barely hesitated. She tentatively kissed Lin Yi’s lips. She had never lied; Lin Yi was her treasure.
In her twenty-plus years of life, her only treasure.
Lin Yi really liked it when Xu Shuyan kissed her.
She wondered, Was it like this that night? Had I done this to Xu Shuyan too? Was I… was I as amazing as Xu Shuyan?
Xu Shuyan’s hands were beautiful, Lin Yi’s mind wandered. They were long and straight, with well-defined knuckles. Her nails were neatly trimmed, fair and delicate, as if they’d never touched dishwater.
…But they had.
She alternated between pleasure and suffocation, sweating profusely as if she had died and come back to life. Fresh air rushed in as if it were free. She gasped for breath, and tears slid from the corners of her eyes into the rumpled sheets.
Xu Shuyan kissed the corner of her eye, coaxing her softly, “Don’t cry, baby. Don’t cry, okay?”
Xu Shuyan was like a witch luring a little girl with colorful candy. Her tone was as cloying and sweet as her touch was fierce. She kissed her way from the corner of Lin Yi’s eye to the corner of her mouth, touching Lin Yi’s lips again and again. “You have to save me, too.”
Lin Yi sobbed, “How… how do I save you?”
Xu Shuyan’s voice was also light and hoarse. “…This way. Let me teach you.”
The snow-white sheer curtains billowed. Time moved toward the dead of night, and the season stepped into winter. Amidst the biting cold wind, the room within was filled with the warmth of spring.
And in the dead of night, the forums were still bustling.
The Yan Zhi You Yi CP fans were like a drought-stricken land receiving sweet rain. Without solid proof of their private “sugar,” they didn’t dare to celebrate on a large scale. Most CP fans didn’t even know Lin Yi had gone to Y City. So for a fandom that hadn’t had any public “sugar” for a long time, just the sight of Lin Yi pushing the cake to Xu Shuyan was enough to make them lose their minds.
As midnight approached, someone claiming their older cousin worked for a luxury brand dropped into the super-topic, saying that Lin Yi’s birthday gift to Xu Shuyan was a pair of custom-made earrings, the only pair in the world, with a shockingly high price.
[??? Is there proof? I don’t dare ship it without proof.]
[Well, I have an older cousin who works at Sweet Melon Entertainment, and she says Yan Zhi You Yi were caught doing it by the company, which is why they’re avoiding suspicion now.]
[Hahahaha, my friend’s uncle’s brother’s daughter works at Sweet Melon Entertainment, and she says Yan Zhi You Yi is their company’s only Real Couple. Same-sex relationships can’t be exposed in the domestic entertainment industry right now, so the whole company is helping them hide their relationship.]
[Stop feeding the trolls. @SuperAdmin, get to work.]
[Why do I feel like this is kind of believable… I remember Lin Yi being photographed going in and out of that store, right? Didn’t she go two or three times in October alone? And we haven’t seen her use any items from that brand.]
[Well, in that case, I’m gonna eat this sugar first?]
[I’m gobbling this down in a hurry before it gets debunked. Damn it, it’s so hard to get a dose of medicine!]
Although this rumor was quickly deleted by the admin, it had already been spread via screenshots. It was passed around until it reached the ears of the solo fans.
Lin Yi’s solo fans cursed the CP fans for spreading rumors on one hand, while on the other, they suspected it might be true and lamented in a fans-only post: “…That’s a top-tier luxury brand! How much would custom jewelry cost? My god, Lin Yi, are you crazy? Even if you’re dating, you shouldn’t spend that much money! What if you break up! My stupid daughter! Don’t be so love-struck!”
When Xu Shuyan’s solo fans found out, they also started cursing: “You think my daughter is lacking? Don’t tell me there are still people who don’t know Xu Shuyan is a rich second-generation kid who’s never short on cash? Don’t tell me there are still people who don’t know Xu Shuyan bought Lin Yi a Jade and Pearl Necklace at an auction for her birthday!”
Lin Yi’s solo fans: Who gave you permission to say that!!!
Yan Zhi You Yi CP fans: What??? What Jade and Pearl Necklace? What birthday gift? How come I don’t know anything?! So you solo fans have been secretly shipping behind our backs, huh?!
Passersby: Holy crap, pulling up a chair overnight to get ready to eat some sugar!
Lin Yi was woken up by her phone ringing.
She didn’t know where her phone was. It was vibrating with a muffled sound. Lin Yi tried to escape by burrowing into the blankets, but her head bumped against a warm shoulder. It was soft and fragrant. She was stunned for two seconds before realizing she was in Xu Shuyan’s arms.
Xu Shuyan’s arm was draped over her waist, holding her firmly in her embrace. Her lips were pressed against her neck as she wheedled softly, “Let’s sleep a little longer…”
Ahhhhhh!
Lin Yi’s consciousness exploded into fireworks in her mind. Why was Xu Shuyan acting so cute with her! Why was she using such a soft, sweet tone to talk to her! Why was she so adorable! She would… she wouldn’t be able to control herself!
Just then, the phone stopped ringing. She stammered out an “okay,” nuzzled her face against Xu Shuyan’s, and prepared to go back to sleep blissfully while holding the beauty in her arms. But unexpectedly, the phone that had just gone silent started ringing again, relentlessly. It sounded like hers.
“Who is it?” Xu Shuyan said, annoyed, pulling Lin Yi tighter into her arms. “Ignore it.”
“…It must be urgent.” Lin Yi struggled to get up. Half-asleep, Xu Shuyan didn’t use much strength. The hand around her waist slid down, tracing her waistline and sending a shiver through her. Only then did Lin Yi realize she wasn’t wearing any clothes: “!!!”
“What’s wrong?” Xu Shuyan looked up.
Lin Yi continued: “!!!”
Xu Shuyan wasn’t wearing anything either!
Lin Yi’s face flushed, and she stammered, “My… my pajamas?”
Xu Shuyan hummed. “I don’t know. Maybe we were too tired after showering last night and didn’t put them on?” She recalled again, “No, that’s not right. We took them off again after showering.”
Lin Yi: “…”
Xu Shuyan: “Look for them under the bed.”
Lin Yi: “…Found them.”
She carefully lifted the covers and used her foot to hook her pajamas. She could feel Xu Shuyan’s burning gaze on her as if it were a physical touch, and her heart was in a flutter. She wanted to snap at Xu Shuyan to stop looking, but felt that would be too heartless.
Although they hadn’t officially said they were dating, they were basically a couple now. It was perfectly normal for Xu Shuyan to look at her girlfriend’s body. It would be awful of her to stop her.
“Xiao Yi’s waist is so fair,” Xu Shuyan said.
Lin Yi: “!”
“I bruised it all up.”
“!!”
“So pitiful.”
“…”
Her tone didn’t sound pitiful at all!
Lin Yi turned back and gave her a weak glare. After pulling on her pajamas, she finally found her phone on the carpet. It was Sister Fang. She glanced at the time and lay back down. “It’s only ten. Didn’t she say we had the day off today?”
She swiped to answer as she spoke. Sister Fang’s voice pierced through the receiver and drilled straight into her ear: “You’re awake? Where are you now? Did you change the dorm password? Either tell me the new password or come down and open the door for me. I’ll be there in five minutes!”
Lin Yi let out a slow “ah.” “What’s up?”
Xu Shuyan opened her mouth to speak, but Lin Yi quickly covered it with her hand, shushing her softly and shaking her head. “I’ll be right down to get you.”
With that, she hung up.
Before she could say anything else, Xu Shuyan hugged her again, wrapping around her like a water snake. “Sister Fang? What’s she want? No way, no way. She’s not making us get up now, is she?”
“She is.” Lin Yi patted her cheek. “Hurry up and get dressed. She’ll be here in five minutes.”
Xu Shuyan was puzzled. “What’s she doing here so early in the morning?”
Lin Yi was also a little worried. “She doesn’t know we slept together again, does she?!”
Xu Shuyan: “…Are you scared?”
Lin Yi nodded. “I am.”
She scrunched up her little face. “You know how much she nags. She once wrote a whole thesis analyzing the history of CPs in the domestic entertainment industry just to convince us to do fanservice. If she finds out we’re together now, she’ll probably lecture us until next year.”
“Are we together?” Xu Shuyan seized on the key point, her eyes shining brightly as she looked at her. “Lin Yi, are we dating?”
“I… I guess so?” Lin Yi couldn’t stand her gaze and looked away, but her eyes inadvertently fell on the hickey on Xu Shuyan’s collarbone. It was a deep mark, one she had left while fully conscious. Her eyes flickered, then she looked at Xu Shuyan with determination. “Yes. We’re dating.”
She lifted her chin slightly, proud and a little smug. “You’ve caught me.”
Xu Shuyan smiled. Her lips slowly curved upwards, and a smile spread across her entire face. She raised a hand to brush her long hair from her face, then took Lin Yi’s hand. As their fingers intertwined, the pad of her thumb rested against Lin Yi’s. After a long moment, she said softly, “You’re a very good student.”
The suggestive words made Lin Yi recall everything from last night. Her face instantly turned beet red. She threw Xu Shuyan’s pajamas at her, said, “Hurry up and get dressed,” and then scurried away in a panic.
Only after running downstairs did she pat her chest.
She glanced upstairs, feeling smug. Of course! She should see who she was dealing with. A natural talent, okay? Xu Shuyan just had to teach her a little, and the student had already surpassed the master!
Just as she was thinking this, the doorbell suddenly rang.
Lin Yi quickly checked her clothes to make sure nothing was showing that shouldn’t be before opening the door. Sister Fang burst in. “Why are you the only one here? Where’s Xu Shuyan? Is she not here?”
Lin Yi asked nervously, “What’s going on?”
She isn’t going to arrest me and Xu Shuyan for the crime of dating within the group, is she? That wouldn’t be right! She and Xu Shuyan haven’t left any evidence. Sister Fang can’t just—
“Good news!” Sister Fang hung her down jacket in the closet, beaming. “Great news!”
Lin Yi finally breathed a quiet sigh of relief. She asked, puzzled, “What good news? Did we get paid? Did the group album break another sales record? Don’t tell me the company gave you a promotion?”
“Your thinking is too small!” Sister Fang glared at her. “That movie your group’s Chen Yuan is going to be in, you remember it, right?”
Lin Yi nodded. “I remember. Hasn’t filming started yet?”
Sister Fang said, “Filming hasn’t started yet. But the project has been in the works, and they contacted me this morning. They want you and Yanyan to sing a song for the soundtrack. A top-tier producer wrote the lyrics and music. Whether you can win a Golden Melody Award will all depend on this!”
Lin Yi let out a “wow.” “That really is good news.”
“I’m guessing Chen Yuan recommended you. She finally did something good.” Sister Fang was overjoyed. “After you finish filming the group variety show, you and Xu Shuyan will fly to HK to meet the producer. Hmm, go separately. Don’t go together, or people will start shipping you again.”
Lin Yi: “…Okay.”
“Where’s Yanyan?” Sister Fang poured herself a glass of water. “Is she still asleep? Is she staying in Chen Yuan’s old room now?” As she spoke, she walked to the door. “Huh? Why isn’t the door closed?”
Lin Yi closed her eyes.
Sister Fang had already pushed the door open. She let out another “huh.” “Why isn’t Yanyan here?”
Lin Yi gave a dry laugh. “Haha, Xu Shuyan is upstairs.”
Sister Fang raised her voice. “Upstairs? What does that mean? You two didn’t sleep together last night, did you?!”
“Of course not!” Lin Yi waved her hands frantically. “She, uh, she couldn’t sleep after she got back last night, so she wrote some rap lyrics and came to my room first thing in the morning to show me. It was so annoying!”
Sister Fang was skeptical. “Really?”
Lin Yi nodded vigorously. “Absolutely!”
Sister Fang relaxed a little, took a sip of water, and wondered, “Then why hasn’t she come down yet?”
Lin Yi said, “I told her it wasn’t good, so now she’s depressed.”
“You’re really something else.” Sister Fang gave Lin Yi a reproachful look. “Why would you say that to her? She excitedly shows you the lyrics she wrote, and you can’t say something nice? Where’s your team spirit?”
Lin Yi stood ramrod straight. “I dare not have any.”
Sister Fang: “…You can have that.”
Lin Yi replied, “I really don’t.”
Sister Fang: “…”
Fine, don’t have any then. It’s better if you don’t!
As they were talking, they heard the bedroom door upstairs open. Xu Shuyan walked out, rubbing her eyes, and called out from behind the railing, “Sister Fang, morning.”
Seeing her listless expression, Sister Fang assumed Lin Yi had crushed her spirits. With a heart that cherished talent, she comforted her, “Don’t listen to Lin Yi. The rap lyrics you wrote are actually very good.”
Xu Shuyan froze. “What rap lyrics?”
Lin Yi cleared her throat.
Xu Shuyan’s eyebrow twitched slightly, and she immediately corrected herself. “Oh, right, the rap lyrics.”
Sister Fang didn’t notice anything amiss and said with a smile, “Come on, let me see them.”
“Yeah, show them to Sister Fang!” Lin Yi, afraid Xu Shuyan would slip up, quickly added, “Show her how bad they are! Don’t make it seem like I was wrong about you!”
Xu Shuyan gave her a deep look, but said to Sister Fang, “I tore them up.”
Sister Fang let out an “ah.” “You tore them up?”
“Mhm.” Xu Shuyan turned and walked down the stairs, her footsteps light. “She said they were bad. It hurt my pride, so I got rid of them.”
“Look what you did!” Sister Fang glared at Lin Yi.
Lin Yi stuck out her tongue. “Who told her to be so sensitive?”
As she said this, she quickly took out her phone and texted Xu Shuyan: “They weren’t bad! They were amazing! I loved them! I was just talking nonsense! Don’t believe me!”
“Yanyan, don’t listen to her.” Sister Fang was in a good mood and told Xu Shuyan the good news. “Isn’t it a great surprise?!”
Xu Shuyan glanced at the new message from Lin Yi on her phone and the corners of her lips lifted. She hadn’t really heard the good news, but she caught the last sentence. “A two-person schedule with Lin Yi?”
Sister Fang nodded. “Yes, just the two of you. But to keep people from shipping you, you’ll travel separately.”
Xu Shuyan said, “Oh.”
She replied to Lin Yi with an angry emoji: “I believed you. My glass heart is shattered.”
Lin Yi: “…”
The two of them were chatting heatedly in their text conversation and didn’t notice the change in Sister Fang’s expression as she watched them. “Now that we’re done with the happy news, let’s talk about something that’s making me unhappy, shall we?”
Lin Yi said casually, “Who would dare make you unhappy?”
“You two!” Sister Fang gritted her teeth. “You’re just ordinary teammates doing fanservice. Why are you giving each other such expensive birthday gifts? Is it a dowry or a marriage proposal?”
“What birthday gift?”
Lin Yi and Xu Shuyan said in unison.
They looked at each other, then spoke at the same time: “I didn’t get a birthday gift from her!”
Sister Fang hummed doubtfully. “I saw people online talking about it so convincingly. It’s not just nonsense, is it?”
Xu Shuyan sat down. “What did they say?”
Sister Fang: “They said you bought a Jade and Pearl Necklace for Lin Yi at an auction in Washington for twenty-six million.”
Lin Yi cried out, “What?!”
She quickly looked at Xu Shuyan and saw her gaze dart upwards, a clear sign of guilt. She knew it then—this piece of gossip was true. Holy cow, so the rich woman who bought the Jade and Pearl Necklace she’d had her eye on was right beside her!
…Why didn’t she give it to me?
Was she afraid I’d refuse?
As Lin Yi’s thoughts ran wild, she heard Sister Fang say, “So you didn’t receive it?” Then she said to Xu Shuyan, embarrassed, “Yanyan, my mistake.”
“Then what about the custom-made earrings from the top-tier luxury brand?” Sister Fang asked Lin Yi. “Did you give those to Yanyan for her birthday?”
Xu Shuyan’s voice rose. “What?”
Sister Fang was dumbfounded. “You didn’t get them either?”
She clicked her tongue. “What’s with these fans? They spend all day shipping fake sugar based on shadows and rumors. And if that wasn’t enough, the three fandoms actually tore each other apart over this. Turns out it was all fake!”
She stood up. “I’m going to contact PR and handle this.”
After she left, Lin Yi and Xu Shuyan looked at each other and spoke at the same time: “What’s this about the necklace/earrings?”
Xu Shuyan struck first. “You explain first.”
She said pitifully, “I waited all day yesterday for you to give me a birthday present, but I didn’t get anything. Hurry up and explain the earrings to me.”
“You didn’t give me a birthday present, so why should I give you one!” Lin Yi retorted. “I’ve been waiting for my birthday present from you since August, and you’ve only been waiting one day. What right do you have to feel wronged?”
Xu Shuyan felt even more wronged. “…I was just afraid you’d think it was too expensive and refuse it. I was planning to give it to you after I won you over.”
Lin Yi’s heart ached hearing this. “Was it really twenty-six million?”
Xu Shuyan hummed in affirmation.
Lin Yi murmured, “No wonder you said you were short on cash. That’s so much money. How long will it take to earn it back?”
Xu Shuyan: “Exactly!”
Lin Yi glared at her. “What are you ‘exactly’-ing about? You’re probably so poor now you can’t even afford a new bag, right?”
“Yup.” Xu Shuyan pouted, then tugged at the hem of her pajamas. “What should I do, Lin Yi?”
Lin Yi said, “What do you mean, what should you do?”
Xu Shuyan blinked, looking pitiful. “I’m bankrupt. Why don’t you just keep me?”
Lin Yi: “…”
Playing the victim. This was her playing the victim, right!
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