PSMD – Chapter 45

Qiu Yang woke up before her alarm clock. The sky was already bright, but the curtains were drawn, and the sunlight only managed to peek through tiny gaps, trying to get a clear look at everything on the bed.

Qiu Yang stared at the ceiling for a few seconds, then pursed her lips, threw off the covers, and got up to wash.

The memories of last night were not blurry at all; they were in ultra-high definition, making Qiu Yang unsure how to face Shen Ningruo naturally now.

It was hard to explain.

Because last night, her desire to sleep with Shen Ningruo had reached an unprecedented intensity.

While brushing her teeth, Qiu Yang looked in the bathroom mirror, her mind still replaying Shen Ningruo’s reactions from last night. In her ears, she could almost hear a hint of Shen Ningruo’s tearful voice, melodious and pleasant.

Toothpaste foam covered Qiu Yang’s mouth, and it wasn’t until it started dripping down that she snapped back to reality, lowering her head to spit into the sink.

Shen Ningruo woke up when Qiu Yang’s alarm clock rang. She also felt a bit disoriented for a few seconds after opening her eyes before fully realizing she was at Qiu Yang’s place.

She was only wearing the underwear Qiu Yang had given her; the rest of her body was in intimate contact with the blanket.

Her pajamas were nearby. She grabbed them casually and was slowly getting up, preparing to put on the nightgown, when Qiu Yang pushed the door open.

Their eyes met. Shen Ningruo didn’t pull the blanket up, leaving her beautiful shoulders and neck visible to Qiu Yang.

Qiu Yang paused, then spoke first, “I’ll wash my face. I’ll turn my back to you, you can get dressed.”

Shen Ningruo: “…”

Shen Ningruo: “You don’t need to turn your back to me.”

It wasn’t like she hadn’t seen her before.

Qiu Yang felt the same way, so she walked to her wardrobe. “I’ll get you some of my clothes.”

Her tone was natural, as if there was nothing unusual about Shen Ningruo wearing her clothes.

There really wasn’t anything wrong with it, but Shen Ningruo felt guilty.

The act of wearing Qiu Yang’s clothes felt inexplicably… suggestive to her.

“Okay.”

Qiu Yang thought about Shen Ningruo’s work attire and quickly pulled out a clean white shirt. Their body shapes weren’t too different, so Shen Ningruo should be able to wear it. Thinking this, she also grabbed a small suit jacket.

As for pants, she didn’t choose anything too formal, just a pair of casual ones.

“…I don’t have any new underwear,” Qiu Yang said with a hint of difficulty after placing the clothes and pants on the bed. She looked at Shen Ningruo. “How about I go buy some for you at a store near the complex right now?”

Seeing her like this, Shen Ningruo’s mood improved. “It’s fine not to change underwear for one day.”

“I’ll just wear the ones from last night.”

“Okay.”

Shen Ningruo still decided to put on her pajamas and wash up first. Before Qiu Yang could turn around, she saw the blanket in front of Shen Ningruo drop, revealing a lovely sight.

Qiu Yang wasn’t nearsighted, and they were close. She immediately saw the marks she had left on Shen Ningruo last night. There were two of them, both quite deep, which would probably take several days to fade.

Shen Ningruo finished putting on her pajamas and her head emerged. She saw Qiu Yang looking a bit stunned. Following Qiu Yang’s gaze, she looked down herself and remembered. She chuckled, “What’s wrong?”

“Didn’t you put these on me?”

She was no longer the little puppy from last night.

Qiu Yang averted her gaze and changed the subject. “Let’s get up.”

After saying that, she sat down at the dressing table and started washing her face and putting on makeup.

Shen Ningruo had left in a hurry last night and hadn’t expected to stay over at Qiu Yang’s, but her skin was fine with Qiu Yang’s skincare products. As for makeup, she only put on lipstick to cover her pale complexion; she didn’t even apply foundation.

However, she had been chilled last night after all. Her head felt a bit heavy, but she didn’t say anything, afraid Qiu Yang would find out.

As they were about to leave, Qiu Yang planned for them to go their separate ways, but unexpectedly, Shen Ningruo said, “I’ll drive you.”

“…If you drive me, do you think you can still get back to the company on time?” Qiu Yang asked directly.

Shen Ningruo looked at her. “No.”

“But being late isn’t a big deal.”

She paused, a smile appearing in her eyes. “I just want to drive you.”

It was a somewhat domineering and forceful tone, one Qiu Yang had heard before.

Qiu Yang let out a soft sigh. “Alright then.”

Shen Ningruo was wearing Qiu Yang’s clothes and pants. She didn’t know if it was psychological, but she felt they were much more comfortable than her own.

And ever since realizing her feelings for Qiu Yang had changed last night, Shen Ningruo found Qiu Yang more and more attractive the more she looked at her.

However, she ultimately didn’t dare to be too obvious and could only interact with Qiu Yang as before.

Qiu Yang didn’t know what Shen Ningruo was thinking about on the way. The atmosphere in the car was relatively silent. All the miscellaneous sounds from the road entered her ears, but she felt a bit sleepy, so she simply leaned her head to the side and closed her eyes.

Shen Ningruo dropped her off at the company’s underground parking lot early, with ten minutes to spare before nine o’clock.

Qiu Yang emerged from her groggy state and said thank you, “Thank you, Director Shen. I’m going up now.”

Other cars were entering now, passing in front of Shen Ningruo’s car.

Hearing Qiu Yang say this, Shen Ningruo gave a faint “Mm.” She wanted to say something, but in the end, not a single word came out. She just watched Qiu Yang get out of the car.

Shen Ningruo’s eyes darkened slightly. It wasn’t until Qiu Yang’s figure was out of sight that she drove away.

She didn’t go to Qiyao Company but instead took the whole morning off and drove to Yao Yao’s place.

Yao Yao had just finished her morning meeting and didn’t have anything urgent to do. Before Shen Ningruo arrived, she had even brewed a cup of tea and left it waiting for her.

Based on her understanding of Shen Ningruo, contacting her like this meant something important was happening.

It wasn’t Shen Ningruo’s first time here; she easily found her way to Yao Yao’s office.

Yao Yao’s office was decorated very simply, making it feel comfortable. There were a few cute succulents on the windowsill, bathed in sunlight at the moment.

“Speak,” Yao Yao asked directly. “Is it about that younger sister?”

“Yes.”

“I like her,” Shen Ningruo said very directly.

Yao Yao wasn’t surprised at all. She nodded, pushed the teacup forward, closer to Shen Ningruo, then narrowed her eyes slightly. Seeing Shen Ningruo’s calm expression, she chuckled, “Well, isn’t that a good thing?”

“But I thought you already knew.”

Shen Ningruo looked a bit confused. “What do you mean?”

“Didn’t you feel that your attitude towards her was very different?”

Shen Ningruo: “…I did feel that way, but I thought it was normal.”

“I admire her, and I pity her. It’s only right that I treat her differently.”

“Since you’re saying that yourself, I think you should re-examine your feelings for her,” Yao Yao said. Although she hadn’t figured out her own situation, she could still offer Shen Ningruo some advice. “Ruoruo, you need to know that when it comes to liking someone, sometimes other emotions can act as a smokescreen, making you mistake them for love.”

“For example, your pity for her. That’s the most misleading one.”

Shen Ningruo’s brow twitched, and she pursed her lips without speaking. Seeing her like this, Yao Yao didn’t continue. She didn’t want Shen Ningruo to misunderstand this feeling, otherwise, it would lead to turmoil later. That’s why she said these words to Shen Ningruo.

It was rare for her friend to be interested in someone else, and she was very supportive and approving, but at the same time, she hoped the starting point was love, so it could last longer.

After a while, Shen Ningruo responded solemnly, “Yes.”

Yao Yao took a sip of her tea and asked her other question. “This outfit you’re wearing, is it hers?”

“It’s not the brand you usually wear.”

“I stayed over at her place last night,” Shen Ningruo’s lips curved slightly, then flattened again. “I’m going home to rest. I have a bit of a headache.”

“Nothing serious, right?”

“No.”

“You’ll be fine after some rest.”

But who knew that after returning home, her condition would worsen? The heavy feeling seemed to have called for reinforcements, completely enveloping Shen Ningruo.

She woke up after sleeping and found that not only had she not gotten much better, but she was significantly worse.

She raised her hand to touch her forehead; it was so hot she felt she could fry an egg on it. Her throat also hurt, and her nose was blocked.

Shen Ningruo: …

She had no choice but to take more leave. She dragged herself up to take medicine, then pulled the covers back over herself and went back to sleep.

Qiu Yang tried hard to concentrate on her work, but whenever she had a moment of leisure, she would think of Shen Ningruo. What appeared before her eyes was still Shen Ningruo’s pitiful look from last night.

She had never met anyone like her, stubborn yet gentle, causing her to lose focus many times.

Since she and Shen Ningruo parted ways, they hadn’t been in touch. Qiu Yang reread their text messages many times, hesitating whether to send something.

Like, remember to come get your clothes, you forgot them this morning.

Like, remember to put the photo in the frame, otherwise buying it was a waste.

It wasn’t until after work in the afternoon that Qiu Yang finally sent a message, telling Shen Ningruo that she would wash her clothes and she could come get them when they were dry.

The message was very brief, and the tone was serious. Qiu Yang held her phone in the elevator, waiting for Shen Ningruo’s reply.

However, Shen Ningruo had been very busy lately, and she didn’t know if Shen Ningruo would have time to reply, perhaps not until after she finished work.

Qiu Yang wasn’t in a hurry and waited quietly.

But by seven o’clock, she still hadn’t received a reply from Shen Ningruo, and Qiu Yang was no longer so calm.

She struggled for a while, then decided to call Shen Ningruo. As soon as the call connected, before Qiu Yang could speak, she heard Shen Ningruo’s voice, hoarse and very weak, saying, “Xiao Yang, I’m sick.”

“Wuwuwu.”

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