TNSFC – Chapter 56

It was winter, but Que Yining seemed to be sleeping a bit hot.

Some of her hair was tangled around her neck. Gu Shanxue saw it and couldn’t resist reaching out to move it away.

After moving the hair aside, Que Yining grabbed her hand, groggily holding it against her own face and murmuring comfortably.

The smell of alcohol was strong in the room. Gu Shanxue didn’t know how much Que Yining had drunk, but seeing her disoriented state, she must have had quite a bit.

Gu Shanxue propped herself up on the edge of the bed, one hand held by Que Yining, and looked at Que Yining’s sleeping face.

Drunk, Que Yining was different from her usual bright and charming self when awake, exuding a kind of sweetly naive charm.

Gu Shanxue watched, mesmerized, lost in her own thoughts.

A moment later, she suddenly came back to her senses and tried to pull her hand out of Que Yining’s grasp.

Que Yining held on tightly, frowning and muttering about being hot, her feet restlessly kicking the blanket.

The cheek under her palm was warm. Gu Shanxue’s fingertips twitched, a hint of helplessness in her expression, but she didn’t try to pull her hand away again. Instead, she sat beside Que Yining in that position.

Her organized thoughts became chaotic again, making it difficult for her to understand her own feelings.

A week and a half ago, a voice message she overheard confirmed her long-held suspicions. All her previous confusion and Que Yining’s motives became clear.

The complex emotions that followed made it difficult for her to face Que Yining for a while, so she wanted to reduce contact with her and sort out her own feelings.

Gu Shanxue had no plans to fall in love at the moment. She was a person with very clear goals, and Que Yining was an unexpected factor.

She never thought that upon returning to the country, she would meet someone like this.

She was beautiful and charming, intelligent and captivating. Gu Shanxue admired her personality and talent; in Gu Shanxue’s heart, she was an excellent friend.

But Que Yining didn’t just want to be friends with her. Gu Shanxue knew that if she were to refuse, the best way was to make it clear, leaving no room for the other person’s imagination, so they could both return to their original positions.

Gu Shanxue had been on a business trip for a week and a half, and she had been thinking for a week and a half.

She knew she had been moved by Que Yining, her heart had skipped a beat at certain moments, and she had secretly felt happy after confirming Que Yining liked her. But she was no longer a teenager; those emotions weren’t enough to support her in making a final decision.

Gu Shanxue knew that deep down, she was a stubborn person. She worried that if she agreed to be with Que Yining now, they might separate in the same way someday in the future. She wasn’t sure if she could bear that outcome then. It would be better if nothing started, rather than ending up with a messy conclusion.

Gu Shanxue’s view of love was not optimistic, even pessimistic. Her unhappy family life had more or less affected her views on love and marriage. She hoped more for a long-lasting connection with Que Yining.

The sound of kicking the blanket in the room pulled Gu Shanxue out of her thoughts. Que Yining had already kicked the blanket to the floor, her legs exposed.

Seemingly feeling that the thing she was holding was no longer cool, Que Yining let go of Gu Shanxue’s hand, turned over, and continued to sleep.

Most of the blanket was askew. When Que Yining turned over like that, the blanket couldn’t cover her, revealing a large expanse of her smooth, fair back.

The blanket below her waist covered her loosely, partly visible and partly hidden, exuding a somewhat erotic aura.

Gu Shanxue froze on the spot, her mind went blank, and her whole body turned as red as a freshly boiled shrimp pulled from water.

Que Yining… she… she… why wasn’t she wearing clothes!

Gu Shanxue quickly reached out, grabbed the blanket, pulled it up a bit, and covered Que Yining tightly.

She propped herself up, saw the clothes discarded on the other side of the bed, and stood by the bed looking at Que Yining, somewhat at a loss.

All her previous thoughts and emotions were thrown to the back of Gu Shanxue’s mind. She now stood by the bed wanting to do something, but her mind was buzzing, and she didn’t know what to do.

Que Yining, who had just cooled down a bit, felt the stuffiness return. Very dissatisfied, she pushed the blanket away, muttering incoherently.

Her long legs, slender, straight, and well-proportioned, emerged from under the blanket. Her waist and back curved gracefully, and a few strands of her long, messy hair lay scattered behind her, both revealing and concealing.

Gu Shanxue turned her back, as if facing a problem of the century.

How could she get Que Yining to obediently keep the blanket on?

Gu Shanxue looked at the air conditioner, then worried that if she turned on the cooling in winter, Que Yining would catch a cold.

Gu Shanxue tentatively called Que Yining’s name. Que Yining responded groggily.

Seeing a chance, Gu Shanxue covered her with the blanket again, coaxing, “You’ll catch a cold if you don’t cover up. Let me cover you, okay?”

Que Yining made a sound of agreement through her nose. Gu Shanxue felt relieved and got up, preparing to leave.

When she turned back, the blanket had been kicked away by Que Yining again.

Gu Shanxue sighed, walked out of the bedroom, went to the bathroom, and brought back a basin of warm water.

She wrung out the towel, and water droplets dripped back into the basin with a faint sound.

Gu Shanxue sat on the edge of the bed, silently helping Que Yining wipe her fingers.

Even the spaces between her fingers were wiped clean. Gu Shanxue wrung out the towel again and went to wipe Que Yining’s cheeks.

The warm towel brushed over her hot cheeks, wiping away the stickiness and bringing a refreshing coolness. Que Yining, in her sleep, seemed to sense it. Her eyelashes trembled, and she opened her eyes.

Her eyes were hazy. The light hanging above in the bedroom blurred into a halo, stretching and shortening in her vision, dreamlike and unreal.

Que Yining tilted her head slightly and saw the side profile of the person she longed for.

It must be a dream, she thought, her consciousness muddled.

The heavy blanket covering her made her feel somewhat irritated. She was about to throw it off but was held down by Gu Shanxue.

“You’ll catch a cold if you uncover yourself.”

Gu Shanxue saw Que Yining open her eyes and thought she was awake, but seeing Que Yining staring blankly at her, she knew Que Yining was still drunk. She patiently talked to the drunken Que Yining, trying to prevent her from kicking off the blanket.

The blanket still slipped down a bit, revealing her fair collarbones and rounded shoulders, like a bright moon in the night, exuding an alluring softness.

“If I catch a cold, I catch a cold. It’s not like you’d care about me anyway.”

Que Yining sniffled, assuming it was a dream, and complained without reservation.

Que Yining always had a strong personality in front of outsiders, only showing a hint of petulance with those close to her. Drunk and muddle-headed, she became even more girlish towards the person she liked.

Gu Shanxue tucked the corner of the blanket for her and shook her head, somewhat amused. “Why would you think that?”

“Why wouldn’t I? You haven’t been replying to my messages, you’ve been avoiding me. You must know I have feelings for you, so you don’t want to bother with me anymore!”

Que Yining was extremely sad. Gu Shanxue’s actions were undoubtedly a gentle rejection to her.

“I won’t ignore you.”

Gu Shanxue looked at Que Yining’s aggrieved expression and said with a light sigh.

“Really?”

Que Yining suddenly sat up in bed, completely unaware of her current situation.

Que Yining was never an overly direct person. Even when trying to seduce Gu Shanxue, she preferred to be half-hidden, half-revealed, believing this maximized the allure; showing everything directly left no room for imagination. But now, how could she think of such things? Her eyes were full of Gu Shanxue, and she pressed herself against her.

Her arms wrapped around Gu Shanxue’s neck. A touch of crimson swayed against the snow-white skin, like constantly scattering petals. Gu Shanxue hastily turned her head, unsure whether to touch Que Yining or not.

“I really like you.”

Que Yining’s voice was tinged with drunkenness, carrying a sweeter, softer tone than usual.

She was like a gorgeous rose, exuding a rich fragrance.

Gu Shanxue fell silent, quietly looking at Que Yining.

Her eyes held too many things, making them hard to read.

Que Yining’s head was muddled, and she was still drowsy. She leaned against Gu Shanxue, murmuring words of love intermittently, until finally, her breathing became long and even, and she fell asleep again.

Gu Shanxue helped her lie down properly, covered her with the blanket, set the air conditioner to twenty-six degrees, and closed the door.

The room was dim. Que Yining was awakened by her phone ringing.

She pressed her slightly throbbing forehead, smelled the alcohol in the room, and frowned in annoyance. After seeing the caller ID, she answered the phone.

Zhang Shiyu: “Boss, there’s a meeting scheduled for ten-thirty. It’s half an hour from now. Are you awake?”

“I know. Come pick me up later.”

Que Yining’s voice was a bit hoarse. Her gaze swept over the furnishings in front of her, and her brow furrowed.

She got out of bed and opened the curtains. Sunlight illuminated the room. She saw the decor here and was somewhat stunned.

Fortunately, the call hadn’t ended. She quickly asked, “Did you bring me back here yesterday?”

Zhang Shiyu: “Yes.”

Que Yining’s voice was somewhat annoyed. “Why did you bring me here?”

She looked at her discarded clothes and the only underwear she had on, cursing inwardly.

Zhang Shiyu sounded a little flustered and answered cautiously, “Boss, you insisted last night that I take you there.”

Last night, Zhang Shiyu had planned to take her drunk boss straight home, but her boss insisted on going to Miss Gu’s place. Zhang Shiyu had picked Que Yining up from downstairs at Miss Gu’s before and knew Que Yining liked Gu Shanxue, so she didn’t say much and just took her there.

“Alright then. Come pick me up here. I’ll get ready right away.”

Que Yining took a deep breath, tossed her phone aside, and felt her head throbbing.

She bent down and quickly got dressed, thinking it was a good thing Gu Shanxue was on a business trip and not home, otherwise, it would have been a big problem.

She fastened the clasp of her bra. The moment the clasps connected, it seemed to remind her of something.

Que Yining abruptly straightened up, standing there stunned, like a statue.

Drinking messes things up! Drinking messes things up!

Que Yining cursed herself wildly in her heart, and also felt a little sad.

She didn’t remember Gu Shanxue’s reaction after she said those words; she was too drunk to even look.

Que Yining placed her hand on the bedroom doorknob, feeling hesitant.

She thought perhaps she should pretend not to remember anything, so both she and Gu Shanxue would feel less awkward.

Que Yining opened the door, mentally prepared to see Gu Shanxue.

She opened the door; the living room was empty.

She looked around. The guest room door was open; inside, there was only a bed, with no bedding laid out.

Ningning was eating cat food in front of the automatic feeder. There were no suitcases in the house. It seemed like last night really was just her dream.

Que Yining hurriedly ran back to the bedroom, saw the air conditioner was on, and silently turned it off.

She tidied up Gu Shanxue’s bedroom, quickly washed up, and left Gu Shanxue’s home.

Before leaving, she placed the key on the dining table.

Wind blew in from the balcony, making the keychain on the key sway.

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