Chapter 60: Triggered
The world froze.
Xiang Er’s eyes widened, like a small bird caught by a predator, her lips pressed firmly against another’s.
Her entire body was held captive, her waist bent backwards at an unnatural angle, almost breaking, as she was pressed against the restaurant table, Shen Yuhe’s face looming large, almost blurring her vision.
It wasn’t a gentle kiss. Shen Yuhe’s lips were forceful, almost devouring, her teeth biting down hard on Xiang Er’s lower lip.
The taste of blood filled her mouth.
But she could still feel the softness of Shen Yuhe’s lips.
Xiang Er reached out, trying to push Shen Yuhe away, but she couldn’t. She tried to turn her head, but she was trapped, her slender body pinned against the table, forced to endure Shen Yuhe’s sudden kiss.
She didn’t even understand what was happening.
The soft music, like viscous fluid, flowed around her, the kiss continuing for an impossibly long time.
The other diners stared in shock, a drink slipping from a waiter’s hand and shattering on the floor. The short-haired woman’s eyes were wide with disbelief, her expression one of utter shock.
If the intention had been to make a statement, Shen Yuhe had succeeded. But she still didn’t stop.
With a single arm, she held Xiang Er tightly against her, their lips and bodies pressed close, refusing to let go, as if afraid she would disappear.
Or as if… she was savoring the kiss.
Like a child who had never tasted candy before, suddenly given the most exquisite treat, she couldn’t bear to let go.
She wanted to devour it completely!
The sweet fragrance filled the restaurant, and many of the diners, as if spurred by the scene, by the scent, turned to their partners, whispering, some even… kissing.
The waiter looked at the cashier. The cleaning lady reached for the security guard. Even the short-haired woman’s eyes glazed over, her gaze unfocused…
Until Xiang Er finally let out a muffled sob:
“Let… go of me!”
She was upset, and Shen Yuhe, in the midst of her passionate fervor, finally noticed.
Shen Yuhe gently released Xiang Er’s lips, but her arm remained firmly around her waist, holding her captive.
Shen Yuhe stared at her, a dark fire burning in her eyes, uncontrollable, threatening to consume Xiang Er completely.
Xiang Er’s lips were red and swollen, bruised like crushed flower petals. She opened her mouth slightly, her words broken and fragmented:
“Why…”
And then she started crying.
She didn’t know why, the tears just came.
A torrent of emotions, too complex to name, overwhelmed her, a formless, monstrous weight pressing down on her heart, tears streaming down her face, uncontrollable.
Her mind was numb, she just stared at Shen Yuhe, tears like endless rain, sliding down her cheeks, dripping onto the table.
Shen Yuhe was clearly at a loss. She hesitated, reluctant to let go of Xiang Er, just gently pulling her upright.
Xiang Er’s tears continued to flow.
Shen Yuhe leaned in to kiss her tears, but Xiang Er turned her head away.
Shen Yuhe’s beautiful lips hovered in mid-air, suspended.
Xiang Er, her vision blurred by tears, raised her hands and gently pushed Shen Yuhe away. She easily broke free from the embrace and stumbled out of the restaurant.
Xiang Er’s tears seemed to extinguish the sweet fragrance in the restaurant, and the diners, momentarily lost in their own desires, came back to their senses, settling back into their seats, embarrassed and silent.
Several couples who had been kissing publicly now looked mortified, quickly getting up to pay their bills.
The waiter and the cashier, who had been embracing passionately, separated, the security guard shyly releasing the cleaning lady’s hand.
The short-haired woman chased after Xiang Er, and Shen Yuhe, after a moment of stunned silence, quickly followed.
She saw Xiang Er’s retreating figure, so slender and fragile, like a delicate reed about to snap, yet still walking forward, despite her unsteady gait.
Shen Yuhe followed, the small eyeball in the bag of plush toys extending a long, thin tentacle, which, like lightning, wrapped around Xiang Er’s wrist.
Xiang Er’s hand froze, and through her tears, she saw the tentacle, tightly coiled around her wrist, crawling up her arm.
She quickened her pace, the tentacle stretching, almost snapping, and the small eyeball, with a desperate leap, landed on her back, clinging to her clothes.
The short-haired woman called out:
“Little Ears! Ears, what’s wrong? Are you upset? Tell me…”
Shen Yuhe, annoyed, waved her hand at the woman, and the short-haired woman suddenly found herself unable to speak, her body rooted to the spot, as she watched the beautiful woman with long hair stride past her, towards Xiang Er’s retreating figure.
Xiang Er felt a wave of panic, a visceral reaction.
The last time she had felt this sense of violation, it had been with the Devil God. The Devil God hadn’t kissed her, but It had… taken control of her entire body…
It was the Devil God’s signature move, that sense of forced compliance, that terrifying feeling of being small and insignificant, completely at its mercy… It had almost completely overshadowed the fleeting joy of being kissed by the person she loved.
Now, as the initial shock subsided, only that familiar terror remained, a deep sense of grievance.
Shen Yuhe was supposed to be gentle and kind… she was supposed to be her protector… why would she force herself on her like this?
They had been having such a nice time, everything progressing so naturally, and Shen Yuhe had ruined it, completely destroying the sweet, perfect first kiss she had imagined!
How could Shen Yuhe be like this?
Xiang Er couldn’t understand. She knew Shen Yuhe sometimes liked to be a little forceful, but she had thought there were limits, a kiss shouldn’t be like this… it had even triggered her trauma from the Devil God!
She couldn’t accept this kind of first kiss!
“Little Ears…”
Shen Yuhe’s voice suddenly echoed beside her ear, startling Xiang Er, and she involuntarily turned to look.
Shen Yuhe’s expression was a mixture of worry and confusion, her beautiful eyebrows furrowed, as she asked:
“What’s wrong?”
Xiang Er didn’t know how to answer. She turned away and walked towards the escalator, silent.
As she reached the escalator, Shen Yuhe gently grasped her wrist, her voice trembling slightly:
“Did you… hate me kissing you?”
Xiang Er stopped and looked at Shen Yuhe, finally deciding to tell the truth:
“No… I didn’t hate it.”
Shen Yuhe’s hand tightened around her wrist, then she lifted Xiang Er’s hand and placed it on her shoulder.
Xiang Er felt the rough texture of the bandage beneath Shen Yuhe’s coat, and a pang of guilt pierced her heart. Then, Shen Yuhe’s voice, soft and gentle, asked:
“Then did you… like it?”
Xiang Er’s hand rested on the bandage, a reminder of Shen Yuhe’s injury, her feelings a tangled mess.
She pulled her hand away, avoiding the question:
“Don’t do that again.”
She spoke coldly, suppressing her emotions, and stepped onto the descending escalator.
Shen Yuhe hesitated, then followed, standing on the step below her. She leaned down and, with a surge of emotion, gently kissed Xiang Er’s hair.
Her voice, almost desperate, whispered:
“But I liked it, I like your lips, I can’t stop thinking about kissing them, touching them… devouring them, even if you don’t want me to.”
Xiang Er turned around, startled, a chill running down her spine, and she couldn’t help but ask:
“Are you crazy?”
Shen Yuhe’s eyes were dark and deep. She rarely spoke so much, but the kiss had broken through her control, the words, her true feelings, pouring out, her usual caution and restraint forgotten!
She just wanted to savor that sweet, soft delicacy again, a thousand times, a million times.
Those lips, so close, so tempting, yet forbidden!
Shen Yuhe reached out a hand, her other hand, still feigning injury, almost reaching out as well, a faint black mist swirling behind her… she was almost ready to reveal herself.
But the escalator suddenly jolted, and Xiang Er stumbled backwards, crying out, almost falling.
Shen Yuhe instinctively reached out and caught her, pulling her into an embrace.
But Xiang Er recoiled, her gaze meeting Shen Yuhe’s, her eyes filled with fear and revulsion.
Her voice, flat and lifeless, said:
“Are you going to force yourself on me again…”
Shen Yuhe’s burning desire, like an overinflated balloon pierced by a single, tiny, yet incredibly sharp needle, deflated instantly.
She suddenly didn’t want to kiss her anymore.
If kissing her would make her look like this… she wouldn’t do it.
Shen Yuhe suddenly understood, this was what humans called “love,” sometimes desire itself, sometimes its opposite.
Such an intangible thing, sometimes indulged, sometimes restrained, sometimes uncontrollable, sometimes a cage… Shen Yuhe had thought she understood, but only now did she realize, she still didn’t understand what love was.
She released Xiang Er, like a predator suddenly releasing its prey.
She whispered:
“No, I won’t force you again.”
The escalator reached the bottom, and Xiang Er, her legs unsteady, stood on the ground, looking up at Shen Yuhe.
Tears still stained her face, but her lips, with great effort, curved upwards slightly, as if weighed down by a thousand pounds.
She said:
“I knew… you truly respect me, you’re protecting me. Let’s… take it slow, okay?”
Shen Yuhe’s expression, however, grew even more melancholic, as if she had heard something that filled her with despair, a self-deprecating smile even appearing on her lips.
Xiang Er, confused, thought she was still upset about the unanswered question.
She thought for a moment, realizing that it was her fault for comparing Shen Yuhe to a Devil God, she should make amends.
So she forced a smile:
“Actually, if it were… normal… I wouldn’t… I wouldn’t mind…”
As she spoke, her face flushed crimson, like a ripe fruit hanging from a branch, ready to be plucked.
Shen Yuhe’s eyes lit up, and she said immediately:
“Then let’s find a place, and try again?”
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