Chapter 42 p1
The warmth on her wrist, like a branding iron, sent shivers down her spine, the heat spreading through her body, making her limbs tingle.
Xin Yao looked up at Xu Jingyu, her dark eyes intense and predatory in the dim light, like a wild animal lurking in the shadows.
Xin Yao’s heart pounded.
She had dug her own grave. Why had she let her guard down, forgetting Xu Jingyu’s true nature?
But the words had been spoken, the offer made. There was no taking it back.
She tried to pull her hand away, but Xu Jingyu, sensing her hesitation, tightened her grip.
Her gaze fixed on Xin Yao’s face, her fingers tracing her wrist, she asked, “Is that a no? Were you lying just now?”
Her voice was calm and even, her tone casual, yet her words held a subtle threat, making Xin Yao’s heart race.
“You… you still have ointment on your lips,” she blurted out, grasping for an excuse.
Xu Jingyu’s gaze didn’t waver. She raised her other hand, her thumb wiping the ointment from her lips.
Then, she pulled Xin Yao closer, her lips finding hers.
It was a hot, demanding kiss, Pei Yu’s breath warm against Xin Yao’s skin, her lips pressing against hers with a desperate urgency.
As if punishing Xin Yao for her repeated rejections, her teeth grazed Xin Yao’s lip, a teasing bite that sent shivers down her spine.
It wasn’t painful, the pressure and the entanglement creating a delicious tension.
Even before the kiss deepened, Xin Yao wanted to escape.
A soft moan escaped her lips as she tried to pull away, but Xu Jingyu’s strong hand held her captive.
Xu Jingyu’s lips found hers again, her kiss a mix of tenderness and aggression.
Xin Yao, her heart pounding, pushed against Xu Jingyu’s chest, finally managing to create a small distance between them.
Gasping for breath, she found an excuse, her lips trembling slightly.
“You… you’ve already kissed me. That’s enough.”
Xu Jingyu’s dark eyes, like polished glass, fixed on Xin Yao’s face, a hint of amusement in their depths.
“Do you call that a kiss, Yaoyao?”
“Or are you just shy?”
“Should we turn off the lights?”
Seeing Xu Jingyu’s determined expression, Xin Yao knew she couldn’t escape.
Perhaps it would be better if she couldn’t see Xu Jingyu’s face, if the darkness masked her intensity.
After a moment’s hesitation, she nodded.
But Xin Yao, having sat down near the head of the bed, was now facing away from the light switch.
Whether intentional or not, Xu Jingyu didn’t get up. Instead, one hand braced against the bed beside Xin Yao’s leg, while the other reached across her body, almost encircling her, to reach the switch.
The close proximity, the weight of Xu Jingyu’s body against hers, the warmth of her breath on Xin Yao’s skin, made her heart race.
Xin Yao instinctively leaned back against the bed as Xu Jingyu leaned closer, their bodies almost touching.
The light switch was a bit far, and as Xu Jingyu stretched further, Xin Yao had to lean back further, until she was almost lying down.
Xu Jingyu’s fingers finally reached the switch.
Click.
The room was plunged into darkness.
Xin Yao, losing her balance, fell back onto the bed, sinking into the soft mattress and blankets.
She opened her eyes, but the darkness was absolute, her vision still adjusting.
Her other senses, however, sharpened.
She could hear the rustling of Xu Jingyu’s clothes as she approached, could feel her presence, a powerful, almost overwhelming force in the darkness.
The darkness didn’t diminish Xu Jingyu’s intensity, but rather amplified it, her breathing becoming more rapid, her excitement palpable.
Xin Yao felt like a prey animal, a wild beast lurking in the shadows, ready to pounce.
She had made a mistake.
The darkness, instead of calming her, had only intensified her anxiety.
She felt like she was about to be devoured.
Devoured by Xu Jingyu.
Her fingers clutched the blanket as Xu Jingyu’s hand gripped her waist, pulling her closer.
Like a small animal caught in a predator’s grasp, she was pulled into Xu Jingyu’s embrace, her lips captured in a hungry kiss.
If their earlier kiss had been a prelude, this was the main event.
Xu Jingyu’s pent-up desire, her longing for Xin Yao, was unleashed in a torrent of heat and passion, her tongue parting Xin Yao’s lips, exploring her mouth with a possessive hunger.
Her craving for skin-on-skin contact was insatiable, her hands intertwining with Xin Yao’s, their bodies pressed close together, leaving no space between them.
Xin Yao’s mind reeled, her senses overwhelmed, lost in the intensity of the kiss.
Her surrender only fueled Xu Jingyu’s passion, her lips clinging to Xin Yao’s, her touch becoming more demanding.
She was losing control.
Xin Yao’s skirt was still damp from the spilled water, and Xu Jingyu’s hand, whether out of consideration or simply a growing boldness, found the wet fabric, her fingers gently kneading Xin Yao’s thigh.
Xu Jingyu, her inhibitions gone, her desire for Xin Yao overwhelming, was on the verge of losing control.
Xin Yao, also caught up in the moment, her body responding to Xu Jingyu’s touch, almost surrendered.
But she regained her senses just in time.
She wrapped her arms around Xu Jingyu’s neck, then pushed her away.
Xu Jingyu, surprised by the sudden resistance, pulled away.
Xin Yao scrambled back, huddling in the corner of the bed, clutching her skirt, her head bowed, her long hair falling around her face, revealing her delicate jawline and the soft blush on her cheeks.
She looked vulnerable and incredibly alluring.
Xu Jingyu knew she should apologize. She had gone too far.
But looking at Xin Yao like this, all she felt was a surge of desire, a primal urge to possess her, to push her further.
To see her cry, to feel her body tremble in her arms, to hear her soft pleas.
Perhaps she was a monster, a beast.
She reached out, as if to touch Xin Yao.
Xin Yao, sensing the danger, knew that if she let Xu Jingyu touch her again, she wouldn’t be leaving this room tonight.
She quickly scrambled off the bed, her legs slightly unsteady.
“I should go,” she said, avoiding Xu Jingyu’s gaze, and walked towards the door.
But Xu Jingyu, who had also stood up, grabbed her wrist.
Xin Yao, surprised, turned to look at her.
Xu Jingyu didn’t meet her gaze, her head bowed, her dark hair falling around her face, obscuring her expression.
What did she want to say?
Don’t go.
I’m sorry. I went too far.
I miss you.
Please don’t leave me.
But in the end, she simply looked up at Xin Yao, her voice soft.
“Good night.”
Back in her own room, Xin Yao lay in bed, rolling around, her blanket wrapped tightly around her.
That had been too close!
Too dangerous!
The bed was right there!
Xin Yao knew Xu Jingyu well enough to know that she was capable of anything.
If Xin Yao hadn’t stopped her, Xu Jingyu would have taken her right there on the spot…
Thankfully, she had escaped.
But why had she refused?
As she rolled around, her movements gradually slowing, her eyes softened, a warm glow in their depths.
Because she was greedy.
She wanted Xu Jingyu’s love.
Her love wasn’t a monster. She had once known what it meant to love, and she had loved Xin Yao deeply.
Even if she was a monster now, Xin Yao wanted her love.
The next day, at dusk…
Chen Jia picked Xin Yao up for filming, but they didn’t see Xu Jingyu.
It wasn’t until Xin Yao had changed into her costume and finished her makeup that she saw her.
Xu Jingyu, already on set, was wearing the same outfit as yesterday.
She stood there, her gold-rimmed glasses reflecting the soft light, her demeanor cool and aloof, like a mountain stream.
Seeing her, Xin Yao remembered their encounter the previous night.
Her demanding kiss, her husky voice, the lingering touch of her fingers.
Xin Yao’s cheeks flushed.
Just then, Xu Jingyu also saw Xin Yao.
Always direct and unafraid, she walked towards Xin Yao, her tall, slender figure elegant and graceful, her presence a welcome distraction from the autumn scenery.
She stopped in front of Xin Yao, the scent of the wind clinging to her clothes.
Xin Yao looked up at her as she leaned down, the warm evening sunlight softening her features, making her eyelashes appear translucent, her usually dark eyes shimmering like jade.
She reached out, her ungloved fingers brushing against Xin Yao’s ear, her touch surprisingly gentle.
The usually aloof and distant woman was now the picture of tenderness.
And there was nothing more captivating than the unexpected gentleness of someone who was usually so cold and reserved.
Xu Jingyu plucked a fallen flower petal from Xin Yao’s hair, her voice soft and warm.
“Good afternoon, Ms. Xin. Did you sleep well?”
Xin Yao, her gaze lingering on the flower petal in Xu Jingyu’s hand, reached out and touched it.
“I slept well. How about you, Ms. Xu?”
Xu Jingyu shook her head slightly. “I didn’t sleep at all.”
But you look perfectly fine?
Xin Yao couldn’t help but ask, “Why not?”
Xu Jingyu simply looked at her, her beautiful eyes fixed on Xin Yao’s face, not answering.
Her gaze was so intense that it made Xin Yao feel slightly flustered.
Just then, Director Gao arrived, her usually messy hair now neatly styled in a high ponytail, a stylish jacket completing her look.
“Well, well, well! Look at you two! Bonding nicely! Perfect! The next scene is also emotionally charged.”
“It picks up right after the kissing scene. Wen Sigu and Lu Duanjing, on the verge of breaking up, finally surrender to their desires.”
“This scene is even more intimate, and more challenging. You’ll have to let go of your inhibitions.”
“I informed you both last night. Are you prepared?”
Director Gao hadn’t scheduled the kissing scene and the love scene first on a whim. It was a deliberate decision.
The two characters were at a crossroads in their relationship, their love threatened by external forces.
Xu Jingyu and Xin Yao’s initial awkwardness and unfamiliarity were perfect for these scenes, and filming them first would help them build chemistry for the rest of the movie.
Xin Yao, of course, knew what they would be filming today.
A love scene, even more intimate than the kissing scene.
She had practically fled after their kiss yesterday, and now they were about to film a love scene…
But it was her job, and she couldn’t hold up the production. This was what being an actress entailed.
So, as the beautiful evening light faded, they began filming.
As before, the set was cleared, leaving only the director, a female assistant, and a female cinematographer.
Xin Yao and Xu Jingyu stood in the same positions as they had at the end of yesterday’s scene.
Xu Jingyu leaned against the desk, Xin Yao standing close to her, their bodies almost touching, yet not quite.
They stood there, feeling each other’s warmth, their breaths mingling.
Their clothes, deliberately disheveled by the makeup artist, hinted at the passion of their earlier kiss.
Xu Jingyu’s shirt collar was slightly open, a faint lipstick stain visible on her skin, her posture relaxed yet tense, her appearance strangely sensual, like a forbidden flower, its delicate petals unfurling.
Xin Yao’s hair, usually neatly styled, was slightly disheveled, the loose strands framing her face, making her look soft and vulnerable.
Her lipstick, deliberately smudged, and the gloss applied to her lips, gave them a swollen, slightly bruised look, as if they had been kissed repeatedly, the color a vibrant red that drew the eye.
And her naturally alluring features, her slightly upturned eyes, gave her a seductive aura.
Xu Jingyu didn’t have to act. A single glance from Xin Yao was enough to make her breath catch in her throat.
And Xin Yao, seeing the desire in Xu Jingyu’s eyes, knew what she was thinking.
She’s crazy, Xin Yao thought. We’re on set!
But Xu Jingyu’s intensity was contagious, easily drawing Xin Yao into the scene.
The director, having adjusted the camera, looked at them.
“Ready?”
Xu Jingyu murmured a soft “mm-hmm.”
Xin Yao nodded.
“Unseen Spring, Scene 2, Take 1, Action!”
The clapperboard snapped.
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