Chapter 23: Cake
“I like you, and I love you.”
A slurred, drunken confession, light as a feather, almost drowned out in the noisy private room.
She hadn’t lost… she still hadn’t lost.
He liked her, loved her, not those sluts who flaunted themselves in front of him all day.
Xia Qian Ge’s long, curled eyelashes trembled. She hadn’t had a single drop of alcohol, yet the thick blood coursing through her fragile veins felt like highly concentrated alcohol, numbing every nerve.
She could no longer maintain the facade of the gentle and beautiful Xia Qian Ge. A simple, drunken murmur turned into a torrential flood, washing away the defenses she had built over the years, stripping her bare, revealing her crude and vicious soul without the mask. Yet, she willingly surrendered.
Swallowing the saliva that flooded her mouth, Xia Qian Ge was aware of her shameful state, but she couldn’t suppress the throbbing in her heart. Someone whose veins were filled with alcohol, how much reason could they possibly retain, how could they control their body?
It was like a cake, a delicious, sweet cake. Hadn’t she tasted it on the bus that day? Just a small lick, and she was addicted, unable to forget the taste.
The curve of her lips twisted into a terrifying grin. She covered her face with her hands, like a disgraced woman stripped naked and exposed on the street, her arms futilely shielding her, protecting her last shred of pathetic dignity.
“Huh? Xia Qian Ge? You’re not drunk yet? Then let’s keep drinking!”
Chen Kai, who had been slumped on the floor in a drunken stupor, suddenly got up. His sleepy, drunken eyes were almost slits as he looked at Xia Qian Ge, his words slurred. “Why are you smiling so happily? Did something good happen?”
Xia Qian Ge didn’t answer. Her eyes, hidden beneath her bangs, were dark and cold, her black pupils gleaming with a chilling light as they slowly shifted from Su Yu to Chen Kai.
Like a dark, eerie forest at midnight, swirling with soul-devouring black mist, she stared at Chen Kai for a long time, then stood up impatiently. Her seemingly frail arm grabbed the back of Chen Kai’s collar, dragging him towards the restroom.
…
With a thud, Chen Kai was thrown into the restroom. He clung to an empty trash can, retching violently, as if trying to empty his stomach in one go.
Xia Qian Ge just watched, kicking aside Chen Kai’s leg that was blocking her way, and walked to the mirror by the sink to smooth her messy bangs.
She looked at her reflection in the mirror, the unnatural flush on her face receding like a tide. She smiled at the sullen, fierce girl in the mirror, a terrifyingly cold smile. If anyone had entered the restroom now, they would have been terrified.
…
The private room was still lively. Xia Qian Ge quietly returned to her seat beside Su Yu, unnoticed. She saw that he was still slumped on the table, half of his creamy white face visible. A sense of relief washed over her. In the corner of the room, only she and Su Yu were together, while the owner of the empty seat on the other side was sound asleep in the restroom.
No one noticed them. The momentary peace gave rise to desire. She reached out a trembling finger towards Su Yu’s cheek, her eyes filled with longing.
She hadn’t seen him since that storm. She had sat at home, counting the days on the calendar, the summer break stretching endlessly before her.
The scorching sun seemed to incinerate everything. She walked barefoot in the desert, each step on burning sand, her lips pale and dry, her skin cracked and peeling, near death. But the news of this gathering was like an oasis appearing before her eyes.
Sweet, clear water filled her lungs. Seeing him, she felt reborn.
Her fingertip stopped just inches from his face. She didn’t dare to go any further, afraid of disturbing his sleep. She was afraid that his drunken confession had just been a dream, giving her hope only to cruelly snatch it away, kicking her back into the abyss of hell.
“I love you too, you know? I love you so much. Your soul… your body, every little detail, I love it all.”
Her words were rambling, like a lovestruck girl suddenly receiving a confession, flustered and blushing.
“Why aren’t you saying anything? Say it again, please. Tell me you love me.” She smiled sweetly, her voice soft and gentle, making his bones melt.
But Su Yu remained peacefully asleep, oblivious to Xia Qian Ge’s inner turmoil. It was like a silent mockery, making her seem pathetic and pitiful.
Without a response, the smile on her face slowly froze, then shattered into pieces.
“Say it! Why won’t you say it?”
A low growl escaped her throat, blood vessels creeping across the whites of her eyes. Her chest heaved, then her voice softened again. She shook her head frantically, muttering incessantly, as wronged as a child caught in blame, aching for comfort, making one want to comfort her.
“I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have yelled at you. I… I just love you too much. I hate that you’re going to Qingchuan. You know I’m going to Jiangnan. Why can’t your eyes only see me? Didn’t you say you loved me?”
Seeing Su Yu still passed out drunk, Xia Qian Ge became even more unrestrained. She was putting on a one-woman show, her emotions complex and difficult to describe, her expression constantly shifting—excitement, anger, longing, malice, self-blame… all flickering across her face.
She grew bolder, testing… touching. She was like a mouse that had climbed onto the dining table, staring at the sweet, creamy cake. Desire, like ivy growing wildly in early summer, slowly wrapped around her reason, imprisoning it, leaving only desire, her eyes dark and clouded.
Swallowing her saliva, she leaned closer to the boy’s face, her movements gentle as a breeze, his warm breath on her face, their faces inches apart.
She didn’t dare to be too brazen, just a light touch… she licked the cream-covered cake, her taste buds exploding, the soft sensation making her lose all control. The sweetness that spread through her made her heart tremble.
Bliss…
Her entire body trembled as if she had lost her soul. The intoxicating feeling washed over her, spreading through her lower body.
The fulfillment of desire brought emptiness, and emptiness brought madness… Satisfied yet wanting more, after licking, she wanted to bite, and after biting, she craved even more, until finally, she could become one with him, body and soul intertwined.
Her desire continued to escalate, but Xia Qian Ge suddenly clutched her slender, white neck, choking herself, as if cutting off all oxygen. The veins on her forehead bulged, her eyes rolled back, and she lost all strength, collapsing onto the floor like a drunkard, leaving his body.
She had almost made a terrible mistake. She gasped for breath. The boy was both her cure and her poison.
The pit of desire could never be filled. Her initial intention had only been to see him, to quench her thirst, but she hadn’t expected it to turn out like this.
She sat slumped on the floor, like an addict who had just gotten their fix, now left with an unspeakable emptiness and loneliness. She murmured softly, so softly that only she could hear.
“Why can’t you say you love me again? If you don’t say it… how can I agree to be with you?”
Leave a Reply