Chapter 7: The Future Movie Queen About to Be Abandoned (7)
Su Mingxiu carried Yu Yinglan all the way back to the Su family home.
Her own coat was draped over Yu Yinglan, shielding her from the biting wind. However, this only made Yu Yinglan’s cheeks flush even redder, the color spreading down her neck like a melting ice cream under the scorching sun.
The coat carried Su Mingxiu’s scent, a faint fragrance of jasmine.
Yu Yinglan’s fingers, intertwined behind Su Mingxiu’s neck, were tightly clenched from her unease, their edges turning white.
Su Mingxiu had already notified the family doctor on their way back. As she carried Yu Yinglan through the hall and reached her room, she saw the doctor waiting with his medical kit.
She kicked open the door with her foot and carried the person in her arms to the bed, preparing to make space for the doctor to examine her: “She just drank a glass of water that was spiked with something. Do a blood test first—”
Her words were cut short as her little finger was gently touched.
It was Yu Yinglan’s index finger, peeking out from under her coat, attempting to curl around Su Mingxiu’s finger but only brushing past fleetingly due to her lack of strength.
Su Mingxiu lowered her gaze. Her deep-set eyes, accentuated by her sharp features, often gave the illusion of gentleness when she looked down at someone like this.
Yu Yinglan happened to receive this illusion. Even though her burning palm couldn’t grasp the pleasant coolness of Su Mingxiu’s hand, she weakly rested it on the edge of the bed. Still, she tried her best to look up at the other party, calling out in a hoarse voice: “Su, Su…”
She hesitated. In her nearly twenty years of life, she had never acted coquettishly towards anyone. For a moment, she didn’t know how to address the other party to express her closeness.
But this pause caused Su Mingxiu’s breath to hitch.
She suddenly grabbed Yu Yinglan’s wrist with her backhand.
Her calm and orderly instructions abruptly ceased.
Fortunately, the family doctor was well-versed in the secrets of wealthy families. His gaze never left the medical records in his hand, seemingly oblivious to everything else as he planned the examination while inquiring about Yu Yinglan’s current symptoms.
After the doctor reached a preliminary conclusion, only needing blood test confirmation, only the two of them were left in the room.
Luckily, the drug Yu Yinglan ingested didn’t have any hallucinogenic components and the dosage was small. It only caused her to feel feverish. After soaking in a herbal bath and drinking another dose of medicine to sweat out the drug’s effects, she would recover after a night’s sleep.
The wrist in Su Mingxiu’s palm was still warm. Her thumb unconsciously rubbed against the back of the girl’s delicate hand as she squatted down beside the bed, her expression still unreadable.
But Yu Yinglan seemed to be satisfied with her closeness. She leaned her head over and rubbed her nose against Su Mingxiu’s finger affectionately.
Her hot breath almost made Su Mingxiu’s fingertips turn red.
She had to raise her other hand and press it against Yu Yinglan’s forehead, her voice still cold and indifferent: “I remember teaching you how to protect yourself outside.”
“Even a five-year-old knows not to eat anything from strangers. Yu Yinglan, how old are you this year?”
The person being reprimanded only acted weak, even repeating the nickname she had accidentally called out before, closing her eyes, her eyelashes trembling, and her lips pouting slightly:
“Su Su… I’m uncomfortable…”
As if this would soften Su Mingxiu’s heart and make her overlook her carelessness.
Su Mingxiu’s finger, which was pressed against her forehead, moved down, tracing her nose bridge, touching the corner of her lips, casually hooking her chin, and then suddenly pressing against her jawbone, lifting her face, and staring at her as she asked: “Who taught you to call me that?”
Yu Yinglan didn’t dare to meet her probing eyes, afraid of being seen through. She simply closed her eyes, her free hand pulling down the coat that was her only cover, pretending to tug at her shirt collar, and mumbling: “Hot…”
She didn’t know if it was the poor quality of the shirt buttons or her sudden burst of strength, but when the pearly white button flew past her cheek, Su Mingxiu couldn’t help but narrow her eyes.
She saw the flushed skin revealed beneath the snow-white shirt.
Even her collarbone wasn’t spared.
Pink amidst white, like jade stained with color.
The culprit still hadn’t realized the scene she had created, clearly unbuttoning one button wasn’t enough to quench her desire. Her fingertips crumpled the front of her shirt and reached for another button.
Su Mingxiu didn’t consider herself a saint, unable to watch someone with this appearance put on a live erotic show. Since the other party wouldn’t be in any life-threatening danger, she followed her heart and grabbed Yu Yinglan’s other restless hand, pressing both above her head.
Yu Yinglan was truly uncomfortable now.
She opened her eyes tremblingly, her eyes filled with tears. Looking at the exquisite face above her, the force holding her hands above her head made her tremble uncontrollably. She wanted to break free but didn’t have the strength to do so.
She watched helplessly as Su Mingxiu leaned down little by little, like a leopard hunting in the jungle, bending her slender waist, preparing to close in on her prey.
But Yu Yinglan, who was being stared at intently, had no intention of running away, even offering her slender neck as if in sacrifice.
Their lips were very close.
Their moist breaths mingled.
The blush on Yu Yinglan’s face deepened, her temples damp with sweat. However, Su Mingxiu stopped at this distance, chuckling softly as she asked: “Hot?”
Without waiting for her answer, she let out a short laugh and said slowly: “Endure the heat.”
As Yu Yinglan looked at her in astonishment, Su Mingxiu drew out her words, slowly giving her answer: “You need to learn a lesson so you’ll know what to eat and what not to eat next time.”
She was so close, yet she became a delicacy that Yu Yinglan couldn’t taste.
Yu Yinglan thought of the slightly sweet mint candy from last time. No matter how many she had chewed since then, she couldn’t find the taste of that night. Like a traveler parched for too long, she even wanted to desperately bite into this delicacy.
—She didn’t want to miss the opportunity to taste it again.
No sooner said than done.
The moment Su Mingxiu finished speaking, Yu Yinglan tilted her head back with all her might. Just as she was about to kiss her, Su Mingxiu raised her eyebrows and retreated deftly, avoiding her moth-to-a-flame action.
At the same time, Yu Yinglan hooked her foot around Su Mingxiu’s waist, catching her off guard. Su Mingxiu lost her balance and fell onto the bed beside her…
“Knock, knock.”
A maid stood respectfully by the door with her head bowed: “Miss Su, the medicine is ready. It’s been warmed up in the pot. Should I pour it into the bathtub now?”
Su Mingxiu looked up, and Yu Yinglan’s lips landed on her neck.
The heat made her unconsciously tighten her grip on the other party’s wrist.
She began to doubt whether the medicine was as harmless as the doctor had said. Why did Yu Yinglan seem so unable to bear it?
But the most urgent task was to alleviate the drug’s effects. She turned her head and answered the maid: “Yes!”
Her voice suddenly dropped at the end.
Su Mingxiu’s neck was caught by a certain unrestrained little one. The roles of hunter and prey seemed to have reversed. The prey’s true identity was actually a hungry wolf, biting into this delicacy and refusing to let go. The dampness and heat gathered on her neck, causing her throat to move involuntarily.
She reached back and cupped the bold one’s cheek, the words on the tip of her tongue stopping short at the sight that met her eyes.
Yu Yinglan’s tears, which had previously only welled up in her eyes, were now streaming down, silently wetting her face. Her usually clear eyes had become a lake in the misty rain. She was the one biting, yet she was crying so miserably, as if she had suffered a great injustice.
Tears fell on her fingertips and slid into her palm.
As if Su Mingxiu wasn’t trying to settle accounts with her, but only to catch her exposed vulnerability.
The reprimands and warnings vanished into thin air. Looking at the beauty crying, Su Mingxiu finally just sighed, sat up from the bed, picked Yu Yinglan up by the waist, and walked towards the bathroom.
The dark green tiles reflected a faint light.
Su Mingxiu carried Yu Yinglan, walking barefoot on the cold floor. The mirror in the bathroom faithfully reflected her appearance, allowing her to see the neat teeth marks on her neck and the tear-stained woman in her arms who had left those marks.
For a moment, Su Mingxiu wondered if she had bullied her too much?
She looked down and asked the person in her arms: “Can you stand?”
Yu Yinglan was still immersed in the regret of not kissing her, wondering why this person was so mean. She clearly liked her so much, but she domineeringly only allowed others to be the receiver, not allowing them to take the slightest initiative.
As if Yu Yinglan could only wait for her to give.
What kind of unreasonable love was this?
She felt extremely wronged, like a wounded little animal, wanting to lick her wounds alone in a secluded place. She only lowered her head and squeezed out a “Yes” from her throat.
But Su Mingxiu wasn’t very reassured.
She found that she seemed to have no way to deal with Yu Yinglan. When the other party acted coquettishly, she couldn’t handle it, and now that she was trying to be strong, she was even more helpless.
After thinking about it, she still chose her usual firm and uncompromising attitude: “I’ll soak with you.”
Yu Yinglan: “!”
She was so surprised that she couldn’t speak. While she was still in a daze, she saw that Su Mingxiu had already stepped into the bathtub.
Anyway, this medicinal bath was only for absorption, not for bathing. Su Mingxiu didn’t even take off her clothes and even pulled her in.
In the misty steam of the medicinal bath, seeing that Yu Yinglan’s crying hadn’t subsided, the system started warning:
[Give her everything she wants! Please follow the mission requirements, host!]
At this moment, the soft long sleeves Su Mingxiu was wearing indoors had been soaked in the medicinal liquid and turned dark, but she didn’t seem to care at all.
Only when she was annoyed by the system’s constant nagging did she click her tongue and make Yu Yinglan, who was huddled in her arms, motionless, raise her head.
The next instant.
The warmth on her lips made Yu Yinglan involuntarily widen her eyes.
The previous fleeting touch, the candy she had tried so hard to taste but couldn’t, was now perfectly pressed against her lips. They were tightly pressed together, time seemingly standing still.
After a long while.
Su Mingxiu pulled back slightly, her thumb brushing against the corner of Yu Yinglan’s eyes, wiping away the last trace of moisture. She resumed her usual languid demeanor: “I’ve kissed you, and you’ve soaked in the medicine. You shouldn’t feel uncomfortable anywhere now, right?”
Yu Yinglan subconsciously licked her lips.
She swallowed the moisture, thinking she could still taste the minty sweetness.
She saw Su Mingxiu leaning against the bathtub, one hand propping up her head, looking at her with a smile: “Are you still crying?”
“Uh…” Yu Yinglan’s cheeks flushed even redder.
She felt that all her thoughts had been seen through by the person in front of her, even her soul seemed to be floating in the other party’s palm, at Su Mingxiu’s mercy to be lifted to heaven or cast down to hell.
They soaked in the medicinal bath for half an hour, until the water in the bathtub turned cold.
Su Mingxiu didn’t want any more trouble tonight. To prevent anyone from catching a cold, she got up and casually wrapped herself in a bathrobe, heading straight to another guest room in the Su family home to shower and wash away any traces on her body.
When she returned to her room, the sound of water still trickled from the bathroom. She simply walked towards the bed.
There was a video on her phone sent by one of her subordinates.
The video showed Su Yi being thrown into a club, surrounded by male escorts, his face flushed, crying and apologizing to the camera. He cowered in a corner, waving his hands repeatedly: “Don’t come near me! Stay away from me! You filthy men, don’t touch me!”
“Mingxiu! Sis, Sister, I was wrong! I didn’t touch her! I really didn’t touch her!”
“I won’t do it again… I really won’t! Please forgive me!”
Seeing this, she lost interest and turned off the video.
But there was a new commotion outside the door.
It was the Su family’s housekeeper, who came to tell her that Su Yi’s parents had heard about their son’s mischief that angered her and were coming to personally apologize. They also sent over the item Yu Yinglan had left in Su Yi’s car.
A sapphire blue collar clip.
Su Mingxiu took the collar clip and played with it between her fingers for a while before saying to the housekeeper: “It’s late. I don’t want anyone to disturb my sleep tonight. If my uncle and aunt are worried about their son, tell them to come pick him up themselves.”
As for what state their son was in after being rescued, it wasn’t within Su Mingxiu’s consideration.
The housekeeper looked at her with a troubled expression. Seeing that she wouldn’t change her mind, he had to leave.
Su Mingxiu was still playing with the collar clip. She didn’t know which part her finger had touched, but suddenly a thin, needle-like object popped out of the collar clip.
She instinctively let go.
The collar clip fell silently onto the bed.
Su Mingxiu stared at it, frowning, feeling more and more that something was wrong tonight.
If she remembered correctly, there was another time when the system had also notified her that Yu Yinglan might be in danger. But when she arrived, the other party had already left the banquet safe and sound.
Now…
Since Yu Yinglan had the means to protect herself and seemed to have experience dealing with this kind of situation, how could she still fall for it?
At some point, the sound of water in the bathroom stopped.
Yu Yinglan walked out and saw Su Mingxiu yawning by the bed. Even under the dim light, the woman’s beauty was breathtaking. She walked closer step by step, and just as she sat down by the window, she was pulled into a warm embrace.
Su Mingxiu touched her forehead and found that her body temperature was only the warmth of a hot shower, her eyes no longer seductive. Relieved, she carried Yu Yinglan to bed.
Yu Yinglan’s heart melted. Feeling that her wish had been fulfilled tonight, she smiled and prepared to fall asleep. However, her hand touched something by the pillow, and she turned her head in surprise.
Su Mingxiu was about to turn off the light when she saw Yu Yinglan’s gaze. Seeing the collar clip she had placed on her pillow, she said casually: “You left this in Su Yi’s car. Someone just brought it back.”
Yu Yinglan tried to compose herself. “Really?”
After staring at her expression for a while, Su Mingxiu picked up the collar clip and gently placed it in her palm. “Returned to its rightful owner. Don’t lose it again.”
But Yu Yinglan didn’t dare to close her hand, afraid of touching the trigger mechanism of the anesthetic. Her breathing changed rhythm a couple of times before she casually tossed the collar clip onto the bedside table and buried herself in the shadow beside Su Mingxiu.
“Thank you for finding it for me. Good night?”
Su Mingxiu curled her lips. A few seconds later, the light in the room went out.
Perhaps the drug’s effects were too draining.
Yu Yinglan slept very soundly this time, only slowly waking up when the sun was high in the sky.
The warmth beside her hadn’t left yet. When she rubbed her eyes and looked over, she found that Su Mingxiu had already changed out of her pajamas from last night and was only wearing a thin turtleneck sweater. It seemed like she had already had breakfast and was now…
Playing with a jade ruler.
A faint scent of ink emanated from her, like the kind you’d accidentally get on yourself when practicing calligraphy.
Yu Yinglan stared at the paperweight in her hand. It was a long strip of black jade, with rounded edges, heavy and opaque, with a lifelike plum blossom pattern carved on it. Su Mingxiu’s fair fingertips were casually stroking the plum branches, the contrast between black and white stark.
“Awake?”
A soft voice asked beside her ear.
She suddenly came back to her senses, moving her gaze away from the jade ruler, and smiled at Su Mingxiu: “Good morning.”
“Did you sleep well?”
Su Mingxiu tapped her palm with the jade ruler, making a soft sound. As Yu Yinglan hesitated and nodded, she continued with concern: “Are you feeling uncomfortable anywhere?”
Yu Yinglan shook her head, relaxing in her three questions, preparing to get out of bed.
However—
Her shoulder was pressed down by the other party’s ruler. Even though she was wearing thick pajamas, she seemed to feel the coolness of the jade, trembling involuntarily.
Su Mingxiu took in her reaction but remained unmoved, smiling faintly as she continued: “Since you’ve recovered, let’s talk about what happened last night.”
Seeing the other party trying to shrink back into the quilt, Su Mingxiu’s brow twitched. “Hiding?”
Yu Yinglan seemed to hear the unspoken implication in her words and didn’t dare to move for a moment.
Soon, the black ruler was pointed at the soft quilt in front of her. Su Mingxiu’s chillingly amused voice fell into her ears, neither too light nor too heavy: “Lie down.”
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