Chapter 68
Chi Lin was so compliant that Lou Mi felt like a predator taking advantage of a child. She even wondered if Chi Lin was frozen out of fear – though that seemed unlikely, considering Chi Lin could probably snap her neck or crush her ribs if she wanted to. It was precisely Chi Lin’s immense power and her current complete submission that made Lou Mi hesitate.
Lou Mi released her, brushing a stray strand of hair from her face, her fingers lingering on her cheek. Such a beautiful face, she thought, silently taking in every detail. The two moles under her eyes, as if tears might fall at any moment, yet she possessed the fierceness of a wild animal. How could someone like Chi Lin exist, so full of contradictions? Every detail about her both captivated and distressed Lou Mi.
Her face cupped in Lou Mi’s hands, Chi Lin finally caught her breath and opened her eyes.
Lou Mi saw a flicker of emotion in their depths.
“You didn’t reject me. So I was right,” Lou Mi said, her thumb gently caressing the moles under Chi Lin’s eyes, afraid of disturbing their delicate beauty. “You like me too, but for some reason, you’re holding back.”
Chi Lin remained silent, averting her gaze.
Lou Mi understood. Words were useless with Chi Lin. Actions spoke louder.
She kissed her again. After a moment of hesitation, Chi Lin closed her eyes, even offering a tentative response to the long, tender kiss.
Lou Mi didn’t know where her kissing skills came from. She’d never kissed anyone before. Of course, growing up in the 2010s, she’d had plenty of sex education, both formal and informal, intentional and accidental. Not to mention access to age-restricted holographic games as an adult. But this was her first real kiss, and yet, it felt familiar, natural, as if she and Chi Lin had done this countless times before.
Emboldened by Chi Lin’s response, Lou Mi led her to the sofa.
“Lou Mi…” Chi Lin’s soft, husky voice brought Lou Mi back to reality. She opened her eyes.
Chi Lin’s arms were pinned beside her head, her earlobes crimson, her lips swollen and red. Usually so composed and stoic, her current disheveled state was a stark contrast.
Lou Mi knew she was responsible, that she held Chi Lin captive, and Chi Lin was willingly surrendering.
“I want to continue,” Lou Mi said, knowing that Chi Lin calling her name was a plea to stop. But she didn’t want to stop, the desire consuming her.
Chi Lin whispered, “But…”
“I want to,” Lou Mi said, gently tilting Chi Lin’s chin up.
Chi Lin fell silent, accepting Lou Mi’s decision.
Lou Mi felt Chi Lin’s throat bob as she swallowed. If Chi Lin was usually a fierce predator, now she was a tamed beast, completely submissive. The power dynamic was intoxicating.
Lou Mi felt like she was floating, a queen with Chi Lin as her obedient subject. She knew, in this moment, Chi Lin would refuse her nothing.
…
“Why is your hair wet?”
Turning on the bedside lamp, Chi Lin winced at the sudden brightness.
Lou Mi quickly adjusted the lampshade.
Chi Lin sat on the sofa, her lips still red and swollen.
Lou Mi touched her hair, regretting her earlier impulsiveness. Adjusting Chi Lin’s rumpled pajamas, she noticed her hair was still wet, dampening the back of her shirt.
Chi Lin sat with her head down, silent.
For a brief moment, Lou Mi feared Chi Lin would never speak to her again.
Fortunately, after a few seconds, Chi Lin spoke. “I was going to dry it after talking to you.”
“Oh, I’m sorry. Come here, I’ll dry it for you.”
Lou Mi retrieved the hairdryer and patted the sofa, inviting Chi Lin to sit.
Chi Lin hesitated. This position, one sitting, one standing behind, felt too familiar.
The quiet hairdryer hummed to life, the warm air lifting Chi Lin’s hair, the moisture dissipating into the darkness. Lou Mi’s fingers gently combed through her hair, carefully drying each section, paying special attention to the nape of her neck.
“Does it hurt?” Lou Mi asked.
“Are you referring to…?”
“…Did I pull your hair?”
“No.”
Lou Mi pressed, “Besides your hair, what else could hurt?”
Silence.
“You were so compliant, how could I be rough? I felt like a monster.”
Still silence.
“Okay, done,” Lou Mi said, turning off the hairdryer. “All dry.”
Chi Lin: “Thank you.”
Suddenly, Lou Mi understood. Chi Lin’s lips must be sore from the intense kissing. That’s what she meant…
Lou Mi rummaged through her bag and handed Chi Lin a lip balm. “Sorry, first time, no experience. Put some on, or your lips will get chapped.”
Chi Lin took the lip balm but didn’t use it immediately.
Lou Mi thought for a moment, then realized again. The lip balm wasn’t new; she’d already used it. Giving it to Chi Lin now, after practically ravishing her, seemed… presumptuous.
“It’s not poisoned,” Lou Mi said, forcing a casual tone, trying to mask her embarrassment.
Chi Lin dabbed a bit on her fingertip and applied it to her lips. She was simply unfamiliar with modern lip balm.
After drying and brushing her hair, Chi Lin tied it back with a hair tie.
Lou Mi had expected her usual tight bun, but Chi Lin had opted for a high ponytail.
“Why did you tie it like that?”
Chi Lin hesitated. “Does it look bad?”
Lou Mi: “Of course not! It’s just… so cute, it makes me want to kiss you again.”
Chi Lin: “…”
Satisfied with her teasing, Lou Mi smiled. “Don’t worry, I’ll restrain myself. But there’s something I need to know. Tell me the truth.”
Chi Lin sat up straight, looking at Lou Mi intently. If it weren’t for the lingering blush on her face and the marks on her neck, it would be impossible to tell she had just been passionately kissed.
“What’s going on with you and Tan Luo?” Lou Mi asked seriously, dropping her usual playful facade. She wanted Chi Lin to understand how much she cared.
Chi Lin: “Like you said before, I was looking for something in Tan Luo.”
“And did you find it?”
Chi Lin shook her head. “No. I think she tricked me.”
“Oh? How?”
Chi Lin sensed that Tan Luo knew what she wanted and was deliberately leading her on, piling coincidence upon coincidence, hoping to gain Chi Lin’s complete trust. But Chi Lin wasn’t a fool. Too many coincidences only bred suspicion.
She was now certain Tan Luo was most likely not Her Majesty, but somehow knew about Dayuan, and even about Chi Lin’s true identity. If that was the case, regardless of Tan Luo’s methods, she couldn’t be allowed to continue.
A glint of something dangerous flickered in Chi Lin’s eyes.
Lou Mi: “…If you don’t want to talk about it, you don’t have to. There’s no need to look so menacing.”
Chi Lin: “I’m not trying to be menacing towards you.”
“Then who? Tan Luo?” Suddenly, a startling realization dawned on Lou Mi. Lowering her voice, she asked, “Are you planning to silence her? For this ‘thing’ I won’t understand?”
Silencing someone was trivial for Chi Lin. Ever since her fate became intertwined with Her Majesty’s, countless people had been caught in the crossfire of political struggles. Her hands were already stained with blood.
But she understood the laws of this era, and she didn’t want to frighten Lou Mi. “Murder is illegal. I won’t kill anyone.”
“…I was just joking, but now that you’re being so serious, I’m not so sure anymore. I know what you’re capable of. Chi Lin, I can’t control what you do, but listen to me: don’t break the law, don’t go to jail. You’ve finally found some stability, don’t ruin it.”
Lou Mi’s sincerity made Chi Lin reconsider. Tan Luo didn’t have to die. Dead men tell no tales, but she knew other ways to ensure silence.
“Okay,” Chi Lin nodded.
“You promised. Don’t go back on your word.”
“I won’t,” Chi Lin said solemnly, not like a casual promise, but like an oath.
“Good girl.” Lou Mi couldn’t resist ruffling her hair.
Chi Lin submissively accepted the affectionate gesture.
Lou Mi felt like she had claimed a pet, and she was now the master. “Are you going back tonight?”
Chi Lin, surprised by the question, blinked. “Huh?”
“Stay here. I want to hold you while I sleep.”
“But…”
“Don’t worry, I’m exhausted after today’s match. I used up all my energy. I’ll fall asleep the moment my head hits the pillow. I won’t do anything to you.”
Lou Mi had only told half the truth. She wasn’t just tired; her head was pounding. The pain had been almost unbearable during the celebratory dinner. When she got home, her PT index was 6.2, a new record, exceeding her previous high of 5.8.
During the dinner, Zhuo Jinglan, champagne in hand, had practically glued herself to Lou Mi’s side, interrogating her about the drugs.
Lou Mi was exasperated. “When have I ever taken drugs without your knowledge? Don’t accuse me without proof.”
“Guess who I sat next to after I was kicked out?”
“Do I have psychic powers? How would I know who you sat next to?”
“Dr. Bai. Your doctor.”
“Oh,” Lou Mi said calmly. “So she actually made it. Didn’t waste that front-row VIP ticket.”
“Is that the point? If it weren’t for Dr. Bai, I wouldn’t have known you were still taking drugs against her advice. I saw you rubbing your temples earlier. Is your head hurting badly? What did you take?”
“That’s patient confidentiality. She wouldn’t tell you.”
“Never mind how I know. Just tell me the truth. Did you or did you not take any drugs?”
“I didn’t,” Lou Mi said confidently, because she hadn’t taken any neuron stimulants today. She avoided them unless absolutely necessary, not wanting to die young.
“Really?” Zhuo Jinglan’s eyes narrowed.
“Back off… I really didn’t.”
“Swear it.”
“I’m not swearing anything.”
Zhuo Jinglan: “…”
“Alright,” Lou Mi said. “I know what I’m doing.”
If she could, she would never take another neuron stimulant again. But she wouldn’t throw them away either. Her condition was unstable; she might need them.
Lou Mi had only mentioned being tired, but Chi Lin saw through her. “Is your head hurting, too?”
“Huh?”
“When your head hurts, you unconsciously raise your left eyebrow.”
“Really… I never noticed.”
“Let me massage your head. It’ll help.”
Touched by her gentleness, Lou Mi took Chi Lin’s hand. “So you’re not leaving tonight?”
Chi Lin: “No.”
If her head hadn’t been throbbing, Lou Mi might have wanted to do more. But Chi Lin’s massage was magical, almost lulling her to sleep. Later, as she drifted off, she vaguely heard Chi Lin talking about acupuncture, but she couldn’t focus.
As she fell into a deep sleep, Lou Mi was semi-conscious of her dream. She knew she was dreaming, but it felt like an abyss, pulling her deeper. She saw scenes from Return to Jianghu, the Snowy Peak, a place she could navigate blindfolded.
Then, the snowy landscape shifted, replaced by an unfamiliar city, grand and majestic, a city she’d never seen before.
As she drifted towards wakefulness, she tried to decipher the dream city. Maybe I saw it in a documentary, she thought. She vaguely remembered a moat running through the city, and just before opening her eyes, she saw the scenery along its banks, trying to memorize it.
But the moment her eyes opened, the real world flooded her senses, washing away the dream. Try as she might, she couldn’t recall the details.
“Jiejie?”
Chi Lin’s voice brought her fully awake.
Lou Mi realized she was nestled against Chi Lin, her arm around her waist, her head on Chi Lin’s chest.
“You’re awake?” Chi Lin asked.
“Mmm…” Lou Mi closed her eyes, feigning sleepiness. “I need a kiss from Xiao Lin to wake up properly.”
The familiar coquettishness, so like Her Majesty’s, made Chi Lin’s heart flutter. She leaned in and kissed her.
“I thought you’d find that too cheesy,” Lou Mi said, opening her eyes and looking at Chi Lin intently.
“No.”
Lou Mi sat up, noticing the pain in her head had subsided considerably. She replayed the events of the previous night, every detail crystal clear. Usually, she struggled to remember mornings after a match, relying on voice recordings on her phone.
Today was different.
Besides the victory, she remembered every nuance of her kisses with Chi Lin: her expression, her gaze, the softness of her lips, her suppressed gasps…
It put her in an excellent mood.
“What do you want for breakfast?” Lou Mi asked. “I can make you something.”
“Anything is fine,” Chi Lin replied. “I didn’t go back to my room last night. I wonder if Uncle and Mother noticed.”
“You’re worried about that? If they didn’t notice, I can tell them now.”
“…You’re being ridiculous. Of course I’m worried they did notice.”
“So what if they did?” Lou Mi didn’t understand. “We’re not related, we’re in a relationship. Same-sex marriage has been legal for over a decade, what’s there to hide? Besides, your mom would be thrilled.”
“My mom would be thrilled?”
“Absolutely. Remember the last time we got drunk? I actually blacked out. Your mom told me about the kiss. She was already talking about our wedding then.”
“Wedding?” Chi Lin was stunned. “Getting married after one kiss?”
Even in Dayuan, no parent would suggest such a thing.
“I think your mom is right,” Lou Mi said. “We should get married.”
Chi Lin: “…”
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