Chapter Thirteen: Strange Noises Next Door
“What exactly is the relationship between Zou Yameng and Lu Li?” Wen Hupo looked around An Baili’s tidy room.
“W-why do you ask?” An Baili stammered. Wen Hupo was as sharp as ever. This was the first time she’d met Zou Yameng, wasn’t it?
“If she were really just his sister, she wouldn’t have gotten so angry, right?” Wen Hupo stroked Miss Lu’s belly, her clothes covered in cat fur. An idea came to her: she would collect the cat fur and make it into a ball to give to Lu Li for his birthday. What would his expression be like? He’d be surprised, surely.
An Baili pouted. “Knowing Lu Li, what other kind of relationship do you think they could have?”
Wen Hupo murmured, “So… he really is a scumbag.”
“And yet you still fell for him.” An Baili snorted.
The golden-haired girl looked at the calico cat in her lap, recalling the rainy evening when she and Lu Li had found the tiny, mewing kitten by the bushes. Perhaps that day, Lu Li hadn’t just picked up Miss Lu; he’d also picked up her heart. She loved the atmosphere around him, loved being with such an exceptional person. It was like sitting by a warm fireplace in winter, her heart filled with happiness. Thinking about it that way, whether he was a scumbag or not didn’t really matter.
“An Baili, can love really make someone do that?” Wen Hupo asked.
“Do what?” An Baili wasn’t as perceptive as Lu Li and didn’t understand the implied meaning.
“Can love really make you that selfless?” Wen Hupo’s gaze was distant.
“…I’m not like you guys.” An Baili’s voice was soft. “I’ve experienced true life and death… I once thought life was meaningless, but when I was truly about to lose everything, I realized that just being alive is enough, just seeing his smile is enough.”
“Rebirth again?”
“I knew you wouldn’t believe me.” An Baili turned away. “I shouldn’t have told you.”
She’s half-convinced. Wen Hupo thought that perhaps there was some kind of fate in this world, guiding everyone along a predetermined path. The person she saw in her dreams might really have been Lu Li. Just this once, she chose to trust her intuition.
“By the way, Wen Hupo, let me warn you,” An Baili said suddenly. “Jingyi is a very serious girl. Whatever she does, she gives it her all. That’s true for her studies, and it’s true for love.”
“…” Wen Hupo didn’t reply, perhaps understanding An Baili’s meaning.
She felt a sudden urge to use the bathroom, probably from drinking too much water during the card game. She put Miss Lu down and headed towards the bathroom. A moment later, she emerged, frowning. “An Baili, what’s wrong with your bathroom?”
“What do you mean?”
“There’s a strange noise, like a burst pipe.”
“Huh? Really?” An Baili imagined a burst pipe, yellow sewage flooding the bathroom, and her stomach churned. “Take me there.”
They went to the bathroom and heard a faint slapping sound. At first, An Baili also thought it was a plumbing issue. After all, this was low-income housing; the facilities were old and rarely repaired. But as she got closer to the wall, her expression changed.
“What’s wrong?” Wen Hupo asked.
An Baili pressed her ear against the wall. After a moment of hesitation, Wen Hupo did the same.
“Slap, slap, slap… slap, slap, slap…” The sound became clearer. It wasn’t a burst pipe; it was the sound of flesh hitting flesh, rhythmic and urgent. Along with it came the soft gasps and moans of a woman.
“Slower, slower… It’s going to break… My mind is blank… Slower…”
“Don’t lift my legs… They’re exposed… Mmm… Mmm…”
The voice was faint, almost indistinguishable, only snippets audible. But An Baili understood instantly. The bathroom wall in her apartment shared a wall with Lu Li’s bathroom. The walls in low-income housing weren’t known for their soundproofing… She glanced at Wen Hupo, who still looked confused, clearly not understanding what was happening. No matter how smart Wen Hupo was, she couldn’t immediately jump to the conclusion that a passionate encounter was taking place next door.
“Ooh…” A suppressed moan, drawn out, clearly indicating the speaker’s pleasure. The moan faded, and the slapping sound resumed.
“…Li… Li… Stop… Stop… It’s already full… Pull out…”
“Slap, slap, slap, slap, slap, slap…” The steady rhythm of flesh against flesh, like a relentless piston, accompanied by a subtle sloshing sound—not the dripping of water, but a thick, churning sound.
An Baili blushed. The sound was familiar. Perhaps it was the influence of her rebirth, but she felt Lu Li’s libido was particularly strong in this life. Last time, even with Zou Yameng joining in, she could barely keep up. By the second half of the night, they’d run out of condoms, and when she finally lay down, there was still a steady trickle of semen leaking from her.
“What is that?” Wen Hupo frowned. “Is that Lu Li next door? What’s that sound? Is he hitting someone?”
“…” An Baili didn’t know how to answer.
As Wen Hupo puzzled over the noise, they heard a male voice from next door. “Sister, is this how you used to hold me when I peed?”
“Don’t—don’t spread—Hey—Ah, don’t, don’t… This position is so embarrassing…”
“Slap, slap, slap…”
Wen Hupo finally seemed to grasp what was happening. She looked at An Baili in disbelief.
An Baili gave a nervous laugh.
Wen Hupo’s expression shifted rapidly, her usual composure gone, replaced first by shock, then contemplation, and finally, a deep frown. She and An Baili stood side by side, silently listening to the sounds of passion coming from next door.
“Is she in pain or pleasure?” Wen Hupo asked, her brow furrowed.
“Have… haven’t you tried it yourself?” An Baili asked, as if she’d discovered a shocking secret, a weakness, or rather, a gap in Wen Hupo’s experience.
“Tried what?”
“…It’s very, very painful.” An Baili said seriously. “But to satisfy his selfish desires, the girl can only endure the pain silently.”
“…” Wen Hupo fell silent. She muttered “Disgraceful,” and walked away quickly. After Wen Hupo left the bathroom, An Baili patted the wall and said, “Keep it down…”
Dinner was late that evening.
It wasn’t until past eight o’clock that the table was set in Lu Li’s apartment. Zou Yameng brought out dish after dish. Lu Li, An Baili, and Wen Hupo sat around the small table, no one speaking. The flush hadn’t yet faded from Zou Yameng’s face, and her legs trembled slightly as she walked, evidence of the “ordeal” she’d just endured. A faint scent of semen lingered in the air.
Lu Li coughed and served Wen Hupo a bowl of rice. She abruptly stepped back. “Don’t come near me.” Her expression was one of disgust, like a haughty cat. Lu Li awkwardly set the bowl down.
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