Chapter 39: Absolutely Not, Absolutely Not – The Forced Kiss
021 sobbed, but for Dong Ling’s sake, decided to continue reminding her.
With the system’s shielding function activated, anything the host said related to the system in this world would be silenced, so 021 wasn’t worried.
So 021 raised its voice and said: [Shut up and go to sleep! You’ll want to die when you wake up tomorrow! Don’t say anything more!]
Sigh, being a system was like being a worried parent, truly not easy.
Dong Ling felt even more aggrieved and also raised her voice: “Why are you yelling at me?!”
Although her words were slurred from being drunk, her imposing manner was still there.
The usually quiet and reserved Song Mingzhi: …………
021 gave up and retreated into its shell.
Song Mingzhi didn’t notice anything unusual, thinking the girl was just drunk and hallucinating. To avoid further agitating her, she immediately coaxed her: “I’m sorry, it was my fault, I shouldn’t have yelled at you, don’t cry.”
Song Mingzhi took another tissue and wiped Dong Ling’s tears, still thinking about what Dong Ling had just said.
It was probably the alcohol that made the girl blurt out her true feelings, which was why she asked so pitifully, asking why she didn’t take the initiative… Song Mingzhi coughed lightly, feeling a little awkward, wasn’t that a bit too fast?
Her thoughts scattered, her emotional floodgates opened, Dong Ling rambled on, wanting to say how hard it was to do tasks, how this broken world kept consuming energy, how the progress she painstakingly accumulated would regress, but she found she couldn’t speak.
021 sighed: [Girl, stop struggling, you’re restricted, you can’t say it.]
021’s voice wasn’t loud, the drunkard didn’t hear it at all, panicking at this contradiction.
“My tongue… is my tongue gone?”
Dong Ling mumbled a few times, opened her mouth in self-doubt, and stuck out her tongue.
Dong Ling had been drinking red wine, and when she opened her mouth slightly, a rich, sweet fragrance unique to luxurious wine filled the air.
Song Mingzhi’s gaze was fixed on Dong Ling’s panicked, pitiful, and adorable appearance.
Her water-stained red lips were like a blooming flower, her breath, like a tiny snake, like a winding vine, seductively creeping into one’s heart.
Dong Ling’s features were somewhat glamorous, a little more would be seductive, too much would be gaudy, but she didn’t give off a seductive vibe. Her eyes were cold and sharp, with a clear and piercing gaze. Now, in her drunken state, her eyes were sparkling, the allure in her features revealed slightly under the influence of alcohol.
Dong Ling didn’t realize she could speak again, her eyes tearing up, thinking she had become mute.
Seeing the tears rolling down Dong Ling’s cheeks, Song Mingzhi immediately returned to her senses, subconsciously ignoring her wandering thoughts just now.
She said with suppressed laughter: “It’s still there, don’t be afraid.”
Dong Ling looked at her doubtfully: “Really? Don’t lie to me.”
“Really, stick it out and touch it, it’s perfectly fine.”
Song Mingzhi said seriously, teasing the girl was fun, teasing a drunk girl was even more fun.
Dong Ling obediently stuck out her tongue, touched it with her finger, and stopped crying.
“It’s really there…” She mumbled with her tongue sticking out, then excitedly grabbed Song Mingzhi’s hand, “Look, it’s still there.”
The warm, moist, and soft touch of her fingertip on her tongue made Song Mingzhi’s whole body stiffen, she suddenly froze, her thoughts scattering like fish, unable to gather.
Humans were strange creatures, they could be moved by different things in different situations, unintentional touches and temptations seemed to be even more disconcerting than deliberate actions.
Only when the warmth suddenly disappeared did Song Mingzhi come back to her senses, looking down blankly.
The parking lot lights were bright and harsh, hanging from the ceiling not far away, the faint light shining through the car window, reflecting on her fingers, making them look wet and glistening.
A car passed by, and the momentarily obscured light returned to normal.
The flickering light made her head spin.
Song Mingzhi mechanically dialed her assistant’s number with her other hand, avoiding the drunkard beside her.
But the drunkard didn’t heed her intentions, leaning towards her and collapsing against her.
Song Mingzhi felt a little troubled, although she was perceptive, she couldn’t figure out Dong Ling’s thoughts.
She felt that Dong Ling liked her, but also felt that she didn’t like her that much.
Dong Ling would approach and then retreat, making her hesitate to reject at first, and now, she didn’t know how to react.
It was even more difficult than the most challenging project proposal, she didn’t know where to start.
Dong Ling, immersed in the joy that her tongue had returned and she could speak again, spoke quickly and urgently, as if afraid of losing her voice again.
“My head is spinning… I feel so uncomfortable…”
“I really want to eat the tofu dish Auntie Liu makes, I don’t know what it’s called, tofu with minced meat, so soft and smooth…”
“A Sheng has recovered… that’s good… but they will definitely start their revenge again… so annoying… isn’t love and peace better…”
The rapid topic changes made it impossible for Song Mingzhi to keep up, she just stared at her fingers silently.
“When will Wen Han wake up… I really…”
Dong Ling suddenly covered her mouth in panic, she couldn’t speak again.
Song Mingzhi was lost in thought for a moment before realizing that Dong Ling had stopped talking, she subconsciously looked over and saw the girl quietly covering her mouth, a melancholic look on her face.
“Ling Ling?”
Dong Ling said sadly: “I’ll tell you a secret…”
“Yes?”
“I’ve become mute.”
“…”
Song Mingzhi also became melancholic.
[Task: Kiss the female lead lightly, like a dragonfly skimming the water. Countdown: one minute. Completing this task will reward 1% progress.]
If Dong Ling was sober, she would definitely curse the task system for being an idiot and a pervert, even setting prerequisites for a kiss, but Dong Ling wasn’t sober right now.
021 also felt despair when it heard the system notification, almost closing its eyes, unable to bear watching, but was quickly startled awake by the voice in Dong Ling’s mind.
Dong Ling: [Who is the female lead? Who is the female lead? Who is the female lead?]
021: [I’m not deaf, why are you asking so many times?]
Dong Ling turned into a broken record: [Who is the female lead? Who is the female lead? Who is the female lead?]
021 took a deep breath: [Song Mingzhi!]
It hoped the host would never get drunk again, thank you, it couldn’t handle it, and neither could the girl.
Dong Ling mentally said “Oh,” thinking the voice in her mind was her own thought, and looked at Song Mingzhi happily.
Oh, oh, oh, a beautiful woman!
“Give me a kiss!”
Song Mingzhi was caught off guard by this sudden turn of events. Before she could react, Dong Ling had already pounced on her, the intoxicating fragrance of alcohol and the warmth of her body enveloping her.
Their lips touched, Song Mingzhi looked at Dong Ling’s excited expression and heard a “mwah” sound.
021: …
It was actually quite good that the girl often got drunk, look at this efficiency, definitely something she couldn’t achieve when sober.
A light tap on the car window came. Song Mingzhi looked at Dong Ling, who had collapsed against her, pursed her slightly numb and tingling lips, and resisting the heat in her cheeks, rolled down the window.
It was her assistant, who had come to take over driving. Song Mingzhi handed her the car keys and helped the slumped Dong Ling sit up.
But Dong Ling refused to sit still, leaning against the other window, humming a broken tune, still seemingly excited.
Song Mingzhi chuckled helplessly, touched her lips, the smile on her face softening.
Night fell, and the sun rose.
Dong Ling woke up to the chirping of birds, pressing her slightly throbbing temples, her vision blurry.
It took her a few seconds to realize this was her familiar room, the sunlight outside was bright, some birds were perched on the tall trees, occasionally fluttering away, looking very cheerful.
Dong Ling sniffed her slightly stuffy nose, looked at her wrinkled clothes, got out of bed with disgust, and took out her pajamas from the closet.
As she walked to the bathroom, Dong Ling’s still sluggish mind finally started working.
Her memory stopped at Cheng Ge excitedly talking about the movie, she didn’t remember anything after that.
Did Song Mingzhi take her home last night?
021 said dejectedly: [Yes.]
Dong Ling sensed 021’s unusual mood and asked nervously: [I didn’t do anything again, did I?]
021 said sadly: [We were taken advantage of again!]
021 was usually a well-behaved system, after all, no one was more greasy than it was, no one could make people more exasperated and want to curse, but now, it actually cursed, and the content of its words startled Dong Ling, she subconsciously pulled at her clothes and looked down at herself.
Okay, no marks, no strange sensations.
Dong Ling: [What happened?]
Dong Ling was so scared she thought she had slept with Song Mingzhi, if it wasn’t that, what else could she have done to be taken advantage of?
021 started recounting the events: [Last night, when you were drunk, the task system issued a task for you to lightly kiss Song Mingzhi, like a dragonfly skimming the water, completing it would reward 1% progress.]
Dong Ling had a bad feeling, did she really kiss her? Knowing 021’s usual style, she probably did something beyond the task requirements, which was why 021 felt taken advantage of, right?
021 said indignantly: [You didn’t hesitate at all and smacked a kiss on her, but you bumped into her, I think that’s why, even though it was within the countdown, the system said the task failed, it must be because you kissed too hard, not light enough.]
Dong Ling’s mind was completely blank, she stared at the bathtub, thinking this would be a peaceful way to die.
Life was but a fleeting moment.
She didn’t know whether the task system was more idiotic, or the 021 currently chattering in her mind was more idiotic, or whether she, drunk last night, was the biggest idiot of all.
Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!
Dong Ling really wanted to just jump in, help, why did she drink… no… why did she go visit Wen Han that day? If she hadn’t gone to see Wen Han, she wouldn’t have been entangled by this stupid system, and if she hadn’t been entangled by this stupid system, she wouldn’t have to do so many embarrassing things.
Life was so tiring, this world might as well just end.
Dong Ling numbly washed up and showered, then numbly lay down on the bed Auntie Liu had just changed the sheets for, pulling the quilt over her head.
After wallowing for a while, Dong Ling finally rebuilt her mental fortitude.
Playing dumb was always a tried and true method for adults, Dong Ling decided she could still be a little more shameless.
She really didn’t remember last night’s events, even with 021’s description, no images appeared in her mind, it was a complete blackout, in this situation, she didn’t know how to explain to Song Mingzhi.
Was she supposed to explain dryly that she was just drunk and acting crazy after forcing a kiss on someone? Dong Ling mentally scoffed at herself and finally decided to apologize with a gift.
On the way there, Dong Ling reflected inwardly.
[Dude, I’m not human, how could I do such a shameless thing?]
021 comforted her: [Girl, it’s not your fault, it’s the task system’s fault, it’s the one that’s not human.]
Indeed, the task system wasn’t human.
Dong Ling pondered for a moment and decided to add Cheng Ge to her drinking blacklist, she would never drink with Cheng Ge again.
When Dong Ling knocked on the door, Song Mingzhi was working out at home.
She had insomnia last night, only sleeping for a few hours before waking up, so she decided to exercise to maintain a good state.
Dong Ling was a little surprised to see Song Mingzhi open the door in workout clothes, because the image Song Mingzhi presented in front of her was always elegant and composed, her attire also very appropriate, this was the first time she saw her like this.
Seeing the lines of abdominal muscles partially hidden by her pants under her sports bra, she couldn’t help but be impressed.
“Come in.”
Song Mingzhi wiped the sweat from her forehead with a towel, using it to hide the unnatural flush that appeared on her face the moment she saw Dong Ling.
“I’m here to thank you for taking me home last night. I think I acted crazy while drunk, I hope you don’t mind, I’m really sorry.”
Dong Ling placed the small gift on the coffee table and stated her purpose.
Song Mingzhi’s eyes were instantly filled with a probing sharpness, she wasn’t sure if Dong Ling remembered last night’s events, or what she meant by these words.
Was she worried about being distanced and trying to reassure her?
Her gaze swept over Dong Ling’s face, then drifted away.
“It’s okay, I know you were drunk.”
Song Mingzhi poured herself a glass of water, drank it all in one gulp, and then said these words to Dong Ling.
Dong Ling felt a deeper meaning in them, but then thought it might just be her imagination.
Song Mingzhi’s understanding and lack of obvious displeasure about her drunken behavior made Dong Ling feel relieved, and she once again marveled at Song Mingzhi’s kind and understanding personality, a smile appearing on her face.
“These are traditional Chinese pastries made by my housekeeper, I think they’re delicious, so I brought some for you to try.”
Dong Ling came in a hurry, she hadn’t thought about what to bring as an apology gift. The movie’s box office earnings wouldn’t arrive so soon, it would take some time, so the diamond would also have to wait, as long as the task was completed within the one-month time limit, it would be fine.
After thinking about it, Dong Ling decided to bring something she liked to share, so she had Auntie Liu make some pastries, packed them nicely, and brought them to Song Mingzhi’s house.
“They look delicious, I’ll go take a shower first, be right back.”
Song Mingzhi didn’t want to be all sweaty near Dong Ling, and gestured towards the bathroom. Dong Ling nodded.
While waiting, Dong Ling took out the pastries and arranged them. Her phone buzzed with a message notification.
[Chen Shang Shang]: Damn, big news, Ling Ling, do you know He Diesheng is back?!
[Chen Shang Shang]: That circle is going to be lively again, the true crown princess has returned, oh wait, Xuan Du still has the upper hand, after all, the previous emperor has passed away, but they’re both the previous emperor’s children, the current emperor will probably treat them equally, right?
Dong Ling thought, that wasn’t necessarily true, Xuan Du was the current mayor’s wife’s biological child, He Diesheng wasn’t, although the public didn’t know.
[Chen Shang Shang]: What do you think she’s back for? It would have been better if she had returned a few years earlier, when Xuan Du wasn’t around. Now that Xuan Du is back, isn’t she walking right into the lion’s den?
Dong Ling: I think she came back precisely because of Xuan Du.
[Chen Shang Shang]: Damn, that ruthless? A direct confrontation?
Dong Ling: Not sure, don’t get involved in this mess.
[Chen Shang Shang]: Understood, understood, I’m just a spectator.
[Chen Shang Shang]: By the way, latest news, Chen Fei’s mom has progressed to sharing husbands.
Utterly shocked.
As soon as Dong Ling thought of Chen Fei, she thought of the drug that day, what she did that day, and then last night’s forced kiss, she closed her eyes in pain.
She was truly a beast, doing this and that to Song Mingzhi.
Fortunately, Song Mingzhi was a kind-hearted straight woman.
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