Chapter 34
It had been a long time since Shen Sanniang had called her Yueyue.
Aside from a few times when their feelings had run deepest, there were very few occasions in ordinary life when she called her that.
But every time, that voice seemed to carry some kind of magic, like the lingering sound of a flute—low, pleasant, and enchanting.
At this moment, it was even more ambiguous, its seductive meaning completely undisguised.
But Shang Rongyue did not want to give in. She remained on the bed, still resisting the power of that filthy drug, refusing to nod.
It was as if, once the other woman got into bed, she would push Shang Rongyue aside again afterward, kicking her carelessly into a corner like an object left to gather dust.
“Yueyue?” Gu Wan called again. The fingertips touching her seemed to carry sparks of flame. With only the slightest touch, the little girl instantly pulled her arms back and curled up, hiding in the innermost part of the bed.
“Don’t touch me.”
She whimpered, her delicate hands clenched tightly into fists, nails digging deep into her palms.
Li Yueyue had suffered three attacks in total. The first time, she had climbed into Gu Wan’s bed on her own. No matter how Gu Wan had tried to avoid her, she had still clung to her and refused to let go.
The second time had been in the lively night market. She had been extremely nervous, grabbing Gu Wan’s arm and asking her for help.
This time, before the other woman had even opened her mouth, Gu Wan took the initiative to step forward—only to be rejected.
Gu Wan had not expected it. Her face was full of astonishment.
Shang Rongyue curled up on the bedding. Fine beads of sweat dampened the hair by her temples, yet she still refused to lower her head. Blood marks gradually appeared in her palms, and her eyes were full of unwillingness and grievance.
Her mind slowly grew chaotic. At the tip of her nose, it seemed as though that sharp fragrance from Gu Wan’s body earlier appeared again. Shang Rongyue only felt a splitting headache.
It was as if there truly was a worm burrowing into her brain, stirring heaven and earth without restraint.
Just as her consciousness became a tangled mess, something cold and damp landed on her forehead.
Her hazy eyes opened. It was Shen Sanniang, who had wrung out a wet cotton handkerchief and was gently applying it to her head.
After doing this, Shen Sanniang did not retreat. Instead, she sat at the edge of the bed and quietly watched her.
Gu Wan soaked her fingers in cold water, then slipped them into Li Yueyue’s palm. It could both lower her temperature and give her strength, using this simple touch to tell her: do not be afraid. I will always stay with you.
Unfortunately, what Shang Rongyue remembered was the scene by the peach grove, when she had taken the initiative to hold Shen Sanniang’s hand, only for the other woman to avoid her with disgust.
The string in her mind snapped completely. The image before her eyes gradually pushed her toward the edge of collapse. She tore away the handkerchief on her head and threw it furiously to the floor. Her eyes were bloodshot as she shouted at the other woman with all her strength:
“I don’t want you to touch me!”
“Your hands touched someone else.”
“I don’t want it! Don’t you understand what I’m saying?”
After venting, Shang Rongyue somehow found the strength to push the person before her away. Then she jumped directly off the bed and ran out of the room.
She was barefoot like that, her jade-like feet stepping on the wooden floor of the corridor with thudding sounds. As her footsteps continued, the sound grew farther and farther away.
The guest room they lived in was on the third floor of the inn. On the left and right of the main hall, there were staircases. One side connected to the corridor leading to the guest rooms, while the other side extended toward an outer corridor. At the end of that outer corridor was an airy pavilion open on all four sides, called the Star-Gazing Tower, often used by talented scholars and beauties to climb high and gaze into the distance.
It was already past the xu hour. The night was thick, and the Star-Gazing Tower was empty at this time. Aside from the two of them, there was no one else.
Shang Rongyue ran all the way toward the top floor like this, barefoot.
She had no time to think. Relying only on the hope in her heart, she desperately ran forward, as if by piercing through this darkness, the light of hope would be ahead.
But until she reached the end of the path, she did not see even a trace of light.
Outside, the moon had hidden behind the gauze curtains of clouds. Everything before her eyes was pitch black. Only a few lanterns on the street occasionally lit up the dim corners.
The distant ink-colored mountains and the sky were connected as one, so dark that no end could be seen.
Just like her life—without the slightest hope.
Gu Wan moved very quickly. Afraid that the other woman might do something foolish while her mind was muddled, she hurriedly stepped onto the last stair. What entered her eyes was this scene:
The night wind rolled up the pink-white hem of her sleeping dress, like a lotus bud about to bloom, standing sadly and softly in muddy distress. Her black hair hung loose behind her, and with tear-blurred eyes, she gazed into the distance. Just like the darkness around her, aside from endless black, nothing could be seen.
Rarely, General Gu softened her movements. An outer robe was draped over Shang Rongyue’s shoulders, and her arm came down, pulling the girl’s body back a little. In a gentle voice, she asked:
“Why did you run so fast?”
“I almost couldn’t catch up.”
The handkerchief she carried brushed over the damp cheeks, wiping away the tear tracks for her.
When Shang Rongyue’s gaze returned, she softly called her, “Sanniang…”
“I’m here.”
Her long lashes trembled, revealing the girl’s tear-reddened eyes. “I want to go home.”
Gu Wan was somewhat surprised, but the movements of her hands continued as she answered in a low voice, “All right.”
Hearing this, tears fell again. Shang Rongyue whimpered in grievance.
“But I can’t go back…”
“That place isn’t my home now.”
“Then stay by my side for now. When the time comes, I will personally send you back.”
Gu Wan gently pulled her into her arms, stroking her black hair again and again to comfort her. “As long as you are willing, no one can disturb you. You can stay at ease. When you feel the time has come, I will personally drive the horse and send you home. You only need to feel at ease.”
“But it’s so crowded by your side. You have a younger male cousin, and you have a younger female cousin. I’m only an outsider. If one day you become unhappy, you’ll throw me away again like before.”
“I have always been the one abandoned…”
Hearing this, Gu Wan’s heartbeat missed a beat, and her movements froze.
Fortunately, the girl’s body was hot. Under their embrace, she quickly warmed Gu Wan’s chest, the place closest to her heart.
“My female cousin and I are close because of blood ties. But you are different.”
“You are the only person in this world who is this intimate with me. Aside from you, I have never had anyone else.”
This intimate…
Hearing this, Shang Rongyue’s body finally softened. She leaned into the other woman’s arms and quietly listened to her heartbeat. “You said you would personally send me home in the future. Is that true?”
Her heartbeat was steady, strong and powerful, its rhythm without the slightest change. She nodded firmly. “I definitely will.”
Receiving an affirmative answer, Shang Rongyue stepped her bare feet onto the tips of Gu Wan’s shoes, stood on tiptoe, and kissed the other woman’s lips.
She rubbed against those full lips, gently grinding against them. This time, Gu Wan cooperated very well and took the initiative to welcome her into her own territory.
Perhaps because she had eaten candy, even this kiss carried the fresh scent of apple, accompanied by full sweetness.
Later, the initiative returned to General Gu’s hands. At some point, the hand that had been stroking her hair had clasped the back of the other woman’s head. That faint sweetness made her sink even deeper.
The outer robe draped over Shang Rongyue’s body was like a barrier, concealing all the spring scenery before Gu Wan.
The material of the sleeping clothes was soft, and after the ties before her chest were lightly rubbed a few times, they loosened.
As the mist dispersed, snowy beauty bloomed beneath the moonlight.
Atop the Star-Gazing Tower, a lotus bud faintly showed signs of blooming. Inside the petals, the fine fuzz looked as if it had been covered in a layer of snow, unstained by dust, holy and pure.
Gu Wan had never expected that one day, the lotus of midsummer would meet the white snow of winter.
The snowflakes on the Star-Gazing Tower were actually scorching hot. They turned into tiny ice crystals; when caught in a cupped hand, they quickly melted in the palm.
Specks of light fell onto the lotus petals, dampening the flower’s heart. The originally upright flower stem swayed helplessly under the push of the wind.
It looked extremely pitiful.
Especially in the swaying wind, the flower’s heart beat rapidly, closed tight and unwilling to bloom.
Fortunately, Gu Wan stepped forward and reached out to support the flower bud.
After steadying itself, the lotus finally showed some intention of continuing to open.
Seeing that the flower bud was slow to move, Gu Wan thought it was nervous because it could not withstand the wind and snow. She took the initiative to move forward, slipping her fingertips into the flower bud and gently soothing it in a circle.
Only then did the lotus flower officially bloom.
Dewdrops fell through the gaps between the petals, dripping into the water and drawing all the fish in the lake.
The fish at the bottom of the lake had truly been hungry for too long. They regarded those dewdrops as food and naturally rushed over one after another, even leaping excitedly out of the water.
Above that noisy lake surface, Gu Wan’s fingertip hooked the flower’s heart and once again scattered a few drops of dew.
This time, the fish cheered and leapt, even making the quiet lake surface boil along with them.
Water droplets splashed in all directions, wetting Gu Wan’s sleeve.
Fortunately, the night was thick. This was the top floor of the Star-Gazing Tower, and there were no lamps around. The summer wind occasionally lifted the outer robe over Shang Rongyue’s shoulders, concealing the full outline very well.
Only then did no one else see the wondrous beauty in this lotus pond.
Later, the lotus flower had no strength left and even wanted to flee. But its tender stem was restrained, and there was nowhere to escape. The flower trembled beneath the moonlight, swaying with gusts of evening wind. Its blooming petals wanted to block the other woman’s fingertips, releasing waves of fragrance, refreshing and intoxicating, but instead making the other person even more unrestrained.
Her water-stained red lips were full and bright. Shang Rongyue curved her lips. “But Sister said that heavy desire is not good.”
Gu Wan released the restraint in her hands, fastened Shang Rongyue’s clothes for her, and awkwardly changed the subject. “The night is deep. Let’s go back.”
But Shang Rongyue refused. She leaned against the other woman, soft as if boneless. “I’m not wearing shoes. How can I walk?”
Even if she were wearing shoes, Shang Rongyue was afraid she would not be able to take a single step. The Star-Gazing Tower had seven floors. Her whole body was sore and weak, and she might fall on some step.
Naturally, Gu Wan had no complaint. When she came out, she had not brought the other woman’s shoes, and she had not planned to let her personally walk those few steps back anyway. After tying the outer robe properly for the person in her arms and arranging her skirt, she lifted her horizontally and walked back step by step.
This time, Gu Wan did not force her to bathe. Instead, Shang Rongyue took the initiative and said she wanted to wash.
After she entered the bathroom, Gu Wan lit the candle. Only then did she see faint bloodstains on her fair fingertips.
Early the next morning, Gu Wan had Lanxi go reply to Shen Rong, directly saying that she had some private matters in the morning and could not go over, and that she would go apologize to her in the afternoon.
Lanxi did not think too much of it. She only assumed Gu Wan had been too tired these past few days from running back and forth. After accepting the order, she went to deliver the message.
On the bed, that “private matter” was still in dreams. Her cloud-like hair stuck to her forehead, and she looked utterly exhausted.
Gu Wan lowered the bed curtains and lay there holding her for a while longer.
As the noise outside the window gradually increased, Shang Rongyue finally showed signs of waking.
“What time is it?” She turned over and happened to roll into a soft embrace.
“Just past the chen hour.”
The chen hour?
No, that was not right. Why was Shen Sanniang still here at the chen hour? Someone who usually went out before the mao hour—why was she being so lazy today?
Shang Rongyue thought she had slept herself muddled. She opened her eyes and saw Shen Sanniang’s black hair loose, and the clothes on her body were still sleeping clothes.
There was not the slightest trace of having gotten up.
“Why are you…”
Before she could finish, Lanxi, who should have gone to report to Noble Consort Rong, had returned.
“Chief, your younger male cousin is downstairs. He says he came to deliver a gift.”
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