Chapter 31
“Whoosh—bang!”
Countless fireworks flew into the sky, then burst open into bright silver trails, filling the entire night.
The seaside performance was spectacular. With the fireworks blooming, it gradually drew to an end.
[Goodbye, Mama. Tonight I’m setting sail~]
[See you tomorrow, Moms.]
[Can we really not bring the camera into the blanket?]
[This emperor seconds the motion.]
“Yuanyuan, let’s go.” Yu Qingshi stood up.
There was no movement from beside her for a long time. She lowered her head and looked over. Jiang Yuan’s eyes were dazedly staring forward, her thoughts clearly having drifted away.
She had not been watching the performance seriously? Rare.
Yu Qingshi waved her hand in front of Jiang Yuan and called her. “Yuanyuan? What are you thinking about so intently?”
Jiang Yuan blinked quickly and came back to herself. “It’s over?”
“Yes.” Yu Qingshi stretched out her hand and pulled Jiang Yuan up from her seat. “It’s still early. Let’s walk by the sea?”
The sun had just sunk below the horizon, still giving off faint golden light. A gentle breeze blew, carrying the damp scent of seawater. The sand was soft and sank beneath their feet. As the two walked past, they left rows of footprints behind.
“Yuanyuan, hold my hand.” Yu Qingshi stood in front of Jiang Yuan and stuffed her hand into Jiang Yuan’s.
Then she turned around, facing Jiang Yuan as she walked backward.
“Yuanyuan, help me watch behind me.” Yu Qingshi trusted her completely. Step by step, her strides grew larger. She showed no hesitation at all, and her steps became increasingly decisive.
Jiang Yuan carefully stared at the ground, afraid Yu Qingshi might accidentally fall.
“Yuanyuan, what were you thinking about just now?” Yu Qingshi suddenly asked.
“Just now?” Jiang Yuan raised her face.
“Yes. During the performance. It was so exciting, yet you could still zone out?”
“I wasn’t thinking about anything.” Jiang Yuan shifted her gaze away, avoiding Yu Qingshi’s eyes.
“Lying.” Yu Qingshi said one word with each step. After saying it, she stopped in place and tilted her head to search for Jiang Yuan’s eyes. “Yuanyuan is lying.”
Jiang Yuan had nowhere to hide and crashed head-on into those amber eyes. Her lashes blinked rapidly, and she instantly panicked.
“Does Yuanyuan know that when she lies…” Yu Qingshi deliberately paused there.
Her gaze lowered. Their hands were clasped together, and when Jiang Yuan heard this, she unconsciously began using strength, gripping Yu Qingshi’s hand tightly.
Yu Qingshi tried to pull her hand back but could not.
She raised her eyes and looked. Jiang Yuan was biting her lower lip, her whole body standing stiff and straight, waiting for her next sentence.
Yu Qingshi smiled and continued, “When you lie, you don’t look into other people’s eyes.”
As if Jiang Yuan knew she was lying, those clear eyes that held all her thoughts would consciously glance away and avoid looking at someone.
“Is… is that so?” Jiang Yuan had not discovered this little habit herself.
The other person directly admitted it just like that, without denying or refuting even slightly. She was frighteningly honest.
Yu Qingshi squeezed her hand. “So what were you thinking about?”
Jiang Yuan was embarrassed and murmured softly, “I… keep blushing.”
As she spoke, a faint red quietly brushed across her cheeks again, like the brilliant sunset at the edge of the sky.
“At me?” Yu Qingshi immediately caught the key point.
“…Mm.”
Yu Qingshi could not help curving her lips into a smile. She moved closer to Jiang Yuan and raised her face. “Have you thought about why?”
“I can’t figure it out.” Jiang Yuan answered obediently. She had thought about it for a long time just now and still could not figure it out.
Her interpersonal relationships were thin, and this was the first time she had encountered a situation like this.
“When do you blush?” Yu Qingshi changed the question, the smile in her eyes nearly overflowing.
Jiang Yuan silently glanced at Yu Qingshi and did not speak.
Compared with lying, she simply closed her mouth and said nothing.
Yu Qingshi held Jiang Yuan’s hand, her fingertips brushing over it before switching to interlocking their fingers. “Do you blush like this?”
Jiang Yuan did not need to answer herself. Her ears had already silently given the answer.
Yu Qingshi let go of her hand. She stepped forward, wrapped both arms around Jiang Yuan’s waist and abdomen, and raised her head to rest her chin on Jiang Yuan’s collarbone. “What about this?”
That delicate, slender body slipped into her arms. The two wore swimsuits, and their bare skin touched directly. Heat passed between them, rising like a string of flames and bringing a burning, scorching sensation.
Jiang Yuan’s eyes widened. Redness climbed visibly from her neck upward, gradually conquering every inch.
“This, this, this.” Jiang Yuan began stammering, unable to say a second word for a long time.
Yu Qingshi secretly laughed. She stood on tiptoe and kissed the other person’s face.
Whether intentional or not, her damp lips pressed against the corner of Jiang Yuan’s mouth, touching and parting in an instant.
“!”
The moment they touched the corner of her mouth, Jiang Yuan’s pupils abruptly shrank. Her mouth opened and closed several times, but she could not say a single word.
The person in her arms was hugging her, and she did not dare push her away. The two simply looked at each other like that.
The final trace of sunset sank into the ocean. Moonlight began to appear in the sky, silver radiance spilling down. The surroundings were silent, and they could only hear each other’s breathing.
Jiang Yuan’s eyes became dazed for a moment, then she immediately seemed to wake up and leaned backward slightly. She pulled away in a panic. “Qingshi, I-I’m not red anymore.”
Yu Qingshi looked her up and down, teasing, “You’re completely red instead, aren’t you?”
Jiang Yuan’s eyes drooped pitifully. “If we don’t hug, if we don’t hug, then I won’t be red.”
“Yuanyuan doesn’t understand.” Yu Qingshi nodded solemnly. “This is called desensitization.”
“It’s precisely because you turn red that we need to hug. Hug more, and once you get used to it, you won’t turn red anymore.”
“But, but.” Jiang Yuan “but”ed for a long time and still could not say why.
She was stunned, and somehow actually felt there was a trace of logic to it.
However, things did not go as wished.
The two hugged for a while longer. Not only did the redness not fade, it grew even hotter.
Jiang Yuan’s heart was restless beyond control, as if it might pass through her body and reach Yu Qingshi.
She secretly lifted herself a little, no longer pressing so close to Yu Qingshi.
Sensing the other person’s movement, Yu Qingshi curved her eyes and withdrew from the embrace. “From now on, we’ll do some desensitization training every day.”
“Every day?” Jiang Yuan looked shocked.
“Yes. We’re a couple.” Yu Qingshi blinked innocently, as if it were only natural. “What if the fans notice we’re too unfamiliar with each other?”
That… that was true.
Jiang Yuan convinced herself and nodded seriously. “Then every day.”
Hearing this, Yu Qingshi became happy. She linked her arm through Jiang Yuan’s. “Let’s go back.”
“Okay.”
They had not walked far when Yu Qingshi suddenly stepped on something raised. She moved her foot away, and a shell lay quietly in the sand.
She bent down to pick it up and showed it to Jiang Yuan. “This one is pink.”
The shell was round, with curved lines across it. Under the moonlight, it gave off a faint pink sheen.
Jiang Yuan said, “It’s so pretty.”
Yu Qingshi thought for a moment and said, “This one is like Yuanyuan.”
“Why?” Jiang Yuan was puzzled.
“It’s round and doesn’t have many sharp edges. And—”
“And?”
Yu Qingshi took a few steps forward. She turned to face Jiang Yuan and walked backward, holding the shell beside the other person’s face.
“It’s like Yuanyuan’s face. Pink.”
Jiang Yuan panicked and dodged her gaze.
“Mm?” She could not escape Yu Qingshi’s eyes. Yu Qingshi chased after her gaze.
Through the bright moonlight, Yu Qingshi finally saw clearly, then changed her words with a smile. “Now it’s different. It’s not as pink as Yuanyuan.”
＊
The two returned to the villa. The show had ended, and the living room lights were already off. Only the cameras in the corner still glowed red.
They followed the dim light back to their room.
Everything proceeded as usual. Yu Qingshi was still the first to enter the bathroom to wash up.
But before long, Yu Qingshi poked her head out and called someone. “Yuanyuan, come quickly. I can’t untie the bow.”
“What happened?” Even as Jiang Yuan said this, she obediently walked over.
When she reached Yu Qingshi, Yu Qingshi consciously puffed out her chest. Her swimsuit was tied with gauze, and the knot was right in the center.
Jiang Yuan was half a head taller than her. When she lowered her head, she happened to catch the curve rising at Yu Qingshi’s chest. She quickly looked away, flustered as she continued asking, “How come you can’t untie it?”
“I was afraid it would come undone, so I tied a Yuanyuan-brand bow.” Yu Qingshi tilted her head and said seriously, “Anyway, Yuanyuan knows how to undo it.”
Jiang Yuan: “……”
The position was right at her chest. Jiang Yuan was a little at a loss as to how to begin. “Should I get a needle? You can use the needle to pull it loose?”
“No, that’s too troublesome.” Yu Qingshi’s voice softened. “I was washing up just now. My hands are so tired now.”
“But—”
Knowing what Jiang Yuan was hesitating over, Yu Qingshi was direct and straightforward. “I don’t mind. Yuanyuan, untie it.”
She even suggested, “It can also count as desensitization.”
With no other choice, Jiang Yuan raised her hand. She pinched the bow with her index finger and thumb and used her fingers to tug bit by bit at the gauze within the dead knot.
Her nails were trimmed smooth and neat. As soon as she pinched the fabric and gently tugged, it slipped away. After several repeats, the longer she stayed there, the harder Jiang Yuan’s hand trembled.
The bow was on Yu Qingshi’s chest, so Jiang Yuan had to lean forward and lower her head to observe it closely. From far away, it looked almost as if Jiang Yuan were buried against the other person.
Fragrance wound around the tip of her nose as she drew closer. Jiang Yuan instinctively held her breath, nervous enough that sweat appeared on her forehead.
Finally, after repeated unrelenting tugging, the dead knot loosened and was smoothly pulled open by Jiang Yuan. She breathed a sigh of relief. “Done.”
“Thank you, Yuanyuan.”
The gauze loosened, revealing the bikini beneath. The scene reflected completely in Jiang Yuan’s eyes, and she abruptly curled her hand tight.
Her nails sank into her flesh, instantly leaving a few white marks.
Jiang Yuan silently recited “desensitization training” several times, but she still could not withstand it and hurriedly turned to flee the place.
When it was Jiang Yuan’s turn, she escaped into the bathroom as if fleeing, not daring to meet Yu Qingshi’s eyes at all.
But when Jiang Yuan came out of the bathroom, the room had already changed.
Originally, there had been two thin blankets on the bed. One of them had vanished without a trace. The remaining thin blanket was Yu Qingshi’s, and right now, she was sitting calmly inside it.
“Qingshi?” Jiang Yuan asked in confusion. “Where is my blanket?”
“I put it away.” Yu Qingshi lifted her own blanket and gently patted the spot beside her, incomparably natural. “Yuanyuan will sleep with me tonight.”
“Why?” Thinking of the photos in her phone, Jiang Yuan’s back could not help going cold.
Had she… been discovered?
Before she could think further, Yu Qingshi beckoned and called her over.
As soon as Jiang Yuan walked close, Yu Qingshi pulled her into bed, muttering, “If we sleep together at night, then we can do desensitization during the day and at night. A two-pronged approach.”
“A two-pronged approach?” Jiang Yuan’s eyes widened, full of disbelief.
Although she had always lain in the same bed as Yu Qingshi, separate blankets and sharing one blanket were clearly different.
One blanket meant Jiang Yuan and Yu Qingshi might have unexpected physical contact at any time.
Unexpectedly, there was no so-called unexpectedness at all.
Yu Qingshi turned off the lights and conveniently pulled Jiang Yuan to lie down with her.
As soon as the two lay flat, she directly burrowed into Jiang Yuan’s arms and raised her head to answer the question. “Yes, a two-pronged approach.”
Softness sank into Jiang Yuan’s arms again. The touch of hair brought waves of itchiness, as if it were itching into her heart.
Another warmth was lying peacefully in the bend of her arm, and breath brushed against the side of her face.
Yu Qingshi turned over and found a comfortable position in Jiang Yuan’s arm. “All right, let’s sleep.”
After saying that, she straightened and kissed Jiang Yuan. “Good-night kiss.”
This time, Yu Qingshi was full of energy and not sleepy at all. She simply kept her eyes open and stared straight at Jiang Yuan, her intention extremely obvious.
She wanted a return kiss.
From the moment Yu Qingshi pulled her hand, Jiang Yuan’s body had stiffened. Now that her arm was being used as a pillow, she did not dare move even more.
After sensing the other person’s gaze, Jiang Yuan acted stiffly and precisely, like a machine following a programmed routine. She lowered her head, pecked Yu Qingshi beside the cheek, and said, “Good night.”
After receiving the usual kiss, Yu Qingshi still did not let it go. She raised her fingers and began counting. “Yesterday, I was too sleepy and didn’t supervise you. Today, you have to make up for one.”
Thinking of yesterday’s kiss that she had taken the initiative to give, Jiang Yuan’s thoughts got stuck. It was wrong to say it, and wrong not to say it.
She could only lean over again and give another compensatory kiss.
Only then was Yu Qingshi satisfied. She closed her eyes peacefully and fell asleep not long after.
With warmth and softness in her arms, Jiang Yuan opened her eyes, her gaze straight ahead, woodenly staring forward.
Enduring the third night of her life.
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