No Longer Escaping (ABO) - Chapter 44

Li Cui’er did all the talking.

Occasionally, Nian Xi would respond with a few words, but that was it.

The two of them got closer and closer.

They were a little bit apart at first, but now they were almost touching.

When Nian Xi leaned in, Li Cui’er got very nervous, and her voice started to tremble.

Nian Xi gently rested her head on Li Cui’er’s shoulder.

Li Cui’er had never been this close to anyone before.

When Nian Xi leaned in, her ears turned red and felt hot as if they were on fire.

She froze, sitting on the bed as straight as a pole, not daring to move.

Nian Xi’s breath landed on her neck, giving her goosebumps.

Her voice gradually became softer, and she stopped talking.

Because of her shyness, she hadn’t dared to turn her head to look at Nian Xi.

But she hadn’t responded in a long time, and Li Cui’er wondered if she had fallen asleep.

She secretly glanced at Nian Xi, who was resting on her shoulder.

She saw that Nian Xi’s eyes were still half-open.

Her long hair covered her face, and the gruesome scar was barely visible.

But her eyes were so captivating.

Her eyelashes were long and curled up.

Every time they fluttered, it gave people a very lively feeling.

Her eyes were half-open, as if she were dozing off, but she was trying hard to stay awake.

Li Cui’er had always been curious about the scar on her face and why she was held captive by the bandits.

But she didn’t dare to ask.

She figured it was a painful memory and didn’t want to offend Nian Xi and make her think she was rude.

Although to Wan Niang and the others, she was pretty much a ruffian, she still wanted to leave a good impression on Nian Xi.

Even though the scar on Nian Xi’s face was so gruesome and obvious, Li Cui’er could tell that she must have been very beautiful before.

The unscarred half of her face was smooth and fair, without any sign of sun damage.

Especially her eyes, they were a pair of clear apricot-shaped eyes, yet she would always look down at the ground and refuse to make eye contact with others.

Because of this, Li Cui’er became even more curious about Nian Xi’s past and wanted to know what she had been through.

Even though neither of them was talking, they were just sitting by the bed, leaning against each other, but the atmosphere was not awkward at all.

It was already dark outside.

The sound of insects could be heard from time to time.

Dark clouds blocked the moon, so no moonlight could get in.

The dark room was only lit by the flickering candlelight.

A faint candle stood alone on the table, giving off a very weak light.

The room was so quiet that all they could hear was the occasional sound of insects and Nian Xi’s breathing.

Li Cui’er looked down and fiddled with her fingers.

She didn’t even realize she was starting to doze off herself.

Her head bobbed up and down like a see-saw.

Every time she was about to fall asleep, she would suddenly wake up, and her half-closed eyes would open wide.

The next morning, Li Cui’er was woken up by the cold.

As soon as she opened her eyes, she saw Nian Xi curled up in her arms.

Her body was still hot, but she seemed stable.

She was curled up in her arms like a well-behaved little cat.

Her arms were warm, but her back and legs were freezing.

She had fallen asleep without realizing it last night and didn’t even cover herself with a blanket.

She had been in the cold wind all night.

Her feet were so stiff they were almost numb.

When she saw that she was tightly hugging Nian Xi, Li Cui’er felt a little embarrassed.

She thought maybe she was cold at night, so she hugged the hot Nian Xi to get some warmth.

Seeing that Nian Xi was still asleep, Li Cui’er carefully let go of her arms, letting her sleep a little longer.

She figured every moment a Kun Ze could last during her estrus period was a good thing.

She slowly covered her with the blanket.

Looking at her peaceful sleeping face under her messy hair, Li Cui’er was lost in thought for a moment.

She was very sure that she would never like a Qian Yuan.

Even if there was a natural, irresistible attraction, she would rather hurt herself until she was bruised and bloody than compromise.

She looked at the white scars on her knuckles.

She was truly a weirdo.

A Kun Ze in her estrus period should be delicate and weak, desperately needing a Qian Yuan’s affection.

But she was so different.

Her past estrus period were a challenge for her.

The anger and unwillingness to compromise with her innate disadvantage were far greater than her desire for lust.

This anger accompanied her throughout her entire estrus period and gave her a way out.

She snapped out of it and looked at the sleeping Nian Xi.

Her eyes showed affection and pity.

She gently pushed aside her messy hair, revealing the face she didn’t want others to see.

Even though the scar was gruesome, the face and the heart underneath it were so beautiful.

As if under a spell, Li Cui’er leaned in closer to Nian Xi.

She bent down, her face getting closer to hers.

Just as their lips were about to touch, she suddenly stopped, as if she had just woken up from a dream.

She shook her head and left the room.

She still wanted to help Nian Xi, to make her estrus period less difficult.

So she went to find Wan Niang.

As soon as Li Cui’er stepped through the door, she saw Wan Niang sorting herbs in the yard.

“Wan Niang, I need your help.” She said straightforwardly.

“Then let’s go inside to talk.” Wan Niang put down the winnowing basket and clapped her hands, which were covered in herb bits.

She led Li Cui’er into the house.

“Wan Niang, were you bitten by a mosquito too?” Li Cui’er suddenly asked when she saw a mark on Wan Niang’s neck.

“It’s almost winter.

I didn’t think mosquitoes would still be so rampant.

I have a few bites on my legs too.

You can give me some ointment to put on them later.”

“Huh?” Wan Niang was so startled by her question that her heart almost jumped out of her chest.

Luckily, Li Cui’er was clueless when it came to such things.

“Mmm…” She managed to brush her off.

As luck would have it, Yang Lulong came out of the kitchen and ran into them.

Li Cui’er saw that she also had a red mark.

She said awkwardly, “It seems like there are more mosquitoes at your house…”

Yang Lulong was completely confused and was even glared at by Wan Niang, which made her feel wronged.

“What did you hurt this time?” Yang Lulong asked with displeasure, taking her frustration out on Li Cui’er.

“What do you mean ‘hurt again’?” Li Cui’er retorted.

“It’s not me, it’s Nian Xi.”

Ever since she helped Xiao Wen test Yang Lulong a long time ago, the two of them had become like buddies and enjoyed teasing each other.

“What’s wrong with her?” Yang Lulong asked curiously, following them.

“It’s a Kun Ze matter.

It has nothing to do with you,” Li Cui’er said irritably.

Seeing her attitude, Yang Lulong could only pout and stopped following them, going to do her own thing.

Wan Niang sighed helplessly.

“It’s about her estrus period, right?”

“Mmm,” Li Cui’er said.

“I was wondering if you had any methods.

The old recipe is fine.

It doesn’t matter if the ingredients are more expensive.

I’ll pay you.”

“Ever since we started getting the pills, I stopped getting the old ingredients.

I have nothing now.

We can only go to the town to see,” Wan Niang said.

“Huh? Then we’re out of time?”

“So there’s nothing we can do now…” Wan Niang suddenly thought of something.

“She didn’t take any of those pills, did she?”

“No.”

“That’s good… she can endure it…”

With no other options, Li Cui’er felt helpless.

She looked down and didn’t say a word.

She couldn’t help Nian Xi, and she felt bad about it.

If only she were a Qian Yuan…

As soon as the thought popped into her head, she quickly shook her head, stopping herself from thinking that way.

She told herself that even as a Kun Ze, she could live a good life.

She couldn’t compromise like that.

“You and her?” Wan Niang suddenly asked.

“Huh? What?”

“Nothing…” She felt like she was being too nosy and didn’t continue.

“You want to ask about my relationship with Nian Xi, right?” Li Cui’er was sharp this time.

“If you’re willing to talk…” Wan Niang said nonchalantly.

“It’s better to be a Qian Yuan.

I can’t help her…”

Seeing her troubled expression, Wan Niang patted her shoulder in comfort.

“Don’t think about being a Qian Yuan or a Kun Ze.

Just think of yourself as Li Cui’er, and her as Nian Xi.”

She watched Li Cui’er’s surprised expression.

She had just used Yang Lulong’s words and felt a sense of pride for some reason.

But Li Cui’er’s next words shattered her pride.

“You didn’t say that.”

“What do you mean?”

“That sounds like something Xiao Yang would say…”

Being seen through, Wan Niang felt a little embarrassed but was also confused.

She asked, “Why wouldn’t I say that?”

“Because you’re Wan Niang.”

“Huh? Don’t give me riddles.”

Li Cui’er teased Wan Niang, took some of her ointment, and ran off.

“At least tell me why!” Wan Niang was left alone, utterly confused.