Chapter 28 – Confession

She instinctively reached out to the side, but there was no expected touch.

Yu Shuinao rolled over, half her face sinking into the soft pillow. The lingering crisp scent still lingered at the tip of her nose. She stayed like that for a moment before slowly opening her eyes.

She didn’t know how late they had gone last night. She only vaguely remembered the woman carrying her to wash again. Half-asleep and half-awake, she had clung to her embrace and refused to leave. Perhaps because the high-intensity work had just ended, or perhaps because being in her arms felt too safe, she had slept especially well.

She had originally wanted to distract Xie Yixuan so she wouldn’t sink into such a low mood. In the end, the one who ended up crying like that was herself.

Yu Shuinao fell silent.

Who was the one feeling sad here?

So embarrassing…

But… she was so gentle…

Thinking of how Xie Yixuan had kissed her lips with such pity, kissing her again and again as if to comfort her, ​Read on BaiLianTales​Yu Shuinao felt her heart swell full. Her cheeks burned. Like a little cat, she affectionately rubbed against the pillow.

Two people’s hair strands were scattered on the pillow, intimately tangled together. She casually picked up a few.

The straight ones were hers. The wavy ones were Xie Yixuan’s.

She had always thought the woman had styled her hair. The beautiful curves suited her very well. But upon closer observation, this fluffy, even somewhat lazy curl seemed more like natural waves.

She twirled them between her fingers and stared for a long time, actually becoming lost in thought. It wasn’t until a strong wave of hunger hit her belatedly that she suddenly remembered she hadn’t eaten anything since getting off the plane yesterday. It was probably already noon now.

She buried her face back into the pillow and let out a soft sigh.

She was hopeless.

How could someone spend so long playing with a single strand of hair?

Yet she even found the woman’s hair so captivating.

Why was everything about her so attractive?

So… attractive to her.

Then… to Xie Yixuan, she should also be attractive, right?

Otherwise, why didn’t she push her away that night? Why did she take her to meet a senior when she kept NG-ing? Why did she tell her to say whatever she wanted directly? Why did she kiss her so gently? Why…

Why did she make her feel so at peace?

Even if it was just on the surface… she must be attractive to her, right?

Yu Shuinao had never thought that one day she would feel an indescribable sweetness in her heart simply because of the charm she used to serve with her beauty.

She dawdled for a while before getting up to wash. Seeing the large mottled hickeys on her chest was no surprise, but the fine itchy sensation on her lips… was a bit troublesome.

She leaned closer to the mirror for a careful look. Her lips were red and swollen from blood rush, fuller than usual, especially that little pearl of a lip, which had become noticeably puffy after being sucked and kissed repeatedly by the woman.

It looked both tempting and far too ambiguous.

When Yu Shuinao’s fingertip touched the spot, there was still a faint, lingering ache.

She really shouldn’t have clung to Xie Yixuan and kissed for so long last night… she thought with regret.

She had made plans to have lunch with Meng Zhao today. She could cover other places, but how was she supposed to cover her lips…

Meng Zhao would definitely tease her mercilessly when she saw.

Downstairs, she asked Aunt Zhou for an ice pack to try to reduce the swelling urgently. Ever since the last time she had left her panties in the living room without cleaning up, she no longer felt any shame in front of Aunt Zhou. After all, things had already come to this.

Aunt Zhou knew she was going out for a meal and thoughtfully served her a bowl of seafood congee to fill her stomach first.

The congee was cooked just right — savory, fragrant, fresh, and sweet. The crab roe melted into the silky porridge base, the shrimp was bouncy with juice bursting out in one bite, and a handful of bright green chopped green onions was sprinkled on top. Yu Shuinao ate until her forehead was slightly sweating and her whole body felt soothed.

She praised it repeatedly. Aunt Zhou smiled with curved eyes.

“Did Xie Yixuan get up very early today?” Yu Shuinao scooped another spoonful of congee, ​stolen content​her eyes narrowing slightly in satisfaction.

“Not too early. A bit later than usual — she came down a little after nine.”

Yu Shuinao asked with concern, “She… looked okay?”

Aunt Zhou shook her head, then nodded. “Hard to tell anything. Miss rarely shows her emotions on her face, but she ate a bit more this morning. I guess she’s doing alright.”

Yu Shuinao couldn’t help recalling Xie Yixuan on the terrace last night — that visible loneliness and grief, even a trace of vulnerability. On one hand, she was fascinated by the woman’s rare vulnerability and secretly delighted at having glimpsed a hidden side of her. On the other hand, she felt heartache because of her low mood and her restraint…

She didn’t know if she had the right to pry into her past, but she wanted to know more about her, to understand her better, to get closer to her.

The words churned in her throat several times, but in the end she couldn’t hold back. She gripped the spoon tightly and asked softly, “She before…”

The words had just left her mouth when she stopped again.

Aunt Zhou understood what she hadn’t said and sighed. “Ever since the First Madam passed away, Miss has always been like this. Every year on this day, she accompanies the Second Madam to the cemetery during the day, then spends the evening alone, brooding.”

This answer sounded normal at first, but upon closer thought, unauthorized copythere was something subtly off about it.

Seeming to sense Yu Shuinao’s hidden confusion, Aunt Zhou added, “These matters aren’t for an outsider like me to say much about. You’ll have to rely on yourself, Miss Yu, to care for her more in the future.”

“Me?” Yu Shuinao was surprised, a little taken aback.

“Of course,” Aunt Zhou smiled warmly. “Besides those few friends, I’ve never seen Miss bring anyone home to stay, let alone have a room specially prepared like this, with clothes constantly being added and changed.”

Heat quietly crept up her cheeks, even making her ears tingle. Yu Shuinao lowered her head, using the motion of drinking congee to hide her fluttering heart. Her voice came out muffled, “Really?”

“When you weren’t here, she even had new seasonal clothes delivered.” Aunt Zhou looked at her shy expression, her smile growing wider. “A new batch arrived a few days ago. Every piece is very beautiful. You can go pick some later.”

“Okay, I’ll go after I finish eating.” Sweetness silently spread through her heart. She almost lost her appetite from it.

…

Meng Zhao was looking down, typing rapidly on her phone, her fingertips tapping nonstop on the screen.

Suddenly the private room door was pushed open. She looked up.

“Wow…” Meng Zhao widened her eyes, her amazement completely unconcealed. “Our great beauty has returned to the palace.”

Soft light fell on the newcomer’s shoulders. She was wearing a milky-white fleece cardigan, fluffy and relaxed. Underneath was a matching two-piece knit inner layer. The high-neck striped knit skirt outlined her curves subtly yet alluringly. The asymmetrical off-shoulder design on the chest contrasted with the stripes of the knit skirt. Although it was an all-white outfit, it wasn’t monotonous at all. With every movement, she looked like an immortal walking through the mortal world on a snowy night — pure, soft, and impossibly beautiful.

“You got here so early?” Yu Shuinao took off her mask and gave her a faint smile. “I thought I’d finally managed not to be late this time.”

“I didn’t have anything else to do, so I came first.” Meng Zhao waved her hand, her gaze still fixed on Yu Shuinao. “I saw this outfit in BF magazine. I remember it was a limited new release from Valentini. I thought back then that it would suit you perfectly, and sure enough, it should be you wearing it.”

“You look very pretty today too…”

“Wait.” Meng Zhao suddenly interrupted.

Feeling the other’s gaze land on her lips, Yu Shuinao imperceptibly pressed her lips together, keeping her expression calm.

After a long silence, she heard Meng Zhao speak in a low, drawn-out voice.

“I remember you only arrived in the capital yesterday evening, right?”

Yu Shuinao didn’t answer immediately. She silently took a sip of water before gently nodding.

“What’s going on, our Shuinao meimei?” Meng Zhao rested her cheek on her hand. “Last time when we talked about this you hung up on me.”

Last time…

«How is President Xie’s technique?»

What kind of question was that last time?

“It’s exactly what you’re thinking.” Yu Shuinao had thought she would feel extremely embarrassed, but now that she was actually sitting here facing her friend, she felt surprisingly calm instead.

Some things were too hard to keep bottled up alone.

“Exactly what I’m thinking? That person was so eager? The moment you got back to the capital she couldn’t wait? Tsk tsk, kissing so intensely — is this what they call ‘absence makes the heart grow fonder’?” Meng Zhao leaned back relaxedly, raising an eyebrow at Yu Shuinao.

Her words sounded teasing, but Yu Shuinao could hear what she was really trying to say.

“I was the one who initiated it.” She answered honestly, like confessing.

“Tell me then. Confess and we’ll be lenient.” Meng Zhao nodded, dropping the joking expression.

“The confession is… I like her. Although I tried to control my heart, it seems I failed.”

Meng Zhao folded her hands together and fell into thought.

“Since you even thought about controlling it, the key issues probably don’t need me to spell them out. I’ll just ask you a few questions.”

“Can you accept if this relationship has no future?” She looked straight into Yu Shuinao’s eyes, serious and solemn.

She understood this little sister too well. She had never truly fallen for anyone before. She had dated, but she didn’t understand what it meant to want but not get, or to love but not be loved. But why did she have to like someone so difficult, and start in this kind of relationship?

Yu Shuinao wanted to say yes with her mouth, but the moment she thought about Xie Yixuan possibly not liking her and finding someone else in the future, her chest tightened and she couldn’t get the word out.

“Objectively, I understand that most relationships have ​read the original at bailiantales.com​no future, but subjectively, I hope there can be one between her and me.” She honestly spoke her thoughts.

“Then do you think this hope is big? Does she like you?”

“I don’t know.” Yu Shuinao lowered her lashes and repeated, “I don’t know.”

Meng Zhao still had sharper, more realistic, and colder questions, but seeing her like this, she couldn’t bear to continue. The words reached her lips and were swallowed back.

“You already know, right?” Meng Zhao’s tone softened.

“But why can’t she like me?” Yu Shuinao’s voice trembled slightly. “Am I really so unattractive? If she really has no feelings for me at all, then why… why does she treat me like this…” She knew her words were almost unreasonable and irrational, but she was like a drowning person — even if it was just a piece of driftwood, she wanted to cling to it tightly.

No matter where it would take her, at this moment she only wanted to find a foothold for herself.

She had always been this kind of person. Once she set her mind on something, she would stubbornly persist, even if there was a south wall ahead, she would still crash into it.

It was like that with acting.

With feelings, perhaps it was the same.

Meng Zhao didn’t continue. At this point, she understood that no amount of reason or advice would help. She could only silently pray in her heart that what she wished for would come true, and at least, that she wouldn’t be hurt too deeply.

She reached out and held Yu Shuinao’s shoulder, her tone soft yet serious. “There hasn’t been anyone in this world who can reject our Shuinao yet. Why couldn’t she like you? But let’s not think that far ahead first. Since you like her, then embrace your own feelings openly. If this relationship brings you more happiness, then let’s enjoy it well. If it makes you feel pain, then let’s learn to let go.”

“No matter when, no matter what happens, you can always come to me, okay?”

Yu Shuinao’s eyes grew hot. She always seemed especially willful, always making the people around her worry.

“Okay.”