Chapter 59

The morning sunlight slipped through the tent and fell across Jiang Lai’s face.

She squinted against it, wanting to roll over and keep sleeping, but an arm was pinning hers down so tightly that she couldn’t move.

Last night’s memories came rushing back all at once. She opened her eyes abruptly and instinctively looked down at the person in her arms.

The woman was curled against her chest, sleeping quietly, one arm still around her waist.

She held her breath, afraid of waking her.

So yesterday hadn’t been a dream. She and Cheng Auntie were really together?

Once that realization sank in, Jiang Lai’s smile was so wide it nearly reached her ears.

The person in her arms stirred, her voice rough with sleep. “Be quiet. You’re too loud.”

Was Cheng Auntie always this fierce? How had she never noticed before...

Jiang Lai immediately fell silent and didn’t dare make another sound.

A long while later, faint voices could be heard outside the tent.

Seeing that the woman still had no intention of getting up, Jiang Lai couldn’t help lightly scratching her. “Cheng Auntie, it’s already very late. You should get up.”

The woman opened her eyes, and there was no trace of sleepiness left in them at all; instead, they were full of hidden mischief.

“You did that on purpose?”

“Not really.”

The woman sat up and gathered her curly hair back. “I was truly very sleepy just now, but after seeing you, I suddenly wasn’t sleepy anymore.”

“You really did do it on purpose.”

“Then I did do it on purpose. What are you going to do about it, hmm?”

“Tch.”

Jiang Lai covered the half of her face that had been hit last night, looking pitiful. “No matter what you do is right. Hitting me is only what I deserve. It’s all my fault.”

The woman’s brows drew together. She reached out and touched the slightly swollen skin, a trace of regret flashing in her eyes. “What nonsense are you talking?”

“I’m going to get the first-aid kit for you. Wait for me a moment.”

“Hey...”

Jiang Lai caught her wrist and refused to let go. “Cheng Auntie, if you kiss me, it won’t hurt anymore.”

“You’re doing this on purpose too?”

“Oh no, my face really hurts...”

“Alai, you should go audition for film school too.”

The woman laughed at her exaggerated acting, but after being worn down by her, she could only sigh in exasperation. Turning her head away, the tips of her ears reddened; her voice was as soft as a mosquito’s hum. “You have no respect for your elders...”

But Jiang Lai was relentless, shaking the woman’s arm back and forth. “Cheng Auntie, just once. Just once, okay? You’ve already slapped me once; can’t I ask for a little sugar too?”

“I really can’t do anything with you.”

Trying to suppress her smile, the woman leaned in and gently pecked her on the lips. Light as a feather, it was so quick it was almost easy to mistake for an illusion.

“Hiss...”

“What’s wrong?”

Jiang Lai touched the corner of her mouth. “Why do I feel like this feels kind of familiar...”

The woman glared at her, her tone a little sour. “Maybe you’ve remembered your old white moonlight.”

“You’re talking nonsense again.”

Jiang Lai reached out and rubbed her cheek. “What white moonlight? In my heart, there’s only you, the one white moon, and that’s already bright enough.”

The woman’s face turned red from being coaxed like that. “Stop sweet-talking me. I never noticed before that you were so eloquent.”

“Regretting it now? Too late.”

“You’re always pinning crimes on me. When did I ever say the word regret?”

Seeing that the woman had relented, Jiang Lai couldn’t help leaning in to steal a kiss at the corner of her mouth, lowering her voice. “I didn’t lie to you. Really, I didn’t. Not before, not now, and it’ll be even less possible in the future.”

“I know.”

She lightly pushed Jiang Lai’s shoulder. “Aren’t you getting up? Hurry and get yourself together.”

Just as she sat up, she was pulled back into the girl’s arms.

“No, you still haven’t told me whether you secretly kissed me while I was asleep last night.”

The woman’s ears turned red again. “What nonsense are you saying? It was clearly you...”

Her words cut off abruptly. Realizing she’d slipped, the woman immediately clamped her mouth shut and refused to say another word.

The girl, having gotten her way, wore a bright smile. Leaning close, she asked, “When did I ever secretly kiss you, hmm? If you can’t say it, then you’re falsely accusing me, and I won’t accept that.”

“I’m not telling you.”

“Then I’ll make a fuss until you agree to tell me.”

With that, Jiang Lai pretended to pounce on her.

The woman bit her lip, looking as though she wanted to speak but hesitated. “It was the night of your first time filming. You were drunk, and I went to pick you up. You kissed me in my room...”

What she didn’t say was how bright the moon had been that night, how warm Jiang Lai’s embrace had felt when she held her, and how that kiss had made her heart feel as though it would burst out of her chest.

Jiang Lai’s mind was completely thrown into disarray. Her memories of that night were shrouded in mist, impossible to pry apart. She only remembered drinking with Xia Wanwan and getting drunk; everything after that had gone blank. She never would have imagined there had been something like that.

Seeing the girl’s ever-changing expression, the woman smiled. “Looks like you remembered?”

“...Honestly, I really didn’t remember.”

Seeing the woman’s face darken, she hurriedly added, “But no matter what you think, I still want to apologize to you for what I did back then.”

“So... have you kissed other people like that before?”

The possessiveness that flashed in the woman’s eyes was laid bare without the slightest concealment.

Jiang Lai was stunned for two seconds, then gave a soft laugh. She knelt in front of the woman, the smile in her eyes slowly giving way to seriousness. Her voice was clear. “What do you think?”

The woman turned her face away a little and said resentfully, “How would I know.”

Jiang Lai straightened her shoulders and forced her to look at her. “Do you really think I’m that awful a person?”

“Anyway, everyone I know seems to like you. Whether it’s Song Shiyuan, or Xu Zhiyi, or Qin Li...”

“If you’re going to say it like that, then what about Yu Tian? Did I say anything about her? And Xi Zhou, and other people... mmph!”

The woman reached out to cover her mouth and gave her chest a not-quite-light, not-quite-heavy punch. “Do you absolutely have to argue with me over who’s better?”

“How could that be?”

Jiang Lai bent down, the tip of her nose brushing the woman’s. Their breaths tangled together, tender and intimate, yet unmistakably ambiguous.

“Cheng Shuyang...”

She deliberately slowed her tone, making sure every word reached the woman clearly. “Listen carefully. From this moment on, the only person who can stir desire in me is you.”

They were very close.

The woman’s heartbeat suddenly stuttered. Her lashes trembled, and her fingers unconsciously gripped the bedsheet beneath her; her eyes burned with a sour ache. She seemed about to say something, but in the end it only became a sigh.

Seeing that she still wasn’t speaking, Jiang Lai leaned in a little more. “Cheng Auntie, why aren’t you talking to me..."

At last, the woman lifted a hand and gently pressed it against her chest, her voice soft. “I’m thinking about how, with my precious girl loving me this much, what am I supposed to do in the future, hmm?”

The girl bit her lip, then suddenly reached out, pressing against the back of the woman’s neck before leaning in.

She tasted the woman’s usual lipstick; it was sweet.

The clear beat of her heart and the feelings she couldn’t hide wrapped around her like vines, tightening little by little.

The atmosphere grew hotter and hotter. They were both adults, and it seemed as though everything was naturally flowing in that direction.

The woman’s breathing suddenly quickened. She tilted her neck back in palpable distress, her fingertips sinking deep into Jiang Lai’s flesh and leaving several faint red marks. It was impossible to tell whether this was restraint or helpless surrender to desire.

“Alai..."

A low moan slipped out from her throat. Jiang Lai’s senses finally cleared a little. She buried her face in the crook of the woman’s neck, her breath hot as she spoke.

“Sorry. Did I hurt you?”

The woman shook her head and loosened her grip.

Jiang Lai hugged her tighter. “Cheng Auntie, I really, really like you...”

“So do I.”

After a moment, she lowered her head to look at the girl in her arms. “...Do you want to keep going?”

Jiang Lai shook her head and nestled deeper into her embrace. “I’m not some pervert. In a situation like this, how could I possibly—besides.”

She kissed the woman’s chin. “Without your permission, I won’t.”

“Alai!”

Someone called her from outside the tent.

She answered toward the entrance, “Coming!”

“...Where are you going?”

Jiang Lai stood barefoot on the ground. “I’m going to volunteer. I’ll be back very soon.”

“You’re not planning to take me with you?”

The woman’s voice was hoarse, like it had been rubbed with sandpaper.

“It’s tiring and dangerous outside. I don’t want you to go.”

“Do you think I’d embarrass you because I can’t be taken out in public?”

“How could that be!”

Jiang Lai’s face was clearly anxious. She crouched down and comforted her gently. “You’re a public figure. If you get photographed, it’s just better to have one less thing to deal with!”

“Alright, I understand. Then be careful.”

“Mm. Wait for me.”

After taking a couple of steps, Jiang Lai suddenly turned back.

“Anything else?”

She smiled at once. “Hello, my girlfriend.”

The woman was momentarily stunned, then answered with a soft smile of her own. “Hello, my darling.”

After the girl left, the tent fell quiet again.

Lowering her eyes, the woman adjusted the shirt the girl had wrinkled, then walked softly toward the restroom.

“She’s already so old; how is she still this..."

The rest of the sentence was swallowed back down.

When she returned to the tent, she took out her phone and checked it.

As usual, she sent messages to Zhao Dan and Xia Wanwan, telling them not to worry.

When her finger slid to the chat with Xu Zhiyi, she pressed her lips together and still typed out a message.

“I found Alai. She’s safe. Thank you, really, for this.”

There was no reply from the other side, but she knew Xu Zhiyi had seen it.

Just then, Xiaoman called.

“Hello, Xiaoman?”

Hearing the woman’s voice, Xiaoman visibly breathed a sigh of relief. “Cheng Auntie, you finally picked up! I was worried something had happened to you!”

“I’m fine. Sorry to worry you.”

“Where’s Alai? Did you find her?”

Xiaoman’s nonstop chatter made warmth spread through the woman’s eyes. “Mm, I found her. She’s safe too. We’re both doing well.”

“That’s good, that’s good.”

The girl’s voice brightened noticeably. “Then when can you both come back?”

“It might still take a few more days. Please help me ask the director for a few more days off. Sorry to trouble you, Xiaoman.”

“It’s no trouble. Then please rest well; I won’t disturb you anymore.”

After hanging up, the woman replied to a few more work messages, though none of them were very important.

Jiang Lai’s backpack was placed in a corner. On a whim, she reached out and picked it up. There were all sorts of odds and ends inside, but the thing that drew her attention most was a thick book.

She casually flipped it open, and a photograph suddenly fell to her feet.

She bent down to pick it up and saw the face of the person in it clearly.

It was her.