Chapter 66

In the early morning, the alarm clock on the table rang on time.

The woman lowered her head and looked at the girl sleeping soundly in her arms. Unable to resist, she nudged her gently, her voice rough with morning hoarseness.

"A Lai, you should go back to your own room now. If Teacher wakes up in a little while, she’ll notice..."

"Just a little longer."

The person in her arms murmured, burying her face deeper into the crook of her neck. The tip of her nose brushed the woman’s skin, tickling it. The woman couldn’t help leaning back a little.

Noticing her retreat, Jiang Lai made a soft, dissatisfied sound and slid her right hand over the woman’s soft waist, tugging her closer.

The woman was pulled forward by the motion; her chin nearly bumped Jiang Lai’s forehead. She shifted slightly, and Jiang Lai fumbled around for a long time before finally settling into a comfortable position and drifting back to sleep.

"What are you doing?"

The woman laughed helplessly and pressed down on those restless hands. "You’re not even awake yet, and you’re already being shameless?"

Jiang Lai kept her eyes closed, but her brows knitted in displeasure at the words. She didn’t loosen her grip; instead, she tightened it and hauled the woman closer again.

"Aunt Cheng, I’m a little cold..."

Warm breath swept over the woman’s neck. There was nothing she could do about Jiang Lai’s clinginess. In the end, she could only give in, pull the blanket higher, and let the girl wrap herself around her like an octopus.

"A Lai, we really will be discovered in a bit."

With her head lowered, the woman brushed the loose strands of hair by Jiang Lai’s ear, her voice very soft.

Only then did the person in her arms react, reluctantly loosening her hold and sitting up with a yawn.

"But I’m still sleepy..."

She rubbed her eyes, sneaking glances at the woman again and again, her desire to lie back down written all over her face.

"All right, be good."

The woman couldn’t help smiling at that look and reached out to ruffle her messy hair. "Hurry up and get out of bed."

Jiang Lai sat up and pointed to the corner of her mouth. "Here. Good morning kiss. You promised yesterday."

Seeing the girl’s expectant expression, she suddenly wanted to tease her and pretended not to understand.

"I don’t remember promising you that."

As she spoke, she was about to lift the blanket and head for the door, only to be stopped by the girl wrapping her arms around her waist and pulling her back onto the bed.

"If you won’t make the first move, then I will..."

Caught by the mischievous smile on the girl’s face, she was startled and tried to sit up.

"A Lai..."

"Shh, don’t talk..."

Jiang Lai lowered her head and kissed the woman’s lips.

The sudden kiss caught her off guard. The woman didn’t have time to react; her lips parted slightly, and Jiang Lai easily took control of the situation with the tip of her tongue.

Her breath caught. Her fingers instinctively clenched in the girl’s clothes. Jiang Lai seemed to carry hooks in her very presence, gently scratching at her heart.

She lifted a hand, intending to push the girl away, but Jiang Lai tightened her hold around her waist again. The tentative touch gradually turned firmer; with a tenderness that left no room for refusal, she sent all her reason into chaos.

The clock ticked on, second by second.

Only their breathing remained in the room. The woman closed her eyes and felt as if she were lying on a cloud of cotton, her whole body going weak.

She barely managed to turn her face aside, and the kiss that should have landed on the corner of her mouth instead brushed her cheek.

"You did that on purpose..."

Her breathing was unsteady as she lightly punched Jiang Lai’s chest.

"You just noticed?"

Jiang Lai’s fingertips kept stroking the corner of her lips, her eyes curved in a smile. "You’re so smart. Of course I have to reward you, right?"

"No... mmph!"

The words of refusal were swallowed by Jiang Lai’s kiss. Their breaths tangled together, and even the air turned scorching hot.

The temperature in the room rose little by little. The woman’s fingertips sank into the girl’s hair.

No one knew who had started it. The silk sleepwear the woman wore was pulled down to her elbows; she turned her head, but a tighter embrace cut off every path of retreat.

One hot kiss after another fell along her neck, mixed with urgent nibbles that sent tingling shivers through her skin and faint stings in their wake.

Her wrists were pinned beside the pillow. Her eyes had gone red, and she squeezed them shut, refusing to look at the girl pressed against her chest. She seemed eager to escape this far too intimate scene, yet she couldn’t ignore the warm touch.

"Don’t hide from me..."

The girl’s voice burst beside her ear—gentle, yet serious, as if coaxing her.

The woman bit her lower lip, trying to rein in the heat and reactions surging through her body. But Jiang Lai’s breath held her in a tight embrace, leaving her nowhere to run.

When another kiss landed over her heart, she suddenly let go, allowing herself to fall into the tender trap Jiang Lai had woven for her.

Forget it. She was happy too, wasn’t she?

Whatever Jiang Lai needed, whatever she wanted, she would do everything she could to give it to her. Of course that included herself.

No one knew how much time had passed before Jiang Lai finally pulled back. Their foreheads touched, nose to nose, and there was no trace left of that pitiful look in her eyes.

The woman looked at her face so close she could almost feel it. Her lips were wet from the kisses, and her throat moved, but she couldn’t get a single word out.

Jiang Lai gently unfolded her curled fingers, then interlaced their hands, her voice soft and lingering. "Aunt Cheng, good morning."

"...Good morning."

Her gaze flicked aside and landed on the spring scene Jiang Lai hadn’t yet covered.

"Are you satisfied?"

Cheng Shuyang’s face was red as she let Jiang Lai handle her.

Jiang Lai laughed softly, carefully fastening the straps for her, then kissed her jade-white shoulder. Feeling the woman tremble, she leaned closer and deliberately spoke into her ear. "More than satisfied. Aunt Cheng... seems much softer than I imagined."

Seeing her so shamelessly outspoken, the woman lifted a hand to cover her mouth, only for the girl to slip away with a nimble dodge.

"You little brat..."

The blush at the corner of the woman’s eyes deepened, but she still couldn’t escape that scorching gaze.

Seeing that the woman seemed a little embarrassed and irritated, Jiang Lai finally reined in her smile and leaned forward obediently, her tone earnest. "Cheng Shuyang, I love you. I love you very, very much."

The teasing disappeared from the girl’s eyes; only complete honesty and seriousness remained. Seeing that the woman still hadn’t reacted, she said it once more. "I love you."

Her eyes stung, and Cheng Shuyang nearly cried.

"Jiang Lai, I love you too. Very, very much."

The breakfast vendors downstairs gradually drifted up to their ears, and Jiang Lai glanced at the alarm clock.

7:20.

She had teased the woman for almost an hour? Guilt instantly surged in her chest.

"You rest a little longer. I’ll go buy breakfast for you. Soy milk and buns, okay?"

"Okay."

The woman answered softly.

As soon as Jiang Lai opened the door, she saw Zhao Dan coming out of the bathroom. Mother and daughter met eyes, and an awkward atmosphere immediately spread between them.

Jiang Lai decided to strike first. "Mom, why are you up so early?"

Only then did Zhao Dan seem to wake from a daze. "Oh, I... came out to use the bathroom, and then I was going downstairs to buy breakfast for you two."

"You should rest. I’ll go."

She grabbed a coat at random from the rack and put it on. When she turned back, she saw Zhao Dan looking like she wanted to say something but was holding back.

Jiang Lai was a little puzzled and glanced at her own clothes; she couldn’t see anything wrong with them.

"Mom, what are you looking at? Is what I’m wearing strange? But I’ve always dressed like this before..."

Zhao Dan shook her head. "It’s not the clothes. A Lai, did you sleep with Shuyang last night?"

"Yeah."

Jiang Lai was confused, though she still didn’t see what was so odd about it. "What’s wrong? Is that not okay?"

Zhao Dan pressed her lips together, trying to find a tactful way to put it. "Actually, your progress doesn’t have to be this fast."

"Fast? I don’t think it’s fast at all."

Jiang Lai blinked, completely lost. "We’re both adults. Before we do anything, we know exactly what’s on our minds."

"...Fine. I can’t argue with you."

"That’s because you’re being unreasonable."

Jiang Lai smiled as she put on her shoes and waved at her smugly. "I’m leaving now."

"Wait."

Zhao Dan was helpless and pointed at the bright red lipstick mark on her chin. "Are you sure you want to go out like that?"

Jiang Lai reached up and wiped at it, feeling a little awkward. She gave two embarrassed little laughs before darting into the bathroom.

"A Lai, go easier on Shuyang in the future. Her body isn’t as good as yours."

"Listen to yourself."

The girl poked her head out of the bathroom. "You make me sound like some unforgivable villain."

"Aren’t you?"

Zhao Dan shot her a helpless look.

"If you put it like that, I’m not happy about it. At least I’m not ugly; saying it like that makes it sound as if Aunt Cheng suffered some huge loss. Even if that’s the truth, you still can’t just say it outright!"

"Go on, keep acting smug. You like making a fuss, and Shuyang likes spoiling you. Let’s see who’ll spoil you besides Shuyang in the future."

"Bleh."

Jiang Lai wiped her face clean. "I don’t need anyone else to spoil me; I only need Aunt Cheng."

"But seriously, A Lai, you... should still hold back a little in daily life."

"I know. I didn’t even do the very last step..."

"What?"

Zhao Dan hadn’t heard clearly and leaned in closer.

"Ah!"

Jiang Lai’s earlobes turned so red it looked like blood might drip from them. "If you didn’t hear me, forget it. Good things aren’t said twice."

"All right, all right, I won’t tease you anymore. Hurry and go buy breakfast; your dad and the others will be waking up soon."

Having received her royal decree, Jiang Lai skipped out the door.

By the time she came back, most of the people in the house were already up. She put the breakfast on the table and looked around, but she didn’t see the woman anywhere.

"Mom, have you seen Aunt Cheng?"

"She should still be in the room, I think."

At that, she walked to the guest room door and gently turned the handle. "Aunt Cheng?"

The woman was already up and standing in front of the full-length mirror, doing something Jiang Lai couldn’t make out.

Jiang Lai tiptoed over and hugged her from behind. The woman was startled and gave her arm a reproachful pat. "You scared me."

Jiang Lai laughed as she let go. "I bought breakfast. Let’s go eat together."

"Wait a moment."

The woman turned slightly, patting something onto her neck.

Jiang Lai was curious. "What are you doing?"

"What else?"

The woman shot her a look. "You’re happy enough, but have you thought about how I’m supposed to go out and see people?"

Jiang Lai scratched the tip of her nose in embarrassment, looking at the consequences of her own handiwork. "...I wasn’t doing it on purpose."

"I’m not blaming you. I’m just saying, next time, you can’t do this again."

"I know, I know."

She said yes, but Aunt Cheng would definitely still let her have her way when the time came.

"Wait a second. I’ll go get my concealer; it covers hickeys really well."

"Oh? How do you know that? Have you used it before?"

"Of course not."

"I just heard about it from a friend before..."

Jiang Lai curled her fingers, her eyes darting around.

"Is that so?"

The woman deliberately teased her. "Seeing how experienced you are, I thought you’d used it before."

"Absolutely not!"

Jiang Lai hurried forward half a step, her cheeks red like ripe apples. "When would I ever have had the chance to use that before..."

Halfway through, she realized something was wrong. Her voice grew smaller and smaller, less and less confident. The last few words came out muddled, yet clearly landed in the woman’s ears.

"Even if you had, I wouldn’t be angry."

"All right, let’s stop talking about this."

Jiang Lai wisely cut the topic off.

The woman let out a soft huff.

"I like you the most..."

Jiang Lai swayed against her and acted spoiled, her tone sweet and sticky.

"Silly girl."

With that reckless look of hers, even the last bit of jealousy in her heart vanished without a trace.