Chapter 62

Watching Xi Yu make tea had almost become its own kind of pleasure. The whole world seemed to quiet down, leaving only the murmur of water, the special fragrance of tea lingering in the air, and the faint, almost intangible scent that seemed to belong to Xi Yu alone, beside her.

Yu Nianyi let out a comfortable sigh and sank all the way back into the sofa, lazily lifting her eyes to look at Xi Yu.

Xi Yu had changed into loungewear in a dark, deep shade. On Yu Nianyi, it was the same set, only in a brighter color.

The day after they slept together, this set of home clothes had ended up on Yu Nianyi, as if it had been prepared for her long ago.

“Try it.” After a long while, Xi Yu brought the teacup over.

Yu Nianyi straightened and took it carefully. To her eyes, the tea was a bright yellow, almost translucent, with a very distinct fragrance.

She lowered her head and took a sip.

The taste was crisp and refreshing, and the rich, fresh aroma hit her at once.

Before she could really savor it, Yu Nianyi frowned on instinct; a strange bitterness spread across her tongue. She looked up pitifully at Xi Yu. “It’s so astringent.”

Xi Yu looked as if she had expected that. She rested her chin in one hand and tilted her head, watching Yu Nianyi. “Wait a little longer.”

Yu Nianyi pouted. It really was too astringent. Without thinking, she propped herself up and grabbed Xi Yu’s arm, tugging her closer. “Really, Xi Yu-jie, you should try it…”

The last word disappeared into Xi Yu’s lips. Yu Nianyi stood up, cupped Xi Yu’s face, and bent down to kiss her deeper. Her tongue slipped in on its own, tangling with Xi Yu’s for quite a while until there was not the slightest trace of bitterness left in her mouth.

Xi Yu obediently tipped her head back. Her hand landed at Yu Nianyi’s waist, her fingers easily slipping under the thin fabric to the hollow of her lower back, rubbing there again and again.

In just a few seconds, a faint sweetness rose from the depths of her throat, somehow making it feel cool as well.

Yu Nianyi pulled back and looked down at Xi Yu, whose eyes had gone dark. “That’s so weird. Why does even the tea taste sweet when I kiss Xi Yu-jie?” She licked her lips and smiled, her cheeks flushed. “Such a sweet taste.”

Xi Yu lifted her gaze to hers. Her lips, wet from the kiss, were pressed together tightly; her eyes traced from Yu Nianyi’s brows to her eyes, then her nose, and finally those smug lips. She curved her mouth. “Mm, it really is sweet.”

Seeing Xi Yu so focused, Yu Nianyi felt unbearably pleased. She smacked her lips a couple of times, and in the next moment, a hand at her lower back steadied her as she sat down again. By the time she came back to herself, she was already sitting on Xi Yu’s lap, and Xi Yu’s face was only a few centimeters from hers.

Yu Nianyi blinked, and her heart skipped a beat. The hand at her lower back was impossible to ignore.

Xi Yu asked, “Are you tired today?”

Yu Nianyi was stunned for a moment. She met Xi Yu’s eyes almost unconsciously; looking at Xi Yu’s calm, steady brows and eyes, then at her tightly pressed lips, she pretended to think it over before saying, “Mm, a little?”

“It’s been a long time since I climbed a mountain. Going out today was a little hard to get used to, but that auntie was really interesting. If we get the chance, we can go again next time…”

Xi Yu gave a soft “Mm.” Her gaze returned to Yu Nianyi’s neck, and she lifted a hand to idly toy with the golden hair coiled around her collarbone. “We will. We’ll go again if there’s a chance.”

“But even if you’re tired, you can’t skip bathing,” Xi Yu said suddenly.

Yu Nianyi rarely found herself at a loss for words for several seconds. She blinked. “…I didn’t say I wasn’t going to bathe.”

“The bathtub at home is very big,” Xi Yu said, while Yu Nianyi clearly felt the touch at the hollow of her waist deepen little by little. “It’s big enough for two people. I can help you.”

-

Yu Nianyi was lying on the edge of the bathtub, her eyes wandering aimlessly. Every so often, she glanced at the fruit plate in front of her; there were strawberries, watermelon, and cherries, and the pattern on the plate was exquisitely detailed, like something she had seen in class a long time ago… As she looked, her gaze drifted back to the strawberries. She vaguely remembered how, on the night they stayed in the hotel, she had shamelessly cajoled and coaxed Xi Yu into eating strawberries…

Yu Nianyi let out a long sigh and buried her face in the crook of her arm.

Behind her, it seemed someone casually lifted an arm, and the soft tapping of water droplets sounded one after another. Yu Nianyi could even clearly imagine the faint ripples spreading across the calm surface, rolling outward in layers until they slowly reached her back, stirring her skin.

This was the first time Xi Yu had invited her to bathe like this. Before, whenever they bathed together, by the time it was over she was usually so drowsy she could barely keep her eyes open; this time was completely different.

It wasn’t as though Yu Nianyi had never seen Xi Yu’s body before, but every time she thought of Xi Yu’s eyes from just now, or replayed what Xi Yu had just said, her body would inexplicably begin to tense up.

“How’s the water temperature?” Xi Yu suddenly asked from behind her.

Yu Nianyi drew her arms in a little and lifted her head, subconsciously testing the water temperature for herself. “Just right. Warm.”

“…Is that so?” Xi Yu paused, then made a slightly puzzled sound. “Why does the water feel so cold on my side?”

Yu Nianyi turned around instinctively, and the next second she fell into Xi Yu’s eyes. Xi Yu crooked a finger at her. “Nian Nian, come try it.”

A faint flush rose on Yu Nianyi’s face; maybe she had been holding herself back just now, or maybe the water around her really was too hot. She didn’t hesitate long before holding onto the edge of the tub and moving over.

Xi Yu took her hand and steadied her as she drew her in.

The instant their skin touched, there was a scorching, vividly clear sensation, carrying a familiar body temperature and fragrance.

The water here was warm too.

Xi Yu’s eyes curved; beneath the water, her arm slid around Yu Nianyi’s waist. “That’s better now.”

Xi Yu’s breath brushed lightly past her ear. Yu Nianyi shrank her neck, her voice a little hoarse. “You did that on purpose.”

Xi Yu gave a soft hum. Her nose brushed gently against Yu Nianyi’s shoulder, and her lips touched her skin. “I’ve been waiting a long time.”

Yu Nianyi’s hand unconsciously pressed against Xi Yu’s knee above the water, her fingers curling slightly. “Then it’s because Xi Yu-jie just said such suggestive things that I got so nervous.”

Behind her, Xi Yu smiled with her lips pressed together, the smile sweet enough to intoxicate. “That was exactly to make you think about it.”

Yu Nianyi huffed. Then she suddenly said, “Sister Mengyao was right.”

Xi Yu paused.

Then she heard Yu Nianyi say, “You really are kind of slutty.”

Xi Yu raised a brow slightly. Her face rested against Yu Nianyi’s shoulder as she looked up, her gaze dark and fixed on her. “So?”

Yu Nianyi tipped her chin down and kissed Xi Yu’s slightly parted lips. “Let’s do it.”

The faint, irregular sound of water filled the bathroom. Yu Nianyi could clearly feel the strength tightening around her waist, along with Xi Yu’s breathing, sometimes steady and sometimes rushed. In the gap between their parted lips, all she could see was Xi Yu’s focused, slightly hurried expression. Her breaths came in barely audible sounds, and Yu Nianyi could even distinctly feel the deliberately suppressed gasps.

At times like these, Yu Nianyi always got unbearably excited. A smug smile lit up her face, and her whole expression flushed bright.

The bathtub was still too cramped. It was extremely uncomfortable just sitting in it. The two of them only kissed in there for a while before returning to the bedroom.

Xi Yu’s bath towel was half tugged off by Yu Nianyi, leaving her upper body almost completely exposed. Yu Nianyi was so delighted she kept giggling, sinking into the soft bed; the next second, Xi Yu pressed down on top of her.

Xi Yu was very clean and proper about this. Before they did anything, she always cleaned herself thoroughly and carefully put on a finger cot.

If you weren’t one of the people involved, if you didn’t know Xi Yu’s profession, you might even think she was doing some other kind of work—serious, solemn, and not to be disturbed.

Yu Nianyi found it very hard to hold back her voice. At times like this, pleasure came before reason; delight flooded her brain, and her breathing gradually broke apart.

Sometimes she couldn’t help being stubborn; Xi Yu remained steady as ever, but she lost all sense of restraint.

Yu Nianyi instinctively bit down on her lower lip, deliberately trying to make her voice softer, but before she could even think about it for two seconds, the next wave of pleasure had already numbed her mind. A sound rose in her throat; by the time she opened her mouth again, it was enough to make anyone blush.

At times, Xi Yu would also frown, as if something were difficult to endure. Her lips pressed together tightly, but her eyes never left Yu Nianyi.

Yu Nianyi swallowed the breath in her mouth and looked at Xi Yu. “…K-kiss me.”

The hand she had just lifted was caught by Xi Yu and held tightly in her own. Xi Yu’s brows furrowed even more; she bent down, and the instant she came close, her breath burned hotly. It seared Yu Nianyi so much that she instinctively parted her lips, and the wetter heat pressed in.

Yu Nianyi closed her eyes briefly and unconsciously arched her waist; the tips of her toes began to tremble.

“Nian Nian,” Xi Yu kissed her lips, their foreheads gently touching. Yu Nianyi had not yet fully recovered from the afterglow of the last time when she felt a soft pillow being tucked under her waist. “Let’s do it again, okay?”

-

On Monday, Yu Nianyi didn’t go to school again. Instead, she went to Xu Ruoyan’s shop. The tea set project was nearing completion, and she needed to finish all of it before going home.

As the end of the year drew closer, there were a lot more people in the shop; there were working adults and many university students. Some had returned to their hometowns, while others were traveling here. Xu Ruoyan was so busy she was completely swamped and had no time at all to chat with Yu Nianyi.

So Yu Nianyi sat alone in the studio. Whenever her hand got tired from drawing, she would set it aside to rest for a while, then open her phone to bother Xi Yu.

[Yu Nianyi: There are so many people at Sister Ruoyan’s shop today. Quite a few university students came to experience it, and Sister Ruoyan is squeezed in the middle looking really busy.]

[Yu Nianyi: But when she just came over, Sister Ruoyan asked me about you too; she asked what you’ve been doing lately and whether you’d come by today. Do you think she already knows we’re together? Did Xi Yu-jie tell her last time?]

[Yu Nianyi: Why haven’t you replied? Are you busy? I’ve already finished hand-painting all the teacups. Take a look and tell me what you think.]

[Pictures][Pictures][Pictures]

…

When Yu Nianyi opened her phone again, she saw Xi Yu’s reply.

[Xi Yu: Mm, I told her directly.]

[Xi Yu: I was in a meeting just now; my phone was off.]

[Xi Yu: You worked hard. The patterns are very distinctive and beautiful; they look exactly like the kind of thing you would make, in my memory.]

Yu Nianyi hugged her phone and giggled, asking the person inside the phone whether she was really that obvious.

[Xi Yu: Obvious. Very nice-looking.]

Yu Nianyi lowered her head and kept looking at those few words from Xi Yu over and over; she tapped Xi Yu’s profile picture with her finger and swung her toes.

Xi Yu sent another message saying she would get off work early today and come pick her up.

Yu Nianyi leaned back in her chair, turned on voice input, and said with a smile, “Okay, then I’ll obediently wait for Sister Xi Yu to pick me up.”

She paused, brought her lips close to the screen, and lowered her voice. “I miss you so much.”

Dingling——

“Mm, I’ll be there soon.”