Chapter 27

It wasn’t too late yet. Yan Can called the housekeeper and had the room Su Ci had stayed in last time cleaned again from top to bottom, with fresh sheets and bedding laid out.

By the time Su Ci finished a quick wash and came out in her pajamas, the room was ready.

The housekeeper didn’t live in. She simmered a pot of brown sugar ginger tea, tidied the kitchen, and left.

Yan Can was sitting on the sofa beside the foot of the bed. Hearing the bathroom finally fall silent, she looked up.

Su Ci came out with her dark hair loose like seaweed, wearing the nightdress Yan Can had given her the first time she’d stayed over.

After washing in hot water, Su Ci’s porcelain-white skin had taken on an alluring flush of pale pink, and her face was faintly colored as well.

Like a fresh, juicy peach dusted with sugar.

It made her want to bite.

Yan Can blinked twice.

Then she swallowed before she could stop herself.

She realized that ever since she’d tasted this woman’s lips, she’d become a little strange.

Why did she keep wanting to kiss women? Was that normal?

But there was beauty right in front of her; not looking would be a waste. Besides, it was only looking, and looking didn’t mean anything anyway. They were both girls…

Su Ci’s skin was very fair, and the black silk nightdress made her look even paler. The thin straps rested on her rounded shoulders, revealing her delicate collarbones.

The first time Yan Can had dressed her, she hadn’t thought much of it. It was just sleepwear, after all; comfort was what mattered. But now that she saw it on Su Ci, she suddenly felt the nightdress might be a little too sexy.

The fabric exposed a broad stretch of porcelain-white skin; if she lowered her gaze even slightly, she could see soft, gently rising curves.

Actually, when she had prepared sleepwear for Su Ci, Yan Can had also picked out another set that was a bit more conservative.

But Su Ci had asked her to just bring the same one she’d worn the last time she stayed over, saying it would be enough to dirty one set of clothes.

Yan Can knew she was the type who hated inconveniencing other people. Even for this overnight stay, she had said several times that she was afraid she’d mess up Yan Can’s bedding.

Yan Can had told her not to worry, that she had plenty of sleepwear at home.

But when Su Ci heard that, she had looked a little unhappy.

Yan Can tried putting herself in her shoes. If she were staying over at a classmate’s place, she wouldn’t want to trouble them either.

So in the end, Su Ci still wore the same sleepwear she had worn the last time she came here.

Yan Can didn’t dare stare at her. Just as she was about to look away, she noticed Su Ci’s brows knit together.

Maybe the pain had come back. Even her always-straight back had bent a little.

The color drained from her face in an instant, leaving it pale; the tight line of her brows made Yan Can’s heart twitch.

She hurriedly poured a cup of brown sugar ginger tea and handed it over.

“Thanks.” Su Ci took it and drank in small sips.

This was Su Ci’s room, and Yan Can was sitting on the sofa by the bed, watching her sip her tea.

Just then, Su Ci’s phone on the table rang. Yan Can saw at a glance that the caller ID showed an unknown number and asked, “Unknown number. Do you want to answer it?”

Unknown number?

Su Ci lifted her eyes, still hazy from the steam, and frowned slightly. “No.”

The caller seemed to realize it had dialed the wrong person and hung up after a short while without waiting for anyone to answer. After that, it didn’t call again.

Yan Can smiled. “It really was a nuisance call.”

Su Ci didn’t say anything. She lowered her head and continued drinking the brown sugar ginger tea.

Yan Can glanced at her and sincerely suggested, “You can block unknown numbers, so those random calls won’t keep bothering you.”

After Su Ci finished a cup of brown sugar ginger tea, Yan Can felt there didn’t seem to be any reason for her to keep staying here. Her gaze fell on the table as she said, “There’s ibuprofen here. If you think the water in the kettle isn’t hot enough, press this to reheat it. If you don’t do anything, it usually stays at 45 degrees.”

After saying that, she demonstrated how to use the kettle once more. “Then you should rest early.”

Su Ci curved her lips into a faint smile. “Thank you.”

Her hair hung lazily over both shoulders, and the always-cold lines of her brows and eyes looked softer than usual in the steam. When she lifted her gaze and said that to Yan Can, she looked especially gentle and obedient, like a little cat.

Yan Can was amused by her own thought. She got up and walked over to Su Ci.

Then she reached out and patted the little cat on the top of the head. “Good night, then. See you tomorrow.”

Afraid of disturbing her rest, she didn’t say anything else and turned to leave the bedroom.

After Yan Can finished her shower and came out, she lifted her arm suspiciously and sniffed it. She was clearly using the same body wash Su Ci had recommended, but why did it smell a little different? It was fragrant, sure, but not as good as Su Ci’s.

She had heard that some people were born with a natural body scent; they couldn’t smell it themselves, but others could.

Could it be that the scent on Su Ci wasn’t from body wash? Was it her own natural scent?

How was that possible?

But then Yan Can thought of the fact that even Su Ci’s lips had a faintly sweet taste.

Yan Can felt that having both a natural fragrance and sweetness was too outrageous. She would rather believe this woman had simply been marinated in perfume for a very long time.

Maybe Su Ci had used body lotion for years, so she smelled nice all over; as for her lips, it was because she often used lip balm. Otherwise how could they taste like that, and be so good to kiss…

What exactly was she using?

Yan Can was the kind of person who had to solve a problem once she noticed it, or she would keep thinking about it all night.

She checked the time; it wasn’t even nine yet. It wasn’t great to disturb someone, but at this hour Su Ci probably hadn’t gone to sleep yet, right?

She also didn’t know whether the pain had eased.

Knock, knock, knock—

A knock sounded.

“Su Ci, can I come in?”

No answer.

Seeing the warm yellow light shining through the gap under the door, Yan Can figured Su Ci probably wasn’t asleep yet.

She knocked twice more.

Still no answer.

That struck her as odd. Had she fainted from the pain?

She tried the doorknob; it wasn’t locked, and the door opened with a push.

At once, she saw a human-shaped mound curled up on the bed.

Why had she buried herself under the blanket?

Afraid something had gone wrong, Yan Can rushed forward at once and called her name anxiously while pulling back the blanket to check.

Under the light, the person on the bed had tightly furrowed brows; cold sweat covered her forehead and the tip of her nose.

She was clutching the hot water bottle tightly against her lower abdomen, her body bent from the pain, damp strands of hair sticking messily to her porcelain-white neck.

Yan Can’s heart gave a hard jolt. “I’ll call a doctor right now.”

“Don’t… I already took… medicine.” The person on the bed slowly lifted her head; her misted eyes looked at Yan Can as she spoke with difficulty.

Yan Can turned to look at the tabletop; there really were signs that the ibuprofen had been opened.

“Tomorrow… it’ll be fine.” Her voice had gone hoarse by the time she spoke again.

Yan Can felt heartbroken. She stood there at a loss, wanting to help ease the pain but completely powerless.

Su Ci was always like this during her period; the first day was especially painful.

She took medicine every time her period came. At first, painkillers like ibuprofen worked very quickly, but after she took them too many times, she developed a tolerance, and gradually they stopped working.

Her damp lashes trembled faintly. Su Ci’s voice sounded again. “Go out… help me turn off the light…”

After saying that, she shut her eyes tightly again and buried her head deep under the blanket.

After a while, the room light went out, and everything fell into darkness.

Su Ci suddenly felt the edge of the blanket being tucked in a little tighter. A few seconds later, footsteps sounded.

She thought Yan Can had gone out, but after a while she didn’t hear the door opening. Then she felt the mattress behind her sink slightly, and the edge of the blanket was lifted a little.

A warm body pressed against her, and she slowly opened her eyes in the dark.

“I’ll sleep against you like this. It should feel a little better.” The person behind her spoke by her ear. “When I was little and had stomach pain, my mom would hold me like this to sleep.”

“But I can’t hold you, so I’ll just stay close like this. It should work about the same.”

Her arm was injured, so she couldn’t hold someone. She could only press close to her.

Scalding breath washed over Su Ci’s neck; that patch of skin felt as if it were being roasted by fire, hot and tight.

No one knew how long had passed before Su Ci heard the person behind her ask in the dark, “What body lotion do you use?”

The scorching breath brushed the skin behind her ear. Su Ci endured the heat and the itchiness as she said, “I don’t use body lotion.”

“You don’t?” The tone was exaggerated. “Then lip balm?”

Su Ci couldn’t help curling her fingertips. Her voice was slightly hoarse. “That… either.”

…

That night, Yan Can couldn’t remember exactly when she fell asleep. She only remembered that in the middle of the night, thunder boomed outside the window; not long after, rain battered the glass in a crackling barrage.

She didn’t know how long the storm lasted. Half-asleep and wanting to turn over, she felt the steady, long breaths of the person beside her.

Suddenly, a long-lost feeling of happiness welled up in her heart.

It had been so, so long since she’d slept in the same bed with someone else. Her heart felt warm, and her body felt warm too; savoring that warm, happy feeling, she quickly drifted off into dreamland.

The next morning, when Yan Can woke, she found that she and Su Ci were still in the same position as when they had fallen asleep the night before. She was pressed against Su Ci from behind, her head resting against the other woman’s soft, warm shoulder and back.

Su Ci smelled so nice that Yan Can didn’t want to get up. On top of that, it was still raining outside, and weather like this was the best for sleeping.

So when Su Ci’s phone alarm rang for the first time, Yan Can took it upon herself to turn it off and help her ask for a day off. After doing all that, she nestled against Su Ci, breathing in the pleasant scent on her body, and fell asleep again.

Su Ci had gone to bed very late last night, and when she woke up she still had a bit of a headache. A glance at her phone showed she was about to be late, so she immediately threw back the blanket.

Yan Can woke with her movements, yawned, and looked at her with teary eyes.

“Why are you getting up so early? Sleep a little longer. I already got you the day off.”

“You asked for leave for me?”

Yan Can yawned again and sat up in bed. The strap of her camisole slid below her shoulder with the motion, but she didn’t notice.

“Yeah. With cramps that bad, how are you supposed to go to work? I asked for leave for you.”

Just from accidentally catching a glimpse of that fair softness, Su Ci’s face grew hot, and she forgot what to say for a moment.

“Are you angry?” Seeing that she wasn’t speaking for a long time, Yan Can thought Su Ci disliked her taking matters into her own hands.

Su Ci rubbed the burning tip of her ear and turned her head away. “I’m not angry. Thank you.”

.

By the time the cast came off Yan Can’s right arm, it was already mid-October. November was the school sports meet, and the class athletic rep had already started enthusiastically encouraging everyone to sign up.

Yan Can wanted to help but couldn’t. Although the cast was gone, she was still doing rehabilitation exercises with her hand, so for the sports meet she could only join the cheer squad and shout encouragement for everyone.

Zhang Ru had signed up for the shot put, while Yu Ting was running the 800-meter race.

Once the list of competitors was submitted, it couldn’t be changed for the time being.

For the sake of class honor, many students practiced during PE.

“Zhang Ru, have you ever thrown a shot put?” Yu Ting had never seen her do it. “Can you even throw it?”

Among the three of them, aside from Yan Can, the least athletic was Zhang Ru. The young lady was fine playing golf now and then, but had she really ever thrown a shot put? Yu Ting and Yan Can both had serious doubts.

“The point of the competition is participation,” Zhang Ru said. “I’m not aiming for first place.”

Yu Ting said, “Then at least don’t aim for last place.”

She still had a pretty strong sense of collective honor.

Zhang Ru chuckled. “That won’t happen.”

The three of them were sitting in the shade of a tree, chatting idly. Estimating that the class dismissal bell was about to ring, they got up and headed toward the teaching building.

As they passed a small grove of trees, they heard a girl’s sharp rebuke.

“Please respect yourself!”

Yan Can immediately recognized the voice.

She turned her head and looked through a gap in the trees.

Su Ci was standing face-to-face with a buzz-cut boy. Su Ci’s expression was cold, and her gaze was indifferent, with a trace of unmistakable disgust.

From this angle, Yan Can couldn’t make out the boy’s expression; she could only hear that his tone was extremely arrogant. “What are you acting so pure for? Didn’t you go to the cafeteria to carry plates for a year just to get this much?”

Yu Ting and Zhang Ru exchanged a look, still not understanding what was going on, when Yan Can had already rushed forward in long strides.