Chapter 11
Mu Wanyan lingered in the bathroom for a long time before finally opening the door and coming out.
The moment she stepped into the bedroom, she saw Su Xingwei sitting on the edge of the bed with a glass of red wine in hand. The deep crimson liquid swayed gently in the clear glass. The bedside lamp cast a soft amber glow across Su Xingwei’s profile, making it seem as though she had been waiting all along.
At the sound of footsteps, Su Xingwei lifted her eyes and looked Mu Wanyan up and down. That gaze felt like she was inspecting a carefully wrapped gift.
Purple made Mu Wanyan’s skin look even fairer and more delicate; the silk nightdress clung softly to her body, its hem stopping just at the hollow of her knees and outlining her figure perfectly. The hint of allure at her neckline was faintly visible, adding another layer of seduction.
The corners of Su Xingwei’s lips lifted slightly. “Looks good.”
Mu Wanyan felt utterly uncomfortable under that unapologetic stare and quickly raised a hand to pull the shawl higher, covering the exposed skin.
“I’m not used to wearing this kind of style,” she said awkwardly.
Su Xingwei didn’t care at all. She took a small sip from her glass.
“Wear it a few more times and you’ll get used to it. As long as I’m here from now on, wear things like this. They look much better than those boring pajamas of yours.”
As she spoke, she continued to admire the person in front of her without hiding it in the least, her gaze sliding from Mu Wanyan’s shoulders to her waist, unwilling to miss a single inch. The more embarrassed Mu Wanyan became, the more entertaining Su Xingwei found it.
Somewhere along the way, teasing this overly well-behaved little assistant had become one of the few amusements in her life.
“But only for me to see.”
Su Xingwei set down her glass and patted the spot beside her. “Why are you standing so far away? Come sit.”
Mu Wanyan’s cheeks were already flushed red, but she still obeyed and sat over, deliberately keeping some distance between them. The bedroom was filled with a faint scent of wine; no one knew how much Su Xingwei had drunk just now.
Su Xingwei sipped her wine and admired the person beside her at the same time, looking to be in rather good spirits.
“Lie down,” she said.
Mu Wanyan thought she was about to sleep, and softly answered, “Good night.”
She was just about to lie down on the other side of the bed when Su Xingwei reached out and stopped her.
“I didn’t tell you to go straight to sleep.”
Su Xingwei gave a light laugh, her tone carrying a trace of helplessness. “How can you not understand a little romance?”
She glanced at the wine bottle on the table across from them. “Pour me another glass.”
Mu Wanyan nodded, took the glass, and refilled it for her.
“Here you go, Young Miss.”
She handed the glass to Su Xingwei, but the moment she lifted her hand, the shawl slipped down at once, revealing a large expanse of fair skin. Mu Wanyan hurriedly tugged it back up, her ears already bright red.
Su Xingwei, however, deliberately didn’t take the glass. Instead, she watched with great interest as Mu Wanyan fumbled in embarrassment.
“Are you trying to seduce me?”
Mu Wanyan’s eyes widened slightly. “I’m not.”
It was clearly Su Xingwei who had insisted she wear this slippery nightdress, and now she was turning the accusation back on her.
Su Xingwei lowered her head and laughed, then finally took pity on her. She took the glass, pulled Mu Wanyan back to her side, and the next second suddenly leaned forward, pressing her down onto the bed.
Mu Wanyan sank into the soft bedding at once; before she could react, Su Xingwei was already holding her shoulders.
“Don’t move.”
The order was tossed out casually.
Mu Wanyan couldn’t guess what new trick she was up to and could only lie stiffly in place, staring up at the face so close to hers, until a chill brushed her neck.
Su Xingwei tilted the glass slightly, and the dark red wine slowly flowed down, dripping into the hollow of Mu Wanyan’s throat.
Mu Wanyan shivered and instinctively tried to dodge.
“Don’t fidget.”
Su Xingwei kept her pinned, warning her in a soft voice, “If you spill it on the sheets, you’ll have to wash them.”
Mu Wanyan froze and didn’t dare move again.
“Such a good girl.”
Su Xingwei parted her lips and whispered in her ear.
The wine pooled at the base of her throat, and just before it could spill over her collarbone, Su Xingwei stopped. She lowered her head, warm breath sweeping over Mu Wanyan’s neck; the next moment, something soft covered the skin slick with wine.
The ticklish sensation on her neck made Mu Wanyan’s breathing grow uneven, and for a moment her mind went blank.
The room was silent as death. Su Xingwei tasted her unhurriedly, the air thick with the rich scent of wine. No one knew how long it went on before Su Xingwei finally stopped, as though still a little unsatisfied. She licked away the remaining traces of wine, then playfully bit down lightly on Mu Wanyan’s collarbone. It wasn’t hard, but it was enough to make Mu Wanyan catch her breath.
Her heart was beating so fast it was almost absurd. After a brief daze, Mu Wanyan’s ears turned so red it looked as if they might drip blood. Only when Su Xingwei pressed her whole body against her did she finally come to her senses and shove Su Xingwei away.
“I’m not a container for wine.”
She panted, trying hard to calm the panic in her chest. Her hair was messy against her cheeks, the heat in her face refusing to fade, and the place Su Xingwei had tasted was tinged with a faint pink.
This person was becoming more and more outrageous.
Su Xingwei wasn’t annoyed at being pushed away. She leaned back against the headboard and finished the rest of the wine in her glass. Looking at Mu Wanyan’s flustered, angry expression, the smile on her lips deepened.
“Mad at me?” Su Xingwei teased on purpose. “I thought you hardly ever got angry. Didn’t expect your temper to be this big.”
Mu Wanyan ignored her, climbed under the blanket, wrapped herself up tightly, and kept her distance; only the back of her head faced Su Xingwei.
After a few minutes, there was a soft click, and the room was plunged into darkness.
Mu Wanyan didn’t move. Still facing away from Su Xingwei, she pretended to be asleep; she could feel the bed dip slightly beside her, and the other person’s breathing was very close.
What kind of absurd situation was this?
She silently complained to herself, and only who knew how long later did sleepiness finally creep in.
Early morning; the sky was still dark.
Mu Wanyan vaguely opened her eyes and tried to turn over, only to realize that there was somehow a warm, soft body in her arms.
Su Xingwei, who should have been far away from her, was now holding her tightly. One arm was locked around her waist, and the two of them were pressed together without the slightest gap.
Mu Wanyan didn’t dare move; her heartbeat suddenly sped up for no reason. She looked down at the person in her arms. Su Xingwei seemed to be sleeping very deeply and looked especially harmless.
Watching her sleeping face, Mu Wanyan’s expression softened a little.
This person really was obedient when she slept; she wouldn’t deliberately tease her anymore.
A strange bit of luck rose in her heart. Since the person wasn’t awake, looking a little longer shouldn’t matter.
Mu Wanyan couldn’t help but lift a hand and touch Su Xingwei’s face. Her movements were gentle, afraid the other woman might wake at this critical moment. Yet that sneaky feeling made her find it a little thrilling, like she was doing something dangerous.
From her brows to the bridge of her nose, then to her rosy lips, every feature belonged to that familiar person, perfect in every detail. It was only when Su Xingwei was asleep that Mu Wanyan could look at her like this without any pretense.
Just then, Su Xingwei suddenly opened her eyes.
There wasn’t the slightest trace of grogginess in those eyes after waking; they were clear and bright, staring straight at Mu Wanyan.
“Touching me secretly?” Su Xingwei’s tone rose at the end, amusement spreading through her eyes.
Mu Wanyan hurriedly pulled her hand back, her face hot. Like someone caught red-handed doing something shameful, she didn’t know where to look.
“You were pretending to sleep?”
Su Xingwei didn’t answer. Her gaze was as if she were looking at something interesting. After a moment, she let Mu Wanyan go, rolled over, and sat up.
“Help me get dressed.”
Su Xingwei said it as a matter of course.
She spread her arms wide, waiting for Mu Wanyan to serve her, completely acting like someone who only needed to hold out a hand for clothes and be fed water.
Mu Wanyan sighed helplessly. This Young Miss really knew how to order people around.
She kept her eyes lowered and didn’t look at Su Xingwei, focusing on unbuttoning her nightdress. Her movements were very slow, trying her best to avoid touching the other person’s body. Halfway through taking it off, she still accidentally touched something she shouldn’t have.
Mu Wanyan quickly withdrew her hand and apologized at once. “Sorry.”
The room fell silent for a few seconds before Su Xingwei finally spoke.
“You’re seducing me again.”
Mu Wanyan looked up sharply and met those smiling, not-quite-smiling eyes. Her face turned crimson, and for a long moment she couldn’t say a single word.
What did she mean, “again”?