Chapter 36

Wen Xihan's lips were thin, yet incredibly soft. Just the simple act of them touching required Ruan Xinyi immense self-control to resist the temptation to take it a step further.

It was a kiss laced with the scent of alcohol.

The cool fragrance of the woman enveloped Ruan Xinyi's senses, mingling with the faint aroma of wine, creating an indescribable sweetness.

Ruan Xinyi held the back of Wen Xihan's head with one hand, glancing at the still somewhat dazed Wen Xihan, who was slow to react. It was hard to suppress her thoughts, and cautiously, she parted her lips, tentatively capturing the enticing lower lip before her.

The warmth was intoxicating, and the scent of wine intensified between their lips.

Upon further savoring, Ruan Xinyi recognized that this was the red wine Qi Jingning had been saving for nearly half a year. It had a rich depth, aged enough to have a slight bitterness, yet a lingering sweetness that was smooth and long-lasting.

At this moment, the prolonged sweetness clearly overshadowed the bitterness, blending together as if undergoing a long fermentation process between their lips. The taste of wine became more pronounced, and the lingering effects surged uncontrollably.

Like a bamboo shoot breaking through the ground¹, it was sudden and overwhelming.

Ruan Xinyi prided herself on her drinking capacity, usually able to maintain control, but she rarely felt tipsy this quickly.

Of course, it was more than just tipsy now; there was a strange exhilaration guiding her, urging her to indulge more, to push the boundaries further. This mere taste was akin to drinking poison to quench thirst², igniting a burning desire within her.

This feeling was quite reminiscent of that night...

Taking a deep breath, Ruan Xinyi reluctantly pulled back a little.

As their lips parted, the glistening crimson of Wen Xihan's lips was particularly enticing, especially the hint of dew at the corners.

With her eyes slightly narrowed, Ruan Xinyi pressed her forehead against Wen Xihan's, instinctively pulling her closer.

Wen Xihan's breath was slightly labored, mingled with a faint scent of wine. With each inhale and exhale, the pleasant cool fragrance rushed into Ruan Xinyi's nostrils, making her throat feel both hoarse and dry.

Ruan Xinyi lowered her head slightly, her lips brushing against Wen Xihan's delicate nose.

In the dimly lit car, neither could see the other's expression.

Yet Ruan Xinyi could distinctly feel her own breath was hot, making her palms feel feverishly warm.

"Ruan Xinyi." As Wen Xihan's awareness gradually returned, she leaned back slightly, placing her hand on Ruan Xinyi's shoulder, trying to keep her at bay.

Wen Xihan were putting in futile efforts.

Ruan Xinyi gently nudged Wen Xihan's forehead and whispered, "I'm sorry."

Wen Xihan was taken aback for a moment, and the next second, her hot lips pressed against Ruan Xinyi's.

Compared to their previous innocent touches, this time Ruan Xinyi was much bolder.

She held the back of Wen Xihan's head, no longer restraining herself, pushing her down onto the seat and kissing her with raw and sincere intensity.

Yet, that one boundary, Ruan Xinyi hesitated for a long time before daring to cross it.

The taste of alcohol lingered between their lips, sometimes strong, sometimes faint, but Ruan Xinyi could clearly feel the intoxicating effect intensifying, her head spinning, her thoughts lagging behind, making her actions feel like a half-dream, as if veiled in gauze, ethereal and unreal.

But strangely, the softness of their lips felt so real.

Wen Xihan tilted her head slightly, parting her lips, and moved away from Ruan Xinyi's heated kiss.

She half-held and half-gripped the fabric on Ruan Xinyi's shoulder, her voice trembling slightly, "Ruan Xinyi, do you know what you're doing?"

"I know." Ruan Xinyi exhaled slowly, her tone husky, "I'm kissing you."

"I'm sorry, sister, I kissed you without your permission."

Wen Xihan didn't respond, and after a two-second silence, she gently pushed Ruan Xinyi away and said softly, "Ruan Xinyi, you're drunk."

"..." Now it was Ruan Xinyi's turn to be dumbfounded.

Even she hadn't expected Wen Xihan to use such a clumsy excuse to respond to her.

Leaning back against the seat, Ruan Xinyi covered her face with her hand and forced a smile, "Yeah, I'm drunk. Just treat everything I say as drunken nonsense, sister."

Wen Xihan stared at her, her peach blossom eyes dark and inscrutable.

After a while, Ruan Xinyi propped herself up and leaned closer to Wen Xihan, "But sister, you must have heard that saying, 'drunken words are true.'"

Wen Xihan rubbed her temples, slightly pursing her plump lips, showing a disinclination to engage in further conversation with Ruan Xinyi, "It's getting late."

Ruan Xinyi quickly pressed down on Wen Xihan's hand as she reached for the door, but when she met the depths of Wen Xihan's gaze, she immediately flinched and let go, almost instinctively saying, "It's indeed late; we should go to sleep."

"…"

There's a moment of silence.

Realizing that her words had a bit of ambiguity, Ruan Xinyi cleared her throat and added, "I meant that I have to work tomorrow, so I should sleep early tonight."

Wen Xihan replied flatly, "You are indeed drunk."

That light remark left Ruan Xinyi feeling choked, her ears turning red. After a few seconds of hesitation, she decided to go all in and asked, "Yeah, I'm drunk. So, can you stay with me tonight, sister?"

Wen Xihan's slightly swollen lips slowly uttered two words: "No."

Ruan Xinyi was not surprised by the expected answer. She touched her noticeably warm ears and looked out the car window, her beautifully delicate profile exuding a serious demeanor as she sighed, "The moon is quite round tonight."

Wen Xihan looked up at the sky and then realized she had been tricked by this little rascal again; the sky was covered with thick, dark clouds, and there was no moon to be seen, not even a single star!

The culprit smiled mischievously, her eyes sparkling with warmth.

Not wanting to deal with her, Wen Xihan opened the car door and got out.

Ruan Xinyi quickly followed, taking two quick steps to walk beside Wen Xihan and handed her the car keys.

"Thank you," Wen Xihan said softly.

A cool breeze blew directly at Ruan Xinyi's exposed skin on her neck, causing goosebumps to rise visibly.

Ruan Xinyi squeezed her slightly sore shoulder, lowering her gaze to hide her emotions, and replied in the same tone, "You're welcome, sister."

Wen Xihan paused imperceptibly for a moment, glancing at Ruan Xinyi before quickly looking away.

"Ding—"

As they exited the elevator, just as Wen Xihan was about to open the door, Ruan Xinyi suddenly called out to her, "Sister."

With her hand still on the doorknob, a warm body suddenly pressed against her from behind.

It was Ruan Xinyi hugging her from behind, resting her chin on Wen Xihan's shoulder.

Ruan Xinyi seemed to really enjoy this embrace; they had fallen asleep like this that night, their skin touching, their ears brushing against each other...

"Shh." Ruan Xinyi leaned close to Wen Xihan's ear, her voice soft and gentle, "Don't move, let me hold you for a while, okay?"

Ruan Xinyi chuckled softly and continued, "Just treat me as if I'm drunk, saying all sorts of nonsense."

"Even though there's no moon tonight, I've seen the most beautiful moonlight."

"Sister." Ruan Xinyi released her hold and took a step back, "Good night."

"Ruan Xinyi." Wen Xihan turned around, the corridor's light casting a soft glow on her deep-set eyes, making her peach blossom eyes brim with tenderness, even her usually cold and distant gaze softened, as if filled with unspoken affection.

As her gaze slid past the woman's alluring, rosy lips, Ruan Xinyi smirked and returned to her playful tone, half-threatening, "Sister, if you keep looking at me like that, it might not just be a simple kiss I want..."

Wen Xihan shot Ruan Xinyi a disapproving glance, then silently stepped aside, avoiding the warm light pouring down from above.

Ruan Xinyi chuckled, but mindful of Wen Xihan, she stifled her laughter after a couple of giggles.

"Creek—"

Wen Xihan pushed the door open, leaving behind the words, "Don't be late for work tomorrow," as she slipped inside.

Ruan Xinyi stood outside for a few minutes, extending her right hand to watch the light filtering through her fingers, unable to suppress a smile.

She certainly wouldn't be late, but that one person who had been cutting it close for several days might not be so lucky.

Once inside, Ruan Xinyi picked up a glass and walked to the water dispenser, just as her phone rang unexpectedly.

Setting the glass down at the water outlet, Ruan Xinyi pulled her phone from her bag and glanced at the caller ID; it was Qi Jingning.

“Busy?” As soon as the call connected, Qi Jingning asked nonchalantly, her cautious tone as if she were afraid of disrupting something important on the other end.

Ruan Xinyi curved her lips slightly and replied with mock seriousness, “Not busy.”

“Oh.” Qi Jingning seemed relieved—whether from gladness or something else wasn’t clear. “Then, what are you doing right now?”

Ruan Xinyi filled half a cup of water, the sound of it gurgling audibly. She raised the cup, blew gently over the rising steam, and took a slow sip. “Drinking water.”

The water was a bit too hot, leaving her tongue slightly numb. Frowning, she swallowed the water and was about to dilute it with some cold water when she changed her mind. Holding the cup, she headed straight to the kitchen.

Hearing the sound of water pouring, Qi Jingning pressed on, “You’re back home now?”

“Mm, just got here not long ago.” Ruan Xinyi opened the fridge, took out an ice tray, and began carefully picking up ice cubes with a pair of tongs.

“Xinyi,” Qi Jingning finally asked the question that had been on her mind for most of the day, “Do you live close to each other?”

Ruan Xinyi replied nonchalantly, “Pretty close—same community, even the same building.”

Without much thought, Qi Jingning remarked casually, “What a coincidence. Her sister’s daughter lives in that community too.”

Since this wasn’t her main concern at the moment, Qi Jingning only mentioned it offhandedly as a segue to lead into her real question.

Similarly, Ruan Xinyi didn’t dwell on it, assuming that the “sister’s daughter” Qi Jingning mentioned was likely a five- or six-year-old child. That “sister” must be a distant cousin or relative of Wen Xihan, someone she didn’t interact with much—otherwise, she wouldn’t have been staying at a hotel back then or hanging out at a bar late into the weekend.

“So, Xinyi, I wanted to ask: what exactly is your opinion of our Xihan?” That “our” subtly hinted at Qi Jingning’s stance.

Ruan Xinyi chuckled and asked in return, “Would you like to hear the truth, Sister Jingning?”

“Go ahead.”

“In my opinion, she’s just like her name, Wen Xihan. She appears a bit approachable on the surface, but deep down, she’s the opposite—cold and distant.”

As Ruan Xinyi spoke, she picked up another cup, dropped in a few ice cubes, and then lifted the still-steaming water cup. Slowly, she poured the hot water along the rim into the other cup. “To melt the ice cubes in the cup, you can pour hot water into it, or you can put the ice directly into the cup of hot water. Of course, you can also do nothing and just let the ice melt slowly on its own.”

Her tone was steady yet carried a trace of determination. “Sister Jingning, I won’t force her. Warm on the outside but cold on the inside—eventually, it’ll melt, won’t I?”

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1. 势如破竹 (Like a bamboo shoot breaking through the ground.) - This phrase conveys a sense of unstoppable momentum or progress, often used to describe a situation that advances rapidly and effortlessly. Here, it illustrates how quickly Ruan Xinyi's feelings and desires escalate in the moment.

2. 饮鸩止渴 (Drinking poison to quench thirst.) - It describes a self-destructive action taken to alleviate a pressing need or desire, which ultimately leads to worse consequences. In this context, it reflects Ruan Xinyi's struggle with her overwhelming desire for Wen Xihan, suggesting that merely tasting her lips is not enough and could lead to greater emotional turmoil.

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