GV – Chapter 84

Waking from an embarrassing dream, Ye Yuhuan opened her eyes to a scene no less embarrassing than the dream itself.

Song Zhiqing… how could she not be wearing any clothes!

Upholding the time-honored virtue of drunken amnesia, Ye Yuhuan had no idea that she had more or less acted out the events of her dream last night. Right now, she felt like a young maiden who had been violated; not screaming was the last shred of her composure.

With trembling hands, she closed Song Zhiqing’s completely open bathrobe. Ye Yuhuan took a deep breath; the bow she tied was still lopsided.

After fixing it, she scrambled out of bed and checked herself. She was still in last night’s clothes. Aside from being excessively wrinkled, nothing was amiss.

Thank goodness, no drunken debauchery.

Otherwise, it would have been such a shame—for their first time to be instigated by alcohol.

But recalling how she had kissed her as if she’d lost her mind last night, Ye Yuhuan couldn’t help but curse herself inwardly. Lust truly did cloud the mind.

Just then, Song Zhiqing, lying in bed, couldn’t find her human body pillow and let out a weak whimper.

Ye Yuhuan, who was in the middle of being flogged by her own moral compass, suddenly heard the victim’s voice and jumped back two meters in fright.

Then she realized this action wasn’t much wiser than her rash kiss last night. She slapped her forehead hard, hurried to the bedside to check on Song Zhiqing, and then discovered that Song Zhiqing’s weakness wasn’t from a hangover, but from being sick.

Her whole face was flushed red from fever, her brows tightly furrowed. Her hand was restlessly grasping at her side, but when it couldn’t find what it was looking for, her frown deepened.

Ye Yuhuan sat on the bed, gathered her into her arms, and reached out to feel Song Zhiqing’s forehead.

It was burning hot.

Suppressing the urge to call an ambulance right away, Ye Yuhuan changed Song Zhiqing into a spare set of clothes from the hotel room and carried her out of the hotel, where the Song family’s car was waiting at the entrance.

The driver standing by the car door was surprised to see that Miss Ye, who was usually so composed, was deathly pale today. She was carrying someone and walking with brisk, flying steps. Her slender frame looked so fragile it seemed it might collapse at any moment. He hurried over, wanting to take his young miss, but Ye Yuhuan refused his help, protecting Song Zhiqing firmly in her arms like a dragon guarding its treasure, and quickened her pace. After getting into the car, before she had even caught her breath, she said, “To the nearest hospital.”

“As fast as you can.”

Song Zhiqing had woken up while Ye Yuhuan was dressing her. The high fever left her completely dazed, unable to make sense of the situation.

She struggled to lift her head from Ye Yuhuan’s arms and asked, “Why are we going to the hospital?”

Song Zhiqing could feel that she was a little unwell, but she didn’t think it was serious enough to warrant a hospital visit.

“I’ll be fine after some medicine.”

Ye Yuhuan touched her forehead, her expression tense. She felt she was absolutely terrible. She knew Song Zhiqing was drunk and needed to be taken care of, yet she couldn’t control herself and did that. Ye Yuhuan did her best to soften her voice and explained to Song Zhiqing, “No, you have a fever. We have to go to the hospital.”

Song Zhiqing mumbled an “oh.” While they were talking, the car had already started moving. The changing scenery outside the window made her dizzy. She turned her head back, and the pitiful look on Ye Yuhuan’s face made her sigh. She reached out and smoothed the tense lines around Ye Yuhuan’s eyes. “Don’t worry, and don’t feel guilty. I’m the one who forgot to dry my hair last night.”

Plus, the air conditioning was on low, she hadn’t dried herself off properly, and she had a hangover. Getting sick was almost inevitable.

Ye Yuhuan pulled her hand down and held it in her own, saying dejectedly, “I should have taken good care of you, but instead I…”

Ye Yuhuan couldn’t bring herself to say the rest. Seeing this, Song Zhiqing squeezed her hand back. Her large eyes held a bright, cheerful light that even her illness couldn’t hide, making one feel that a part of her very soul was made of sunshine. Song Zhiqing said frankly, “It’s perfectly normal. After all, I was the one seducing you. If you did that to me, I wouldn’t be able to resist either.”

The driver, who had been concentrating on the road, had to pinch his thigh hard to resist the urge to slam on the accelerator. Is this something I can listen to without getting fired?

Ye Yuhuan’s mind was a little boggled by Song Zhiqing’s unconventional explanation. She glanced furtively at the driver, who was sitting bolt upright and pretending to be a block of wood, and reminded Song Zhiqing in a low voice, “We’re in public. Let’s not talk about this.”

How strange. Song Zhiqing used to be so incredibly innocent. How did she become so open now?

It was quite embarrassing.

Song Zhiqing noticed Ye Yuhuan’s discomfort. A soft, limp laugh rumbled from her fever-hoarse throat, and hearing it made the tips of Ye Yuhuan’s ears turn even redder.

Before she could ponder the meaning of Song Zhiqing’s laugh, the car stopped at the hospital entrance. Ye Yuhuan’s mind was immediately consumed with the task of getting medical attention. Her expression returned to normal, and she quickly got out of the car. When she tried to carry Song Zhiqing again, Song Zhiqing pushed her hands away and chided irritably, “Do you think you’re some kind of strongman? Carrying me, carrying me… It’s not like I can’t walk, honestly.”

With that, she hopped out of the car, her little leather shoes making a crisp sound on the asphalt. Ye Yuhuan belatedly let out an “oh,” feeling a strange sense of disappointment for some reason.

Although the high fever hadn’t robbed Song Zhiqing of her ability to move, she wasn’t as energetic as usual. She exuded an air of faint weakness.

Ye Yuhuan pursed her lips behind Song Zhiqing. She didn’t say anything more, just stepped forward and tightly gripped her lover’s hand.

Once inside the hospital, Ye Yuhuan bustled about for Song Zhiqing—waiting in line, registering, picking up medicine. Song Zhiqing was settled on a bench in the hospital lobby, watching the other girl hurry around. She felt as if Ye Yuhuan wished she could stick the needle into her vein that very second and let the medicine heal her. Song Zhiqing rested her chin on her hands. The high temperature inside her body blurred the world before her eyes, yet the figure at the center of her vision was as clear as if viewed through an 8x scope. She recalled how, when the doctor had just said she was neglecting her health, Song Zhiqing herself hadn’t reacted much, but the shame on Ye Yuhuan’s face had been practically overflowing. If there weren’t more things to do, Song Zhiqing suspected she would have found a corner to quietly bury herself in self-loathing.

Though it looks like she’s still loathing herself right now, she thought.

Song Zhiqing let out a sweet sigh.

Why doesn’t she care a little more about the feedback from the person involved?

Although, she is really cute like this.

Song Zhiqing was drowsily thinking about these things when she felt a familiar touch behind her knees.

Ah, has Ye Yuhuan gotten addicted to carrying people just because she’s a bit strong?

“Not really. I just like carrying you.”

When the voice entered her ears, Song Zhiqing realized with a start that she had said it out loud.

Since she was already being carried, there was no need to be coy. Song Zhiqing draped her arms loosely over Ye Yuhuan’s shoulders, turned her head, and buried her face in Ye Yuhuan’s chest, nuzzling comfortably. This made Ye Yuhuan’s hand, which was holding her thigh, tighten abruptly.

A light laugh escaped Song Zhiqing’s lips. She said languidly, “This is nothing.”

Ye Yuhuan, with her memory blackout, didn’t understand the words, but she sensed the lingering, unspoken meaning behind them. She grew inexplicably nervous, her eyelashes fluttering, unsure where to look.

Their flagrant behavior in a public place naturally attracted the attention of those around them. As they passed, who knows how many husbands’ and tops’ waists were mercilessly abused.

Most people sized up their own biceps and silently endured it. Only one guy, after eyeing his lover’s sturdy physique, swallowed and whispered, “Actually, I wouldn’t mind being the 0.”

Hearing this, his lover’s expression froze, and anger slowly rose in his eyes. “What do you mean by that?”

Not long after, sensational news broke out in the hospital about a gay couple having a passionate brawl in public. The two, who had come in for a cold, left the hospital with broken bones, sparking a debate about whether the 1/0 division in same-sex relationships excessively references traditional male-female dynamics. The internet was once again thrown into a bloody storm.

Of course, that was a story for later. For now, Ye Yuhuan and Song Zhiqing were completely unaware of the episode unfolding behind them. After placing Song Zhiqing onto a hospital bed, Ye Yuhuan seemed to let go of a great weight in her heart. Her whole body instantly relaxed, so much so that when she saw the needle pierce Song Zhiqing’s vein, she showed a complex mix of heartache and satisfaction.

The cold medicinal fluid flowed into her vein, gradually chilling her entire hand. Under this stimulation, Song Zhiqing’s drowsy mind began to clear. Watching the ever-so-diligent Ye Yuhuan sitting by her side, she started to notice more things.

Tsk, her clothes are wrinkled, her hair is a mess. If not for that face of hers, which naturally exudes an air of sophistication, anyone would have asked if she’d had a family emergency.

Song Zhiqing placed her chilled hand on the back of Ye Yuhuan’s to draw some warmth, while beckoning with her other, free hand for Ye Yuhuan to come closer.

To Ye Yuhuan’s surprise, Song Zhiqing carefully straightened her hair and smoothed the corners of her clothes—a gesture that was better than nothing. She muttered, “There was no need to rush around like this.”

Ye Yuhuan’s eyes curved into crescents. She mimicked Song Zhiqing’s earlier words, “It’s perfectly normal. After all, you’re the one who’s sick. If I were sick, you’d be just as anxious.”

After saying that, Ye Yuhuan widened her eyes in mock alarm. “I’m not just flattering myself, am I?”

Annoyed, Song Zhiqing messed up the bangs she had just tidied, but then quickly resigned herself to fixing them again.

“You’re just changing the subject!”

Ye Yuhuan just smiled without speaking. When Song Zhiqing was finally done, she straightened up. She had finally transformed from a forlorn puppy into a forlorn puppy that had been taken home and given a quick wash.

In the three-plus months they had been dating, Ye Yuhuan had already let down many of her guards around Song Zhiqing. When it came to revealing some of her flaws, she no longer hesitated.

Song Zhiqing’s gentleness and patience, which surpassed what one might expect for her age and background, played a large role in this process. However, considering this gentleness and patience were reserved solely for Ye Yuhuan, one couldn’t form an overly rosy estimation of Song Zhiqing’s overall character.

So, after a moment of deliberation, Ye Yuhuan asked, “What happened last night after I got drunk?”

Reading between the lines of what Song Zhiqing had said, it wasn’t hard for Ye Yuhuan to deduce that she hadn’t blacked out like she had. Similarly, reading between the lines, Ye Yuhuan could also tell that what happened last night was likely something out of the ordinary.

If they were still just in the ambiguous flirting stage, Song Zhiqing might have shyly covered everything up. But since they were already lovers, Song Zhiqing once again beckoned for Ye Yuhuan to lean in and vividly described in her ear what she had done to her the previous night.

Those words must have been made of fire, because Ye Yuhuan’s ears burned impossibly hot.

Ever since they started dating, they had consciously canceled their tradition of napping together, and the frequency of sleepovers at each other’s houses had also decreased significantly.

On one hand, the college entrance exams were approaching. On the other, they were in a delicate state of mind where it seemed like they could do anything, yet dared to do nothing due to their lack of experience.

So, last night could probably be considered a way of breaking the ice.

That was the only way Ye Yuhuan could console herself.

But when she remembered that she couldn’t recall a single thing, the consolation’s effectiveness was instantly reduced by ninety-nine percent.