GV – Chapter 85

After breaking the ice, Ye Yuhuan and Song Zhiqing’s relationship advanced by leaps and bounds. It was like researching a nuclear bomb—once you know something is feasible and there’s a certain amount of demand, its realization becomes inevitable.

As luck would have it, they also had the last summer vacation of their high school years.

And their parents weren’t home.

It was as if heaven itself had sliced the forbidden fruit, arranged it on a platter, and served it to them.

At first, they were still rather reserved, expanding their scope of exploration to below the neck. Song Zhiqing had some experience, so she got the hang of it quickly. As for Ye Yuhuan, due to the negative effects of her memory loss and her lingering guilt, she ended up being thoroughly teased by Song Zhiqing in the initial stage.

She was surprised to discover her voice could make so many strange and unusual sounds. And when Song Zhiqing was engrossed in kissing her body, she would often involuntarily feel a competitive urge to kiss her back.

So she kissed her back.

Perhaps the body also has a kind of memory. When she held that soft little thing in her mouth, Ye Yuhuan instinctively learned how to please it.

And Song Zhiqing’s reaction proved that her attempt was correct.

A top student who receives positive feedback will progress exceptionally fast. Soon, the initiative fell into Ye Yuhuan’s hands. The two of them familiarized themselves with each other’s bodies without any inhibitions, in Song Zhiqing’s bedroom and all over Ye Yuhuan’s house.

However, they had a tacit understanding not to rush into the final step, and they unspokenly decided to save it for the Qixi Festival.

As the first couple’s holiday since they started dating, it naturally required especially careful preparation.

Ye Yuhuan, who had already thrown all the Sheng Jing business onto Shen Wei, had an exceptional amount of free time. After confirming that she would be attending the same university as Song Zhiqing, her mood relaxed completely. Her days consisted of reading, eating, and Song Zhiqing, making Shen Wei, who was tearing pages off a farewell calendar while working overtime, grind her teeth in frustration.

Of course, Song Zhiqing was no exception. She pushed her album matters to after September, leaving her entire summer vacation for Ye Yuhuan, making Shen Wei, who was tearing pages off a farewell calendar while working overtime, green with envy.

The originally scheduled meeting time was nine in the morning. Ye Yuhuan had set her own alarm for seven-thirty, but she woke up at six-thirty.

Ye Yuhuan glanced at the time and tried to close her eyes again.

Five minutes later, she opened them.

The moment she thought about what would happen tonight, she couldn’t stop thinking about what would happen tonight. She thought about it until her face turned red, and kept thinking about it until her alarm went off.

Yes, she had just spent an hour idly thinking.

How utterly pathetic, Ye Yuhuan silently despised herself.

Then she quickly got out of bed and opened the window. The city had already woken up. Children on their way to cram school lingered around the breakfast stalls. White-collar workers with long commutes were already hurrying along the streets. Elderly men and women, finished with their morning exercises, strode spiritedly down the sidewalks carrying plastic swords and small speakers. The brilliant summer sun shone down fairly on everyone.

Watching all this, a smile unconsciously formed on Ye Yuhuan’s lips. Perhaps her leisurely life had put her in a benevolent state of mind. Lately, she was often moved by these ordinary scenes, as if these people and these events had a connection with her that was deeper than blood and bone. She was gradually integrating into this world she had once despised, all because this world had a Song Zhiqing in it.

She washed up, made herself breakfast, and then sat in front of the mirror and began to awkwardly do her makeup.

Just as Song Zhiqing’s appearance was attractive to her, Ye Yuhuan didn’t doubt that her own looks were part of what Song Zhiqing liked about her.

For this reason, she had started learning how to do makeup during this period. After several unspeakable failures, Ye Yuhuan was finally able to apply makeup that highlighted her features rather than detracting from them.

Of course, it was all simple makeup. After all, complex makeup was, frankly, equivalent to changing one’s face. But Ye Yuhuan was currently satisfied with her own face, and so was Song Zhiqing, the person she wanted to please.

Putting down the makeup brush, Ye Yuhuan carefully observed herself in the mirror. Only when she couldn’t find a single flaw did she go to pick out her clothes with satisfaction.

In reality, there wasn’t much to choose from. The sovereignty over her wardrobe had long been seized by Song Zhiqing. Song Zhiqing always complained that she dressed too casually, practically wasting that face of hers. Ye Yuhuan would listen to the lecture in silence and then generously hand over her closet.

This action had indeed hit Song Zhiqing’s sweet spot perfectly. She almost immediately stuffed set after set of clothes into Ye Yuhuan’s closet. But judging by the quantity and the variety of coordinated styles, one could tell that Song Zhiqing had been preparing for this “Miracle Huanhuan” game for a long time.

And today’s outfit had been sent to Ye Yuhuan by Song Zhiqing in coded form last night.

She went downstairs ten minutes early, but Song Zhiqing was even earlier. Upon seeing her, she immediately ran over, complaining, “I was about to go up and get you.”

Ye Yuhuan smiled and took Song Zhiqing’s hand. Their matching sleeves stuck together, making it impossible to tell whose was whose.

“I’ll be earlier next time.”

Song Zhiqing absolutely loved how Ye Yuhuan went along with everything she wanted. She gave her lover a heavy kiss on the cheek as a reward and pulled her toward the car.

“Let me tell you, this mountain resort is super nice. You can fish, swim, and go boating. And there’s a hot spring in the room.”

Ye Yuhuan let out an appreciative “wow,” so Song Zhiqing continued even more enthusiastically, “After we get there and have lunch, let’s go boating. Then at night, we can watch a movie. The home theater in the villa is huge.”

The two of them got into the car as they talked. On the way, Song Zhiqing was still talking nonstop. Although she wasn’t a taciturn person, it was rare for her to be this talkative.

Ye Yuhuan sensitively perceived that Song Zhiqing was nervous.

Phew. Ye Yuhuan breathed a sigh of relief—it seemed she wasn’t the only one who was nervous.

However, Ye Yuhuan’s way of showing nervousness wasn’t talking frantically, but not knowing what to say at all. After she replied with a single-syllable particle for the fifth time, Song Zhiqing raised an eyebrow, questioning her with her eyes.

Hey, I didn’t call you out!

Forget it, she didn’t notice.

Ye Yuhuan resignedly surrendered her white flag. In an overly calm tone, she said, “Sorry, I’m a little nervous.”

Celebrating a holiday and going on vacation with your lover is of course nothing to be nervous about—unless it’s not just that.

Song Zhiqing stammered back, “Wh-what’s there to be nervous about!”

But her own face turned red.

They spent the second half of the drive in a tense silence. The sweat seeping from each other’s palms intensified the tension, making the silence even deeper.

What could they say?

They both knew what the other was thinking about now. And they knew the other was only thinking about that one thing.

So what could they say about it?

Discuss it? Or exchange ideas?

Either way would be too abrupt.

So they got out of the car without a word, walked into the resort villa without a word, and put away their luggage without a word.

When there was really nothing left to do, Ye Yuhuan turned to Song Zhiqing and said softly, “Go boating?”

Song Zhiqing shot her a look. “I clearly said we’d eat first!”

“Ah, right!” Ye Yuhuan nodded. “Let’s go, I happen to be hungry too.”

And so, the surging wave between them subsided beneath the calm surface, becoming an undercurrent, secretly gathering strength with every shared glance.

For lunch, they ate the resort’s famous fish. It was delicious—the fish soup was rich and fragrant, the steamed fish was smooth and tender, and the pan-fried fish was flavorful. Paired with seasonal vegetables purchased from the surrounding villages, it could be called an excellent meal.

After taking a walk to aid their digestion, the two went boating as planned.

Although it was summer, the terrain and the lush forest canopy kept it from feeling hot. It was said that this place used to be a summer retreat for the children of noble families. Due to war, all the buildings were destroyed. Decades later, after the domestic economy revived, someone built this resort on the original site.

The boatman told them these old stories. Song Zhiqing knew some of them, but this boatman told them in a rather interesting way. He was especially familiar with every blade of grass and every tree in the resort, rattling off various anecdotes about people and places with ease. He made the things Song Zhiqing had once found dull and boring sound captivating, making her feel as if she were hearing them for the first time.

“Take that big tree in our resort, for example. Don’t think it’s nothing special besides being old. Legend has it that Xiao Cheng planted it with his own hands after becoming the top scholar in the imperial examinations!”

Xiao Cheng, a famous minister of his generation who took up a whole page in the history books.

Hearing this, Song Zhiqing excitedly shook Ye Yuhuan’s arm. “Let’s go see that tree later!”

Before Ye Yuhuan could nod, they heard the boatman’s puzzled voice. “Didn’t you two just come from over by the tree? It’s so big, you couldn’t have missed it.”

“Ah…”

Actually, it wasn’t just the tree.

If the boatman had asked them to repeat the stories he had just told, Ye Yuhuan and Song Zhiqing wouldn’t have been able to recount a single thing.

In the end, the undercurrent had swept away all their thoughts.

Seeing their expressions, the boatman smiled understandingly. A hint of mischief appeared in his world-weary eyes, and he started rowing the boat much faster.

They returned to the villa before the sun had set, not even realizing it was much earlier than they had expected.

After ordering dinner, the two looked at each other.

Ye Yuhuan said, “I’m going to take a shower.”

Song Zhiqing: “Ah, isn’t it too early?”

Ye Yuhuan: “Huh? Isn’t it supposed to be after the movie?”

“…”

“…”

“Ahem!”

“I’m going to shower!”

“Me too!”

After taking a shower long enough to make any southerner frantic, the two of them, flushed and glowing, met in the dining room. They finished the meal, lost in thought.

“Watch a movie?”

“Watch a movie!”

The villa’s home theater took up a third of the second floor. It was indeed as large as Song Zhiqing had said. But Ye Yuhuan’s first thought upon seeing its size was: It’ll definitely take a long time to get back to the bedroom, won’t it?

Fortunately, the darkness hid the blush on her ears.

Song Zhiqing chose a classic romance film. To be honest, there weren’t many movies she could remember at the moment. Damn it, I even made a whole list before we came.

This movie, just like the scenery during the day and the stories from the boatman’s mouth, failed to capture the attention of either viewer. The darkness bolstered their courage and heightened their desire.

The main characters hadn’t even met yet, but the audience in front of the screen was already kissing.

They naturally stripped off their clothes, a step they were familiar with.

The next step was unfamiliar.

When the male and female leads were dancing to the song, Song Zhiqing suddenly realized, Oh, so I picked La La Land.

Ye Yuhuan noticed she was distracted, so she applied a little more force as she kissed her way down. Soon, Song Zhiqing couldn’t think about anything at all, only the feeling of their intimate contact deepening and going further.

Ye Yuhuan burned over her entire body like a fire. Song Zhiqing was at a loss and at times even had the urge to cry. So embarrassing. Did Ye Yuhuan secretly study up on this?

The wool carpet was soaked. Song Zhiqing’s hands powerlessly curled, tightened, and then relaxed. She was completely defenseless against this strange pleasure.

And Ye Yuhuan?

Ah, she was licking the most delicious little cake in the world.