Luring Her to Take the Bait - Chapter 13.2

But the distance between them wasn’t close enough, so she simply stood up, walked barefoot across the floor, and sat down right next to Fu Su, leaning against her.

Their arms touched, and Fu Su’s entire body tensed up.

“I can’t take it, Susu, look at this polar bear! It’s hilarious! It’s just sitting on the curb looking at the police. The caption is great too: ‘Small, helpless, and massive’ Hahahahaha!”

Their eyes met. Pei Wenjin’s eyes were watery, the tail end of her laughter lingering in the air. She saw a flash of surprise in Fu Su’s eyes and suddenly remembered the book in her hand and her preference for silence. The hand holding the phone instinctively retracted a bit.

The video continued to play.

Fu Su looked at Pei Wenjin, then leaned in slightly, lifting her cool chin to look at the screen just as the video looped back to the beginning.

It was only a dozen seconds long. From start to finish, her dark eyes showed no ripples of emotion. Her post-skincare skin was plump and luminous, snow-white and translucent, like an immortal without earthly desires.

Fu Su merely pressed her lips together and said softly, “Mm, I’ve seen it.”

“…Oh.” Pei Wenjin slowly pulled her hand back, cursing herself fiercely in her mind.

At first, she could sit properly on the sofa, but later, she became like someone without bones. She curled up her legs, resting her head on Fu Su’s shoulder, unconsciously ordering her around: “Susu, pass me the cup.”

“Thanks~”

Fu Su moved slightly, reaching out to hook the cup with her fingers. She didn’t say a word. After Pei Wenjin took it, she continued reading. The sound of pages turning through the air felt like tiny ants nibbling at her heart, dense and prickly.

Pei Wenjin had a bad habit: she liked to be physically close to people—limited, of course, to those she was close to. She included Fu Su in that category.

If she could hug, surely she could hold hands; if she could brush against her hand, she could surely lean on her shoulder. She couldn’t help but be bold, nesting beside her without permission, though she was actually terrified that Fu Su would reject her the next second.

However, the recurring caution always ended with her collapsing onto Fu Su’s shoulder in fits of laughter, her soft body trembling. Her hair had come undone unnoticed, and because of her lazy effort earlier, the ends were still damp.

They smelled of the same scent, like two cats grooming each other. Pei Wenjin squinted her eyes in content, rubbing against her like a kitten.

Just as she had longed for.

She had even come to accept about seventy to eighty percent of that overly heavy sandalwood fragrance.

Water droplets dampened the fabric over Pei Wenjin’s chest, but she was completely oblivious. Two points pressed loosely against her front, trembling slightly.

In this state, she still insisted on leaning in closer to Fu Su, pressing lightly against her waist and brushing her arm. As soon as she spoke, her breath carried the scent of milk: “Susu…”

Fu Susuddenly closed her book and stood up. She leaned over to pick up the mugs, her downward gaze cold. “I’m going back to my room. Go to bed early after you finish, and remember to dry your hair.”

“Goodnight.”

Pei Wenjin cupped her mug with both hands, quietly watching the departing figure. She could see the two butterfly bones slightly straining against the thin pajamas, looking as if they might take flight at any moment.

She rubbed the handle of the cup and said softly, “Goodnight, Susu.”

It was a long time before Pei Wenjin set the mug down. Both her palms were flushed red. She stared at her palms for a few seconds and exhaled softly.

She thought to herself: Maybe Susu only let me stay close out of politeness.

“Xiao Jin.” In the video call, Pei Yanhui’s brow twitched. “Already resting? This early?”

Another soft laugh. “You aren’t this well-behaved at home; you actually listen to Xiao Su.”

“I don’t.” Pei Wenjin glared at Pei Yanhui indignantly. “Why are you calling so late, Mother? You should be asleep by now.”

“Mm, true.” Pei Yanhui shifted her position, leaning against the headboard. She suddenly looked to her right, stayed silent for a few seconds, then turned back. “It was Xu who asked me to help pass a message to Xiao Su about how to boil raw milk. She was too embarrassed to disturb her this late…”

Before she could finish, Pei Yanhui was nudged on the shoulder. She smiled at the person beside her, the fine lines at the corners of her eyes full of indulgence.

“Xiao Su asked Xu where she buys her nightly milk, but she forgot to tell Xiao Su how to boil it. She was worried you’d get a stomach ache if you drank it wrong.”

Eh? What?

Pei Wenjin’s brain suddenly buzzed.

Pei Yanhui’s voice was low and slow: “Boil it over medium-low heat, stir slowly with a spoon during the process, and remove it from the heat just before it boils…”

Pei Wenjin didn’t hear a word of what came after. Her heart was thumping so hard it pushed all other sounds out of her ears.

She had assumed Fu Su also had the habit of drinking milk every night, especially since Fu Su hadn’t looked surprised when she brought her milk the previous night.

And that small milk pot—it didn’t look like it was bought today. They had come home together, and Susu hadn’t picked up any packages… Wait.

Pei Wenjin instantly scrambled off the bed and ran to the kitchen.

The camera shook violently. On the other end, Pei Yanhui didn’t notice and continued her word-for-word relay. When the light suddenly flared, she frowned and looked at the screen, only to see the ceiling.

“Xiao Jin, are you listening to me?”

There was no response from the other side.

“…Pei Wenjin, Pei Wenjin.”

Pei Yanhui lowered her voice and called twice more. Seeing no reaction, a breath of frustration caught in her chest.

She exhaled, trying to smooth her brow. Fine, whatever. The girl never listened anyway. She would just tell Fu Su later.

“Go to sleep. I’ll tell Fu Su later.” Pei Yanhui gave a few casual instructions and was about to hang up when she heard Pei Wenjin’s low mumble.

“There’s a label in the trash can…”

Pei Yanhui: “What?”

A rustling sound followed, like the friction of a plastic bag. Pei Wenjin’s face suddenly appeared on the screen, her eyes shining. She raised her voice and said, “Mother, the milk pot was just bought by Susu! It was used for the first time today!”

Pei Yanhui: “???”

“What nonsense are you talking about?”

“I’m saying, Susu boiled milk specifically for me today!”

“I’m so happy!”

Pei Yanhui: “…”

Pei Wenjin held her phone high, running circles around the living room as if chasing a non-existent tail. She let out small, muffled squeals of joy, repeating the action tirelessly.

Pei Yanhui could hardly bear to look at her. she shoved the phone into Pei Xu’s hand and rubbed her forehead in distress. The kid had turned stupid after getting married; who knew what she was getting so worked up about.

Forget it, forget it. Let her be happy. At least she wasn’t at home. Let her go pester her own wife.

Pei Xu, on the other hand, looked at her with a gentle expression. Pei Yanhui sighed lightly and, feeling a bit jealous, blocked the screen. “Don’t look at her, there’s nothing to see. Look at me, Xu.”

Pei Xu ignored her. Pei Yanhui simply hung up the call and pulled the other woman into her arms by the wrist.

By the time Pei Wenjin’s excitement died down, she realized the call had been disconnected for several minutes. She ran back to the kitchen to check the trash again. Seeing that the label was indeed there, her mood soared once more. She hopped and skipped back toward her room.

Just before entering, she stood on her tiptoes and crept over to Fu Su’s bedroom door. She stood there for a moment, suddenly finding that the big white door wasn’t so unacceptable anymore.

However, shortly after returning to her room, she came back to Fu Su’s door. She gently hung a plush charm on the doorknob.

It was a little grey-purple wolf cub.

Pei Wenjin flicked it, scrutinized it with narrowed eyes for a moment, and then left, satisfied.