A Time-Limited Romance with Movie Queen Ex - Chapter 21

The summer night’s drizzle pattered softly, growing heavier by the minute.

Luo Mijin was lost in the softness and warmth of the woman’s lips, their body temperatures rising as the sound of rain mingled with the rustle of falling clothes, the friction of hair, and increasingly intimate, wet sounds.

They pressed against each other with unparalleled closeness, every curve of their bodies fitting together seamlessly, leaving no gap between them.

After a long while, Rong Qingyao finally rested her head on Luo Mijin’s shoulder, separating them slightly as she caught her breath. “The rain seems to be getting heavier. Should we go back?”

Her voice was light and tender, carrying a hint of reluctance, an unspoken sign of insatiable satisfaction.

“No need,” Luo Mijin murmured, her eyes glistening with excitement. “The stars look even better in the rain.”

She brushed aside her damp silver bangs and, like a magician, pressed a wooden button on the rooftop unfolding a transparent umbrella in the rain.

Then, Luo Mijin ducked under the umbrella and looked up at Rong Qingyao with soft, obedient eyes.

“Senior Qingyao, come share the shelter and make friends with the stars.”

For some reason, meeting Luo Mijin’s utterly sincere gaze, Rong Qingyao hesitated.

“The umbrella is too small.”

She wavered was she really allowed to have this?

But Luo Mijin stretched out her hand resolutely. “But my stars really want to be friends with you too.”

After a long struggle, Rong Qingyao even considered turning away, convinced she didn’t deserve this. Yet, she yielded to Luo Mijin’s unwavering, tender gaze and stepped under the transparent umbrella.

Rainwater cascaded along the edges of the umbrella, enclosing them in an isolated crystal dome.

Luo Mijin tilted her head up. “See? It’s much clearer now. No matter where I go, these stars will always be in the sky with me. And from now on, they’ll be with you too.”

Within her existed another beautiful world, drifting alone through the cosmos and she wanted to invite Rong Qingyao to wander it with her.

“Yeah, it’s very clear,” Rong Qingyao murmured, staring at Luo Mijin. A brief moment of distraction gave way to an even stronger sense of impending loss.

“Being with you feels so good, so good I don’t even know how to describe it. That’s why I wanted to bring you here.” Luo Mijin’s gaze burned with a warmth that could dispel the shadows in Rong Qingya’s heart. “I think you’re even better than the stars.”

No one knew when the rain stopped, nor could Rong Qingyao remember when she had fallen asleep.

Curled up together under the transparent umbrella, bathed in a faint blue glow, they looked like two mushrooms nestled close in slumber.

The next morning dawned clear. As they descended from the second floor and passed the bar’s liquor cabinet again, Luo Mijin pulled out two old handheld consoles and replaced their batteries.

“These are the gaming consoles my sister and I saved up to buy as kids. Grandpa wouldn’t let us play, so we hid them here. There’s only one game, an electronic sheep adventure. We can play together.”

The screen flickered to life, and Rong Qingyao saw a fluffy, pixelated sheep happily bouncing across a digital grassland. Missing one horn, it looked nothing like a creature from the real world.

Yet the sheep’s cheerful grin mirrored Luo Mijin’s own childlike innocence.

Instinctively, Rong Qingyao wanted to refuse. She had already received too many things that tied her to Luo Mijin.

She had always been adept at restraining her desires, strictly commanding herself to pursue only what was necessary and essential, rather than what her flawed genetic instincts craved.

Yet for the first time, she became aware of a longing within herself, unfamiliar and beyond imagination.

Strangely enough, Luo Mijin seemed to pick up on this desire, like a radio drifting through space suddenly tuning into an FM frequency.

“Here, you can have it. We can play together tonight, there’s even a ranking system.”

Rong Qingyao hesitated.

“Game consoles break faster if you don’t use them,” Luo Mijin said, placing the console in Rong Qingya’s arms. “I’ll show you how to turn it on. We can start a match right now.”

On the screen, the electronic sheep had been replaced by a white nine-tailed fox. Rong Qingyao gave Luo Mijin a questioning look.

“I thought a fox suited you better.”

**

Rong Qingyao still had classes that morning. To avoid being late, Luo Mijin dug out her long-unused electric scooter, replaced the battery, and took Rong Qingyao back to campus.

Sitting behind her with a helmet on, Rong Qingyao wrestled with herself for a long moment before finally wrapping her arms around Luo Mijin’s waist.

“I didn’t know you could ride a motorcycle?”

The asphalt road outside the city was lined with tall deciduous trees, their leaves rustling in the wind. The distant riverbank carried the sweet scent of orange blossoms.

As the motorcycle sped past, the summer morning breeze lifted the falling petals, white and abundant.

“Yeah, I learned in secret,” Luo Mijin’s voice melted into the wind, crisp and free like an ice-cold soda. “Actually, I also want to learn how to drive a sled.”

Her white T-shirt was bathed in the thick summer light, her silver hair flying youthful and radiant, as if she were glowing from within.

“To see the Northern Lights?”

“Yeah.”

With unspoken understanding, they parked the scooter a short distance from the school gate. Luo Mijin shook out her hair after removing her helmet, watching Rong Qingyao cradle the game console with her usual quiet elegance.

“Senior Qingya, I have to catch a flight back to the hotel in that city. If they find out I snuck out, the consequences would be serious.”

“Alright, be safe,” Rong Qingyao bit her lip, her eyes under the shade of the trees brimming with tender light.

“I’ll message you.”

Luo Mijin checked the time, reluctant to leave, before riding off toward the airport. Behind her, Rong Qingyao stood motionless, watching until she disappeared completely.

The game console in her arms was a reminder of what had happened the day before. Only after Luo Mijin was truly gone did Rong Qingyao finally turn toward the school.

Under the dappled shadows of the plane trees, she found herself staring at the screen, watching the nine-tailed fox lazily flick its tail.

This person didn’t need to try to shine, she was dazzling by nature. Yet she preferred to hide in solitude. Luo Mijin could have chosen anyone better, but she had chosen her.

The overwhelming happiness of being loved, of being deliberately chosen, struck Rong Qingya, making her heart long dormant, pound fiercely in her chest.

She glanced at the time, silently counting down until Luo Mijin would send her a message.

Unconsciously, the corners of her lips curved upward until her phone vibrated.

It was a message from her creditor.

In an instant, the world cracked open, swallowing her whole again.

[When are you paying back the money for your mother’s funeral? And the flights she took to Country M, do I need to remind you of all those unpaid bills?]

The remaining text messages were filled with staggering debt figures and all sorts of vile threats.

Every word served as a reminder that she couldn’t afford to relax, let alone enjoy romance.

She slipped the phone into her backpack, her hands trembling slightly as she gripped the game console.

Just then, the electronic lamb appeared on the screen.

It nuzzled the nine-tailed fox, speech bubbles popping up above its head.

[Senior, I’ve arrived at the airport. It’s so crowded.]

[Want to play a round right now?]

[Senior, would you come see the aurora with me someday… if you have time?]

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