Achieving A Happy Ending With The Tragic Female Lead [Quick Transmigration] - Chapter 54

The unfamiliar and somewhat uncomfortable environment meant Su Mi didn’t sleep very well. Fortunately, Lin Nanyue was by her side, holding her brought a sense of peace.

As dawn broke, Su Mi opened her eyes. Only the thinnest inner layer of the curtains had been drawn the night before, allowing a hazy light to filter into the room.

Lin Nanyue was still asleep, her fair face serene, her long lashes casting faint shadows like crow feathers.

Fearing she might catch a cold during the night, Su Mi had tucked the quilt tightly around her back, leaving only her head exposed.

Su Mi touched her forehead, her temperature was normal. She lay on her side, watching her quietly for a while, then sat up as carefully as possible to avoid waking her.

She walked to the window and glanced at the sky before pulling the curtains, it was still a gloomy, overcast day. The temperature seemed to have dropped slightly, feeling colder than it had in Lincheng.

When she finished washing up and stepped out of the bathroom, Lin Nanyue was still asleep but had shifted positions. A slender arm was stretched out from under the covers, and one leg was sprawled haphazardly over the quilt.

Su Mi walked over, intending to cover her back up. She tucked the warm arm back inside, but her gaze lingered on the pale leg for a moment. After a brief hesitation, she reached out and touched the smooth, soft skin.

The silkiness under her palm felt nostalgic. She couldn’t resist giving it a light squeeze, which elicited a half-awake whimper from Lin Nanyue.

After a rustle of blankets, Lin Nanyue propped herself up slightly, looking at her with bleary eyes while shifting her leg within Su Mi’s grasp.

Without a hint of embarrassment at being caught red-handed, Su Mi naturally let go and leaned over her.

“Not sleeping anymore?”

Lin Nanyue’s senses hadn’t fully returned. It took her a moment to process the question before responding, “No more sleep.”

Despite saying so, she drifted back down and kept her eyes half-closed.

Su Mi found it amusing and patted her face. “Sleep if you want to, it’s still early.”

Just as Su Mi prepared to get up and leave, there was movement behind her, and she was suddenly hugged around the waist.

“Professor Su, are you going back today?” Lin Nanyue’s voice was still raspy from sleep.

Su Mi held the hands around her waist, which were much warmer than her own and countered, “When are you going back?”

Lin Nanyue buried her face in Su Mi’s back, breathing in her faint scent, and remained silent for a long time.

Su Mi didn’t rush her, just sat there waiting.

“I might… have to stay a few extra days.” Lin Nanyue couldn’t stop worrying about her mother. Based on past experience, if those two at home couldn’t get what they wanted from her, they would take it out on her mother.

Su Mi said, “Then I’ll wait and go back with you.”

Though she had anticipated this answer, Lin Nanyue still felt a surge of joy. She tightened her hug.

She looked up. “Is that really okay? Won’t it delay your other business?”

Su Mi turned her head, a brow arched. “Why use such high-sounding excuses? Do you not want me to stay?”

Hearing her own usual phrasing coming from Su Mi’s mouth, Lin Nanyue felt a bit shy. She thought to herself that Professor Su was quite the vengeful one and that she should watch her words more carefully in the future.

At that moment, Su Mi’s phone vibrated on the table. Su Mi patted her hand.

Lin Nanyue obediently let go, shook her head to clear the cobwebs while Su Mi walked away, and then got out of bed to wash up.

Su Mi picked up the phone to find her mother calling.

After some brief concern about where she had stayed last night, which Su Mi brushed off with a vague excuse. Su Mother moved on to another topic.

“Mi Mi, give us the truth. What’s going on between you and Xiao Qian?” Su Mother’s tone was uncharacteristically serious.

Su Mi instinctively glanced toward the bathroom before replying, “What could possibly be going on between us?”

“You didn’t show up last night, and he kept pestering your father and me with questions,” Su Mother said.

In the past, Fang Qian would politely ask about their daughter, but never with the intensity he showed last night. After returning home, Su Mi’s parents had talked it over and sensed something was off.

“I don’t like my business being known by outsiders, and I have no relationship with him whatsoever,” Su Mi said, spotting Lin Nanyue stepping out of the bathroom. “Mom, I have something to do. Let’s talk later.”

Su Mother didn’t press further.

After hanging up, Su Mi put her phone down and noticed the lollipops on the table, the ones the little girl had given her last night. She’d forgotten to tell Lin Nanyue.

Lin Nanyue had only caught the tail end of the conversation, something about a “relationship.” She knew better than to pry into others’ privacy, even if that person was her…

Lin Nanyue suddenly froze, realizing they hadn’t officially “confirmed” their relationship yet.

Su Mi walked over and flicked the dazed girl’s forehead. “What’s wrong?”

Coming back to her senses, Lin Nanyue licked her lower lip, her eyes shifting with hesitation.

Seeing her look like she wanted to speak, Su Mi found it entertaining and deliberately didn’t ask, turning instead to grab clean clothes.

Lin Nanyue followed her like a shadow, trying to speak several times before finally tugging at Su Mi’s hem.

Su Mi turned around with the clothes and chuckled. “What is it? You’ve been thinking about it for so long.”

Lin Nanyue leaned in, her voice cautious. “Professor Su, are we… officially in a relationship now?”

Su Mi hadn’t expected her to be agonizing over that. She asked, “Lin Nanyue, do I look like the type of person who just shares a bed with anyone?”

Lin Nanyue shook her head vigorously. “So, we are girlfriends now?”

She had never dated anyone before. Her knowledge of relationships between girls was limited to hearsay and some very recent research.

“Yes,” Su Mi said, suddenly leaning down to peck her on the lips. “Girlfriend, does it feel real now?”

Lin Nanyue pursed her lips and nodded, her face flushing red.

Su Mi handed her a set of clothes, and they turned their backs to each other to change. The clothes bought by the landlady were mostly loose, generic styles, they were a bit baggy on Lin Nanyue but fit Su Mi just right.

Lin Nanyue looked at her long pant legs, thinking she’d change them once they got back to her place.

Once dressed, Su Mi tied her hair back, tucking a stray strand behind her ear. She looked much softer as she turned to Lin Nanyue.

“I’m going to see my grandmother later. Do you want to come with me?” Lin Nanyue asked.

Su Mi agreed without hesitation. “Sure.”

Before leaving the room, Su Mi handed the various flavored lollipops to Lin Nanyue. “Part of your ‘stolen goods’ has been returned.”

Lin Nanyue looked at them and remembered something. “These seem to be the flavors she doesn’t like.”

Su Mi teased, “It seems you didn’t cater to her tastes well enough.”

“I was in a rush! I just grabbed a handful from the shop next door,” Lin Nanyue defended herself quietly. She unwrapped one, popped it into her mouth, and stuffed the rest into her pocket.

It was only 7:00 AM when they went downstairs. A younger girl had replaced the landlady at the front desk and was currently napping.

They stepped outside together. The wind was slightly chilly. The streets were empty, and few shops were open. Worried about rain, Lin Nanyue led Su Mi quickly toward her home.

Because they were both women, holding hands in public didn’t attract much attention.

Her grandmother’s house was on the outskirts of town, near the fields. When they arrived, the courtyard was empty, and no one answered when they called out inside.

Lin Nanyue called her grandmother’s phone, only to hear it ringing inside the house. A neighbor poked their head out and told her that her grandmother had gone to the market early that morning.

Relieved, Lin Nanyue brought Su Mi inside. First, she threw their wet clothes from the night before into the washing machine.

“Professor Su, what do you want for breakfast?” Back in her own home, Lin Nanyue took on the role of the host.

Su Mi replied, “Anything is fine.”

“I’ll change into shorter pants first and then cook. Do you want to come up to my room?”

Su Mi naturally agreed.

Passing through the living room, Lin Nanyue saw a bowl of washed cherries on the table. She grabbed them on the way up. “These are probably from the cherry tree behind the house. You can snack on them if you’re hungry.”

Because her grandmother had trouble with stairs, the second floor was Lin Nanyue’s domain. The room was small but very neat, clearly well-maintained.

She set the cherries on the desk and had Su Mi sit in the chair while she went to find a change of clothes. When she returned, she saw Su Mi looking at her phone, the bowl of cherries untouched.

“Not eating?”

Su Mi looked at the cherries and popped one into her mouth.

“How is it? Sweet?” Lin Nanyue asked, still sucking on the lollipop.

“Don’t you want to try one yourself?”

Lin Nanyue pointed to the candy in her mouth. “But my mouth is full of this flavor right now.”

“What flavor is it?”

Lin Nanyue took the stick out of her mouth. “Do you want to taste it?” She reached for the other lollipops in her pocket.

“Sure.”

Before the words fully landed, Su Mi had already pulled her down.

Lin Nanyue stood there holding her half-eaten candy, mouth agape, letting the other woman sample the flavor. By the time they finished, her tongue felt slightly numb, and the flavor of the candy was nearly gone.

“Did you figure out what flavor it was?” Lin Nanyue asked, seemingly dazed by the kiss but still fixated on the question.

Su Mi paused. She had been too focused on the kiss to notice the flavor. She frowned tentatively. “Orange?”

Lin Nanyue frowned back. “It’s such a distinct flavor, how could you not tell?”

Su Mi tried to recall the taste but still couldn’t name it.

“Then… should we try again?” Lin Nanyue suggested boldly.

Su Mi gave her silent consent.

At first, Su Mi really was trying to identify the flavor, but soon enough, neither of them cared. The remaining bit of the lollipop was quickly consumed by the two of them.

Consequently, the bowl of cherries on the table became the substitute.

At some point, Lin Nanyue ended up straddling Su Mi’s lap, her hands loosely crossed behind Su Mi’s neck.

Su Mi leaned back against the chair, her head tilted up. Her fingers traced the curve of Lin Nanyue’s hips, moving upward until her palms rested firmly against the small of her back.

Cherries still glistening with water droplets were held between their lips. The moment the skin broke, the juice burst forth. Tongues swept up the sweet pulp, and the friction of their kiss pressed out even more juice.

Half an hour later, Lin Nanyue’s grandmother returned home.

She happened to see her granddaughter coming downstairs followed by a strange woman. Remembering what her granddaughter had said on the phone the night before, she assumed this was the friend.

She put down her things and greeted them.

“Grandmother,” Lin Nanyue whispered, wiping her mouth as if afraid of leaving a trace.

Su Mi followed suit and greeted her as well.

The grandmother smiled and said in accented Mandarin, “Xiao Mei brought a friend back! I put some cherries on the table, remember to eat them.”

Lin Nanyue quickly replied, “We already ate them.”

“Good, good.” The grandmother’s eyesight wasn’t the best, but as they got closer, she noticed purple stains splotched across their light-colored clothes. She gasped. “Oh my, you’re both so grown up, how did you get so much juice all over your clothes just from eating cherries?”

Su Mi turned her head away and cleared her throat.

Lin Nanyue shifted her gaze guiltily, muttering, “Ah… because they were so delicious, I guess we ate too many.”