After Being Marked By A Love Rival - Chapter 43

This room was a double bed room, but fortunately, the bed was large enough, so it was definitely sufficient for two people to share one bed.

Qi Musi had casually mentioned it once before, which could be considered a heads-up for Xie Rong however, no one took it seriously. Instead, Zhao Rongrong was quite happy, saying, “Perfect, I want to sleep with Mo Li!”

And she even joked with Mo Li a couple of times.

But now that she was genuinely in this situation, facing the actual division of people and beds, Zhao Rongrong felt inexplicably nervous.

She pulled Qi Musi aside when Xie Rong wasn’t looking and whispered to her, “Musi, tell me honestly, are you going to sleep with Xiao Rong?”

Qi Musi’s lips curved into a smile, and she didn’t answer Zhao Rongrong’s question, but instead gave her a look, letting her figure it out herself.

So, Zhao Rongrong got the message.

She pulled a long face, still feeling a bit scared: “You won’t do anything to Xiao Rong tonight, will you…”

“…”

Qi Musi was silent for a few moments. She had to reflect on how poor her image must be to make Zhao Rongrong come up with such a conjecture.

Although she was sometimes fond of joking and could be ambiguous regardless of the other person’s gender, she still had her principles and integrity. She wasn’t an Alpha as thirsty as a wolf, was she?

Seeing the change in Qi Musi’s mood and expression, Zhao Rongrong quickly explained, “Your image is still very good in my heart, but I was just being extra worried about this.”

She paused, then added, “Because love makes people blind.”

“…”

After all, Zhao Rongrong had extensive theoretical knowledge. Sharing a bed with the person you secretly love, sleeping side by side all night, with skin to skin contact could anyone possibly resist?

Zhao Rongrong was genuinely afraid that things might spiral out of control, and it would be even worse if a “bloodbath” occurred in the middle of the night.

Although she was usually carefree, she was particularly afraid of conflicts between friends. Therefore, Zhao Rongrong couldn’t help but worry about everything and walk on eggshells.

Qi Musi tugged at the corner of her lips, her expression largely unchanged. “Don’t worry, I’m not that…” She searched for a word. “Brutish.”

Zhao Rongrong finally relaxed. “Oh, oh, that’s good.”

Qi Musi shook her head, too lazy to continue the topic with her.

Zhao Rongrong was guarding against Qi Musi as if she were a wolf, but she had no idea that Qi Musi had no dirty, wicked thoughts to begin with.

The purpose of her planning this hot spring trip was only a few things.

First, to reward herself and merely feast her eyes.

Second, to close the distance with Xie Rong, and if some intimate contact could be enjoyed, that would naturally be better. Even if not, it was fine.

Third, to make a stronger impression on Xie Rong, to make her speculate more in other directions, and ideally, for Xie Rong to actively recognize her feelings.

These were all of Qi Musi’s intentions.

She hadn’t expected Zhao Rongrong, who appeared pure on the surface, to have more adventurous thoughts than her. Zhao Rongrong could imagine things that Qi Musi didn’t even dare to think of and assign them to her.

It truly left Qi Musi speechless.

Perhaps she could only blame her poor image in daily life.

The choice of beds and bedmates was surprisingly fast and smooth. Qi Musi thought Xie Rong might disagree, but the other party merely glanced at Zhao Rongrong and Mo Li and then nodded easily.

The goal was achieved so quickly that Qi Musi didn’t even have time to react.

She thought for a moment and asked Xie Rong, “Xiao Rong, are you sure this is okay?”

Xie Rong looked at her, not understanding what she meant by that.

Qi Musi curved her eyes and smiled: “I just don’t want you to feel forced.”

Xie Rong replied, “What would I be forced to do?”

Qi Musi paused, then tactfully said, “After all, don’t you dislike getting too close to others?”

Xie Rong slightly raised her eyebrows, and her lips carried a light, slightly mocking, yet agreeing smile. “Yes, so you should keep your distance from me later.”

The fact that she could say such a joking remark let Qi Musi know that Xie Rong wasn’t angry or feeling forced, which reassured her.

Qi Musi narrowed her eyes and smiled, returning to her usual playful demeanor.

“Xiao Rong, saying that makes things a bit difficult for me. After all, the bed is only so big; where can I go?”

Xie Rong scoffed and ignored her, heading to the bathroom to wash up.

Because of the hot spring trip today, their collective bedtime was pushed back by an hour. Everyone was still wide awake when it was time to sleep, feeling no drowsiness.

In the dimness, Zhao Rongrong suggested, “Should we chat for a bit before sleeping? I can’t fall asleep at all.”

Qi Musi turned off the light, took off her shoes, and got into bed.

The bed was very soft, and when another person’s weight was placed on it, a very obvious dip could be felt.

Xie Rong stiffened slightly and subconsciously moved a little to the side.

Although she said it was fine, this was the first time she had shared a bed with someone, and she inevitably felt a bit awkward and unaccustomed. But Xie Rong didn’t say it aloud, believing she shouldn’t make others accommodate her.

When Qi Musi lay down, she could clearly sense the distance separating the two of them.

Since they were under the same blanket, even a slight gap between them allowed the cold air from outside to seep into the gap.

Fortunately, the room had air conditioning and heating, otherwise, sleeping like this for a night could freeze someone.

Qi Musi chuckled quietly, her voice very soft as she teased, “I guess Xiao Rong and I are the Cowherd and the Weaver Girl.”

Xie Rong frowned in confusion. “Speak normally.”

Qi Musi continued to laugh, “There’s a Milky Way separating us.”

“…”

This time, she understood. Qi Musi was clearly mocking her.

Xie Rong pursed her lips, her earlobes tinged with crimson, which was thankfully invisible now that the lights were out.

She took a breath, then moved closer to the center, trying hard to eliminate that “Milky Way.”

Sensing Xie Rong’s softened attitude, the smile on Qi Musi’s face widened, but she still maintained her distance and boundaries, not letting herself be too aggressive. She merely allowed Xie Rong to approach, not moving herself.

This was already great. The warm body temperature was close by, and the faint scent of pear blossoms was in front of her nose. This was already enough.

Their movements were slight, but they seemed magnified due to the late hour.

Zhao Rongrong overheard this and let out a meaningful “Tsk,” then said sourly to Mo Li, “Then the two of us must be the Queen Mother and the Jade Emperor.”

Mo Li: “…Is that the bedtime topic you wanted to discuss?”

Qi Musi let out a light laugh, then said, “What do you two want to talk about?”

Zhao Rongrong: “Anything is fine, I guess. It’s too boring, I can’t sleep.”

Xie Rong’s body remained stiff for a moment before slowly relaxing.

When Qi Musi had laughed just now, she could clearly feel the other person’s breath spray onto her nape and hair, carrying a warmth that made Xie Rong’s entire back shiver.

She only slowly adjusted once that breath disappeared.

No one had ever been this close to her before, so this was a new experience for Xie Rong.

She awkwardly touched her nape and pursed her lips.

Qi Musi didn’t notice Xie Rong’s small actions, as the room was completely dark at the moment.

She paused, then said, “Then how about I… talk about my own business?”

Zhao Rongrong was puzzled: “Musi’s business?”

Qi Musi wasn’t the type of person who liked to casually talk about her affairs to outsiders, but at this moment, perhaps the atmosphere was just right, or the topic came up appropriately, or maybe because Xie Rong was beside her, which stimulated her emotions slightly.

In any case, at this very moment, Qi Musi inexplicably wanted to share some things.

One reason was that she had been bottling things up for too long without anyone to confide in, and the second was that she wanted to take this opportunity to tell Xie Rong that she wasn’t as unprincipled and promiscuous as she might seem on the surface.

If she determined the person she loved, she would absolutely never give up.

Qi Musi lowered her eyes, was quiet for a while, and then said softly, “Do you two think that since I was born into a family like this, I’m actually quite happy?”

Zhao Rongrong didn’t overthink it. “Yeah, a rich heiress, aren’t you happy?”

Qi Musi gave a small laugh. “I won’t say useless things like… ‘I wish I was born into an ordinary family,’ but sometimes I wonder whether a person’s nature is inherently bad, or if the influence of money and self-interest pushes them into the abyss of corruption.”

This topic was a little heavy and depressing, and no one answered immediately.

Fortunately, Qi Musi wasn’t really trying to debate the issue. Under the cover of the night, she put away the facade she usually wore, her expression indifferent, and then recounted a part of her story.

For example, the current Zhong Ling is not her biological mother, the story of how Qi Rong and Zhong Ling met, seduced, and took the primary position, and how… her position as the eldest miss is actually not stable, with a covetous stepmother and an estranged younger brother lurking behind her.

And also…

She subtly explained to Xie Rong why she had initially misunderstood her own feelings.

After hearing the story, Zhao Rongrong reacted with indignation. “Holy hell, this is too much! Your stepmother, she’s a mistress who took the position, doesn’t she have any self-awareness? How dare she treat you like this and still covet your family’s assets!”

Qi Musi laughed softly. “So what? No matter how she got the position, she’s Mrs. Qi now.”

Naturally, she has the standing to covet and scheme for the Qi family’s fortune.

“This… thankfully, your incompetent younger brother is an Omega. I don’t mean anything bad about Omegas, but given your family’s current situation, this is definitely for the best… Musi, you have to work hard, don’t let yourself be pushed out.”

Qi Musi chuckled: “The way you put that.”

She thought for a moment. “It feels like the Crown Prince’s faction.”

And she is the only daughter, the legitimate Alpha, of the late Empress.

The more she thought about it, the more it felt that way.