After Failing To Tame The Scumbag - Chapter 24

“Ji Jin, I don’t want to hear it.”

Regardless of the mixed emotions swirling in her heart, Yun Chuxiu returned to Yucheng as usual after finishing her business.

The summer sun was intense, as if it never tired from a distance, even the outlines of the flowers and grass seemed gilded with a layer of gold.

Ji Jin leaned against the doorframe, waving at her with a radiant smile. The moment her gaze reflected Yun Chuxiu’s figure, it was as if a small, joyful lightbulb flickered to life above her head.

“A-Xiu!”

Yun Chuxiu was momentarily blinded by the excessive sunlight, hesitating for a few seconds.

Ji Jin: “Aren’t you happy to see me?”

Yun Chuxiu: “…”

Before Yun Chuxiu could react, the girl had already pounced. A large “bundle” of a person hung off her, head pressing down, nuzzling incessantly into the crook of her neck.

Yun Chuxiu turned her head and held her still, saying helplessly, “Why are you waiting here again? Aren’t you usually very busy?”

“I didn’t skip work,” Ji Jin caught the more important point, her tone trailing off with a hint of dissatisfaction. “I’ve used up all my leave for the year. Our anniversary is coming up soon, and we agreed to spend it together in our own little world. Does A-Xiu not remember at all?”

Yun Chuxiu patted her head. “I remember. Am I not standing right in front of you now? Since you’re ready, then there’s no time like the present, let’s pack our things and leave now.”

Ji Jin: “…Huh?”

Ji Jin hadn’t expected Yun Chuxiu to suddenly become so enthusiastic about the trip. She stood up a bit straighter, declining vaguely, “That might not work… I haven’t packed anything yet…”

“Go now,” Yun Chuxiu’s eyes flickered, but her tone grew firmer. “There’s nothing to prepare. Isn’t ‘spontaneous travel’ very popular now? We can try it too.”

Ji Jin looked troubled. She didn’t want to deceive Yun Chuxiu, but she couldn’t reveal her true motives either. For a moment, she was stuck. “I can’t. I have to attend a very important banquet today. A-Xiu, you have to go too. I even had a gown custom-made for you in advance.”

“…Is it okay if we don’t go?” Yun Chuxiu held her wrist. It was a grip that could be easily broken, yet it carried an indescribable sense of pleading.

Suddenly, a gust of hot wind blew by. Ji Jin froze, her intuition screaming in the depths of her mind.

“It’s probably not okay,” she maintained a smiling facade, speaking very seriously to Yun Chuxiu. “Many people have already been notified. It would be a lot of trouble if we didn’t show up.”

The cat is completely out of the bag.

Yun Chuxiu opened her mouth. In those few seconds of silence, the sunlight faded from her eyes, leaving only a faint darkness.

“Okay,” she smiled faintly, letting go of Ji Jin’s hand and walking into the house first. The floor-length window curtains filtered the sunlight, they swayed lightly, appearing ethereal yet firmly marking a boundary.

“A-Xiu,” Ji Jin chased after her, stopping a step away, unable to stop herself from calling out.

After calling her name, she didn’t know what to say. After a long, frozen silence, she squeezed out a flattering, tentative smile:

“…Don’t you want to see the dress you’re going to wear later?”

Yun Chuxiu frowned, disliking this hesitant version of her. “Not really.” In fact, she felt a headache coming on just thinking about the symbolic meaning behind it.

“A-Xiu,” Ji Jin chewed on the name she was so used to saying. Sensing the resistance hidden behind the other woman’s words, her voice softened, losing its strength. “Do you… not like it?”

Yun Chuxiu didn’t answer. She just looked at her for a while before suddenly sighing.

“No,” she lifted her gaze, as if a mirror had been placed in her eyes. The hidden emotions dissolved like rain, leaving no trace.

“I’m just a bit tired,” Yun Chuxiu reached out and pressed Ji Jin’s shoulder not too hard, but firm. Her eyes crinkled with a smile. “I didn’t sleep well last night. Let me rest for a bit, okay?”

It was the tone one used to coax a child.

Ji Jin let out a breath, forcibly driving away the negative emotions that made her uneasy. She muffled a sound and hugged Yun Chuxiu’s waist.

“I’ll sleep with you,” she said, habitually taking an inch and wanting a mile. “The breeze in the room is too cold. Having someone to warm the bed will be more comfortable.”

“Your health isn’t great, don’t catch a cold.”

It’s the middle of summer… are you really lying with your eyes wide open?

Yun Chuxiu felt powerless. She wanted to say something, but stopped at the sight of those eyes filled with anxiety.

…Forget it, why bother arguing with her.

Yun Chuxiu dragged her “large attachment” back to the bedroom. Under a watchful gaze, she changed into comfortable loungewear. Just as she draped her top over her shoulders, a pair of hands reached from behind, circling her waist and “accidentally” pressing against an unfastened button.

“Let me help you,” Ji Jin whispered. In the room shielded by curtains, her gaze roamed freely, like the flickering tongue of a snake.

Yun Chuxiu shuddered inexplicably. After Ji Jin’s third intentional “accidental” brush against her ticklish spots, she grabbed the mischievous hand.

Yun Chuxiu: “I didn’t provoke you, did I?”

Ji Jin shook her head. Though her right hand was caught, she didn’t struggle instead, she moved her left hand toward her.

“A-Xiu wasn’t looking at me seriously today,” she pouted. Every ignored detail was being replayed and magnified in her mind; the more she thought about it, the more aggrieved she felt.

Yun Chuxiu: “.”

Yun Chuxiu was truly exhausted this time, past the point of wanting to think or argue. “Fine, keep being angry then.”

With that, she closed her eyes and let herself fall backward into Ji Jin, not worried in the slightest about hitting the floor. Her voice remained as calm as an unruffled pond. “I’m really sleepy. Don’t wake me. Do whatever you want.”

Wow.

Ji Jin held the woman in her arms, staring fixedly at her closed eyes, stroking here and rubbing there.

Aside from an initial frown, Yun Chuxiu had no reaction, looking as if she had truly fallen asleep.

Ji Jin leaned in to kiss her cheek. Seeing no rejection after a few seconds, she rolled onto the bed with her.

“A-Xiu, A-Xiu…” Ji Jin called out repeatedly like a child, her voice soft and low, mingled with short, erratic breaths.

Yun Chuxiu’s sleep quality had always been poor. Ji Jin knew that if she were disturbed, she might not be able to sleep at all.

She properly settled them into the most comfortable and intimate position, sighing softly with a hint of helplessness. “Why do you always have to give me such difficult problems? I only…”

…Only want to be with you forever.

It was such a simple wish, so why did the warmth in her palm feel like a reflection of the moon in water?

Ji Jin went silent, her breathing becoming heavy. She opened her mouth to speak, then closed it again. After a few repetitions, she finally closed her eyes quietly.

As long as I take that one step, it will be fine, right?

As long as I fulfill A-Xiu’s wish, we can go back to being as intimate as we were before, right?

If that’s the case…

Ji Jin’s breathing grew rapid, her emotions difficult to suppress. She wanted to turn over and kiss her companion’s face, but stopped herself upon hearing the steady breathing.

Just wait until after the “banquet.”

Once the “banquet” is over, all the factors making her uneasy will vanish.

…That will be enough.

She forced herself to fall into a deep sleep, wanting to kill the time spent in this agonizing wait.

And in the space where Ji Jin could not see, Yun Chuxiu calmly opened her eyes.

The unavoidable “banquet” arrived as scheduled.

Ji Jin’s attempt at secrecy was half-hearted at best. She had chosen her own villa as the venue. The guests were all familiar faces from her social network at a glance, everyone’s expression was identical, as if they all knew exactly why they were there.

Lin Xing quietly crept over. She still had doubts about that phone call, and seeing Yun Chuxiu in person only deepened them.

Yun Chuxiu sat silently at the center of everyone’s attention. Her knee-length gown featured irregular pale pink lilies blooming at the hem. Unlike the calculated warmth of everyone else, she just sat with her eyes downcast, looking like a handful of snow forcibly carved from a high mountain.

“Sister Xiu… you aren’t happy, are you?”

Lin Xing felt as if a giant hand was squeezing her heart. She used her body to block unwanted stares and asked in a low whisper, “Did I do something wrong again?”

Seeing that Yun Chuxiu didn’t answer, her voice grew urgent. “If Sister Xiu doesn’t want this, I’ll block them for you. We can leave right now.”

“It’s too late,” Yun Chuxiu tilted her head slightly. Beautiful, fragmented cold light seeped into her seemingly colorless eyes, and her voice became ethereal and wavering. “Look, she’s already coming over.”

Lin Xing turned around. Ji Jin was standing not far away, watching them, her dress of the same color scheme shimmering under the spotlight.

“A-Xiu.”

Yun Chuxiu watched blankly as Ji Jin walked toward her. The music shifted; roses, rings, lovers… everything was perfectly orchestrated.

One more step forward, and whether it was joy or sorrow, there would be no way to advance further, and no way to retreat.

“…Will you marry me?”

She said it.

Ji Jin knelt on one knee, her voice hoarse. Rather than a lover about to propose, she looked more like a gambler who had reached the end of her rope and was staking everything on a single throw.

She always thought she would win.

“Ji Jin,” Yun Chuxiu avoided the ring. As their eyes met, a layer of moisture covered her gaze. She looked dazed, as if she were asking Ji Jin’s heart for the ultimate answer. “Have you really thought this through?”

Ji Jin realized something. Her hands trembled as she tried to grab Yun Chuxiu’s hanging hand. Her suppressed breathing finally broke. “What are you saying? Of course I’ve thought it through,” she blinked, her gasping breaths overpowering her logic, as if she were desperately trying to convince the other woman. “Isn’t this what I should have done long ago?”

Yun Chuxiu frowned. In the seconds of silence, she finally made up her mind. “No, Ji Jin, we…”

“A-Xiu!” Ji Jin interrupted hurriedly. She was still clutching the unaccepted ring tightly. Suddenly, she didn’t know what to say, the string in her mind snapped with a twang.

“A-Xiu,” things were spiraling out of control. “Think about it again…”

“Think about it some more…”

Yun Chuxiu sighed, still remaining silent.

This was undoubtedly a clear enough stance.

The surrounding crowd gasped, everyone trying to figure out how to pretend they hadn’t seen this to smooth things over. Only Ji Jin refused Yun Chuxiu’s hand when she tried to pull her up, stubbornly remaining on one knee.

Her panicked brain made a frantic decision for her.

“A-Xiu, listen to me,” Ji Jin pulled her hand, forcing the other woman to lean down. She whispered into her ear, her voice light, breathy, and suppressed. “I made a bet with my mother. If you’re not willing to accept me…”

“If you’re not willing to accept me…”

“I don’t want to hear it,” Yun Chuxiu smiled. She pried the gripping fingers away one by one and calmly covered the mouth that was on the verge of crying.

Very calmly, she repeated once more:

“Ji Jin, I don’t want to hear it.”