After Getting Bound to Both the Protagonist and the Villain at the Same Time - Chapter 16

Shen Qing pulled her clothes tight. She didn’t look at Gu Mian, keeping her gaze fixed solely on Lin Chuyi.

Gu Mian’s gaze was sharp as a blade. If jealousy could take physical form, Shen Qing would have been drowned in it and left severely wounded. Restraining her smile, Gu Mian looked down and whispered to Lin Chuyi, “Come back soon, Chuyi.”

“Okay,” Lin Chuyi replied.

The wind howling through the tower heralds a rising storm in the mountains.

Having received her answer, Gu Mian took out her keys and entered the house. After a moment’s thought, she left the door slightly ajar rather than locking it.

Lin Chuyi turned back, and Shen Qing quietly handed her the medicinal gel. As usual, Shen Qing lay face down, hugging a pillow while Lin Chuyi applied the medication. Shen Qing’s wounds were mostly healed; the warm, soothing gel formed a transparent film over the scabs.

Shen Qing felt burning hot and was trembling violently.

“Are my hands too cold?” Lin Chuyi asked.

“No,” Shen Qing managed. Before Lin Chuyi could ask further, Shen Qing buried her face in the pillow and muffled her voice. “Sister, you should go back. I’ll just lie here for a bit. My wounds were just itching terribly. I’ll be fine once I endure it for a moment.”

Lin Chuyi nodded hesitantly. “Itching means they’re healing. Hang in there.” She set the gel down and stood up. “I’m going next door to check on things.”

Both Shen Qing and Gu Mian were like her younger siblings; since Gu Mian seemed upset earlier, Lin Chuyi felt worried.

Shen Qing watched Lin Chuyi leave the room. She looked at her palms, which were marked with crescent moon indentations from her own fingernails. She had to admit it: at this moment, she was intensely jealous of Gu Mian.

The emotion was stronger than ever before.

Both were people Lin Chuyi had “picked up,” yet Gu Mian could rely on that favor to act coldly and demand to be coaxed. Shen Qing didn’t dare. Perhaps it was because Gu Mian had a way out—she had her old friends, a burgeoning career, and perhaps more of Lin Chuyi’s love.

Shen Qing only had Lin Chuyi. She didn’t dare gamble, nor did she dare to wonder how much she truly weighed in Lin Chuyi’s heart. Initially, she had only wanted a drop of water to solve her predicament, but she had accidentally found a spring. Now that she had the spring, she wanted the entire oasis of kindness behind it.

Even though a traveler had already arrived first, she was willing to try again.

“Sister,” Shen Qing called out, stopping Lin Chuyi. She paused. “Does the goodnight kiss tonight still count?”

Lin Chuyi nodded naturally. “It counts.”

“Then I’ll wait for you,” Shen Qing said, her mood seemingly clearing up. She added, “No matter how late.”

“You’re still a senior in high school. Focus on your studies first. Take care of your schedule and your health so it doesn’t affect your classes tomorrow.”

“I’ll wait, no matter how late,” Shen Qing insisted stubbornly.

She didn’t mention that she had already caught up on most of her schoolwork. Though there was still a gap between her and her classmates, she was determined to work harder. She just wanted to be a little willful for once—to act spoiled toward her “Sister.”

“Alright, I’ll come over as soon as I can,” Lin Chuyi promised, unable to refuse.

Lin Chuyi pushed open the ajar door. Gu Mian sat with a tense face, unwrapping fresh flowers and placing them one by one into a crystal vase.

“Gu Mian are you angry?” Lin Chuyi leaned in, observing her expression.

Gu Mian kept her eyes on the flowers. “No.”

Lin Chuyi had never really had close female friends before. She was popular, but she always maintained a certain distance, keeping things polite and friendly. She had heard that three-way friendships were difficult and required a mediator. She stepped forward and leaned her shoulder against Gu Mian’s. “I know I was wrong. Truly.”

“Wrong about what?” Gu Mian looked up.

“Wrong for renting the place next door without telling you,” Lin Chuyi said, taking Gu Mian’s hand earnestly. “The rental was rushed, and things have been so busy lately that I didn’t find the chance to sit down and talk to you properly.

Shen Qing’s situation is unique, and with her legal case moving forward, I’ve neglected you a bit.”

Gu Mian paused, then tucked another flower into the vase.

Seeing Gu Mian’s resolve softening, Lin Chuyi struck while the iron was hot. “I really know I messed up, Gu Mian. Mianmian?”

Gu Mian’s throat tightened.

“Good Mianmian?” Lin Chuyi coaxed, acting a bit spoiled. “Mianmian is the best.”

Gu Mian finally turned to look at her. “Don’t let it happen again.” Her voice held a faint, inexplicable huskiness—like a hazy veil brushing against Lin Chuyi’s ear, sending a spark of numbness through her.

It seemed she had successfully coaxed her back. Lin Chuyi breathed a sigh of relief.

In truth, Gu Mian didn’t expect Lin Chuyi to understand her feelings yet, nor did she need her to. Her coldness was simply a plea for more attention. What truly angered her was the scene from earlier—the way that girl, clutching her clothes, looked so intimate with Lin Chuyi. Their lingering scents intertwined, making Gu Mian’s eyes turn red with jealousy.

The thought that the person beside Lin Chuyi in the future might not be her brought a wave of bitterness she couldn’t control.

Still, Lin Chuyi was far from “awakening.” Even if Shen Qing caused a fuss, Lin Chuyi would only see her as a child. Gu Mian tried to convince herself not to lower herself to a child’s level, yet the hostility in her heart remained. She gripped a flower a bit too hard and, before she realized it, she had snapped the bud off.

While Lin Chuyi was washing up, Gu Mian’s gaze swept across the sofa and toward the spot where the familiar iron bed used to be. It was gone now—perhaps Shen Qing’s arrival wasn’t entirely without benefit. At least now, Lin Chuyi slept by her side.

When they finally lay down in bed after washing up, Gu Mian turned her back to Lin Chuyi for the first time.

“Are you still angry? Mianmian, why such a temper?” Lin Chuyi quietly scooted closer, her cold hands mischievously wrapping around Gu Mian’s waist. “Stop being mad, Mianmian.”

Despite the coldness of Lin Chuyi’s hands, Gu Mian flinched as if she had been burned. She forced out a reply: “I’m not mad.”

Hearing the strain in her voice, Lin Chuyi’s heart softened. She withdrew her hand and pressed it against her own skin to warm it up, planning to poke Gu Mian’s waist again once her fingers weren’t so icy. She just wanted Gu Mian to be happy.

Gu Mian hadn’t realized she was that angry, but the moment Lin Chuyi let go, the frustration flared up again. My heartless sister, she only cares about teasing me, with no regard for the consequences.

The more she thought about it, the more aggrieved she felt. She had never felt this kind of stifling jealousy in her life. She flipped over, caught Lin Chuyi’s hand, and lunged forward, pinning her down. The movement was so fluid it seemed as though she had been rehearsing it in her mind.

“This is a bit too close,” Lin Chuyi said, finally sensing something was off. She reached out to push her away.

Gu Mian restrained herself from putting her full weight on Lin Chuyi. In the darkness, her eyes were rimmed with red. Lin Chuyi hadn’t realized how upset she was until she felt large teardrops splashing onto her neck.

“You’re crying?” Lin Chuyi’s strength vanished. Gu Mian’s sudden emotional breakdown was terrifying. “Mianmian? Are you okay? If something’s wrong, you have to tell me. I’m a bit dense—did I do something to upset you?”

Lin Chuyi rarely saw Gu Mian cry; even seeing her eyes get red was uncommon. Gu Mian had always had things go her way. Even living with Lin Chuyi, there were no truly desperate times. Her spirit was bright—the most radiant thing in any room. And yet, Lin Chuyi had managed to make her cry.

“Was it because my hands were too cold?” Lin Chuyi babbled, her mind no longer focused on pushing Gu Mian away, but entirely occupied by her tears.

Gu Mian didn’t speak. She pressed herself against Lin Chuyi, closer than they had ever been. Lin Chuyi’s delicate skin gave off a faint warmth, and her pajama collar had slipped to the side, exposing a bit of her collarbone to the cold moonlight.

Their breaths mingled. Gu Mian felt herself pressing even closer, her heart hammering against Lin Chuyi’s. It was intense and scorching.

Lin Chuyi arched her back slightly, attempting to escape the suffocating atmosphere. Gu Mian pulled her in fiercely, pinning her with her knee. “Mm!” A trembling sound—one Lin Chuyi had never made before—was forced out of her!

It was like a cat’s whimper. To Gu Mian, it felt like a hook sinking into the depths of her desire.

“I, something’s wrong with me, Gu Mian.” Lin Chuyi felt a strange sense of distress. A fire seemed to be racing through her limbs, pooling low in her abdomen. A slight dampness there only made her feel more unsettled. She had never felt this way before, and no one had ever told her what to do when it happened.

Maybe it’s just the heat, she thought.

Gu Mian pulled her even tighter, burying her face in Lin Chuyi’s neck. She fit herself perfectly against Lin Chuyi’s curves and began, bit by bit, to kiss away the tears she had left on Lin Chuyi’s skin.

She kissed the bitter tears with a sense of reverence, stirring waves of sensation in Lin Chuyi that were impossible to describe. Lin Chuyi’s body tensed further.

“Sister.” Gu Mian whispered. She knew Lin Chuyi was soft-hearted, but she also knew she was crossing a line. She feigned weakness. “I feel so miserable.”

Lin Chuyi panted, hesitating between pushing her away and listening to her. Eventually, her strength gave way. She asked timidly, “Where, where does it hurt?”

“Here.” Gu Mian took Lin Chuyi’s hand and guided it.