After the Strategy Failed, the Heroine Turned into a Crematorium - Chapter 40

“Since you like it, shouldn’t you reward me?”

Without anything to hold onto, Bian You’s hands fluttered awkwardly, looking rather restless and out of place.

But her eyes were bright, brimming with hope.

Qi Zhie exhaled softly, her expression unreadable. “What reward do you want?” After asking, she seemed to remember something and added, “Not that finger you sculpted.”

That was a bit too far beyond her limits, she wasn’t mentally prepared to accept it.

Bian You pouted, her gaze turning pitiful. “Qiqi, do you really think I’m the kind of person who only ever thinks about that?”

The reward she wanted this time was perfectly wholesome!

And why couldn’t it be that finger anyway? Back then, in pursuit of perfection, she had even carved the fingerprints onto it! Bian You felt her artistic talent had never been higher than at that moment.

Qi Zhie averted her gaze and, as if nothing had happened, picked up the glass rose and headed toward the bedroom. As she walked, she asked, “So what exactly is this reward you want?”

Bian You hurried after her with a sulky expression, following her into the bedroom. Watching as Qi Zhie placed the little rose on the nightstand, she immediately brightened, grinning. “I want you to play the piano for me.”

Qi Zhie adjusted the rose’s position slightly, then glanced at Bian You’s poorly concealed delight, feeling somewhat helpless.

This woman really never gave up.

Ignoring Bian You’s watchful gaze, she stepped into the walk-in closet, grabbed a set of loungewear, and began changing without hesitation.

“And where is this piano?” Qi Zhie’s voice was light, as if oblivious to the burning stare behind her.

Bian You’s eyes sparkled, even wondering if this was a hidden little bonus from Qi Zhie. After all, she rarely changed in front of her before—now she was being so open about it!

Bian You stepped forward, resting her chin on Qi Zhie’s shoulder and meeting her eyes in the mirror. Her voice softened, growing increasingly clingy.

“You have two spare rooms, right? I turned one of them into a piano room for you.”

Qi Zhie lifted her gaze to meet hers in the mirror, letting Bian You fasten the buttons of her top. She responded with a quiet hum.

The heat in Bian You’s eyes intensified. She tilted her head, pressing light kisses along Qi Zhie’s neck while her arms circled her waist, tightening bit by bit to trap her in an embrace.

“Qiqi, I love you so much.”

Qi Zhie tilted her head back slightly, her throat bobbing as she could already sense Bian You’s excited pheromones spilling into the air. The gentle water enveloped her softly, carrying an irresistible tenderness.

She raised a hand to stroke Bian You’s head, murmuring, “Didn’t you say you wanted me to play the piano for you? What are you doing now?”

Bian You paused, looking at Qi Zhie’s reflection with a pitiful expression. But seeing the faint smile at the corner of Qi Zhie’s lips in the mirror, she had every reason to suspect she was doing this on purpose!

Teasing her on purpose, then making her suppress the restless longing she had stirred up!

She’s so bad!

Watching Bian You’s pitiful expression of being bullied yet not daring to speak up, Qi Zhie broke into a radiant smile. She turned and cupped Bian You’s face, giving it a gentle squeeze, her voice laced with a teasing hook that tickled the heart.

“I’ll make it up to you tonight, okay?”

Okay?

Of course it was okay!

Bian You immediately perked up.

“Let’s go, let’s go! I want to hear you play the piano right now!” Bian You grabbed Qi Zhie’s hand, unable to wait another second.

She could play the piano herself, but for some reason, she really wanted Qi Zhie to play for her.

Pushed toward the music room, Qi Zhie opened the door to find golden sunset light streaming through the floor-to-ceiling windows. A gentle breeze stirred the white curtains, casting the entire room in a soft, dreamy glow, utterly cozy.

Glancing at Bian You beside her, Qi Zhie noticed how the fading sunlight seemed to paint her features, her bright eyes sparkling with a hint of smugness that made one suspect she had a tail wagging furiously behind her.

She looked kind of adorable.

Qi Zhie averted her gaze and walked to the grand piano in the room. Her fingertips lightly brushed the brown frame. Though she hadn’t touched it in a long time, an indescribable emotion welled up inside her at the contact.

Without needing Bian You’s urging, she sat down on the piano bench and casually pressed a few keys. The clear, precise tones revealed the instrument’s high quality just from the sound alone.

The moment Qi Zhie sat down, Bian You quickly grabbed the recording equipment placed nearby, set it up, and stared at her with eager anticipation.

Qi Zhie: “…”

After a moment’s thought, she slowly closed her eyes, a faint smile playing on her lips as her fingers began to dance across the black and white keys.

One note after another, the gentle, melodious music flowed softly. Bian You’s eyes lit up at first, but as she listened, her expression gradually stiffened. By the time Qi Zhie finished playing with her eyes still closed, Bian You was speechless.

The piece ended quickly. When Qi Zhie opened her eyes, she was met with a pair of puppy-dog eyes brimming with grievance. “Qiqi,” Bian You whined, “if I use this as my ringtone, I’ll keep thinking I’m in class.”

“Autumn Whispers” wasn’t this the exact music schools often used for class bells? Hearing it instantly brought back the dread of being ruled by this tune during school days.

Qi Zhie raised an eyebrow. “Perfect for waking you up, isn’t it?”

Some schools also used this piece as a wake-up call for students. If Bian You set it as her alarm, maybe she wouldn’t oversleep so often.

Bian You’s gaze grew even more mournful. She plopped down beside Qi Zhie, wrapped her arms around her waist, and buried her face in her neck, nuzzling and pleading, “Nooo, play something else, please?”

This way, she could listen to Qi Zhie play a little longer.

Qi Zhie let her cling like a koala and began playing again. The atmosphere between them grew quiet and warm—a rare moment of tranquility.

Bian You held Qi Zhie and listened quietly. Though it was another familiar piano piece, as the music played, a wave of melancholy welled up in her chest.

She opened the system panel. Seeing the number “58,” she smiled, though her emotions remained complicated.

Her feelings had grown, but they still hadn’t reached the passing mark.

Her arms tightened around Qi Zhie’s waist. In truth, achieving such rapid growth in such a short time was already quite remarkable, wasn’t it? And if she demanded too much from Qi Zhie now, might it provoke her resentment?

Bian You didn’t want that. She’d rather stick to her current clumsy approach, letting Qi Zhie gradually grow fonder of her, bit by bit.

Qi Zhie played several pieces for Bian You in succession. As the music once again filled her body, she nearly forgot just how much satisfaction music had once brought her.

Bian You prepared dinner. This time, the two ate quietly and quickly. After tossing the dishes into the dishwasher and taking a brief walk to aid digestion, Bian You pulled Qi Zhie along to shower together.

Both knew exactly what this was about.

It was for the compensation Qi Zhie had mentioned earlier.

Even though they’d been together for some time now and had shared intimate moments more than a few times, Bian You still grew excited and nervous. And when nervous, she tended to chatter endlessly.

Like now, as they stood naked in the shower, Bian You’s mouth ran nonstop—one moment declaring how much she adored Qi Zhie, the next pestering her with questions about whether she truly liked her back, acting every bit the lovestruck fool.

At first, Qi Zhie patiently responded a few times, but eventually she’d had enough. She pulled Bian You close and silenced that ceaseless mouth with a kiss.

Bian You’s face flushed, and she finally fell quiet.

This side of Qi Zhie was so incredibly alpha, it made her want to just submit.

No, no, no! Tonight was supposed to be Qi Zhie making it up to her, how could she think of submitting?

The moment the thought surfaced, Bian You immediately scolded herself to snap out of it.

But in the end, it was about half and half. After all, Qi Zhie wasn’t the type to always stay beneath someone.

The next day, when Qi Zhie told her to go handle the handover, Bian You was momentarily stunned, clearly not understanding how things had changed so suddenly.

Qi Zhie pressed a light kiss to the corner of her mouth and chuckled softly, “Your own work has been getting busier lately, and you still have to manage my affairs too. Do you think I wouldn’t feel bad about that? Now that we have someone competent here, you can safely leave it to her.”

“And… with less workload from my side, you’ll have more time to spend with me, won’t you?”

Bian You felt the soft brush of those lips though they left no visible mark, the sensation seemed to etch itself itchily into her heart.

She lowered her eyes slightly and gave a quiet hum, pulling Qi Zhie, who was half-leaning up, fully into her embrace.

“Mmm… More time with you.”

Qi Zhie nestled in Bian You’s arms. From this position, she couldn’t see Bian You’s expression, but hearing no oddity in her tone, she relaxed and nuzzled her cheek affectionately against her.

“Oh, I’ve been thinking, when we’re both less busy, let’s go on vacation together?” Bian You murmured, pressing a strand of QiZhie’s hair between her lips.

The hand resting on Bian You gave a light tap.

“Sure.”

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