After Transmigrating into a Book, I Was Entangled by a Crazy and Beautiful Villain - Chapter 48

Zhang San was stunned by her retort and, for a moment, couldn’t think of any words to fire back. Besides, what normal woman from a decent family would hug others on the street? Only Song Linlin could be so shameless as to do such a thing.

This matter was truly beyond Zhang San’s comprehension. She could only point at Song Linlin, “You, you…”

In the end, Zhang San stammered for a long time and couldn’t utter a complete sentence.

Seeing Zhang San unable to retort after being challenged, Song Linlin couldn’t help but smile, her eyes showing a little triumph. She even stuck out her tongue at Zhang San with a laugh.

Zhang San saw the other party’s reaction, her face flushed crimson with frustration. She took a few steps back, deciding to temporarily distance herself from Song Linlin to show that she wasn’t associated with her.

That way, the embarrassment of hugging someone in the street wouldn’t be Zhang San’s responsibility.

Chi Qianning, who was suddenly hugged from behind by Song Linlin, was also a little bewildered. She hadn’t anticipated the other person reaching out without any warning to embrace her waist. The person behind her pressed her entire upper body tightly against Chi Qianning’s back, and even through the clothes, she could feel the temperature of the other person’s body.

That warm body heat formed a distinct contrast with her own coolness. Being pressed by such warmth made it difficult for her to ignore it.

Chi Qianning subconsciously glanced at the surrounding crowd. Most people were concentrated inside the gambling house, with the constant sounds of laughter from those who had won big and the unwilling curses of the losers. People’s attention was focused on the dice, and there weren’t many pedestrians outside. At least, no one was looking their way yet.

This made Chi Qianning temporarily sigh in relief. She slipped her fingers between Song Linlin’s arm and her own stomach. Even though the person behind her was hugging tightly, by slightly pulling in her abdomen, her palm still smoothly slid into the gap.

She grasped Song Linlin’s hand and forcefully pried it open, saying somewhat unnaturally, “Song Linlin, let go first.”

“Oh…”

Song Linlin was forcefully pried open and could only release her arms, letting Chi Qianning out of her embrace.

Pulling back her hands, Song Linlin immediately took two steps back, maintaining some safe distance from the other person. Just now, in order to hug Chi Qianning, Song Linlin had leaned in too close, practically pressing her whole body against her.

Chi Qianning turned around, her red eyes staring at Song Linlin. Besides some uncomfortable emotion, there was also a hint of reproach in her gaze.

It was one thing to do this in the room, but they were standing on the street, and Zhang San was watching. Song Linlin was acting so unrestrained. This caused Chi Qianning’s tone to become slightly firmer as she said, “Don’t mess around outside.”

“I know,” Song Linlin could only nod.

The action just now was purely instinctive. Song Linlin couldn’t control herself, so she reached out and hugged her. It was probably also because she had hugged Chi Qianning too many times and was almost habitual.

For a moment, Song Linlin had overlooked that her behavior, in the eyes of others, was completely outrageous and scandalous. Most girls in this era were more reserved, not as open as Song Linlin.

Song Linlin put her hands behind her back, her fingers intertwined, and looked away awkwardly after being rejected by the other person.

Zhang San was quite happy to see the current situation. Standing to the side, she showed a smug smile. She certainly couldn’t out-argue Song Linlin, but now the other person had been reprimanded, which improved Zhang San’s mood.

Serves Song Linlin right for always calling her a child; now she had been lectured by Lin Qianqian (Chi Qianning).

However, Song Linlin suddenly noticed something. Chi Qianning had said, “Don’t mess around outside.” This word “outside” was quite intriguing. Did it mean that it was acceptable as long as it wasn’t seen by outsiders?

The more she thought about it, the more eager she felt to put it into practice. But obviously, it was impossible right now; she would have to wait until they returned to the inn to have a chance to try.

Song Linlin quickly adjusted her mood. The previous awkwardness had vanished, and she didn’t show the slightest defeat. Instead, she spoke with motivation, “Let’s go back to the inn now!”

Zhang San naturally had no objections to going back. She now walked closer to Song Linlin again, scrutinizing her for a few seconds with a strange look. She just thought the other person’s attitude was too good. How long had it been? She acted as if nothing had happened just now.

However, Zhang San didn’t dwell on it, assuming Song Linlin was just too thick-skinned to feel embarrassed. She was tired from walking for so long. Although there were many places she hadn’t explored, it was getting late, and it was time to go back to the inn to rest.

Zhang San nodded, “Okay, let’s go back.”

As for Chi Qianning, she wasn’t interested in the places outside anyway. Returning to the inn was naturally better than wandering around.

The three of them returned together in the direction of the inn. Song Linlin was still leading the way. Zhang San had spent the entire time looking left and right, her eyes focused on the nearby stalls, and she hadn’t remembered the route at all. Leading the way still depended on Song Linlin.

Fortunately, Song Linlin’s memory in this aspect was good. Even though the route was winding, she still remembered certain landmarks and successfully led the two behind her back to the inn downstairs after a short while.

Leading them up to the fifth floor and to the doors of their respective rooms, Song Linlin didn’t forget the purpose of this trip down the mountain. She said, “Today counts as a rest and relaxation day. Tomorrow, we’ll go out again to inquire about where we can find the Purple Mist Leaf you’re missing.”

“Hmm, good!”

Zhang San was not in a hurry at all to search for the Purple Mist Leaf’s whereabouts. She preferred to take it slow since finding it a few days later meant a few more days of fun outside.

The few times she had left the sect before were with her grandfather to search for rare herbs. She had never visited the nearby cities along the way and would be taken back to the sect as soon as the required item was found. It was truly boring.

Now that no one was restraining her, Zhang San naturally wanted to stay outside for a few more days.

“I’m going to sleep. You two should rest early, too.” Zhang San took out her key, opened her door, said goodnight to Song Linlin and Chi Qianning, and then entered her room.

Song Linlin also took out her key, inserted it into the keyhole, and with a gentle turn, unlocked the door. Chi Qianning walked into the room first, and Song Linlin was a step behind, then turned around and closed the door tightly.

Before going out, she had given a heads-up to the inn’s attendant to prepare hot water for her. The time she returned was about what she had estimated. Song Linlin walked into the specialized bathing cubicle. The water inside was still hot. A bucket filled with cold water and a ladle was placed next to it, allowing her to add cold water to adjust the temperature.

Because they had gone to the gambling house after dinner, there were many people inside. Such a place was naturally chaotic, with all kinds of smells. Song Linlin hadn’t stayed there long, but it was unavoidable that she had picked up some odors.

She felt that she should take a bath first; otherwise, going to bed like this would be too uncomfortable.

Flipping out her clothes from her luggage—since she had left the sect, she had naturally brought some of her casual wear—Song Linlin turned to Chi Qianning and said, “I’m going to take a bath in a moment.”

“Mhm, go ahead.” Chi Qianning nodded. She also disliked the mixed smell of the gambling house. She definitely should wash up.

Song Linlin, holding her clothes, walked into the bathing cubicle. This place was much more sophisticated than the inn in Yuanqing City before. There was a specialized small room for bathing, offering high privacy. At least she didn’t have to worry about being seen while bathing. Song Linlin couldn’t tell if her evaluation of this point was regret or relief.

Stepping into the warm water, the heat spread over her skin. Song Linlin soaked herself in the hot water. This should have been a relaxing experience, but her thoughts weren’t there. Various ideas slowly began to form, and she was thinking about strange things.

In the end, Song Linlin didn’t stay in the pool for long before getting out. She changed into a set of clean clothes. The clothes she took off were hung on the nearby rack for clothes. She didn’t want to deal with them for now.

Stepping out of the bathing room, Song Linlin gradually approached the bed. She could see the silhouette of a person printed on the bed curtain. As she got closer, she found that Chi Qianning was already leaning on the bed. The other person had also changed clothes. She turned her head as well and looked at Song Linlin walking over.

“Finished bathing?” The room was very quiet; even the outside noise was blocked out. The other person’s voice was very clear.

“Mhm.”

Song Linlin nodded, took off her shoes, and climbed onto the bed. The bed was large, big enough to sleep across it without issue. Chi Qianning was leaning against the inner side, so Song Linlin climbed to the inner side, then naturally reached out and hugged her, lying on the other person’s body.

Perhaps because she had just bathed, Song Linlin’s hair was steamed by the water vapor. The ends of her hair were still damp, and the strands near her temples clung to her face. Flower petals had been sprinkled in the hot water, and she still carried a scent of flowers.

Someone squeezed into her arms. Chi Qianning looked down at her, their eyes meeting. Song Linlin’s black and blue eyes stared at Chi Qianning, and she spoke, “Since you said we can’t hug outside, does that mean it’s okay in the room?”

Chi Qianning was momentarily at a loss for how to reply. How could her perfectly normal words be interpreted like this by the other person?

She looked at Song Linlin, deeply feeling that the other person had been very keen on getting close to her recently, even though this girl clearly knew that she couldn’t handle such sudden closeness during this period.

Her mind told her that she shouldn’t be hugging Song Linlin like this, but in the end, she didn’t reach out to push her away. Even when they lay down, they still maintained the same posture.

Song Linlin hugged the other person’s soft body. Perhaps because Chi Qianning hadn’t pushed her away, it gave her a strange surge of courage. She dared to lean in and kiss that beautiful face, then couldn’t help but feel shy herself. She buried her head in the quilt, her voice muffled through the covers:

“Alright, let’s sleep!”