Forced into a Secret Marriage with the Villain, We Now Have a Child - Chapter 53.3

Yu Siyi leaned her head on her hand, her lips curling into a smile. “Was my method a bit… despicable?”

Jian Chun shook her head. “It doesn’t matter if it was despicable or not. Everyone understands love differently. Whether you’re trying to save a relationship or let it go, everyone has their own way. Since you chose this path, you should have expected the consequences.”

“I feel like you’ve gotten even smarter,” Yu Siyi noted.

“You don’t have to keep praising me. I know I’m smart.”

Yu Siyi’s smile became more genuine.

“Even so, that doesn’t mean I forgive you,” Jian Chun added. “I felt like I was being played with.”

The light in Yu Siyi’s eyes seemed to vanish instantly.

“If liking someone is a ten-point scale, I’m at a four for you right now. And since your methods made me unhappy, I’m taking one point off.” Jian Chun watched her reaction.

Yu Siyi was stunned. Jian Chun had seen her arrogant, her cold, her confident, and her dismissive sides. But she had never seen her like this. Her expressive eyes were devoid of emotion, as if frozen, reflecting only Jian Chun’s silhouette.

“As long as you don’t hate me, it’s fine,” Yu Siyi said, her voice tinged with a strange kind of relief.

Suddenly, Jian Chun was pulled forward into a warm, fragrant embrace. Yu Siyi’s soft cheek brushed against hers, feeling cool to the touch. Her long hair tickled Jian Chun’s neck.

Jian Chun realized this was a signal. She had told Yu Siyi that they could try to be a normal couple. I like you a bit, you like me. You’re my ideal type, but I haven’t thought too far ahead yet. They could try to start over, beginning with holding hands.

However, Yu Siyi was far too good at taking an inch and turning it into a mile. If Jian Chun had said she liked her a seven or eight, Yu Siyi probably would have assumed they were ready to jump into bed.

They stayed in that quiet embrace for a long time, as if they were holding the whole world. The temperature in the room seemed to rise until Jian Chun’s face felt like it was burning. She finally pushed Yu Siyi away.

“I’m going to shower,” Yu Siyi said with a smile, setting her notebook aside.

“Go ahead,” Jian Chun coughed.

Left alone, Jian Chun tried to focus on her notes. Yu Siyi’s handwriting was beautiful—a style Jian Chun couldn’t hope to mimic, each stroke etched into her memory.

The sound of the shower eventually stopped. A moment later, Yu Siyi emerged, rubbing her hair dry. She was wearing a deep-V camisole made of soft fabric that clung to her curves, her skin partially visible through the material.

Jian Chun looked up once, then pretended to focus on her phone. It wasn’t even ten o’clock yet. She forced her eyes back to her study materials. Nothing is happening, she told herself.

Yu Siyi finished her skincare routine and put on a face mask. When she finally climbed into bed, Jian Chun was still deeply absorbed in her work.

“Jian Chun, let me massage you again.”

The bed was soft, and the mattress dipped as Yu Siyi moved. Jian Chun gave a noncommittal grunt. She actually enjoyed the feeling of being pampered, but she didn’t want to be too proactive and give Yu Siyi the wrong idea.

She tidied her desk, washed her hands, and climbed into bed, lying flat like a dead fish. “Go ahead.”

“I’ll use essential oils,” Yu Siyi said. “Take your shirt off.”

Jian Chun turned her head so sharply her neck made a loud crack—a sensation that was equal parts painful and satisfying.

“Did you hurt yourself?” Yu Siyi asked.

“No… I don’t think so.”

Yu Siyi began to rub her neck. The scent of rose oil filled Jian Chun’s senses, sweet and pleasant. Her muscles began to relax.

Suddenly, Yu Siyi’s soft hands slid from her shoulders toward her collarbone, and a button on Jian Chun’s shirt was expertly undone.

Jian Chun whirled around, her neck cracking again. “Yu Siyi!”

Yu Siyi looked at her with wide, innocent eyes. “I’m just giving you a massage.”