Let Me Go, My Childhood Sweetheart [Rebirth] - Chapter 26

Receiving that WeChat message left Jin Yi a bit speechless.

I asked about dinner, yet she’s still obsessing over the bath.

Jin Yi didn’t reply to the bath comment. Instead, she steered the conversation back to the injury.

“Come downstairs. I’ll apply your medicine.”

Seeing Jin Yi show so much concern for her wound, Chu Weiran stopped being difficult and headed straight downstairs. After a day of care, the injury was already looking much better.

“This medicine is quite effective. If we had applied it at noon, it would have healed even faster.”

It wasn’t the first time Chu Weiran realized how “thick-skinned” Jin Yi’s nerves were. Jin Yi was always like this: once a situation passed, she tossed it to the back of her mind. She wasn’t sensitive at all; once a moment was over, she acted as if nothing had happened. Being duplicitous yet forgetful was Jin Yi’s core personality.

“So, what now?”

More than “what now,” Chu Weiran wanted to know if the “we’ll see” from earlier meant a “yes” or a “no” regarding the bath. Jin Yi hadn’t given a definitive answer, and she couldn’t exactly force her.

“Let’s eat first. I’ll help you bathe after dinner.”

It’s just a bath, Jin Yi thought. It wasn’t like she’d never been to a public bathhouse before. It would be fine.

Chu Weiran was a contradictory person; she preferred a vegetarian diet but loved hot pot. Therefore, after having hot pot, she felt she absolutely had to have a purely vegetarian meal to balance it out.

There were plenty of vegetables in the fridge—mostly Chu Weiran’s favorites. Aunt Zheng must have gone shopping yesterday. There were even some things Jin Yi liked.

Perfect. I can make myself some fried pork with chili.

As Jin Yi pulled out the ingredients and closed the fridge, Chu Weiran asked, “Is Xiao Yi having salad with me tonight?”

“No, I’m having fried pork with chili.” Jin Yi shook the peppers at Chu Weiran.

She was genuinely happy. It had been nearly a month since she’d been able to make her signature dish. There was no place to cook at school, so this was wonderful. Aunt Zheng really did understand her. Before checking the fridge, she had planned to go out if the ingredients weren’t there. Now, she was all set. One dish for herself would be enough.

“I’ll get everything you need out. You make your own salad.”

With her heart and mind set on the chili pork, Jin Yi didn’t even notice Chu Weiran as she busied herself. Chu Weiran watched her work and suddenly felt like her salad wasn’t so appetizing anymore.

She sidled up to Jin Yi and poked her shoulder. “I want to eat fried pork with chili too.”

“Huh?”

“If the two of us only have one dish, it won’t be enough, right?”

Jin Yi truly didn’t mean anything by it; she simply thought they needed more food. But Chu Weiran overthought it. She assumed Jin Yi didn’t want to eat with her.

“Should we order more takeout then?” Chu Weiran asked piteously.

“No,” Jin Yi rejected the idea immediately. Between the school cafeteria and takeout, she was sick of it. She wanted home-cooked food.

Chu Weiran was different. Growing up, she rarely stepped into a kitchen. If her mother was in a good mood, she’d cook; otherwise, the housekeeper did it. She was used to being served.

“Let me see what else we have.”

Jin Yi scanned the fridge again. There was quite a lot of food, likely stocked by the housekeeper. This made Jin Yi wonder: why hadn’t the housekeeper shown up yet?

“Where is the housekeeper?”

“It’s National Day. I gave her the holiday off.”

The Chu household was different from the Jin household. Ever since Jin Yi started college, they no longer had a live-in maid. She rarely went home, and her parents rarely ate there, so they only hired hourly help occasionally. Housekeepers have rights too, so Jin Yi couldn’t exactly complain about her going home for the holiday.

“Well… should we make some tomato and eggs?”

“Sure.”

Jin Yi put down the peppers and grabbed tomatoes and two eggs. As she held them, she looked at Chu Weiran. “Are two eggs enough?”

Chu Weiran looked at the eggs, blinked, and held up one finger. “Let’s add one more.”

I knew it.

She closed the fridge and got to work. Once the rice was going and the vegetables were washed, Jin Yi started to find Chu Weiran a bit “in the way.” She couldn’t help but linger right behind Jin Yi.

“Why don’t you… go watch some TV?”

“No, I don’t want to watch TV.” Chu Weiran shook her head. Watching Jin Yi be busy for her was far more enjoyable. She wasn’t going anywhere.

“Fine. Just stay still then.”

Having someone follow her every move was a distraction. Chu Weiran stood obediently by the door, and before long, Jin Yi had nearly finished both dishes.

“Do you want more sugar in this?”

“Yes.”

After adding some sugar and giving it a quick toss, the tomato and eggs were ready. During the meal, Chu Weiran focused almost entirely on the tomato and eggs, while Jin Yi stuck to her chili pork. Jin Yi began to feel like she’d been played.

“If the housekeeper isn’t here, what would you have done if I didn’t know how to cook?”

“But I knew you could.”

Chu Weiran answered as if it were the most obvious thing in the world, her gaze suggesting Jin Yi had asked a very silly question.

After dinner, they huddled on the sofa to watch some TV. Once night had fully fallen, Chu Weiran poked Jin Yi’s arm and said lazily, “I want to bathe now~~”

“Okay, let’s go.”

Jin Yi had been mentally preparing for this all afternoon. She felt she could face it calmly now. It’s not like I haven’t seen her before. No big deal.

“Wait for me. I need to get my change of clothes.”

As Chu Weiran went to get hers, Jin Yi grabbed her own as well.

“Xiao Yi, come in~”

Chu Weiran had entered the bathroom first. She had planned to undress, but then thought such a stimulating scene would be better performed in front of Jin Yi. She waited and waited, but Jin Yi didn’t appear. Just as she was about to go look for her, she heard a noise at the door.

Still, Jin Yi didn’t enter. Chu Weiran grew impatient and was about to pull her in.

“I’m coming in now.”

Jin Yi took a deep breath before finally stepping inside. Once she entered, Chu Weiran calmly began to undress. Halfway through, she looked up and realized Jin Yi had already stripped completely naked. She was stunned. She had wanted to seduce Jin Yi, but she had forgotten that in a shared bath, Jin Yi would be seducing her too!

Jin Yi’s body was toned and firm. While her skin wasn’t as pale as Chu Weiran’s, her proportions were beautiful—especially her collarbones.

So sexy.

Chu Weiran instinctively swallowed, completely forgetting she was still half-dressed. Compared to Jin Yi’s openness, Chu Weiran suddenly seemed… inhibited.

This allowed Jin Yi to relax. She had expected Chu Weiran to tease her more, but seeing her look so shy made Jin Yi feel much more at ease.

“What are you standing there for? Take your clothes off.”

Chu Weiran’s face turned red. She gave a soft “mm” and finished undressing. However, her mind kept replaying what she had just seen. Except for the chest not being quite as developed as her own, every part of Jin Yi was perfect!

Chu Weiran’s eyes grew slightly red with repressed desire. The girl she had craved for so many years was right in front of her. She wanted to swallow her whole, but she had to maintain a facade of propriety. It was so difficult!

Her hands trembled with excitement as she shed her last piece of clothing. Taking a deep breath, she prepared to turn around, only to feel a soft, smooth body brush against her.

“Let me put the plastic wrap on your injury first.”

That one sentence snapped Chu Weiran back to reality. Jin Yi has zero romantic sense!

“Go ahead.”

As she turned around, Jin Yi happened to take a step forward. Chu Weiran’s forehead bumped right into Jin Yi’s collarbone, causing her to lose her balance and lean back. Jin Yi caught her firmly by the waist. Chu Weiran felt her breath hitch. Her face flushed a deep red—this wasn’t how she imagined it!

I was supposed to be the one seducing her. How did I end up being the one seduced?

Jin Yi, whose mind was focused purely on the task, saw Chu Weiran’s blushing face and felt quite helpless. Chu Weiran was the one who asked for help with the bath; had she not mentally prepared herself?

“Stand still. I’m putting the wrap on.”

Chu Weiran forced herself to be calm. She obediently held out her arm, leaning slightly against Jin Yi. Jin Yi frowned but didn’t push her away.

When the warm water hit her skin, Chu Weiran’s toes curled. “The water… it seems a bit hot.”

“Yeah, a little.” Jin Yi kept her hand on Chu Weiran’s waist while she adjusted the temperature. “There, that’s better.”

“What scent of body wash do you want? Milk? Or cherry blossom?”

“Whatever Xiao Yi likes.”

Chu Weiran was grateful for the steam in the bathroom; otherwise, Jin Yi would have seen how much she was blushing. She kept her voice as low as possible, unsure of how she would sound otherwise. Having Jin Yi help her bathe was a massive challenge to her self-restraint.

Chu Weiran kept her legs pressed together, her body tense. Jin Yi’s hands seemed to possess a certain magic; wherever the soap was applied, her skin felt like it was burning. When it came to the more intimate areas, Chu Weiran finally reached her limit.

“I… I’ll do it myself.”

“Okay.”

The “proprietous” Jin Yi finally let out a sigh of relief. If this continued any longer, it would be the death of her.

Jin Yi worked quickly and finished her own shower while Chu Weiran was occupied, changing into her pajamas immediately. Having both of them naked was too embarrassing; clothes provided a much-needed sense of security.

Chu Weiran felt the same. It was fine for her to be exposed, but she couldn’t handle seeing Jin Yi. When it came time to rinse Chu Weiran off, Jin Yi didn’t care if her pajamas got wet; she just wanted to finish as fast as possible. Chu Weiran’s blushing face was simply too provocative.

Once it was all over, Jin Yi finally relaxed and hurried out with flaming red ears. Chu Weiran watched her flee and burst into laughter.

“What a fake prude!”

That night, the “fake prude” Jin Yi tossed and turned, unable to sleep. Because she had drunk too much water before bed, she eventually had to get up to use the bathroom.

As she passed Chu Weiran’s room, however, she heard some very strange sounds.

“Mm… Xiao Yi!”

It was a soft, whimpering, and syrupy sound. What on earth was Chu Weiran doing? Was she unwell?

Jin Yi intended to go in and check, but after taking two steps, she suddenly realized what was happening. She scrambled back to her room in a panic.

She covered her face with her hands, unable to believe it. But, the sounds she had just heard were unmistakable.