Make Her Heart Flutter - Chapter 23

“Alright.” Chi Shuang glanced at her and agreed.

When Jiang Qi was drunk, she was quite different from her usual self. With her eyes lowered, her typical icy glare was replaced by a sparkling brightness. As Chi Shuang led her along, Jiang Qi kept her gaze fixed on her.

Out of humanitarian considerations, the crew had not installed cameras in the upstairs rest area. As Chi Shuang stepped onto the final stair, the warmth in her eyes shattered, replaced by cold indifference.

The intoxicated Jiang Qi was unusually clingy. She looked down at her empty hand, pouting with disappointment. Glancing at Chi Shuang, who was a step ahead, and then at her dangling hand, Jiang Qi slipped her own hand into Chi Shuang’s.

Chi Shuang: “?”

She didn’t hold on tightly, and her relaxed hand soon let Jiang Qi’s slip away. Without a word, Jiang Qi stubbornly shoved her hand back into Chi Shuang’s grasp.

Unable to resist, Chi Shuang turned to look at her, her expression complex and hard to describe.

With her eyes downcast, Jiang Qi looked docile. Standing at 177 cm, she resembled a large Labrador retriever.

It seemed that, long ago, she had been deceived by that very look in Jiang Qi’s eyes. A mocking smile curled on Chi Shuang’s lips as she whispered, “Jiang Qi, do you even have a heart?”

Her voice was so soft it was almost inaudible, as if she were speaking not to anyone else but to herself.

The only person beside her trembled slightly, then effortlessly removed the loosely held hand, grabbing Chi Shuang’s wrist instead and guiding her palm toward her own chest.

For a moment, Chi Shuang forgot to resist, staring blankly as Jiang Qi pressed her hand against the softness, allowing her to feel the strong, steady heartbeat.

As Chi Shuang stood frozen, Jiang Qi seemed to think this wasn’t enough. She uttered a single, abrupt word: “Listen.”

Then, she pulled Chi Shuang, who was caught off guard, by the neck, pressing her ear against her chest. “Heartbeat.”

“Thump.”

“Thump.”

It was gradually speeding up, all because of someone.

Chi Shuang snapped out of her daze almost immediately, breaking free and pursing her lips as she stared at Jiang Qi, wondering if she was truly drunk.

Yet, Jiang Qi’s current demeanor reminded her of the past. The unexpected tenderness and gentleness from someone usually cold and detached struck far deeper than the constant warmth of a perpetually gentle person.

In moments of passion, in bed, Chi Shuang would sometimes tease, “Does our esteemed Miss Jiang have moments where she can’t control her emotions, where she’s swept away by desire?”

Jiang Qi would lower her eyes, her long lashes fluttering. Then, with slender fingers, she would clasp Chi Shuang’s hand and place it over her heart.

Under the dim glow of the nightlight, Chi Shuang could see the blush spreading across Jiang Qi’s neck and earlobes, and the glistening tips of her pale fingers.

Once intimate lovers who couldn’t bear to be apart, now they wished they could devour each other’s flesh and drink each other’s blood.

It was… truly undignified.

In her previous life, Chi Shuang had indeed set many traps, plunging “Jiang Qi” into an abyss of despair. However, all of it had one precondition: that Jiang Qi had taken harmful actions against her.

If “Jiang Qi” had simply behaved and refrained from any improper intentions, then no matter how many traps Chi Shuang laid, they would have been useless.

But in this life, she was the one who initiated contact with Jiang Qi first. Yet the current Jiang Qi hadn’t done the things she had done after the first life. If this was a Jiang Qi from a parallel world, would it be fair to subject her to the series of retaliatory measures she had planned?

Chi Shuang bit her lip lightly. Outside the window, the large, round moon cast a pale, almost bleak light through the glass, draping the two of them in a sorrowful glow.

“I… don’t hate you anymore,” Chi Shuang murmured, her eyes lowered.

“It wouldn’t be fair to you either, right? At this point in time, we’re practically strangers.”

“And…”

Chi Shuang paused for a long time, unable to continue. Then she lifted her gaze to Jiang Qi, who stood quietly, waiting as if for a reprimand.

So pitiful and endearing.

When she wasn’t looking at her, Chi Shuang’s heart felt as hard as stone. But every time she saw her, it softened again and again.

She had deliberately feigned indifference for so long that she could no longer tell whether her tenderness was an act or a tiny fraction of sincerity that had managed to slip through the layers of self-deception.

It hadn’t been like this in her previous life. Back then, she had faced “Jiang Qi” with utter composure, even confident that her acting skills were worthy of an award.

But now, she could no longer deceive herself.

“Let’s just leave it at that,” Chi Shuang said, feeling weary after all the entanglement. She was in a phase of emotional exhaustion.

At this point, her so-called revenge felt utterly meaningless. Besides, she had already exacted her revenge in the previous life, fair and square.

“Let’s wash up and get some rest,” Chi Shuang tossed out the words before retreating into her room, like a wounded kitten seeking a quiet place to heal.

Early the next morning, Chi Shuang came downstairs to find Jiang Qi preparing breakfast.

Noticing her, Jiang Qi gave a slight nod in greeting and asked, “No morning run today?”

Though phrased as a question, her tone was so calm and steady it sounded more like a statement.

Before coming downstairs, Chi Shuang had felt somewhat uneasy. Perhaps it was the alcohol’s influence, last night, she had said things she shouldn’t have.

Even if she had let go of her hatred, it would be better to act like strangers. There was no need to voice it out loud.

It felt both melodramatic and strange. Melodramatic because she had unilaterally started this revenge and now ended it, yet still felt compelled to announce it. Strange because Jiang Qi, who had done nothing wrong so far, had been unwittingly dragged into this feud.

But judging by Jiang Qi’s demeanor now, she probably had no memory of last night’s events.

Chi Shuang breathed a quiet sigh of relief, discreetly observing the other’s expression before asking, “What are we having?”

Jiang Qi dropped the small, round glutinous rice balls into the simmering, velvety red bean paste. “I made some hangover soup. For breakfast, we’re having red bean paste with rice balls.”

Seeing Jiang Qi acting just as usual, Chi Shuang relaxed. “Let the others sleep in a bit longer. Waking up with a hangover is rough.”

Jiang Qi lowered her gaze. “Mm, I felt pretty awful when I woke up this morning too.”

Chi Shuang nodded and, after a moment of silence, felt she ought to say something more.

“You…”

“You…”

They spoke at the same time. Chi Shuang lowered her head. “You go first.”

Jiang Qi turned off the stove, evenly dividing the cooked red bean paste and rice balls into six bowls. She then filled the cleaned pot with hot water and placed four of the bowls inside to keep them warm.

“You didn’t drink too much last night, did you? I woke up this morning and found myself back in my room. How did I get back?” Jiang Qi asked.

“Well, I helped you back. You handle your liquor quite well, even when drunk, you didn’t do anything out of line.” Hearing that Jiang Qi had blacked out, Chi Shuang breathed a sigh of relief internally and casually cracked a joke.