Make Her Heart Flutter - Chapter 36

Jiang Qi lowered her gaze. “Your heartbeat… is also very fast.”

Chi Shuang: “!!!” Just this afternoon, she had insisted it was impossible for them to be together, so why was her heart racing so intensely now?

“I know… you probably won’t respond to this, but I just wanted to tell you.”

Jiang Qi’s eyes held a plea, gentle yet restrained, as if awaiting final judgment.

When a gentle person showed such an expression, it might evoke pity, but when someone as aloof and ascetic as a flower on a high peak revealed such vulnerability…

Chi Shuang swallowed hard. It made her want to pull this person down from her pedestal, to make her reveal even more beautiful expressions, perhaps ones tangled with desire and frustration, yearning yet unfulfilled.

Startled by her own thoughts, Chi Shuang closed her eyes and withdrew her hand. “I… I need a moment to myself.”

Suddenly, the words she had spoken that afternoon seemed ridiculous. How could they go back to being friends after they had already kissed?

And now, with the other party confessing her feelings, how could Chi Shuang possibly suggest staying friends? Could she really feel at ease and justified continuing to enjoy Jiang Qi’s affection without guilt?

Chi Shuang couldn’t do it.

Jiang Qi nodded silently, taking a long moment before speaking. “It’s okay. Don’t feel guilty, and you don’t have to answer. My feelings for you are my own. If I demanded a response from you, that would be forcing you.”

So gentle. Far too gentle.

Chi Shuang felt the fortress she had painstakingly built crumbling. She was starting to feel like a lovesick fool.

Gazing at the silent, beautiful girl before her, Jiang Qi resisted and resisted, but in the end, she couldn’t help reaching out to gently stroke her head. “Don’t overthink it, and don’t feel sorry. Just treat it as something ordinary. I only told you that I like you.”

“But that’s so unfair to you,” Chi Shuang murmured, biting her lip as she looked up at Jiang Qi, her eyes filled with reluctance.

Jiang Qi gave a faint smile. “I don’t mind. Just being able to see you every day is enough for me. Goodnight.”

With that, she offered Chi Shuang a warm smile and turned to go back to her room.

Chi Shuang’s heart pounded wildly. She touched her cheek, it was burning. She was sure her face must be bright red.

Staring at the firmly closed door across from her, the voice in her heart grew louder and louder.

“You like her too, don’t you?”

“Since you’ve already realized that it wasn’t the real Jiang Qi who hurt you, why not be with her?”

“Can you bear to let her suffer like this?”

“She’s done nothing wrong, why should she endure this?”

Yes, why?

In her first life, Jiang Qi had changed after they married, around October of the following year, after this variety show.

In her second life, when Chi Shuang hadn’t joined the program, Jiang Qi hadn’t known her. They lived peacefully for a while, but then, in October of the following year, Jiang Qi suddenly appeared, pursuing her and even trying to possess her.

The same thing happened in her third life.

And Chi Shuang felt no love for the Jiang Qi who appeared after October, only disgust. But for the Jiang Qi before that October, her heart would flutter with affection and love.

An uncontrollable fear surged within Chi Shuang. What about after October of the following year? Would Jiang Qi transform into someone else again?

What in the world was going on?

Until she figured this out, even if she and Jiang Qi were together, history would only repeat itself after October of the following year.

At this thought, she clenched her fist, her nails digging into her palm. The earlier flutter of emotion faded, leaving only fear and unease in her heart.

Jiang Qi closed the door, her eyes slightly red. She blinked rapidly a few times, and the moisture evaporated, no tears fell, and her expression remained blank.

The next morning, before dawn.

Jiang Qi jolted awake to find the room pitch black. Even after drawing the curtains, it was still dark outside.

Her throat felt like it was about to explode with pain; she couldn’t even swallow, as dry as if she’d eaten at a barbecue joint the night before without drinking any water.

She pursed her chapped lips and decided to go downstairs for a glass of water.

But as she opened the door, she saw Chi Shuang across the hall opening hers at the same time.

Jiang Qi’s breath hitched, remembering the pretty words she’d said the night before, that just being able to see Chi Shuang every day would be enough.

She forced a slight smile. “Morning.”

As soon as she spoke, she realized how hoarse her voice sounded.

“Morning,” Chi Shuang replied, a hint of guilt in her tone. She hesitated before asking, “Do you want some water? I can get you a glass.”

Jiang Qi wanted to shake her head, but seeing the guilt in the other’s eyes made her heart ache. “Mm, thank you.”

“Okay!” Chi Shuang responded and headed downstairs, as if eager to do something for her.

While Chi Shuang was gone, Jiang Qi turned to the bathroom mirror to take a look at her disheveled state.

Her hair was tousled from sleep, and it was too dark to make out her complexion clearly.

After a moment’s thought, she turned on the light.

Whoa! Who was that in the mirror? Dark circles, cracked lips, and a complexion pale as a ghost.

If someone dragged her off to play a non-human creature right then, she wouldn’t need any makeup, she could play the part naturally.

Hearing footsteps on the stairs, she hurriedly turned off the light.

Chi Shuang reached the top of the stairs, holding a glass of water. “Why’d you turn the light off again?”

Jiang Qi made up an excuse on the spot. “It’s too bright. If it shines in my eyes, I won’t be able to fall back asleep.”

Alright. Chi Shuang raised an eyebrow, but her gut told her that wasn’t the real reason.

Seeing Chi Shuang’s expression, Jiang Qi felt mortified. What a lame excuse.

“Here, take the water. I need to go wake Jiang Ran up to go out,” Chi Shuang said, extending the glass.

“Isn’t it only a little past four?” Jiang Qi was taken aback and reached for her phone to check the time, only to realize she hadn’t brought it with her.

Chi Shuang gave a friendly smile. “Yep. Let’s see if that little brat dares to mess with me again in a few days.”

Jiang Qi pursed her lips, mentally reviewing whether she had ever provoked Chi Shuang. She couldn’t help but wonder, if she had, would she get to see this adorable side of Chi Shuang during her “revenge”?

With that thought, a sudden sense of anticipation rose in Jiang Qi’s heart. “What about me? Have I ever provoked you?”

Chi Shuang chuckled softly. Her small dimples weren’t clearly visible in the dim light, but they were still captivating. “What are you thinking? You’re my…”

Her voice grew softer, almost a whisper by the end.

She tugged on the collar of Jiang Qi’s pajamas, closing the distance between them until they were almost touching.

Leaning close to Jiang Qi’s ear, she whispered, “You’re my candidate for girlfriend, hmm?”

Forced into such proximity, Jiang Qi could barely keep hold of the water glass. Her throat, slightly soothed by the water, still produced a somewhat hoarse sound when she spoke.

She lowered her eyes, and from Chi Shuang’s perspective, she looked utterly docile and sweet.

If I were taller than her, I’d probably see her looking delicate and pitiful, right? Chi Shuang thought to herself.

Her mind stirred, and she released Jiang Qi’s collar, her slender fingers deliberately or inadvertently sliding down his chest. “Lower yourself a bit.”