My Little Pink Crocodile - Chapter 24

Chapter 24: Are You Jealous?

“You really do spoil her. I thought you were just joking the other day,” Grace laughed, looking at the woman beside her who was meticulously inspecting a parachute.

The roar of the helicopter blades and the rushing sound of high-altitude air currents made Grace’s voice sound somewhat surreal.

Qi Yan was tall and slender, wearing a simple black sun-protection jacket and matching trousers. Her long hair was tied up in a bun, making her look exceptionally clean and capable. Her gentle yet serious features, combined with the calm and composure in her eyes, made people feel at ease.

She glanced at Jiang Yu, who had a look of novelty on her face, and after reminding her to “be careful,” she turned to Grace. “It’s not entirely because of her. I wanted to clear my head, too.”

Although Qi Yan looked quiet and gentle, only Grace—who had known her the longest—knew exactly how strong her hidden wild side truly was.

After leaving home, Qi Yan had fallen in love with extreme sports. Perhaps due to being suppressed for too long, she deeply enjoyed the freedom that came with a rush of adrenaline. Even during her busy working years, she would still occasionally seek out challenges to test her limits.

“Little Jiang Yu, we’re over four thousand meters up. If you fall, you’ll turn into a meat patty,” Grace teased, seeing Jiang Yu staring out the window in wonder.

But Jiang Yu only registered the “four thousand meters” part. Her eyes shimmered with excitement as she tilted her head toward Qi Yan. “Are we jumping down from right here?”

She pointed toward the pure white clouds below. The cloud layer blocked the view, making it impossible to see what lay beneath. The wind ruffled her hair; her exquisite, fair face made her look like an elf in the clouds, breathtakingly beautiful.

Qi Yan nodded. Noticing the girl’s hair was coming loose, she unraveled one of Jiang Yu’s braids and began re-braiding it. She smiled and said, “Only by passing through the clouds can you see the mountains and the plains.”

“Are they beautiful?” Jiang Yu sat obediently beside Qi Yan, letting the other woman fix her hair, asking with curiosity.

Qi Yan’s fingers were nimble. As she finished tying the braids on both sides, she said, “You’ll see them as soon as you open your eyes in a moment.”

Qi Yan’s words filled Jiang Yu with anticipation.

“Do you know why I wanted to come up here?” Qi Yan asked softly, a flicker of emotion passing through her eyes.

Hearing this, Jiang Yu looked at her with confusion and leaned against her shoulder. “Didn’t you say you wanted to clear your head?”

Qi Yan shook her head, turning her gaze toward the clouds below. Her eyes swirled with emotion as she spoke. “In a way. But you probably don’t know that leaping from four thousand meters at this specific time allows you to see the sunrise. The morning sun represents rebirth; it reminds me to keep looking forward.”

Jiang Yu nodded blankly, not quite understanding the deeper meaning of Qi Yan’s words or why she was telling her this, but she noticed the look in Qi Yan’s eyes. She asked, “Are you still unhappy?”

Faced with Jiang Yu’s question, Qi Yan fell silent for a moment.

Was she truly unhappy? It felt as if it had always been this way. She had convinced everyone else, but she still hadn’t convinced herself. After seeing so many sunrises, had she truly moved on? There was no answer, and no one to provide one.

Suddenly, Jiang Yu cupped her face and leaned in. Their faces were only millimeters apart. Jiang Yu’s silver-gray eyes seemed to contain ten thousand stars, a depth one would willingly sink into. Warm breath brushed against Qi Yan’s skin. With a smile that looked like the sun melting winter, Jiang Yu said to her:

“A kiss will make you happy.”

The voice cut through the whistling wind, ringing in Qi Yan’s ears. Her heart began to beat erratically, thumping like a drum against her chest. Instinctively, she hid her emotions. As their eyes met, it felt as if they were the only two people left in the world. On a sudden impulse, she whispered:

“Mhm.”

Hearing Qi Yan agree, Jiang Yu was instantly delighted. She held the other woman’s face and kissed her. Unlike the previous secretive pecks on the cheek, this time she kissed Qi Yan squarely on the lips, out in the open.

Jiang Yu felt her mood soar, completely forgetting they weren’t alone.

The softness on her lips caused Qi Yan to freeze for a moment. The girl didn’t seem to know how to kiss properly, only knowing how to nibble gently on her lips. For some reason, even though Qi Yan knew this was inappropriate, she allowed it.

She wrapped her arms around the girl’s waist, taking the lead to guide the kiss. Though she was also inexperienced, it was better than Jiang Yu’s random nibbling. Their breaths grew hot and intertwined. It was their first real kiss, and they kissed until they were both breathless.

A rosy flush spread across Jiang Yu’s fair face. Her eyes were misty with a watery sheen, and the corners of her eyes were tinged with red, making her look exceptionally alluring. It made one want to keep kissing her.

Qi Yan stared for a moment before finally looking away. However, Jiang Yu seemed to love the sensation, tugging at Qi Yan’s clothes, wanting to continue.

Grace, who had specifically waited for them to separate, saw them about to lean in again and hurriedly interrupted. “Hey, that’s enough. We’re still on a plane, and I’m still here. I don’t mind, but I don’t think you need to be this wild. Wouldn’t it be better to wait until you get back, take a shower, and lie on a nice soft bed?”

Her teasing tone finally made them realize there were other people present. Qi Yan’s face flushed. After regaining some composure, she apologized to no one in particular. “Sorry, I was impulsive.”

Jiang Yu held her and looked up, saying seriously, “The people in my clan said it’s only natural to kiss the person I like. Don’t you like me?”

She spoke with such dominance that Qi Yan couldn’t help but wonder which TV show she had learned this from. Qi Yan laughed, feeling that Jiang Yu was still just a child who understood nothing. After a moment’s thought, she avoided answering the question directly. “Yes, it is only natural.”

The doting and gentle way Qi Yan looked at Jiang Yu made it obvious to any onlooker that they were a couple.

Grace, forced to be the third wheel with no way to jump out of the plane, searched for a way to break the romantic atmosphere. Her eyes swept over the two of them. She teased Jiang Yu, “Look at you, even wearing matching couple’s outfits.”

The clothes Jiang Yu was wearing had been chosen by Qi Yan. The style was the same, but hers were light pink. With her hair meticulously braided and resting on her chest, she still looked as exquisite as a doll.

Jiang Yu hugged Qi Yan’s arm with a triumphant expression. “Are you jealous?” She added with a hint of pride, “Qi Yan put these on me. You don’t have them.”

Grace: …Is that phrasing a bit too ambiguous?

Qi Yan suddenly covered her mouth and coughed a few times. When Grace gave her a knowing look, her face couldn’t help but turn redder. Grace looked at her with mock disdain. “Qi Yan, you’ve changed.”

Qi Yan choked again and turned her head away. “Don’t listen to her nonsense.”

Jiang Yu wanted to argue back, but Qi Yan covered her mouth in advance. Jiang Yu could only widen her eyes in protest. Seeing her like this, Grace couldn’t resist teasing her again.

“Little sister, you have to realize—how many days have you two known each other? In bed on day two, a marriage certificate on day three, kissing on day four… is this a speed-run marriage? And the order is all wrong.”

Jiang Yu thought about it seriously but couldn’t figure out exactly what was wrong with the order Grace described.

“Stop teasing her,” Qi Yan said, feeling embarrassed.

Although they were interrupted, Jiang Yu suddenly grabbed Qi Yan’s hand. Her beautiful eyes reflected Qi Yan’s image. “Are you happy now?”

Qi Yan was stunned. She hadn’t expected Jiang Yu to still be holding onto that. When she recovered, a smile as gentle as a spring breeze filled her eyes. She whispered, “Thank you.”

The wind was too loud for Jiang Yu to hear clearly. “What?”

“I said, I’m very happy just having you by my side,” Qi Yan said with a slight smile, her tenderness enough to drown a person.

Hearing this, Jiang Yu immediately kissed her again and whispered happily into her ear, “Then I will stay by your side forever.”

Qi Yan was about to say something to Jiang Yu’s sudden promise, but Jiang Yu once again thought the wind was too loud and assumed Qi Yan had simply agreed, so she hugged her even tighter.

Qi Yan checked the gear one last time to ensure everything was perfect. Jiang Yu had originally wanted to jump alone, but since only Qi Yan had experience, she wouldn’t allow Jiang Yu to take such a risk. To ensure her safety, they used a tandem parachute. It had taken quite a while to coax Jiang Yu into accepting that she couldn’t jump by herself.

Qi Yan took off the necklace from her neck and handed it to Grace. “Keep this for me for a moment.”

Since Jiang Yu was positioned in front of Qi Yan, her movements were restricted, and she didn’t see what Qi Yan had given to Grace.

Standing at the edge of the open cabin door, Jiang Yu felt no fear of the bottomless clouds. Instead, she pouted. “This doesn’t look pretty.”

Qi Yan laughed and said patiently, “You look beautiful no matter what.”

Jiang Yu wanted to say more, but Qi Yan manually stopped her from speaking. “Alright, we’re jumping.”

Before Jiang Yu could react, the sudden weightlessness and intense air pressure made her forget what she was going to say. After a rapid descent, the drogue chute opened.

Just as Qi Yan had said, falling from four thousand meters at this time allowed them to see the first rays of dawn. The light spilled over the clouds, plating them in warm gold—a brilliance that was undeniable. The biting wind felt like an embrace, and the rising sun kissed them all over.

As they passed through the clouds, the mountains and rivers appeared. Jiang Yu even thought she saw the entrance to her clan’s territory. “It’s very beautiful,” Jiang Yu said.

But before Qi Yan could respond, she realized that when she pulled the toggles, the main parachute failed to deploy fully. Their bodies instantly lost control, though Qi Yan’s experience allowed her to fight to stabilize them quickly.

Jiang Yu hadn’t realized what was happening yet; she just thought it was fun. This was a low-probability accident, yet it had happened now.

Qi Yan had to calm down in the shortest time possible. While thinking of a solution, she soothed Jiang Yu. “Don’t be afraid.”

Jiang Yu heard the gravity in her voice. “What’s wrong?”

“A bit of trouble.”

Qi Yan answered simply before trying to deploy the reserve chute. However, the moment the reserve opened, it became entangled with the main chute, causing them to drift completely off their original course.

On the helicopter, Grace had already realized something was wrong. Her brows knit together in panic. “Is my mouth really that cursed?”

But no matter how anxious she was, it was useless. She could only watch helplessly as they fell.