My 'White Moonlight' First Love Came Back, but I Don't Love her Anymore - Chapter 31

“Is this the first item in the plan you developed?”

“Mhm.”

“A haunted house? Are you certain?” Zhou Wanyan asked, emphasizing her doubt once again.

“Of course, I am certain. The lights in a haunted house are dim and the atmosphere is tense. It is the easiest environment to foster dependency, which can quickly increase mutual affection,” Luo Yuening explained. The lower half of her face was covered by a mask, leaving only her captivating fox-like eyes visible. The corners of her eyes tilted upward slightly, revealing an innate charm.

Zhou Wanyan countered, “But as I recall, this is what you are most afraid of. Have you forgotten how you used to grab my arm and refuse to let go the moment you stepped inside? I used to wear long sleeves every time just for that reason. You are terrified, yet you still insist on playing.”

Luo Yuening tilted her face up slightly and stared intensely at Zhou Wanyan, her aura full of confidence. “So what if I am? I am your boss now, so you have to listen to me. Now, lead me inside.”

Zhou Wanyan held out her hand, her brow arching slightly. “Hold on then. I am afraid you will run around in a panic and accidentally hurt someone else.”

Luo Yuening placed her hand in Zhou Wanyan’s without hesitation, though she remained stubborn. “If I must.”

Inside, a scream pierced the air. “Ah! Zhou Wanyan, hurry, let us go!”

Zhou Wanyan calmly pushed aside a hanging cloth stained with red liquid. With her other hand, she gently patted the woman shrinking into her embrace. She coaxed her softly, “It is fine. It is over now. Open your eyes and look.”

Luo Yuening slowly opened her eyes, though her grip on Zhou Wanyan’s waist did not loosen. Suddenly, an actor wearing a ghost mask popped out from a dark hole in the wall, locking eyes with her. After another scream, Luo Yuening threw herself into Zhou Wanyan’s arms, her legs flailing as she tried to jump onto her.

Zhou Wanyan let out a helpless sigh and looked down with a faint smile, her expression naturally softening with joy. “Do not be afraid. It is over.” The person in her arms was trembling, her usual proud demeanor having vanished completely. Her voice shook as she whispered, “Hold me tighter. I am scared.”

As they moved deeper, the horrifying atmosphere grew more intense. Sharp, sustained notes played alongside a rapid drumbeat, making it feel as though someone was chasing them. At one point, Zhou Wanyan stopped.

Luo Yuening, still hiding in her arms, asked in confusion, “Why did you stop?”

Zhou Wanyan’s voice sounded low and teasing from above her head. “If you are this scared, how do you plan to bring Yue Qi here? Do you expect her to protect you? If you ask me, we should stop playing. Haunted houses are far too frightening. It would be better to just go out for a simple meal. I happen to know a very delicious hotpot restaurant. Why do we not all go together instead?”

Luo Yuening’s eyes snapped open, a flash of suspicion crossing them. She interrupted, “We? Zhou Wanyan, have you ever seen a date involving three people?”

Zhou Wanyan replied nonchalantly, “Once the three of us go, there will be one.”

Luo Yuening studied Zhou Wanyan’s facial expression, her chin tilting up as if she had seen through her hidden motives. “Is it that you do not want me to go out with Sister Yue Qi?”

Having been hit right where it mattered, Zhou Wanyan tried her best to hide it. These ambiguous emotions left her conflicted. “That is not it. I am just afraid you will be deceived.”

Luo Yuening snorted and said without thinking, “Even if you lied to me, Yue Qi would not.”

Zhou Wanyan’s voice was filled with an endless bitterness. “You trust Yue Qi that much?”

Luo Yuening slowly lowered her head, and the strength of her grip on Zhou Wanyan’s waist loosened. She realized how hurtful that sentence was. “Zhou Wanyan, I was not thinking just now. I just said it in the heat of the moment. Besides, even if you did lie to me, you are more important to me than Yue Qi is.”

Zhou Wanyan felt that her mood did not improve at all. Luo Yuening’s last words sounded like a mere attempt to compensate for what she had said before. However, she understood that the two families were old friends. Yue Qi had grown up with Luo Yuening and had spent far more time with her.

“Oh,” Zhou Wanyan replied.

Luo Yuening asked, “Is that all?” Had Zhou Wanyan not heard her heartfelt admission? She repeated it for emphasis. “I said that you are more important to me than Yue Qi.”

Zhou Wanyan’s expression remained numb and her eyes lacked color. She took the statement as a mere comfort. “Mhm.”

Luo Yuening decided to stop holding back and shrunk into Zhou Wanyan’s arms again. With their bodies pressed tightly together, the softness against Zhou Wanyan’s chest was unmistakable. Zhou Wanyan’s ears gradually turned red.

Time flew by. Before long, they had gone through the haunted house five times. Zhou Wanyan sat on a sofa in the lobby, exhausted to the point of numbness. Luo Yuening grabbed her hand, trying to pull her up.

“Eldest young lady, are you not tired yet?” Zhou Wanyan asked.

Luo Yuening shook her head. “You have not finished training me yet.”

Zhou Wanyan’s voice was weary. “There is no need for more training. I declare you graduated.”

Luo Yuening pressed her lips together and frowned. She sat down beside Zhou Wanyan without a word. Suddenly, a spark of inspiration hit her. “I have changed my mind. I will not take Sister Yue Qi to a haunted house after all. I have thought of a better place.” She left the thought hanging to create a sense of mystery.

They arrived at the Lanquan West Pool. The water was crystal clear, and the surface rippled with a shimmering light. In the open air hot spring, the steam rose like a thin veil, blurring one’s vision. The pebbles at the bottom were clearly visible. Looking up, the stars sparkled in the night sky. Entering the hot spring area, the rich fragrance of ylang ylang drifted toward them from several plants standing by the pool, looking delicate under the mist.

Zhou Wanyan rested her hands on the edge of the pool with her back to Luo Yuening. “I think this plan is even more unreliable.”

“What is unreliable about it? Soaking in a hot spring is wonderful. Close contact makes it easier for hearts to flutter,” Luo Yuening’s voice drifted from behind her.

Zhou Wanyan was not in high spirits and asked gloomily, “How did you fall for Yue Qi?”

“Sister Yue Qi is older and knows how to take care of people,” Luo Yuening replied casually.

A rebuttal escaped Zhou Wanyan’s lips before she could stop it. “Older people eventually lose their stamina. It is younger people who truly know how to care for others. Do not doubt it because everyone I know says so.”

Luo Yuening countered, “Sister Yue Qi is only five years older than me. She is not old at all. Besides, she sings to me.”

Zhou Wanyan turned around suddenly. “I can sing too.” As she moved, ripples spread across the water, the sound flowing into their hearts like surging waves.

At that moment, Luo Yuening felt a warm current spread from her heart throughout her entire body. Her desire to confess reached its peak because she could feel Zhou Wanyan’s affection for her. Her heart was in a state of chaos. She picked up a wine glass from the poolside and drained it in one gulp, hoping to suppress her inner turmoil.

However, the effect was the opposite. The feeling intensified with the red wine, and a flush quickly appeared on her cheeks. “I am sorry. Just treat what I said before as nonsense. Zhou Wanyan, are you jealous?” Luo Yuening asked softly.

Zhou Wanyan’s heart tightened. “I am not.” She did not believe she could fall for Luo Yuening in just a few months.

The temperature of the spring water was comfortable, but Luo Yuening’s heart grew increasingly restless. The sound of water rose again as she took a long step forward, using the water’s surface for balance as she slowly approached Zhou Wanyan. Her eyes were rimmed with a faint red, shimmering like rippling water.

She looked at Zhou Wanyan and said word for word, “But I am. I was jealous when you were talking and laughing with Liao Baiwei. I was jealous when you kissed Yan Jiuqing on the big screen at Sister Yue Qi’s concert. In high school and university, whenever someone confessed to you, I was jealous. When I said that day that I no longer liked you, it was a lie. I have only ever loved one person in my life. Zhou Wanyan, I only love you.”

Zhou Wanyan’s downcast eyes snapped open. She strained to hear every word, not wanting to miss a single syllable. “But you said the person you like now is Yue Qi.”

“That was a lie. I did not dare let you know my feelings because I was afraid you would pull away from me. I was more afraid of you disappearing from my world than I was of not being your lover.” Luo Yuening paused and took a deep breath, her eyes revealing her insecurity. “Zhou Wanyan, in my plan, I never thought I would confess under these circumstances. But now, I desperately want to know your answer. The wait has been too bitter and too difficult to bear. I do not want to wait anymore.”

Zhou Wanyan’s lips moved, but no sound came out. Her mind was a blank space. Joy, shock, insecurity, and the urge to retreat all converged, weaving together in her heart and pulling her back.

Luo Yuening stepped forward slowly. Her eyes were cast down and her thick eyelashes trembled. The flush on her neck traveled downward, disappearing into her cleavage. Her slender waist was visible just above the water line. Under Zhou Wanyan’s gaze, she reached out her fair arms and circled them around Zhou Wanyan’s neck.

Seeing that she was not being rejected, Luo Yuening moved into Zhou Wanyan’s embrace and rested her chin gently on her shoulder. Her voice was weak and her tone trembled like a fraying lute string. “Zhou Wanyan, do not be afraid. Let me love you, alright?”

Perhaps it was the water droplets in the air condensing into a mist, but Zhou Wanyan’s vision became blurred. Luo Yuening’s tender voice filled her ears, and those hazy emotions finally began to feel real. She did not need to doubt Luo Yuening’s sincerity because everything the woman did was genuine. She had thought she would never again expect someone to love her, but in this moment, she was surrounded by Luo Yuening’s love.

Zhou Wanyan’s lips moved slightly as she finally whispered a single word. “Good.”

Zhou Wanyan had agreed. As the moonlight spilled over the edge of the hot spring, Luo Yuening held her peacefully, her legs submerged in the warm water. After years of unrequited love, she had finally received a response. Her body trembled slightly, and her muffled sobs were clear in the silence. Mixed with the soft moonlight, her love could no longer be hidden.

Inside the hotel room, Luo Yuening pulled on Zhou Wanyan’s neck as they fell back onto the bed, the silk quilt indenting beneath them. Perhaps the intense emotion had mixed with the wine to intoxicate her heart. Luo Yuening’s bright eyes were veiled with mist, and her movements were slightly drunken. Her flushed cheeks were even more moving under the lamplight.

Zhou Wanyan looked down, and the passion of the woman beneath her began to sweep away her reason. Their bathrobes had been loosened at some point. As their skin touched, the air between them was squeezed out. Luo Yuening’s eyes were filled with an affectionate charm and shyness, the redness at the corners of her eyes signaling rising desire.

Zhou Wanyan’s warm lips met the cool lips beneath her in an urgent kiss. The quiet room was filled with a wildly growing passion. A tear from the corner of Zhou Wanyan’s eye fell onto the edge of Luo Yuening’s eye, merging with the tears shed from the other woman’s emotion. At this moment, they only had each other.

“Yanyan, come inside.”

“I did not bring that.”

“It is alright even without it.”

“No.”

“I think I remember there being alcohol wipes. I will help you clean up.”

“Ningning, is our progress not a little too fast?”

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