Return To The Time Before Being Toyed With By My Fiancée - Chapter 3

The woman’s lips were glistening with moisture, and her eyes narrowed slightly in satisfaction, wearing the lazy expression of a predator that had just finished a full meal.

Luo Yanzhi brushed the back of her hand against her lips, her brow furrowing unconsciously as the stickiness between her legs turned damp and cold. She extended her arms, and Ning Ruohuan, who was hovering over her, lowered her head to let Luo Yanzhi loop her arms around her neck to pull herself into a sitting position.

Luo Yanzhi smiled and patted Ning Ruohuan’s cheek, praising her: “Sister did very well.”

On her lower lip remained a shallow, faint mark—a retaliatory bite from Ning Ruohuan when Luo Yanzhi had gripped her back too hard earlier. Ultimately, she hadn’t had the heart to use much force; the mark was so light it looked as if it would vanish in the next second.

Settling her mind, Ning Ruohuan placed one hand on Luo Yanzhi’s waist and the other under her knees, lifting her up. With a long stride, she hooked the study door open, turned into the nearest bedroom, and carried Luo Yanzhi into the en-suite bathroom.

Before setting Luo Yanzhi down, she scanned the room. This was the bedroom she had lived in before moving in with Luo Yanzhi; sometimes, when Luo Yanzhi was away, she would nap here, so she was very familiar with the layout.

Ning Ruohuan leaned down, but the person clinging to her neck refused to let go. She could only use one hand to adjust the water temperature.

Then… a weak, listless voice drifted into her ear: “Sister, together.”

Luo Yanzhi’s hand covered hers. She stared fixedly at Ning Ruohuan, her alluring peach-blossom eyes shimmering with a watery light. Her thin lips parted as she slowly repeated: “Sister, let’s wash together.”

She struggled to get down from Ning Ruohuan, but the moment her feet touched the floor, her knees buckled. Ning Ruohuan was quick, catching her by the waist.

Ning Ruohuan hauled her up, letting her lean against her: “Be careful.”

Luo Yanzhi sucked slightly on the inside of her cheek, making her face dimple faintly. She leaned against Ning Ruohuan and asked, “Isn’t Sister here?”

Ning Ruohuan was helpless against her, yet she found the words pleasing. She looked up at the overhead shower and the fixed nozzle, thought for a moment, and took down the handheld showerhead, adjusting the temperature at an angle to ensure no sudden bursts of cold or hot water hit Luo Yanzhi.

Both were still fully clothed. Ning Ruohuan looked impeccably dressed, whereas Luo Yanzhi, whose outfit had been uncoordinated to begin with, looked even more disheveled.

Leaning forward, Luo Yanzhi saw the contrast between them. Her brows arched, and a small smile tugged at the corner of her mouth. Her fingers slid down, hooking onto the buttons of Ning Ruohuan’s shirt. She blindly undid the top two, but by the time she reached the lower ones, she grew impatient. She simply tugged with force. To the sound of buttons hitting the tiles, Luo Yanzhi tilted her chin up. Her palm pressed against Ning Ruohuan’s abdomen, sliding along the sharp lines of her side muscles.

“Not ready yet?”

Ning Ruohuan could hear the faint impatience in her voice, though it was temporarily masked by the sensation of the hand on her skin. She took a deep breath, her chest heaving as her back pressed against the cold tiles. “It’s ready. Let’s get your clothes off first. Do you need help?”

Luo Yanzhi gave a half-smile. “What do you think?”

Her tone was dipping into a low-pressure zone. Ning Ruohuan knew her too well—her personality was volatile, something she still hadn’t fully mastered. One second, she was pleasant, the next, she could turn cold.

Ning Ruohuan handed the showerhead to her: “Hold this for a second?”

Luo Yanzhi ignored her.

Ning Ruohuan didn’t push it. She reached up and put the showerhead back in its holder. The perfectly tempered water instantly soaked her shirt, and Luo Yanzhi’s clothes were drenched as well. Amidst the flowing water, Ning Ruohuan stripped away Luo Yanzhi’s blazer and the rest of her layers.

She squeezed out some body wash and took the showerhead, squatting down to wash the woman before her. Luo Yanzhi wasn’t exactly cooperative, but she wasn’t uncooperative either; she just stood there, motionless. It was clear she was exhausted, as she kept her eyes closed throughout the process.

Ning Ruohuan wanted to mention that using the constant-temperature bathtub would have been much less of a hassle and much faster, but clearly, the other woman didn’t want to hear it.

After washing Luo Yanzhi, Ning Ruohuan gave herself a quick rinse. She suddenly realized she hadn’t brought a change of clothes. She pressed her tongue against her teeth, feeling a rare moment of embarrassment.

Luo Yanzhi opened her eyes slightly to glance at her. “What’s wrong? Not wearing clothes?”

Ning Ruohuan bit her lower lip, hesitant. “Yanyan, I’m sorry, I forgot to…”

Luo Yanzhi understood. She smiled and kissed Ning Ruohuan’s chin. “It’s not Sister’s fault. I was the one being impulsive.”

Her smile was bright and radiant. For a moment, Ning Ruohuan was dazed. The sound of her heart thumping against her ribs echoed in her ears, her breathing growing ragged.

Luo Yanzhi raised her hand, and in the blink of an eye, two sets of clothes appeared in her grip.

Ning Ruohuan had almost forgotten—Luo Yanzhi’s supernatural ability was related to space. Summoning objects from a distance was a simple matter for her. However, all abilities required a cooldown period—some lasting decades, others just a few days. Using it just to fetch clothes felt like a waste.

“Actually, we could have had them send the clothes up,” Ning Ruohuan said, referring to the staff employed at the villa.

Luo Yanzhi curled her lips. “We could have, but…” She paused, her damp fingertips sliding across the elegant line of Ning Ruohuan’s neck. Her voice was a low murmur, like a lover’s whisper. “Sister belongs only to me.”

Her voice was husky, as if dampened by the steam in the room. “Sister is too attractive after a bath. I can’t even let them see half of your forearm.” She let out a laugh, her voice returning to normal. “Do you understand, Sister?”

Ning Ruohuan’s breathing was erratic. This feeling of being needed, recognized, and cherished was exactly what she craved most. And Luo Yanzhi undoubtedly provided her with that emotional value in abundance. In return, she would satisfy all of Luo Yanzhi’s strange and whimsical demands.

Was this not the mutual understanding between lovers?

Ning Ruohuan nodded in response. “I understand.”

Luo Yanzhi gave a soft hum of approval and closed her eyes again, continuing to enjoy the service Ning Ruohuan provided.

By the time they finally emerged from the bathroom, it was already lunchtime. Luo Yanzhi was so tired she kept covering her mouth to yawn, taking only two bites of food before wanting to sleep. Ning Ruohuan accompanied her back to the room to rest.

Luo Yanzhi said she slept better when she was there. Before falling asleep, she added, “Wake me up at two. Friends are coming over to play.”

Ning Ruohuan made a note of it.

At 2:00 PM, as the digits on the clock flipped, Ning Ruohuan sat up in bed. She moved her gaze from her book to the person sleeping soundly beside her.

“Yanyan, it’s two o’clock. Time to get up,” Ning Ruohuan said, gently shaking her.

Luo Yanzhi let out a whine, her brow furrowing deeply—a sign of extreme displeasure. She had a terrible “wake-up temper”; it was bad enough when she woke up naturally, let alone when someone forced her awake.

Ning Ruohuan sighed and let go of her hand, leaning down until her cheek was almost touching Luo Yanzhi. “Yanyan, it’s time. Your friends will be here soon.”

Luo Yanzhi rubbed her face irritably, her voice fast and grumpy: “Don’t be noisy.”

Predictable. Ning Ruohuan sighed inwardly. Her lips touched Luo Yanzhi’s, and the sleeping woman finally showed a bit of a reaction. Ning Ruohuan captured her lips, sucking gently and slowly, while her palm smoothed up and down the other’s arm, “petting the fur” the right way.

This method of waking her up was effective. Luo Yanzhi opened her eyes groatily and instinctively cupped Ning Ruohuan’s face, deepening the kiss.

Ning Ruohuan kissed her for a while longer before pulling away with a smile. “Yanyan, it’s 2:05. If you don’t get up, are you going to stand your friends up?”

It was unclear if Luo Yanzhi heard her. After being denied the kiss, she just stared intensely at Ning Ruohuan, making her feel self-conscious.

Just as Ning Ruohuan was becoming puzzled, Luo Yanzhi reached behind her neck and sat up. she brushed back her long, dark hair, the silky strands instantly becoming a messy, cascading waterfall.

“Go to the cellar and get a few bottles,” Luo Yanzhi said, a hair tie dangling loosely from her wrist. She swung one foot off the bed and stepped into a slipper, then the other. She pushed herself up from the mattress, her tone casual. “There are four of us including me. Pick whatever you see fit.”

When she gathered with friends at home, they usually didn’t drink cocktails; it was mostly red wine and hard liquor. By comparison, Ning Ruohuan usually picked red wine—it ensured they wouldn’t get drunk quite so fast or feel quite so hungover.

By the time she returned with the wine, Luo Yanzhi’s friends had already gathered in the private wine lounge.

In the dimness, only the black table speckled with gold at the center was illuminated by a soft light. Wine openers, decanters, and glassware were neatly arranged on the circular tabletop. Four people sat around the table with a deck of cards in the middle. Three were holding cards, while one was on her phone.

“Are we really squeezing in a hand in these few minutes?” One woman with wavy permed hair drew a card and slotted it into the front of her hand. Her richly colored manicured nails slid across the cards. “My luck is pretty good this round.”

The woman sitting next to her looked up from her phone, glanced at the hand, and teased, “Ruoyan, is your luck finally turning?”

Bu Ruoyan clicked her tongue. “Hear that? Even Yin Fan says so. My luck has turned; I should have come to your place sooner, Yanzhi. My luck has leveled up just being here.”

Luo Yanzhi said lazily, “Popping the champagne halfway through already?”

Wan Yunxin, who hadn’t spoken, picked up the conversation. “It’ll be embarrassing if you lose.” She had drawn the ‘landlord’ card and scooped up the remaining cards from the center. As she sorted her hand, she asked, “Where is she?”

Everyone knew exactly who “she” was.

Luo Yanzhi’s brow showed signs of fatigue. “Fetching wine.”

Wan Yunxin threw down a card. “Oh? So we get to see her in a bit? When was the last time we saw her… a month ago?”

Luo Yanzhi slowly selected a card and flicked it out with her fingertips. “If you wanted to see her, you should have said so. I could arrange a private meeting for you two.”

As she spoke, her peach-blossom eyes crinkled into a smile, her pale pupils reflecting the light points, looking as if she were genuinely willing.

Wan Yunxin shrugged. “Forget it. A private meeting wouldn’t be any fun.”

Luo Yanzhi remained noncommittal.

Bu Ruoyan’s hand was indeed excellent. After a few sequences, she held a “bomb” in reserve, leaving Wan Yunxin—the dealer—completely dazed. The round ended in just a few turns.

“What do you mean ‘halfway through’?” Bu Ruoyan gloated. “I won, didn’t I?”

Luo Yanzhi lost interest and threw her cards down. “I’m done.”

At that moment, the door to the wine lounge was pushed open. The light from outside flooded in, instantly brightening the dim room.

Ning Ruohuan stood silhouetted against the light. One hand held a bottle of red wine—the shape was unmistakable.

The other hand held…

Luo Yanzhi couldn’t see it clearly; it didn’t look like a wine bottle. But when Ning Ruohuan placed the items on the table, it was indeed a bottle of alcohol.

A bottle of low-alcohol… beer.