Seduced Me into a Deep Fall - Chapter 19

“You… why aren’t you dressed properly?” Good heavens, she had only been living in this house for two days and had already witnessed this scene twice.

Reason urged her to turn away, but some shadowy emotion coiled around her mind, making her steal a glance at Song Yi.

She really only looked once more, then her entire body burned as if she had a fever.

Ling Xi no longer trusted her own eyes and simply closed them.

“Not dressed properly?” Song Yi lowered her head, her tone full of confusion.

“I thought I was dressed…” She even lifted the grapes in her hand, swaying them a few times.

Clearly unsteady. Ling Xi cracked her eyes open just a slit and saw Song Yi like this, wondering how the girl was even standing upright.

“Does this not count?” Song Yi tilted her head. “It’s a little hard to see…”

Song Yi wasn’t wearing her glasses, feigning drunken dizziness with ease.

Ling Xi could only stare rigidly at Song Yi’s feet, then steadied the swaying girl and took the fruit bowl from her hands first.

“Let me help you button up.” She couldn’t let Song Yi keep wearing her clothes like this.

Otherwise, Song Yi might not be uncomfortable,

but Ling Xi would suffer all night.

Just like last night after coaxing Song Yi to sleep, Ling Xi had tossed and turned for an hour before finally falling asleep.

In that hazy hour, all she could see were Song Yi’s champagne-colored earrings, her soft waist, the sensation of her slender fingers brushing against her collarbone.

It was all so strange.

Ling Xi was practically buttoning Song Yi’s clothes with her eyes closed.

She had never reacted like this to anyone before.

There was already an S-rank alpha at home, and A-rank omegas were common on campus.

Why was it that, the moment she faced Song Yi, all her senses were heightened so intensely that every second, every glance, made her want to…

Truth be told, someone as inexperienced as Ling Xi hadn’t thought of anything too extreme.

She just wanted to be closer to Song Yi maybe to hug her, maybe to kiss her.

A girl who had never had a proper romantic relationship had no idea what this feeling meant.

She was just deeply embarrassed.

She was actually taking advantage of Song Yi’s drunkenness to entertain such inappropriate thoughts.

“It’s a little tight…” Song Yi gasped softly.

Her collar had been pulled forward by Ling Xi, likely because Ling Xi didn’t want to touch her.

“Sorry.” Ling Xi quickly let go.

Then, with great difficulty, she opened her eyes again.

Now that Song Yi’s buttons were undone, her pajamas were no longer twisted, neatly covering her from head to toe without revealing a single inch of skin.

Ling Xi exhaled in relief.

She hadn’t touched or seen anything. She had held onto her principles.

“Aren’t you going to button me back up?” Song Yi thought it was such a shame.

Last night had been the same.

Ling Xi wasn’t without desire, she was just bound by propriety, refusing to touch her.

It made Song Yi want to grab Ling Xi’s hand and guide it over all the places this hand had brushed past but never soothed.

“Right.” Ling Xi bit her lip hard, then swiftly buttoned Song Yi’s clothes in a few quick motions.

“Go sit over there. I’ll cook something and join you soon.” She tugged at Song Yi’s sleeve, leading her to the living room.

Song Yi lowered her gaze to the hand resting on her sleeve.

Knuckles distinct, bearing the calluses of years of labor, yet nothing seemed unusual except when you felt that touch, and in an instant, the tender caress turned angular and firm.

Just looking at that hand smooth as jade, pale as moonlight, it was the type any hand enthusiast would adore.

Song Yi figured since she was already drunk, she might as well push things a little further.

She extended her pinky and hooked it around Ling Xi’s.

Ling Xi froze as if struck by lightning, stopping dead in her tracks.

This caused Song Yi to bump into her.

“Ouch…” Song Yi exaggeratedly sucked in a breath, making sure to tumble right into Ling Xi’s arms.

Ling Xi had no choice but to catch her. “Sorry… are you okay?”

“Dizzy…” Song Yi lifted her head, eyes brimming with tears.

Her lashes trembled, tears clinging to them before spilling over, sliding down cheeks flushed from the steam of her bath.

“Should I… carry you?” Ling Xi suggested, inexplicably reminded of last night’s encounter.

It was only a few steps away, why bother?

But maybe it was because Song Yi looked so pitiful and fragile right now, tugging at her heartstrings until she couldn’t help but take care of her.

In a way that felt unexpectedly intimate.

Song Yi didn’t give her time to reconsider, immediately looping her arms around Ling Xi’s neck.

The next second, she was airborne, legs cradled in Ling Xi’s arms.

Those arms, seemingly slender, were surprisingly strong.

It made Song Yi feel utterly safe.

Pressed against Ling Xi’s chest, Song Yi took a deep breath, reluctant to exhale the faint milky sweetness that belonged solely to Ling Xi.

God knew how long she had remembered this delicate fragrance, honeydew mingling with Ling Xi’s natural scent.

It was in this very scent that Song Yi had spent her happiest summer.

Buried in Ling Xi’s embrace, in the blink of an eye, it felt like she had traveled back five years.

She had fallen asleep in the same arms, completely at ease.

When she woke, all her wounds had been treated, neatly bandaged.

That incredibly considerate person had still been holding her, stroking her head as if she were a little sister in need of comfort.

“Does it still hurt?” they had asked.

Song Yi’s lashes fluttered, suppressing the urge to sob.

She opened her eyes, Ling Xi had already set her down on the sofa.

She gazed up at Ling Xi with those damp eyes.

Five years had passed. The person she loved had changed so much.

Having presented as an alpha, the baby fat was gone, leaving behind a gentle, reliable young woman.

Yet she was still just as captivating.

Enough to make Song Yi abandon her usual restraint and propriety.

Enough to turn her into a devotee, drawn inexorably toward Ling Xi her personal deity.

“Weren’t you hungry? I’ll cook something. Have some grapes first they’ll help with the alcohol.” For a moment, Ling Xi thought Song Yi had sobered up.

Her legs urged her to flee, but she couldn’t bear to leave Song Yi staring at her like that, so she explained instead.

With that, she headed to the small kitchen.

Her pinky still felt warm. Only now did Ling Xi realize, Song Yi had been holding her finger the entire time she carried her.

So familiar…

Ling Xi rubbed her temples, unable to recall who it reminded her of.

Only that it must have been summer.

She had sat in the shade once, nibbling on a popsicle, offering her fingers to someone’s palm letting that insecure girl cling to them.

Was there a gap in her memory?

Frowning, Ling Xi prepped the ingredients.

Maybe not…

It was just a single rebirth, yet apart from the things that left too deep an impression like Mu Xie, like her mother’s imprisonment, her sister’s job transfer everything else had grown hazy.

Ling Xi sighed as she placed the vegetables into the sizzling oil.

This post-rebirth side effect was truly infuriating. It made her memory as unreliable as an eighty-year-old woman’s.

How could a twenty-two-year-old forget what she did during summer break just a few years ago?

Well, except for homework. Remembering that was pointless anyway.

Once the stir-fry was done, Ling Xi carried the dish over to Song Yi.

“You should eat too, kind soul,” Song Yi said, popping grapes into her mouth one by one.

Casually, she pinched one between her fingers and held it up to Ling Xi’s lips.

She pressed it so close that the grape brushed directly against Ling Xi’s mouth.

That sensation, if it had been her fingers instead.

“I already ate,” Ling Xi said, planning to tuck the drunkard in and then go straight to bed.

But the moment she opened her mouth, the grape slipped inside, resting on her tongue, forcing her to swallow.

Song Yi even tapped the dip of her upper lip.

“Good girl.”

As if praising a puppy, complete with a pat.

Ling Xi was so exasperated by Song Yi’s antics that the lingering feeling of being touched so casually faded.

At least, for that moment.

But later that night, when she recalled it, goosebumps would rise all over her skin, her glands burning with discomfort.

“Seems you don’t like the food,” Song Yi remarked after taking a couple of bites. She picked up a spoon, determined to feed Ling Xi.

“I made this myself…” Ling Xi sighed, torn between laughter and resignation, and reluctantly opened her mouth.

Once you accept being fed, there’s no turning back.

After the first time, Ling Xi could never refuse Song Yi’s offerings again.

“Tastes just like Mom’s cooking,” Song Yi said, satisfied after feeding her, unwilling to share the rest.

Ling Xi had made a small portion to begin with. Half of it was gone after just a few playful exchanges.

If not for maintaining some dignity, Song Yi would’ve licked the plate clean.

And she wasn’t lying.

Long ago, Song Yi had realized that Ling Xi’s cooking really did resemble her mother’s.

Too bad… her mother had been bedridden with illness for years now.

She could barely stay conscious, let alone get up and cook.

“Glad you like it,” Ling Xi said, unsure if Song Yi meant it.

Still, having her cooking praised again brought her a flicker of joy.

Once full, Song Yi sprawled onto the couch. “Goodnight, kind soul. The bed’s all yours, I’ll take the sofa.”

“…” Ling Xi watched as Song Yi closed her eyes, her breathing steadying into deep, even breaths within seconds.

Finally, the little troublemaker was asleep.

Silently, Ling Xi cleared the plates and loaded them into the dishwasher.

After a moment’s thought, she stepped out to test something.

Song Yi’s bedroom door wasn’t locked.

She returned, lifted the sleeping Song Yi from where she’d collapsed in her room, and carried her step by careful step back to her own bed.

Her movements were feather-light, afraid of waking her.

As usual, she tucked Song Yi in, pulled the blanket over her, then quietly retreated, closing the door behind her.

Exhaustion weighed heavily on Ling Xi now.

She returned to her room, working late into the night to finish editing the remaining images for her client. Once sent, she dragged her weary body to bed.

Only then did the heat on her lips flare up again.

So intense it drew a faint sweat from her skin.

Song Yi wasn’t even nearby anymore. She was dead tired. So why did her body still feel this sticky, restless ache?

Ling Xi felt something was off on both sides. She got up and splashed some cold water on her face, then looked up to see her reflection in the mirror her face was flushed red, even the tips of her ears burning crimson.

Something was seriously wrong.

Pressing a hand against her feverish skin, Ling Xi suddenly brushed against her scent gland.

A shudder ran through her body, and her legs gave way beneath her.

Now she finally understood why.

In her previous life’s later stages, Mu Xie’s constant extraction of her pheromones had completely disrupted her biological cycle, leaving her without an estrus period for a long time.

After being reborn, with time itself in disarray, she’d forgotten that according to her normal physiological cycle, she was about to enter her estrus period.

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