Self-Perception - Chapter 51

After Wen Jinyan finished washing up, she casually grabbed a dry towel to wipe her hair. Following her habit, Gu Wansheng took the hairdryer. The whirring sound of the dryer filled the air as the scent of shampoo drifted into Gu Wansheng’s nose.

It was strange, it was clearly the same shampoo and body wash, yet on Wen Jinyan, the scent was exceptionally pleasant. Gu Wansheng couldn’t remember exactly when Wen Jinyan started using her shampoo, but every time she caught the scent on her, she couldn’t help but want to lean closer.

She suddenly recalled a video she’d scrolled past online discussing how some body washes contained ylang-ylang or similar scents. So, after drying Wen Jinyan’s hair, Gu Wansheng stopped, walked into the bathroom, and picked up the bottles to check. She muttered to herself, “Nothing here…”

Seeing Gu Wansheng enter the bathroom, Wen Jinyan assumed she was about to shower and specifically turned up the air conditioning in the room. However, just as she set the remote down, she saw Gu Wansheng emerge, still wearing the same clothes she had on before.

“You…” Before Wen Jinyan could finish her sentence, Gu Wansheng grabbed her pajamas from the hanger. Hearing Wen Jinyan’s voice, she tilted her head slightly and let out a hum from the back of her throat with a rising tone.

“It’s nothing.”

So, she hadn’t started yet.

With her pajamas draped over her elbow, Gu Wansheng placed her other hand on the side of Wen Jinyan’s neck, drew closer, and gave her a kiss on the lips.

This gesture wasn’t exactly surprising to Wen Jinyan, yet her eyes still widened slightly.

Wait? That wasn’t what I meant?

Gu Wansheng lowered her hand and said, “Go wait for me on the bed first.”

Wen Jinyan was very obedient. She sat on the bed and scrolled through some videos, but finding them boring, she eventually turned her gaze toward the bathroom.

The bathroom door was made of frosted glass. From the outside, one could vaguely see the hazy silhouette of the person inside. Wen Jinyan narrowed her eyes.

Still, she couldn’t see clearly.

She got off the bed, walked barefoot across the carpet to the vanity, and put on her glasses.

The sound of the water stopped, and Gu Wansheng’s voice came from inside: “Yanyan?”

Wen Jinyan walked over barefoot and asked, “What is it?”

“I forgot my undergarments. Can you help me get them? They’re in the bottom layer on the left side of the wardrobe.”

“Okay,” Wen Jinyan raised her voice a bit to make sure she was heard.

She found the bottom layer on the left side and pulled it open to find rows of neatly arranged clothing.

Wen Jinyan looked through them, black, white, lace-trimmed, hollowed out, knotted, and even G-strings. The fabrics were mostly very thin and looked quite “refreshing.” Although they had been intimate many times, seeing the garments like this was another matter entirely.

She hadn’t realized Gu Wansheng’s tastes were so diverse. Why hadn’t she noticed during their previous encounters?

The back of Wen Jinyan’s ears felt hot. She scratched her ear and gave her earlobe a little squeeze.

Still, Gu Wansheng looked good in anything.

“Yanyan, did you find them?” Gu Wansheng had been waiting for a while and thought she couldn’t find them.

“Oh, found them.” Wen Jinyan picked out a black pair, her fingertips feeling hot just touching the fabric.

She knocked on the door. The bathroom door opened a crack, and tendrils of warm steam billowed out. Then, a hand and part of an arm reached out. The palm was turned upward, and droplets of water slid through the fingers, landing right on Wen Jinyan’s instep. Her toes curled instinctively.

Wen Jinyan passed the garment through the crack, but instead of the hand letting go, she was suddenly pulled inside by a strong force.

Wen Jinyan let out a startled cry. Since she wasn’t wearing shoes, her footing was unstable, but a firm arm around her waist caught her securely.

“Why aren’t you wearing shoes again?”

Wen Jinyan hadn’t processed it yet; her mind was blank for a moment. Her hand instinctively reached out to grab something for support, and she heard a soft intake of breath from above.

“Is it soft?”

Regaining her senses, Wen Jinyan realized what she was holding. Now, it wasn’t just her ears that were hot, her whole face was burning.

She let go and rested her hands on Gu Wansheng’s shoulders, not knowing where to look. She settled on staring at the floor. She was thankful she was wearing her glasses, as they were fogged up and she couldn’t see clearly anyway.

Gu Wansheng didn’t let go; instead, she pressed closer.

“Yanyan, where is my underwear?”

The moment she was pulled in, Wen Jinyan had let go as a reflex. She glanced around, her glasses were covered in white mist, and she couldn’t move her arms freely. But she didn’t need to look to know that the piece of fabric was lying somewhere on the floor.

“On the floor,” Wen Jinyan added, “It’s wet.”

Gu Wansheng took off Wen Jinyan’s glasses and placed them on the nearest sink counter. She turned Wen Jinyan around, encircling her. Wen Jinyan couldn’t avoid the view; everything was laid bare.

The heater in the bathroom was on full blast. Wen Jinyan felt stifled by the heat and wanted to escape.

“Let me out.” Wen Jinyan’s back was against the wall. Because the air conditioning had been on in the room, she was only wearing thin pajamas. Now, leaning against the wall, her back felt icy while her front was burning.

Wen Jinyan’s toes gripped the floor.

“How about showering with me?” Gu Wansheng issued an invitation, staring into her eyes. Wet hair hung over her chest, and droplets fell from the tips onto Wen Jinyan’s skin.

“I… I just washed.”

Gu Wansheng said nothing. She used her arm to pull her closer and turned on the showerhead with her other hand. The hot water drenched Wen Jinyan’s clothes.

Gu Wansheng said, “Now you can.”

The hot water made the clothes cling to her body, leaving nothing of her figure to the imagination.

Gu Wansheng took a step closer, head slightly lowered. A water droplet hung precariously from her eyelashes.

The wet clothes felt sticky and uncomfortable against Wen Jinyan’s skin, and she tugged at the hem of her shirt.

Noticing this small gesture, Gu Wansheng leaned close to the back of Wen Jinyan’s ear and whispered, “Do you want to take them off?”

The warm breath against her ear made Wen Jinyan shiver, and her hands on Gu Wansheng’s shoulders tightened.

Receiving no reply, Gu Wansheng tilted her head and kissed Wen Jinyan.

The kiss started slowly, Gu Wansheng teasing the surface without going deep, yet constantly beckoning Wen Jinyan.

Wen Jinyan looked at her, lips slightly parted, her chest rising and falling. Gu Wansheng ran a finger over her lips, then used her thumb and index finger to gently squeeze her jaw, forcing Wen Jinyan to open her mouth.

This time the assault was urgent. Gu Wansheng pressed her body even tighter against Wen Jinyan, her tongue swirling with warmth, refusing to let her pull away.

The bathroom was thick with steam. Wen Jinyan’s head felt heavy and dizzy. By the time she regained some clarity, her clothes had been tossed onto the floor, mercilessly pelted by the falling water.

“Yanyan, look at me.” Gu Wansheng tilted her face for a deep, lingering kiss.

The kiss before entering the bathroom had sparked a desire that had grown uncontrollably while she was showering.

“Gu Wansheng, why are you being so… mmph.” As soon as Wen Jinyan spoke, her lips were hungrily covered by Gu Wansheng again.

“I want it so much,” Gu Wansheng repeated, “So much.”

“Gu Wansheng, Gu Wansheng…” Wen Jinyan’s hands patted Gu Wansheng’s back.

She could feel it.

Desire was like a flood, winding down along with the stream of water.

Gu Wansheng glanced at her hands; her nails had grown out. Abandoning the idea of using her hands, she cupped Wen Jinyan’s buttocks and easily lifted her up.

Wen Jinyan let out a gasp, her legs instinctively wrapping around Gu Wansheng’s waist. The sudden movement startled her. Gu Wansheng’s abdomen was hot, the skin felt smooth and delicate against her, like fine jade.

Gu Wansheng shifted her arms upward to prevent Wen Jinyan from sliding down. Wen Jinyan let out a muffled groan. The friction of their bodies was subtle yet incredibly teasing and difficult to bear. The water from the shower flowed over them both, cascading down.

Wen Jinyan’s toes curled, her insteps tensed. With no support for her back, her only anchor was the person in front of her. She pressed herself even closer to Gu Wansheng. The pleasure rising from below flooded her blood, boiling her nerves.

She patted Gu Wansheng’s shoulder forcefully, but Gu Wansheng only increased her efforts. Wen Jinyan’s whimpers were instantly drowned out by the sound of the water.

Amidst the tension, Gu Wansheng nibbled on her earlobe, her breathing erratic. “Yanyan, don’t you like it? But I haven’t trimmed my nails.”

Overcome with shame, Wen Jinyan desperately kissed the mouth that was talking, wanting to make sure it couldn’t say another word.

In fact, Gu Wansheng didn’t use her mouth for speaking much after that, because another place needed it more.

Wen Jinyan’s feet eventually touched the ground, yet she felt as if she were floating in the air, weightless.

With the cold wall at her back, she tilted her head back to look at the ceiling. The bathroom light was a warm hue. Wen Jinyan narrowed her eyes, trying hard to focus her vision. With a sudden tightening in her lower abdomen, she curled her body halfway, all she could see was Gu Wansheng’s head.

Her hair was thick and lush. Wen Jinyan couldn’t help but slide her fingers into the smooth black tresses.

Gu Wansheng and Wen Jinyan bathed three times in the bathroom. By the time they emerged, it was already 11:00 PM. Wen Jinyan had no strength left and had to be carried out by Gu Wansheng.

Lying on the bed with exhausted eyes, she made a point to check her phone before closing them. Two and a half hours ago, Wen Qiuyi had sent a message saying she was safe.

She dizzily replied with a “Good” and succumbed to her drowsiness.

After tidying up the bathroom, Gu Wansheng saw that Wen Jinyan was asleep. She gently placed the glasses on the bedside table, crawled under the covers, adjusted the temperature to a steady heat, and fell asleep holding Wen Jinyan.

On New Year’s Eve, Wen Jinyan called Wen Qiuyi to wish her a Happy New Year in advance. Wen Qiuyi asked if she wanted to come over for the countdown, but Wen Jinyan declined.

She knew her aunt was worried she’d be bored at home alone because of Gu Wansheng’s work, but she didn’t feel that way at all. Her home was here; the person she loved was here.

Wen Qiuyi didn’t push and simply wished her a Happy New Year.

Wen Jinyan scrolled through some videos and then flipped through a few channels on the TV. Finding nothing interesting, she simply searched the name “Gu Wansheng” and found a TV drama Gu Wansheng had acted in several years ago.

It was a modern drama. Her face looked much the same as it did now, but Wen Jinyan felt that the current Gu Wansheng actually looked younger than she did back then.

Wen Jinyan leaned back against the sofa, a blanket pulled over her, intently watching the TV or more accurately, watching Gu Wansheng.

Her phone rang, and Wen Jinyan picked it up.

“Jinyan, are you not home?”

Wen Jinyan pulled up a part of the blanket that had slipped off the sofa and said, “I am home.”

“I rang the doorbell three times and no one came to open it. I thought you weren’t here.”

“You came to my house?” Wen Jinyan said in disbelief, sliding into her slippers and walking quickly toward the entrance.

The call was still connected. She heard Su Muqing say cheerfully, “That’s right!”

The front door opened. Behind Su Muqing stood Ji Yibai, both of them carrying large and small bags of things.

Wen Jinyan stepped aside to get them slippers and asked, “What are you guys doing here?”