Self-Perception - Chapter 66

Wen Jinyan gripped the pillowcase tightly, trying her best to steady her legs and dampen the sound of the bells. But the bells were too light, even the slightest movement from Gu Wansheng caused them to ring incessantly.

A movement, a ring. A tremor, a ring.

By the end, her eyes were misty and her voice was broken. She wrapped her arms around Gu Wansheng, pulling her down, pleading softly, “Gu Wansheng, no more… no more…”

Gu Wansheng gently kissed away the tears at the corners of her eyes. “But Yanyan, you won’t let go. How am I supposed to leave?”

Wen Jinyan’s tears flowed steadily down her face. Her lips were captured in a kiss, and her jaw tilted upward involuntarily.

The ringing continued until evening, the room filled with a lingering, hazy atmosphere.

In the evening, Gu Wansheng made some soup and stir-fried two dishes. Once everything was ready, she went back to the bedroom to wake Wen Jinyan.

The room was pitch black, so quiet that only Wen Jinyan’s steady breathing could be heard. Outside, a pitter-patter of rain had begun to fall. Gu Wansheng adjusted the air conditioner, raising the temperature by a few degrees.

She turned on the small nightlight by the bedside table and called out softly, “Yanyan.”

Their noses brushed, and she placed a light kiss on Wen Jinyan’s lips.

Wen Jinyan hummed, lazily opening her bleary eyes. Her voice was incredibly hoarse. “What time is it?”

“Eight-thirty.”

Wen Jinyan propped herself up. The bell on her ankle gave a single ring, but she was immune to the sound now.

She wore nothing on her lower half; only a long shirt hung half-unbuttoned on her frame. As her bare feet stepped onto the carpet, the red string and small bell made her ankles appear even more slender and fair.

Her shapely legs were covered in kiss marks and teeth imprints, as were her collarbones and the areas hidden beneath the shirt.

Gu Wansheng watched as Wen Jinyan, with her messy hair, walked into the bathroom. Soon, the sound of splashing water echoed.

After a while, the water stopped.

Wen Jinyan raised her voice slightly. “Gu Wansheng?”

Gu Wansheng replied immediately, though she felt a twinge of regret afterward. Answering so quickly made her seem like a devoted lover waiting anxiously outside the door.

“Is the soup still simmering on the stove?”

“No, I turned the heat off,” Gu Wansheng replied. “Why?”

“I forgot to grab a bath towel. Can you bring one to me?” The bathroom was well-insulated, but Gu Wansheng had walked right up to the door. Through the frosted glass, she could see a blurry, curvaceous silhouette.

Gu Wansheng’s face began to heat up again. she quickly grabbed a towel and knocked primly on the door.

“Just come in. I’ve got body wash on me,” the voice inside called out, slightly louder.

Gu Wansheng’s hand tightened. She pushed the door open. A hazy mist rolled out from under her feet, and the figure before her gradually became clear.

Through the mist, she saw Wen Jinyan curl her lips into a smile. Then, she was pulled in by Wen Jinyan, and the sound of the shower started again.

Gu Wansheng’s clothes were soon soaked, the fabric clinging to her skin and outlining her trim figure. Feeling a bit flustered, she cried out, “Yanyan?”

Wen Jinyan’s affirmative hum mingled with the sound of the water, followed by a flurry of fine, dense kisses that seemed to permeate every part of her body.

Wen Jinyan didn’t actually have body wash on her, but she smelled of it.

Even though they had already cleaned up earlier.

Gu Wansheng felt dizzy from the kissing. Her wet clothes were uncomfortable, so Wen Jinyan helped her pull them off and tossed them onto the floor.

“Yanyan, you…”

Wen Jinyan bit her earlobe, her voice tinged with a playful sharpness. “Gu Wansheng.”

“Mm…” Gu Wansheng hummed.

“Aren’t you tired?” Gu Wansheng asked, placing her hands on the other’s shoulders.

How did she still have energy after all that tossing and turning? Even if Gu Wansheng had been the one doing most of the work earlier.

Wen Jinyan didn’t speak. She simply pushed her against the wall. The cold surface made Gu Wansheng shiver.

Wen Jinyan noticed the reaction.

“It’ll get warm soon.”

The showerhead was still on, water splashing over their feet amidst the swirling steam.

While Gu Wansheng’s back was cold, her front was burning hot. Wen Jinyan pressed against her, one leg hooked between her knees, moving slowly.

With nothing to hold onto, Gu Wansheng could only cling tightly to the person in front of her.

The bells rang out with every movement of the legs, sounding exceptionally clear in the bathroom.

Unable to withstand the provocation, Gu Wansheng bit Wen Jinyan’s ear as a warning. “Yanyan,” she urged.

Wen Jinyan leaned down and picked Gu Wansheng up directly.

Gu Wansheng was startled. Her stamina is this good?!

She began to wonder if her own “technique” was lacking, otherwise, how did Wen Jinyan still have the strength for this?

Gu Wansheng was half a head taller. Wen Jinyan looked up while Gu Wansheng looked down.

With her legs wrapped around Wen Jinyan’s waist, the sensitive contact sent waves of numbness rushing from below, spreading through her entire body and straight to her head.

It was an indescribable sensation of pleasure.

Gu Wansheng hadn’t expected it to feel this good. Her gaze lost focus as she stared up at the warm light on the bathroom ceiling, her legs tightening instinctively around the other’s waist.

Water droplets slid down Wen Jinyan’s waist. She carried Gu Wansheng into the bathtub, placing her on the wide edge, and then reached down to untie the bell from her own ankle and fasten it onto Gu Wansheng’s.

“Gu Wansheng, try to be quiet,” Wen Jinyan teased kindly.

Gu Wansheng let out a muffled groan. Her legs wouldn’t stop trembling, and the ringing of the bells only grew louder.

Eventually, Wen Jinyan sighed softly. “Gu Wansheng, you’re being naughty.”

Because the frequency of the sound was getting higher and higher.

By the time they finished, Gu Wansheng was exhausted. Wen Jinyan wrapped her in a bathrobe and tucked her into bed. Just before falling asleep, Gu Wansheng thought to herself:

I can’t bully Wen Jinyan too much in the future. Otherwise, she’ll just pay it back twofold.

In the middle of the night, they both woke up hungry. Too tired to cook noodles, they were lucky Gu Wansheng had left the soup.

Gu Wansheng reheated it, and they finished off more than half the pot. The dirty bowls were left in the sink for the morning.

After rinsing their mouths, they tumbled back into bed and fell into a deep sleep. They didn’t wake up until noon the next day.

When Wen Jinyan came out of the bathroom, she found Meng Qiu in the kitchen.

The bowls from the night before had been washed, and the soup had been put away.

Seeing Wen Jinyan, Meng Qiu greeted her with a smile. “Jinyan-jie, you’re awake.”

“When did you get here?”

Meng Qiu had a key to their place. Gu Wansheng had given it to her previously so she could drop things off for Wen Jinyan.

“About an hour ago. I’ll head out once I finish making lunch.” Meng Qiu turned off the stove.

She had been puzzled when she received a message from Gu Wansheng yesterday asking her to buy groceries. Seeing the two of them just waking up now, she had a vague idea of what had happened.

Wen Jinyan glanced at the table, which was laden with bags of vegetables and fruit.

“Eat with us,” Wen Jinyan said, stepping into the kitchen to wash three sets of utensils before going upstairs to call Gu Wansheng.

As the two came downstairs, Meng Qiu was just setting the soup on the table. “It’s ready.”

Gu Wansheng was wearing a round-neck loungewear set. As she leaned forward to eat, Meng Qiu catching a glimpse while reaching for a dish, noticed the faint red marks just below Gu Wansheng’s neckline…

Meng Qiu: “!!!”

Gu-jie was the one who got overpowered!

After lunch, Gu Wansheng told Meng Qiu to wait downstairs.

She went to the dressing room and sat before the mirror, using makeup to cover the “evidence” on her body, pulling the collar down to ensure everything was hidden.

In the reflection, she saw the “culprit” walk over and wrap her arms around her from behind, nuzzling her cheek.

“I didn’t know you were so wickedly clever,” Gu Wansheng said, reaching back to squeeze Wen Jinyan’s hand.

Wen Jinyan knew exactly what she was referring to. She gave Gu Wansheng a conciliatory kiss and smiled.

The two shared a few more moments of tenderness until time forced them to part.

Once in the car, Gu Wansheng took off her mask and glasses, pulled out a small blanket, and reclined her seat.

“Drive slowly, I’m going to nap for a bit.”

After Gu Wansheng left, Wen Jinyan went back to bed and fell asleep again.

At 3:00 PM, Wen Jinyan woke up. She checked her phone to find three missed calls and several WeChat messages.

They were all from Su Muqing, including a video link.

The moment Wen Jinyan saw the video, the warmth in her eyes vanished. She played Su Muqing’s voice message first:

“This video is trending on the hot search.”

“What on earth is Xiao She trying to do? He even bought a trending spot for himself.”

Wen Jinyan clicked the video. It was a clip of Xiao She being interviewed.

“So, Teacher Xiao She, we are all very excited to see what style your next script will be. Could you give us a little hint for the audience supporting you?”

“Actually, the general outline of the script is finished. I already have a female lead in mind, but I’m just not sure if she’s willing.”

The host became intrigued and joked, “Oh? Is there anyone who wouldn’t want a script from Teacher Xiao?”

“Of course not. It’s just that her schedule is very full, and I haven’t found the right opportunity to discuss it with her in detail.”

The host laughed. “That makes sense. What artist wouldn’t want to star in one of your scripts?”

“You flatter me, you flatter me.”

The rest of the conversation was trivial. Wen Jinyan turned off her phone and rushed to the bathroom, gagging. The thought of that man’s disgusting face and words, exactly the same as years ago, made her feel physically ill.

Once she regained her composure, she called Su Muqing back.

“Right now, five of the top ten trending topics are headlines linked to Gu Wansheng.”

As Su Muqing spoke, a screenshot arrived via WeChat. Wen Jinyan zoomed in:

• [Is Xiao She’s ideal leading lady Gu Wansheng?]
• [Xiao She has been waiting for Gu Wansheng]
• [Xiao She wrote a script specifically for Gu Wansheng]

Every single one was tied to Gu Wansheng. Wen Jinyan closed the app, her heart burning with rage.

“He’s trying to force Gu Wansheng’s hand.”

By creating a public association, he was trapping her.

Su Muqing said indignantly, “He’d really do anything for his reputation.”

Gu Wansheng had the acting skills and the fame, he needed her to propel himself further. But Wen Jinyan hadn’t expected him to be this impatient.

Why is he in such a hurry?

An uneasy feeling settled in Wen Jinyan’s heart, things were drifting off course.

“Su Muqing, we need to speed things up.”

Wen Jinyan hung up. After a moment of deliberation, she opened the app store to download Weibo.

The download was fast, but her hand froze as she moved to tap the icon, her fingers trembling instinctively.