Shadowed Love: A Lover Who Refuses to Let Go - Chapter 19

Influenced by Ms. Shan, Yin Yunzhu wasn’t opposed to yoga. Aside from aerobic exercises like running, she occasionally practiced yoga in her free time to stay fit.

A purple yoga mat lay flat on the living room floor, the warmth outside blocked by the glass, while cool light spilled across the sliding door.

She lay on the mat, adjusting her breathing, when her phone beside her ear rang.

Xiao Yu, her cat, circled around curiously before pressing a paw against the lit screen.

“Go away, go away,” Yin Yunzhu scolded briefly, picking up the phone.

Since that day, her chat history with Jiang Menghe had remained stagnant on the topic of gifts. Nearly half a month had passed without any contact between them.

This relationship was like a fleeting morning dew, evaporating at the first light of dawn. She had no idea how to sustain it, nor did she want to appear too eager.

Orange Harmony: Free tonight?

Little Bamboo: Yes.

Just ten words, and their conversation ended. Adults understood the unspoken implications, asking if someone was free carried obvious intentions.

Yin Yunzhu rubbed her sore legs and got up to wash her face. The woman in the mirror had flushed cheeks, remnants of her workout.

She pulled up the location from last time and prepared the clothes she’d wear for the evening outing.

Quancheng was deep into winter, and even on sunny days, a biting chill lingered in the air. Before leaving, Yin Yunzhu made sure to layer on an extra coat.

She never drove to meet Jiang Menghe, aware of the other woman’s sensitive status. Downtown was crowded, and if paparazzi tailing her caught them together, it could cause trouble for both.

But even the best-laid plans had flaws.

Holding the keycard, she arrived at the hotel’s upper floors, everything was just as it had been last time. Yin Yunzhu didn’t understand why Jiang Menghe chose to live in a hotel. To her, a home filled with life’s warmth would have been more fitting.

Fortunately, theirs was a surface-level relationship. Some fundamental differences didn’t affect their harmony.

As she swiped the keycard open, Jiang Menghe appeared from down the hallway. Fresh from a shower, she was meticulously applying body lotion, her arms stretching with the grace of a swan spreading its wings.

It’ll just get washed away by sweat later anyway.

Yin Yunzhu stood awkwardly at the door, silently noting how the prelude to their encounters seemed to grow longer each time.

The woman favored gardenia-scented products, a perfect match for her delicate features, which weren’t suited for overpowering florals like roses. Her fingertips swirled as she smoothed the lotion into her skin, pausing before the mirror as if admiring her own figure.

Jiang Menghe showed little reaction upon seeing Yin Yunzhu except for the brief hesitation in her gaze when she noticed the gift box in her hand.

“This is… a return gift.” The words she’d rehearsed in her mind stumbled out awkwardly.

Yin Yunzhu felt embarrassingly unsophisticated. It was as if they weren’t here to connect emotionally, but merely for a polite social call.

At her words, Jiang Menghe’s brows furrowed almost imperceptibly before she replied flatly, “Put it on the table.”

She probably didn’t dislike it perhaps she just found this exchange of gifts odd, as if Yin Yunzhu was rejecting her previous kindness, resetting them to a distant, equal footing.

Taking the cue, Yin Yunzhu quietly set the gift down and sat stiffly by the sofa.

The hotel room’s overhead lights were rarely turned on, as if acknowledging the clandestine nature of their relationship. Shadows from the nightstand’s clutter crept along the edges, while the untouched spaces pulsed with unspoken tension.

“Come help me take off this necklace.” Jiang Meng gathered her damp hair and looked at the reflection in the mirror.

“Alright.” Yin Yunzhu rarely refused such small favors, showing no awareness of being ordered around.

As she approached Jiang Meng, a familiar scent enveloped her. The fine down on the back of Jiang Meng’s neck was gilded by the light, the silver clasp of the necklace accentuating her fair skin.

The woman’s figure was slender yet not overly thin, her straight back and prominent shoulder blades exuding a resilient energy. Before Yin Yunzhu’s hands could fully warm, she felt Jiang Meng flinch slightly at her touch.

Even with neatly trimmed nails, unfastening the clasp proved difficult. A slightly forceful movement inevitably tugged at Jiang Meng’s collar.

The loose towel slipped from her shoulders down to her waist, then pooled at her ankles, baring her body effortlessly.

Their lips met uncontrollably, their delicate, feminine forms entwining like water snakes.

Perhaps the necklace had merely been an excuse.

From the foot of the bed to the headboard, Jiang Meng seemed to dominate their fervent entanglement, fingers threading through Yin Yunzhu’s hair to keep her still.

Gentle and accommodating off the bed, she was relentless in her methods and strength on it, igniting waves of heat.

Lying on her back, knees bent just enough to press between Yin Yunzhu’s thighs, Jiang Meng’s lips parted slightly in dazed breaths.

Seeing such an expression on a face usually so composed and elegant was nothing short of a reward for Yin Yunzhu. Her fingertips traced Jiang Meng’s waist, down to the shallow dip of her navel, then lower.

Just as she was about to reach her destination, their kiss broke abruptly. Jiang Meng gripped her neck like holding a chick, triumph glinting in her eyes.

At this moment, such an act was nothing but a mood killer. Yin Yunzhu’s feverish warmth cooled slightly as she shifted into a posture fit for conversation.

“What’s wrong?” Her eyes were red-rimmed like a rabbit’s, her voice hoarse.

Propping herself up on an elbow, Jiang Meng pressed their noses together, looking utterly at ease. “I meant to ask earlier, did you like the gift I gave you last time?”

Yin Yunzhu sobered completely. Slowly, she withdrew from Jiang Meng’s body, her gaze evasive. “I did.”

She wasn’t good at lying, but the two of them weren’t exactly close. If Jiang Meng hadn’t seen it for herself, she might’ve been fooled.

“Then why didn’t you wear it today?”

Perhaps because they were both Betas, Jiang Meng had developed a peculiar preference, when wrapped in her own scent, she felt a fleeting illusion of being marked.

A momentary lapse was enough for her to cast aside restraint and lose herself in indulgence.

Yin Yunzhu had been weighing her words when she caught the cool accusation in Jiang Meng’s eyes, realizing something.

She didn’t know how Jiang Meng had found out about the regifted perfume, but then again, given Beijiali’s brash and loose-lipped nature, it wasn’t surprising she’d been caught.

Quancheng was small enough that a little digging would uncover anything.

The atmosphere turned awkward after being called out, but even so, Yin Yunzhu refused to admit fault. Their relationship was consensual, she had no intention of being cast as some patron’s kept lover.

Straightening her back, she countered, “What about the gift I gave you? Did you like it?”

“No.” Jiang Meng leaned lazily against the headboard, her smile not reaching her eyes.

She didn’t even know what Yin Yunzhu had gifted her this response was simply meant to oppose the latter.

The woman didn’t hesitate to voice her true thoughts. Compared to Yin Yunzhu’s overly gentle demeanor, her aggressive aura was far more pronounced. The soft-spoken questioning felt like nothing more than a light scratch.

Yet she refused to back down.

Jiang Menghe couldn’t understand why she suddenly cared about such trivial matters. She had always been generous, whether with her studio colleagues or friends.

If she had to question every gift given, it would make her seem petty.

Only in front of Yin Yunzhu did this inexplicable irritation arise.

A few days ago, she had been forced to listen to the other woman proudly flaunt her supposedly unbreakable “friendship” in front of others. Did Yin Yunzhu ever consider that her friend might have already taken things a step further with someone else?

Jiang Menghe admitted then and even now that her mind wasn’t entirely clear.

At this impasse, neither would yield. In the end, it was Jiang Menghe who felt she had lost face and broke the delicate tension first.

“So it’s that you don’t like it. My oversight,” she sighed.

Seeing Jiang Menghe relent, Yin Yunzhu suddenly grew awkward. She knelt beside the pillow, hands resting properly on her knees. The warm yellow light grazed the contours of her face, leaving only her eyes clear and bright.

“I have a cat at home, so I’m sensitive to strong scents,” she explained patiently. “I mentioned it to you before.”

Yin Yunzhu had meant it as a reminder, back when they had first met, she had stayed overnight at Jiang Menghe’s place. That was the night she had mentioned Xiao Yu.

But to Jiang Menghe’s ears, the words carried an indescribable emotion.

With most of the light blocked, the woman’s eyes darkened. Her gentle features suddenly relaxed as she smiled. “Yin Yunzhu, are you blaming me?”

“Huh?” Yin Yunzhu’s mind was slow, her reactions always half a beat behind.

Jiang Menghe pinched her cheek, clearly misunderstanding something, her tone teasing. “Blame me for not keeping your matters in mind?”

“I—” Yin Yunzhu had no way to refute it, nor did she think now was the right time to clarify.

Her lips were caught in a kiss. The woman seemed to trace the shape of her mouth slowly with her own before finally swallowing any further words.

The minor conflict ended up being inconsequential, if anything, it spurred Jiang Menghe to put in even more effort. Her legs were hooked over Yin Yunzhu’s shoulders, leaving the latter with sore muscles the next morning.

Just like that, their disagreement dissolved without a sound.

When Yin Yunzhu opened her eyes, the space beside her was empty. She had assumed the other woman had left as usual.

After freshening up in the bathroom, she passed by the side table and caught sight of a familiar figure.

Jiang Menghe was dressed in a comfortable silk nightgown, the bruises from their kisses trailing from her ankles up beneath the hem. Leaning against the edge of the table, she held a glass of milk in one hand while texting with the other.

Sensing the gaze, she looked up.

Suppressing her surprise, Yin Yunzhu pushed open the glass door and peeked out. “I have things to do today, so I’ll head out first.”

Jiang Menghe seemed to want to ask where she was going but thought better of it. A slight nod was her only response, no offer to stay for breakfast.

Back in the bedroom, Yin Yunzhu grabbed her coat. She hadn’t brought much last night, so she stuffed a couple of tissues into her pocket before saying goodbye and leaving the hotel.

As she turned the doorknob and stepped into the hallway, the warmth faded. The empty corridor stretched on either side, illuminated only by the housekeeping lights.

She was about to close the door when a quick flicker in her peripheral vision caught her attention. Following the movement, she saw nothing but an empty corner.

A bad feeling rose in her chest.

Inside the room, Jiang Menghe noticed the prolonged silence and the absence of the door closing. She stepped out and asked, “What’s wrong?”

Yin Yunzhu wasn’t certain, but out of caution, she confessed everything. “Just now… I think someone was secretly taking photos.”

The suspicion wasn’t unfounded. As a public figure, Jiang Menghe always had rivals or media outlets waiting to catch her in a compromising situation. The earlier speculation about her frequent stays at hotels now seemed to make sense.

“What should we do?” Yin Yunzhu feared causing trouble for her. Compared to herself, Jiang Menghe would suffer far greater damage if scandalous rumors spread.

Hearing this, Jiang Menghe leaned against the doorframe and pulled out her phone to make a call.

The contact name displayed “Ye Xiyang.” Assuming it was her manager, Yin Yunzhu’s anxiety only deepened.

If you play with fire, you’ll get burned. If the manager found out about their relationship, things between them would likely end here.

Sensing her distress, the woman distractedly ruffled her hair and reassured her.

“Don’t worry. I’ll handle everything.”

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