She Is Such A Jerk, And Yet She’s The One Crying! - Chapter 24

If it weren’t for Lin Dongruan’s repeated acquiescence and indulgence, these unrealistic fantasies would never have appeared, would they?

Looking at the person in the water, Qiang Ning dazedly recalled the time when the two of them first met. At that time, the other woman was so quiet and serene, allowing her to gaze at her unscrupulously. Later, she saw the other woman actively expose her slender neck, which made her heart tighten. And after that, she unbuttoned her clothes and allowed her touch… time and time again, this person was like an infinitely doting mentor. Regardless of whether she knew of Qiang Ning’s unspeakable little thoughts, she always brushed them over lightly.

Qiang Ning thought: if she had been interrupted by Lin Dongruan the first time, she was impolite, how could she have fallen to her current state?

She had always been a woman of obvious ambition; her greed grew like wild grass in spring. That initial bit of sweetness was like a spark and an easterly wind—with just a tiny bit, it could cause her passionate desires to grow madly.

This time.

Could it be—that she could be a bit more excessive?

Qiang Ning’s throat moved slightly as she entered the water half-hidden. She liked to take the initiative, so she made her way to Lin Dongruan’s side like a gorgeously swimming water snake, approaching weakly and boneless, closer and closer.

As expected, Lin Dongruan said nothing.

“Sister.” Qiang Ning’s sandalwood lips parted slightly, and she lifted her lush, vivid eyes with an expression that clearly meant no good. “I’m cold.”

Lin Dongruan seemed completely unable to see her ill intentions: “You will get used to it after a while. Calm your mind and be at peace.”

This was merely an excuse. Qiang Ning did not want to be calm or peaceful at all. Not only did she fail to do as Lin Dongruan requested, but she pushed her luck and drew even closer: “But it really is too cold.”

The cold spring had no misty steam; the water was so clear there were no fish. Qiang Ning took in everything about Lin Dongruan, and the throbbing in her heart became increasingly arrogant.

Lin Dongruan sighed softly: “If the cold is truly unbearable, A-Ning should go up first. Go home, boil some water, and then bathe.”

“I don’t want to.” While speaking, Qiang Ning had already leaned against Lin Dongruan’s shoulder. She slowly pushed aside Lin Dongruan’s half-wet dark hair and rested her pointed chin in the hollow of the other’s shoulder, her breath carrying heat: “It will be even colder if I go up. I want to press against you.”

She was truly being mischievous, and she knew it in her heart, so she kept waiting for Lin Dongruan to speak up and scold her a few times.

But after a long time, Lin Dongruan remained silent and still, indifferent to her words.

Qiang Ning pulled away slightly in confusion, only to find that Lin Dongruan had actually closed her eyes on her own. Like a divine statue in the water, she managed to ignore her by practicing “nothing exists outside the mind.”

How could Lin Dongruan be like this?

Qiang Ning grew a bit annoyed. Such a large, living person was standing right in front of her, yet she dared to close her eyes to escape everything.

Why escape? What did she not dare to look at?

Qiang Ning was quite proud of her own body. She was born into royalty and nourished her body with the best things in the world; she was precious to the extreme from her hair to the soles of her feet. Her two snowy peaks were upright and pretty, more than twice as good as Lin Dongruan’s! And Lin Dongruan didn’t even give them a single glance?

Wait… since when did Lin Dongruan know shame?

Qiang Ning spoke curiously: “Sister, why do you not dare to look at me?”

As soon as she finished speaking, Lin Dongruan opened her eyes upon hearing the words. Since she had been slightly lowering her head just now, her gaze happened to fall just above Qiang Ning’s heart.

Qiang Ning waited expectantly and triumphantly for her reaction.

—Lin Dongruan silently moved her gaze away, showing no reaction.

Qiang Ning: “…”

What a Lin Dongruan, truly one who has severed all emotions and love.

The calmer the other party was, the more Qiang Ning wanted to tease her. She persistently took Lin Dongruan’s hand and meaningfully placed it over her own heart: “Perhaps this cold spring is too chilly; my chest feels a bit tight. Sister, help me see what is wrong.”

“Alright.”

Lin Dongruan agreed.

But before the corners of Qiang Ning’s mouth could lift, in the next instant, she found that Lin Dongruan had withdrawn her hand and instead went to take her pulse…

Qiang Ning: “…”

Is this person a block of wood?

This wasn’t the first or second time Qiang Ning had suffered a setback with Lin Dongruan. She was full of suppressed anger, so frustrated her head felt dizzy.

“A-Ning has a Yin deficiency and lacks strength; it is time to properly nourish your body.” Lin Dongruan released the other’s wrist and exhorted: “The cold spring is indeed not suitable for A-Ning. A-Ning should go ashore early and dry your body.”

Qiang Ning gritted her back teeth and said rebelliously: “I won’t.”

For some reason, when the two of them shared the spring, it was always a bit uncomfortable. Qiang Ning was uncomfortable because she had a bit of a grievance with Lin Dongruan, but she didn’t know what Lin Dongruan was thinking. Ever since stepping into this cold spring, she had become inexplicably much quieter… as if she were deliberately trying to avoid her a bit, yet unwilling to push her away harshly.

Because the atmosphere was too silent, Qiang Ning spoke up to find a topic: “Sister, is there anyone you like?”

Lin Dongruan: “I didn’t before, and there won’t be in the future.”

Qiang Ning felt a bit regretful: “Then why not give it a try?”

Lin Dongruan: “It is nothing more than a useless endeavor, wasting emotions for no reason.”

This was truly worrisome. Qiang Ning pressed her lips into a straight line, and her mood became visibly depressed.

“If A-Ning has someone she likes, she should take the initiative to strive for them.” Lin Dongruan turned sideways and closed her eyes, thinking of heaven knows what. She said, “A-Ning, don’t learn from me. You should express your love freely and spontaneously.”

Qiang Ning hugged her arms, thinking that Lin Dongruan was truly a contradictory person. On one hand, she was escaping from feelings, yet on the other, she was advising her to strive for them.

What could she even strive for?

Qiang Ning had high standards; other than Lin Dongruan, she hadn’t looked highly upon anyone else.

This was an unsolvable dead end. If she agreed to Lin Dongruan’s words, she would break the “morality” that Lin Dongruan held onto. If the two were inevitably contradictory, how should she choose?

Qiang Ning asked softly in her ear: “Then… if the prerequisite for fulfilling my wish… would require you to make a bit of a sacrifice, sister, would you be willing?”

Lin Dongruan opened her eyes, her pale grey pupils gazing at her quietly: “What is it?”

At that moment, when Qiang Ning met those eyes, she almost thought the other woman had seen through something.

“It’s nothing.” Qiang Ning then denied it, “I was just saying ‘if.’ Just an ‘if’.”

Lin Dongruan didn’t speak, silently backing away a little.

Ever since entering the cold spring this morning, Lin Dongruan had become very awkward. Qiang Ning couldn’t say exactly where the awkwardness lay, but every time she faced Lin Dongruan, she felt a kind of discomfort in her heart, like scratching an itch through a boot—the more she tried, the more unbearable it became.

“Lin Dongruan, what exactly is wrong with you today?” Qiang Ning couldn’t stand the other’s attitude. She had an impatient temper, so she immediately grabbed the other’s wrist and pressed her against a pool stone, questioning: “Can you explain the reason?”

Lin Dongruan remained silent again, merely closing her eyes.

Qiang Ning’s patience was limited, and she pressed even closer: “You…”

She had just uttered one word when suddenly her knee touched a patch of warmth. It wasn’t like the cold spring’s surging flow, because the water of the cold spring wasn’t this warm at all.

Qiang Ning’s pupils suddenly shook, and she looked down in disbelief.

—It was Lin Dongruan’s. It wasn’t “seeing red” (menstruation); it was a humid heat.

How… how could this be…

Was it because of her that the other person had become like this?

Qiang Ning truly dared not believe it. She thought it was her own imagination, so she used her hand to test Lin Dongruan’s side. This time, she was certain. It wasn’t that she was overthinking; the fact was exactly so.

No wonder Lin Dongruan had remained silent and speechless.