The Lady I Flirted With Is Here - Chapter 24

Chapter 24: The Hotel

“Hello, here is your room card. You’re in Room 4012 on the 4th floor. If you have any questions, feel free to ask the front desk.” Lin Xian thanked the receptionist, shouldered her bag, and walked with Fang Daiyu to the door of 4012. Finally, she turned around with a mix of confusion and a smile to decline the “worried” Fang Daiyu behind her.

“See? We’re right at the door!” She shook the room card, signaling that Fang Daiyu could leave with peace of mind.

Fang Daiyu leaned in, swiped the card from Lin Xian’s hand, and smoothly opened the door. She stepped inside, unwrapped a pair of disposable slippers, and placed them in front of Lin Xian. “Do you need me to help you change?” Squatting at Lin Xian’s feet, the warm light softened Daiyu’s silhouette, making her look as gentle as water.

“But…” Lin Xian stopped Daiyu from helping her with her shoes and finally spoke up. “Daiyu, if you don’t go home soon, it’ll get late and I’ll worry about your safety.”

Fang Daiyu’s hand, which was reaching for a bath towel, paused. She turned her head, a beautiful curve appearing at the corners of her eyes as she stared at Lin Xian for a long moment.

Lin Xian bit her lip nervously, worried she had said something to upset her. In the frozen silence, Fang Daiyu finally pulled out her pajamas, towels, and other personal items from her bag. Her movements were brisk and efficient, as if devoid of emotion. “Don’t you have germaphobia? These are supplies I brought from home for you. They’ve all been washed and are clean, so don’t worry.”

Lin Xian felt a sudden wave of guilt. She was rushing Daiyu to leave without even inviting her to sit down.

“Then… maybe? Since we just finished dinner, why don’t you stay for a bit?” Lin Xian had booked a standard room with two separate beds. She sat on the edge of the bed near the window, while Fang Daiyu stood by the bed near the door, organizing things.

Lin Xian thought Daiyu would leave after setting things down, but to her surprise, Daiyu walked straight toward her. They were less than ten centimeters apart when Daiyu sat down beside her, the mattress sinking softly.

Lin Xian swallowed hard. Inexplicably, she felt that the current Fang Daiyu was a bit “dangerous,” though she couldn’t say why.

“Call me Sister (Jie-jie),” Fang Daiyu said. She turned and gently adjusted Lin Xian’s shoulders so they were face-to-face.

Daiyu’s lips were a pale, moist pink, revealing pearly white teeth as she spoke. Suddenly, like a magic trick, an ID card appeared in her hand and was held out to Lin Xian. With a smile, Daiyu began reciting a string of numbers: “1997090…”

Lin Xian snatched the ID card, suddenly remembering she had forgotten to take it back from the receptionist. Her habit of being scatterbrained was clearly here to stay.

“Stop it!” Lin Xian reached out to cover Daiyu’s mouth, but as she leaned forward, she ended up pinning Daiyu down onto the bed.

Beneath her was a soft sensation, and she felt a slight curve pressing against her arm. Realizing what it was, both of them stiffened instantly. In her daze, Lin Xian blurted out, “Sister.”

A blush crept onto Fang Daiyu’s face. She scrambled out from under Lin Xian and straightened her clothes, looking away to hide her embarrassment. Trying to break the tension, she teased, “Older than me? Do children from the mountains start school that late?”

These were the lies Lin Xian had made up earlier to trick Daiyu into calling her “Sister.” Now that she’d been caught red-handed, Lin Xian dove under the covers and hid her head, refusing to come out.

Her voice came out muffled from under the quilt: “Daiyu, I was wrong. Can you please stop talking about it?”

Fang Daiyu looked at the girl who had turned into a literal “quail.” Lin Xian was lying prone on the bed, her two round little cheeks probably pouting under the fabric.

For some reason, Daiyu was reminded of a kindergartener. She decided to be a “merciless landlord”: “No. Children who lie must be punished.”

Lin Xian, feeling aggrieved and stubborn, poked her messy head out from the quilt. “Fine, then say it! What do I have to do for you to forgive me?” Her cheeks were puffed out with air; Daiyu hadn’t realized a person could wear their emotions so clearly.

A playful, calculating look appeared in Daiyu’s eyes. “Then… say ‘Sister’ a hundred times.”

Lin Xian was usually thick-skinned and carefree. Hearing this, she thought, Is that all? Completely ignoring her previous pride about the title, she immediately started “Sister”-ing this and “Sister”-ing that, as if she wasn’t the one who had been fussing over the honorific for days.

“Sister Daiyu is so pretty!” “Sister, Sister, Sister~” “Are you satisfied yet, Sister?” “Has it been a hundred times, Sister?” …

Lin Xian was like a chirping little bird, fluttering around Fang Daiyu until Daiyu finally had to tell her to stop. By now, Daiyu wasn’t sure if this was a punishment for Lin Xian or for herself.

“That’s enough.” She handed a bar of soap to Lin Xian. “Didn’t your eyes hurt? Go take your contacts out first.”

Crap!

Holding the soap, Lin Xian remembered the big issue: “Sister, when are you leaving?”

This was the third time tonight Lin Xian had explicitly or implicitly tried to kick her out. Fang Daiyu was, quite frankly, annoyed. She wouldn’t tell Lin Xian that she had initially accompanied her because she thought Lin Xian was inviting her to stay over.

Only when she heard “standard room” at the front desk did she realize she had overthought things. But that didn’t mean she was leaving. A standard room was fine; it solved her anxiety about what to do next and allowed her to stay with Lin Xian for the night. But now…

Fang Daiyu wondered: How can I… naturally stay here?

“Xianxian,” Fang Daiyu looked at her. “Do you know that couples should look out for each other?”

Lin Xian took a moment to process the question. Isn’t that obvious?

Lin Xian: “Yes, so for your safety, Sister, you should go home early. I’m afraid it’ll be dangerous on the road if it gets too late.”

Fang Daiyu laid the two sets of pajamas out on the bed, her stance clear: “It’s your first time here. I have an obligation to ensure your safety.”

Lin Xian’s eyes fixed on the pajamas. A red anime-style T-shirt and big pajama shorts? So this was Daiyu’s style! It was quite different from what she had imagined.

“Ah!” Lin Xian replied, but her mind was clearly drifting toward the pajamas.

“So, do you really think I can comfortably leave a young girl like you alone in a hotel?” Fang Daiyu was determined to stay, partly out of genuine concern for Lin Xian’s safety. Because of that resolve, her tone was somewhat indisputable.

Lin Xian finally looked up in a panic: “Then… can we just… not do anything?”

“Huh?” This time it was Fang Daiyu’s turn to be confused.

The words seemed to hit an invisible “Enter” key on a secret suggestion. They started washing up and organizing in silence until Lin Xian took out her contacts and stepped into the shower. The sound of splashing water felt like a quiet, suggestive reminder of a certain presence.

Lin Xian, who never found the sound of a shower annoying, was suddenly restless. Amidst the rising steam, she felt like she was in a daze. Her skin, soaked by the water, took on a misty, dewy glow, making her mind wander toward things she shouldn’t be thinking about.

This feeling intensified when she changed into Fang Daiyu’s pajamas. The clothes carried the other woman’s scent—a cold, elegant woody fragrance that seemed to wrap around every inch of her skin. It made her movements sluggish and her steps timid.

Outside the bathroom, Fang Daiyu was also suddenly regretting her decision to stay. Why stay? Was it out of the embarrassment of being wrong? Or was it truly about safety? Beijing was safe; leaving Lin Xian alone wouldn’t have been a disaster. Ultimately, it felt like a “waste” to leave.

Fang Daiyu didn’t dare think too deeply about what that “waste” implied. It was a mix of excitement and possessiveness she’d felt since first seeing Lin Xian today. She liked this girl—her looks and personality were a perfect match. It was as if she had been swimming alone in a lonely sea for a long time and had finally found a glowing treasure.

The sound of water was intermittent. Fang Daiyu stood by the window looking at the view for a while, then sat back on the bed, feeling restless. The sound of someone showering is a powerful trigger for the imagination. As an adult, Daiyu knew exactly what those thoughts were, but she didn’t dare follow them. If she did, she wouldn’t be able to get back out.

The water stopped. After a moment, the door opened. Lin Xian walked out, her hair dripping wet and wrapped in a towel, wearing Daiyu’s pajamas.

The long, straight legs that had been hidden by wide-leg pants all day were now fully revealed beneath the pajama shorts. Fang Daiyu silently and self-consciously averted her gaze.

“Finished?” Her voice was a bit husky. Lin Xian, without her glasses, looked dazed and unfocused, as if her eyes couldn’t find a center.

She looked blank, silly—like a newborn white rabbit that one might want to swallow whole.

Lin Xian’s footsteps were unsteady. She could vaguely make out Daiyu’s face, but her nearsightedness and astigmatism were so severe she had to lean against the wall. “Sister?” Her cheeks were flushed from the hot water. “Can you lead me to the bed to get my glasses?”

Fang Daiyu took hold of Lin Xian’s forearm, which was exposed by the short sleeves. She asked in a strained voice: “Where are they? I’ll find them for you.”

There were still droplets of water on Lin Xian’s arm. A few strands of wet hair escaped the towel, and a droplet trembling at the end of a lock fell into her collarbone, disappearing down the curve of her chest.

Lin Xian didn’t have the habit of wearing a bra under her pajamas unless she was around others. Perhaps because she was so nervous today, she had forgotten to put it on after her shower.

Looking down from above, the T-shirt opening revealed a wide expanse of pale skin—dangerously beautiful.

Fang Daiyu’s grip tightened. Lin Xian let out a small gasp: “What is it?”

“Nothing.” She helped Lin Xian sit on the bed and quickly fished the glasses out of the bag to hand to her. Then, grabbing her own pajamas and towel, Fang Daiyu fled into the bathroom and shut the door.

She let out a long, shaky breath. The bathroom was still filled with the warm, humid scent of shower gel. Fang Daiyu closed her eyes, stripped off her clothes, and let the cold water wash over her heated skin.

This was… absolute torture.