Try Saying You Don't Like It - Chapter 15

Chapter 15

The moment the phone rang, He Xinglan’s hand was faster than her brain, and she immediately rejected the call?!

Lin Yue was dumbfounded by this move. She pointed at He Xinglan’s phone.

“Why did you hang up on her? I wanted to see the pretty lady.”

She was dying of curiosity about what this woman who could completely control He Xinglan looked like.

He Xinglan sized up Lin Yue from top to bottom. The look in her eyes practically screamed, It’s not convenient with you here.

Lin Yue laughed angrily.

“Stingy He Xinglan, I’m just curious, I’m not going to steal her from you.” She’s guarding her like a thief. “Besides, don’t you need me to be your military advisor anymore?”

He Xinglan: “You don’t necessarily need to see her in person to be a military advisor.”

Lin Yue: “…”

“Fine.” Lin Yue glared at He Xinglan and huffed, “I’ll leave. I’ll clear the space for you, okay?”

Lin Yue started walking out, saying as she went, “I don’t believe you’ll hide her forever.”

He Xinglan raised an eyebrow noncommittally at Lin Yue’s retreating back. Forever, of course, was impossible, but she would wait until no one could steal her away.

Buzz buzz buzz, the phone vibrated in He Xinglan’s hand again.

It was still Yin Qiuman.

This time, He Xinglan didn’t reject the call and pressed ‘Accept.’

“Heeey~”

Yin Qiuman’s voice was soft and gentle, with a slight nasal tone, like she had just woken up.

Thinking of Yin Qiuman’s words last night, if she was just waking up now, she truly must have had an excellent night’s sleep.

“Mhm.”

“Why didn’t you answer the video call? Didn’t you add my WeChat?” Yin Qiuman’s question arrived, though delayed.

He Xinglan cleared her throat and said, “It wasn’t… convenient just now.”

“There was someone else here,” He Xinglan said honestly, not hiding anything.

“Someone else? Who? Your parents?” After asking this, Yin Qiuman suddenly sat up. The person who had been languid moments ago was now intensely focused, her eyes making He Xinglan’s heart flutter with panic.

What made her even more panicked was that the background in Yin Qiuman’s video looked so familiar.

“Where are you?”

“Where are you?”

They both spoke at the same time, in unison.

The air suddenly went quiet for a second.

“You’re not home?”

“You’re not home?”

Again, in unison. He Xinglan and Yin Qiuman looked at each other through the video. Finally, as He Xinglan opened her mouth, Yin Qiuman politely yielded first: “You go first.”

“Are you in my hotel room?” He Xinglan asked, the uncertainty in her tone replaced by a direct question.

Yin Qiuman: “Mhm~”

He Xinglan, receiving the affirmative answer, suddenly understood why Yin Qiuman had said she would be with her last night.

It’s one thing to stay in the room I stayed in. It’s one thing to sleep in the bed I slept in. But the duvet covering her is also the one I used, and she even specifically asked the hotel housekeeping not to change it. He Xinglan’s emotions were complicated. She wanted to call Yin Qiuman a pervert, but since she was only sleeping in her bed and covering herself with her duvet, not sleeping with her, it didn’t seem serious enough for that label. Still, her mind was in turmoil.

After a long while, He Xinglan asked with a heavy tone, “Why aren’t you sleeping at home? Isn’t sleeping at home more comfortable?”

“But you’re not home,” Yin Qiuman replied, then, without giving He Xinglan a chance to speak, continued on her own: “Even though you’re not here, the bed has your scent, and the duvet does too. When I wrap myself in the duvet, it feels like you’re hugging me tightly.”

He Xinglan: “…I feel like you’re being a pervert.”

He Xinglan finally couldn’t help but voice her conclusion.

Yin Qiuman raised an eyebrow and countered, “Don’t you want to hug me?”

“Didn’t you used to love sleeping while holding me?” Yin Qiuman’s accusatory gaze made it seem like He Xinglan was a cold-hearted player who easily changed her mind.

He Xinglan couldn’t deny it. She really did love hugging Yin Qiuman. She was my girlfriend! Who wouldn’t crave affection? Besides, although Yin Qiuman looked thin, she had curves in all the right places, and hugging her was very comfortable. She wasn’t one to deny herself pleasure, but now…

He Xinglan asked herself: Do I still want to hug Yin Qiuman now?

He Xinglan couldn’t truly deceive herself. She still felt the impulse to hug Yin Qiuman.

It seemed the past habit was ingrained in her bones, like a soul imprint.

To Yin Qiuman, He Xinglan’s silence meant yes. A faint smile appeared on her face. Her bright eyes looked at He Xinglan as if they had hooks in them: “I’ll let you hug me when you come back.”

“You can hug me for as long as you want.”

He Xinglan met Yin Qiuman’s eyes, couldn’t sustain the gaze, and hastily looked away, insisting, “I never said I wanted to hug you.”

“Stop being so self-centered.”

Yin Qiuman slowly hummed a soft “Oh,” a tone that clearly showed she didn’t take He Xinglan’s words to heart.

“What about you?” Finally, it was Yin Qiuman’s turn to ask questions.

“Where are you? Why didn’t you go home? Is the place you’re staying your office?”

Compared to He Xinglan, who asked one question before the next, Yin Qiuman threw a barrage of questions at He Xinglan, making her head spin. He Xinglan blurted out, “None of your business!”

The moment the words left her mouth, there was a moment of silence on the other end of the video. He Xinglan looked at Yin Qiuman’s obviously dejected and pathetic expression. Her heart instantly filled with regret. He Xinglan didn’t like seeing Yin Qiuman look like this. She preferred her to be bright and confident. Sighing inwardly, He Xinglan obediently explained, “I’m in the bar owner’s office.”

Without even waiting for Yin Qiuman to ask who the bar owner was, He Xinglan preemptively said, “The bar owner is Lin Yue, a friend of mine. I also have shares in this bar, so I’m half an owner, but I don’t manage anything; I just take dividends. I came back too late yesterday, so Lin Yue brought me to the bar office to crash for the night.”

“But I didn’t do anything except sleep in the bar office,” He Xinglan finished hurriedly, then met Yin Qiuman’s meaningful eyes.

Yin Qiuman: “Did I say you did anything?”

He Xinglan: “…”

That damned ‘Yin Qiuman Physical Effect.’

He Xinglan was exasperated, wishing she could sew her mouth shut with a needle.

I can’t let this happen anymore. I really can’t let this happen next time.

He Xinglan was in the middle of reminding herself repeatedly when a soft, sweet voice reached her ears.

“He Xinglan~”

“When are you coming back?”

“I miss you.”

These three short sentences instantly broke down He Xinglan’s newly established psychological defense.

“I… What do you miss me for? Also, Yin Qiuman, you… speak properly.” He Xinglan tried hard to maintain a straight face. She was certain Yin Qiuman was doing this on purpose. She knew her weakness and was precisely targeting it. This woman is utterly wicked.

Ever since their reunion, Yin Qiuman had been constantly controlling her, and she had been retreating step by step. He Xinglan deeply felt that she couldn’t continue like this.

“Yin Qiuman, do you know why I partnered with someone to open a bar?” He Xinglan asked.