What Should I Do If My Ex-Girlfriend's Pheromones Smell Too Good? - Chapter 71

Chapter 71: A Beautiful Dream

The curtains in the room were tightly drawn, making a daytime nap feel no different from a night’s sleep.

Shu Qiong slept until noon, only waking when she heard a steady thumping at the door. She crawled out of bed, fumbling around for her wristband, her eyes half-closed as if she were sleepwalking.

Instead of the wristband, her hand landed on a person.

“Want to check the time?” A slightly husky voice whispered near her ear, thick with exhaustion.

Seeing no response, Yan Xiangyu instinctively held down Shu Qiong’s hand and sat up. She reached her arm across Shu Qiong, grabbed the wristband from the nightstand on the other side, and handed it over.

Shu Qiong stared dizzily at Yan Xiangyu—whose hair was a mess and whose shoulder strap had slipped down, revealing a broad expanse of skin. She felt like she was still dreaming.

Yan Xiangyu remained in that position, arm extended with the wristband, watching the person who clearly hadn’t fully woken up yet. To her surprise, in the next second, Shu Qiong saw her open arms and—as if possessed—hugged her, resting her chin on Yan Xiangyu’s shoulder with her eyes closed.

Sleepy. Just a bit longer.

Yan Xiangyu, watching the girl throw herself into her arms while barely conscious, lightly patted Shu Qiong’s back. She leaned her face close to the other’s ear and whispered, “Grandmother is calling you.”

Shu Qiong’s ear tingled. She instinctively ducked her neck and shouted loudly, like someone talking in their sleep: “Grandmother, I’m awake!”

Then her head flopped down, and her whole body leaned back onto Yan Xiangyu.

Her dream was filled with the clear, sweet warmth of tea fragrance. How strange, Shu Qiong thought hazily, why does today’s dream feel so tangible? She supposed this was what they called a “beautiful dream.”

Zhang Mingzhi, hearing that tone of voice, knew she wasn’t truly awake. She gave one final shout: “Then your Aunt and I are heading to the hospital first. There’s lunch in the kitchen; just heat it up when you wake up.”

Whether Shu Qiong heard her or not was unclear; she just let out a few muffled hums. Zhang Mingzhi sent a few reminder texts to Shu Qiong’s wristband and left.

Being held firmly like a koala by Shu Qiong, Yan Xiangyu was now fully awake. She found it amusing. She shifted Shu Qiong up a bit, moved back to lean against the headboard, tucked a pillow behind her lower back for support, and pulled the thin quilt over Shu Qiong.

After an unknown amount of time, the alarm Shu Qiong had set before bed went off. The sound came from under a pillow, muffled and distant as if buried in cotton.

She instinctively reached under the pillow, but instead of fabric, she grabbed a soft waist. Two sounds overlapped in her ear: the accompaniment of the alarm and a lazy, slightly pleased laugh. The former was an intruder to her peace, but the latter was very pleasant to the ear.

The wristband alarm vibrated, and the waist Shu Qiong was holding vibrated along with it.

Shu Qiong felt a jumble of confusion and shock: What level is this alarm vibration set to? I can feel it from this far away?

Yan Xiangyu looked down and saw Shu Qiong frowning as if she had encountered a world-class riddle in her dream. She couldn’t help but laugh again, causing the vibration under Shu Qiong’s palm to return.

Finally, she took the wristband—which was stubbornly vibrating—and pressed it into Shu Qiong’s hand. Feeling the familiar texture, Shu Qiong finally pulled her eyelids open with great reluctance and reflexively turned off the alarm.

After this seamless series of actions, she froze, staring at the face inches away from her. Now she was completely awake.

Shu Qiong let out a sharp intake of breath. She almost bolted upright but managed to control the impulse at the last second, looking down instead.

What kind of position is this?

She was practically draped over Yan Xiangyu, who was sitting against the headboard with a half-smile, watching her. There was a suspicious red mark on Yan Xiangyu’s left shoulder. Shu Qiong touched her own slightly flushed chin. After a long moment of paralysis, she bypassed “asking what happened” and “leaving in shame,” and instead chose to pull Yan Xiangyu’s fallen shoulder strap back into place.

“…”

Yan Xiangyu’s gaze deepened as she watched her every move with focused interest. Both of them were disheveled, hair messy, with only a quilt covering their overlapping bodies. It was a scene ripe for imagination.

The moment she finished that silly gesture, Shu Qiong regretted it. Her face flushed red as she scrambled off Yan Xiangyu to the side, her leg brushing against the other’s skin with a subtle, electric sensation.

Then she began searching the bed for her own quilt, but it was nowhere to be found. She initially thought she had kicked it off, but a look around the floor showed nothing.

“Where’s my quilt?” Shu Qiong asked, kneeling on the bed and looking up.

Yan Xiangyu had already stood up and walked toward the sofa. “I put it on the sofa. We didn’t need it anyway, and it was just taking up space on the bed.”

Shu Qiong watched as the other brought the quilt back, folded it neatly, and placed it down. Shu Qiong silently climbed out of bed as well. Yan Xiangyu smoothed out the wrinkles in the bedsheet where Shu Qiong had been lying, almost obsessively tidying every piece of bedding.

Shu Qiong deliberately flipped up one corner of the sheet, breaking the perfect order. Task finished, she went to wash up with her hands behind her back, showing no remorse for making a mess for Yan Xiangyu.

Yan Xiangyu let out a helpless laugh. Looking at that single upturned corner, she found it strangely pleasing to the eye. She stopped forcing herself to fix every edge and followed her to the sink to brush her teeth.

It wasn’t that they hadn’t washed up together before, but this time felt particularly strange. As Shu Qiong brushed her teeth, she couldn’t stop glancing at the person beside her through the mirror.

Seeing her frequent glances, Yan Xiangyu finally asked, “What is it?”

A second person had crowded into her private space, yet Shu Qiong didn’t find it repulsive. She swished her mouthwash, shook her head with feigned depth, and said, “It’s a bit… novel.”

“Just novel?” Yan Xiangyu paused her movements.

Shu Qiong didn’t answer; she just smiled at Yan Xiangyu through the mirror.

When they went down to eat, the house was quiet and empty. Without elders to deal with, they were happy to enjoy the peace. Shu Qiong leisurely had the nanny robot bring the heated food to the table.

Only two people sat in the massive dining room. The lighting was excellent, with large glass windows letting in golden sunlight that created a soft halo around them. Shu Qiong squinted and popped a square-cut piece of beef into her mouth.

“The lunch seems to be made by the robot,” she commented. “Taste is standard. I wonder who loaded the recipes and flavor preferences into it.”

Robots couldn’t compare to human chefs; they cooked strictly according to code, resulting in singular flavors that lacked flexibility. Shu Qiong didn’t complain much beyond that and kept eating.

Yan Xiangyu looked at Shu Qiong, who was backlit by the sun. She paused her utensils. “Next time, I’ll cook for you.”

Shu Qiong looked up in surprise. “You know how to cook?”

Yan Xiangyu nodded slightly. “A little.”

Shu Qiong looked expectant. “Can I order specific dishes then?”

The light from behind her highlighted her silhouette, even catching the fine downy hair on Shu Qiong’s cheeks, like a gifted artist tracing a cute white border around a beloved character.

Yan Xiangyu suddenly tugged at her collar and unbuttoned the top button of her shirt. “Of course you can.”

Noticing the movement, Shu Qiong stopped chewing. “The size is off? Wait, our builds shouldn’t be that different.”

Today, Yan Xiangyu was wearing Shu Qiong’s clothes from head to toe. The clothes in Shu Qiong’s closet had been bought by Grandmother Zhang Mingzhi according to her size; they came in all styles, mostly brand new and never worn.

When they got up, Shu Qiong had led her to the closet with a broad wave, telling her she could pick whatever she wanted. In the end, Yan Xiangyu had bypassed everything to pick a beige shirt that Shu Qiong had worn once.

It was hard to say she hadn’t done it on purpose. But truthfully, the same piece of clothing looked entirely different on different people. Yan Xiangyu managed to give a very “intellectual” style a bit of a rebellious edge. Combined with her clear, cool features, her uncontainable charisma leaked out from every seam.

The two finished their meal unhurriedly. Just as they walked out of the Shu mansion, they saw a familiar face.

Xiao Chen was twirling a car key around her finger, leaning in the shade. Seeing Shu Qiong’s slow pace, she couldn’t help but complain: “Why do you make me wait so long every time?”

She then noticed someone following behind Shu Qiong. With a stranger present, her posture became slightly more formal. “And this is?”

It wasn’t the first time she’d seen Yan Xiangyu; she had locked eyes with her when picking up Shu Qiong at the Military Academy gates. Xiao Chen was secretly surprised—how had Miss Shu Qiong managed to sneak this person into the Shu residence? Had their relationship progressed that far?

Shu Qiong grabbed Yan Xiangyu’s wrist and dove into the levitating car, offering a brief introduction: “Yan Xiangyu. She’s coming with me.”

Seeing that Shu Qiong didn’t intend to say more, Xiao Chen had no choice but to get into the driver’s seat. She couldn’t stop stealing curious glances at the two in the back through the mirror. However, Yan Xiangyu looked like someone not to be trifled with, so Xiao Chen was momentarily intimidated and didn’t bicker with Shu Qiong as usual.

Ever since they met, the two of them usually exchanged barbs every time they saw each other. Because of Yan Xiangyu’s presence, the scene was unexpectedly peaceful.

Shu Qiong leaned closer to Yan Xiangyu to introduce the driver: “This is someone close to my cousin. Just call her Xiao Chen. Supposedly a part-time driver, bodyguard, and chef. Tsk, tsk, talk about ‘the capable do more work.'”

Yan Xiangyu hummed softly. “So she is someone the older sister trusts?”

Shu Qiong nodded and lowered her voice. “When I first met her, I thought she was a serious, reliable, high-end assistant. After spending time with her, I realized she’s just an honest person with no ulterior motives.”

Xiao Chen, hearing her name, immediately shot a wary look through the rearview mirror. “You two aren’t talking behind my back, are you?”

Shu Qiong raised her voice in denial. “How could we? I was praising you! I said you have great working ability and hold multiple roles—you’re basically my sister’s right-hand woman!”

Xiao Chen remained skeptical. “Sister Minmin has plenty of talented people around her. Who am I to be counted?”

Shu Qiong immediately let out a disapproving “Aie!” “Sister, that sounds so insecure. Although my cousin has many subordinates, you’re the only one she allows to take her home!”

Xiao Chen was choked by these words. “Can you speak with a bit less ambiguity? I told you, going to Sister Minmin’s house last night was strictly for a work task…”

As she spoke, she felt a strange sense of secret joy. It seemed… truly, she was the only one permitted to enter Sister Minmin’s private residence. At this thought, she looked at Shu Qiong with a bit more favor. Her eyes instinctively drifted back to the mirror, only to unexpectedly lock onto a pair of sharp black eyes.

“Do you like her a lot?” Yan Xiangyu asked out of the blue.

When she spoke seriously, she always had a decisive, sharp edge. Even as a question, Xiao Chen felt the illusion of being seen through.

“I… I don’t!” Xiao Chen gripped the steering wheel, her voice panicked. “Don’t talk nonsense! It’s admiration. I’m more than grateful to Sister Minmin…”

Yan Xiangyu let out a short laugh. “Those feelings aren’t contradictory.”

Shu Qiong, never one to pass up a chance to stir trouble, added: “Aie, don’t be shy! From what I can see, my cousin probably doesn’t reject you either. Doesn’t she treat you pretty well normally?”

Xiao Chen hesitated. “It’s different… she looks at me like a younger sister.”

Shu Qiong wanted to say, I’m literally her blood-related sister, and I don’t see her treating me that well—she even tried to trick me into house arrest a few days ago. But since a loyal subordinate of Shu Xuanmin was present, she feared Xiao Chen would tattle. So she changed her tactic: “Well, I certainly wouldn’t go home and sleep with a biological sister, nor would I follow her every step of the day.”

Yan Xiangyu, who had just slept with her, cast a complex look at her but remained silent.

Xiao Chen nearly exploded. “Who… who slept together!”

Shu Qiong had just been speaking from her own recent experience and hadn’t expected such an emotional reaction. She let out a long, winding “Wooooow.”

Yan Xiangyu cooperated with a flat, short “Wow.”

“…”

Xiao Chen swore right then and there: if she ever answered Shu Qiong again, her surname wouldn’t be Shu!

Shu Qiong was genuinely surprised now. “Your surname is also Shu?”

Could it be… is it possible…

In a split second of rapid brain activity, she blurted out: “Are you and Shu Xuanmin having a taboo romance? Brother-sister… wait, sister-sister incest?”

“…Is it possible,” Xiao Chen squeezed out with great effort, “that my surname is Su!”

Shu Qiong leaned back against the seat, her tone sounding surprisingly regretful: “Ah, I see.”