Chapter 51 : Breakfast

Hua Qi’an had no idea how she’d fallen asleep in the end.

Perhaps it was in that torrent where fear, shame, and that inexplicable pleasure intertwined, her mind finally could bear no more and was forcibly dragged into a dreamless darkness.

Or maybe the broken Buddhist beads and the barely-effective amulet managed to play their role at the last moment, driving away that relentless ghost for a while and buying her a moment’s peace.

…

When consciousness slowly returned, the first thing she sensed was the steady, warm breathing at her side.

The gentle morning light seeped through the heavy curtains, casting a bright streak across the dark carpet.

The floating motes of dust in the air were clearly illuminated.

The room was very quiet, only the even breathing, and occasionally a few crisp birdsongs from outside the window.

There was no cold, clammy touch, no nauseatingly salty humidity, and none of that suffocating sense of being pressed down by something invisible.

Everything seemed so calm, so… normal.

Hua Qi’an slowly opened her eyes, and what greeted her was a close-up of Lin Yanqiu’s sleeping face.

At some unknown time, the woman who had insisted she wanted her own blanket had crawled into Hua Qi’an’s.

Like a large feline, she had wrapped herself around her.

A slender arm arrogantly circled Hua Qi’an’s waist, a leg unabashedly draped over hers, pulling her into a half-embrace.

Lin Yanqiu’s face was very close.

Close enough that Hua Qi’an could see the faint shadow cast by her long eyelashes in the morning light…

And smell the clean scent of gardenia shampoo in her hair… mixed with Lin Yanqiu’s own uniquely cool, refined fragrance.

Warm breath gently brushed Hua Qi’an’s cheek, carrying a heart-quickening warmth.

It was a world away from last night’s cold, sticky touch.

Yet, in another way, it made Hua Qi’an so stiff she dared not move.

She and Lin Yanqiu—they… slept holding each other all night?

This realization made Hua Qi’an’s cheeks burn instantly.

She carefully tried to wriggle free from this octopus-like embrace.

But the moment she moved, the arm around her waist subconsciously tightened, and Lin Yanqiu even let out a faint, dissatisfied mumble in her sleep.

Hua Qi’an froze immediately.

Last night’s terrifying “ghost pressing on the bed,” when recalled now, felt oddly unreal and absurd.

If not for the lingering cool wetness inside her pants…

And the faint, decadent ambiguity still hanging in the air…

Hua Qi’an would have almost thought it was just another indecent dream.

But she knew—it wasn’t.

She moved quietly, little by little removing Lin Yanqiu’s arm and leg from herself.

It took nearly all her concentration.

By the time she finally sat up in bed, a sheen of cold sweat covered her forehead.

She didn’t dare look back at Lin Yanqiu lying on the bed.

She tiptoed off, opened Lin Yanqiu’s wardrobe, found an obviously brand-new set of clothes not in her own size…

Like a thief, she darted into the bathroom and locked the door behind her.

With a faint click, the two worlds were shut off from each other.

Hua Qi’an leaned against the cold door, breathing hard, her heart pounding so fiercely it felt like it might leap out of her throat.

She tossed the clothes onto the sink.

Thank goodness—because she often had to be hospitalized on short notice, Lin Yanqiu really had prepared some “just in case” clothes for her.

Probably for this reason, Lin Yanqiu dared to drag her over to sleep together in the middle of the night.

The bathroom was spacious, decorated in Lin Yanqiu’s usual minimalist and cool style—black, white, and gray tones, high-end fixtures, everything spotless as new.

But this modern and rational space couldn’t dispel the panic and shame churning in Hua Qi’an’s heart.

Her hands trembled as she pulled down her pajama pants, patterned with little dogs.

When she saw the marks there, her face flushed so red it seemed it could bleed.

Left by last night’s “lecherous ghost.”

Luckily… luckily, it hadn’t gotten on her pajama pants.

And probably not on Lin Yanqiu’s bed, either.

Otherwise, she’d be doomed, completely doomed.

That thought gave her a touch of absurd consolation in her embarrassment.

She couldn’t imagine what Lin Yanqiu would do if she discovered her bedsheets soiled, and in such an unspeakable way.

“…”

That would almost be better than just getting beaten up.

Hua Qi’an turned on the faucet; the icy water splashed against her palm.

The water gushed noisily.

Since she was already washing her underwear, she might as well wash the pajamas and pants too.

Otherwise, it would seem strange…

She looked up at the mirror.

The girl reflected there still blushed, the corners of her eyes slightly misty.

Looking like this, she felt she couldn’t let anyone see her.

Irritated, Hua Qi’an ruffled her hair, dragged her gaze away, and set about scrubbing the clothes.

After washing up and getting changed, she nodded at herself in the mirror.

Maybe Lin Yanqiu was already awake too—time to head out.

Just as she was about to leave the bathroom, a sudden emptiness at her wrist made her freeze.

She looked down.

The Buddhist bead bracelet that had always been on her wrist was gone.

Then she remembered.

The bracelet had snapped last night…

That realization weighed heavily on Hua Qi’an’s heart again.

She hurried back to the bedroom.

Lin Yanqiu was no longer in bed; the blankets had been neatly folded, as if that wild sleeper last night had never existed.

Hua Qi’an bent down, kneeling on the soft carpet, and began searching beside the bed.

One bead, two… Those beads, once polished and shiny, were now dull and scattered on the dark carpet, cold and lonely.

She managed to find only a few; the rest had rolled into some corner and could no longer be found.

Looking at the remaining broken beads in her palm, Hua Qi’an was overwhelmed by a sense of powerlessness.

It seemed that in less than a day, she’d have to find Liu Ran again.

She wondered how Liu Ran would react to seeing her so soon.

…

“Awake?”

As she reached the living room, a cool voice from the kitchen broke Hua Qi’an’s thoughts.

She looked up to see Lin Yanqiu carrying two plates out of the kitchen.

An exquisite breakfast was already set on the table.

Golden French toast, perfectly fried sunny-side-up eggs, a few crispy slices of bacon, and a small, colorful salad.

Beside them sat a steaming cup of milk and a glass of freshly squeezed orange juice.

The aroma was mouthwatering.

Hua Qi’an stared, a bit dazed.

She’d never thought Lin Yanqiu could cook—let alone cook so well.

Imagining Lin Yanqiu preparing all this breakfast, for some reason, gave her a feeling of surprise.

“Come have breakfast.”

Lin Yanqiu set down the plates, untied her apron, and casually tossed it over the back of a chair, resuming her usual cool demeanor.

Hua Qi’an snapped back to herself, silently put the broken beads into her pocket, and went to sit at the table.

“Sis… you can cook?”

She picked up a fork and poked at the sunny-side-up egg.

The yolk flowed out slowly; it did look delicious.

“Surprised?”

Lin Yanqiu glanced at her, voice even.

“If you live alone, you have to pick up some basic skills.”

Hua Qi’an suddenly remembered—Lin Yanqiu had lived on her own since she was eighteen.

She didn’t say anything more, just bowed her head and quietly ate.

The taste was as good as it looked.

Hua Qi’an had only ever seen food like this on a screen.

If she were making breakfast herself, it would never be this lavish.

Maybe because of last night’s chaos and Lin Yanqiu’s surprising side this morning, it was all a bit too much for her at once, leaving her a little dazed.

A crumb of toast landed on the corner of her mouth.

Lin Yanqiu kept watching her in silence.

Not until Hua Qi’an swallowed the last bite did she finally speak.

“Finished?”

“Mm.”

Hua Qi’an smiled and nodded, instinctively licking her lips to get rid of the crumbs at the corner.

But in the next second, she froze.

Lin Yanqiu suddenly leaned forward, that cool, beautiful face magnified before her eyes.

She reached out. Her cool fingertip gently wiped the corner of Hua Qi’an’s mouth.

There was a thin callus on Lin Yanqiu’s finger, rubbing lightly at Hua Qi’an’s soft lips, bringing a tingling itch.

Hua Qi’an’s breath stopped.

Her mind went blank.

She could smell Lin Yanqiu’s increasingly clear, cool scent, could see herself—shocked and blushing—reflected in those deep eyes.

Time seemed to stretch endlessly in that moment.

“You got something here.”

Lin Yanqiu nonchalantly withdrew her hand and wiped the crumb away with a tissue.

Her movements were smooth and natural, making it impossible for Hua Qi’an to see through her true intentions.

“…”

Hua Qi’an felt her heart about to leap out of her chest.

The ambiguous air thickened, leaving her barely able to breathe.

“Clean up. We’re going to the hospital.”

Lin Yanqiu, as if nothing had happened, stood up, shattering the suffocating silence.

She turned and walked to the cloakroom.

Leaving Hua Qi’an alone at the table, cheeks burning like fire, heart in utter turmoil.