Jiang Ling naturally understood that what Lin Xiaoyu meant by “agreeing” was letting herself accompany her to dance.
The sudden darkness caught her off guard, making her feel helpless, and her voice was tinged with uncertainty, “Didn’t I already say no?”
“So I’m asking you again—will you say yes this time?”
Lin Xiaoyu slowly got onto the bed and sat beside Jiang Ling.
Deprived of sight, Jiang Ling’s other senses grew sharper. She could clearly feel Lin Xiaoyu’s arm winding around her waist, her touch light and almost imperceptible.
This made her lower back tremble instantly, but she still pressed her lips together and shook her head, “No.”
Lin Xiaoyu’s fingers slowly slid down, tracing from the lips where Jiang Ling had uttered her refusal to her delicate chin, gently rubbing with the pad of her finger, “Really?”
“Really, I—mmph?!”
Jiang Ling felt her chin lifted, and before she could finish, a cool, moist sensation pressed against her lips, leaving her words muffled and indistinct.
Lin Xiaoyu leaned closer, recalling scenes from the comics she’d memorized, and clumsily brushed against the corner of Jiang Ling’s lips.
The softness reminded her of her favorite gummy candy. Lin Xiaoyu’s shoulders relaxed involuntarily, and then she naturally nibbled down with her teeth.
“Mmm-mm—”
Jiang Ling squirmed in panic, using her free hand to frantically slap at Lin Xiaoyu’s arm, her heart full of silent tears.
If she wants to kiss, fine, but why is she biting too?!
Even Jiang Ling herself hadn’t realized that, without knowing it, being kissed had become something she’d grown accustomed to.
Lin Xiaoyu, on the other hand, paid no heed, sinking deeply into this unfamiliar feeling. Like a natural, she extended the tip of her tongue, gently prying open the tightly closed defense of the girl before her.
Jiang Ling was forced to respond to her sudden advance, her mind a jumble of confusion.
My dear roommate, when did you turn into a bad girl?!
You weren’t like this before!
Give me back my aloof, captivating beauty, sob sob sob—
She could only tilt her chin up, helplessly whimpering in her heart.
After a long time, the entanglement of lips and tongue left Jiang Ling unable to breathe, her pale face quickly turning bright red, mind blank, occasional flashes of white light darting through the darkness before her eyes.
Puh-ha… Ha……
At last, still unable to catch her breath, Lin Xiaoyu slowly straightened up, her cheeks and even the tips of her ears flushed, greedily gulping fresh air.
Jiang Ling’s whole body went limp, and after a brief silence, she suddenly raised the back of her hand to wipe her moist lips, her voice full of disbelief, “Why—why did you kiss me?!”
She was still blindfolded, so she could only shout randomly at the air.
“Oh, I almost forgot.”
Lin Xiaoyu suddenly remembered why she’d come over, immediately pulled out her phone, switched it to selfie mode and aimed it at the two of them. Then, in a flash, she whipped off Jiang Ling’s blindfold, pulled her close by the waist.
Regaining her sight, Jiang Ling squinted against the sudden brightness. Before she could react, she found herself pressed against something soft, and since the angle wasn’t right, not only their lips but their noses bumped together as well.
“Mm!”
Jiang Ling’s eyes widened, staring in disbelief at the magnified face before her. At the same time, she heard a crisp sound right next to her ear.
“Click.”
Lin Xiaoyu naturally got up and checked the photo.
On the screen, she was leaning against the wall, her brows subtly furrowed, an expression that vaguely conveyed “being forced.” Jiang Ling had her back to the camera, but one could make out their lips pressed together—almost as if—
As if Jiang Ling had forced herself on her.
Seeing this, Lin Xiaoyu was very satisfied. She backed up the photo, then brought it in front of the soul-drained Jiang Ling, “If you don’t agree, I’ll tell my mom you forced a kiss on me.”
“Lin Xiaoyu, do you have any shame left?!”
Jiang Ling looked completely stunned, nearly laughing out of anger.
She finally understood what it meant to have a stain that could never be washed clean.
This was outright framing!
Lin Xiaoyu, however, calmly turned off the screen, pinched Jiang Ling’s chin again, her voice gentle and even, “If you agree to dance with me, I can do without shame too.”
Meeting Lin Xiaoyu’s burning gaze, Jiang Ling looked away awkwardly, not forgetting to complain, “Your standards are awfully flexible, Miss Lin.”
“So, will you say yes or not?”
Lin Xiaoyu asked again, this time with a hint of laughter that couldn’t be hidden.
Jiang Ling pressed her lips together, face full of grievance.
Just look at this woman’s shamelessness!
“By the way, what if I say no?”
“I’ll post this photo on NOVA’s official account, and let the whole internet know you tried to force yourself on me.”
Lin Xiaoyu’s expression remained unchanged, her voice cool.
“Please, have a little humanity! Have you ever considered how your fans would feel—”
Jiang Ling looked at Lin Xiaoyu, blurting out the words in an attempt to awaken whatever conscience or morals had vanished without her noticing.
To this, Lin Xiaoyu replied instantly, “I have. I think they’ll be thrilled—and, by the way, question how you could possibly be the top.”
“Why can’t I be the top?! I’m a peerless miner of the universe… Wait, why am I telling you this?!”
Realizing she’d been sidetracked, Jiang Ling finally remembered the main issue, “Why do you have to dance with me? I’m not even good at it.”
She twisted her clothes in her hands, her whole demeanor radiating insecurity.
“Because I want to dance with you.”
Lin Xiaoyu’s reply was concise and direct. As if she thought that wasn’t enough to express her feelings, she slowly added, “Because you were the one who got me this chance. So, no matter what, I want to share this stage with you.”
“I know you’re worried about affecting my performance, but as long as I practice enough with you, there won’t be any problems, okay?”
Her words were sincere and honest. Jiang Ling found herself unable to say any words of refusal, only able to stare at her in silence.
After a long internal struggle, Jiang Ling sighed softly, “Fine… But what does that have to do with you blindfolding me?”
Jiang Ling picked up the blindfold that had been pulled off and examined it closely—it looked so familiar. Had she seen it somewhere before?
“Oh, I just suddenly remembered what Sister Bai Xue said: if temptation doesn’t work, use force. So I went to her room and grabbed something at random. Looks like it worked pretty well.”
Lin Xiaoyu carefully folded the blindfold, “Be sure to thank her later.”
“I’m not your plaything!”
Jiang Ling gnashed her teeth. After calming herself, she finally asked, “So have you decided what dance we’re doing?”
“Mm.”
Lin Xiaoyu took out her phone to show Jiang Ling. The title read “Trouble Maker.”
Since she’d already done a close partner dance like “Dangerous Party” with Fang Wannian, Jiang Ling wasn’t particularly fazed. She finished watching quietly and nodded, “It really does look good.”
The moves were entangled and passionate, with a very couple-like feeling. The atmosphere was sexy and captivating, sure to engage the audience. The song choice was perfect, and with Lin Xiaoyu’s special training, the moves shouldn’t be a problem either.
But suddenly, another thought struck her. She gripped Lin Xiaoyu’s sleeve nervously and asked tentatively,
“Um, are you sure we’re going to perform this dance in front of Auntie?”