The first rays of dawn pierced the dim horizon. The howling wind battered the villa’s windows with a mournful wail as morning arrived in the suburban residential area.
Lying on Qin Haiyue’s luxurious king-sized bed, Ye Xingmian quietly opened her eyes.
It was so uncomfortable.
Held in the arms of the person behind her like an octopus, she was pinned down. Qin Haiyue was a full one hundred and eighty centimeters tall and weighed significantly more than her, who suffered from long-term malnutrition. Under such a size difference, having been held down by limbs all night, it would be strange if she didn’t feel miserable upon waking.
She tried to move slightly, wanting to break free from Qin Haiyue’s embrace. Unexpectedly, her actions woke Qin Haiyue instead. The body behind her shifted, followed by a voice heavy with drowsiness near her ear.
“Awake?”
Qin Haiyue wasn’t exactly a graceful sleeper. Her hair was a mess, and her face lacked its usual refinement and coldness. She seemed a bit more human now.
The girl didn’t move. She gritted her teeth and glanced at the bright sky outside the window.
“Let go of me… We… we have to go to school.”
Qin Haiyue ignored her words. Instead, like a large Golden Retriever, she hugged her even tighter, her chest pressing against the girl until she could barely breathe.
“Don’t move. Let me hold you for a bit.”
Her small face immediately soured. Ye Xingmian wanted to struggle a bit more, but now she didn’t dare move.
She was afraid of making Qin Haiyue angry and getting kicked off the bed.
The villa’s heating hadn’t been turned off all night. The girl didn’t care about the electricity bill; at least it was warm, unlike the bone-chilling cold she felt at the Lin family home. Qin Haiyue held her for a while longer before finally letting go, allowing her to get out of bed.
She was wearing the pajamas Qin Haiyue had given her yesterday. Fortunately, she wasn’t forced to sleep naked. The girl found the clothes she had changed out of last night on a chair by the bed. She originally intended to put them back on, but then she suddenly remembered something and froze.
“Um…” She turned around, looking at Qin Haiyue, who was nonchalantly changing clothes, her face reflecting her difficulty.
“What should I wear… I can’t exactly go to school in a dress, can I?”
“Whatever.”
This person!
Clenching her hidden fist, the girl continued to speak with dignity, “Are there any other clothes? Like… thicker pants or something…”
“Of course there are.”
Qin Haiyue sat on the edge of the bed. After spending a day and night together, she felt the girl’s guard against her had lowered significantly, which was a good thing. Thinking about it, a mischievous smile appeared on her face.
“Want them? Call me hubby and I’ll give them to you.”
“You!”
The girl’s eyes widened instantly. She really didn’t expect Qin Haiyue to be this shameless. Was this something to joke about so casually?!
“Well? Think about it~ On one hand, you go to school in girl’s clothes and suffer social death; on the other, you just call me hubby once and avoid it. Which is better?”
The girl fell silent for a moment.
Without saying a word, she walked straight out of the room.
“Where are you going?”
“To dig through the clothes I threw in the trash can.”
Qin Haiyue was momentarily stunned. She hadn’t expected the other party to be so resolute. Did she hate her that much?
Always lacking patience and self-awareness, Qin Haiyue eventually compromised, calling out to the girl with some irritation.
“Don’t go! I’ll find them for you, alright?”
Only then did the girl stop, looking back at her with an uncertain gaze.
“Tsk.”
In that moment, Qin Haiyue felt a flash of regret. She thought she shouldn’t have stopped her. Since she dared to defy her, maybe she should just strip her bare and throw her outside?
Although she wanted to take things slow, her nature had never changed. Once something didn’t go her way, her impatience would flare up like a wildfire, screaming for her to destroy everything she had built.
However, her mood was still decent, so she didn’t actually put that thought into action. She stared coldly at the girl for a while, until the other party subconsciously lowered her head, seemingly blaming herself as if she had done something wrong. Only then did she coldly avert her gaze.
“Stay right there. I’ll get the clothes for you.”
She walked to a corner of the wardrobe. The clothes she had specifically bought for the girl weren’t just those few dresses. She had prepared everything, including school clothes and some neutral-looking winter wear.
After all, if she was going to act, she had to do it right. She didn’t want to arouse suspicion from others over something trivial.
“Here, take them.”
Throwing the clothes onto the bed, Qin Haiyue’s face returned to its cold expression.
“…Thank you.”
Softly thanking her, the girl put on the clothes piece by piece, finally breathing a sigh of relief. During the process, her hair kept getting in her eyes, making her frown.
“Can you take me to get a haircut?”
She had thought about it before, but it had fallen through due to financial issues. But now, with a sucker like Qin Haiyue saying she wanted to be her lover, she admitted she might be getting a bit ahead of herself. However, with Qin Haiyue’s wealth, just taking her for a haircut shouldn’t be a problem, right?
“Hmm? Sure. What hairstyle do you want? I’ll talk to the stylist in advance.”
“Hairstyle?”
The girl asked blankly. After all, she had never been a girl before. Having grown up as an ordinary boy, she rarely even paid attention to male hairstyles, let alone female ones.
“Yes, you need a direction, right? Otherwise, how will they cut it?”
“Uh… actually… I just think long hair is too noticeable… it might make people suspicious… so… I want to cut it short…”
“Cut it short? No!”
“Eh? Why…” The refusal was unexpectedly decisive. The girl couldn’t understand why the other party’s reaction was so extreme over a simple haircut.
Frowning, Qin Haiyue approached the girl and leaned down, her voice filled with pressure. “I said no, so no. If you dare to cut your hair short on your own, I’ll break your legs.”
“Huh?” The girl’s pink eyes went blank for a moment, then she became fearful. Looking into Qin Haiyue’s oppressive blue eyes, she felt a chill run down her spine. She truly felt that Qin Haiyue would do exactly as she said.
“Do you understand?”
“I… I understand…”
“Good.”
After the threat, taking advantage of her height, Qin Haiyue patted the girl’s head. In truth, she really liked the girl’s long hair; it felt soft and fluffy, very comfortable to touch, and it looked beautiful. This was one of the reasons she strictly forbade the girl from cutting it.
“By the way… would it be bad if I wore these clothes… they’re too eye-catching…”
“Now what?”
“It’s just… it’s just…” The girl looked at the brand-new clothes on her body. They clearly weren’t cheap. She really didn’t know why Qin Haiyue was willing to spend so much money on her. Instead of feeling happy, she felt afraid, wondering what the class president or her younger sister would think when they saw her…
However, Qin Haiyue seemed truly annoyed. She cut the girl off.
“I told you to wear them, so wear them. Why so much nonsense? Any more talk and you can get out and walk to school yourself.”
“Okay… okay…” It was the same old Qin Haiyue after all, not changed one bit. The girl muttered to herself internally.