“Ah…”
Hearing Shen Yue’s questioning tone, Jiang Ling froze for a moment before responding in a slightly stuttering voice:
“O-of course it’s no problem! We’re all girls, haha.”
If she hadn’t ended with those two awkward, dry laughs, she might have sounded a little more convincing.
The end result of both of them being so awkward was that the atmosphere in the air grew even more stagnant.
“But you really write songs so quickly.”
In an attempt to dispel the awkwardness, Jiang Ling racked her brain to steer the conversation elsewhere:
“You really never studied it formally?”
When the topic turned to music, Shen Yue’s expression visibly relaxed. While tidying up the extra things on the bed, she answered seriously:
“Nope. Some things you just pick up by doing them. No matter how perfect a theoretical system is, it can’t compare to actually getting hands-on experience yourself.”
Jiang Ling deeply agreed with that.
Before she started learning dance, she had also watched those “learn XX song in a few minutes” videos or read hyped-up “exclusive techniques,” but in reality, nothing beat just repeating basic steps over and over again in the practice room.
Shen Yue glanced at the clock on the wall. It was around 2 a.m.—a bit earlier than her usual bedtime.
So she asked:
“How about you go take a bath first?”
Jiang Ling didn’t try to refuse on that point, but she had come over so suddenly today that she hadn’t brought anything.
“Oh right—you can just use my stuff.”
Shen Yue had clearly thought of that too and added:
“I’ll get you some sleepwear now. The bathroom basically has everything. If you need anything else, you can order delivery; they’ll bring it here.”
As she spoke, she turned to the wardrobe and took out a loose sleep set—similar in style to what Jiang Ling usually wore, complete with some cartoon pattern printed on it. Somehow it looked oddly cute.
Jiang Ling took it, glanced down, and before she could say anything, Shen Yue hurriedly added:
“I only bought this because it was really cheap at the time. It’s definitely not because I’m childish.”
Hearing Shen Yue’s slightly panicked explanation, Jiang Ling pressed her lips together, recalled a bunch of sad old memories to keep herself from bursting out laughing, then lowered her eyes and walked toward the bathroom.
What surprised Jiang Ling was that Shen Yue’s place even had a bathtub. The apartment wasn’t large in other aspects, but in this regard it spared no expense.
After a moment of hesitation, Jiang Ling couldn’t resist the temptation. She poked her head back out and asked:
“Can I soak for a bit longer?”
Because from what she could see, there wasn’t the slightest trace of tiredness on Shen Yue’s face—she seemed to be a habitual night owl.
Sure enough, Shen Yue immediately nodded:
“No problem, but…”
She suddenly paused. A suspicious flush crept up her cheeks. Then, under Jiang Ling’s puzzled gaze, she slowly continued:
“Do you want to soak together?”
What exactly was the situation right now? Even Jiang Ling wasn’t entirely sure.
All she knew was that she hadn’t been able to resist the temptation of a bath, casually asked that one question… and now she and Shen Yue were both naked, sitting face-to-face in the bathtub… staring at each other.
Although the two of them weren’t in any particularly awkward relationship, sitting opposite each other in a tub full of hot water still felt… a little unnatural.
“Ahem…”
…
To keep the atmosphere from staying frozen like this, Jiang Ling forced herself to meet Shen Yue’s evasive gaze, let out a meaningless cough, then stiffly scooped up some water and splashed it over herself.
The rising heat helped ease her jittery nerves a little.
“This is my first time.”
Shen Yue’s sudden words startled Jiang Ling badly.
Looking at the other girl’s half-lidded, misty eyes, Jiang Ling silently recited a calming mantra in her head several times before managing to keep her voice steady:
“Hm?”
“My first time bathing with a friend.”
Shen Yue rested her arms on the edge of the tub and answered Jiang Ling’s confusion in a tone like she was simply sighing.
“Hah—so that’s the ‘first time’ you meant—”
Jiang Ling inexplicably let out a breath of relief. Then, under Shen Yue’s bewildered look, she tugged at the corner of her mouth and let her gaze drift:
“Nothing. I misheard earlier. Don’t mind me.”
Since Jiang Ling said so, Shen Yue didn’t press further. She nodded vaguely as if half-understanding, then continued on her own:
“I’ve always wanted to try it before.”
“Hey, it’s such a small thing! You can try it as many times as you want!”
Noticing the faint loneliness in Shen Yue’s eyes, Jiang Ling immediately raised her voice, clenched her fist and shook it in front of her chest, doing her best to lift the mood.
Watching Jiang Ling act like an adorable idiot, Shen Yue couldn’t help but smile. She scooped up water in her palm and lightly splashed it in Jiang Ling’s direction.
“Alright, let’s not talk about that anymore.”
She deliberately changed the subject. Jiang Ling naturally went along with it:
“Yay!”
And then the air instantly fell silent again.
The bathtub was actually quite large—big enough for two people with room to spare—so they each stayed squeezed into one corner, maintaining a “safe distance,” soaking separately.
“Hey… Ranran has caused you a lot of trouble. I’m really sorry.”
Shen Yue submerged everything below her shoulders in the water and apologized again, looking genuinely guilty.
“It’s fine. She’s just got that childish personality.”
Although Jiang Ling had been a bit annoyed with her at first, thinking it over carefully, Shen Ran’s antics were really just the mischief of a naughty kid—annoying and exasperating, yet somehow she could act cute and coquettish when needed, and she never messed with truly important matters.
So Jiang Ling didn’t dwell on it:
“You don’t need to feel too bad. She was just really worried about you.”
(As for the part where Shen Ran had gleefully tried to shove her fingers into Jiang Ling’s mouth—that part Jiang Ling naturally chose to ignore.)
“Actually… after that incident, I didn’t go home much anymore.”
Shen Yue suddenly spoke, her voice carrying a faint, almost imperceptible melancholy:
“Because the reporters would keep chasing me, asking all sorts of things, then piecing together even more ridiculous stories. So I didn’t dare go back—I was afraid they’d drag my parents and little sister into it.”
Hearing these quiet, fragmented words, Jiang Ling’s brows unconsciously furrowed. She watched the water droplets slide down the delicate tip of Shen Yue’s nose, opened her mouth wanting to say something:
“You…”
But when her eyes met Shen Yue’s gentle, smiling gaze, she stopped short.
Since Shen Yue was already able to face her past wounds herself, there was no need for Jiang Ling to unnecessarily try to comfort her.
So she looked around and finally fixed her gaze on the neatly arranged bath bombs on the side. Tentatively, she asked:
“Can I use one of those?”
“Sure.”
Bathing was one of Shen Yue’s little hobbies. After staying up late composing, the most enjoyable thing was to take a long, relaxing soak before falling asleep—so she kept quite a few cute-looking bath bombs in the bathroom.
Jiang Ling’s eyes sparkled at the selection, but she instinctively reached for one shaped like a little kitten and asked:
“Just drop it in like this?”
“Yeah.”
After getting Shen Yue’s confirmation, Jiang Ling finally relaxed and gently tossed the bath bomb into the water.
Almost the instant it touched the surface, a burst of sweet fragrance filled the air. The round little ball quickly expanded upon contact with water, then began to dissolve. The originally clear water was soon blanketed in soft pale blue.
Their bodies were now hidden beneath the layer of blue.
Jiang Ling tried moving a little. Her eyes fixed unblinkingly on the water’s surface. When she realized she really couldn’t see much anymore, she inexplicably felt a bit more at ease.
Shen Yue felt the same—and even moved a little closer.
“You probably bathe with friends a lot, right?”
Jiang Ling somehow picked up a trace of envy in those words. She pursed her lips, thought for a moment, then answered:
“Mm… like right now?”
Shen Yue clearly hadn’t expected that reply. A brief look of surprise crossed her face, followed quickly by a smile. She shifted her small frame forward bit by bit.
Water sloshed over the edge of the tub.
“You really are an interesting person.”
With her heavy makeup gone, Shen Yue’s bare face was fully revealed in front of Jiang Ling—smooth, delicate skin that could make anyone envious, like a child’s. The colors from the dissolving bath bomb swirled in the flowing water and rolled gently down her shoulder and neck, like a vivid, living painting.
Jiang Ling awkwardly looked away:
“Not really…”
Bang—
The bathroom door was suddenly yanked open.
Both of them jumped in fright.
Jiang Ling looked up in shock and saw Shen Ran walking in with a big grin.
“Y-y-you—what are you doing coming in?!”
Jiang Ling stammered, completely forgetting for a moment that this was Shen Yue’s house.
“Because the guest room doesn’t have a bathroom.”
Shen Ran answered as if it were the most natural thing in the world, but her casual tone sent both Shen Yue and Jiang Ling into a panic. The water in the tub sloshed wildly.
“Then wait until we’re done before you come in…”
Shen Yue’s voice started hurried, then turned into helpless scolding. The look she gave Shen Ran was filled with overflowing exasperation.
“So~ft~”
With a sly smile still on her face, Shen Ran stripped off her clothes while Jiang Ling frantically turned her head away:
“That’s so troublesome. And you two are already bathing together—why didn’t you invite me? Are you isolating me?”
Neither of them could find a single word to refute her.
“If I hadn’t ordered delivery and asked you guys, I’d still be completely in the dark.”
Shen Ran pouted, swiftly peeled off her last layer of clothing, kicked off her slippers, and gracefully stepped into the full tub with one foot.
“Move over a bit, Jiejie.”
She said it naturally, sat down right behind Shen Yue, then used her shoulder to nudge her older sister toward Jiang Ling. Settling in with a contented sigh, she cooed:
“Ahh~ so comfortable~”
Shen Yue, now pushed toward Jiang Ling, visibly stiffened for a second. But unable to resist her younger sister’s strength, she was forced to slide over.
Seeing the equally panicked look on Jiang Ling’s face, Shen Yue quickly turned around—thinking that if they couldn’t see each other’s faces, maybe it wouldn’t be so embarrassing.
But the moment she turned to face Shen Ran, she saw her troublemaking little sister smirking at her, raising a slender arm to push again. Her voice carried a teasing lilt:
“It’s so cramped~”
And with Shen Ran’s movement—
Before Shen Yue could even react, she suddenly—without any warning—fell heavily back into the water.
She had braced herself to land painfully on her backside, but what she actually felt was something soft and smooth beneath her.
Delicate. Silky. Almost like—
Her entire body froze rigid.