Chapter 224: Teach Me

A flicker of pain passed through Ye Lan’s eyes, but it was quickly replaced by determination.

She took a step forward and reached out, only to pause midway, as though afraid of startling Mu Xi.

“It’s all right,” Ye Lan said, her voice low and firm, “I’ll help you remember. Everything will be okay.”

Mu Xi gazed into Ye Lan’s eyes. 

The emotions within them were so intense that they filled her with an inexplicable sense of safety and closeness.

Her heartbeat still raced unnaturally, as though something inside her was struggling to break through the surface.

“Why,” Mu Xi suddenly asked, her voice so soft it was almost inaudible, “why does it hurt so much in my heart when I look at you?”

A glimmer of hope flashed in Ye Lan’s eyes. 

She cautiously took another step closer, her voice trembling with suppressed excitement as she replied, “Because some memories, even when buried the deepest, can never truly disappear.”

Mu Xi blinked, nodding half-comprehendingly, and murmured, “Oh.”

Her voice was like a feather floating in the air, so light it seemed about to dissolve into nothing.

Ye Lan reached out, her fingertips gently brushing across Mu Xi’s cheek. 

The touch made Mu Xi tremble slightly without realizing it.

“Let’s take a bath,” Ye Lan said, her voice low and gentle yet carrying an undeniable firmness.

Mu Xi followed Ye Lan toward the bathroom almost instinctively. 

A faint sense of familiarity flickered through her mind, but she couldn’t grasp the hazy fragments of memory.

Inside the bathroom, warm steam filled the air and the temperature felt just right, as though it existed in a completely separate world from the harsh desert outside.

“Do you need me to help you undress?” Ye Lan stood in front of Mu Xi, her eyes carrying a complicated mix of emotions.

Mu Xi looked down at her own clothes, feeling a sudden, inexplicable nervousness.

“I can do it myself.” Her fingers trembled slightly as she fumbled clumsily with the buttons.

Ye Lan didn’t rush her. 

She simply watched quietly, her gaze filled with both tenderness and restrained longing.

When Mu Xi finally removed the last piece of clothing, Ye Lan’s breathing became noticeably quicker.

“Come in.” Ye Lan had already stepped into the bathtub first and now extended a hand toward Mu Xi.

The water temperature was perfect. 

Mu Xi felt her tense body gradually relax, yet that strange feeling in her heart grew even stronger.

Ye Lan sat behind her, holding a sponge and gently washing Mu Xi’s back. 

Each touch felt like it was awakening long-dormant memories.

“Your body still remembers me,” Ye Lan whispered near Mu Xi’s ear, her warm breath brushing against her earlobe.

A jolt like electricity raced up Mu Xi’s spine and into her brain. 

She unconsciously leaned forward, trying to escape the sensation that was both strange and strangely familiar.

“I don’t understand what you’re saying.”

Ye Lan’s hands slid forward from Mu Xi’s shoulders, her movements gentle yet carrying an irresistible strength.

“Your body is more honest than your memory.”

Her fingers traced across Mu Xi’s skin, each contact like unlocking another seal.

Mu Xi’s breathing grew rapid. 

Something inside her was awakening, like a dormant spark spreading through her bloodstream.

“What are you doing?” Her voice was no longer calm; it carried a tremor and confusion.

“I’m helping you remember.”

Ye Lan’s lips drew close to the back of Mu Xi’s neck and pressed a soft kiss to the sensitive skin. 

“Since you’ve forgotten, I’ll help you recall everything.”

Mu Xi’s body became extraordinarily sensitive under Ye Lan’s touch. 

Every inch of skin that was caressed flared with a strange, tingling heat.

She wanted to resist, yet she found her body instinctively leaning back toward Ye Lan, seeking more contact.

“Why is my body reacting like this?” Mu Xi’s voice held confusion and a trace of fear. 

She couldn’t understand why she would respond so strongly to a “stranger.”

Ye Lan’s arms wrapped around Mu Xi, pulling her close. 

Her lips brushed against Mu Xi’s ear as she murmured, “Because between us, some things run deeper than memory.”

She gently turned Mu Xi around so they faced each other. 

“Your body remembers every moment of our intimacy, every time we held each other.”

Mu Xi looked into Ye Lan’s eyes. 

That deep gaze contained so many emotions she couldn’t comprehend.

Her heart pounded faster, her breathing grew labored, and a strange longing swelled inside her.

“I don’t remember, but…” Her voice grew quieter and quieter. 

“But my body seems to be telling me…”

The corners of Ye Lan’s mouth lifted slightly. 

She cupped Mu Xi’s face, her thumb gently brushing across Mu Xi’s damp lips.

“Then listen to your body. Let it guide you back to those forgotten feelings.”

Mu Xi closed her eyes, feeling Ye Lan’s breath drawing nearer.

When Ye Lan’s lips finally met hers, a powerful sense of familiarity swept through Mu Xi’s entire body.

Her body responded instinctively to the kiss. 

Her arms rose of their own accord and wrapped around Ye Lan’s neck.

The kiss began softly, then gradually deepened, growing more passionate.

Mu Xi felt as though she were falling and soaring at the same time. 

Every cell in her body seemed to rejoice, as if it had finally found its rightful place.

“Ye Lan…” Mu Xi murmured the name between their joined lips, her voice trembling with sudden realization.

A spark of surprise and hope lit Ye Lan’s eyes. 

She pulled back slightly, gazing into Mu Xi’s eyes.

“Did you remember something?”

Mu Xi shook her head, then nodded, her expression bewildered and lost., “I don’t know, but when I call you like that, it feels right… it feels natural.” Her fingers lightly traced the contours of Ye Lan’s face.

Tears shimmered in Ye Lan’s eyes. 

She kissed Mu Xi again—this time more fervently, more deeply.

Her hands roamed across Mu Xi’s body, awakening the memory in every inch of skin.

The water rippled gently with their movements. 

The temperature in the bathroom seemed to rise steadily.

Mu Xi’s body grew more and more sensitive under Ye Lan’s caresses. 

A strange, burning desire flared within her—a feeling that was both unfamiliar and deeply familiar.

Her fingers tangled in Ye Lan’s wet hair. 

Her body pressed closer of its own accord, craving more contact.

“Were we… like this before?” Mu Xi asked in broken phrases between quick breaths, her eyes dazed and confused.

Ye Lan’s lips rested against the side of Mu Xi’s neck as she whispered into her ear, “Yes. Countless times we held each other, countless times we found comfort in each other’s arms… at least, that’s how it was for me.”

Her fingers slid toward Mu Xi’s most intimate place, drawing a shudder from her. 

“I’ll help you reclaim those feelings—the ones only I can give you.”

Mu Xi’s body tensed under Ye Lan’s touch, then relaxed again, as though caught in a wondrous storm.

Her awareness began to blur. 

All she could feel was Ye Lan’s presence, Ye Lan’s breath, Ye Lan’s touch.

The ripples on the water grew larger. 

The bathroom echoed with rapid breathing and the sound of water.

Mu Xi felt as though she were climbing an invisible peak. 

Each of Ye Lan’s caresses brought her closer to that unseen summit.

“Ye Lan… Ye Lan…” Mu Xi kept calling the name, as though it were the only thing she could be certain of.

Ye Lan held Mu Xi tightly, feeling every tremor that passed through her body.

“I’m here. I’ve always been here,” she said, her voice low and resolute. 

“No matter how much you’ve forgotten, I’ll help you recover it all, little by little.”

Mu Xi’s body suddenly went rigid, then released in a powerful wave of trembling.

She leaned against Ye Lan’s chest, breathing hard, eyes unfocused.

For a fleeting moment, she seemed to glimpse fragments—snatches of memory belonging to her and Ye Lan—but they quickly dissolved back into the fog of her mind.

Ye Lan gently stroked Mu Xi’s wet hair, her eyes full of tenderness and determination.

“Take it slow. We have plenty of time.” She pressed a soft kiss to Mu Xi’s forehead.

Mu Xi lifted her head and looked into Ye Lan’s eyes. 

They held so many emotions she couldn’t yet understand.

But right now, she didn’t need to understand. 

She only needed to feel.

She leaned in and kissed Ye Lan’s lips. 

This time, she was the one guiding the depth and heat of the kiss.

“Teach me,” Mu Xi whispered between their joined lips, “Teach me how to remember you… how to remember us.”