Shen Yue vaguely realized what she had just touched, a flush creeping up her face. She was about to say something random to ease the awkward atmosphere when she heard Shen Ran speak with a smiling voice:
“Jiang Ling, why is your face so red?”
“I’m not!”
Jiang Ling immediately retorted, but her eyes darted away.
Haha…
This person’s personality is really terrible!
Who in the world would push their own older sister into someone else’s arms?
Especially when both of them were currently completely naked — skin-to-skin contact was practically unavoidable.
After being pushed into her embrace, Shen Yue perhaps felt shy and wriggled slightly, but this only made the already rather sensitive Jiang Ling even more agitated.
Everything… is touching…呜呜呜—
Jiang Ling had originally thought that after being “influenced” day and night by her sisters, she had already developed strong self-control when it came to skinship with beautiful girls.
But the result was obvious: she still hadn’t completely desensitized. Her face was red like a monkey’s butt.
“Sigh, so pure-hearted~”
Shen Ran stretched her body languidly and sighed for no apparent reason.
Because of her joining, the originally quite spacious bathtub instantly became crowded. A lot of water spilled out, leaving wet trails all over the floor.
Jiang Ling didn’t even know where to look anymore. Shen Yue’s slender and beautiful back almost filled her entire field of vision.
What was even worse was that, since earlier, the soft sensation had been heavily pressing against the top of her thigh.
Shen Yue wasn’t heavy, and with the buoyancy of the water, the actual weight that ended up on Jiang Ling’s legs was negligible — but that impossible-to-ignore touch still left her at a complete loss.
“How’s the songwriting going for you two?”
Aside from that earlier somewhat reckless action, Shen Ran really seemed to have just come to bathe together with them. She even casually started a topic.
“Same as always.”
Shen Yue answered concisely. She was currently trying to move a little farther away from Jiang Ling.
Not because she disliked it — just not used to it.
Their skin was both soft and smooth, and after being soaked in water, it felt even more so. Certain parts inevitably made their presence known. Shen Yue was fully aware that she was sitting on Jiang Ling’s lap, her back pressed tightly against the small, soft chest in front of her.
This position seemed to make the air itself feel more scorching — just like Jiang Ling’s heart. She could sense that Shen Yue seemed very restless, and the reason was naturally their current posture.
While the two of them were pressing their lips together in embarrassment and looking down, Shen Ran, on the other hand, was completely at ease — as if she were in her own home.
Well… her sister’s house basically counts as her house too, right?
She leaned back lazily, a teasing smile on her face, and spoke slowly:
“I’m just helping you two get closer. It’s very good for songwriting, you know.”
“I know your intentions are good.” Jiang Ling felt her breathing growing heavier, her voice muffled. “But could you please… not start right now?”
“Heartless woman.”
Shen Ran shouted dramatically, but the amusement in her eyes couldn’t be hidden at all:
“We clearly made plans to go on a date this weekend, and now you’re turning your back on me the moment you see me? So in your heart, your sister is more attractive than me, huh?”
Hearing her spouting such random nonsense, Jiang Ling panicked and raised her hand:
“No — you know I would never do that kind of thing — Shen Yue?”
As she spoke, Jiang Ling instinctively reached up and grabbed Shen Yue’s shoulders, shaking them urgently in an attempt to prove her innocence.
But the force wasn’t light — Shen Yue leaned back a little more… and along with that movement, her hips slid backward, brushing across the sensitive spot between Jiang Ling’s legs.
“Hss—”
This time Jiang Ling really sucked in a breath, then spoke in a trembling, gritted-teeth whisper:
“Don’t… don’t move.”
“If you let go of me, I won’t move!”
Shen Yue replied in an equally low but urgent voice.
Meanwhile, watching the two of them muttering back and forth, the smile in Shen Ran’s eyes grew deeper. She shrugged:
“See? I told you it would help you bond. I just hope I don’t wake up next week to hear that you two are going on a café date.”
“But if that really happens, what should I call you? Sister-in-law? Or—”
“Ranran!”
Shen Yue shouted in shame and anger, her face completely flushed.
“Mm.” Shen Ran looked away and met Jiang Ling’s hesitant gaze, as if explaining: “My sister gets embarrassed too easily. Sorry about that.”
“Please… just leave.”
Jiang Ling pressed her palms together in a pleading gesture.
Hearing this, Shen Ran thoughtfully sized up the two girls who both looked abnormal:
“You guys planning to do bathroom play?”
“Shen Ran!!”
“Fine, fine~ So boring…”
Under Shen Yue’s practically furious glare, Shen Ran finally left the bathroom. Although she still threw out a few more messy remarks before leaving, Jiang Ling decided to ignore them. She immediately cleared her throat.
“Ahem… we’ve soaked long enough, right?”
If they stayed any longer, she really might faint.
Both physically and mentally.
Because of what just happened, the two of them tacitly kept silent. Neither said anything more. Quietly, they returned to the only bed in the room.
There were two pillows, but only one blanket.
Jiang Ling carefully climbed onto the bed, feeling the soft mattress, and couldn’t help but murmur:
“It’s actually pretty soft.”
“Mm.”
Shen Yue didn’t find Jiang Ling’s attempt to make small talk strange at all — after all, she herself was feeling quite at a loss right now.
It’s all Shen Ran’s fault!
After pushing all the blame onto her mischievous little sister, Shen Yue felt a bit more relaxed.
“Sleep. Tomorrow I’ll take you back to our place.”
Honestly, Jiang Ling was quite sleepy right now. Even sharing one blanket wouldn’t make her have any wild thoughts.
Shen Yue agreed, pulled the blanket over them, and closed her eyes.
Jiang Ling’s body also relaxed, and she drowsily fell asleep.
After she was asleep, Shen Yue quietly opened her eyes, tracing Jiang Ling’s sleeping face. A contented smile curved her lips.
“Good night, my—”
friend.
Jiang Ling felt she had slept fairly comfortably — probably because the mattress at Shen Yue’s house was soft enough. Even in an unfamiliar environment, she adapted quickly and soon fell into a deep sleep.
The curtains in her room seemed to always be drawn, so Jiang Ling was woken by her phone alarm.
She had set it for noon before going to sleep last night.
Rubbing her sleepy eyes, she checked the time, then glanced at Shen Yue who was still quietly sleeping beside her. Without making any extra noise, she tiptoed out of bed to wash up.
“You’re up pretty early.”
While she was brushing her teeth, Shen Ran’s yawning voice came from behind.
“You’re not one to talk…”
Even with a mouth full of foam, Jiang Ling still mumbled a reply.
“Because I’m leaving~ There’s breakfast in the kitchen for you two.”
Shen Ran answered in a light, cheerful voice. Although she had dark circles under her eyes, she still looked full of energy. Jiang Ling turned her head and met that bright, smiling face.
“Where are you going?”
“That actually surprises me. I thought after everything these past few days, you would completely hate me by now.”
Shen Ran’s voice carried a hint of astonishment. She reached out with her thumb to wipe away the foam at the corner of Jiang Ling’s lips, then turned on the faucet to rinse.
“After all, most people don’t really like me. Do you think I should consider getting plastic surgery?”
“…I don’t think it’s your face that’s the problem.”
Jiang Ling quietly replied, spat out the remaining foam, and said sincerely:
“Although you might not look like a good person, I haven’t really felt any malice from you toward me. At most, you just enjoy teasing people.”
“Pfft.”
This seemed to amuse Shen Ran. She tilted her head, took a business card out of her pocket, and stuffed it into Jiang Ling’s palm. Her smile remained playful and charming.
“Going to work.”
She answered Jiang Ling’s original question, then turned and left without any attachment.
Jiang Ling wiped her mouth with a towel and lowered her eyes.
【Shen Ran, xx News Agency Reporter, Contact: 177xxxxxxxx】
Reporter?
Jiang Ling stared blankly at the card for a long while — until Shen Yue walked over.
“What are you standing here for?”
She rubbed her eyes, noticed that a pair of shoes was missing at the entrance, then looked back at the clean, neat business card in Jiang Ling’s hand. Her expression became complicated.
But Shen Yue didn’t say anything. She just smoothly changed the subject:
“When are we going… to your dormitory?”
She remembered Jiang Ling saying she would take her back.
“After you wash up and have breakfast.”
Jiang Ling walked to the kitchen and saw the generous breakfast Shen Ran had left behind.
“Your little sister bought all this.”
After breakfast, the two of them took the car back to the NOVA dormitory.
Last night they had completed parts of several songs, plus they already had the finished title track.
Jiang Ling looked out the window at the passing scenery, her eyes shifting restlessly.
This should be enough to make up for staying out all night… right?
Of course, that wasn’t up to her to decide.
Shen Yue noticed that Jiang Ling seemed very nervous and assumed she was worried about the songs, so she awkwardly tried to comfort her:
“I think you don’t need to be so tense. I still have a hundred songs in stock. They won’t be disappointed.”
“Ha… that’s not the problem.”
Jiang Ling let out a miserable sigh. The car came to a stop.
Looking at the very familiar dormitory door, for the first time Jiang Ling felt like she didn’t dare open it.
But Shen Yue was right beside her, staring at her in confusion. Jiang Ling took a deep breath, pulled out her key, and turned the lock.
Click.
The moment she pushed the door open, Jiang Ling saw all her sisters who were eating in the kitchen turn their heads in unison. Mo Ran, who was carrying a plate to the table, immediately let out a soft laugh.
“Heh.”
Jiang Ling swore — this was the most terrifying smile she had ever seen on Mo Ran.
“Jiang Ling, you still know how to come back?!”
Compared to Mo Ran’s anger that simmered quietly waiting to erupt, Fang Wannan’s emotions were far more obvious. She shot up from her seat, rushed over in just a few strides, her delicate little face full of fury.
“I clearly told you — no turning off your phone and disappearing, and no staying out all night! And didn’t you agree nicely at the time? How could you go back on your word at the last minute? You—”
Her words came to an abrupt halt the moment she saw Shen Yue standing somewhat awkwardly behind Jiang Ling.
Immediately after, a complicated mix of shock and anger flashed across Fang Wannan’s face. Her voice almost broke through the ceiling.
“You didn’t come home — fine! But you even dared to bring a woman back?!”