Darkness descended once again, leaving only the sound of their interwoven breaths and the silent, surging cold hatred in Mu Xi’s heart.
The faint light of dawn filtered through the gaps in the heavy curtains, barely casting a soft glow on the solid walls of the Silent Language Building.
Mu Xi woke to a long, gentle kiss, carrying Ye Lan’s characteristic, undeniable scent.
She could feel a lingering cool dampness on her collarbone and chest, like morning dew on flower petals, but with Ye Lan’s body heat.
She didn’t need to guess; Ye Lan had left these marks while she slept.
Ye Lan propped herself up halfway, a few strands of her jet-black hair falling down, brushing against Mu Xi’s pale collarbone and bringing a tingling sensation.
Her deep phoenix eyes sparkled in the dim morning light, filled with lazy amusement and undisguised possessiveness.
“Awake?”
Ye Lan’s voice was husky from just waking up, yet full of allure. Her fingertips lightly traced Mu Xi’s cheek.
“Seems my good morning greeting was effective.”
Mu Xi blinked her long eyelashes and looked at the exquisitely beautiful face so close to her. Instead of flinching, she slightly tilted her chin up, meeting Ye Lan’s probing gaze, and curved her lips into a faint smile, like a flower barely blooming in the cold.
“Mm,” she responded softly, proactively wrapping her arms around Ye Lan’s neck and deepening the kiss, the movement practiced and familiar. “Good morning, Ye Lan.”
This obedient response clearly pleased Ye Lan. She chuckled lowly, her chest vibrating slightly, and the amusement in her phoenix eyes deepened, tinged with playfulness and surprise.
“Oh? So well-behaved today?”
She paused deliberately, rubbing her nose against Mu Xi’s, as if confirming something.
“Looks like you were quite satisfied with the new position last night?”
Mu Xi’s body stiffened for a moment, then quickly relaxed. The implication in the words made her arms around Ye Lan’s neck tighten imperceptibly. She simply pressed closer to Ye Lan, burying her face in Ye Lan’s neck, as if it were the safest harbor in the world. Hatred lay deep underground like an ice sheet, unmoving, while on the surface, she had learned to play the role of a docile spring.
Ye Lan felt the dependence and obedience of the small body in her arms, and a great sense of satisfaction surged within her. She knew that beneath this obedience there might be nothing at all, or turbulent undercurrents. But so what? As long as this person was in her arms, within reach, she was willing to indulge in this false warmth.
She tightened her arms, encircling Mu Xi completely, her fingertips gliding intentionally or not over her smooth back, feeling the delicate skin and slender bones beneath her palm.
“Everything about you, I like.”
Ye Lan whispered in her ear, her warm breath brushing Mu Xi’s sensitive earlobe.
“Whether you’re a thorny rose or a docile lamb.”
She pulled back slightly, gazing at Mu Xi’s calm yet still exquisite face, her fingers lightly touching her soft red lips.
“But I still prefer you like this.”
As the words fell, another kiss followed, carrying the particular laziness of morning and an undeniable sense of possession. Outside, the sky gradually brightened, casting the intertwined figures in the room into sharper relief.
Mu Xi closed her eyes, letting herself sink into this performance of pleasure orchestrated by Ye Lan, named “affection,” cooperating seamlessly. For Ye Lan, this was enough. At least for now, she was hers.
The bathroom was filled with steaming mist, and small water droplets condensed on the smooth tile walls, trickling down slowly like silent tears. Ye Lan carried Mu Xi as if she were a treasure found again, carefully lowering her into the warm water. The water rippled, covering Mu Xi’s sweat-dampened, even more radiantly fair skin.
“Don’t move,”
Ye Lan’s voice was especially low and gentle in the mist, carrying a touch of undeniable command.
“Today, I’ll attend to my little princess.”
She gathered her own fallen wet strands, picked up a soft loofah, wet it with foam, and began to carefully cleanse Mu Xi. Her fingertips traced the smooth back, her movements light but with a sense of territorial possessiveness.
Mu Xi obediently leaned against the edge of the bathtub, her silver hair wetly clinging to her neck and shoulders, water droplets falling from the ends, splashing tiny spray on her pale collarbone.
“Raise your arm,”
Ye Lan’s voice was laced with laughter, the loofah brushing over Mu Xi’s slender arm.
Mu Xi followed the instruction, lifting her arm, revealing the elegantly curved underarm. Ye Lan’s gaze lingered there for a moment, her eyes darkening, but her hands remained gentle.
“We need to clean here too.”
Mu Xi’s body tensed almost imperceptibly for a second, then quickly relaxed. She lowered her eyelids, her long lashes trembling slightly in the steam, like butterfly wings touched by dew.
“Turn around,”
Ye Lan said again, her tone light, as if it were just a casual remark.
Mu Xi silently complied, turning her back to Ye Lan. The warm water and soft loofah traveled across her back, sending tiny shivers through her. Occasionally, Ye Lan’s fingers would “accidentally” glide over certain sensitive areas, causing Mu Xi’s breath to catch.
“Heh heh,”
Ye Lan let out a low laugh, her warm breath brushing Mu Xi’s ear.
“What? Still so ticklish? Or are you reminiscing?”
She deliberately pressed the loofah into Mu Xi’s waist dimples, making small circles. Mu Xi didn’t answer, only turned her cheek slightly toward the cool tiles, trying to dispel the uncontrollable heat rising to her cheeks. A faint blush spread from the roots of her ears to her neck, like peach blossoms quietly blooming on early spring branches, fragile and moving. Yet, her fair skin was inevitably tinted with a layer of pink.
Ye Lan wrapped her arms around her from behind, resting her chin on Mu Xi’s shoulder socket, looking at the reflection in the mirror: the petite body completely enveloped by her own, that shy blush so conspicuous. She leaned closer to Mu Xi’s ear, her voice dropping even lower, carrying a satisfied sigh.
“Look, your face is all red… so cute.”
She gently kissed the flushed skin, then released her hand and picked up the showerhead.
“Alright, rinse off. We still have other things to do later.”
Mu Xi closed her eyes, letting the warm water wash over her body, also washing away the briefly surfaced flush. The rushing water concealed the almost imperceptible sound of cracks spreading beneath the frozen lake of her heart. She remained obedient, like a porcelain doll carefully wiped clean, beautiful and soulless, like Liuli.
The misty bathroom door was pushed open. Ye Lan, wrapped in a bath towel, came out carrying Mu Xi, who was also wrapped in a soft towel. She didn’t put Mu Xi down immediately but carried her to the large bed in the master bedroom and gently set her on the freshly sheeted bed.
Ye Lan turned and walked to the wardrobe. She opened the door; inside hung clothes all prepared to Mu Xi’s measurements. She browsed, her fingertips brushing over several soft fabrics, and finally took out a simple white cotton dress.
“Wear this.”
Ye Lan handed the dress to Mu Xi. Mu Xi sat on the edge of the bed, her silver hair half-dry, hanging damply over her shoulders and back, making her small face appear even paler. She took the dress without looking up and obediently began to put it on. Her movements were slow, with a deliberate, blank sluggishness, as if she were simply executing a program.
Ye Lan stood by watching her, her gaze falling on her slender collarbone and the faint pink that had not completely faded from her post-bath skin. She leaned down, helped Mu Xi tidy her somewhat disheveled hair, and her fingertips brushed the skin at the back of her neck.
She reached out and naturally took Mu Xi’s hand.
“Come on, let’s go downstairs and eat.”
Ye Lan’s voice sounded in excellent spirits. Mu Xi’s body stiffened for a moment, then relaxed.