Under the light, Lin Shuangxue was dressed as a Middle Eastern dancer. Her fair skin beneath the gauzy skirt was stained a forbidden light black, maxing out the visual impact.
Paired with the ornate accessories on her forehead, neck, and abdomen, Lin Shuangxue looked as pure as a sacrificial offering meant to be devoted to a deity, yet corrupted by human greed and blasphemy into a plaything for nobles to enjoy.
‘I can’t understand that nonsense. Can I just ask if she can dance?’
Jiang Cheng finally understood where the unnaturalness in Lin Shuangxue’s words came from, and also knew what the so-called “reward” really was.
The movie was just a front. The real reward was Lin Shuangxue herself?!
Holy meow!
Jiang Cheng let out a “holy moly” exclamation.
“Wow… that’s so erotic… Why are you dressed like that?”
Lin Shuangxue averted her gaze. Her narrow eyes shimmered with a strange luster under the light.
“It was… prepared by An Xin.”
Her tone wasn’t as cold as usual, but a forced calm.
It was like an older sister who was used to hiding her feelings behind a cold face, caught by her younger sister hugging a plushie to sleep, stubbornly insisting she just needed something to hold to fall asleep—the filter shattered into pieces.
‘Since big sis has to hold something to sleep… how about holding little sis me?’
Jiang Cheng became even more curious.
She thought of that overly serious maid.
‘An Xin would actually do something like this?’
‘Really, this is great!’
Lin Shuangxue’s behavior emboldened Jiang Cheng. Curiously, she walked to the elder sister’s side, looking left and right as if she were some rare animal in a zoo.
“What… what are you looking at.”
Lin Shuangxue felt uncomfortable under her gaze and glared at Jiang Cheng.
“It looks so good… Wow, even barefoot! And there’s a shiny anklet, so sexy…” The girl was very satisfied with Lin Shuangxue’s packaging.
“Hey, Lin Shuangxue, can you dance?” she said excitedly. “You’re already dressed as a dancer. It’d be a waste not to dance.”
The moment she finished speaking, Lin Shuangxue’s trembling stopped.
“Jiang, Cheng!” she gritted her teeth. “Don’t push your luck!”
Jiang Cheng’s smile froze instantly.
‘I overdid it…’
‘Is it still too late to be adorable?’
“Meow… Meow?”
Using her cat paw gloves, she rubbed the cat ears on her head, tilting her head and meowing.
The soft, droopy ears were pressed down by the paws, then sprang back up the moment they were released, as lively as real ears.
“…”
“Li… Little Shuangxue?” Jiang Cheng cautiously looked up at Lin Shuangxue’s face. Through the veil, she couldn’t see her expression, only those half-lidded eyes tracing a dangerous arc.
On Lin Shuangxue’s side, watching the girl’s cautious expression, she suddenly felt furious.
Not the kind of anger from annoyance or shyness, but a more lustful, primal possessiveness.
She hooked Jiang Cheng’s decorative neck ring and yanked it hard. As the girl stumbled and was about to cry out, Lin Shuangxue lowered her head and kissed her through the veil, forcibly stifling Jiang Cheng’s voice in her throat.
The veil rubbed against her lips. The sensation was completely different from usual—an especially unique coolness, yet she could still feel that familiar softness through the fabric.
‘Brain not responding.’
Lin Shuangxue’s assault left Jiang Cheng’s mind blank. The girl stared blankly at Lin Shuangxue, at her tightly shut eyes, the glistening sweat on her brow, and the ornate accessories that swayed gently with her movements, making a tinkling sound like wind chimes.
This crisp sound gave Jiang Cheng an extremely wicked thought. ‘Maybe when Lin Shuangxue moves, these accessories will make even nicer sounds? Or maybe her voice will be even more pleasant?’
‘Of course, I’m talking about dancing.’
Just as Jiang Cheng was fantasizing, Lin Shuangxue suddenly pushed her away. The girl slipped and fell onto the bed.
“Ouch…”
“Enough yet?” Before Jiang Cheng could complain, Lin Shuangxue’s voice came.
‘What’s enough?’
“As compensation… is my apology enough…”
“Um… that’s enough!”
Actually, Jiang Cheng wanted to say it wasn’t enough at all, but no matter how much she liked courting death, she didn’t dare do it when Lin Shuangxue was about to fly into a rage.
If she made Lin Shuangxue explode, no one would ever know if she got devoured whole.
Lin Shuangxue let out a breath. Jiang Cheng saw her veil puff up in an extremely tiny arc, and on the light black gauze appeared an abrupt pale red mark.
—It was Lin Shuangxue’s lipstick.
Jiang Cheng subconsciously touched her own lips, brought her fingers in front of her face, and glanced under the bright ceiling light.
—No red.
Jiang Cheng was a little disappointed.
Suddenly, the lights went out.
It was time to watch the movie.
The movie was streamed on demand. Lin Shuangxue picked a classic Hollywood blockbuster called Women Protection Alliance 4.
But Jiang Cheng had no interest in watching the movie. She sneaked a glance to the side.
Lin Shuangxue was clearly distracted too. Her eyes were hazy, and the light from the screen fell into that tiny galaxy, refracting strange colors.
“Jiang Cheng,” she suddenly spoke, “do you think I’m annoying?”
‘Annoying, the most annoying in the world, hate to death!’
“Not at all…”
Jiang Cheng said boldly. “Little Shuangxue, you’re not annoying at all~”
To that, Lin Shuangxue remained silent.
Maybe she wanted to deny Jiang Cheng’s words, or maybe she wanted more reassurance, but in the end, nothing was said.
Jiang Cheng sensed the subtle atmosphere.
‘Yare yare.’
She sighed softly.
‘Look at Lin Shuangxue. She’s so lame, acting like an isolated kid.’
‘Sigh, who told me, Master Jiang, to be softhearted? I can’t stand girls crying. So I’ll reluctantly comfort you~’
In the darkness, Jiang Cheng groped around and found Lin Shuangxue’s hand.
The moment their fingers touched, her hand trembled almost imperceptibly, then forcibly steadied.
Jiang Cheng took off her glove, extended her pinky, and playfully hooked it around Lin Shuangxue’s pinky.
Action was far more effective than words.
The hesitation within Lin Shuangxue that she herself hadn’t noticed dissipated a little.
She slightly closed her eyelids.
“Thanks…”
The faint light from the screen couldn’t illuminate her face, nor could it pierce her veil, but Jiang Cheng felt she must have smiled.
And the girl’s lips curled into a mischievous grin, though that smile was hidden in the shadows, impossible to see clearly.
“Ah Xue, no need to be polite~ If you want to hold my hand… you can today, you can tomorrow, at night or during the day, anytime~”
“After all, we’re good friends~”