After the Night of Passion

Inside the bar, the crowd remained boisterous and incomparably noisy.

However, the two individuals in a corner of the bar had their minds elsewhere.

Yu Qingkong’s gaze grew increasingly deep, feeling the last remnants of logic in her mind crumbling inch by inch under the numbing influence of alcohol.

“The place you mentioned… where is it?”

“Follow me, I’ll take you there…”

Lin Wanzhao’s eyes shimmered as she curled her lips. With a light smile, she turned around and walked out, her figure graceful and alluring.

Yu Qingkong’s vision locked onto her back, and in the end, she followed her out.

The street outside the bar was swept by a chilling breeze. The shops had long since shuttered, looking exceptionally quiet—a scene diametrically opposed to the chaos inside the bar.

Yu Qingkong followed Lin Wanzhao to the hotel, and after checking in, she allowed Lin Wanzhao to take her arm as they stepped into the elevator.

The scent of alcohol mixed with perfume permeated the elevator car, causing a faint, throbbing ache in Yu Qingkong’s head.

Squinting at the changing floor numbers, Yu Qingkong turned her head to stare at Lin Wanzhao beside her.

“Just resting?” Yu Qingkong rubbed her temples, her voice sounding slightly hoarse.

Hearing this, Lin Wanzhao turned to look at her, her eyes full of seductive charm.

“Well, do you want to do something other than resting?” she whispered.

Yu Qingkong gripped her own arm, feeling her head spin more violently, beyond her control. Simultaneously, her breathing became increasingly heavy.

Lin Wanzhao watched her with a faint smile on her lips.

Yu Qingkong… was still as beautiful as ever.

The elevator doors opened, and the two walked out together.

Upon reaching the door of the room, Lin Wanzhao swiped the card and stepped inside to turn on the lights. A room that was simply decorated but filled with dim, amber lighting revealed itself.

The moment Lin Wanzhao moved to close the door, Yu Qingkong grabbed her, pinned her against the wall, and stared at her fixedly.

“What’s wrong?” Lin Wanzhao blinked innocently.

“What do you think?” Yu Qingkong’s eyes were terrifyingly dark.

“You look quite hot. If you’re hot… do you want to unbutton this and get some air?”

Lin Wanzhao smiled again, her finger gently hooking the collar of Yu Qingkong’s grayish-blue jacket.

“What are you thinking?”

With her hands braced against the wall, Yu Qingkong stared into her eyes.

Lin Wanzhao twirled a strand of the other’s hair and leaned in close to her lips.

“Aren’t you very clear on that…?”

“I didn’t plan on being in a relationship…” Yu Qingkong said, clinging to her final shred of reason.

Not to mention, the other party was a woman.

“A believer in celibacy? What a coincidence, so am I…”

“Then why did you look for me…?” Yu Qingkong parted her lips slightly.

Lin Wanzhao tilted her chin up and spoke softly.

“I just have some needs that I want to resolve. Don’t you? You look like you need it quite a bit right now.”

Lin Wanzhao’s voice was clear and sweet without being cloying; the way she deliberately lowered her pitch was enough to scratch at one’s heart.

Yu Qingkong stared firmly into her eyes, feeling a strange temperature climbing higher and higher, burning more fiercely until it seemed their very souls were scorching.

It was as if a fire had incinerated all of Yu Qingkong’s logic.

In the next second, she blocked Lin Wanzhao’s lips with her own.

The curtains fluttered. Outside, the world was lonely and silent, but inside, the air was thick with the scent of lingering passion.

***********************************

The next day.

When Lin Wanzhao woke up, she saw Yu Qingkong still fast asleep beside her.

She couldn’t help but curl her lips into a slight smile, resting her head on her hand as she continued to watch her.

The sleeping Yu Qingkong looked delicate and peaceful, a complete departure from the wildness of the previous night—she seemed like an entirely different person.

Afterward, Lin Wanzhao checked the itinerary on her phone and let out a soft sigh, her brow furrowing slightly.

Unfortunately, she had important matters to attend to and couldn’t stay any longer.

After some thought, Lin Wanzhao eventually wrote a note and tucked it into Yu Qingkong’s jacket pocket.

She turned to leave, and after freshening up, she went to the parking lot, found her car, and opened the door.

To be honest, her approach toward Yu Qingkong hadn’t been a whim.

She had known Yu Qingkong for a long time.

Thinking of this, Lin Wanzhao paused as she pulled the car door open.

She kept a diary, and though the events recorded within were from years ago, they remained vivid.

Almost every entry was about Yu Qingkong.

****************************

It was after ten in the morning when Yu Qingkong opened her eyes and realized the sky outside was already bright.

After a moment of daze, she rubbed her throbbing head and rolled over.

She looked at her surroundings and immediately sat up.

This room was clearly unfamiliar; it wasn’t her home. It was clearly a hotel layout.

Yu Qingkong rubbed her forehead again.

Fragments of memory flooded her mind like broken film reels.

So, what happened last night wasn’t a dream. It was real. She had slept with a woman whose name she didn’t even know?

While rubbing her head, she glanced at her phone and realized it was almost time for her lunch appointment with her friends Liu Ting and Lu Xiaoxiao.

She let out a sigh, composed her emotions, and hurried into the bathroom to take a quick shower.

However, while getting dressed, she noticed a red mark below her neck. If she didn’t cover it, it would be quite conspicuous.

Yu Qingkong touched it gently, let out a soft breath, and pulled her hair over to hide it.

She threw on her clothes, finished her morning routine, grabbed her jacket and phone, and walked out with the room card.

She arrived at the “Mr. Zhang’s Restaurant” exactly at noon.

As soon as she pushed open the glass door, she saw Liu Ting and Lu Xiaoxiao waving at her from a corner table.

Yu Qingkong suppressed her thoughts, walked over quickly, and pulled out a chair.

She poured herself a cup of tea. “How long have you been waiting?”

“Not long. But I say, why do you look like you’ve overindulged? Which little ‘pretty boy’ were you playing with all night?”

Liu Ting squinted at her while flipping through the menu.

Yu Qingkong, who had just taken a sip of water, nearly sprayed it out. She started coughing uncontrollably.

“You really have a way of shocking people. Our Qingkong isn’t interested in men. Even if you dragged Tom Cruise in front of her, she wouldn’t feel a thing,” Lu Xiaoxiao said.

Lu Xiaoxiao then winked at Yu Qingkong.

“Right? So, which beauty were you rolling in the sheets with last night?”

Yu Qingkong’s heart skipped a beat, but she continued to pour water with a cold expression.

“I’m not interested in women either.”

In the past, Yu Qingkong would have said this with absolute confidence, but now she felt inexplicably guilty.

“Hey, I’m actually curious. You’re pushing thirty; if you never date, how do you handle… that side of things? Do you just keep it repressed or…?”

Liu Ting arched an eyebrow, offering a gossipy smile.

Yu Qingkong felt strangely uncomfortable, her ears turning hot. “Is today a seminar on human sexuality?”

The scenes from last night were still vivid in her mind. That woman…

“Alright, alright, I’m just teasing,” Liu Ting laughed and switched the topic. “I heard your new CEO is starting tomorrow?”

“Yes. The daughter of the group’s chairman, Lin Wanzhao,” Yu Qingkong nodded.

She hadn’t met her, but she had heard she was very beautiful.

“Generally, a new official brings a clean sweep. First comes the restructuring and layoffs. How about it, have you found your next job yet?”

Liu Ting turned a page of the menu slowly, acting like Empress Dowager Cixi.

“Wait… sister, are you that eager for me to lose my job?” Yu Qingkong set down her teacup.

“Yeah, if you get kicked out, I’ll be happy. Then you can come help me sell fake shoes,” Liu Ting joked.

Yu Qingkong almost choked again.

After a moment, she cleared her throat and said:

“Actually, I have a friend—a woman. She had some drinks at a bar and… went to a hotel with another woman. Then a little ‘accident’ happened… you know. Now she’s a bit confused. What’s the logic behind that?”

“Ooh, there’s a situation! Which ‘friend’ is this? Someone we know?”

Lu Xiaoxiao immediately looked gossipy.

“No, accurately speaking, it’s a colleague. You haven’t met her.”

Yu Qingkong, who rarely lied, felt a bit hot after the sudden fabrication.

“Oh, well what else could it be? That colleague of yours is just interested in women,” Liu Ting glanced at her.

“But before this, she was like me—never moved by anyone, regardless of gender,” Yu Qingkong added.

“A late bloomer. What’s so strange about that?” Liu Ting looked her over.

“Sister Ting is right. After all, I think no matter how drunk a straight girl is, it’s impossible for her to do anything with a woman. Even if she were naked and bathing with another woman, she’d feel zero waves,” Lu Xiaoxiao nodded in agreement.

Yu Qingkong looked at Liu Ting, then at Lu Xiaoxiao, and finally shook her head.

“But it’s not like she hasn’t bathed with her female friends before, and she felt nothing then. If she were going to turn gay, shouldn’t it have happened earlier?”

Lu Xiaoxiao froze for a second. “This is beyond the syllabus… then there’s only one explanation left.”

“Hmm?” Yu Qingkong looked up at her.

“Your colleague has entered her ‘mating season’! At this point, as long as it’s a human, she wants to sleep with them! Regardless of gender!”

Lu Xiaoxiao snapped her fingers.

Yu Qingkong almost spat out her water again.

“Ha, fine, stop teasing her. Waiter, order!” Liu Ting raised her hand in the air.

Yu Qingkong remained silent, continuing to drink her water.

Could a person suddenly change their orientation and develop desires for a woman? It was too sudden.

On that point alone, it was hard to convince herself. The more she pondered, the more her head ached.

That evening.

After Yu Qingkong returned to her apartment, she went to the kitchen to wash a pear.

Coming out, she sat on the sofa and turned on the television, flipping to a random channel.

However, just as she picked up the fruit knife to peel the pear, she happened to look up and saw the two leads in the drama already embracing and kissing.

The scene was a bit steamy. In the past, Yu Qingkong wouldn’t have felt anything watching this, but now…

Scenes of what happened between her and that woman last night flashed through her mind.

That woman’s breath, her touch, her temperature, her voice… everything was still strangely lingering deep in her mind, haunting her.

Her throat felt dry.

Though it was hard to explain why things had turned out this way, she had to admit that the feeling from last night was truly addictive…

With too many distracting thoughts, Yu Qingkong tossed the pear aside and walked into the bathroom.

She splashed cold water on her face to cool herself down.

Am I broken? To be so obsessed with that feeling…

Afterward, Yu Qingkong wanted to find something, so she reached into her jacket pocket.

Unexpectedly, she felt something inside.

She pulled it out and unfolded it, only to realize it was a folded note.

She froze for a moment before smoothing it out. Several lines of text were written on it:

[Hi~

You were quite wild last night, but it felt very good. I had things to take care of this morning, so I had to leave first.

However, if you want to continue maintaining a certain relationship with me, you can call my number xxxxxxx to reach me.

Waiting for you~]

This note… must have been left by that woman from last night.

The handwriting was elegant and beautiful, yet between the lines, a clear hint was hidden.

Looking at that string of numbers, Yu Qingkong’s finger trembled slightly without her realizing…

Should I contact her?