A Night of Chaos and Uncontrolled Heartbeats

Qin Huairen had lived for over twenty years and had seen her fair share of absurd situations, but something as speechlessly overwhelming as this was truly a first for her.

The bathroom was a complete mess.

Unopened cosmetics bottles were shattered all over the floor.

After an entire exhausting day, Qin Huairen was already drained, yet Wen Yuzhi was soft boneless, leaning against her.

Warm breath brushed against her ear again and again.

No matter how hard she tried to turn her head away, she couldn’t escape.

Her face flushed red as she panicked and blurted out, “You—you—you’re not allowed to breathe on me!”

What an outrageously rude demand.

Wen Yuzhi seemed not to hear it at all.

Her breathing only grew more urgent, her voice turning soft and needy as she called, “Ah-Ren… help me.”

It was Qin Huairen’s first time facing something like this.

She tried to call for help, but Wen Yuzhi grabbed her hand to stop her.

Flustered and helpless, Qin Huairen said, “Then at least tell me how I’m supposed to help!”

Wen Yuzhi grabbed her hand and pressed it straight against her chest.

Other than her own, Qin Huairen had never touched anyone else’s before.

Yet her brain reacted instantly with a shameless first thought.

So soft.

Qin Huairen had known Wen Yuzhi had a good figure, but she hadn’t expected it to be soft yet firm at the same time.

The touch was honestly… really good.

Without thinking, she even kneaded it twice.

Whether it was because Wen Yuzhi was uncomfortable or because of her movements, Wen Yuzhi let out a low hum.

It twisted and lingered, and she leaned deeper into Qin Huairen’s arms.

Qin Huairen’s ears went numb.

Her nerves exploded with a loud bang in her head.

Her heart raced even faster, and somewhere in her body began to feel inexplicably uncomfortable.

“Call—call—call 120!”

“Rub… smooth.”

Wen Yuzhi struggled to guide her hand, pulling it from her collarbone down between her chest.

Qin Huairen suddenly understood.

So she wanted help easing her breathing?

Qin Huairen followed her instructions and helped her smooth her breath.

“But we still need to call 120.”

Her face was red, her nose tinged with anxiety, her eyes full of worry.

Even in her daze, Wen Yuzhi saw it clearly.

When her breathing finally steadied a little, she murmured, “Are you afraid I’ll die?”

“Die my ass!”

Qin Huairen snapped fiercely.

“Hurry up and spit three times!”

Wen Yuzhi only smiled.

Her face was as red as a cooked crab, sweat streaming down her forehead, her breathing still weak.

Yet she smiled and said, “I’m fine.”

“Hurry and spit three times, or I really am going to lose it!”

Qin Huairen’s expression and tone turned cold.

Wen Yuzhi weakly spat three times.

Her breath caught, and she tried to turn aside to cough.

But Qin Huairen’s hand happened to land back on her chest, instinctively pressing downward.

This time, it slid right between her breasts.

The sensation spread instantly through her entire body.

Wen Yuzhi truly couldn’t endure it.

A sound slipped out of her throat.

And Qin Huairen clearly felt it in her palm.

Firm and upright, like a little soldier standing at attention.

She jolted and hurriedly pulled her hand back.

Both of them were flushed red.

Their breathing was completely out of sync.

Qin Huairen forced herself to stay calm.

“I think you’re better now.

We don’t need to keep doing this, right?”

Wen Yuzhi hummed in agreement.

If it continued, she really would feel something.

The situation now was that Qin Huairen had to use every bit of strength she had to lift Wen Yuzhi horizontally, carefully stepping around broken glass and spilled lotions.

“I think I can walk on my own—”

Before Wen Yuzhi could finish, Qin Huairen barked hoarsely, “Shut up!”

Holding her breath, Qin Huairen reached the sofa.

She caught sight of the Cultural Relics Talk app still flashing in the lower corner of the computer screen.

Originally intending to “set her down gently,” Qin Huairen realized something in the next second.

She directly tossed Wen Yuzhi onto the sofa and lunged for the desk.

Wen Yuzhi was thrown into confusion, lifting herself slightly and tilting her head to look at her.

Sure enough, the livestream was still on.

When Qin Huairen opened it, the user called “Lily of My Hometown” was spamming the screen, typing—

Ah~~~ I’m turned on~~~

Qin Huairen scrambled to shut down the stream, praying the viewers hadn’t heard anything.

When she turned back, the culprit lying on the sofa was staring at her.

Her anger flared.

“What are you looking at?”

When Qin Huairen had rushed into the bathroom earlier and seen Wen Yuzhi lying among the shattered glass, she had nearly thought someone was about to die.

The more she thought about it, the angrier she got.

Hands on her hips, she snapped, “If you want to die, don’t do it in my place.”

Without waiting for Wen Yuzhi to speak, Qin Huairen turned back to the bathroom, muttering as she went.

“I just got my life back on track, finally secured a stable job, and you dare try to ruin my life.

You really must have a death wish.”

Qin Huairen cleaned up the bathroom mess.

On the sofa, Wen Yuzhi’s breathing finally returned to a normal rhythm.

The heat in her cheeks slowly faded.

Sensation gradually returned to her body.

Pain followed.

An unprecedented exhaustion washed over her.

Wen Yuzhi closed her eyes.

Fragments of the chaotic bathroom scene replayed in her mind, blurry but not completely gone.

Had she called Ah-Ren over and over again?

And hadn’t her voice been embarrassingly soft?

She had even grabbed Qin Huairen’s hand and pressed it against her chest.

At the time, she had been inexplicably afraid.

Calling Qin Huairen had been pure instinct, as if it would make her feel better.

Wen Yuzhi lifted her faintly aching right hand.

There was a cut across her palm, her hand stained with pale pink lotion.

She stared at it for a long moment.

If she remembered correctly, it was her right hand that had grabbed Qin Huairen’s.

“Pretty, huh?”

Qin Huairen came over with a damp towel.

Seeing the young miss admiring her own jade-like hand, she said flatly, “Done admiring?”

Wen Yuzhi withdrew her hand and forced herself to sit up.

Qin Huairen shook the towel and sized her up.

“You sure you don’t need an ambulance?

Really?”

She shook her head.

“Probably too many late nights recently.

Then seeing you made me too excited, and then…”

Qin Huairen tossed the towel at her.

“You’re pinning this on me now?

We met in the bathroom earlier too, and nothing happened then.”

“That’s because you didn’t notice.

I was excited then as well.”

Wen Yuzhi said it seriously.

Qin Huairen rolled her eyes.

“I’ve never seen anyone get excited while looking so calm.

If your health’s bad, go to the hospital.

Don’t dump a giant black pot on me.”

Qin Huairen turned away again.

Wen Yuzhi kept staring at her right hand, turning it over again and again.

She lifted it to her nose and sniffed.

The smell of blood mixed with cosmetics.

Only if she sniffed carefully could she catch the faint scent unique to Qin Huairen.

She silently placed the towel back on the table.

“Where are you bleeding?”

Qin Huairen’s voice came from behind.

She carried two cups of water, tilting her head to look at the bloodstain on her own palm.

“Why didn’t I notice earlier?”

Wen Yuzhi clenched her right hand, hiding the wound.

Her forearm pressed against her lower abdomen.

“I’m not bleeding.”

Qin Huairen downed a big gulp of water and set the cup down.

She handed the other to Wen Yuzhi.

“Drink it, then hurry and call Yan Qing.”

“No need to call Yan Qing.”

Wen Yuzhi accepted the cup and set it on her lap.

She casually rotated it, gripping the spot Qin Huairen had just held.

“I’m fine now.”

“If you’re fine, then leave.”

Qin Huairen wiped the sweat from her forehead.

Her shower had been for nothing.

Then she remembered something.

“Oh right, the cosmetics.

You’re paying for them.

They were gifts.”

“From who?”

“None of your business.”

Qin Huairen gave her no courtesy.

“Pay full price.”

“Then give me your WeChat and I’ll transfer it.”

Wen Yuzhi reached for her phone.

Qin Huairen’s face was blank.

“Cash.

Leave it at the museum front desk another day.

And you—leave now.”

“But I’m still a bit tired.”

Wen Yuzhi lowered her eyes.

Her long lashes cast shadows, lips lightly pressed together, looking utterly pitiful.

Qin Huairen stared at her silently for a few seconds, biting her lip without speaking.

Wen Yuzhi looked up.

Her eyes were watery and luminous, reflecting the desk lamp.

Those bright eyes fixed on Qin Huairen.

Qin Huairen couldn’t hold back and tilted her head with a raised brow.

“Didn’t you just say you were fine and could walk on your own?”

Wen Yuzhi blinked.

“Oh.”

She explained earnestly.

“It’s not a big problem.

It’s just not no problem at all.”

“…”

“I can walk.

Just not very far.”

“…”

Qin Huairen glanced at the bruise near her brow.

Probably from falling in the bathroom.

There was also a small cut at the corner of her lips.

She took a deep breath, held it for a long moment, then said,

“Fine.

Guess I’m trying to be a saint this year.

You can rest a bit longer.

I’m going to shower.

When I come out, you must disappear from my sofa.”

Wen Yuzhi leaned back on the sofa.

Soon, the sound of running water came from the bathroom.

She finished the water in her cup and glanced at the closed bathroom door.

Wen Yuzhi picked up the cup Qin Huairen had used earlier, holding it at the same spot.

Keeping a finger’s distance from the lip mark on the rim, she drank the water without touching it.

In the end, her fingertip gently rubbed the place Qin Huairen’s lips had touched.

Under the light, the rim gleamed.

The cup reflected her face.

A little red.

Wen Yuzhi set the cup down and took out her phone.

It was already 2 a.m.

By the time Qin Huairen came out of the bathroom, half an hour had passed.

She stepped out in a bathrobe, her first instinct to look at the sofa.

It was empty.

Qin Huairen let out a breath and shook out her arms.

“Looks skinny, but she’s heavy.

My arms are sore.”

Used to living alone, she talked to herself as she went to grab the hair dryer.

Still muttering, she said,

“No, seriously.

Is she sick or something?

Shows up in the middle of the night to explain things, and in the end explains nothing.”

She found the whole thing ridiculous and even started talking to the hair dryer.

“What exactly is she playing at?

First says she screamed because she saw a bug, then says she was too excited seeing me.

Which one’s true?

And was it really necessary to scream like that?

Necessary to flip the whole sink?”

She didn’t understand Wen Yuzhi at all.

Plugging in the dryer, she grumbled,

“Screaming like that, anyone who didn’t know better would think I did something to her.”

After drying her hair, Qin Huairen went back to wash her hands.

She deliberately used lots of foam.

As she scrubbed, she recalled everything and clicked her tongue in disgust.

“She’s insane.

Even dragged my hand to her chest, made me help her breathe.

After all the inhuman stuff she pulled tonight.

What did I do in my last life to deserve this?”

As she spoke, her hand slid unconsciously over her own chest from top to bottom a few times.

Then she stared at herself in the mirror, twisting left and right, dissatisfied.

“Useless thing.

I ate so much papaya I hate for you, massaged before bed every night, and still can’t compare to hers.”

Wen Yuzhi’s figure was flawless.

Back in school, scouts had already tried to recruit her into the entertainment industry.

Qin Huairen didn’t envy much.

But she truly envied that figure.

The charm of a beautiful woman was something makeup could never make up for.

She washed her hands several times, flicked off the water, and sighed.

She still couldn’t help inspecting the bathroom again, spraying water everywhere to make sure no bugs were left.

Only then did Qin Huairen feel relieved.

It was approaching 3 a.m.

She went straight back to bed.

A few minutes passed.

Sleep didn’t come.

Then she got thirsty again.

Resigned, Qin Huairen got up to get a cup, muttering,

“All Wen Yuzhi’s fault.

If it weren’t for trying to outdo her, I wouldn’t have drunk alcohol.

Tasted awful, made me thirsty.

If I drink again, I’m a dog—ah!”

Someone was clearly leaning against the sofa.

If it wasn’t Wen Yuzhi, who else could it be?

Qin Huairen clutched her chest, whispering “what the hell” several times.

She thought Wen Yuzhi had left.

Who knew she’d fallen asleep on the carpet, leaning against the sofa?

Qin Huairen really wanted to kick her awake.

Her foot even lifted.

Then she talked herself down.

“I said I’d be a good person.”

She lightly nudged Wen Yuzhi’s calf and whispered,

“You’re lucky.

Buddha saved you.”

Qin Huairen grabbed her own cup and frowned.

“I drank it all?”

Before heading to the kitchen, she bent down and stared at Wen Yuzhi.

Like chanting a spell, she said,

“Are you pretending to sleep?

Huh?”

Since graduation, this was her first time seeing Wen Yuzhi up close.

Her features were perfectly refined.

An art professor once used Wen Yuzhi as an example, saying her looks were once in a century.

One bit more would be excessive.

One bit less would be lacking.

Yet everything was just right.

“How is this face even grown?”

Qin Huairen grumbled.

“My original plan was to look like this.”

She always acted tough with her mouth.

But she had many insecurities, including her appearance.

Compared to Wen Yuzhi, in looks, the other woman easily scored full marks, while she needed makeup and styling to reach ninety.

In temperament, Wen Yuzhi was naturally elegant, nobility flowing from her bones.

Even barefaced in a sack, she would still outshine everyone.

Qin Huairen stared until she nearly drooled.

She quickly swallowed, relieved.

“That was close.”

Almost drooled on Wen Yuzhi.

She straightened up, her waist sore.

She wobbled forward instead.

Quickly grabbing the sofa arm to steady herself, she sighed resentfully.

“Being around you really brings nothing but trouble.”

She hurried away from the source of misfortune, drank a cup of water, poured another, and went back to the bedroom.

The night grew quiet again.

Wen Yuzhi slowly turned over, changing her position against the sofa.

Some time passed.

Light seeped through the window.

Dawn seemed near.

Wen Yuzhi pushed herself up from the sofa.

The wound on her hand hurt.

Her head hurt too.

She was probably bruised in places.

The moment she stood, pain spread everywhere.

She went to the bathroom and checked herself in the mirror.

Her fingers traced from her chin to the mole on her throat.

After a long pause, she murmured,

“Seems like it is a bit.”

She turned on the tap.

Her right hand touched the water and immediately withdrew.

The cut was deep.

Touching water made it threaten to bleed again.

She cleaned it briefly and wiped away the pale pink lotion from the back of her hand.

Coming out of the bathroom, she looked at the only bedroom.

Something mischievous inside her whispered an instruction.

She quietly pushed the door open.

Qin Huairen slept restlessly, tossing and turning.

Several times Wen Yuzhi thought she was about to wake up.

But she only hummed softly and curled back into the blanket.

Only when asleep did she retract her claws.

Wen Yuzhi first squatted beside the bed.

When her legs grew sore, she simply knelt on the wooden floor.

The dim light blurred Qin Huairen’s features.

Carefully, Wen Yuzhi traced every contour of Qin Huairen’s face with her fingertip.

Even through the air, she could feel the warmth of her body.

At this moment, Qin Huairen truly existed.

Fortune-tellers said that people with high, sharp noses were often hot-tempered.

That they tended to have bad tempers in real life.

They also said that people with firm ears were strong-willed, but stubborn and unwilling to listen.

But fortune-tellers also said that thin lips, lively eyes, high noses, and small delicate chins all belonged to people who were tough on the outside but soft inside.

Applied to Qin Huairen, it fit quite well.

Yet even fortune-tellers couldn’t resolve the doubts in her heart.

And Wen Yuzhi still felt it wasn’t quite accurate enough.

Qin Huairen gradually slept more soundly.

She stopped tossing about.

Her steady breathing resembled that of a sleeping cub.

She liked curling herself up, even more like a small animal lacking security.

Wen Yuzhi watched as the curtain slowly brightened.

Dawn was about to break.

She rose quietly, tucked in the blanket, and gazed at Qin Huairen for a few seconds.

Taking a deep breath, she bent down.

Through the blanket, she gently hugged the obedient figure.

Her cheek brushed against the warm body.

Her whole body nearly convulsed as she trembled and whispered,

“Ah-Ren.

Happy Valentine’s Day.”