Behind the Mask - Chapter 17
Chapter 17: Intimacy
A white shirt hung by the side of the bed, then slipped to the floor.
Chu Ye held Bai Ning, kissing her lips, her neck, and then down to her slender, beautiful back. Though she was innocent and shy, deep down she possessed the uninhibited passion characteristic of a woman from Xizhou.
Once ignited, it was like a wildfire.
Bai Ning yielded to Chu Ye's eagerness, feeling as if she were seared by heat with every kiss and touch of a fingertip, unable to stop her hips from trembling.
Chu Ye was careful and gentle with her, yet she couldn't hide her fervor. As she kissed her, her mind was filled with a single thought: to bring them closer, and closer still. She wanted Bai Ning to be hers.
Bai Ning's voice trembled slightly from her ragged breaths. "Ye'er."
"Hm?" Chu Ye looked at Bai Ning's face and saw that her usually sickly pale cheeks were flushed with a crimson she had never seen before. Her eyes were soft and unfocused. She was indescribably beautiful.
Feeling a little smug, she let out a low, humming laugh. "A'Ning, you're blushing."
Bai Ning helplessly bit her shoulder.
Chu Ye kissed her slightly sweaty temple and couldn't stop smiling shyly.
Bai Ning wiped the sweat from her brow in turn, then captured the smile on her lips with a kiss.
Chu Ye immediately parted her lips, deepening the kiss and sharing a taste that was already Bai Ning's. The kiss seemed all the sweeter for it.
After only a few moments, Chu Ye whimpered and pulled away from Bai Ning's lips. She looked down to see Bai Ning smiling at her, her usually gentle expression now holding a hint of slyness.
"A'Ning," Chu Ye breathed, unable to help herself.
Bai Ning gazed at her flushed face, her eyes fixed on her as if admiring a masterpiece.
Chu Ye shyly squeezed her eyes shut and buried her face in the crook of Bai Ning's neck, inhaling her fragrance. So this is what it feels like.
She thought of Bai Ning playing the zither. She had never seen such long, nimble fingers, plucking and pressing the strings—now light, now heavy, now fast, now slow. The melodies that flowed from Second Miss Bai's hands were always graceful and moving.
Bai Ning turned onto her side, insisting on gazing at Chu Ye's face.
Chu Ye tried to hide her face.
Bai Ning drew closer, her voice husky as she laughed. "Is my Ye'er blushing too?"
Hearing Bai Ning say "my Ye'er," Chu Ye was instantly undone. It seemed she had no resistance whatsoever to Bai Ning's words.
Bai Ning's laughter turned into a few light coughs.
Seeing how breathless Bai Ning was, her temples beaded with sweat, Chu Ye cupped her face and mumbled haltingly, "Don't."
Bai Ning's smile was faint, but she continued to kiss her gently.
Chu Ye was helpless against her and could only take the initiative, moving her hips.
On the early spring night, the air grew scorching hot. The candlelight flickered. Soft sighs and low moans gradually intertwined, and behind the gauze bed curtains, two hazy, tightly embraced figures swayed in rhythm.
Bai Ning called out "Ye'er" many times, each cry growing fainter than the last. Finally, she sank completely into the bedding, her head resting on the pillow, covered in a thin sheen of sweat.
Chu Ye loved nothing more than hearing Bai Ning call her name like that. She leaned down to kiss her, but only for a moment before wrapping her arms around her waist again.
Bai Ning arched her neck. By now, she was dizzy and drowsy, lacking even the strength to open her eyes and look at Chu Ye. She parted her lips slightly. "Ye'er."
Still lost in the haze of passion, Chu Ye asked, "What is it?"
Bai Ning said listlessly, "Let me rest for a bit, alright? I'm so tired today."
Chu Ye buried her head. Hearing Bai Ning's words, she felt a rush of both shame and regret. It seemed that in the heat of the moment, she had gotten carried away.
Bai Ning smiled wearily and lazily pulled her into an embrace, placing a soft kiss between her brows.
Chu Ye held Bai Ning gently. They were both covered in sticky sweat. She looked down at Bai Ning, who had fallen into a deep sleep in the blink of an eye.
"A'Ning."
Still holding her, Bai Ning gave a soft "mhm."
Chu Ye didn't have the heart to wake her. She slipped out of bed quietly, picked up her clothes from the floor, and got dressed. Then, she asked a maid to prepare some hot water, forcing herself to explain that Second Miss Bai had sweated profusely during the night and needed to be washed.
Bai Ning remained in a daze, even as Chu Ye bathed her. No matter how Chu Ye tried to wash her, she just clung to Chu Ye's neck, sleeping against her shoulder.
Once Bai Ning was clean, Chu Ye carried her back to bed. She smoothed her hair and gazed at her excessively pale face, her heart aching with pity. Bai Ning had rushed about all day, even riding a horse, and then at night... she had put her through so much. She must have been unable to bear it. I should have been more restrained—
Not long after she lay down, Bai Ning called out weakly, "Ye'er."
Chu Ye knew she liked to be held as she slept, so she shifted into a comfortable position and carefully gathered her into her arms.
Enveloped in warmth, Bai Ning did indeed calm down and fall into a deep, peaceful sleep.
The next day, Bai Ning still hadn't woken by noon. Chu Ye, remembering the last time Bai Ning had fallen unconscious, grew anxious. Just as she was debating whether to call for a doctor, Bai Ning took her hand.
She was awake.
Chu Ye sat by the bed and stroked her cheek. "You're finally awake."
Bai Ning smiled and tugged on her, pulling her back onto the bed to laze around with her.
Chu Ye held her. "You slept until noon. Are you feeling unwell?"
"No," Bai Ning said. She paused, then added in a low voice, "It felt very good."
Chu Ye was speechless.
That wasn't the kind of "feeling good" she had been asking about.
Bai Ning couldn't stop laughing. Seeing Chu Ye's concern, she explained, "I was just too tired last night, a little exhausted. That's why I slept so long."
At the mention of the previous night, an unnatural expression flickered across Chu Ye's face. She pressed her lips together, saying nothing.
Bai Ning gave her cheek a childish pinch.
A sweet feeling spread through Chu Ye, and she immediately broke into a smile. She was discovering that Second Miss Bai loved to be affectionate and playful right after waking up.
Even though Bai Ning insisted she was fine, Chu Ye still carried her to wash up. She even fed her lunch and her medicinal meal, not letting her lift a finger.
For the time being, Chu Ye had no new assignments. She went nowhere, staying at the Bamboo Manor with Bai Ning, the two of them inseparable.
When the weather was good, she began teaching Bai Ning to ride a horse; Second Miss Bai was clever and learned quickly. When the weather was poor, they would sit in the pavilion and play the zither, with Bai Ning guiding her hands as she taught her from the music book.
Of course, during the many more moments when they were undisturbed, they would linger in bed, addictively engaging in the most intimate of acts. Sometimes, their clothes would be scattered across the floor in disarray before the sky had even grown dark.
Until they were drenched in sweat.
Bai Ning had been repressed for far too long. If she had not met Chu Ye, she might never have escaped that repression in her lifetime.
Chu Ye enjoyed these moments with her as well. When they were entangled together, they blended as one, creating a feeling that nothing could ever tear them apart.
After coming to Jingzhou, she had discovered many things she wanted to grasp but couldn't. So, when she finally had the chance to hold something precious in her hands, she wanted to cherish it with all her being.
They could always while away long, long hours in intimacy.
Bai Ning loved to ask her about Xizhou, seeming to yearn for it.
Chu Ye told Bai Ning many stories about her life in Xizhou, speaking with great relish about how happy and free one could be there.
But as they spoke, their voices would trail off, until all that remained were the soft sounds of deep kisses and the joyous, low murmurs of their bodies moving together.
Afterwards, Bai Ning would always fall into a deep sleep for a short while, and Chu Ye would carry her to a hot bath to ease her exhaustion.
Just like that, more than ten days flew by in a blur.
Waking one morning, Chu Ye found Bai Ning still holding her. Her half-open sleep shirt failed to cover the marks on her chest—layers of kisses, deep and shallow, that hadn't faded for days.
Chu Ye gently adjusted her shirt. The first thing she saw upon waking each day was Bai Ning sleeping beside her. She was beginning to grow accustomed to this reality; it no longer felt like a dream.
She even began to think that she could take Bai Ning back to Xizhou, that she could take her away from this unhappy place.
But Chu Ye hesitated several times, never finding the courage to ask. Even if Bai Ning was unhappy in Jingzhou, would it not be too selfish to ask her to abandon everything here and leave with her?
That afternoon, Chu Ye received a letter from Chu Lan, telling her to return to discuss a matter.
"Is there a new assignment?"
"No. Elder Sister wants me to come back to discuss something." Chu Ye thought for a moment. Her elder sister's eyes were slowly healing. Could they be discussing their return to Xizhou?
The same thought occurred to Bai Ning.
The two of them fell silent in unspoken agreement.
Chu Ye took her hand. "Wait for me. I'll be back as soon as I'm finished."
Bai Ning nodded.
"If I'm back late, make sure you take your medicinal soup on time tonight." Chu Ye worried Bai Ning wouldn't take her medicine; her constitution was already weak, and they had been rather unrestrained these past days.
Bai Ning drew out her words. "I know."
"I'll be going, then."
"Mm." Bai Ning watched her walk to the doorway. Then, as if remembering something, Chu Ye turned back and stood before her.
"What is it?" Bai Ning asked.
Chu Ye leaned in without a word and planted a quick kiss on the corner of her mouth. Only then, satisfied, did she turn and leave.
Bai Ning stared at her retreating back until she disappeared from the doorway, then lowered her head and smiled for a long time.
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