Behind the Mask - Chapter 24
Chapter 24: Sweetness
"I didn't call her that," Chu Ye argued. She had run into Qingliu today, and Qingliu had been so familiar with her; it was no wonder Bai Ning had misunderstood.
Bai Ning watched her for a moment, then simply replied with a soft, "Mm," before walking behind the screen alone.
Chu Ye stood rooted to the spot, feeling an awkward tension in the air.
Could it be just as Qingliu said? Had she made Bai Ning jealous?
Chu Ye looked up and saw, through the translucent screen, Bai Ning shedding her clothes. Then, her slender, supple body sank into the hot water.
Snapping out of her daze, she followed.
"Why are you just standing there?" Bai Ning asked.
Chu Ye lowered her head and began to undress in front of Bai Ning, the tips of her ears quietly turning red. She could never be as composed as Bai Ning, who could speak of bathing together without so much as a blush or a flutter of her heart.
Bai Ning gazed at Chu Ye. She had more scars now. Chu Ye's skin was fair, her figure slender and lovely; the scars seemed jarringly out of place on her body.
When Chu Ye removed her dudou, Bai Ning glanced over. A stuffy heat rose in her chest, and she lowered her gaze.
Chu Ye sat down in the hot water, shifting slightly to press against Bai Ning's side. She turned to look at Bai Ning. "Do your legs hurt? I can massage them for you."
Before Bai Ning could answer, a hand was already stroking her knee beneath the water.
Chu Ye massaged it for her with great care.
Bai Ning turned her head as well, watching Chu Ye for a moment before asking unhurriedly, "When you were guarding her, did she also teach you to play the zither?" She had heard Qingliu say as much today.
Chu Ye's hand paused. So she's still thinking about Qingliu.
"No," Chu Ye said, her brow furrowed. "She was just my employer. I was only responsible for protecting her. Nothing more."
Bai Ning's gaze shifted. "Then when she was frightened, did you have to hold her?"
"Why would I hold her?!" Chu Ye grew flustered at Bai Ning's question, finally realizing what was wrong. "Are you upset?"
Seeing her panic, Bai Ning said, "I'm just teasing you."
Chu Ye was speechless and fell silent for a moment.
Still worried that Bai Ning was upset about Qingliu, she pulled her into an embrace in the water. Holding her silently, face to face, she whispered, "If you're unhappy, just tell me."
Bai Ning wanted to laugh at Chu Ye's clumsy attempt to soothe her. She had to admit, seeing how familiar Qingliu was with Chu Ye today had left her feeling a bit sour.
Chu Ye grew pensive. After a moment's thought, she said softly to Bai Ning, "Don't be upset, Elder Sister—"
Bai Ning was two years her senior, so it seemed only natural for her to call Bai Ning "Elder Sister."
Bai Ning paused, slightly taken aback. Gradually, a smile crept into her eyes. She whispered in surprise, "Who taught you to be so coquettish?"
Embracing naked like this, Chu Ye felt a little mortified calling her that, but she could also tell Bai Ning liked it. The hand on Bai Ning's waist gave a gentle squeeze, and she lowered her voice to say it again, "Elder Sister."
The name was spoken with such cloying sweetness that Bai Ning could no longer hide her smile. Her eyelashes trembled, and her gaze softened. She cupped Chu Ye's cheek, lowered her eyes, and pressed a kiss to the corner of her lips.
Chu Ye parted her lips slightly, meeting the warm, gentle kiss Bai Ning placed at the corner of her mouth.
So this is the reward for sweet talk...
A smile touched Chu Ye's lips as she slowly suckled the red lips Bai Ning offered, returning the kiss with equal tenderness. A profound sweetness flooded her heart.
After a long while, Bai Ning reluctantly broke the kiss, her palm still caressing Chu Ye's cheek.
Even the way they looked at each other after the kiss was sweet.
Chu Ye pressed her lips together, still lost in the recent sweetness. The thought that Bai Ning had actually been brooding over a few words from Qingliu made her suddenly burst out laughing.
Bai Ning's voice was a mere whisper. "What's so funny?"
Chu Ye stammered, "I just didn't expect..."
"Hm?" Bai Ning prompted.
"That you could be so petty." Chu Ye had thought Bai Ning wouldn't concern herself with such trivial matters. She never imagined the ever-composed Second Miss Bai could be so easily moved to jealousy.
"So you think I'm petty?"
"That's not..."
As punishment, Bai Ning flicked hot water onto Chu Ye's face with her fingertips.
Caught off guard, Chu Ye squinted.
Through the hazy mist, she could vaguely see Bai Ning's shoulders trembling with laughter.
Feeling childish, Chu Ye splashed water back at Bai Ning's face.
"Ye'er!" Bai Ning squeezed her eyes shut, still laughing.
After their childish splashing, both their faces were dripping with glistening water that trickled down their cheeks. Chu Ye watched, entranced. No matter how kind Bai Ning was to others, she would never laugh like this in front of them... Her heart pounded as she leaned in to kiss her.
Bai Ning's eyes fluttered open, but before she could speak, her lips were captured by a warm kiss.
Their kisses were as light as a dragonfly skimming water, full of restraint. But in the water, their bodies couldn't help but press closer in their embrace, until not a sliver of space remained between them.
Bai Ning rested her forehead against Chu Ye's, her breath growing ragged under the sporadic, pecking kisses.
Chu Ye's eyes looked dewy, especially as the soft mounds of their chests were now rubbing against each other suggestively.
They hadn't been together long, but they had been intimate many times. Now, a single glance was enough to understand what the other was feeling. Not to mention, they hadn't touched since their reunion—
Bai Ning caressed Chu Ye's face and said hoarsely, "You should get out first."
Chu Ye stared at her cheek, showing no intention of leaving. Instead, she held Bai Ning even tighter. "My wounds don't hurt anymore. They're much better."
Bai Ning's voice grew softer still. "Don't be stubborn..."
Chu Ye couldn't hold back any longer. She pressed Bai Ning's body close in the water and sealed her lips in a tight kiss.
In the end, Bai Ning couldn't resist. She wrapped her arms tightly around Chu Ye and began to kiss her tenderly.
Chu Ye wondered if everyone who experienced the first stirrings of love was like this, filled with an inexhaustible passion. At least, she thought, Bai Ning was the same as her. Otherwise, she wouldn't always be pressing against her lips, kissing her as deeply as possible.
The wet, hot, deep kiss continued all the way to the bed.
As Bai Ning laid Chu Ye down on the bed, she continued to kiss her lips and tongue with tender care.
Chu Ye shifted.
"Don't fidget," Bai Ning said, rubbing her nose against Chu Ye's with a soft, gentle smile. "Listen to Elder Sister today."
Chu Ye felt like she would die of shyness. She wrapped her arms around Bai Ning's slender waist, wanting to kiss her again.
Bai Ning understood and bent down to kiss her lips.
Tonight was different from any of their previous encounters. The reckless anxiety was gone. After all, they had a lifetime to spend together.
Everything was within their grasp.
It felt so good.
"Mm." As their lips and tongues tangled, so did their soft murmurs. They smiled, kissing on the bed with a cloying sweetness, savoring their tender intimacy to the fullest.
Bai Ning looked down, her fingertips tracing the new scars on Chu Ye's body.
The rise and fall of Chu Ye's chest quickened. Holding Bai Ning, she asked, "I have more scars now. Am I uglier?"
"No," Bai Ning said, kissing her forehead. "No matter what, my Ye'er is the most beautiful."
"You always know how to make me happy," Chu Ye said.
"Then... do you like it when I coax you like this?" Bai Ning suddenly asked, her voice husky.
Chu Ye bit her lip and gave an embarrassed smile. The tension in her waist slowly melted away. "A'Ning," she murmured dazedly.
Bai Ning's slender fingers roamed. She leaned close to Chu Ye's ear, her own breath quickening. "Why did you stop calling me Elder Sister?"
Chu Ye buried her burning face in the crook of Bai Ning's neck, and the sound in her throat was swallowed by the tremors that wracked her body.
Bai Ning smiled sweetly. "Why are you so easily embarrassed, Ye'er?"
Chu Ye refused to answer, keeping her head buried as she clung to Bai Ning. Disregarding Bai Ning's command, she rolled over, pressing Bai Ning into the bedding.
Worried about her injuries, Bai Ning said, "Be gentle."
But Chu Ye was past caring, lost in the heat of the moment.
Clinging to each other, they tossed and turned in the bedding, stirring up an uncontrollable, searing heat.
Chu Ye caressed Bai Ning's smooth back and waist. The embrace reminded her of the time they had held each other, naked, in the stone cave.
It was as if, from that moment on, they were destined to be inseparable.
She recalled everything that had happened since she met Bai Ning:
"Can I hold you?"
"We're both women. What is there to be shy about?"
"Take off your clothes, and I'll apply the ointment for you."
"Ye'er, shall I teach you to play the zither?"
...
Bai Ning's kiss interrupted Chu Ye's train of thought. Meeting her lips, Chu Ye muttered between kisses, "There's no way you could become a nun like this."
Bai Ning kissed her way from Chu Ye's chin to the corner of her mouth. Looking into her eyes, she asked in a husky voice, "Like what?"
"You're more cunning than a fox," Chu Ye answered softly, only now realizing that the seemingly gentle and refined Second Miss Bai had been luring her in, step by step.
Luring her until she couldn't control her feelings.
Bai Ning suddenly smiled and retorted softly, "But you've taken a fancy to this fox, haven't you?"
Chu Ye couldn't argue. She impatiently bit Bai Ning's lower lip, silencing her in the next instant.
Bai Ning trembled, letting out an involuntary gasp.
It had been too long. That night, they both found release with ease, again and again, to their hearts' content.
Bai Ning had already exhausted most of her strength, but Chu Ye was relentless. All she could do now was lie there, her body pliant in Chu Ye's arms.
She gazed dazedly at Chu Ye's flushed cheeks, which held a shyness mixed with the most sincere passion. She loved it.
Seeing Bai Ning lost in pleasure, Chu Ye bit her lip, pressed close to Bai Ning's stomach, and grew even bolder. Perhaps it was because Qingliu had once taught her that if you made your beloved feel good, she would never be able to forget you—at times like this, she was always exceptionally dedicated.
"Elder Sister, does it feel good?" Chu Ye, lost in the moment, asked shamelessly.
A flush of heat washed over Bai Ning. Gripping the nape of Chu Ye's neck, her voice was unsteady. "Slower."
The candle outside the bed curtains had nearly burned down before they finally stopped. Chu Ye held Bai Ning from behind, both of them covered in a sheen of sweat and utterly exhausted.
Bai Ning turned over, and they embraced face to face.
It took them a long while to catch their breath.
Chu Ye said languidly, "When we get back to Xizhou, let's build a courtyard like Bamboo Manor. We'll plant lots of flowers, so we can watch the snow in winter and admire the blossoms in spring."
Bai Ning didn't have the strength to say much more. She smiled and answered in a soft voice, "Mm."
"We'll ride horses to watch the sunrise. The sunrises and sunsets in Xizhou are gorgeous, beautiful in a different way each season."
"Alright~" Bai Ning cooed.
"And once we have the courtyard, we'll get a rabbit. The rabbits on the snowy plains are clever and cute. There are gray ones and white ones. We'll get a nice chubby one," Chu Ye chattered on, full of excitement.
Bai Ning pinched her cheek. "Whatever you want."
Chu Ye wanted to say more, but seeing Bai Ning's fatigue, she quieted down.
But Bai Ning gazed at her and asked languidly, "What else?"
"And..." Chu Ye knew what Bai Ning was waiting for her to say. With a smile that was both sweet and shy, she said, "We'll get married."
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