Behind the Mask - Chapter 29
Chapter 29: Extra
Yao San's kiss was clumsy and reckless. The warm, soft sensation was inexplicably intoxicating, and she didn't stop for a long time, just kept kissing Qingliu's lips with unreasonable force.
Qingliu frowned slightly. Yao San's hands were still roaming where they shouldn't. She half-pushed, half-yielded, but ultimately met the other's shower of kisses. Wrapping her arms tightly around the person before her, her red lips went from resisting to taking the lead.
The moment Qingliu kissed her back, Yao San went limp and collapsed into her embrace. So this was how pleasant it could be, for lips to touch lips.
While caressing her slender waist, Qingliu deepened the kiss. Her soft, roving tongue teased in a hundred ways, stirring up a fiery passion.
Yao San was now completely at a disadvantage. When it came to such matters, how could she possibly be Qingliu's match? Her palm, clutching Qingliu's collar, grew damp with sweat. Kissed until she was breathless, all she could do was hum, "Mm."
Hearing Yao San's irrepressible, impassioned moan, Qingliu released her lips to look at her face.
Yao San caught a glimpse of a thin thread of saliva between their lips breaking after their deep entanglement, and both her face and heart burned hot.
Qingliu smiled at her and asked in a husky voice, "Your first kiss?"
Yao San flushed with shame and annoyance.
Qingliu continued to smile. "Was it nice? Do you want more?"
Yao San stared at her bewitching, fox-like smile, her head finally clearing. She said nothing, shyly struggling out of Qingliu's embrace before rashly bolting from the room.
Qingliu gazed at the empty doorway. The warmth still lingered on her lips, but the person was gone.
She had been the one to initiate the intimacy, yet she was also the one to flee in a panic. This Miss Yao San was truly hard to figure out.
Qingliu pursed her lips. She rose, walked to the table to pour a cup of tea, and returned to her usual state of utter boredom. Tonight had been quite a surprise. She had provoked and teased Yao San in all sorts of ways simply because she found it amusing, a way to relieve her boredom. She had never expected Yao San to be so bold...
Thinking of Yao San's awkward, shy expression just now, she couldn't help but smile again. Miss Yao probably won't dare to see me again, will she?
After returning home that day, Yao San tossed and turned all night. She swore to herself that she would never see Qingliu again.
However, not long after, on a sunny afternoon, she found herself back at the Drunken Red Mansion—
Qingliu happened to be practicing the zither. She looked up to see Yao San standing in a patch of sunlight, her face pretty and elegant, her eyes clear. Qingliu paused for a moment, then smiled flirtatiously. "I didn't send an invitation. To what do I owe the pleasure, Miss Yao?"
Yao San lifted her chin, affecting an air of arrogance. "Once I've learned that music score of yours, I won't come back."
Qingliu looked at her, smiling without a word.
Yao San: "..."
Qingliu beckoned to her. "Come, sit over here."
Yao San felt there was something mischievous in her smile, especially after the intimacy of that night—even though she had been the one to cross the line first.
"Are you afraid of me?" Qingliu teased.
Unable to stand being provoked, Yao San feigned nonchalance and sat down beside her.
Qingliu was a skilled pipa player, and her zither skills were also commendable.
Yao San was a zither fanatic, but sitting so close to Qingliu today, inhaling her scent, she couldn't focus on the music at all. Her mind was filled with thoughts of their kiss that night, and she kept stealing glances at Qingliu from the corner of her eye.
As she played, Qingliu spoke softly, "Since you're such a zither fanatic, surely you know I just bought this music score on the street. You can find it anywhere."
Her true intentions exposed, Yao San was at a loss for words. If it were really about the music score, she could have just asked Bai Ning. There was no need to come here...
Qingliu stopped playing and leaned closer to Yao San. "So, did you miss me?"
Yao San's gaze swept over her lips, and her heart began to pound. "Of course not..."
Qingliu gazed at her in silence, then suddenly broke into a smile.
Yao San was bewitched by the smile so close to her, yet she felt that to look a moment longer would be a mistake. She turned her face away, her thoughts in a tangle, and prepared to leave.
Qingliu quickly grabbed her hand, stopping her.
By the time Yao San came to her senses, Qingliu was already pressing against her, gently kissing the corner of her mouth. She froze instantly, her gaze fixed on Qingliu's face.
Qingliu lowered her eyes, pressing her lips to Yao San's and kissing her delicately as she slowly pulled her into an embrace.
As their lips met, Yao San felt she had no strength to push away—or rather, no desire to. She let Qingliu hold her, let Qingliu kiss her. After a few moments, she wrapped her arms tightly around Qingliu's waist and opened her lips, returning the kiss with passion.
Unlike her reckless kiss a few days prior, this time she savored it delicately. Lured on by Qingliu, she deepened the kiss inch by inch. Their lips and tongues tangled in a sweet embrace, stirring a soft, tingling pleasure.
Yao San leaned back and was gently pushed to the floor by Qingliu. The moment their lips parted left an aching emptiness, and she impatiently hooked an arm around Qingliu's neck, pulling her down to continue the kiss.
Qingliu laughed softly. "You like it that much?"
Yao San's shyness transformed into something else, and she kissed her more forcefully. In a swift movement, she rolled over, pinning Qingliu beneath her. Sunlight streamed in through the window, bathing them in its glow. In that moment, she found Qingliu exceptionally captivating.
She cupped Qingliu's cheek and began to pepper her lips with small kisses.
Their soft lips touched lightly, yet Qingliu felt breathless. Her heart was racing. How can this be? she wondered. After all I've been through, how can a simple kiss still make my heart pound like this?
"You don't know how at all," Qingliu murmured, her lips hovering tantalizingly close to Yao San's. "Let me teach you."
Yao San wanted to retort but had no chance, lost in the kisses Qingliu rained down upon her until her head was spinning... This damn woman is too good at kissing.
Under the gentle sunlight, their kisses grew deeper, unrestrained and passionate, and they laughed as they kissed, forgetting everything else.
Perhaps it was because this lingering, deep kiss that tasted of sunlight was too sweet and alluring, but it was from this moment that Yao San's ambiguous relationship with Qingliu began.
Yao San continued to visit the Drunken Red Mansion every few days, sometimes at Qingliu's invitation, sometimes on her own. But whenever they met, they never managed to play even half a song before they would fall into an embrace, sharing endless, clinging kisses.
But they only ever kissed, never doing anything more intimate.
Yao San didn't know what to call their relationship. Qingliu never said, and she never asked.
It was like falling into an unknown mire—unsettling and dangerous, yet she couldn't help but sink deeper.
One day, as Yao San entered the private room, she was met with the strong scent of alcohol. A maidservant told her that Qingliu had drunk a great deal and was now resting.
Yao San went into the inner chamber and saw Qingliu lying on the couch, one slender arm dangling over the edge, looking languid and dazed.
"How much did you drink today?"
Seeing it was Yao San, Qingliu reached out and pulled her onto the couch.
Yao San stumbled onto the bed. Seeing Qingliu in this state, she was certain those wretched men had forced her to drink. A sour feeling rose in her heart. She wanted to reach out and stroke her face comfortingly but felt it wasn't her place, so she hesitated.
"Come, lie with me for a while."
Yao San froze.
Drunk, Qingliu was even more pestering than usual. She pulled Yao San down to lie beside her and hugged her tightly, refusing to take no for an answer.
"You reek of alcohol, let go of me," Yao San complained, but when Qingliu squinted and snuggled deeper into her arms, she obediently fell silent.
"I still don't know your name," Qingliu asked drunkenly.
"My name is Yao San."
Qingliu didn't believe her. "You won't even tell me your real name?" Her tone was laced with self-deprecation.
Yao San paused for a moment. "My original name was Yao Wenshu. It means to be gentle, kind, and virtuous. I didn't like it, so I changed it myself."
"Gentle, kind, and virtuous really doesn't suit you," Qingliu said with a laugh. Then she muttered, "If you were going to change it, you could have at least picked a better-sounding name."
"What does it matter if it sounds nice?" Yao San retorted. "What's important is being able to make my own decisions. I'll be called whatever I want."
Qingliu fell silent for a moment, then opened her eyes and gazed at her, finding this Miss Yao more and more adorable.
"Are you feeling unwell?" Yao San asked, staring at her face, a pang of heartache rising within her.
"I'm used to it," Qingliu replied with a nonchalant smile.
The ache in Yao San's heart swelled, and she couldn't stop herself from reaching out to stroke Qingliu's cheek, then gently rubbing her forehead. "Then get some sleep. I'll hold you."
Being held so warmly, Qingliu stared intently at her, her heart suddenly in turmoil.
"Are you feeling very... mmph." Yao San had just opened her mouth to speak when her words were cut off. Qingliu had suddenly kissed her with an irresistible fervor.
Yao San skillfully returned the kiss, the fragrance of wine filling their mouths.
As their lips and tongues entwined, Qingliu lay limply on the couch, soft moans escaping her lips.
Yao San kissed her deeper. She had never heard Qingliu make a sound like that before, as if she were truly moved. But she didn't kiss for long, restraining herself and pulling away, afraid of making Qingliu feel worse.
Qingliu pressed her face against hers, not yet satisfied. "What's wrong?"
Though her heart was pounding, Yao San held back. "If you're not feeling well, you should rest."
Qingliu smiled, then captured her lips again, kissing her in a hundred different ways.
Yao San was no longer in the mood. She nipped the corner of Qingliu's mouth. "Behave yourself."
Qingliu paused, then gave a bewitching smile. "Why should I? You always come looking for me. Isn't it just for the novelty and excitement?"
Yao San pressed her lips together, saying nothing as she coldly pushed her away.
The atmosphere instantly turned awkward.
Qingliu's gaze shifted, and she forced out, "Don't tell me... you've fallen for me?"
Yao San's brow furrowed tightly, unable to utter a single word. She glared at Qingliu, her eyes rimmed with red, then gritted her teeth, scrambled off the bed, and stormed out.
Qingliu reached for her sleeve, but it slipped from her grasp, and she was left clutching at empty air. That feeling of emptiness sobered her up considerably, leaving behind an indescribable melancholy.
If you enjoy my translations, please consider supporting me!
Comments
Post a Comment