PANT - Chapter 39

Chapter 39

The moment Shi Ning got out of the car, she sensed that the atmosphere among the director's team was off.

She lowered her eyes, followed Su Tianxue into the house, and then, using the excuse that the director's team needed her for a private interview, she bid farewell to the others and went to the team's office alone, knocking on the door.

Knock, knock, knock.

The door opened to reveal the director's panicked face.

Shi Ning was very composed. "What's wrong? Did something happen again?"

Director: "How did you know something happened?"

Shi Ning chuckled. "It's practically written all over your face."

She walked into the room as if she owned the place, pulled over an empty chair, and sat down, looking up at the director who was standing in place anxiously. "Go ahead, what's wrong?"

Shi Ning: "Is Xu Lulu making trouble?"

The director was amazed. "As expected of you! You hit the nail on the head!"

The director hurriedly handed her phone to Shi Ning.

"See for yourself."

Shi Ning looked down at the screen.

Xu Lulu had posted a Weibo status.

@XuLuluIsTheCutest: I never thought things would turn out this way. I also never thought we would reach this point. Today, you are the hot topic on a romance show, while I'm just a minor internet celebrity who gets accused of clout-chasing. There is, indeed, a world of difference between us. But Shi Ning, the fact is that we were together, I got pregnant for you, and I had an abortion for you. I'm telling you this now, not because I want anything. I don't want a title, and I don't want anything else. I just want you to know that we once had a child. I'm so sorry she couldn't come into this world.

This pile of text was even accompanied by several pictures.

On top was a chat screenshot of Xu Lulu messaging Shi Ning, asking if she wanted to meet for a drink, and Shi Ning agreeing. Following that was a hotel check-in record from the two of them, as well as a selfie Xu Lulu took in the hotel. Shi Ning was lying on the bed, seemingly asleep. Xu Lulu was smiling shyly.

Next was the date of a pregnancy test.

And finally, the date of an abortion procedure.

"Tsk." Shi Ning couldn't help but marvel after reading it.

When she saw the photo, the memories in her mind instantly awakened, as if she had PTSD that had been triggered. She immediately knew the story between the previous "Shi Ning" and Xu Lulu.

The director was incredibly nervous. "Boss, what's wrong?"

Shi Ning looked at the director, amused. "Calling me Boss now?"

"Who was it that was trying to shoo me away just now?"

Director: ...This was stressing her out!

Seeing Shi Ning so utterly unmoved, the director felt like a eunuch worrying for an emperor who couldn't be bothered.

Shi Ning was the emperor; she was the eunuch.

The director was frantic. "Boss, how can you not be worried at all?"

She was already afraid that when they went out to film tomorrow, people on the street would throw rotten eggs at Shi Ning.

Shi Ning: "What's the use of worrying about this kind of thing?"

She casually opened the comment section and found that the content inside was more 'exciting' than the last.

The top-voted comments were all cursing her, as if it had been premeditated. Xu Lulu's Weibo comment section was harmoniously one-sided: all voices were cursing her.

@ToffeeRabbit: Holy shit, holy shit. I'm speechless, coming here from the live stream. It's all solid proof!! All I can say is, Shi Ning, get the hell off the romance show. Stop ruining it for others, okay?

@WhatchaLookinAt: This is terrifying when you think about it. How many Omegas has Shi Ning forced to have abortions??

@IEatSomeWater: Scumbag woman, get off the romance show!! Scumbag woman, get off the romance show!!

Unlike the comment section, the reposts had other opinions.

@CheSan: But still, does anyone really keep a hotel check-in record from years ago until now?

@SummerWhiskey: Uh, if you wanted to tell her about this, you could have just told her directly. There was no need to appear on a live stream. This behavior is, by definition, clout-chasing.

@LingziIsNotLingzi: Where's Shi Ning? No response? Does the romance show not let them use their phones?

Seeing this, Shi Ning logged into her own Weibo.

After a flurry of operations, she tossed the phone back to the director.

The director's heart sank. "Boss, what did you just do?"

Shi Ning blinked. "Surfed the web."

Director: ...

She looked down and saw that Shi Ning had logged into her own account. Her Weibo, which previously had no posts, now had two new ones.

@ShiNing replied to @LingziIsNotLingzi: Phone was confiscated. Just saw this now.

@ShiNing replied to @XuLuluIsTheCutest: Just want to say one thing. 'Hot topic' isn't used that way. Next time you hire someone to write your press release, remember not to hire this one.

Shi Ning's response made the netizens even crazier.

The director was going crazy, was silent, was in despair.

She really wanted to tell Shi Ning that some websites just shouldn't be surfed so casually!

But she held it in.

Shi Ning: "Contact..."

Before she could finish, the director replied, "Secretary Ye?"

Shi Ning: "Not bad, you've learned to answer."

Director: "...Heh."

The director wasn't even afraid of Secretary Ye anymore.

Rumors were everywhere about how ferocious Secretary Ye was, how she could command the wind and rain in the business world. But the director now believed that Secretary Ye was a pitiful person.

A pitiful person who shared her own suffering.

They were the same, both saddled with an annoying boss.

The director dialed Secretary Ye's number and then handed the phone to Shi Ning.

As soon as Shi Ning took it, Ye Wanlan replied with perfect understanding, "Need to deal with Xu Lulu?"

Shi Ning hummed in agreement.

Ye Wanlan's voice was gentle, but the words she spoke were not soft at all.

Ye Wanlan: "I said years ago that we needed to teach her a lesson. But you were afraid of losing face, so you didn't agree. Now what?"

Shi Ning was helpless.

She could, in fact, slightly understand the actions of the previous "Shi Ning" in this world.

After all, she was young and arrogant back then. If she'd learned she had been drugged and then threatened with it after waking up, she probably would have felt it was humiliating too.

The "original Shi Ning" hadn't planned to tell anyone about this. It was only because she felt unwell after returning home, having an adverse reaction to the drug, that Ye Wanlan called a doctor over, and the full situation was revealed.

At the time, Ye Wanlan had said they needed to teach Xu Lulu her place.

But at that time, "Shi Ning" was still deep in her emo phase and had no spare energy to deal with it.

This landmine had been buried for years. She thought it was fine, but it exploded today.

Shi Ning pinched the bridge of her nose. "Teach her a lesson. And while you're at it, Wan'er Jiejie, please help me check who's behind her."

To appear so suddenly, there must be a reason.

Shi Ning had a hunch. "It's probably related to that overseas fraud account from before." She asked, "Are there any results from the police on that case?"

Ye Wanlan: "There's news, but we haven't made a move yet. The fish is too big; we need to lay the net."

Shi Ning: "Understood. The big picture is what matters."

Ye Wanlan glanced at Qin Li, who was still watching TV, and covered the phone, walking a little further away. "Regarding this Xu Lulu matter, all the evidence we have can only show that your relationship wasn't as she described. It can't solve the abortion issue."

Shi Ning: "You don't need to worry about that."

Shi Ning's voice was very light, but the words she spoke landed like a boulder in Ye Wanlan's heart, sending up a massive splash.

Shi Ning: "Under normal circumstances, an ordinary Omega cannot get pregnant with my child. Besides, I had a glandular ligation surgery after I came of age. She cannot get pregnant with my child."

To be precise, the previous "Shi Ning" had the glandular ligation surgery.

This was a sterilization surgery for female Alphas.

Su Wanxing probably knew about this from the plot, which is why she was so certain that Xu Lulu was lying.

How could Xu Lulu get pregnant with the child of someone who couldn't possibly get an Omega pregnant?

In the plot, "Shi Ning's" Alpha grade was too high and her genes too strong; it was determined from birth that a typical Omega could not carry her child. After growing up, "Shi Ning" went and got the ligation surgery behind everyone's back.

The plot Shi Ning received mentioned this, but she wasn't sure if this 'ring' was still in her current body, or if she could get an Omega pregnant.

After all, when she transmigrated, she brought her own body with her. Aside from feeling like she had an extra set of ABO settings, nothing else was different.

But she didn't care about getting an Omega pregnant anyway.

She wasn't some old fossil obsessed with carrying on the family line, nor did she have a throne to inherit. The person she liked now was also an Alpha. Hell would freeze over before either of them could get the other pregnant. What difference did it make?

The director, hearing this: ...?

Did she just learn some incredible secret?

Ye Wanlan was also stunned.

Ye Wanlan: "Ning Ning, why did you... never tell me?"

Shi Ning: "Wan'er Jiejie, there are some things you never told me either, aren't there?"

Ye Wanlan was silent for a moment.

Ye Wanlan: "Does godmother know?"

Shi Ning: "You didn't know, so of course she couldn't possibly know."

Ye Wanlan: "...Are you going to reveal this?"

Shi Ning: "Contact my private doctor. He should have my surgical records. And my annual checkup reports have a hidden item, also about this. Wan'er Jiejie, once you find them, just release them all."

Ye Wanlan: "...Okay, I understand."

She couldn't help but say, "Actually, we have other ways."

Shi Ning chuckled. "Isn't this the most direct, simple, and crude method?"

Ye Wanlan: "But you should know, if you do this, people will..."

Shi Ning said, "Oh. It doesn't matter. Wan'er Jiejie, don't worry."

Shi Ning understood instantly.

An Alpha who can't get an Omega pregnant is equivalent to a man with erectile dysfunction in her world.

So what?

Let people say whatever they want.

She hadn't given Su Tianxue an ounce less pleasure than she deserved.

As long as her wife was happy, that's all that mattered.

What did it have to do with anyone else?

Ye Wanlan knew Shi Ning had made up her mind, so she said no more.

Ye Wanlan: "I will handle this. Don't worry."

Ye Wanlan: "By the way, godmother told me today that your ring-tossing skill is too poor. It's a bit embarrassing for her."

Shi Ning: "...She's watching the live stream?"

Ye Wanlan: "She's even a die-hard fan in your and Su Tianxue's CP Super Topic."

Shi Ning: Help me.

The thought of her and Su Tianxue kissing on the show, while her mom watched...

...Social death.

Pure social death.

Shi Ning turned to ask the director, "Is there any way to block a specific user from seeing our live stream?"

Director: "???"

Are you okay??

If you're okay, just eat a plum and stop torturing us pitiful workers with these ridiculous requests, alright??

Ye Wanlan laughed helplessly on the other end of the line. "Ning Ning, godmother is just concerned about you."

Shi Ning was very self-aware. "No, I think she just wants to watch the drama."

What gossip in this world could be more delicious than the home-grown gossip from one's own daughter?

None.

Although Qin Li wasn't the kind of mother who was obsessed with setting her children up on dates, hoping they'd get married and pop out kids like eggs the second they graduated college, Shi Ning could guarantee that, deep down, she had a pure desire for gossip.

She could almost imagine the look on Qin Li's face and the words she'd be saying while watching the live stream.

...

Forget it.

Shi Ning thought, whatever could be broadcast, whatever could be seen, Qin Li had already seen it.

Why struggle now?

After thinking it through, Shi Ning felt much more relaxed.

Let her watch.

If her mom loved to watch, then let her watch her fill on the live stream.

Shi Ning hung up on Ye Wanlan and turned to leave the director's office.

Outside, everyone was chatting in the living room, guessing about tomorrow's itinerary.

Seeing Shi Ning appear, Su Wanxing remarked, "Why is your private interview always so long?"

The live audience, having seen Shi Ning disappear for a long time, was also confused.

But the netizens who were tracking the gossip in real-time on Weibo cleared up the confusion in the comments.

【What private interview? She went straight to Weibo to declare war.】

【I've never seen the person involved jump in so fast, nor have I seen one speak so cockily.】

【LMAO, family, don't just watch the live stream. Hurry to Weibo. Today's tea is both hot and fragrant.】

【I knew Xu Lulu would stir up trouble again. Such a good opportunity, it would be a waste not to make some waves!】

【Seeing Shi Ning's reply, I'm relieved. But I still don't understand, even if this situation can be reversed, how can it be reversed?】

【So annoying, so annoying! This is a romance show live stream, not a gossip chat. Can the tea-spillers go somewhere else? I just want to ship! I don't care about the drama!!】

Zhu Yu asked curiously, "You're out. The director's team didn't ask you to call someone else?"

Shi Ning had forgotten about that.

She glanced at Su Tianxue and said with a smile, "I came over to get Su Tianxue."

Su Tianxue looked up. "Me?"

Shi Ning: "Mhm."

Su Tianxue got up, but just as she took a step, Shi Ning grabbed her wrist.

Su Tianxue's eyes expressed her confusion at Shi Ning's action.

Shi Ning smiled. "They changed the location for the interview. I'll take you."

This didn't arouse Su Tianxue's suspicion.

The two said goodbye to the others and walked out again.

Su Tianxue followed Shi Ning into the garden outside.

Under the moonlight, the swing in the garden reflected a faint glow. Beneath the swing, a stalk of pale purple wildflower, a Lagotis, swayed gently in the wind.

Su Tianxue scanned the yard, then turned to ask Shi Ning, "The production team never asked for me, did they."

Ending with a period, it wasn't strictly a question, but rather Su Tianxue stating her own deduction.

Shi Ning showed no embarrassment at having her lie exposed. She casually sat on the swing and looked up at Su Tianxue. "In fact, I wanted to see you."

Su Tianxue didn't understand. "You wanted to see me... in the garden? To feel the breeze?"

【Hahahahahahahaha!】

【Sister Su's romantic cells never seem to be on the same wavelength as Xiao Shi's.】

【Nighttime, a garden, two people. Hehe, hehehe.】

【This isn't some grove on a college campus, what's there to 'hehe' about?!】

"Sit with me for a bit?" Shi Ning looked at the other swing, empty, as if it were a spot specially reserved for Su Tianxue, waiting for her to sit.

Su Tianxue reminded Shi Ning, "The wind is strong tonight."

Shi Ning: "So?"

Su Tianxue pursed her lips. "I'll just sit with you for a little while."

Shi Ning grinned. "Okay, no problem. Thank you, wife."

Seeing Su Tianxue sit down, Shi Ning added, "If the wind picks up, I'll hold you. So, it's okay to sit a little longer."

Hearing this, Su Tianxue shot Shi Ning a sideways glance.

Taking a mile after being given an inch.

Su Tianxue pushed off with her foot, and she flew up on the swing.

Her skirt billowed, and as she flew upwards, it looked as if she were heading for the starry sky.

Shi Ning really wanted to call out to her, but on second thought, this was Su Tianxue.

If she could be stopped, she wouldn't be her.

Shi Ning swayed slowly. When Su Tianxue had apparently finished enjoying the feeling of flying, the swing slowed down. It descended from the sky, gradually coming to a stop at the same level as Shi Ning's swing.

Su Tianxue was puzzled. "You just wanted me to come out and sit on the swing?"

Shi Ning shook her head, looking into Su Tianxue's eyes.

She had always known Su Tianxue had beautiful eyes.

Brighter and purer than the stars, yet deeper than the ocean.

Shi Ning: "Regarding Xu Lulu, there's something I want to tell you." Shi Ning observed Su Tianxue's expression. "Are you willing to listen?"

Although Su Tianxue didn't understand why Shi Ning suddenly wanted to tell her this, she still nodded slightly in agreement.

Shi Ning: "Just now, when you asked about my relationship with her, I didn't explain it clearly."

...Because even she herself had only just figured out what her relationship with Xu Lulu was.

Su Tianxue: "You don't necessarily have to explain it clearly."

Shi Ning: "No, I have to!"

Su Tianxue: "..."

Shi Ning: "I don't want there to be even a trace of suspicion between us. Do you understand what I mean? Su Tianxue. I want you to know everything clearly."

But Su Tianxue didn't quite understand the point of Shi Ning doing this.

The contract they signed on their wedding day was still vivid in her mind. Her marriage to Shi Ning was just a stopgap measure to solve an urgent problem. Coming on the show was just because she needed money.

What did it matter if there was suspicion?

There was never supposed to be trust between her and Shi Ning in the first place.

Why was she doing this?

Su Tianxue turned her head, looking at the little Lagotis flower under the swing set.

The small purple bud was still swaying in the wind, its small petals trembling from the breeze, just like her heart at this moment.

Seeing Su Tianxue remain silent, Shi Ning lowered her eyes and spoke slowly, "Regarding my past, I need to admit to you frankly, I wasn't exactly a good person. While I wasn't at the level of 'taking all comers,' 'flitting among the flowers' and 'playing games with the world' can indeed be used as descriptors for me."

This was true for both her and the "original Shi Ning."

Su Tianxue turned to look at Shi Ning. "I know what kind of person you were in the past."

From the very first moment they met, Su Tianxue had formed her own judgment of Shi Ning.

Or rather, to a large extent, when they first started interacting, it was precisely this first impression and judgment that made Su Tianxue distrust many of the things Shi Ning said.

But now, Su Tianxue felt that Shi Ning was gradually deviating from her judgment and presets.

She couldn't see this woman clearly, and she wanted to see her more clearly.

As for not being a good person...

Su Tianxue thought, the way she and Shi Ning had met wasn't exactly pure either.

Although that day was just a moment of madness born from desperation.

The stars in the sky twinkled faintly.

The small path light next to the swing in the garden was on, casting a shadow from Su Tianxue's straight nose onto her cheek. As she spoke, Shi Ning watched that small shadow. In a daze, she felt as if that shadow was a tiny vortex, one that would suck her in in the blink of an eye.

Su Tianxue spoke softly, "If this is what you wanted to explain, Shi Ning, it's okay. I know all of it."

Shi Ning hummed. "But Su Tianxue, what I want to explain to you is something else."

"What happened between me and Xu Lulu... wasn't exactly consensual." Shi Ning cleared her throat. "And what she mentioned today about a child and an abortion is even more nonsensical."

"I..." Shi Ning pursed her lips, her gaze dropping. "I can't get an ordinary Omega pregnant."

Before Su Tianxue could speak, a loud "Holy shit!" erupted from behind them.

It was Xin Ya's voice.

Xin Ya: "Shi Ning, you have that problem?!"

Shi Ning and Su Tianxue simultaneously looked behind them in the direction of the voice. They saw the half-meter-high garden bushes shake violently, sending many green leaves fluttering down. This was followed by a series of yelps.

Zhou Lu: "Why are you suddenly so loud?"

Su Wanxing: "Hey, hey, hey, don't push me! I'm about to lose my balance!!"

Zhu Yu: "Stop hiding. They've probably already found us."

As the sound of Zhu Yu's voice faded, the group, which had been piled up like a human pyramid, toppled onto the grass. Four bewildered faces looked up at Shi Ning and Su Tianxue.

Xin Ya was at the very bottom, her face pressed to the ground, almost deformed into a strange pancake. She waved at them, her voice muffled, "Hi, what a coincidence. You guys out to see the moon too? The moon is great, the moon is wonderful, the moon represents my heart. I am just Zen-"

Zhou Lu couldn't take it and stuffed a piece of clothing into Xin Ya's mouth.

【Hahahaha, I'll provide all the unexpected lines you can think of.】

【I want to know how someone as tall as Xin Ya managed to hide behind those bushes. Bone-shrinking powers???】

【It's possible Shi Ning and Su Tianxue were so focused they didn't notice the commotion behind them...】

【Forget them not noticing, even I was just staring at Shi Ning and Su Tianxue's faces. I didn't notice what was happening in the back at all.】

Shi Ning walked closer, crouched down in front of the fallen group, and put on a kind smile. "Why don't you look up and see? Is there even a moon right now?"

Xin Ya, confused, strained to look up, only to find the moon was already hidden by dark clouds.

In the distance, she could only see a glowing mass of clouds, with a yellow moon hidden inside.

"Is eavesdropping fun?"

Xin Ya subconsciously nodded.

Zhou Lu was exasperated.

Su Tianxue reached out and pulled Su Wanxing up. Zhu Yu followed and stood up. Zhou Lu also stood straight.

Xin Ya lay on the ground pitifully, reaching out to Zhou Lu. "Lu Lu, save me, I can't get up."

Zhou Lu was hesitating when she heard Shi Ning say, "Eavesdropping is so fun, so it's not too much to pay a small price for that joy, right? It's nothing much, just that dinner tonight... I've thought about it. Why don't we just split the bill?"

Zhou Lu's hand, which had been halfway out, immediately retracted and was hidden deep in her pocket.

Xin Ya: "...?"

She did a carp-like leap... well, she didn't make it up. In the end, Su Wanxing was kind enough to help her up.

Xin Ya wailed, "Lu Lu! You're so heartless!"

Zhou Lu: "If a woman isn't heartless, her status isn't stable."

Xin Ya: "??? Where did you learn that from?"

Everyone else's eyes turned to Xin Ya, the meaning clear.

【Who do you think???】

【Isn't the king of cheesy lines here none other than you, Xin Ya?】

Xin Ya covered her face. "Actually, I also want to be a bad person like Shi Ning, not a good person."

Shi Ning: "?"

Eavesdropping was one thing, but now she was being called out openly?

Xin Ya cupped her face, looked at Zhou Lu, and blinked hard. "Because... that way, I can be good only to you."

Zhou Lu: ...

"Sorry, excuse us. I'll take her back to rest." Zhou Lu grabbed the hem of Xin Ya's shirt and dragged her backward.

Xin Ya stretched out her hands, waving like she was doing a seaweed dance, shouting at Shi Ning and the others, "Ah~ I don't want to go! Let me stay~"

【LMAO, if you didn't want to go, with Zhou Lu's skinny arms and legs, do you think she could drag you? Don't bully me, I'm a liberal arts student, but I know physics.】

【She's acting, she's acting again.】

【Why am I always shipping in these weird places? hhhhh】

Once Xin Ya and Zhou Lu left, Su Wanxing and Zhu Yu looked at each other.

Su Wanxing: "Um, the weather tonight is really bad. It's more suitable for sleeping in our rooms. Don't you think?"

Zhu Yu: "Mhm, Wanxing is right."

The two turned around at the same time and walked back inside with matching, stiff-limbed steps.

In the garden, only Shi Ning and Su Tianxue were left.

But the conversation had already been interrupted, the atmosphere was ruined, and neither Shi Ning nor Su Tianxue could continue it.

Just then, as Su Tianxue had said, the wind picked up outside.

The wind blew the woman's long hair. Shi Ning stood to her right and slightly behind, shielding her from the wind with her own body.

Shi Ning: "Go inside?"

Su Tianxue: "Mhm."

It was only a few minutes' walk from the garden outside to their room on the third floor.

But those few minutes felt long, so very long, to Shi Ning.

She kept thinking about the conversation that had been suddenly interrupted. Walking behind Su Tianxue, watching her back as she climbed the stairs, her mind couldn't help but wonder if she had explained the situation with Xu Lulu clearly.

What did Su Tianxue think about the situation she had just described?

Her thoughts were in turmoil, so much so that she was absent-minded while walking.

Upon entering the room, she almost turned a corner and ran into a wall lamp.

Su Tianxue raised a hand, covering the sharp metal part of the lamp, saving Shi Ning from an accidental disfigurement.

Su Tianxue: "Why are you spacing out?"

Shi Ning looked at Su Tianxue, her eyes pitiful and watery, like a little puppy eagerly waiting for its master's answer.

Su Tianxue was flustered by this look.

Shi Ning said aggrievedly, "Wife, did you hear my explanation clearly just now?"

Su Tianxue: "I'm not deaf."

Shi Ning: "Hmph!"

She turned her head, pretending to throw a fit, and turned to walk away.

Su Tianxue watched her, didn't stop her, and took off her own jacket, hanging it by the door.

Shi Ning hadn't expected Su Tianxue to have no reaction to her performance. Her heart felt even colder. What started as a playful tantrum now had a real hint of frustration.

She tossed her jacket on the bed and walked to the vanity to remove her makeup.

Su Tianxue picked up her jacket, patted the dust off, shook it out, straightened the clothes, and helped her hang the jacket on a hanger.

【Gotta say, Teacher Su seems really virtuous at times. Is this a hidden wife-material setting?】

【It's probably because she's an older sister, so she just subconsciously takes care of people?】

【A sulking puppy and her cold but gentle master~ Ah~ I've gotten my 'First Time Seeing Snow' fix for today!】

Noticing a bulge in the side of Shi Ning's jacket, Su Tianxue reached out and pulled a familiar object from the pocket.

It was the astronomical souvenir she had won for Shi Ning today, the small sculpture of the Roche limit.

She took it out, looked around, and placed the small sculpture on the nightstand on Shi Ning's side of the bed.

After doing all this, Su Tianxue finally walked over to Shi Ning's side.

She also sat down to remove her makeup.

Seeing this, Shi Ning scooted her butt an inch away.

Su Tianxue glanced at her.

Su Tianxue: "You're unhappy?"

Shi Ning: "No."

Su Tianxue: "Pass me the makeup remover."

Shi Ning silently handed over the makeup remover next to her.

Su Tianxue smiled. "You are unhappy."

She rarely smiled, but when she did now, it was as if early spring had arrived, the winter snow was melting. It gave people a sense of joy and delight, making one feel refreshed.

Shi Ning: "Why are you smiling when I'm unhappy?"

She really couldn't understand this woman.

Hearing her words, Su Tianxue looked at herself in the mirror and only then realized she had been smiling. She suppressed her smile, pressed the pump of the makeup remover, worked it into a lather in her palm, and then slowly applied it to her face. She closed her eyes and said softly, "I'm smiling because you're the one who's like Wanxing."

Shi Ning had insisted that she and Su Wanxing were similar. Su Tianxue hadn't believed it.

Now, Su Tianxue felt that Shi Ning was the one who was like Su Wanxing.

Such a childish temper.

【Su Wanxing: Why do I keep getting cued today? Can you pay me my appearance fee?】

【Sister-in-law cues, then sister cues. After sister cues, who's next?】

【As we all know, Su Wanxing is not a person, but a unit of comparison.】

Hearing Su Tianxue's words, Shi Ning mumbled unhappily, "I'm nothing like her."

That little brat Su Wanxing, no boobs, no butt... how were they alike?

Su Tianxue: "Is that so?"

Shi Ning: "You're blind."

Su Tianxue: "My vision is 5.2. That's pretty good."

【Damn, that's more than pretty good! Sister Su, you could go test to be a pilot!】

【I feel like being a pilot would really suit Sister Su, ooh!】

【Ah! I want to ride in Sister's plane! I want to be flown over by Sister in a plane!】

Shi Ning couldn't be bothered with Su Tianxue anymore. This person's words were always so cold, they could choke you. She finished up and was about to get up to wash her face in the bathroom, but Su Tianxue followed her.

Shi Ning: "?"

Su Tianxue: "There's something I forgot to tell you."

Shi Ning: "What?"

Su Tianxue: "I can't get an Omega pregnant either."

Shi Ning stopped in her tracks. "Huh?"

Su Tianxue said nonchalantly, "Too many inhibitor shots when I was young. It affected my differentiation and development."

Su Tianxue said it lightly, but Shi Ning remembered.

The first time she met Su Wanxing, she had entered a state of heat and susceptibility due to the influence of her ABO constitution and the plot. Su Tianxue had given her an inhibitor shot then.

And at that time, she had said she wanted the shot where Su Tianxue used to get it.

Then, that needle had been jabbed into her gland.

So... when Su Tianxue was young, every inhibitor shot she got was jabbed into her gland?

Shi Ning pursed her lips tightly, her brow furrowing.

Seeing her expression, Su Tianxue asked, "You think that's bad?"

Shi Ning shook her head, turned around, and suddenly hugged Su Tianxue, her voice muffled. "I just... my heart aches for you."

"No, that's not right," Shi Ning said again. "It's not 'just.' Su Tianxue, I regret not meeting you sooner."

If they had met when they were young, would she have been able to help Su Tianxue avoid that grueling pain she had to endure every month?

Su Tianxue's pheromone scent was very faint, like falling snow. Perhaps that was also related to having inhibitors shot into her gland in the past.

Su Tianxue was silent for a moment. "Meeting now is pretty good too."

She didn't miss the past, nor did she yearn for the future. She liked the person she was now.

"Also, you're getting your makeup remover on my clothes."

Shi Ning: "...Are you sure you want to say that at a time like this?"

Su Tianxue's red lips pursed slightly. "This is the new shirt you bought me today."

Shi Ning's eyebrows raised slightly. She suddenly thought of something, and her eyes turned alluring. "Jiejie, I bought you a lot of new clothes today. Do you want to try them all on?"

Su Tianxue was stunned for a moment at being called "Jiejie" so suddenly.

Su Tianxue: "Don't call me that."

Shi Ning: "You're the one who said I'm like Su Wanxing. Does that mean that in your eyes, I'm just a kid, same as her?"

Shi Ning shamelessly moved closer. "Jiejie, let's take off our makeup together, take a shower, and then I'll help you try on your new clothes, okay?"

Su Tianxue pondered for a moment, looking at the woman who was hugging her, deliberately arching her back, looking up at her pitifully. She asked softly, "Will this make you happy?"

"If so, I'll say, okay. Let's do it together."

Shi Ning's heart was about to leap out of her chest.

She licked the corner of her mouth, pulled Su Tianxue a little tighter into her embrace, and used the same trick, acting spoiled, "Then after changing, let's try on the high heels too, okay?"

Su Tianxue didn't understand. "Why? I can't even walk in them."

Shi Ning: "You don't need to walk. I just want to see you wear them."

Ever since Su Tianxue changed into that skirt and high heels in front of her today, her fingertips, and her heart, had been itching.

【Open the door!! Someone!! Break down this damned bathroom door for me!!】

【Damn, don't let my heart itch to death just from watching a live stream.】

【Is it necessary for your production team to rent a house with such good soundproofing?? Is it??】

【I understand if you can't show it, I get it if I can't see, but you can't even let us hear a single sound?! How am I supposed to live!! This is the only spiritual food I survive on every day!】

Forget the live comments, even the director, watching the black screen, felt like her heart was being scratched by claws.

...

What did "take off our makeup together" mean? "Take a shower together"?

How do they shower?

Where do they wash??

Even though she was the director, she wanted to know too!!

The door that countless people were screaming to have smashed was now being pressed against by Su Tianxue.

The door: I am suffering.

Su Tianxue: Oof.

She was pressed against the door panel, her hair slightly damp from when she was removing her makeup and washing her face. Those damp, stuck-together strands also dotted Shi Ning's face with moisture, but Shi Ning couldn't be bothered.

She was kissing Su Tianxue, kissing her deeply.

She had originally just been helping her wipe off some white cleanser foam that she hadn't gotten out of her hair. But her hand touched the hair, gently twirled the foam away, and in the next second, her hand was cupping Su Tianxue's cheek.

Then, in the misty steam of the bathroom, she lost control, lowered her head, and kissed her lips.

Even though they had kissed so many times, even though she had kissed and licked these red lips until they were swollen, every time Shi Ning kissed her anew, she could clearly hear her own heartbeat, and the desire and impulse pumping out from her heart along with her blood.

Every time, she could taste a new sweetness from her lips and tongue.

Shi Ning used her fingertips to pinch Su Tianxue's chin, leading her to look up. She then pinned the hands that were subconsciously resisting, pushing back, and trying to turn the tables, high above her head.

The door panel was still the same door panel, still a steady white.

But the woman's lips were already glistening with moisture.

The air in the bathroom had also grown thin, and it was heated by one soft moan and whimper after another. The world was beginning to heat up.

Under Shi Ning's kiss, Su Tianxue went from an Alpha's instinctive resistance and competitiveness to softness. Her mind went blank, she knew nothing, she could only feel Shi Ning's movements.

The tip of her tongue, her fingertips, her everything.

Shi Ning was a very good kisser.

Even if Su Tianxue had no one else to use as a reference, she could tell from her body's reaction after being kissed so many times: Shi Ning was very good at kissing. She was skilled in this art.

She knew how to use a kiss to arouse another person's passion, and she knew how to, in a slow, unhurried rhythm, capture another person's heart.

Kissing her until she was about to surrender, kissing her until she began to miss those timeless moments in the hotel.

Shi Ning was best at stopping at the exact moment she wanted it most, when she couldn't take it anymore.

Then she would deliberately stare at her lips with a dark gaze. Those fingertips, carrying an ambiguous atmosphere, would gently, bit by bit, grind against her lips. She wouldn't speak, just make eye contact.

On the verge of a kiss, like the positive and negative poles of an electric current about to touch at zero distance. Or like in the Roche limit, two planets uncontrollably drawing closer, facing their destiny, awaiting the arrival of destruction and annihilation.

Su Tianxue didn't know what was wrong with her. Her lips seemed to part uncontrollably.

And Shi Ning's fingertips, whether intentionally or by an accidental slip, just happened to get stuck between Su Tianxue's lips and teeth.

A pause.

The air also froze.

Even breathing was stuck.

Only their gazes, their gazes were entangled.

Shi Ning somewhat wanted to pull her hand back.

Su Tianxue seemed to have no reaction, but the tip of her tongue, as if in provocation, lightly licked over Shi Ning's fingertip, which was caught between her lips and teeth.

Gentle, soft, smooth.

Invisibly, it was as if a fluffy fox tail had suddenly appeared behind Su Tianxue. It flicked, and flicked again, hooking around Shi Ning's waist.

Shi Ning didn't move. Her breathing hitched for a second.

Su Tianxue was a little disappointed.

She thought she would get to see Shi Ning reveal that expression of facing a loss of control, yet having to endure it.

She was a little indignant.

She had been kissed into a daze so many times. She wanted to make Shi Ning break down too.

The reason a top student is a top student is because in this matter, she has superhuman intuition and comprehension, as well as an unhesitating, non-procrastinating, and astounding ability to act.

Su Tianxue reached out, grabbed Shi Ning's wrist as she tried to pull away, tilted her head up slightly, and looked at the woman with heavy-lidded eyes.

Shi Ning read the provocation in her gaze.

Although Su Tianxue's legs had been weak from being kissed, she was now full of energy and very enthusiastic about tormenting Shi Ning.

Learning by analogy.

This was also the talent of a top student.

Transitioning from how to kiss to how to kiss a woman's fingertips, Su Tianxue was a natural.

Entwining, rolling, swallowing.

Su Tianxue was satisfied to see that, under her actions, Shi Ning's breathing grew heavier and heavier, her gaze deeper and deeper.

As if tossing aside a toy, she used the tip of her tongue to push the fingertip out.

There was a glistening, watery thread connecting the corner of her mouth. She licked it away, about to walk past Shi Ning and step into the bathtub.

Shi Ning backhandedly pulled her into an embrace. Using her height advantage and physical strength, she pinned Su Tianxue in her arms.

She laughed, her voice husky.

Shi Ning: "Wife, when did you learn this trick?"

Su Tianxue: "I'm self-taught."

Shi Ning: "You're amazing."

Su Tianxue: "Uh-huh."

Shi Ning: "It's impolite not to reciprocate."

Su Tianxue was vigilant. "What are you going to do?"

Shi Ning swept her up into a princess carry. Su Tianxue was startled and instinctively wrapped her arms around Shi Ning's neck.

Su Tianxue: "We're still recording the show."

Shi Ning chuckled. "Who said I was going out?"

She carried Su Tianxue into the bathtub and then turned on the water. The temperature was just right, not cold enough to make one shiver and extinguish the passion. Nor was it hot enough to make one flustered and retreat in fear.

Just like Su Tianxue.

The water level in the tub gradually rose, bit by bit, submerging their bodies.

Their clothes were soaked.

But Su Tianxue didn't have time to feel sorry for them.

Because Shi Ning was kneeling in the bathtub, her head bowed.

So this was her 'reciprocation'—Su Tianxue had licked her fingertip, so she had to lick back.

Su Tianxue felt like she was losing control. She was like she'd been thrown into the ocean, desperately trying to find something to grab onto, needing leverage.

The edge of the tub was too slippery, she couldn't grip it.

The streaming shower head was too hot, she couldn't grab it.

Left with no choice, she had to arch her back, sit up, and then dig her hands into Shi Ning's shoulders, grabbing the long hair on her bowed head.

Red was fire, burning desire, colliding planets. It was an eruption, destruction, endless pleasure.

Even a tub full of water couldn't extinguish this red.

She could only rise with it, surge with it, and arrive with it at the final madness and heat death.

...

【It's been forty minutes since they went in, they're still not done showering?】

【My mom asked me why I'm staring at a black screen for forty minutes and smiling like an idiot...】

【Let me, the time management master, handle this. Three minutes for makeup removal and face washing. Fifteen minutes for showering. The remaining time... hmm, enough for one round?】

【How is one round enough? More! I can take it!】

【What does it matter if you can take it? Sister Su has to be able to take it.】

【Don't reverse my CP! Sister Su is definitely the 1!!】

【A cold top and a flirtatious bottom is really hot!! The top silently seduces and teases until the other person loses control, then calls a halt, gives no reward, and just watches as the one who used to play games, never tied down by love, begs and acts spoiled for just a little sweetness. Ahhh!! How is Su Tianxue not the 1!!】

【Why am I shipping a rogue top and a cold bottom... Clearly, watching a celestial fairy fall into the mortal world and transform into a seductive vixen is the hottest!! From ignorant and innocent to an expert in the art, all shaped by the rogue's hand.】

【Enough, enough!! I don't care how you ship!! Can you not fight in the comments!! I just want to smash this door down!! Smash it!!】

【I just hate that there's no option to throw a hammer in the live stream, otherwise I'd definitely throw a hundred hammers to break this stupid door!!】

【What's the use of this VIP!!! What's the use!!!】

【Open the door! Open the door! You have the guts to hide in there and not make a sound! You have the guts to open the door!!】

Perhaps the heavens were moved by these hysterical comments.

After a while, the bathroom door, which had been locked for half a day, finally opened.

【It's open, it's open, it's open!!!】

【Open sesame, open sesame!!!】

The first person to come out was Shi Ning. She had changed into a set of pajamas.

The audience, as if using a Leeuwenhoek microscope, began to analyze frantically.

【Hair is wet, not dried. Changed clothes. Mhm, they showered.】

【Addition: Showered with Su Tianxue.】

【You can see Shi Ning's face is full of sated satisfaction. Did she eat?】

【Damn it! I can feel the pheromones being transmitted through the screen!!】

【Ahhh! I really want to see what Sister Su looks like walking out.】

【Hey, person in front, are you sure she can still walk?】

【I don't care, I don't care!! Show me the beautiful woman, flushed and panting!!】

The comments were clamoring. Who knew that the first thing Shi Ning did when she came out was to grab a towel and throw it over the camera.

A white towel covered the fixed camera in the room.

The towel wasn't thick enough, it was rather light and breathable, so when it covered the camera, it didn't completely black out the screen.

People could still capture some of the image, but it wasn't clear, as if someone had smeared something on the lens. They could only see blurry figures, but no details.

【Shi Ning, I hate you.】

【Look on the bright side, at least the towel didn't cover it completely.】

【What's the deal? You won't let us see your wife? You're too stingy!!】

After throwing the towel, Shi Ning took a hairdryer into the bathroom.

From an angle the audience couldn't see, she was helping Su Tianxue, who was sitting on a chair, blow-dry her long hair.

Su Tianxue sat bolt upright.

Shi Ning laughed at her. "What are you nervous about?"

Su Tianxue: "Other than my grandmother, no one has ever blow-dried my hair for me."

In fact, after she got a little older, even her grandmother had stopped blow-drying her hair. She had been very independent since she was young. To avoid troubling her grandmother, she did as much as she could on her own, never wanting to bother others.

Shi Ning ran her fingers through Su Tianxue's black hair, shaking the hairdryer so the hot air wouldn't stay in one place and burn Su Tianxue's scalp.

Shi Ning: "Have you never been to a hair salon?"

Su Tianxue: "Oh."

The stylists always over-dried her hair.

Su Tianxue looked at the woman in the mirror, watching her skilled movements. She paused, then asked, "Did you used to blow-dry people's hair often?"

Shi Ning lifted Su Tianxue's long hair, then let it fall, strand by strand.

The hairdryer was loud, whirring.

But their conversation was still clear.

Shi Ning: "Jealous again?"

Su Tianxue: "...What do you mean, 'again'?"

Shi Ning: "So you are jealous this time?"

Su Tianxue: "Not every question I ask is related to jealousy. I'm just curious."

Shi Ning: "Right, 'curious'."

Shi Ning turned off the hairdryer and smiled, kissing the crown of Su Tianxue's head.

She placed the hairdryer on the counter, then hugged Su Tianxue from behind, pressing her cheek against hers, looking at their reflections in the mirror together.

Shi Ning: "I've never dried anyone else's hair. Wife, this kind of thing doesn't need to be learned."

She clung to her, kissing Su Tianxue's cheek. When she saw a faint red mark on her neck, she lowered her head and kissed that spot too.

Shi Ning: "Wife, you should go rest first. We still have to change clothes."

Su Tianxue: "..."

Shi Ning: "You promised me, you know."

Su Tianxue: "I'm starting to regret it."

Shi Ning: "Then I can let you off the hook today."

She rubbed against Su Tianxue like a cat, holding her, reluctant to let go. "You go rest first. I'll dry my hair and tidy up."

The bathroom was a mess, water everywhere.

All the water from the tub had splashed out due to the... intense movement.

The clothes tossed on the floor were ruined.

The expensive dress was soaked and wrinkled, completely unwearable.

Su Tianxue took one look and couldn't look anymore. She hummed in agreement and quickly left.

And so, on camera, she walked out, took a book from her suitcase, sat on the edge of the bed, leaned against the headboard, and opened it to read.

【What is this operation, family?】

【Sister Su's walking posture is very normal! I don't see any problems! Family! Is it possible Shi Ning isn't very good?!】

【Forty minutes, what were you expecting?】

【Other people have a post-coital cigarette. Sister Su, why are you having a post-coital book? /facepalm】

【Hey, person in front, what do you know? This is called 'clarifying one's purpose with a book,' cooling down, letting knowledge and spiritual food fill the brain, to alleviate some... heated behavior.】

Su Tianxue didn't know what the live comments were guessing.

She opened the Norton's Star Atlas in her hands. The chart of the celestial equator region danced before her eyes, but her mind was filled with the glimpse she'd just had in the bathroom.

That chaotic scene.

In the bathroom, Shi Ning first put everything away, dried her hair, and then cleaned up again, removing all traces and the hair strands that were about to clog the drain.

She washed her hands and looked back at the bathroom, which was restored to its original state.

Except for that secret, ambiguous scent, no one would be able to tell what had happened here.

She thought, Su Tianxue would probably be asleep by the time she got out.

But Shi Ning couldn't sleep.

Her mind was still full of the madness from just now.

The fingertip she had licked, the fingertip she had sucked.

It was still burning now.

She turned on the faucet and splashed cold water on her face.

The icy water cooled her boiling blood a few degrees.

Shi Ning composed herself and walked out of the bathroom.

Who knew that when she opened the door, Su Tianxue wasn't in the room.

Shi Ning was extremely confused.

Where did she go?

Where was her big wife?

...Could it be that Su Tianxue was going to flip and deny everything? Did she leave?

Shi Ning frowned, scanning the room.

On one corner of the bed, the soft covers had been turned back. A book was still lying by the bed.

Su Tianxue must have been sitting here just now.

Shi Ning walked to the room's balcony, slid the door open, and leaned out. She could only feel the wind, but couldn't see Su Tianxue.

Her figure wasn't in the rocking chair on the balcony.

Shi Ning pursed her lips, turned around, and then froze completely.

It was as if she had been petrified by a spell.

Or as if she had been hit by a surprise from heaven, completely at a loss.

【What happened??】

【What's wrong, what's wrong??】

【Did a comet hit the earth??】

Su Tianxue's voice came from off-camera, light, like a mist, enveloping Shi Ning, making her unable to tell which way was which.

She could only see the woman in front of her, in a red dress, champagne-gold high heels on her feet. Her legs were straight and slender. Further up, the slit of the dress revealed a shadow.

Su Tianxue leaned against the closet door, slightly constrained. "Shi Ning."

She said, "Do you like this dress?"

【What dress?? Which dress??!!】

【This is killing me, this is killing me!!!】

【Camera! Can you do your job!! Can you be useful for once!!】

Perhaps God heard the cries of the crowd. A gust of wind blew in from the open balcony, blowing the towel off.

On screen, Shi Ning was walking towards Su Tianxue.

Her steps were slow, her breaths deep.

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