DTBS – Chapter 17
Chapter 17: A Reward
Qin Qingshang hadn't expected the hug to come so suddenly. Startled, her hands instinctively went around the woman's neck. Now, at such close proximity, gazing into those warm, dark eyes, she shyly turned her head. "Not... not bad. At least you can lift me."
"I can do more than just lift you." Tao Qiuyun started walking, carrying her up the stairs under Auntie Liu's slightly excited gaze.
"Hey, let me tell you something," Qin Qingshang said, her arms around Tao Qiuyun's neck, seemingly feeling sentimental. "When I was in college, I was in a play, and the senior male student in my group couldn't lift me. He said I was tall and heavy. And guess what happened then?"
"You lifted him up instead?" Tao Qiuyun made a serious guess.
Qin Qingshang paused, then chuckled softly. "Be serious. How could I possibly lift him? And even if I could, why would I? Guess again."
"I don't know," Tao Qiuyun pondered, looking down. "Did he turn around and lift a petite girl to mock you?"
"You really lack romantic sensibilities, CEO Tao." Qin Qingshang hooked her arms around Tao Qiuyun's neck, a nostalgic look on her face. She chuckled softly. "Our college drama performances would attract people from the industry. Even during rehearsals, sometimes celebrities would come to watch. Just then, a senior in the industry overheard what he said. This sister was so beautiful and cool. She came right over and lifted me up, just like this, a princess carry. And she said to me..."
She seemed to be imitating, her voice dropping a few octaves. "'You're still a bit thin. You're about my height, and I used to be about your weight. Then the doctor told me it wasn't healthy and told me to eat more.'"
"From that moment, I knew that although I loved acting, I needed a goal. And she was the person I wanted to strive to be like. I want to work hard and become an actress like her! I want to be a Best Actress too. When I'm qualified, I want to thank her personally. Of course, it would be even better if we could act together someday~"
Listening to her talk, Tao Qiuyun just nodded. Although she respected Qin Qingshang's goals and dreams, why did she feel inexplicably displeased?
Stepping onto the last stair, Tao Qiuyun put the woman in her arms down. She couldn't help but ask, "Could your senior carry you up such a long flight of stairs?"
"Why would she randomly carry me up the stairs?" Qin Qingshang was surprised. "She was just helping me out of an awkward situation."
Besides, this spiral staircase in your house is ridiculous, but…
Seeing Tao Qiuyun bend down to pick up Tao Aiqin, Qin Qingshang quietly observed her.
Unexpectedly, CEO Tao was hiding her strength. She looked slim and tall, but she carried someone up such a long staircase without any reaction.
"Mua!" The little one gave Tao Qiuyun a big kiss on her right cheek and said happily, "Thank you, Bad Mommy, for carrying Kitty. This is a reward for you, Kitty."
Tao Qiuyun couldn't help but smile, charmed by her cuteness. She reached out and scratched the little girl's nose. "Okay, thank you, Kitty."
"Then you have to kiss Kitty too." Tao Aiqin wrapped her arms around Tao Qiuyun's neck, acting coquettishly.
"Okay." Tao Qiuyun leaned over and kissed the girl's cheek.
The next second, the little kitty in her arms, eyes sparkling, straightened up and looked at Qin Qingshang, who was standing at the top of the stairs. She said loudly, "Mommy, you have to give Bad Mommy a kiss too! This is a reward for Bad Mommy carrying Kitty!"
System: Good heavens, she was waiting for this. Is this Yan Country arc so short?
Qin Qingshang froze, looking at the equally shocked woman. She gritted her teeth. "CEO Tao, are you and this little one teaming up to play a trick on me?"
Tao Qiuyun was still surprised by the outrageous request from Tao Aiqin. Now, hearing Qin Qingshang's words, she felt even more tired. "Miss Qin, children aren't professional actors. How could they deceive anyone? And I... wouldn't do such an absurd thing."
Tao Aiqin was just a four-year-old child. It was normal for her not to understand such a complex conversation between adults. With an innocent expression, she swung her arms. "Kiss! Big Kitty has to give Bad Mommy a kiss too."
After speaking, she looked at Qin Qingshang. "Mommy, you said we can't get something for nothing. Even if we are cute and delicate kitties, we have to be polite. Bad Mommy carried you, so you have to kiss her as a reward."
The little one's eyes were bright, like they were filled with little stars. Her innocent gaze was fixed on Qin Qingshang, as if any strange thoughts Qin Qingshang had were her own guilty conscience.
That's right, after all, she's just a child. How could she have the same suggestive thoughts as an adult?
Besides, she and CEO Tao only had an agreement, not feelings. They had a clear conscience!
Two women kissing on the cheek, it's very normal.
So, to ensure the child didn't cause a fuss, Qin Qingshang braced herself, showcasing her professional acting skills. She quickly turned her head and gave Tao Qiuyun a light peck on her left cheek, putting on her usual business smile. She chuckled softly, "Here's your reward for carrying Big Kitty."
That faint fragrance had been present during the princess carry, but the long journey wasn't as noticeable as this fleeting lingering scent. Tao Qiuyun stared at the woman in front of her, her mind drifting. Years ago, a girl's soft body had bumped into her arms, also speaking soft words, giving her a light kiss…
Like a stolen joy, amidst the emotional turmoil, her heart felt empty.
After so many years, facing the same person, this feeling resurfaced.
Lying on the woman's chest, Tao Aiqin was the first to notice Tao Qiuyun's quickening heartbeat. Her eyes widened as she frantically called out to the System: "Sys! I've discovered something. This villain, she's not right!"
System: "Huh? What's wrong?"
Tao Aiqin: "The female lead just kissed her cheek, and her heart is beating so fast. She's not right, definitely not right. At least her feelings for the female lead aren't what she shows."
"But judging by her previous behavior," the System said, shocked, "she doesn't seem to like the female lead either."
"Maybe she's just attracted to the female lead's body," Tao Aiqin snapped her fingers mentally. "But it doesn't matter. Who says love that starts with 'doing' isn't love? Tonight, I guarantee them an unforgettable night."
System: "We can't do anything illegal."
Tao Aiqin: "Don't worry, Sys. Watch my performance tonight."
A speeding car whizzed past.
"Careful!" Tao Qiuyun grabbed the girl's wrist and pulled her forward, narrowly avoiding the late-night speeders.
The girl in her arms fell into her embrace due to inertia. Her soft body, further destabilized by alcohol, leaned against Tao Qiuyun's shoulder like she was boneless. She mumbled a few times, slurring, "It's you. I knew you wanted to pick me up, had ulterior motives for me, and weren't honest."
"Miss, are you still sober? It's not safe for a girl to be alone on the streets late at night. Where are your friends?"
"They tricked me, they all left. Tell me! Did you want to pick me up? I knew there were no good people in the bar. Otherwise, why would you still be following me in the middle of the night?"
The slightly drunk girl's words were disjointed; reasoning with her was clearly impossible.
"Say something..." The girl suddenly tugged at Tao Qiuyun's collar, raised her neck, and brought her face closer. Squinting, she said, "Let me see your face. Don't move, hey, don't move! Your pick-up skills are so lame, you won't be able to get a girl."
"Miss, I'm standing very still." Seeing her swaying, Tao Qiuyun reached out to support her waist. "Don't fall. And, I'm not hitting on you."
"You dare to do it but don't dare to admit it, you little wimp." The young woman exhaled, a scent of vanilla mixed with the sweetness of fruit wine. "I want a drink, buy me a drink, and I'll reluctantly... chat with you."
"Chat with me?" Tao Qiuyun turned sideways, blocking the gazes of several men on the street. Her beautiful eyebrows furrowed. "Where do you live? I'll take you home."
"You're not willing to buy me a drink, and you still want my address?"
"You can't drink anymore," Tao Qiuyun leaned closer. "You have a very low tolerance."
"Nonsense, that's just your excuse for not buying me a drink, you cheapskate."
Even the heavy makeup couldn't hide the girl's exquisite bone structure, especially those beautiful eyes, which seemed even more alluring after being touched by alcohol. She poked the woman's collarbone intermittently, saying in a halting voice, "You don't have money and you're still learning to pick up girls in a bar... You don't respect me at all."
"Then what do I have to do to respect you?"
"Money, lots of money, and alcohol! Buy, me, a, drink..."
After speaking, the girl blinked her bright eyes and wrapped her arms around Tao Qiuyun's neck, acting coquettishly. "Oh, sister ~ Buy me another drink! Okay? I find you... so beautiful."
The girl's face moved closer to hers, as if she wanted to kiss her. The heavy makeup on her face gradually dispersed, revealing Qin Qingshang's beautiful face, like a drunken celestial being from Yaochi, clinging to her, a mortal's, neck, her red lips getting closer and closer, parting and closing. "CEO Tao, this is your reward for carrying Kitty~"
The moment their lips touched, Tao Qiuyun clearly felt her breath hitch, as if exhaling would startle the woman in front of her, waking her from her drunken state, turning the stolen moment into shattered illusions.
Until…
Tao Qiuyun's chest felt increasingly stuffy. She couldn't help but open her eyes, meeting Tao Aiqin's clear gaze.
"What... are you doing lying on my chest?" Tao Qiuyun held her breath and reached for the small lamp on the nightstand.
No wonder her chest felt increasingly stuffy, like she couldn't breathe. It turned out this little one was lying on her chest!
"Because Qinqin is Kitty, and Kitty likes to sleep on chests at night." The little girl said matter-of-factly.
Tao Qiuyun didn't know whether it was because she had held her breath for too long or because she was annoyed that her beautiful dream had been interrupted. Lying in bed, she lifted the little kitty in her arms and sneered, "Then I'll throw you, this little kitty, into the cat bed to sleep."
"Waaah! You're bullying Qinqin!" Tao Aiqin started fake crying, frantically poking the System in her mind to come online.
"Sys, quickly open the System Mall and see if there are any props that can show what dreams someone had."
"What do you need that for?"
"You don't know, the villain was actually smiling in her sleep just now. Combined with how angry she was after I woke her up by pressing on her, I suspect I interrupted her beautiful dream."
"Found it, there really is such a thing. It's called 【Let Me See】, and its effect is to see a person's most recent dream."
"Buy it."
After watching Tao Qiuyun's dream, Tao Aiqin exclaimed, "We're all on the same side, you should continue that dream, it was so damn exciting."
System: "It was interrupted by you. Didn't you say you had a plan to implement?"
Tao Aiqin came back to her senses. "Right, I still have a plan. One should prioritize their career. Although I might have felt a little guilty earlier, after seeing her dream, I have no guilt whatsoever."
After chatting with the System, she fake cried a few more times, successfully waking up Qin Qingshang next to her.
"What," Qin Qingshang turned over and lay on her side, her eyes hazy, "are you talking about?"
The beautiful girl was drowsy, her eyelashes fluttering, her clear eyes filled with a watery sheen, charming and alluring.
Tao Aiqin clearly felt the woman beneath her heartbeat quicken again.
Good heavens, this elegant and refined CEO likes this hazy, half-asleep Sleeping Beauty type, huh!
"Mommy!" The little one's voice was crisp, preparing to say the most terrifying words in the sweetest tone.
"Just now, the bad guy was talking. She said she was going to 'screw' Mommy until you meow~ Mommy, what does that mean? If Mommy is 'screwed' by her until you meow, can Qinqin listen from the side? Qinqin also wants to hear Mommy meow~"
As soon as she finished speaking, she saw the half-asleep Qin Qingshang's eyes gradually clear, a blush slowly creeping up her cheeks. Under the warm glow of the bedside lamp, the woman looked even more charming.
But unfortunately, it was from anger, both anger and embarrassment!
And Tao Qiuyun, upon hearing these words, disregarded the little kitty still lying on her chest. She sat up almost instantly, using her core strength. Her usually calm and gentle voice now trembled, filled with terror and the grievance of being wrongly accused. She loudly defended herself:
"I didn't!"
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