Indulgence - Chapter 4
Chapter 4
A gentle spring rain fell throughout the night. The white begonia, swaying in the wind, dripped with water from its flowers and leaves. Nourished by the fine rain, even its pistils were soaked through.
The next morning, the sky cleared.
Sunlight squeezed through a gap in the curtains, cutting a slit in the dim room and sneaking in a long, slanted beam of light.
A faint smell of alcohol still lingered in the air.
When Yao Ran woke up, her head throbbed with a hangover. She took a moment to recover before realizing she was in a hotel bed, enveloped by an excessive warmth coming from behind her, under the covers.
A whole night had passed, and someone's arms were still wrapped tightly around her waist from behind. In an instant, the events of the previous night flooded her mind.
"Does that feel good?"
"Do you like it?"
...
Yao Ran closed her eyes and took a breath. What happened last night was probably the most impulsive and out-of-line thing she had done in her thirty-two years.
With a strange woman, how could it be?
But that's what happened last night. The two of them kissing passionately, getting a room, and then a night of losing control.
Her mind was a mess. Before Yao Ran could sort through her thoughts, her body stiffened. The person behind her held her even tighter, nuzzling their face into the back of her neck.
Yao Ran turned her head for a glance. The other person was still fast asleep. This kind of embrace made her feel completely out of her element, especially since they weren't even wearing...
As she was wrestling with her headache and embarrassment, the hand on her waist moved. The fingers traced a path up from her abdomen, brazenly making their way upward.
"..." Under the covers, Yao Ran grabbed the restless hand in time. She endured the awkwardness and pushed away the person holding her.
"Mm," a dissatisfied hum sounded by her ear.
Jiang Nian just hummed, turned over, and continued to sleep.
Yao Ran turned her head to look. Her long hair was disheveled, and the heavy makeup from yesterday was gone, making her look quite young. A stretch of her fair shoulder and back was exposed, the scratch marks on it particularly conspicuous.
Yao Ran averted her gaze and rubbed her forehead, quickly composing herself.
Clothes were scattered on the floor. The room was filled with traces of their pleasure.
Yao Ran quietly got out of bed without waking the person sleeping soundly beside her. She picked up her clothes from the floor and headed to the bathroom.
The bathroom was also a mess. Towels were piled haphazardly by the door. The steamy water that had filled the bathtub last night had long since cooled.
Although her expression was calm, her face burned slightly. When her gaze swept over her reflection in the mirror, she looked down and was shocked by the hickeys all over her body.
From her shoulders to her legs, there were dark marks everywhere.
As if she hadn't seen a thing, she quickly put on her shirt, tidied herself up briefly, and hurriedly left the hotel room.
Outside the hotel, Yao Ran found three or four missed calls on her phone. She redialed one and held the phone to her ear.
Ruan Xin's voice came from the other end: "Why weren't you answering your phone?"
"It was on silent. I didn't see."
"You slept until now? Director Yao, since when do you sleep in?"
Yao Ran was in no mood for idle chatter, and her relationship with Ruan Xin didn't require pleasantries. "What's up?"
Ruan Xin: "What's wrong with your memory? Didn't we agree to go shopping and eat together today? It's almost noon. Where are you?"
Yao Ran suddenly remembered that plan. She had completely forgotten. Last night, Ruan Xin had invited her to Moments to taste-test some drinks. Halfway through, Ruan Xin had to leave for something urgent, and they had agreed to have a meal together today.
Ruan Xin gave her the name of a restaurant over the phone and said she'd wait for her there.
Yao Ran agreed. But before going, she had to go home for a shower and a change of clothes.
She changed into her usual sharp, simple attire. Standing in front of the mirror, she saw that the marks on her body were completely covered, as if nothing had happened last night. Everything was back to normal.
Having drunk too much the night before, Yao Ran took a taxi to the restaurant. The bright, warm sun today slightly soothed her chaotic mood.
Ruan Xin had already arrived and was sitting by the window—the woman with the most radiant makeup was her.
Yao Ran put down her bag and sat opposite her. "How long have you been here?"
"It's fine, not long." Ruan Xin said, sizing up the person across from her with a smile. "What were you up to last night, sleeping until noon?"
Yao Ran paused, her voice lowering. "Just busy with something."
"You didn't stay up all night, did you? To be this tired."
It seemed her makeup couldn't hide her exhaustion. Yao Ran remained impassive. In truth, she hadn't planned on spending the night at the hotel. She just hadn't expected two women to go on for so long, plus the other person had such an unreasonable passion...
By the time she woke from her daze, it was already daylight.
Yao Ran didn't want to recall the accident of last night, yet Ruan Xin kept bringing it up. She picked up her water glass and took a sip, changing the subject as if nothing was wrong. "Let's order. I'm a bit hungry."
The two casually ordered a few dishes and chatted as they ate.
Ruan Xin remembered to ask, "That person from before hasn't been bothering you, right?"
Yao Ran knew who Ruan Xin was referring to. She picked at her food and answered nonchalantly, "No, everything went smoothly."
"That's good." Ruan Xin smiled. "Congratulations. You're free now."
Yao Ran gave a faint smile. Yes, it was a relief for both of them.
"So what are your plans now?"
"Same as always. I've been traveling and relaxing for over a month. It's time to get back to work."
"Why not rest a bit longer? What's the rush to get back to work? It's not my place to say, but even a workaholic has to have limits." Ruan Xin really admired the woman before her. She managed the business department of a company and still had the energy to help her run the bar in her spare time.
Ruan Xin's idea to open a bar was just a whim. She had mentioned it jokingly to Yao Ran, asking if she was interested in going into the bar business together. To her surprise, Yao Ran had actually agreed.
Ruan Xin had been taken aback. With Yao Ran's conventional personality, how could she be interested in opening a bar?
In any case, that's how Moments came to be. The location they chose was in a good area with a lot of young people passing through, so they never had to worry about customer traffic.
Ruan Xin was mainly in charge of the bar's operations; Yao Ran didn't go very often.
Yao Ran: "I've been resting for over a month. Isn't that long enough? I have a pile of things to deal with now, and the company's project plans are going to be delayed because of me."
Work and plans were all she talked about, same as always. Ruan Xin found it boring. "Do you know what your biggest flaw is?"
Yao Ran listened. "What is it?"
"You just plan everything out too perfectly. Everything has a plan, everything is done by the book, regardless of whether you like it or not. Aren't you tired of living like that?"
Yao Ran didn't reply. Perhaps Ruan Xin had a point.
Although the two had grown up together, Ruan Xin and Yao Ran had completely opposite personalities. If Yao Ran had walked perfectly on the "right track" all her life, then Ruan Xin had been "rebellious" all along—having puppy love at a young age, later becoming a non-believer in marriage, and preferring women over men.
Yao Ran ate quietly. Her appetite was pretty good today, probably because she was so hungry.
Ruan Xin: "Don't always suppress yourself. I'm worried about you."
Yao Ran said lightly, "I'm not suppressing myself. You don't need to worry."
"You're not suppressing yourself?" Ruan Xin could see it all and began to analyze for her. "Putting other things aside, in all these years, have you ever had a serious relationship?"
Yao Ran was genuinely stumped by the question for a moment.
Ruan Xin felt sorry for Yao Ran. Yao Ran's life was indeed perfect, but what was the point of a perfect life if you weren't happy? No matter how glamorous it looked on the surface, it was just for others to see. It's more comfortable to be a little more willful.
"What does it matter? You know I'm not very interested in relationships," Yao Ran answered, a nonchalant smile still on her face. "Even more so now."
Ruan Xin sighed and said leisurely, "Have you ever thought that maybe you just haven't met the right person?"
The right person? Hearing this, the clear-headed and rational Yao Ran said, "Director Ruan, you're thirty-three this year."
"What's wrong with being thirty-three? Can't a thirty-three-year-old look forward to love?" Ruan Xin gave a disdainful smile. "As expected, you overly realistic people are just no fun. Otherwise, I would have tried to turn you a long time ago."
Yao Ran just smiled. She had seen too much. At their age, they were no longer young. Marriage and love were mostly intertwined with practical benefits. Beautiful romance seemed more like a dream.
They couldn't talk about this. Whenever her love life was mentioned, Yao Ran would adopt a desireless attitude. Ruan Xin suddenly became a bit curious. Her eyes scanned Yao Ran as she hesitated to speak.
Yao Ran: "What is it?"
Ruan Xin dawdled. "I'm curious about something."
"What is it?"
Ruan Xin leaned forward, and after getting closer, she lowered her voice and asked, "Have you ever had an orgasm?"
It was a very direct question, but they were both in their thirties, not some innocent young girls. Once, while drinking, she had heard Yao Ran mention that she had a strong aversion to intimacy.
She only mentioned it once, but it left a deep impression on Ruan Xin, because Yao Ran, drunk that day, had said with a bitter smile that she didn't seem like a normal person.
Yao Ran fell silent.
"Never?" Ruan Xin pressed, not very surprised. The woman might as well have had "frigid" written on her face.
Yao Ran remained silent, a subtle feeling rising within her. Her well-defined fingers lightly tapped the glass beside her. In the past, she would have emotionlessly told Ruan Xin to change the subject, but at this moment, her mind was in turmoil.
The scene from last night, which she had temporarily pushed to the back of her mind, was dredged up again:
The bathroom was filled with steam, a deep embrace from behind seared her skin, and water-droplet-covered lips landed incessantly on her ear and neck.
She tried her best to suppress her gasps, holding onto the glass door to steady herself.
The other person's breath was hot and rapid as they asked hoarsely, "Did you come again?"
Comments
Post a Comment