Offense - Chapter 16
Chapter 16
It was still early, and they were the only customers in the shop. The owner's family was busy in the back room. Through a plastic curtain, only the whirring of the kitchen bellows could be heard.
Lian Wan kept her head down, as if she couldn't feel the woman's hand caressing her under the table.
She was down to the last few bites of the flatbread in her hand, and crumbs were constantly falling. Zhou Yanqian found it amusing and utterly adorable. She decided to leave her hand where it was, pulled out a napkin to place in front of Lian Wan, and tilted her head. "Why are you so focused on eating? You're not paying any attention to me."
Clutching the last small piece of flatbread, Lian Wan turned her head and gave her a deep look.
Faced with an inescapable temptation, her expression was no longer coolly detached or obedient. Instead, it held a hint of hostility, making her look a little fierce.
Zhou Yanqian pretended not to notice and surreptitiously slid her hand further inward. Her fingertips touched the warm, firm side of Lian Wan's waist as she asked casually, "Are you full?"
"No-" Lian Wan said in a low voice. She frowned, finally unable to bear it any longer, and shifted her legs to the side. "Don't do this…"
"You're ignoring me," Zhou Yanqian said softly, stopping her movements.
Lian Wan lowered her head, finished the flatbread in two or three bites, tossed the greasy plastic bag aside, and silently reached down to catch her hand.
Was she angry? Zhou Yanqian waited calmly, leaving her hand still, curious to see what this seemingly provoked puppy would do next.
The back of the woman's slender yet soft hand was gently covered by Lian Wan's palm.
"I am paying attention," she said, her voice slightly low and hoarse.
As if deliberately slowing her movements, Lian Wan held Zhou Yanqian's hand, gently spread her fingers, and, under the dimly lit table of the barbecue shop, secretly yet firmly intertwined their fingers.
Of course, she wasn't angry.
The unexpected intertwining of their fingers, the intimacy of their palms pressed together, was more heart-stirring than a simple kiss or desire. Zhou Yanqian stared down, a little dazed, feeling as if her heart had skipped a beat.
This damned innocence- she blushed, her heart pounding, yet she gritted her teeth. They had already kissed, she had already seen everything, so how could she still be so pure!
Was innocence a puppy's natural instinct? Zhou Yanqian wondered, tilting her head as she felt the burning heat of Lian Wan's palm.
Her mind uncontrollably flashed through all of Lian Wan's behaviors from their first meeting until now:
Shy, blushing whenever she saw her, thinking she couldn't see it; conservative, reacting as if facing a great enemy at just a glance of her arm or chest, unable to let go so many times; liked to kiss, easily flustered but still obediently restrained; quiet, yet still knew how to intertwine their fingers.
-She was different from anyone she had ever met before. Her escape had been worth it. There really were such sincere people in the world- hardworking, down-to-earth, and unexpectedly pure and reliable.
As she thought this, Zhou Yanqian's heart softened imperceptibly, as if soaking in warm water. Her gaze grew lighter, like a feather, drifting onto Lian Wan's face.
Lian Wan felt a little uncomfortable under her gaze and nervously pursed her lips. She had just eaten the grilled flatbread, and her lips were shiny with oil, as if she had applied lip balm.
They looked very kissable. The more Zhou Yanqian looked, the more her heart itched. She leaned in a little closer, bringing her lips to Lian Wan's ear, and murmured, "What should I do? I really want to kiss you again."
"…" The woman's voice whispered ambiguously in her ear, puffs of warm air brushing against her skin. Lian Wan's ears turned crimson, but she didn't know what to say, only tightening her grip on Zhou Yanqian's hand as a response.
Seeing her blush and stay silent, Zhou Yanqian grew bolder in her teasing. "We can't kiss now, but how about when we get back? How about in the car? Do you like doing it in the car?"
"…"
"Was I your first kiss?" Zhou Yanqian asked in a small voice. "Was I?"
"Even if you don't say it, I know I was. Definitely." She leaned her head on Lian Wan's shoulder, her tone coquettish. "Your technique this afternoon was so bad, you made my mouth hurt."
To this, Lian Wan responded, "Where does it hurt?"
"On my lips… It's all your fault for biting me."
"Does it still hurt now?"
As they spoke, the owner brought over a metal platter of barbecue. He paid no mind to the two women leaning together and whispering, just said the lamb chops would take a little longer, and hurried back inside.
The aroma of the barbecue filled the air. Zhou Yanqian sat up straight, fiddling with the metal skewers on the platter, and said softly, "It doesn't hurt anymore."
As she spoke, however, her rosy lips were still slightly swollen.
Lian Wan blushed at the sight. She released Zhou Yanqian's hand from under the table, helped her remove the meat from the skewers, and placed it in her bowl.
"Hurry up and eat," she said, her tone softening unconsciously.
Zhou Yanqian accepted her service with a clear conscience, even giving her orders. "I want some water."
Lian Wan stood up and went to the refrigerator by the back counter to get it.
The atmosphere gradually improved. Zhou Yanqian didn't eat much and soon put down her chopsticks, but she was happy to sit with Lian Wan while she ate, occasionally asking for a piece of meat or some vegetables. After the lamb chops arrived, she was too full to eat anymore, so she propped her chin on her hand with a smile and watched the puppy gnaw on the bones.
The barbecue shop didn't seem to have much business; no one else came in the whole time they were there. But the food was good. The spice made Lian Wan sweat slightly, her lips covered in a mixture of chili powder and cumin. She licked her lips, twisted open the bottle of mineral water on the table, and only noticed the faint lipstick stain on the rim as she brought it to her mouth.
Lian Wan turned her head and stole a glance at the woman beside her, who was looking down at her phone.
Lian Wan knew perfectly well why those lips were slightly swollen, but when she gently pressed her mouth to the rim of the water bottle, covering that faint lipstick mark, a significant wave of satisfaction still washed over her, making her fingertips tremble slightly.
As if she were a thief, Lian Wan pressed her lips to the lipstick mark and hastily gulped down several mouthfuls of water.
Zhou Yanqian was still replying to messages on her phone and didn't see her secret, intimate act.
Lian Wan quietly breathed a sigh of relief, yet also felt a little disappointed. She couldn't help but feel curious and jealous, wondering what she was looking at, whose messages she was replying to.
It was only then that she realized that, even now, with their relationship so ambiguous, she still knew nothing about Zhou Yanqian.
Not only had Zhou Yanqian omitted any explanation of their relationship, but she had also concealed anything about herself.
All Lian Wan knew was that she came from the city, had lived in Pingchuan Town as a child, used to have a very busy job, and was now enjoying her leisure time. She knew she didn't like talking to people, didn't eat shredded kelp, liked to rest, liked to laugh, liked to kiss her, and liked this ambiguity between them. But she didn't know about her previous job, her hobbies, her friends, her life after moving away from Pingchuan Town, why she had come back, or why she had chosen her.
Or was it really like the popular trend in the city, where Zhou Yanqian enjoyed a completely free life? Just as she wore camisoles and hot pants without restraint, perhaps she also enjoyed a completely free relationship that required no promises or explanations.
That might explain why she was hiding things from her.
At this thought, a small shadow of melancholy crossed Lian Wan's brow, and she mechanically stuffed another piece of dry, fragrant roasted lamb into her mouth.
Suddenly, a loud rumble sounded from outside, followed by the patter of rain. The tranquil summer night changed in an instant. Wind carrying rain swept in from the shop's entrance, and the air filled with the murky smell of dust from the roadside being soaked.
Zhou Yanqian looked up from her phone, watched the owner hurry over to close the door, and then shifted her gaze to the curtain of rain outside.
"Are you done eating?" she asked.
She quickly noticed that something was off about Lian Wan's expression. "What's wrong?" She thought Lian Wan was worried about the downpour. "It's okay, the rain will stop soon. If not, the car isn't parked that far away. It's just a few steps."
Lian Wan grunted in acknowledgment. Her mood had inexplicably plummeted, and her expression didn't change even when Zhou Yanqian leaned against her affectionately again to watch her eat.
"I'm done." She finished the last piece of lamb, wiped her hands, and gently pushed Zhou Yanqian away as she stood up. "I'll go pay and borrow an umbrella from the owner."
Zhou Yanqian stood up with her, confused, and watched her retreating back.
Outside, the wind and rain raged. The moment Zhou Yanqian stepped to the doorway, she got a mouthful of wind. The wind, mixed with rain, blew so hard she couldn't open her eyes, and the dense raindrops hammered against the eaves, pattering loudly in her ears.
Leaves and debris from the roadside were swept along by the flowing water, clogging the storm drains. Puddles were already forming on the road.
Although her heart was filled with dejected disappointment, Lian Wan opened a black umbrella and still wrapped an arm around Zhou Yanqian's shoulders, protecting her as much as possible.
The woman's body was warm, and as Lian Wan held her, her heart filled with a lingering fondness.
In the pitch-black curtain of rain, once they stepped into it, the entire world seemed to lose its direction. The two of them, as if racing against the downpour from the heavens, waded through the puddles and quickly walked to the car.
Once inside, Zhou Yanqian realized her pant legs were half-soaked, but the rest of her clothes were perfectly dry. Lian Wan, who had been holding her, had her clothes almost completely drenched.
Zhou Yanqian hurriedly rummaged through her bag to hand her tissues.
Lian Wan shook her head, started the car, and paid no mind to her soaking wet shoulder.
The ride back was silent.
Lian Wan was used to the monotony of driving, but she was afraid Zhou Yanqian wasn't, so she reached out and turned on the car stereo.
The songs in this car had been saved by the man who rented it out. Lian Wan didn't know what he listened to. The moment she pressed the button, a man's rough singing voice filled the car:
"I hear you say, the sun rises and falls,
The weather is fickle, the road is full of footsteps-"
Lian Wan listened in silence, but Zhou Yanqian let out a chuckle.
By the time the song finished, the car had just pulled up downstairs at the old residential complex.
Raindrops pattered against the car's body. Lian Wan parked the car in its original spot, pulled the handbrake, took out the key, opened the umbrella, and got out. She walked around to the passenger side so quickly that Zhou Yanqian didn't have time to stop her.
Outside the car window, the figure under the umbrella was tall and thin, her face a blur, impossible to see clearly.
Zhou Yanqian smiled helplessly, pushed the door open, and went to meet her. Lian Wan wrapped an arm around her waist, holding her securely under the umbrella.
The path in the complex was already flooded. The two of them trudged through the water, one deep step after another, and finally reached the front of the Convenience Store.
Holding her, Lian Wan inhaled the warm, fragrant scent emanating from the woman's neck and asked softly, "Where are you going back to?"
Zhou Yanqian was bewildered by her alternating cold and affectionate attitude. "I'm going home."
In the stairwell, the broken voice-activated light had been fixed by someone. The tip of the umbrella dripped water continuously with their footsteps.
Lian Wan walked Zhou Yanqian to her door.
"Goodnight," she said very quietly, not looking at her, her gaze fixed on the floor.
The concrete floor was already covered in their wet footprints.
Zhou Yanqian didn't respond. She tilted her head, her gaze probing as she stared at her for a long moment.
Lian Wan's shoulder was wet, her hair was wet, and her bangs hung dripping over her eyebrows. In the dim light of the stairwell, her usually cool eyes now held an innocent depth.
"Is there nothing you want to say?" Zhou Yanqian asked quietly.
Hearing this, Lian Wan's heart leaped. She raised her head, met her gaze directly, and with a surge of courage from somewhere, she cupped Zhou Yanqian's chin and leaned down to kiss her.
In the process, her teeth knocked against Zhou Yanqian's lips. It really did hurt, but Lian Wan didn't care.
She kissed her for a long while before slowly letting her go.
Zhou Yanqian leaned against the cold iron door, breathing heavily, her soft chest rising and falling.
"Goodnight…"
Lian Wan held her by the shoulders, staring at her face, which was flushed from lack of oxygen.
She slowly straightened up, catching her breath, and said it again:
"Goodnight."
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