Offense - Chapter 32

Chapter 32

The motion-sensor light lit up behind her. The hallway was silent. Zhou Yanqian clutched her key and unlocked the door in a few twists.

Under the dim yellow light, her exposed neck was porcelain-white. As she bent over slightly, the hair tied up at the back of her head swayed gently.

"You should go take a shower first."

As the door opened halfway, Zhou Yanqian switched on the entryway light, bent down to get a pair of slippers from the shoe cabinet, and placed them at Lian Wan's feet. Looking up, she said, "Look how dirty you are."

Her tone held a hint of affectionate complaint, matching the soft curve of her gaze and her cheeks. It was enough to melt all the shy warmth Lian Wan had felt on the way here into the shimmering depths of her eyes.

Lian Wan quietly looked down at her.

Zhou Yanqian was crouched by her knees. Her body heat radiated through, not as cool as one might expect, but not drenched in sweat like Lian Wan either. Zhou Yanqian's presence was distinct, like the countless people who had brushed past Lian Wan in her life. But in this moment, Lian Wan was keenly aware that they were together, on this night, like an intimate family pair about to begin their dinner.

Lian Wan lowered her gaze, then reached out and carefully touched Zhou Yanqian's face.

It was warm.

As she thought this, a bead of sweat rolled down the bridge of her nose and hung at the tip, poised to fall but not yet falling, giving her a very innocent look.

Zhou Yanqian couldn't help but smile. She deliberately tilted her face, pressing it against Lian Wan's hand, and hummed through her nose, "Hm?"

Lian Wan's fingertips gently caressed her jaw, and she watched as Zhou Yanqian narrowed her eyes slightly in response to the pressure.

She paused before saying in a low voice, "...I'll go now."

There was a breeze tonight, and the window lattice tapped gently against the frame.

Zhou Yanqian stood up, and they acted as if no conversation had taken place. Lian Wan was led to her room, where Zhou Yanqian took a set of pajamas from the closet and handed them to her. Inside the closet hung the dresses she usually wore-loose ones, tight ones, ones with cutouts, all in a riot of colors. A row of beautiful, varied dresses hung there. Zhou Yanqian's arm brushed past the soft fabrics as she retrieved a set for Lian Wan from the back.

"Here," she said seriously. "I can't always have you wearing my old clothes."

Lian Wan pressed her lips together. "Thank you."

Zhou Yanqian didn't reply, just kept looking at her. Above them was a crystal chandelier that had seen some years, its reflection shimmering faintly in her eyes.

What was she supposed to do at a time like this?

Lian Wan thought for a moment, then said softly, "A kiss."

Then she lowered her head and gave Zhou Yanqian a very light kiss.

The Little Puppy's lips were warm. Zhou Yanqian instinctively closed her eyes. The passion she expected didn't arrive, but it still made her heart flutter. With her claws and fangs retracted, Lian Wan kissed her cautiously, holding her by the shoulders. All her inexperience and passion were hidden between her lips and teeth, just like that bead of sweat hanging from the tip of her nose. Leaning in her arms, Zhou Yanqian could smell the dusty scent of sawdust from the furniture factory on her.

Lian Wan was always like this. Zhou Yanqian quickly recalled their first meeting. Lian Wan had watched her with cold eyes, standing far away, her lips pressed into a thin line, showing only her fair profile. On that hot summer day, she had been as cold and hard as a block of ice.

From that moment on, Zhou Yanqian had been struck by her hardness.

Contrary to her cold expression, on the day they first met, Lian Wan's face had also been covered in sweat, and her hands had been smudged with grease. She had jumped down from the truck, pulled open the cargo door with long, strong fingers, her hair in a low ponytail at the back of her head. Zhou Yanqian's senses had keenly captured these details, but she knew little of their meaning. That was another world-the only female truck driver in Pingchuan Town, living alone, with no family. Lian Wan's hardness wasn't directed only at her. In the dead of night back then, Zhou Yanqian couldn't help but wonder what her Little Puppy was like when she was out, and what she was like when she came home. Zhou Yanqian was captivated by the sounds of washing up from the balcony every morning. Sometimes Lian Wan would stand outside to take a call, and Zhou Yanqian would watch her from afar, not knowing whether to be happy or helpless. When Lian Wan spoke to others, the expression on her face was still cold and hard, like an irremovable mask.

But now, between Lian Wan's gentle, almost cautious lips, she seemed to have found her softness.

Of course, it was only for a brief moment. The Little Puppy's patience had its limits, and soon she began to grow restless. Just as Lian Wan was about to start biting, Zhou Yanqian decisively pulled away, held back her agitation, and personally led her to the bathroom.

Enduring Lian Wan's intense stare, she tried to act nonchalant. "Wash up well, you're filthy. I'll go heat up the food, and you can eat when you get out."

The expression on her face didn't seem fake. Lian Wan, as if only now realizing how dirty she was, mutely took a step back.

But Zhou Yanqian still couldn't resist. "Come here."

As she spoke, she wrapped her arms around Lian Wan's neck, pulled her down, and gave her a quick kiss on the lips. "Alright, I'm going."

Steam filled the bathroom.

Dinner was four dishes and a soup. When Lian Wan came out with her hair wrapped and dripping, Zhou Yanqian was still busy in the kitchen. Four dishes were set on the dining table, hot soup was simmering in a clay pot, and the aroma of rice filled the air.

Lian Wan sometimes felt that Zhou Yanqian was too good to her, especially at times like this.

She walked over, barefoot, and as naturally as breathing, wrapped her arms around Zhou Yanqian's soft waist from behind.

Zhou Yanqian didn't need to turn around to know who it was. Lian Wan's arms held her tightly, a little painfully, but she didn't say anything, just breathed quietly by her ear, one breath after another, as if whining for affection.

She clung to her without moving, water from her hair dripping down, soaking a large patch of Zhou Yanqian's neck and even dampening her underwear.

And yet the culprit carefully wiped at the water spots. "Your clothes are wet."

Zhou Yanqian replied irritably, "I know."

But when she turned and saw those dark eyes, which seemed to have been steamed by the mist, her heart softened. "Forget it, it's fine. I haven't showered yet anyway. Are you hungry?"

Seeming several years younger, Lian Wan shook her head, then nodded. With the movement, her wet hair flopped against her neck.

Zhou Yanqian helplessly pinched her cheek. "...Never mind, I'll dry your hair for you first."

Warm, fragrant air swirled around them. Zhou Yanqian stroked the puppy's head, again and again. Contrary to her personality, Lian Wan's hair was surprisingly soft. The scent of shampoo wafted from her fingertips. Both of their breaths were light, so light that Zhou Yanqian couldn't figure out what Lian Wan was thinking.

But Lian Wan was only thinking that she had to kiss her.

Before the hairdryer, all the water droplets and damp spots were treated equally; her hair and the nape of her neck gradually became dry. Lian Wan pressed the tip of her nose against the only remaining damp place, delving in inch by inch. The woman's lips parted as she was pushed down onto the sofa chair with undeniable force.

Dinner, a shower, the food on the table-Lian Wan turned a deaf ear to it all. She patiently used her lips to part Zhou Yanqian's thin clothes until her appearance was worthy of a summer night, with only a single, lonely strap left on her shoulder. Zhou Yanqian struggled slightly. Lian Wan's lips brushed against her cheek-cool, hot, soft, hard-and in the end, she was captured.

Unlike the videos Lian Wan had watched that afternoon, it turned out that things were different between women. Zhou Yanqian's reaction was silent. She gasped with restraint, slowly uncurling her palm only to clench it again, tightly gripping Lian Wan's hair.

She wasn't smiling anymore. Lian Wan clumsily soothed her, feeling Zhou Yanqian's streaming tears against her. They felt like sweat as they slid over her skin.

She returned to that summer day.

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