Offense - Chapter 41
Chapter 41
When Lian Wan drove the truck back to town, the rain seemed to be getting heavier.
A torrential downpour mixed with fierce winds chased after her. Lian Wan parked the truck, opened her umbrella, and jogged into the residential building. The streets were already deserted. The canopy of trees overhead crackled as raindrops struck it, and before long, half of her shoulder was soaked.
The hallway was damp, with even a few puddles of water. The air was filled with the distinct humid smell of a summer storm.
With the heavy rain, the open-air parking lot had turned into a muddy mess. After walking all this way, every step Lian Wan took now made a squelching sound.
She felt an inexplicable joy. She went straight up to the third floor, and after ringing the doorbell, she thought for a moment and started scraping the mud off the soles of her shoes at the corner of the stairwell.
When Zhou Yanqian opened the door, the first thing she saw was a corner of a white t-shirt, partially hidden around the corner.
"Hm?" The woman pretended to look elsewhere. "Where is she? How did she disappear?"
The rushing sound of the rain made her voice unclear.
Lian Wan immediately said, "I'm here."
She walked over. A gust of wind shot into the hallway, making her rain-soaked shoulder feel cold. The woman stood by the door, an undisguised smile on her face, as brazen as the wind. It made Lian Wan want to grab her. She grabbed her wrist, which was also cool. The rain was pouring down, but Lian Wan felt a sense of relief. A dry, fragrant, feminine scent poured out from Zhou Yanqian and the room behind her.
She gazed at her and unconsciously repeated softly, "I'm here."
The woman's eyes curved as she raised a hand and ruffled her hair.
Then her hand moved down, patting her shoulder and giving it a squeeze. "How did you get so wet?"
Despite having tried hard to hide her eagerness to get closer, when the woman's hand landed on her, Lian Wan still tensed up, her back going rigid.
Fortunately, Zhou Yanqian turned around as she spoke. "Go change your clothes first. Don't catch a cold."
Lian Wan, holding the umbrella, followed closely behind her and murmured in agreement.
The wet umbrella was opened and left to dry on the balcony. Outside, the wind and rain raged. A few potted plants had been moved down and placed next to the umbrella.
Lian Wan changed her clothes, tossed the wet ones into the washing machine, and walked out of the room. The sky outside had completely darkened. The rumbling thunder came in waves, sounding quite frightening.
Good thing I came back early, she thought.
The kitchen light was on. Lian Wan walked over to look. There was no one inside, but a bright green watermelon was soaking in the sink.
She heard footsteps behind her but didn't turn around, only asking, "Should I cut the watermelon?"
A pair of arms wrapped around her waist, and a familiar breath fell beside her ear. The woman exhaled softly, drawing out her words in a coquettish tone, "Yes, please- thank you for your hard work."
The tree by the window swayed violently in the wind. Its huge crown looked even more lush and green in the dim light, its leaves pattering against the window like an impatient drumbeat. Lian Wan walked to the sink, with Zhou Yanqian still hugging her. As she reached for the watermelon, she felt the woman's palm touch her lower abdomen.
Lian Wan pressed her lips together and lowered her head to set out the cutting board.
The smallish watermelon was sliced open cleanly. It had a thin rind and bright, translucent red flesh inside, which was then cut into small pieces. Juice dripped down the tip of the knife, and a sweet fragrance wafted up. Zhou Yanqian craned her neck to look. The cut watermelon was arranged on a plate like blooming flower buds. Lian Wan's hands were steady, as if she hadn't noticed her movements.
She tested the waters, moving her palm again.
The skin under her palm was warm and firm. It felt good.
"This is a good melon," the person being held suddenly said.
As she spoke, her ears turned red.
Zhou Yanqian couldn't help but laugh. "My mom gave it to me. Said she drove out to the fields to pick it herself."
Lian Wan murmured in acknowledgment, forcing her voice to sound serious as she agreed, "Auntie is a good picker."
It would have been more convincing if her ears weren't red.
"Mmm-" Zhou Yanqian couldn't keep up the pretense. She practically pushed Lian Wan's hands to make her put the watermelon in the fridge, then pounced on her, cupping her face to demand a kiss. "Missed you- hug-"
Lian Wan was pushed back a step. She supported the back of her neck, leaning against the sink and accepting the woman's kiss.
The sound of the wind and rain outside came in waves, sometimes drumming in her ears, sometimes drifting far away. Lian Wan passively held the woman's soft lips and tongue in her mouth. Zhou Yanqian gave her a long, lingering kiss, their breaths mingling, like falling endlessly into some dream.
Outside the window, the storm raged, like the immense, irreversible roar of a waterfall plunging over a cliff.
And yet it made everything feel so real.
The watermelon on the white porcelain plate was properly placed in the refrigerator. They turned off the lights and, in the gloom of the storm, turned on the fan and lay holding each other, talking.
A cool breeze blew. Zhou Yanqian was lying on top of Lian Wan, her long hair fanned out, falling onto Lian Wan's face and tickling her.
Lian Wan blinked.
The woman's fingers rested against her brow bone. She seemed to want to say something. Lian Wan felt the chest pressed against hers contract slightly, but she didn't speak. So the breath she exhaled landed by her ear- warm, moist, like a kiss.
-Perhaps it wasn't an illusion. The woman's lips and tongue distinctly traced over her earlobe, then pressed against her neck. Lian Wan held her, unable to see her face, only able to feel her closeness. The wordless intimacy was like the sound of the rain outside, as if it would never stop.
They remained quiet like this for a while. Then Lian Wan rolled over, and now Zhou Yanqian was in her arms, looking at her. She tilted her head back, and the cool breeze from the fan washed over her eyelids like water.
She could see the shimmering light swaying in the depths of her eyes.
The room was very dark. Lian Wan's gaze slowly lowered, as if the blustering wind and rain were tracing her to her source. Raindrops pattered against the window. The woman's glistening lips were lazily opening and closing at her.
In summer, rain like this was rare in Pingchuan Town, and moments of leisure like this had been few and far between in Lian Wan's twenty-some years of life. Perhaps that was why Lian Wan suddenly felt a sense of unfamiliarity with this small room, as if fate had sifted an unknown person out from the crowd.
She gazed at Zhou Yanqian's face in the darkness, unable to look away.
After an unknown amount of time, so long that Zhou Yanqian was about to fall asleep, she suddenly heard Lian Wan ask:
"Am I your first?"
A moment like this, a you with such shimmering eyes- have you shared this with someone else too?
After asking, Lian Wan lowered her eyes, staring intently at Zhou Yanqian's expression.
Zhou Yanqian's stunned expression was obvious. But she quickly composed herself. Again, she seemed to want to say something but didn't. She just slowly, slowly smiled, and then shook her head.
That wasn't enough. She had to say it: "No."
The fan was still blowing. Outside, the wind and rain pattered, knocking against the door. Zhou Yanqian was still lying in her arms, her gaze calm, even holding a hint of a smile. But Lian Wan could no longer see the shimmering light in her eyes. She forced her eyes open wide, but she didn't know where she was directing her strength, nor did she know what she was supposed to be feeling.
Unconsciously, Lian Wan sniffled and buried herself under the covers, falling silent.
She was quickly embraced- Lian Wan felt the softness of the woman's arms. Zhou Yanqian was coaxing her, saying those things about the past being the past and the present being the present. No one had ever coaxed her like this before, but Lian Wan stubbornly closed her eyes, unwilling to listen.
Tears rolled out, wetting the pillow. Lian Wan felt embarrassed and annoyed, but she couldn't control herself right now. When Zhou Yanqian felt her wet face, she was finally a little surprised.
She asked her why she was crying. Lian Wan didn't know how to answer. She said nothing, and the woman was at a loss. The two were silent for a long while before Zhou Yanqian heard Lian Wan ask in a hoarse voice, "Then why did you choose me?"
It seemed that after crying, she didn't care as much. Lian Wan hoped Zhou Yanqian would repeat the comforting words from before, but Zhou Yanqian just held her, pressing herself into her embrace.
She understood what Lian Wan had just said.
-Those others must have been better than me. They experienced a better version of you. Why would you choose me?
This logic made Zhou Yanqian want to laugh, but she didn't know how to express it. Is there a reason for liking someone? For her, the intense desire to be close to Lian Wan from the beginning still existed now.
The person holding her was already as dejected as a big, wronged dog. Zhou Yanqian stroked her face; it was wet, covered in tears.
She suddenly had another thought: This might be the first time in her life she's ever cried like this.
As Zhou Yanqian thought this, she felt her own heart stir at the idea, allowing her to move closer to Lian Wan's ear and feel the owner of this body react to her proximity.
She said frankly, "When it comes to matters of the heart, I can't explain it clearly either. I only know that your immaturity, your clumsiness- to me, those are all wonderful things. Can you understand what I mean?"
As Zhou Yanqian spoke, she cupped Lian Wan's wet face. It was a face with strong features, beautiful yet green. She was clearly hurt, but even her sobs were quiet, as if she were afraid of making a mistake.
This clumsy endurance was more precious than all the lauded maturity she had ever seen.
The woman paused at this discovery. She suppressed the tide of emotion in her heart but still couldn't help panting slightly as she leaned close to Lian Wan's ear and said, "Don't cry. I'm choosing you. And I'm also going to…"
She lowered her voice suggestively. "…let you… have me."
Zhou Yanqian cupped her face and lowered her head to kiss her, as if to swallow all her doubts. Lian Wan wanted to respond, but her lips and tongue were blocked. Her mouth was open, and she could barely breathe, but the cool breeze from the fan still blew gently, and the sound of the wind and rain outside seemed as if it would never stop. The small room was like a lonely little island.
Their pressed-together bodies were easier to read than words. It was Lian Wan's turn to trace Zhou Yanqian's expression. She understood her. She liked her, she loved her, she wasn't lying. Lian Wan could feel her trembling and her joy. Zhou Yanqian held her tightly; she desired her. Lian Wan nuzzled her face. Now it was her turn to feel her tears.
The woman whimpered, wanting her to hold her. Zhou Yanqian was always like this. Lian Wan always felt intensely needed by her. Whether it was embraces or emotions, these straightforward things were just like Zhou Yanqian herself. Even now, she would still think of the countless coincidences behind their many near misses back then. If she hadn't stopped, Zhou Yanqian would have taken another step forward.
Lian Wan was certain that she, too, had once had the right to choose.
In that case, it didn't matter who was chosen by whom.
I only know that I need you.
Outside, the wind and rain had not ceased. Lian Wan held her. Kissed her forehead. Her lips. Her shoulders.
Then she lowered her head, and lowered it again, and gently, gently kissed the top of her foot.
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