After sending the message, Sheng Muxi wanted to recall it, but her finger hesitated for a moment above the "Recall" button before she pulled it back. She gnawed on her knuckles—forget it, recalling it would make her seem guilty.
Yes, why would she want to withdraw her offer?
Realizing that she might be feeling guilty, Sheng Muxi grabbed a few handfuls of her hair haphazardly.
Chai Qianning: [Yes.]
Sheng Muxi felt a throbbing in his temple.
Chai Qianning: [You kissed me.]
Sheng Muxi's heart skipped a beat.
Ahhh!
Sheng Muxi put down her phone, ran to wash up, and after brushing her teeth, she washed her face with cold water, which immediately cleared her mind.
There was a rectangular wall mirror in front of the washbasin. Sheng Muxi looked at herself in the mirror and fell into deep thought.
It seems she didn't actually kiss Chai Qianning's lips.
If I remember correctly, it seemed that Chai Qianning had some honey on the corner of her lips, and she just leaned over and tasted the honey on it.
Phew, thinking about it that way, it seems even more... well, it's not quite the same as a direct kiss on the lips.
The temperature on her face, which she had finally managed to lower with cold water, started to rise again. Sheng Muxi touched her face with her hand and left the sink.
The weather forecast predicts heavy rain today, reminding people to be cautious when traveling and to stay home as much as possible.
It was a cloudy morning, with the sunlight hiding behind thick clouds, occasionally letting out a few golden rays.
The sky darkened in the afternoon, and by evening, thunder, lightning, and wind and rain raged.
Lightning flashed through the windowpane, illuminating the room. After a flash of intense light, a deafening roar followed, as if the sky had been blown apart, and the rain poured down relentlessly.
Chai Qianning was curled up on the beanbag chair playing a game. She was playing a horror escape game with eerie background sound effects playing out, blending with the terrifying wind outside to create a heart-pounding atmosphere.
The potted plants on the balcony were blown over by a strong wind and shattered into pieces with a loud crack. At the same time, Chai Qian Ning's game character accidentally stepped on a trap, causing a large hole to appear in the floor. The game character screamed and fell down, and a hideous demon filled the entire screen.
Chai Qianning stared blankly as two large red characters slowly rose on her phone screen: Failure!
She exited the game, glanced sideways at the balcony, and saw that the soil from the potted plants was scattered all over the ground. The view outside the glass window looked as if a blurry filter had been applied, and the green of the leaves was distorted beyond recognition in the chaotic white wind and rain.
hiss--
Chai Qianning got up to sweep the dirt off the balcony, then closed the window and drew the curtains to keep the storm out, leaving behind her cozy little home.
She opened her phone and texted Achu: "I probably won't be able to attend your sister's birthday party. I'll make up for the gift later."
Achu: [It's okay, you should stay home and not go out. I've told Jelly and Leaf not to come over either. This weather is too dangerous.]
Chai Qianning cooked herself some porridge at home and scrolled through her WeChat Moments while drinking it.
I scrolled through several posts, all of them recording the weather.
Su Ye: [Heart attack! I was only two or three meters from home, and I still got soaked to the bone.] Jelly: [Heartbreaking! The power's out at home, and my phone only has a few bars of battery left.]
Chai Qianning's dark eyelashes trembled slightly. As if remembering something, she also posted a message on her WeChat Moments: "[My heart is pounding, thunder is rumbling, I'm home alone.]"
Soon, comments appeared below.
Su Ye: [Try to be normal, I'm scared.]
jelly:【??】
Achu: [Are you guys posting on WeChat Moments as a group? The format is exactly the same!]
Qingqing: [Oh, sis, just say you want to talk to me directly, you don't need to be so subtle. (mischievous smile)]
Just as Chai Qianning was about to reply to Chai Shuqing's comment, her finger suddenly stopped—could Chai Shuqing have added Sheng Muxi?
So instead of replying in the comments section, she opened Chai Shuqing's chat box and sent her a bunch of "hit someone" emojis.
She held the phone in one hand, feeling it vibrate. After a few minutes, she finished cleaning up the bowl of porridge and turned on the phone again.
Chai Renbo messaged her: [What's wrong? I remember you used to be unafraid of thunder, has something happened to you lately?]
!! I forgot to block my elders!
Chai Qianning replied: 【Dad, I'm fine. I just posted something on WeChat Moments while on a group tour. (Grinning)】
Eleventh floor.
After finishing her lesson plan at the table, Sheng Muxi relaxed and opened her phone, only to see Chai Qianning's WeChat Moments.
Her phone screen remained lit, stuck on Chai Qianning's WeChat Moments.
Finally, just as the screen was about to automatically turn off, she switched to Chai Qianning's chat window and sent her a message asking: "Want to come over to my place for a bit?"
Chai Qianning replied: 【Okay.】
The storm outside hadn't stopped, with occasional rumbles of thunder, followed by bursts of thunder that seemed to erupt, leaving undulating lines across the sky.
Wearing her pajamas, Chai Qianning raised her hand and yawned towards the light.
Sheng Muxi pointed to the second bedroom: "There might be another heavy rain tonight. If you're afraid of thunder, you can stay here for now. I happen to have a room for you."
Where do you sleep?
"Master bedroom."
Chai Qianning blinked and couldn't help but laugh: "What's the difference? I live downstairs from you, and our apartments look pretty much the same. I sleep in my master bedroom too. If we're talking about straight-line distance..."
Chai Qianning paused for a moment, standing at the door of the master bedroom and "looking out" at the door of the second bedroom: "If we can measure it by distance, the vertical distance between us when I sleep in my own home is probably shorter than the horizontal distance between us when I sleep in the second bedroom of your home."
Because the secondary bedroom is opposite the master bedroom, spanning the distance of a large living room.
Sheng Muxi touched her neck and laughed, "Oh yeah, my brain short-circuited for a moment. Why don't you sleep in the master bedroom with me? I'll keep you company, so if it thunders again tonight, having someone next to you won't be so scary."
Chai Qianning's blinking eyes curved into a smile: "Are you sure?"
Do you snore?
"Won't."
Sheng Muxi stared at her face for a few seconds: "You should be a good sleeper, right? My bed is quite big, big enough for two people."
Chai Qianning pretended to think: "I used to sleep with my sister, and every time I woke up, she was still on the bed instead of on the floor. Maybe I'm a pretty good sleeper...?"
Sheng Muxi: "..."
As midnight approached, the rain outside, after a brief respite, began to sweep across the land again.
Sheng Muxi took a soft pillow out of the cabinet and placed it on the other side of the bed. It was exactly the same as the pillow she slept on.
"Luckily, I bought a spare pillow, just in time..." Sheng Muxi slightly lifted her eyelids as she spoke, and her gaze immediately met Chai Qianning's eyes.
Chai Qianning rested her chin on her hand, her long, black hair falling onto her collarbone. Because of her posture, the straps of her suspenders had slipped down to her arms, barely concealed by her hair, making them difficult to notice, but Sheng Muxi did notice them.
"Why are you looking at me like that?" Sheng Muxi lowered her long eyelashes.
"Teacher Sheng."
"Um?"
Chai Qianning said softly, "Don't you think it's a dangerous thing for two non-straight women to sleep in the same bed?"
Chapter 20 The Line of Fate
Darkness, accompanied by muffled thunder, tore open a gap.
Inside the bedroom, the warm-toned light reflected in Chai Qian's eyes, casting a gentle glow that subtly transmitted to Sheng Muxi's brain.
Her ears seemed to ring, and her scalp tingled.
Since they both knew each other's sexual orientation, sleeping together seemed theoretically a bit inappropriate.
Especially at this critical juncture, Sheng Muxi inappropriately recalled that he had kissed Chai Qianning last night.
Although they were drunk, they kissed, and that's an undeniable fact.
"Then, you'll sleep on the floor?" Sheng Muxi asked.
"Pfft." Chai Qianning chuckled. "Why don't you play by the rules and make me sleep on the floor?"
"No, I was just kidding."
Sheng Muxi ran her fingers through her hair, tracing its length, and gently lifted her chin: "You sleep over there."
Chai Qianning shifted her position, sat cross-legged on the bed, and stared intently at the other person.
Sheng Muxi firmly believes that as long as one's mind is free of distractions, there is no question of whether something is appropriate or not.
They're all girls; it's not like she hasn't slept in the same bed with girls before.
Aside from her student days, when she shared a bed with others in the dormitory, Shi Manwen was also gay.
Before Shi Manwen had a girlfriend, they had also lain in the same bed and chatted all night.
"How is it dangerous? Do you have ulterior motives towards me?" Sheng Muxi knelt on one knee on the bed and spread out the air-conditioning quilt.
Chai Qianning nodded.
Sheng Muxi paused, her hand gripping the corner of the blanket.
She brought it up first, and at first she didn't think much about it, but now there's no going back on her word.
She glanced sideways at Chai Qianning, and could only feign composure: "Then you'll just have to bear with it."
What if I can't resist?
"Then just hold it in."
The rain outside the window was getting heavier, making a slight sound as it pattered against the glass.
Chai Qianning didn't say anything, just yawned and lay down on her pillow.
Seeing this, Sheng Muxi reached out and turned off the light, then lay down.
The bedroom was pitch black, with only a faint glimmer of light seeping in through the gaps in the curtains.
It was a bit chilly tonight, so the air conditioning was set to the highest setting. The two of them used the corners of the air conditioning blankets to cover their stomachs.
Sheng Muxi's bed is indeed large. The two of them can sleep together without touching each other, and there is still plenty of space left.