88: Chapter 88 Lin Qiaoyou's Dilemma

When Song Qian came out after her shower, the lights in the living room were already off.

She wore a light purple nightgown, her hair still wet, water droplets dripping from the ends onto her collarbone and sliding down her neckline.

She dried her hair with a towel, walking softly down the hallway.

There was no light under Lin Qiaoyou's door; she was likely asleep.

She pushed open Su Bai's bedroom door, walked in, and closed it gently.

The room was dark, lit only by the moonlight coming through the window.

"Master?"

Su Bai leaned against the headboard, the cold light of his phone screen illuminating his face.

He looked up and glanced at her.

"Your hair isn't dry."

"Mhm." Song Qian stood by the bed, continuing to dry her hair. "I was afraid of keeping you waiting."

Su Bai put down his phone.

He reached out, took the towel from her hand, and patted the spot next to him.

Song Qian sat on the edge of the bed with her back to him.

Su Bai draped the towel over her head and helped her dry her hair.

His movements weren't exactly gentle, but they were meticulous, drying strand by strand from root to tip.

Song Qian lowered her head, looking at her hands on her knees without saying a word.

She was as obedient as a cat being petted by its master.

The room was quiet, save for the rustling sound of the towel against her hair.

When it was halfway dry, Su Bai tossed the towel aside and ran his fingers through her hair, slowly combing it.

Song Qian's body tensed slightly, but she didn't pull away.

His fingers slid from the top of her head to the ends, his fingertips occasionally brushing against her ear, sending a fine tingle through her.

"Turn around," he said.

Song Qian turned around to face him.

Moonlight leaked through the gap in the curtains and fell on her face. Her eyes were bright, her lips slightly pursed, and her nightgown's neckline was a bit askew from her movement, revealing a bit of her collarbone and shoulder.

Su Bai looked down at her, reached out, and straightened the crooked strap of her neckline.

Song Qian blushed.

"Master..." she spoke softly.

Su Bai said nothing. His fingers slid down from her shoulder, along her arm, all the way to her wrist, and then held it.

Her hand was very cold, and her fingertips were trembling slightly.

He placed her hand on his own knee and then leaned down,

Song Qian closed her eyes.

"Tonight..."

Su Bai's voice was very light, yet it seemed to carry a magical quality,

"We're not sleeping 'vegetarian' tonight; we're sleeping 'meat'."

Song Qian's eyelashes fluttered.

She reached out, wrapped her arms around his neck, and offered herself up.

Moonlight moved slowly across the room.

...

In the hallway, Lin Qiaoyou's bedroom door opened a crack.

She just wanted to get up for a glass of water.

She had been lying in bed since returning in the afternoon, her mind a mess, tossing and turning, unable to sleep.

She pushed open the door and walked barefoot across the floor toward the kitchen.

As she passed Su Bai's room, her footsteps suddenly stopped.

There was light under the door.

Not asleep yet?

Young people stayed up late; she didn't think much of it and was about to keep walking when she suddenly heard a sound.

It was very soft and brief, as if someone's mouth was muffled, with only a tiny bit escaping.

Lin Qiaoyou's feet were nailed to the spot.

She pricked up her ears and held her breath.

Another sound, a bit longer than before, muffled as if squeezed from deep within the throat.

???!!!

It was a woman's voice!

Her heart skipped a beat.

Instinct told her she should walk away immediately, go back to her room, close the door, and ignore everything.

But her feet wouldn't obey, as if they were nailed to the floor.

Another sound, clearer this time.

It was suppressed and intermittent, occasionally mixed with a few indistinct syllables.

She couldn't hear what was being said, but that tone and rhythm made her face instantly flush.

She knew what those sounds were.

A thought flashed through her mind—

Su Bai actually brought a woman back?!

How could he secretly bring a woman back?!

This was a place where several girls lived; how could he just bring a woman back to spend the night!

An indescribable emotion surged in her heart.

Was it anger, or was it disappointment?

She couldn't tell.

All she knew was that her heart was beating fast, so fast it almost hurt.

She turned around and almost instinctively walked toward Song Qian's room.

Sister Qian would handle it; Sister Qian was the calmest among them, she would definitely know what to do!

She reached Song Qian's door and raised her hand to knock.

Her hand hung in mid-air, but stopped again.

What would happen if Song Qian found out?

Kick Su Bai out?

But Su Bai was an adult, and it was normal to seek out women. While it was indeed inappropriate for him to bring a woman back since several girls lived here, would telling Song Qian be making a mountain out of a molehill?

Her hand slowly lowered.

She remembered what Song Qian had said the day Su Bai first moved in—

"It really is a bit inconvenient to share a rental with a guy."

Back then, Song Qian had opposed Su Bai living here; it was only because Luo Ying insisted that he moved in.

If she let Song Qian know Su Bai brought a woman home, she would definitely tell Luo Ying, and Luo Ying might not let him stay any longer!

Lin Qiaoyou stood in the hallway, the moonlight shining through the window and casting her thin shadow on the floor.

He would be kicked out...

This thought suddenly surfaced, and her heart tightened.

She remembered that day Su Bai pulled her into the bathroom, the steam everywhere, his eyes deep, his lips soft.

She was breathless, her whole body felt weak, and she could barely even stand.

Her face burned.

She couldn't tell Song Qian!

This decision came quickly, so quickly she didn't even have time to wonder why.

She turned and walked back to her room, gently closing the door and leaning against it, her heart pounding.

The sounds from next door were gone, but those imagined images were still swirling in her head.

Su Bai and a girl she didn't know, in the room next door, were currently...

She covered her face, feeling the unnaturally high temperature of her palms.

She shouldn't think about this. It was none of her business.

Su Bai was an adult; it was normal for him to find a woman. She was just a roommate staying there; she had no right to interfere.

But how could he do that kind of thing here?

Sister Qian was right next door, and she was right next door too. How could he...

She rolled over again, burying her face in the pillow.

Still couldn't sleep.

She sat up and turned on the bedside lamp.

The warm yellow light illuminated the small room. An easel stood in the corner, with the unfinished draft from last time still clipped to the drawing board.

She got out of bed, walked to the easel, and sat down.

She twirled the pen in her hand twice, but hesitated to start.

She looked at the blank paper, but her mind was filled with the sounds she had just heard.

Her hand began to move.

Lines flowed from the tip of the pen, starting with the outline.

A man's back, broad shoulders, a narrow waist.

Then the setting: a bed, a window.

In front of the man was another silhouette, with soft body lines and long hair scattered across the pillow—a woman with a very good figure.

She drew with such focus that she didn't even realize what she was drawing.

The lines became smoother, the details clearer.

The posture of the man's arms propped on the bed, the curve of the woman's head tilted back.

Then, at the position of the door, she drew a figure—faint, semi-transparent, as if peeking.

After the final stroke, she put down the pen and looked at the image on the paper.

Her face burned intensely.

She stared at the drawing for a long time.

Then she reached out, took it off the drawing board, carefully folded it, and tucked it under the bottom of the drawer.

After finishing, she sat on the edge of the bed and took a breath.

Her body was hot, her heart was racing, and her lips were dry and sticky.

She glanced at the nightstand.

She hesitated for a few seconds before pulling open the bottom drawer.

She stared at the items inside for a long time.

Finally, she reached out and picked up that pink object.

Her finger rested on the switch; after a moment's hesitation, she pressed it.

"Buzz—"

She lay back on the bed and closed her eyes.

Her mind was still full of Su Bai.

Outside the window, the moon moved slowly, its light shining through the gap in the curtains and falling onto her slightly arched body.