286: Chapter 286 My Turn

Li Ran's face flushed slightly, but she did not refuse.

She looked at Qin Lin; her eyes held shyness, anticipation, and a sense of calm that she had already let go.

She reached out, hooked her arms around Qin Lin's neck, and leaned in.

Qin Lin felt her lips press against his—soft, warm, and trembling slightly.

Her hands slid from his neck to his shoulders, her fingertips applying slight pressure.

Su Yuling watched from the side, her eyes bright, the corners of her mouth curled up.

The two kissed for a moment before separating.

Li Ran leaned against Qin Lin's shoulder, panting, her face flushed, but the corners of her mouth were turned up.

Su Yuling leaned in: "Mom, you look so beautiful."

Li Ran glared at her but said nothing, simply resting her head on Qin Lin's shoulder and closing her eyes.

Su Yuling looked at Qin Lin again, tilting her head, her eyes shining.

"My turn."

Qin Lin looked at her; Su Yuling's eyes were bright under the light, like two stars.

She leaned in and kissed his lips—not lingering like Li Ran's, but quick and light, like a butterfly pausing on a petal.

Then she buried her face in Qin Lin's chest, her voice muffled and filled with joy: "So happy."

Qin Lin reached out to wrap his arm around her shoulders, his other hand clasping Li Ran's.

The light was dim and yellow, and the starlit sky outside projected faint points of light into the room, like a galaxy flowing across the ceiling.

It was unclear who moved first; perhaps it was Su Yuling, perhaps Li Ran, or perhaps himself.

The room was very quiet, with only the sound of breathing and the occasional rustle of fabric.

The star map projected on the ceiling slowly rotated, star after star moving across the top, as if witnessing everything.

"Mom, you look so beautiful when you're shy."

Li Ran glared at her, but there was no anger in her eyes, only shyness and indulgence.

Su Yuling pressed her face against Qin Lin's chest, her voice smiling: "Cover up with the quilt."

The quilt was pulled up, wrapping the three of them together.

Beneath the quilt, Li Ran's hand rested on Qin Lin's waist, and Su Yuling's leg rested on his; the three of them were like three puzzle pieces, fitting together perfectly.

The star map on the ceiling continued to rotate, the points of light slowly moving across the room, from the head of the bed to the foot, from the wall to the floor.

Moonlight leaked in through the gaps in the curtains, mixing with the starlight, indistinguishable from one another.

The night grew deep, and only the sound of steady breathing remained in the room.

"Alright, now we can sleep."

She said, her tone filled with the triumph of a successful prank.

Qin Lin and Li Ran exchanged a look and both smiled.

The lights dimmed, leaving only that small patch of dim yellow halo at the head of the bed.

Su Yuling's breathing slowly became steady, but she was not asleep.

Her fingers moved slightly in Qin Lin's palm.

After a long time, Li Ran's breathing also became steady.

Su Yuling sat up gently, glanced at Li Ran, confirmed she was asleep, then lowered her head to whisper in Qin Lin's ear: "Brother Qin Lin, Mom is tired and has fallen asleep."

Qin Lin looked at her: "And then?"

Su Yuling blinked: "Then... we continue."

Qin Lin reached out and pulled her into his arms.

Su Yuling smiled, looking like a little kitten that had stolen a fish.

The next morning, Qin Lin was woken up by the sunlight.

To be precise, it was the projected "sunlight."

The The Ark's lighting System simulated sunrise at six in the morning, the light going from dark to bright, simulating it so realistically that sometimes people would forget it wasn't the real sun.

He opened his eyes; Su Yuling and Li Ran were no longer beside him.

The bed was neatly made, the quilt folded and placed at the foot of the bed, the pillows straightened, and the faint scent of flowers from last night still lingered in the room.

On the bedside table sat a glass of warm water, with a note pressed under it in Su Yuling's handwriting: "We went to the Flower Garden; remember to drink the water I poured for you. Also, breakfast is in the kitchen, made by Aunt Qing."

Qin Lin smiled, picked up the glass, and took a sip; it was warm, just right.

He got up, washed, changed his clothes, and walked out of Room 000.

In the corridor, a woman walked down from the stairs.

She was wearing a black bodysuit that wrapped from her neck to her ankles, outlining her figure perfectly.

The material of the garment was unknown; under the light, it shimmered with a faint luster, like a thin layer of mercury covering her body.

Her waist was slim, her chest firm, and her hip line rounded, but overall she was a size slimmer than Li Ran—not of the voluptuous type, but with lean, powerful lines, like a leopard quietly lurking.

Unlike Li Ran's full, soft lines, Han Qing's lines were sharper, like a carefully honed blade.

Her waist was slim, but her hip line was high; her shoulders were narrow, but there were slight muscle lines on her arms.

Her hair was tied into a high ponytail, revealing her slender neck and delicate collarbone.

It was Han Qing.

Qin Lin was stunned for a moment: This didn't seem like her style.

On the RV, she mostly wore loungewear and a doctor's white coat, and occasionally when she wore a dress, it was a loose style.

Today's outfit, how to describe it—it was as if she were trying to seduce someone.

Han Qing also saw him and paused in her steps.

Her gaze swept across his face, from top to bottom, then from bottom to top, finally resting on his eyes for a second before looking away.

"Hmph."

A single word, emitted from her nasal cavity—not light, not heavy, but with full lethality.

Then she swayed her waist and walked away.

Not towards the kitchen, but towards the rear cabin of the The Ark.

That led to the Ecological Plantation.

Her pace was neither fast nor slow, the sway of her waist a little wider than usual, the black bodysuit shimmering with flowing light under the lamps.

Qin Lin stood in the corridor, watching her walk further and further away.

Hmph?

What did that mean?

He stood where he was, watching Han Qing's back disappear around the corner of the stairs.

The black bodysuit flashed at the corner and then vanished.

Qin Lin stood on the stairs, his mind turning three corners, and then he understood.

Life Qi.

He sighed helplessly.

Before he went to Room 000 last night, he forgot to tell her; she probably waited for him for a long time last night.

Waited all night.

Han Qing was a person whose way of Life Qi was different from others.

Li Ying's Life Qi would make her say it directly; Su Yuling wouldn't be in a state of Life Qi but would just become quiet; when Li Ran was in a state of Life Qi, she would have red eyes and not speak; when Su Yuran was in a state of Life Qi, she would smile more gently, but that smile would make one's hair stand on end.

Han Qing's way of Life Qi was to hmph, roll her eyes, or say nothing at all, then walk away with a sway of her waist, leaving you to figure out what you did wrong yourself.

Qin Lin shook his head and followed.

The Ecological Plantation was on the north side of the first floor of the The Ark; after the upgrade, it had expanded by nearly double, with a newly added climate simulation zone.

When Qin Lin walked in, Han Qing was standing in front of the tomato trellis, holding a small watering can and watering the tomatoes.

Her profile was sharp under the simulated sunlight, her eyelashes curled, and her lips pursed.

She heard footsteps but didn't turn back, continuing to water, and deliberately doing it very slowly, watering each plant for a long time, as if she were doing something very important.

Qin Lin walked behind her, stood still, and said nothing.

Han Qing still didn't turn back, the watering can in her hand swaying, the sound of water droplets on the leaves very clear in the quiet Ecological Plantation.

The silence lasted for about half a minute.

Qin Lin reached out, his palm landing on her left buttock.

It was neither light nor heavy, but it wasn't just a light pat either.

The pressure was just enough for his palm to feel the elasticity through the fabric, and just enough to make her body tremble violently.