Indulgence - Chapter 40
Chapter 40
The alcohol kicked in, making her whole body heat up. Now that they were embracing again, Jiang Nian felt like she was about to catch fire. She kept pressing her face into the crook of Yao Ran's neck, her exhaled breath just as scorching.
"Jiang Nian..."
Yao Ran let out a soft sigh.
"Hm?" Jiang Nian murmured, her arms tightening around Yao Ran's waist. It only felt right when their bodies were pressed tightly together. She continued to nuzzle Yao Ran's neck, clinging to her. She loved this scent so much. Her self-control was already poor, and now that she was drunk, she had no sense of subtlety.
Yao Ran bit her lip lightly, her own breathing growing ragged. Her palm found its way to Jiang Nian's face.
Jiang Nian obediently let Yao Ran cup her cheek. Without pausing for a second, she began to rub her hot cheek against Yao Ran's palm, unable to stay still.
Yao Ran had intended to make the person in her arms behave, but cupping her cheek like this only deepened the ambiguity between them.
Face to face, Jiang Nian stared at the person beneath her, her gaze also starting to burn.
Being stared at so directly, Yao Ran felt the heat shoot through her body, silently stirring up a parching thrill.
Although it had only been two nights, they had spent so much time entangled, tried so many things, that now, holding each other like this, a natural chemistry emerged.
Jiang Nian looked at Yao Ran's eyes through a hazy blur and asked hoarsely, "Do you want it?"
Late at night, this direct question made the air between them even hotter.
Yao Ran took a deep breath, suppressing the heat. She could see that Jiang Nian was completely drunk. She tried to pull Jiang Nian's arms from around her, forcing her voice to remain calm. "You're drunk. Stop messing around."
"I'm not drunk," Jiang Nian tightened her arms, not letting go. "I know you're Yao Ran."
Seeing her drunkenly trying to prove her sobriety, Yao Ran felt both helpless and amused. "Let go of me. I'm going to get some water."
"No. If I let go, you'll ignore me again."
Yao Ran felt a headache coming on and could only say softly, "I won't."
"I don't believe you. You clearly like being with me, but you keep avoiding me." Jiang Nian clung to her shamelessly. She couldn't help but say, "You dump me every time after we sleep together. You lead me on and then ignore me. Why are you like this?"
Yao Ran: "..."
"Do you just like sleeping with me?" Jiang Nian's tone was drunken yet serious. She spoke softly, her words tumbling out one after another, "I don't just want to sleep with you. I want something more..."
Hearing Jiang Nian's words, Yao Ran was silent for a long time.
Jiang Nian's head was still throbbing, and it became too painful to speak. She quietly pressed her forehead against Yao Ran's shoulder, motionless.
Yao Ran didn't push her away, just let her hold on. If Jiang Nian wasn't serious, if she was just playing around, she wouldn't have spoken with such grievance and sadness. In truth, when Jiang Nian said it was love at first sight, she hadn't believed her, thinking it was just a sweet-talker's line.
She was always used to thinking of things in the worst possible light.
"Yao Ran..."
"Hm?"
Jiang Nian looked at her. "My head hurts so much..."
Now she felt the headache. Seeing her pitiful state, Yao Ran just said softly, "Don't drink like this next time."
"Mm." Jiang Nian was slightly mesmerized, sinking into this tenderness.
Yao Ran looked at her, then reached out to massage her temples, which could help alleviate the headache a little.
Jiang Nian couldn't be bothered with her headache anymore, completely focused on watching Yao Ran gently massage her. The affection in her eyes grew more and more unrestrained.
Used to being subtle and reserved, Yao Ran wasn't accustomed to Jiang Nian's passionate, overt gaze. Seeing it, she said casually, "Close your eyes."
It was a somewhat unreasonable command.
Jiang Nian still stared at her. "Why?"
"Why do you keep staring at me?" Yao Ran's eyes darted away, but her fingertips continued to knead Jiang Nian's temples.
"I like you, so of course I'm always staring at you," Jiang Nian answered logically.
Yao Ran: "..."
Jiang Nian added with a lazy smile, "You're so beautiful. I could never get tired of looking at you."
Yao Ran was speechless for a moment before finally retorting with disdain, "Shameless. Rub them yourself."
"It hurts so much. Rub them for me a little longer," Jiang Nian hugged her waist. She wanted this intimate ambiguity to last a little longer.
Yao Ran couldn't win against her and had no choice but to let her be.
Having gotten her way, Jiang Nian gave Yao Ran a shameless grin, her gaze even more focused.
Yao Ran glanced at Jiang Nian. Her drunken smile was all the more pure and clear.
The massage felt good. After staring at Yao Ran for a while, Jiang Nian's eyelashes fluttered, and she gently closed her eyes.
The movement of Yao Ran's hands slowed. Her gaze lowered, quietly landing on Jiang Nian's face. Her eyelashes were long and curly; she was beautiful even without makeup.
Jiang Nian was different from what she had imagined. On the surface, she was a playful and savvy person, but upon getting to know her, she seemed a bit like a child, pure and sincere. She thought Jiang Nian must have grown up carefree, well-protected, without too many schemes or defenses against the outside world.
Seeing her asleep, Yao Ran started to get up, but the person beneath her hugged her again.
Jiang Nian murmured, "Don't go."
"I'm not going. I'm just getting some water."
"Mm." Jiang Nian was extremely thirsty now. She reluctantly let go of Yao Ran.
Only then did Yao Ran get up from the sofa.
Jiang Nian sullenly drank more than half a glass of water.
Yao Ran asked her, "Feeling better?"
Jiang Nian looked up at her. "No. I still feel sick. My chest is so tight."
"Rest for a while. You'll be fine after you get some sleep."
Jiang Nian got up from the sofa, looking as if she were about to fall over. Yao Ran asked, "What's wrong?"
"I'm going to take a shower. I reek of alcohol."
"Rest a bit before you do." Yao Ran stopped her. It would be troublesome if she fell in the bathroom.
After a short break, Jiang Nian couldn't stand it anymore and headed to the bathroom.
Yao Ran was worried and didn't leave, deciding to wait for Jiang Nian to finish her shower. She waited in the living room, concerned about the situation in the bathroom.
Nearly twenty minutes passed. A muffled voice came from the bathroom, "Yao Ran..."
Yao Ran walked to the door. "What is it now?"
"I didn't grab my pajamas. Can you get them for me? They're in the closet in the bedroom..."
Taking a shower without getting her clothes first. She was so much trouble. Yao Ran had no choice but to go to the master bedroom to find her pajamas.
The master bedroom had a wall-to-wall closet filled with clothes. After a brief search, Yao Ran found the cabinet where pajamas and underwear were stored.
All sorts of slip dresses. Yao Ran glanced down and saw that even the bras and panties came in a wide variety of styles. This woman was really... Her face burned slightly. She averted her gaze and, steeling herself, picked out a nightdress with a relatively decent amount of fabric.
"I've got it."
"Mm." Jiang Nian opened the door a crack.
Yao Ran saw Jiang Nian's fair, slender arm reach out, bare and covered in crystal-clear water droplets. She quickly handed over the nightdress.
Jiang Nian spent over half an hour in the bathroom before finally coming out in her pajamas. The steam had left her skin with a faint rosy glow.
Seeing her come out, Yao Ran said, "I'm leaving."
Jiang Nian glanced at the time and said in a daze, "It's late. Don't go. You drank too. I'm not comfortable with you going back alone."
Yao Ran found her amusing. Who was worried about whom? She was about to say "It's fine," when she saw Jiang Nian accidentally trip over Si Mao by her feet.
Si Mao yelped, and Jiang Nian nearly lost her balance. If Yao Ran hadn't caught her quickly, she would have hit the floor in the next second.
"Don't go."
Yao Ran thought for a moment. She was still a little worried about leaving her alone. After all, she had gotten this drunk blocking drinks for her...
The night deepened.
After a quick shower, Yao Ran came out to find Jiang Nian dozing on the sofa. It was still early summer, and the nights were a bit cool. She walked over and woke her up. "Don't sleep on the sofa."
Jiang Nian frowned and opened her eyes, rubbing her forehead as she sat up.
Yao Ran saw that her hair was still wet. "You haven't dried your hair."
Jiang Nian muttered, "I forgot."
She had been in a daze all night. Jiang Nian stood in front of the bathroom mirror with a hairdryer, blowing her hair haphazardly. Yao Ran really couldn't stand to watch. She walked up behind her, took the hairdryer from her hand, and started to dry it for her, wanting to get it done quickly.
After an hour's rest, Jiang Nian had sobered up quite a bit. But she let Yao Ran dry her hair, quietly enjoying the care of the person she liked.
Neither of them spoke. The hairdryer hummed, and their gazes occasionally met in the mirror.
Yao Ran was particularly gentle when taking care of her tonight. She had never seen her treat anyone else like this. Jiang Nian stared at the mirror, lost in thought again.
Yao Ran saw that her long, curly hair was now fluffy and fresh. "All done."
Just then, Jiang Nian turned around, her face coming close to the other's. Without a word, in the next moment, she familiarly wrapped her arms around the person in front of her.
They had both just showered and carried the same scent of body wash. Embracing like this, there was no sense of distance.
It was a very light embrace, without any restlessness. After a moment of stunned silence, Yao Ran asked in a low voice, "Still feeling sick?"
"Mm." Under the pretext of being drunk, Jiang Nian pushed her luck, hugging her a little tighter.
In fact, she had been pushing her luck with Yao Ran all night. For every bit of concern Yao Ran showed her, she wanted two in return.
And Yao Ran had indulged her all night.
In the quiet, small space, the two held each other again.
Yao Ran lowered her eyes. Their body heat mingled. This wasn't the tightest they had ever held each other, yet it felt the most intimate.
Jiang Nian's heart felt both sweet and sour. They were always fluctuating between close and distant, sometimes as passionate as lovers, other times as reserved as strangers. This elusive feeling was painful. Although Yao Ran wasn't avoiding her now, she was afraid that one day, Yao Ran would end their ambiguity with a simple "Calm down."
She wanted more certainty...
Jiang Nian gently hugged Yao Ran's waist, staring into her eyes from inches away. She asked, her voice full of grievance and seriousness, "Let me pursue you, okay?"
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