Chapter 42: Taste

“Perhaps I should stay here to keep you company.”

Gu Xiya waved her hand, offering a reassuring smile that conveyed, “Don’t worry.”

“It’s fine, I’m truly fine. Didn’t the teacher say I should take the medicine and rest for a bit? You should head back quickly, or the instructors will punish you.”

“Then, alright.”

The two girls who had accompanied Gu Xiya ultimately couldn’t sway her; they closed the lounge door and departed.

Gu Xiya inwardly sighed in relief. Her gaze shifted to the adjacent bed, observing the white-haired girl lying there, then settled on Lin Shiyue.

“Um, hello, classmate.”

“Hello.”

Lin Shiyue gave a slight nod, her scrutinizing gaze fixed on Gu Xiya from the moment she had entered the room.

‘What was her reason for coming to the infirmary? Why did she happen to appear here precisely when Su Cheng had an incident?’

‘Could it all be a mere coincidence?’

‘Even winning the lottery wouldn’t be this coincidental.’

However, upon noticing Gu Xiya’s pale lips and face, which lacked the rosy, luminous glow she had possessed earlier, some of Lin Shiyue’s suspicions dissipated. It seemed the other party was indeed feeling unwell.

“What happened to student Su?” Gu Xiya leaned against the headboard, her voice soft with inquiry, her red eyes a blend of concern and fragility.

Lin Shiyue glanced at Su Cheng’s sleeping face before responding in a low tone, “She has low blood sugar and fainted.”

Gu Xiya first gasped in surprise, covering her mouth, her almond eyes widening before she spoke again. “Ah? She was perfectly fine just a moment ago; how could she suddenly faint?”

Lin Shiyue merely shrugged, finding no readily available answer.

“I’m not sure either, but what’s your situation, student Gu?”

“Um, my name is Gu Xiya.” Gu Xiya paused for a moment, her surprised expression softening slightly as she looked at Lin Shiyue. “Actually, I’ve been feeling a bit unwell. It started last night.”

“Speaking of which, it’s a good thing student Su helped me last night when I wasn’t feeling well; otherwise, I would have been in a terrible state.”

Lin Shiyue’s scrutinizing eyes narrowed slightly, and she let out a questioning breath.

“Oh? You two met last night?”

“Yes, last night when I had a stomach ache outside, she bought me water and gave me medicine, which truly saved me.” Gu Xiya recounted with heartfelt gratitude.

Lin Shiyue had been closely observing Gu Xiya, and from her expression, there were no significant points of suspicion.

“Um, I still don’t know your name, classmate.”

“Lin Shiyue.”

An utterly emotionless voice resonated through the lounge.

“So, you invited Su Cheng for breakfast this morning to thank her?”

Gu Xiya offered Lin Shiyue a faint smile, blinking softly as she murmured, “Yes, I had no other intentions.”

The subtle hint of hostility hidden in Lin Shiyue’s eyes vanished. She temporarily set aside her suspicions about Gu Xiya, now believing her to be a good person.

Gu Xiya settled onto the edge of the bed, her gaze tenderly fixed on Lin Shiyue, occasionally shifting to Su Cheng.

“I hope student Su recovers quickly.”

“She will, she definitely will.”

Lin Shiyue’s expression relaxed, but her phone suddenly vibrated in her pocket.

“–Teacher Sun, it’s me… Okay, I’ll be right there…–”

Although Gu Xiya hadn’t heard what the other person said, she could infer most of the conversation from Lin Shiyue’s brief responses.

Lin Shiyue put away her phone, her gaze turning serious as she looked at Gu Xiya. “My class teacher needs me for something. Student Gu, could you please help me look after Su Cheng? If she wakes up, ask her to give me a call.”

“Of course, you go do your thing. I’ll take good care of student Su.” Gu Xiya offered a reassuring smile and patted her chest.

Lin Shiyue nodded and departed. While she didn’t entirely trust Gu Xiya’s words, she reasoned that Gu Xiya wouldn’t, at the very least, harm Su Cheng.

****

The iron door opened and then closed, restoring the room to silence.

Gu Xiya drew the curtains around the bed, significantly dimming the light on Su Cheng’s face and imbuing the space with the ambiance of approaching dusk.

Suddenly, a heavy breath echoed in the tranquil air.

“Hiss… hehe…”

A pair of bright red pupils glowed faintly, staring intently at Su Cheng’s sleeping face, much like a predator fixating on its prey.

Slender, jade-like fingers gently caressed Su Cheng’s exquisite cheek, her fingertips now imbued with Su Cheng’s unique orange scent—a fragrance Gu Xiya could never forget once she had inhaled it.

The orange-scented fingertip touched her own cherry lips, gently rubbing them as if savoring a delicate flavor.

“Caught you… little darling…”

Gu Xiya’s voice was pressed incredibly low, a lover’s whisper steeped in a heart-pounding fervor.

She leaned down, bringing her face close to Su Cheng’s, greedily inhaling the fragrance that lingered around her, as if longing to draw that singular orange scent deep into her lungs and infuse it into her very bones.

In the dimness, the red glow in her eyes grew more demonic, like two burning rubies in the dark night, firmly locking onto the unsuspecting prey before her.

A strange flush spread across Gu Xiya’s cheeks, lending her exquisite, delicate face an unsettling beauty.

Her fingertips slowly glided down along Su Cheng’s elegant jawline, resting on her slender, snow-white swan neck, then continued to wander to her jade-like collarbone, finally coming to rest on her fragrant shoulder.

“Truly… a perfect scent.” She whispered, her tongue unconsciously licking her own equally vibrant and alluring lips, as if savoring a rare delicacy. “Just a faint whiff from afar last night… was enough to make me utterly restless.”

“I just didn’t expect to be able to… enjoy you exclusively… little darling… today.”

Her delicate voice, as faint as a mosquito’s buzz, received no response; it was all Gu Xiya’s fervent monologue.

Her gaze grew hazy and perilous, carrying an almost obsessive scrutiny as she meticulously traced Su Cheng’s sleeping face.

Her tightly closed eyelids, her delicate, upturned nose, each long, slender eyelash—all were etched into her mind.

In her sleep, Su Cheng innocently displayed a pure beauty, a beauty that, in Gu Xiya’s eyes, transformed into a fatal temptation.

Indeed, it would be more apt to compare her to a fruit ripe for the picking.

“My darling… I must savor you properly…”

Gu Xiya’s voice held a strange, honeyed sweetness, like poison coated in nectar.

Her breathing grew rapid, her body pressing even lower, the light in her red pupils almost scorching, her gaze wild with obsession as she targeted her prey.

Her rosy lips kissed the exposed swan neck, the scent, dozens of times more potent than before, accelerating Gu Xiya’s heartbeat.

Her pearly teeth gently grazed the girl’s skin, controlled with just the right amount of force, only devouring the enchanting fragrance without leaving any mark.

“Ah~ how utterly wonderful…”

Gu Xiya, sighing heavenward, revealed an eerie smile on her pretty face, the light in her red pupils growing even brighter, a blush like that of intoxication floating across her fragrant cheeks.

Though not wine, Su Cheng’s fragrance was akin to a peerless vintage that utterly intoxicated her soul.

Unable to control the surging excitement, she couldn’t help but tremble twice.

Lowering her head again, she scrutinized Su Cheng’s sleeping face, searching for her next delectable target.

Her gaze, like a searchlight, landed on those tender, cherry-red lips she had coveted since last night.

Gu Xiya had been anticipating this precise moment for a full four hundred and fifty minutes.

Su Cheng, still deep in unconsciousness, remained utterly unaware that her lips were about to be claimed.

“Hehe… little darling, here I come… let me savor your taste properly…”

Her slightly parted lips steadily drew closer to their target; Su Cheng, already her captive, had no chance of escape.

The closer she got, the more intensely sweet and intoxicating the scent became. Gu Xiya had never imagined that Su Cheng, in this life, would be born so deliciously fragrant and alluring.

Her heavy breathing drowned out the sound of her own heartbeat. With only a finger’s breadth separating her from those cherry lips, Gu Xiya slowly closed her eyes, holding her breath, determined to experience this unique delicacy with her entire being.

Two centimeters… one centimeter…

“Buzz, buzz, buzz…”

At that critical juncture, the phone placed beside Su Cheng’s pillow suddenly vibrated.

It abruptly shattered Gu Xiya’s pleasure.

Gu Xiya frowned deeply, slowly pulling away from Su Cheng’s cherry lips, glaring furiously at the buzzing phone, wishing she could smash it to pieces right then and there.

“Who the hell is it!”