Chapter 24: Punishment: Live Happily Ever After

Su Cheng slumped softly in Yin Xuelian’s embrace.
Her rapid, warm breaths wafted across the snow-white skin of Yin Xuelian’s neck, bringing a subtle tickle.
Her cheeks were burning hot, and her ears were so red they looked like they could drip blood.
The soft sensation of Yin Xuelian’s lips still lingered on her own, and that faint floral scent mixed with it repeatedly washed over her nerves.

“Sister… Sister Lian…”
Su Cheng’s voice was hoarse, tinged with the breathlessness of being kissed.
She didn’t even dare to look up at Yin Xuelian’s expression at that moment.
Yin Xuelian didn’t immediately let go of her; instead, she tightened the arms around Su Cheng’s waist, resting her chin gently on Su Cheng’s soft white hair, letting out a satisfied, prolonged sigh.
That sigh contained too many emotions that Su Cheng couldn’t fully comprehend at that moment.
There was the preciousness of something lost and found, the deep-seated pain buried in her heart, and a possessiveness that bordered on obsession.

“Did I scare you?”
Yin Xuelian’s voice was low, with a hint of tension that was hard to detect.
The action just now was a desperate gamble, and also an outpouring of Yin Xuelian’s surging emotions.
Su Cheng didn’t answer, merely continued to lean against her.
That kiss just now was domineering, carrying a force that felt like it could suck out her very soul.
This feeling was so unfamiliar, yet…
Familiar.

It was as if, in some forgotten corner, someone had once kissed her with such abandon.
The scene of her falling in a pool of blood uncontrollably flashed through her mind again, the desperate tears of the pink-haired girl seemingly still burning hot.
‘Lian’er…’

Su Cheng’s heart once again called out Yin Xuelian’s pet name.
Although they had ultimately parted ways in their previous life, Su Cheng had never changed the address “Lian’er” after their breakup.
But now, she seemed to lack the courage to utter that name again, for she knew that once it was spoken, everything would spiral out of control.

Su Cheng didn’t want to hurt Yin Xuelian again.
The harm done to her in the previous life was already enough; now, she just wanted to be a good white-haired person, even if it meant hiding the fact that she was a reborn individual.

“Sister Lian, I… how should I respond to you?”
Yin Xuelian keenly sensed the slight tremble of the darling in her arms.
She pulled back a little, cupping Su Cheng’s small face, which was still flushed and tinged with alarm.

“Little Orange, look at me.”
Yin Xuelian’s voice calmed down, no longer as forceful as before, but carrying a sincerity that penetrated the heart.
Su Cheng was forced to lift her eyes, meeting Yin Xuelian’s deep gaze, which was like a black hole, making her unable to look away.

The emotions surging within them startled her with their complexity.
There was an unmelting tenderness, accumulated sorrow, an undeniable firmness, and a fragile vulnerability that made her heart tremble and feel on the verge of breaking.

Su Cheng’s heartbeat suddenly went out of sync.
She knew that whether she was the reborn Su Cheng or not, Yin Xuelian treated her as the Su Cheng from their previous life.
The sorrow-stricken face of the pink-haired girl, and Yin Xuelian’s beautiful yet pained face before her, were slowly overlapping.

“You don’t have to answer me right away, but you just need to know that I can’t lose you again.”
Yin Xuelian’s eyes were slightly red, her voice choked.
After a heavy sniffle, hot tears uncontrollably streamed down her cheeks, dripping onto Su Cheng’s neck, scalding her and making her body tremble.

The hidden guilt and pain could no longer be concealed, gushing forth torrentially.

“It’s my fault… I failed to protect you, letting you get so badly hurt… and finally letting you leave me…”
Su Cheng’s gaze was blank, and mist quietly clouded her eyes.

“I’m sorry… I’m sorry…”
Yin Xuelian hugged Su Cheng tightly again, her burning hot tears heavily falling onto Su Cheng.
This sudden breakdown and torrent of tears completely broke through Su Cheng’s defenses, as if threatening to drown her.

She could clearly feel Yin Xuelian’s body trembling, feel the regret contained within those scalding tears that threatened to overwhelm her.
This wasn’t acting, wasn’t a test; it was an unhealed wound deep within a soul, bleeding profusely.

“Sister… Sister Lian, don’t cry anymore, I want to cry too, wahhh…”
Su Cheng’s heart felt as if it were tightly squeezed by an invisible hand; the suffocating pain could only escape as hot tears.

Yin Xuelian was thrown into a state of bewilderment by Su Cheng’s sudden crying fit; the hot tears that had been flowing a second ago slowly stopped.
Compared to her own crying, Su Cheng’s crying made Yin Xuelian even more unable to bear it.

She gently released Su Cheng’s body, bringing her face into view.
Both of them were crying, tears streaming down their faces like pear blossoms after rain, but Yin Xuelian managed to force out a faint smile.
Crying Su Cheng looked adorable too.

“I won’t cry, I won’t cry anymore, Little Orange, don’t cry, or you’ll turn into an ugly monster.”
Su Cheng was genuinely startled by her words, quickly raising her hands to wipe away the tears from her eyes and cheeks, muttering, “I don’t want to turn into an ugly monster, Sister Lian is the ugly monster, her makeup’s all smudged.”

“But I’m not wearing makeup, silly.”
Yin Xuelian maintained her smile, her face streaked with tears, and she raised a hand to playfully flick Su Cheng’s nose.
Su Cheng suddenly buried her face in Yin Xuelian’s shoulder, wiping the tears from her face on Yin Xuelian’s clothes.
When she looked up again, most of the tear stains had disappeared.

“It’s all Sister Lian’s fault for saying such sad things.”
Yin Xuelian quickly offered a conciliatory smile, her eyes, not yet entirely free of mist, blinked twice, looking at Su Cheng’s face more clearly.

“I’m sorry… I’m really sorry, I just remembered something sad.”
No sooner had Yin Xuelian spoken than the light in her eyes dimmed again.
The next second, the warm touch on her cheek made her feel the girl’s temperature.
Su Cheng’s burning gaze fixed on Yin Xuelian, her expression showing a third of annoyance.

“You’re not allowed to think about those sad things anymore; we always have to look forward, right?”
“Although I don’t know what Sister Lian has experienced before, I do know that people can’t always dwell in the past.”
“You have to come out, stomp all the unhappiness and sadness of the past into the ground, and walk forward happily and joyfully.”
“Hear hear!”
Yin Xuelian’s eyes, washed by tears, lit up with Su Cheng’s words, shining astonishingly bright.

“Clap, clap, clap… Well said!”
After clapping, Yin Xuelian dotingly stroked Su Cheng’s head. Su Cheng’s words hit exactly the right spot to comfort her.
Although she wasn’t sure if the Su Cheng in front of her was the reborn her, at least there was still hope.
At least, Su Cheng had said “Lian’er” twice before.

“Stop touching, my hair’s going to get messy, silly Sister Lian.”
Su Cheng tugged at Yin Xuelian’s incredibly delicate face as if it were a rubber ball, but she didn’t dare to use too much force.
If the campus belle’s skin ripped, she might be forced to marry her.

“Ow, Little Orange, be gentle.”
Upon hearing this, Su Cheng pinched Yin Xuelian’s cheek again before letting go and breaking free from Yin Xuelian’s embrace.
Rubbing her cheek, which Su Cheng had pinched, Yin Xuelian didn’t scold her, nor did she show any anger.

“Hmph, it’s all Sister Lian’s fault for kissing me and making me cry.”
Su Cheng crossed her arms over her chest, pretending to admonish Yin Xuelian.
Yin Xuelian sat up straight, cooperating with Su Cheng’s act, her interested eyes blinking.

“Then how will Little Orange punish me?”
Su Cheng was well-prepared for Yin Xuelian’s question; this was also part of her plan.

“My punishment is very simple.”

“Oh? How simple?” Yin Xuelian’s curious eyes sparkled.
Su Cheng cleared her throat twice, her serious and firm tone leaving a deep impression on Yin Xuelian.

“It’s this: from now on, you’re not allowed to cry. You have to live happily and joyfully.”
Yin Xuelian: “???”
Yin Xuelian tilted her head, unable to figure out the answer, and could only ask Su Cheng for help: “What does ‘live happily and joyfully’ mean? Explain it to me.”
Su Cheng, however, deliberately refused to explain, putting on her cap.

“I won’t explain. Sister Lian, you think about it yourself. I’m going to military training now.”

“Don’t rush, I don’t understand your punishment condition!”

“Think about it yourself, silly senior.”
Su Cheng zipped off towards the drill ground, leaving Yin Xuelian sitting there, stunned.
After pondering for a long time, Yin Xuelian found some clues, and a mischievous smile suddenly appeared on her face.

“Live happily and joyfully, huh? Then you’ll definitely have to be with me…”