Chapter 37: Sweet Reward

The bright moonlight reflected on the mirror-like lake surface, quietly mirroring the crescent moon in the sky.
Along the quiet path built by the lakeside, two figures appeared.

Yin Xuelian led Su Cheng forward slowly, her warm palm warming Su Cheng’s slightly cold fingertips.
Su Cheng quietly followed behind her; the scene before her made a long-sealed memory fragment clear.
In her previous life, Su Cheng walked ahead, and a shy Yin Xuelian walked behind.

She remembered it was their first moonlit stroll not long after they got together.
Back then, Yin Xuelian loved to smile and was easily shy.

Just holding hands on campus could make her beautiful face blush deeply.
Now, Yin Xuelian was walking ahead, but the girl who used to blush from holding hands was no longer shy.
They ambled to a pavilion, where they chose to rest.

“No one will disturb us here now, right?”
Yin Xuelian said as she kneaded Su Cheng’s soft, springy palm.
Su Cheng’s previously relaxed brows furrowed again: “Ow, Sister Lian, be gentler.”
After speaking, Yin Xuelian smiled faintly, her gentle tone sounding: “Sorry, I’m a little excited.”
Su Cheng gave her a side-eye: “Excited is one thing, but don’t use me as an outlet.”
‘Everyone’s using her as a punching bag now.’

“Haha, how could you be a tool?
You’re my Little Orange.”
“If you keep squeezing, Little Orange will turn into a rotten orange.”
Yin Xuelian laughed heartily, and the atmosphere relaxed.
But Yin Xuelian’s next sentence made Su Cheng uneasy.

“By the way, Little Orange, how did you get along with Junior Sister Lin?
Why were you two together tonight?”
Su Cheng’s heart instantly dropped with a “thud.”
What had to come would come.
She already had a counter-plan, and it was also somewhat truthful.

“Well, Shi… Class Monitor said she’d treat me to bubble tea, so we went to buy bubble tea together.
I didn’t expect to run into Sister Lian.”

“Is that so?”

“Of course, I didn’t lie to Sister Lian.”
Yin Xuelian’s searchlight-like eyes scrutinized Su Cheng.
Any subtle change would be caught by her; she would absolutely not let it slip.
Facing Yin Xuelian’s scrutiny, Su Cheng appeared very calm, her expression as serene as the lake water at this moment.
She was merely stating facts; there was no suspicion of lying at all.
If the truth could also be taken as a lie, then Su Cheng had no choice.
After all, she couldn’t possibly install a mind controller on Yin Xuelian, this wasn’t a game.

“Really?”

“Absolutely real.
If it’s false, I’ll jump into the lake right now.”
As soon as Su Cheng finished speaking, Yin Xuelian immediately picked her up and placed her on her lap, wrapping her arms around her, holding her tightly.
She was afraid Su Cheng would actually jump after saying that.

“No, that won’t do.
No matter what, you can’t jump in.”
Su Cheng twisted her body, trying to struggle out of Yin Xuelian’s embrace.

“Alright, I’m just kidding.
Sister Lian, let me go.”
Yin Xuelian narrowed her eyes slightly, resting her chin on Su Cheng’s shoulder.
Her soft, sweet voice made Su Cheng freeze: “No, the punishment is for you to let me hug you for a while.”

“Domineering…”
Subtle, warm breaths lightly brushed Su Cheng’s elegant neck.
Her jade-white collarbones appeared even fairer under the moonlight, and a shy blush subtly rose on the girl’s delicate face.
Su Cheng’s unique fragrance permeated the air, satisfying Yin Xuelian and making her lips curl up.
The last bit of displeasure in her heart vanished completely.
Yin Xuelian, calmly savoring the sweet girl, didn’t notice Su Cheng’s completely flushed face at all.
The tingling sensation on her neck, the softness from her back, plus Yin Xuelian’s warm body temperature, completely enveloped Su Cheng.
An inexpressible emotion made Su Cheng’s cheeks burn.

“Little Orange,” Yin Xuelian murmured softly, hugging Su Cheng tighter, her tone firm, “from now on, you can’t not answer my calls, and if you don’t answer, don’t even call me back.”
“I’ll be worried, you know?”
After speaking, Yin Xuelian’s eyes dimmed slightly, and a complex emotion welled up.
That complexity was mostly due to memories from her previous life.
She remembered that day, something urgent came up and she had to find Su Cheng, but Su Cheng’s phone couldn’t be reached for a long time.
Normally, Su Cheng would answer instantly.
But it was that unusual day, and by the time she finally found Su Cheng, it was too late.

“I know, it’s my fault for making Sister Lian worry.”
A crisp, bell-like sound pulled Yin Xuelian’s thoughts back from her memories.
At least now, she could genuinely feel the warmth and scent of the darling in her arms.
She didn’t want to repeat the same mistakes.
Although she still hadn’t figured out who the culprit was, at least she was now prepared to protect Su Cheng thoroughly.

“If you don’t answer my calls next time, I’ll have to keep you by my side, alright?”
Su Cheng let out a gasp: “Ah?
Then wouldn’t I be like Sister Lian’s little pet?
How can that be?”
Yin Xuelian chuckled: “Why not?
Isn’t being my pet good?
I’ll provide food and shelter.”
Su Cheng shook her head in denial: “No, I don’t want that.”
‘In that case, what’s the difference from imprisoning her?’

“By the way, Sister Lian, you ran back to school from outside.
Are you going to rush back outside for class tomorrow?”

“Yes, didn’t I run back tonight because I was worried about you?
Otherwise, I wouldn’t want to.”
“It’s an hour by car, you know.”
Su Cheng gave an awkward chuckle: “Then it’s really troubling Sister Lian, you’ve worked hard.”
Her internal guess was correct; not answering the phone indeed caused Yin Xuelian to come.
However, replying to her messages was utterly useless.
Worry was genuine, but Yin Xuelian was more concerned that her Su Cheng would be stolen by someone else.
She just happened to catch Lin Shiyue tonight, but who would it be next time?
Her Little Orange was too prone to attracting attention; it wasn’t a good thing.

“Don’t just talk about my hard work; aren’t you going to give me a reward?”

“What?
Still want a reward?”
Su Cheng’s eyes widened in surprise, her heart pounding.
She seemed to have already guessed what Yin Xuelian’s so-called reward was.

“Of course!
Big sister works so hard, I’m not easy either, boohoohoo.”
Her fake crying was very skillful, but Su Cheng didn’t fall for it.
Su Cheng sighed, turning to look at Yin Xuelian: “Then what reward does Sister Lian want?”

“Of course…”
Yin Xuelian’s words stopped abruptly.
Her slender fingertips rested on her fragrant cheek, her eyes filled with flirtation.
Su Cheng pouted, muttering softly: “Why another kiss… Can’t it be something else…”
Yin Xuelian responded to Su Cheng in an undeniable tone: “No, I’m the one who decides.”
Su Cheng sighed inwardly, grumbling to herself.
‘So you’ll die without a kiss, huh?’

“Without Little Orange’s kiss, I’ll be in an emo state…”

“Pfft!”
As if Yin Xuelian had heard her inner thoughts, Su Cheng almost spat out a mouthful of old blood.
‘She didn’t install a bug in my heart, did she?’

“Sister Lian, can you please not be like this?”

“No, kiss me quickly.”
Yin Xuelian pouted discontentedly, her spoiled behavior and cute appearance no different from her previous life.
‘I can’t do anything about you.’

“Alright, but it’s only a kiss on the cheek, no funny business, okay?”
Yin Xuelian’s eyes curved into crescents.
She turned Su Cheng’s body so they were face-to-face.

“Okay~ I promise.”
Even with Yin Xuelian’s promise, Su Cheng still felt a little uneasy in her heart.
A woman’s words, she could believe half of.
Yin Xuelian’s words, she could only believe a little.
Su Cheng, filled with nervousness, aimed at Yin Xuelian’s tender, fair cheek and slowly approached.
Until the last finger’s distance, Su Cheng gently closed her eyes, to alleviate the embarrassment of being too close.
But precisely because her eyes were closed, the unusually soft feeling on her lips was instantly recognizable.
That was absolutely not the temperature or softness a cheek should have!
Su Cheng opened her eyes in surprise, seeing Yin Xuelian’s triumphant smile.
She quickly pulled her head away from Yin Xuelian, and the beautiful face in her sight rapidly shrank.

“Dishonest!
You tricked me!”
Yin Xuelian, her eyes curved into crescents, hugged Su Cheng tightly, her irrepressible sweet smile full of joy.

“Clearly, Little Orange wanted to kiss me, but you won’t admit it.”

“You… you…”
Su Cheng was speechless.
Her red, pouting face, full of anger, was so adorable that Yin Xuelian could no longer suppress the urge in her heart.
One hand subtly moved to the back of Su Cheng’s head, continuously pressing closer to Su Cheng’s lips.

“Oh, well, a kiss is a kiss, what more is there to say?
But that was just a fleeting touch; it’s not enough.”

“Sister Lian, you big meanie… mmmph…”
Su Cheng wanted to escape, but she was trapped.
There was nowhere to escape, neither her lips nor her body.
The silent night was filled with an intoxicating fragrance.