Girl/Woman

"Alright then, get some rest." Seeing how exhausted Lin Wanning looked, Li Qingxue said with concern.

"Yeah, a good night's sleep, and we'll hit the baths together tomorrow," she replied in a half-teasing tone before hanging up the video call.

As the call ended, Lin Wanning placed her phone on the bedside table and turned over wearily.

Her frequent dance practice had given her a remarkably flexible body.

Stretching into a pose, the alluring curve of her hips could easily stir the imagination.

After finishing her stretches, the soreness in her muscles eased slightly.

Only then did she get up again to change out of her clothes.

Her skin was pale—not just her face, but her entire body was as smooth as jade, making the red marks on her skin stand out even more.

This body had completely molded itself to Long Aotian's touch.

Every mark was undeniable proof of that.

Hesitating over whether to wash away the traces, her mind wandered to the words Hu Yuying had spoken when showing her concern.

Lin Wanning sighed quietly to herself.

In the end, she was the one who had wronged Hu Yuying.

"If only... if only A-Ying could accept me..." Lin Wanning murmured softly.

But she knew it was just wishful thinking. Right now, she was like a rat hiding in the shadows...

She wasn’t greedy—she understood how important Hu Yuying was in Long Aotian’s heart.

No one could ever replace the little girl who held his heart.

"Actually, this is fine. At least Brother is slowly starting to accept me. Today’s... happiness is proof enough."

Thinking this, Lin Wanning felt a flicker of joy. As she had told herself, she wasn’t asking for much—just a little was enough to satisfy her.

She put on her pajamas, covering the lingering marks on her collarbone, then drew the curtains and settled into bed.

Her exhaustion, her drained energy, pulled her swiftly into sleep.

......

Perhaps she had been too worn out—she slept soundly through the night, not waking once until dawn.

Slowly opening her eyes, she found that the lingering soreness no longer hindered her.

Stretching, Lin Wanning picked up her phone from the edge of the pillow.

There were messages from Hu Yuying, Li Qingxue... and Long Aotian.

Her gaze lingered on Long Aotian’s text—just like the others, asking if she was alright.

She couldn’t help but laugh. "What’s wrong with me? Hu Yuying and Li Qingxue might not know, but you do, don’t you?"

No doubt, Hu Yuying had been worried and mentioned her condition to him.

And so, he had played along, pretending ignorance while sending the same concerned message as the others.

After stretching again, she began replying one by one.

She simply said she had been too tired the night before and had gone to bed early.

To Long Aotian, she sent just two emojis: 【Left Hmph】【Right Hmph】.

The playful, slightly sulky tone of the stickers suited the conversation without raising suspicion.

Around eight, Hu Yuying messaged her. They chatted for a while before Hu Yuying mentioned going out for breakfast with "Long-ge," ending their conversation.

It wasn’t until nine-thirty that she got a reply from the sleepyhead Li Qingxue.

After teasing her mercilessly for being a lazy pig, they set a time to meet for a meal and then a bath.

The bustling snack street was lively as ever.

The moment they met, Li Qingxue and Lin Wanning started playfully roughhousing.

Only after confirming Lin Wanning was truly fine did Li Qingxue drag her off to eat their way through the street—effectively combining breakfast and lunch in one go.

As they wandered, Li Qingxue’s sharp eyes caught sight of a stall selling vegetable seeds.

"Wanning, what kind of veggies do you like?" she asked, pointing at the seeds.

"What does that have to do with seeds?" Lin Wanning chuckled, pinching Li Qingxue’s cheeks.

"Of course it does!" Li Qingxue protested. "Long Aotian’s rented place has a pretty big yard, right?"

"Yuying’s planning to set aside a patch to grow vegetables."

Her voice took on a dreamy tone. "A little garden, a little world... it feels so idyllic."

Lin Wanning took a deep breath and gazed at the sky. "It’s nice."

Whatever A-Ying wanted to do, Brother would indulge her. How wonderful.

After a moment, Li Qingxue gave up—she realized she had no idea how to grow vegetables.

No telling if these seeds would even sprout if she bought them.

Better to just mooch off Hu Yuying’s future harvest.

"Let’s just go take a bath."

Lin Wanning couldn’t help but laugh at how quickly Li Qingxue’s thoughts jumped around.

But that was just her nature.

"You really love baths, don’t you?"

Li Qingxue grinned mysteriously. "I’ll tell you a secret."

"What secret?" Curiosity was a universal trait among girls, and even someone as composed as Lin Wanning couldn’t resist.

Leaning in, Li Qingxue whispered, "It’s a secret."

Lin Wanning blinked—then realized she’d been tricked.

Immediately, she went for Li Qingxue’s ticklish spots.

The truth was, Li Qingxue often saw Hu Yuying exercising in the mornings.

Her great figure came from discipline.

But since Li Qingxue couldn’t drag herself out of bed that early, she shifted her workouts to the evening.

Unlike the crisp morning air, evenings made her sweat more easily.

That was one reason she loved baths. The other? Purely personal preference.

In summer, everyone showered daily, regardless of gender.

But in colder months, habits varied—some bathed every three days, some weekly, some even monthly.

Once in their private room, they started filling the tub. As steam rose, they began undressing.

Overnight, the marks on Lin Wanning’s body had faded, leaving only faint traces near her collarbone.

Li Qingxue’s hair tie fell to the floor. As she bent to pick it up, she froze for a second when she looked up.

Then she turned to Lin Wanning with a puzzled expression.

Lin Wanning smirked. "What? Staring like that—don’t tell me you’re tempted to do something naughty with me?"

Li Qingxue snapped out of it and shook her head. The idea was thrilling, but... not the time.

"I’ll take the left side. You go right." She headed toward the left side of the tub.

But as she watched Lin Wanning’s back, her eyes drifted downward.

The teasing words she’d once said to Hu Yuying—about a girl becoming a woman—suddenly resurfaced in her mind...

【Please support me, hehe...】