Alright, alright, I'll be gentler next time, okay

"Strange, why is sister so tired today? She didn’t even wake up no matter how much we called her." Lin Wanning said while eating breakfast.

Hearing this, Li Qingxue leaned over the bed and gently poked Hu Yuying’s cheek with her finger. Suddenly, she let out a soft laugh. "Yuying’s cheek is so fun to poke, so soft! Want to try?"

"Really?" Lin Wanning leaned over from the other side and also poked Hu Yuying’s cheek. Then, she raised her eyes to meet Li Qingxue’s amused gaze and couldn’t help but giggle, quickly covering her mouth. "It really is!"

In her sleep, Hu Yuying faintly felt someone playing with her face, so she gently brushed her cheek and murmured softly, "Long-ge, I still want to sleep..."

Two stifled laughs burst out.

Li Qingxue glanced at Lin Wanning, then put on a playful voice. "If you don’t get up, we’ll have to spank your little bottom~"

Lin Wanning, playing along, gave Hu Yuying’s perky rear a teasing pinch.

"Mmm~" A seductive, honeyed moan escaped Hu Yuying’s lips, melting even the hardest of bones.

Already sensitive from last night’s exhaustion, the slightest touch sent a flush of pink blooming across her cheeks.

Even as women themselves, Li Qingxue and Lin Wanning couldn’t help but stare.

Her allure seemed embedded in her very bones—her body like a key, unlocking waves of temptation with the lightest touch.

This version of Hu Yuying was irresistible. Right now, even Li Qingxue and Lin Wanning couldn’t resist the urge to tease her mercilessly.

And as they thought it, their hands acted on it.

Hu Yuying, feeling two mischievous hands groping her chest, drowsily opened her eyes—only to see Li Qingxue and Lin Wanning sitting on either side of her, grinning.

"What are you two doing?" Swatting their hands away, Hu Yuying sat up and stretched luxuriously.

Tossing her hair up in a loose bun, she exuded a mature, captivating charm—a kind of effortless grace that was hard to put into words.

At least, back when she was still just a girl, she had never carried this kind of aura.

Li Qingxue’s gaze unconsciously drifted to Lin Wanning.

Though subtle, even she had changed a little.

Lin Wanning moved behind Hu Yuying, her slender hands gently kneading Hu Yuying’s back and shoulders before sliding down to her waist. Leaning in, she whispered by her ear, "I got up to drink water last night... but I didn’t see you, sister."

Hu Yuying’s ears instantly reddened. She glanced up at Lin Wanning. "I have a big lecture today!"

Stretching again, she sighed. Sometimes, no matter how willing the spirit, the flesh was weak. That man’s stamina was inhuman—even after all this time, she still struggled to keep up.

"Want me to massage your waist, sister?" Lin Wanning chuckled, already knowing she’d been thoroughly worn out.

Lifting Hu Yuying’s shirt, faint red marks from last night’s grip came into view.

Hu Yuying squirmed slightly. "No need..."

Too embarrassing.

Heading downstairs, Hu Yuying still felt a little uneasy and decided to call Long Aotian to check if he was awake.

Luckily, the call connected after just three rings.

"Good morning, my little girl." A deep, lazy voice, thick with satisfaction, came through the phone.

Hu Yuying hung up without a word. That bastard Long-ge—how could he still have so much energy after all that training at school?!

"Why don’t you go home and check on him?"

They’d booked a room near home, so it wasn’t far. It wouldn’t take long to go back.

"No way." Hu Yuying pouted, remembering how he hadn’t stopped last night even when she begged. So infuriating! She should’ve spanked him harder this morning.

Seeing Hu Yuying’s aggrieved expression at the mention of Long Aotian, Li Qingxue couldn’t help but laugh. She unwrapped her scarf and draped it around Hu Yuying’s neck. "Alright, I’ll help you punish Long Aotian next time!"

Hearing this, Hu Yuying’s resentment eased a little. "Winter Solstice is in three days. Come home then, and I’ll make dumplings for you."

"Deal! We’ll come early to help," the two said in unison. "And we won’t let him have any."

Hu Yuying pressed her lips together but didn’t agree. Long-ge wasn’t that bad... maybe just a little less for him.

"Oho~ Look at that! We didn’t even say we’d ban him, and sister’s already reluctant." Lin Wanning teased.

"N-no, that’s not..." Hu Yuying fumbled. "At most... he can have a little less..."

"See? Every woman spoils her own man." Li Qingxue laughed.

Hu Yuying had never been much of a talker. Even now, she was no match for these two. Flustered, she resorted to tickling them.

Laughing and shoving, the three dashed into the subway entrance.

"I’m getting off here." Lin Wanning turned to Hu Yuying and Li Qingxue. "Let’s meet up another day."

Exiting the station, Lin Wanning walked toward the music conservatory, tucking her chin into her scarf. The cold was biting today. Gazing up at the overcast sky, she murmured, "I wonder when it’ll snow..."

She loved rainy and snowy days—something about them made her feel at peace.

But this gloomy weather wasn’t bad either.

Sniffling slightly, she quickened her steps.

......

"Heh, last night’s rock-paper-scissors—I won an extra round. Fair and square, why so grumpy?" Ye Liangchen smirked at Xue Shaohua’s sulky expression.

"You were slower on purpose!" Xue Shaohua glared.

Three rounds—one each would’ve been fair. But Ye Liangchen had deliberately delayed his move, cheating him out of an extra turn!

"Alright, alright, next time I’ll go easier, okay?" Ye Liangchen knew he’d played dirty and could only placate him.

Just then, he spotted a figure approaching in the distance.

His smile froze.

Xue Shaohua, waiting for Ye Liangchen to sweet-talk him, noticed his sudden stillness. Following his gaze, he saw a tall, elegant woman.

Half her face was hidden behind a scarf, but it only accentuated her beauty—cold, untouchable, like a snow lotus blooming atop an icy peak.

Lin Wanning. Xue Shaohua had seen her before. That ethereal aura wasn’t something you forgot.

Ye Liangchen chuckled lowly, then confidently tossed his hair.

Three times, he’d come to the conservatory with lyrics, hoping to bump into her—never once succeeding.

Yet last night, on a whim, he’d booked a room nearby... and here she was, the one he’d longed to meet but never could.