In the Midst of Distraction (21)

In a momentary lapse of attention, An Xiaowei leaned forward, bracing herself on Ning Moqing's knees. She tilted her head slightly, gazing at Ning Moqing's slender, swan-like neck, its jade-like glow reflecting in her beautiful eyes.

An Xiaowei blinked softly.

Ning Moqing looked down at An Xiaowei, taking in the girl's delicate features, as tender as gardenia petals, her soft cotton dress still half-tangled in the bedsheets.

An Xiaowei inched closer. Ning Moqing frowned, instinctively shifting back until her spine pressed against the wardrobe door.

The other girl's breath grew heavier, warm against the fine hairs on Ning Moqing's face. Before she could react, An Xiaowei closed the distance and kissed her.

An Xiaowei wrapped her arms around Ning Moqing's neck, her exhales sending tingling waves across Ning Moqing's skin.

Pinned against the wardrobe, Ning Moqing had no choice but to submit as An Xiaowei's fingers brushed her shoulders.

"Moqing-jie."

Her voice came out strained, almost coquettish—a tone she herself couldn’t believe.

Sticky, saccharine, like freshly made malt sugar.

Ning Moqing meant to push her away, but their proximity left her unbalanced, and An Xiaowei nearly tumbled to the floor.

Ning Moqing caught her.

"Go to sleep properly," Ning Moqing said, stuffing An Xiaowei back under the covers. The girl flailed an arm out, but before she could resist, she was swallowed by the blankets.

Watching An Xiaowei’s flushed cheeks, Ning Moqing felt, for the first time, the intoxicating pull of temptation.

Indescribable. A strange illusion, almost.

In a daze, she lowered her head…

An Xiaowei clung to her, tears of bittersweet pain welling in her eyes.

Her heart refused to obey as she stared at Ning Moqing, as if this woman were her sole salvation in life.

The curtains had been drawn all day, plunging them into an abyss of darkness, their intoxication dreamlike and surreal.

Hazy and inexplicable—An Xiaowei only remembered how things spiraled out of control, her shallow breaths stolen away. She could smell the floral scent clinging to Ning Moqing, and later, it clung to her too.

She drifted into unconsciousness.

An Xiaowei was utterly spent, craving nothing but closeness to Ning Moqing.

Ning Moqing pressed her into the sheets, kissing her deeply. An Xiaowei lowered her lashes, too shy to meet her gaze, though the moment felt undeniably right.

Her cotton dress slipped off the bed, her delicate hands limp at the edges, her fair neck marred with marks. The room echoed with sounds too indecent to name.

Beads of sweat rolled from An Xiaowei’s skin onto the sheets.

Unspeakable.

She didn’t even remember falling asleep.

Ning Moqing, however, was haunted by nightmares.

In her dream, she returned home to find a youth in a blue robe standing at the gate, sword in hand. His smile was gentle, his demeanor warm.

"Liu'er, I must leave."

"Gu Wei, but I—"

"If I don’t go, the Gu family won’t survive. This is my life-saving charm. My master said it will take you to safety if you’re ever in danger." He pressed the charm into Liu'er’s small hands.

The image blurred—when it cleared, the youth shielded a three-year-old boy behind him.

"This is the last of the Gu bloodline. I must keep him alive. My life is yours."

Later, the youth died.

Without ever committing a single sin.

Ning Moqing jolted awake, rubbing her throbbing temples. She glanced down at her right hand, fingertips stained with dried blood.

She staggered to the bathroom, scrubbing the traces away under running water.

Her hands ached—after all, she was a woman, and ensuring An Xiaowei’s condition subsided had taken effort.

The sound of running water roused An Xiaowei from her dreams. Night had fallen, pale moonlight and streetlight seeping through the curtains, but the world outside was quiet.

Hiss—

What happened?

Though the effects had worn off, moving was still a struggle. Only when she collapsed back onto the pillow did the full weight of events crash down on her.

Her body felt leaden, her fingers weak—even lifting a bowl of rice seemed impossible.

Her eyes brimmed with confusion and distress, her small face streaked with dried tears.

All because of Ning Moqing…

Her hair tumbled forward, concealing some of the marks, but the evidence on her neck remained unmistakable.

An Xiaowei bit her lower lip, an unfamiliar shyness creeping into her bones.

And a flicker of anger.

She’d been drugged, not stupid—Ning Moqing hadn’t intended this. She was the one who’d initiated it, who’d wrapped her arms around Ning Moqing’s neck and kissed her.

The memory made her snatch her clothes from the floor.

"I’m going home," she told Ning Moqing.

Ning Moqing turned off the faucet, eyeing the row of bite marks An Xiaowei had left on her collarbone. Her voice was flat.

"Mm. I’ll take you."

An Xiaowei winced as she pulled on her dress, gathering the rest of her clothes from the wardrobe.

The last day here, and so much had gone wrong.

She couldn’t even bring herself to look at Ning Moqing. When she spotted the bloodstains on the sheets, her emotions churned too violently to name.

Now she was truly tainted.

Wuwuwu.

She wanted to sob to Si, but lately, Si had been unusually quiet, barely making an appearance.

Ning Moqing soon ushered An Xiaowei out the door.

"How are you feeling?" Ning Moqing asked as they got into the car.

"Fine. Not great," An Xiaowei muttered, shaking her head.

Ning Moqing drove in silence.

"Si, help! What do I do? Wuwu, I’m crying here, folks," An Xiaowei whined, staring out the window.

Si: ??

"She’s not that kind of person."

"How would you know? Are you close with her?" An Xiaowei huffed.

"Of course not," Si replied, sounding exhausted.

She’d just woken up, drowsy, her eyelids heavy.

"What’ve you been up to? You sound drained," An Xiaowei asked, puzzled.

"Nothing. Just… unexpected developments." Si cleared her throat.

"Were you with a man? Who?" An Xiaowei perked up, curiosity piqued.

"Who else would I be with? You." Si shut her mouth after that.

An Xiaowei: ???

If it weren’t Ning Moqing who’d done it, she’d have suspected Si was the culprit!

Recommend Series

Destined Villain? Then What Am I, the Chosen One?!

Destined Villain? Then What Am I, the Chosen One?!

for mindless slaughter, this isn't for you.] My name is Ye Shu, and I'm a transmigrator. It seems I'm supposed to be the protagonist, but that feels pretty unlikely. This world has been invaded by a system. The antagonists on the other side have suddenly become pure, flawless saints. The female leads have been force-fed the so-called "original plot," making them think they've been reborn. Now, everyone thinks I'm scum. Including the old lady in my ring. And here I am, in the Monster Beast Mountain Range, braising pork. To put my situation in perspective— It's as if, the moment Xiao Yan stepped into the Monster Beast Mountain Range, the Soul Emperor already knew he would become the Flame Emperor, and Yao Lao had been turned to the enemy's side. I have nothing right now. Oh wait, that's not true. I do have a white-haired loli child-bride who's the Heavenly Dao, and her only skill is acting cute. So, tell me guys... what are my chances of making it to the end?

I Bought a Adorable Beast-Eared Slave Girl

I Bought a Adorable Beast-Eared Slave Girl

nto another world, I bought a slave for the first time, never expecting the silver wolf girl to be so cute... Lin Feng: I know it's cold, but you don't have to sneak into my bed! Yuna: Just sharing body warmth, if you dare do anything naughty, I'll definitely...

Getting Rejected Makes Me Stronger

Getting Rejected Makes Me Stronger

grated, and just when he finally managed to get into an elite academy, he discovered that he actually had a system, and the way to earn rewards was extremely ridiculous. So for the sake of rewards, he had no choice but to start acting ridiculous as well. Su Cheng: "It's nothing but system quests after all." But later, what confused Su Cheng was that while he was already quite ridiculous, he never expected those serious characters to gradually become ridiculous too. And the way they looked at him became increasingly strange... (This synopsis doesn't do it justice, please read the full story)

The Day I Died, the Whole Sect Watched My Senior Sister Go on a Rampage

The Day I Died, the Whole Sect Watched My Senior Sister Go on a Rampage

ive and Ruthless] Before his transmigration, Ye Xuan was playing a game called "Severing Emotions to Attain the Dao." The game's core wasn't about leveling up by fighting monsters, but about conquering various "bad women" with wicked personalities and cold, fickle natures. There was only one method to conquer them: stay unwaveringly by their side, then die at a critical moment, driving them to madness after losing the protagonist. The higher their level of regret, the higher the player's score. To dominate the server, Ye Xuan conquered all the bad women. In the early stages, he showered them with boundless tenderness, only to choose to sacrifice himself for them later, making them weep bitterly and drown in regret. Among them were: Xia Lengyue, the unfaithful immortal wife who chased after powerful men and discarded her husband like trash. Ye Qingcheng, the Demonic Venerable of the Joyous Union Sect, who appeared pure and innocent but was, in reality, promiscuous. Wu Lingxiao, the Empress of the Great Xia Dynasty, who lusted after men and loved maintaining a harem. Bai Qiangu of the Endless Demonic Sect: a bloodthirsty mass murderer. However, when the protagonist transmigrated into the game world, he made a horrifying discovery. Eight hundred years had already passed. The bad women he had conquered had now each become deities and revered ancestors. Faced with the endless stream of toxic women coming for him, Ye Xuan could only rely on his god-tier acting skills to carve a path of survival through this world of treacherous women.