Contractual Cohabitation GL - Chapter 4

“No, I don’t get sick,” Ye Luochen answered, yet she didn’t ask why. Jing Xiaonan smiled, concluding that she was indeed lacking in curiosity.

The two walked back the way they had come, their steps slow, thoroughly enjoying the crisp, cool air of the afternoon countryside.

After returning to the house, they showered separately and met at the lunch table. Ye Luochen’s hair was still slightly damp from the shower, resting on her collarbones. Her fair face was flushed, and her eyes seemed to have caught some steam from the bathroom, making them look a little moist. The real-life picture of a beauty emerging from the bath made Jing Xiaonan, who had just looked up, involuntarily widen her eyes.

Ye Luochen had changed back into the white dress from the morning, while Jing Xiaonan had changed into a more formal-looking dark grey suit. Both suits seemed tailor-made, cutting a feminine, relatively narrow waist, yet highlighting Jing Xiaonan’s broader shoulders. The trousers were straight-cut and long, like men’s styles.

The two were essentially ready to depart. Before leaving, Jing Xiaonan took out a creamy-white wool coat from the living room closet and handed it to Ye Luochen.

“It might get cold tonight; you’re wearing too little.”

Ye Luochen accepted it, feeling the texture, and turned up the collar but didn’t see a brand tag. Jing Xiaonan noticed her action and, not minding at all, explained with a smile: “I bought it, washed it once, and no one has worn it yet.”

Ye Luochen also smiled slightly, thinking that women were indeed more delicate and thoughtful than men.

The sports car drove for nearly an hour on the road. It was originally a convertible, but considering the chilly autumn wind, Jing Xiaonan raised the roof. The scenery along the way was nice, and the music Jing Xiaonan played suited her taste perfectly, so Ye Luochen wasn’t impatient at all.

As soon as the car stopped, Ye Luochen saw the port nearby through the side window. Connecting this with Jing Xiaonan’s earlier question about seasickness, she basically understood the plan.

Arm in arm with Jing Xiaonan, Ye Luochen stepped onto the cruise ship. This ship was not very large. Like the previous places Jing Xiaonan had taken her, it lacked luxurious furnishings and rooms, suggesting it wasn’t for overnight stay. A waiter settled them at a small table by the window. The two sat facing each other, waiting for everyone to board.

The sunset at the harbor was beautiful, and the rosy clouds illuminated half the sky. The harbor water reflected the setting sun, and the ripples shimmered with golden light, a delightful sight with the slight movement of the waves. The dinner on the deck was also palatable. To create a romantic atmosphere, after the sun set, only very dim lights were turned on in the hall, and three scented candles were lit on each dining table. Couples sitting face-to-face in the hall were whispering to each other.

Jing Xiaonan sipped a glass of authentic Hunter Valley red wine. Ye Luochen, across the table, looked back at her with a happy expression.

“Thank you for giving me such an unforgettable day.” Although it was a polite formality, spoken with sincerity in Ye Luochen’s voice, it sounded comforting.

Jing Xiaonan smiled and shook her head, slightly tipsy, “It is indeed unforgettable. There’s no need for thanks; I’m very happy too.”

It’s just… after today, all of this, including the person across from her, would become a memory.

This thought flashed through her mind. Jing Xiaonan put down her wine glass.

“In your philosophy, would spending time together, from acquaintance to mutual disgust, destroy the memory of this day?” Not knowing if she was thinking of the same issue, Ye Luochen looked at her wine glass and spoke softly.

Jing Xiaonan slightly parted her lips, as if to say something, then closed them and shook her head, “I wish for permanence. I envy the love of Aunt Zhou and Aunt Zhang.”

“Only this?” Ye Luochen asked, with a faint demeanor that made it impossible to guess her thoughts from her tone or expression.

“Mhm, only that not everyone is so lucky. Look around us, look at these couples. If today were the end of the world, I wouldn’t deny that most lovers would be willing to embrace each other and face death together. I also believe that when they look at each other and say ‘I love you,’ they really do feel deep, deep love, even willing to die for the other. However, today is not the end of the world. They will walk together until one day, the love fades, the dreams grow tiresome, and they become annoyed with each other.” Jing Xiaonan smoothed the wrinkles on the tablecloth and shook her head, “The thing I don’t want to see is time gradually eroding that once unforgettable love. Separation can immortalize a poignant and absolute love. But life often weathers down such profound emotions.”

For the first time, Ye Luochen looked at Jing Xiaonan so seriously, the emotion in her eyes difficult to discern. Jing Xiaonan didn’t speak with much emotion when she said this, but everything conveyed in her words was quite a shock to Ye Luochen.

“But I am still willing to believe, so the existence of Aunt Zhou and Aunt Zhang is undoubtedly an encouragement to me. But the same phrase applies: very few people are lucky. Too many can only serve as examples, and only a small fraction can be those exceptions.”

Life often weathers down such profound love, and only a small fraction can be those exceptions…

Even after the ship returned to the harbor, and Ye Luochen got into Jing Xiaonan’s car, as they drove back, Ye Luochen was still processing Jing Xiaonan’s words and the dinner on the cruise. Perhaps because she was a little tired from the afternoon’s horseback riding and stroll, or perhaps because the dinner truly suited her taste, she had unusually eaten a large portion of the main course. Now, covered in the creamy-white wool coat in the passenger seat, she was slightly drowsy.

Jing Xiaonan drove the car, occasionally glancing at the woman next to her whose sleeping face was so clean, beautiful, and elegant. Feeling her trust, a certain emotion slowly gathered and spread within her heart.

“It’s a bit far from the city here. Let’s go back to the countryside,” Jing Xiaonan quietly suggested, receiving a mumbled ‘Mhm’ from Ye Luochen.

Driving along the way back, with a slight amusement, Jing Xiaonan herself didn’t realize how many times she stole a glance at the person beside her.

When they arrived, Ye Luochen finally woke up, blinking sleepily at the intently driving Jing Xiaonan. Her look suggested either she hadn’t fully woken up or she was lost in thought.

Stopping the car, Jing Xiaonan looked at Ye Luochen with a smile, her gaze dropping to her red lips before returning to her moon-like eyes.

“There’s one last surprise,” she said, then got out of the car.

Jing Xiaonan opened the passenger side door. As Ye Luochen stepped out of the car, with just one look, she saw the surprise she was referring to.

The sky was full of stars, very bright and close, exceptionally clear in the open countryside. The night wind made her tighten her coat. Jing Xiaonan took her hand and led her slowly towards the small house, appreciating the night view along the way.

“Truly, so beautiful,” she couldn’t help but exclaim.

The two sat down on the steps in front of the small house. Jing Xiaonan stood up again, went into the living room, retrieved a thin blanket, and covered them both. They leaned back together to gaze at the stars.

“Look, that one over there seems to be emitting a pale blue light, and the one next to it looks purple.”

“Mhm, it really does seem that way. I’ve never noticed before.”

“Have you brought others here to see the stars?” Ye Luochen asked, hearing her say that. Her tone was still faint, without much emotion, but the hand clutching her coat under the blanket tightened inexplicably.

“No.” The answer was just as faint. “Only I have been here.”

This piece of land was indeed bought by Jing Xiaonan, who once wanted to give it as a surprise. But before the surprise was ready, the act of giving the gift had lost its meaning. Yet, she had invested a lot of effort here, and it was a lifestyle she yearned for, so she kept it and had never brought anyone else here.

“Then when do you come?”

“How to put it… when I lack a certain belief and motivation in my heart, or when I start to doubt that I am just alone, I come here, sit quietly by myself. This allows me to believe…”

“Believe that you are indeed alone, and believe that your doubts are not mistaken?” Ye Luochen teased, her tone carrying a smile, but still maintaining her usual cool voice.

Jing Xiaonan couldn’t help but laugh and could only nod in agreement.

The two continued to look up quietly at the stars filling the sky.

“Are you cold?” Jing Xiaonan suddenly asked.

“Not really.”

That meant she was cold. Jing Xiaonan wrapped her arm around Ye Luochen, snugly wrapping the blanket around her, and smiled.

“Do I look like I’m holding a newborn baby?”

Ye Luochen narrowed her eyes, feigning annoyance: “I think I’m a few years older than you, aren’t I?”

“I’m twenty-four.”

“Twenty-seven.”

Catching the subtle, almost undetectable hint of triumph in the other person’s voice, Jing Xiaonan was amused and could only concede.

“Alright then.”

“That’s better. Be good, call me ‘Jie-jie’ (older sister).”

Jing Xiaonan was already used to this woman in her arms saying all sorts of things in that faint, cool voice, but this still made her inwardly grumble: Why do women these days have a fetish for being called ‘Jie-jie’?

Cough, sorry, she said it out loud. Well, that doesn’t count as an inward grumble.

“But I am indeed older than you!” Ye Luochen stated as a matter of fact.

“But midnight hasn’t passed yet!” Jing Xiaonan mimicked her tone.

Now Ye Luochen was confused, “What does that have to do with midnight?”

Jing Xiaonan smiled, a smile different from all her previous ones, with her lips slightly curved in a way that looked subtly mischievous.

“If midnight hasn’t passed, it’s still today. And today, you are my lover.”

The latter part of her sentence grew increasingly soft, and by the last two words, it was essentially muffled against Ye Luochen’s lips. Jing Xiaonan gradually leaned closer, then kissed her, their lips gently turning, a soft and delicate kiss.