Flirting Under Favor (GL) - Chapter 29

The spring wind outside was still cold. Returning to the warm hotel room, Wang Lin immediately felt completely comfortable, wishing she could immediately hug Mu Fan and lie down in bed.

She said to Mu Fan, full of anticipation: “Let’s go watch a movie in bed.”

But Mu Fan had left some work from last night and planned to finish it first.

“I still have some work to take care of. You go warm up the bed first,” Mu Fan said, rubbing Wang Lin’s head.

Wang Lin felt a little disappointed, but she knew work was more important. Still, she pouted and said: “I get it. I’m just your bed-warming tool person.”

Mu Fan said: “Then I’ll warm it up for you.”

“…” Wang Lin would certainly not let Mu Fan do that. “I’ll do it. You go ahead and work first.”

“Mhm, you’re so good.“

Receiving the praise, the sweetness in Wang Lin’s heart soared. She scampered onto the bed.

She lay down, clutching the quilt obediently: “I’m all settled down, waiting for a kiss.”

“…” How is anyone supposed to work like this?

Mu Fan stiffly hummed, picked up her water cup, and drank some cold water to dilute the messy thoughts. She didn’t dare to look at Wang Lin. After sitting down, she opened her computer and immersed her thoughts in her work. Wang Lin was different. She lay on her side, staring at Mu Fan, her bright eyes burning with affection, as if wanting to suck Mu Fan in.

Just watching like this is already extraordinarily comforting and satisfying. She’s so beautiful. I can never get enough of looking at her. Wang Lin knew how much of a chī hàn [obsessive stalker] she looked, thinking that this must count as being “bent like mosquito coils.”

Time passed like this. Wang Lin was mesmerized by Mu Fan’s beauty while she worked and didn’t feel the time pass at all. When Mu Fan finally said, “I’m finished,” it felt like only a short while had gone by.

Mu Fan slipped under the covers. The bed was full of Wang Lin’s scent and temperature. She felt utterly marvelous and completely satisfied.

The two lay flat, “cuddling” for a while. Mu Fan sat up, propping a pillow behind her, and asked Wang Lin: “Did you decide what you want to watch?”

Wang Lin also followed Mu Fan’s lead and sat up, though she didn’t use a pillow to lean against. “I’ve decided.” She picked up the remote and pressed a button. The image that appeared on the TV screen surprised Mu Fan.

It was actually the movie The Intimates (自梳 – Zì Shū).

“A classmate recommended it to me. She said it was very good. Have you watched it?” Wang Lin asked.

Mu Fan, as a veteran jī zǎi [slang for lesbian], had certainly watched it, but she said: “No.”

The opening credits were almost finished. Seeing that Wang Lin still wasn’t propping herself up with a pillow, Mu Fan naturally guessed the reason. After some inner struggle and hesitation, she spread her legs and said softly: “Come here.”

Wang Lin happily moved between Mu Fan’s legs and lay in Mu Fan’s arms, her heart bursting with joy.

Mu Fan was truly so intuitive. She always knew what Wang Lin was thinking without having to be told.

Does she know my feelings, too?

Wang Lin wondered.

After Wang Lin lay in her arms, Mu Fan’s body stiffened slightly. They were both wearing minimal clothing, and their legs were bare. Skin touched skin. Wang Lin’s calf was soft and smooth, the tactile sensation excellent.

Mu Fan had already seen the movie, so she didn’t pay too much attention to the plot; her mind was a bit distracted.

Wang Lin pulled the quilt up to her chest, covering them both tightly, and then pulled Mu Fan’s hand to embrace her.

Now it’s perfect.

When the plot reached the point where Yihuan was forced into marriage, Wang Lin slyly asked: “Will the female lead come to save her?”

Mu Fan casually replied: “Yes.”

Oops, I think I revealed something. Fortunately, Wang Lin didn’t press her for an answer.

Someone was secretly laughing in her heart: And you said you hadn’t watched it!

The plot was quite heavy. The two watched quietly. At moments of deep emotion, Wang Lin couldn’t help but shed tears, sobbing against Mu Fan. Mu Fan couldn’t bear to see her cry and spent some effort coaxing her, leading to another moment of sticky closeness. Fortunately, the ending was relatively happy: the elderly Yihuan and Yuhuan finally reunited. The scene then shifted to the backs of their younger selves, prompting another round of tears from Wang Lin.

As it was her second time watching the movie, Mu Fan’s emotions were relatively stable, but her heart remained somber.

In that era, it was truly too difficult for two women to be together.

What about now? It still seemed to be difficult.

“Let’s watch something lighter,” Mu Fan said.

Wang Lin added: “Something funny.”

They agreed. Wang Lin randomly chose a comedy. The jokes were a bit forced, but since it was just to pass the time, it didn’t matter. Four hours passed quickly. Their eyes were tired, and they were tired of sitting. Wang Lin stretched and yawned in Mu Fan’s arms, moved forward, and lay flat, resting her head on Mu Fan’s lap. She secretly glanced at Mu Fan. Their eyes met, and Mu Fan’s gaze was complex. Wang Lin couldn’t read anything into it.

Mu Fan gently smoothed the stray hair on Wang Lin’s face and moved it aside, knowing she was falling deeper and deeper. She wanted to pull away, yet she also wanted to completely surrender to the moment. However, on the one hand, the gap between them was glaring: her parents were both gone, she had cut ties with her relatives, she was all alone, burdened with the mountain of debt her father left behind. Saying she had nothing was an understatement. Wang Lin, on the other hand, was clearly from a wealthy background, worlds apart from her. On the other hand, and most difficult of all, was their identity as lesbians. As someone who had been through it, she was naturally clear about the difficulties involved. Mu Fan couldn’t imagine how someone like Wang Lin, who had been pampered since childhood, would face all the opposition and malice.

That wouldn’t be loving her; that would be harming her. She shouldn’t be together with her, living a precarious life and enduring criticism. She should be with a boyfriend from a similar family background, leading a normal life in the eyes of the public, marrying, and having children. Thinking of this, Mu Fan’s heart twisted painfully, and she felt short of breath.

Can I really accept that? Can I accept her with another man…?

She gasped for air, as if she had encountered something extremely terrifying. Fortunately, Wang Lin had fallen into a groggy sleep and didn’t notice her unusual behavior.

A sense of unwilling powerlessness gradually engulfed her…

Mu Fan sat still, her thoughts in chaos. Wang Lin slept peacefully. Suddenly, Mu Fan’s phone rang. She picked it up, then quickly hung up, unsure if it was because she was afraid the ringtone would wake Wang Lin or for another reason.

Mu Fan carefully slipped out of the quilt, walked with small steps out of the room, her expression very strained. Reluctantly, she dialed the number back.

The call connected quickly. Mu Fan’s throat felt constricted. She squeezed out one dry word: “Hello.”

A low, middle-aged male voice came through the receiver, asking with concern: “Xiao Fan, how have you been lately?”

“Thank you for your concern, Second Uncle. I’m fine.”

“Is work going smoothly?”

“It’s very good.”

“I heard about your mother. You must restrain your grief and accept fate. You are still young, and life must go on.”

“Mhm, I understand.” The mention of her deceased mother made Mu Fan a little sad. Facing this sudden concern, she also felt a little warmth in her heart. But she knew the person was definitely not calling just to care about her.

Sure enough, the man paused, seemingly finding the next words difficult to say, but he eventually did: “Recently, I’ve had some cash flow problems with my business. You see… ah, Second Uncle is out of options. I’ve asked everyone I could, and I’m just short that little bit. Business is tough this year. I’ve sold my car, and your Second Aunt isn’t well either…”

Mu Fan interrupted him, not letting him continue to lament his misfortune: “Mhm mhm, Second Uncle, how much do you need?”

“Thirty thousand.” The man asked tentatively: “Do you have it?”

“Yes.” Mu Fan said readily.

In fact, this man wasn’t her biological Second Uncle, just a friend of her father’s from business. Counting back a few generations, she tentatively called him Second Uncle. Mu Fan’s father’s business failed before he died, and he owed a lot of money, including some to this Second Uncle. This Second Uncle was at least considerate of their past relationship. His debt collection was relatively gentle. If he weren’t genuinely in trouble, he wouldn’t have come to collect, so Mu Fan readily agreed to repay the money. Other creditors were not so gentle, always resorting to various threats.

After Mu Fan’s mother passed away, the insurance company paid out some money. After deducting funeral expenses, and now repaying this Second Uncle, there was practically nothing left.

Mu Fan hung up the phone and let out a long sigh. Returning to the room, she looked at Wang Lin sleeping on the bed, her eyes filled with sorrow.

This is the kind of person I am.

Her feet felt like they were filled with lead. She walked heavily to the chair, sat down, and then slumped onto the desk.

She felt so, so tired.

Why did everything turn out this way?

Only because I fell in love with a woman.

If she could start over, would she still be so determined, opposing everyone and pursuing an unconventional love at all costs?

The result was her already heartbroken father, who had failed in business, jumped from a tall building under the double blow. Her mother, unable to withstand the multiple stresses, finally succumbed to her already frail health.

And that person, the source of all these events, the one who left her just as she decided to fight her family to the end, where was she now?

Li Xixi…

Overly heavy past events flashed through her mind. Mu Fan’s body trembled slightly, and her sleeves were soaked with tears.

“Clack.” The room light turned on. Mu Fan panicked, looking up and turning around.

Wang Lin got off the bed and walked over to Mu Fan with a serious expression.

Her eyes were filled with tears, and tear streaks were visible on her face as she looked at her, with the awkward expression of someone caught crying in secret. Her lips moved, but no words came out.

This was the second time Wang Lin had seen Mu Fan cry. Her heart ached as if pierced by needles.

The first time was when they first met. Mu Fan was running and crying, accidentally knocking her over and making her drop her card. That was the point where their lives intersected. Wang Lin knew it was because her mother was critically ill.

What about this time? How much fragile emotion was hidden beneath Mu Fan’s seemingly strong exterior?

Wang Lin asked: “Are you okay?”

Mu Fan quickly wiped her tears, forcing a smile to try and hide her sadness: “I’m fine.” She conjured a lie: “I got yelled at by my boss at work, so…”

Wang Lin leaned closer, pulling Mu Fan’s head into her embrace. She didn’t believe Mu Fan’s lie. She guessed Mu Fan was probably missing her family, but it seemed a bit sudden. Normally, an event related to family ties would trigger such feelings.

“If you don’t want to tell me, it’s okay. You can tell me when you’re ready.”

“…”

“It makes me sad to see you sad, too.”

She gently patted her back: “I’ll always be here for you.”

“Why don’t you tell me? Maybe I can help.”

“If you don’t want to tell me, that’s fine too…”

She comforted her, but it seemed counterproductive.

“Don’t cry, don’t cry…”