Forbidden Deep Affection (GL) - Chapter 11

Chapter 11

Ye Ting Shuang returned to the base and could buy a skydiving video, but she felt uninterested and went to the bathroom instead.

Ming Shuang showed great excitement, checked her own video, and bought it immediately after watching. She also asked the staff for Ye Ting Shuang’s video, where Ye Ting Shuang screamed the moment she jumped, then bit her lips silently, her face tense and pale.

“Your friend stayed the calmest I’ve ever seen; she hardly shouted,” Ye Ting Shuang’s coach told Ming Shuang.

“That’s not necessarily true,” Ming Shuang replied with a smile, bought the video, and sent it to Ye Ting Shuang.

Ye Ting Shuang opened her phone in the bathroom, watched the entire video, and deleted it. She found Ming Shuang and said, “Delete my video.”

“Why delete it?” Ming Shuang asked.

“You don’t need it,” Ye Ting Shuang replied.

“But I spent money on it, and you want me to delete it right away? Have you considered my wallet’s feelings?” Ming Shuang said.

“I’ll pay you back the money,” Ye Ting Shuang offered.

“Why must you delete it? Give me a reason,” Ming Shuang demanded.

“I don’t keep my own photos or videos,” Ye Ting Shuang explained.

Ming Shuang looked at her in surprise and said, “I clearly saw lots of photos in your camera.”

“None of them are of me,” Ye Ting Shuang clarified.

Ming Shuang thought carefully and realized it was true, though maybe selfies weren’t convenient with a camera. “Not even one selfie on your phone?” she asked.

Ye Ting Shuang nodded.

They walked toward the parking lot while talking.

“You’re really strange. Your photography skills shine, yet you don’t like selfies. What a waste! Don’t you ever want to take a few photos for memories?” Ming Shuang asked.

“I keep everything in my mind; I don’t need photos,” Ye Ting Shuang replied.

“But your mind holds so many things; photos surely feel more vivid. One day, when you look at old photos or videos, you’ll recall so much,” Ming Shuang said. After getting into the car, she thought for a moment and added, “You age year by year; don’t you want to remember how young and beautiful you looked?”

“Age doesn’t matter to me, and besides, I’m not beautiful,” Ye Ting Shuang replied.

“Who says you’re not beautiful?” Ming Shuang blurted out. “You’re clearly very beautiful.”

Ye Ting Shuang paused, continued fastening her seatbelt, and said, “Thanks, but you don’t need to flatter me.”

“I’m not comforting you; I mean it,” Ming Shuang said, starting the car and looking ahead. “If it’s about confidence, you don’t need to doubt yourself. You have your unique beauty. I’m curious—why do you lack confidence in this? Has no one ever called you beautiful?”

Ye Ting Shuang propped her head with her hand, thought about Ming Shuang’s words for a moment, and said, “In recent years, quite a few people have.”

“Then why not before?” Ming Shuang asked.

That happened because Ye Ting Shuang didn’t have a sister who looked like a fairy. Everyone who saw her sister first couldn’t help but praise her beauty, then politely complimented Ye Ting Shuang as an afterthought. Absurdly, those people never dared praise her sister in front of their parents; instead, they flattered Ye Ting Shuang to please them.

No matter how they tried to praise her like a flower, their gossip behind her back stung.

“Those two sisters have tempers weirder than the other; neither is easy to deal with. But in looks and achievements, Ye Ting Shuang stands out,” someone said.

“Then why don’t you say that to everyone’s face?” another asked.

“How would I dare?” they replied.

Over the years, Ye Ting Shuang grew used to these disguised compliments. She felt too lazy to distinguish true from false. In the end, what did true or false matter to her?

“Could it be you looked ugly as a kid and grew into your looks later?” Ming Shuang’s voice interrupted, pulling her thoughts back.

“Maybe,” Ye Ting Shuang said, tugging the corner of her mouth.

The afternoon sun shone dizzily, but the air conditioning blew comfortably, and she fell asleep unknowingly.

A car horn woke Ye Ting Shuang slowly, and she found a blanket over her, with the driver’s seat empty.

She sat up confusedly, noticed traffic ahead, and saw her driver chatting with a few people on a nearby empty lot.

She lowered the window and shouted, “What happened ahead?”

Ming Shuang looked over, ran to the car quickly, leaned on the window, and said, “You’re awake! There’s an accident ahead, and we don’t know how long the traffic will last. Want to sleep more?”

“No more sleep,” Ye Ting Shuang said, no longer sleepy. She grabbed a bottle of milk from the backseat and played on her phone to pass the time.

July occasionally updated her about Seeli Studio’s news these days, and everything ran normally. In operations, July outperformed her, while Ye Ting Shuang focused on design. After confirming no other news, she put away her phone and noticed Ming Shuang still chatting with those people. Soon, Ming Shuang returned with a bag of chips and said, “Hey, I met a Chinese person heading to Vegas too; they gave us some snacks.”

Ye Ting Shuang glanced over and saw a girl with a high ponytail in the crowd, looking about seventeen or eighteen.

The girl caught her gaze, ran over with small steps, and greeted brightly, “Hi, Lily姐, I’m Ke Ge, but you can call me Cola, my English name.”

Hearing the name, Ye Ting Shuang smiled and asked, “Hi, who told you my name?”

“Nana姐,” Cola said, pointing at Ming Shuang.

Ming Shuang proudly raised her head.

Ye Ting Shuang said nothing.

“Lily姐, you’re just as beautiful as Nana姐 said,” Cola remarked.

Ming Shuang raised her head even higher.

Ye Ting Shuang remained silent.

“It’s stuffy in the car; want to come out for some air?” Ming Shuang asked.

“No need,” Ye Ting Shuang replied.

“Alright, we’ll go play over there,” Ming Shuang said, taking Cola to chat with others on the empty lot.

Ye Ting Shuang pulled out a notebook and pencil, starting to sketch designs. After thinking for a moment, she took out her camera, flipped through photos taken under yesterday’s sunset, and finally caught an idea in her mind.

The idea formed a design of circles growing larger, with light and shadow waves floating inside, connecting to form the twilight’s glow.

In the middle of the line, a circular pendant held a side profile of someone turning, with the arc of their hair blending into the sunset’s light.

While refining the sketch, her phone vibrated. She opened it and saw Ming Shuang sent a candid photo.

In the photo, Ye Ting Shuang sat in the car, head lowered in thought, her expression calm, with the breeze lifting her hair by her ear.

She looked over puzzledly; Ming Shuang waved her phone from afar, then typed.

The next second, a new message popped up.

[Very beautiful.]

Ye Ting Shuang ignored her. When she nearly finished the sketch, she stretched, got out of the car, and walked over.

More people joined the group, now about a dozen, and Ming Shuang waved her over.

As Ye Ting Shuang approached, the group spoke up.

“Are you Lily?” one asked.

“You’re absolutely gorgeous!” another said.

“Lily, are you single?” someone inquired.

“I’ve never seen such a beautiful East Asian face,” another commented.

Ye Ting Shuang looked at Ming Shuang speechlessly. Ming Shuang raised an eyebrow and said, “Why look at me? I only told them your name is Lily. Can’t they compliment you?”

Ye Ting Shuang helplessly exchanged pleasantries with the others, then returned to the car.

“Not staying?” Ming Shuang asked, walking to the car.

“Nope,” Ye Ting Shuang replied, wishing she hadn’t gone to such a social scene.

Ming Shuang didn’t want to stay in the car, grabbed the chips, and as she walked around, suddenly propped her hand on the hood and sat on it.

The car dipped slightly; Ye Ting Shuang looked up, meeting her gaze.

Ming Shuang blinked, climbed up further, sat cross-legged on the roof, and enjoyed the wide view.

“It’s crazy jammed ahead; want to come see?” Ming Shuang offered the chips through the window.

“Be careful,” Ye Ting Shuang warned.

“I’m careful. Eat some?” Ming Shuang asked.

“No thanks,” Ye Ting Shuang said, opening the door and getting out, looking up at her.

Ming Shuang crunched a chip loudly and asked, “Really not eating?”

“Nope,” Ye Ting Shuang replied, leaning against the car and gazing at the scenery.

Ming Shuang watched her, stared for a while, and suddenly noticed a tiny mole on her earlobe, like a dot from an eyeliner pen, and looked at it curiously.

The breeze moved her hair, covering her ear. Ming Shuang looked up at the back of her head, couldn’t resist, and touched it, feeling its softness.

Ye Ting Shuang turned back annoyedly and said, “Your hand just touched the chips.”

“It’s fine; I licked it clean. Don’t believe me? Feel it yourself,” Ming Shuang grinned.

Ye Ting Shuang said nothing.