A Moment Too Late (GL) - Chapter 83

The indoor space was illuminated by a semicircular window reflecting the bright blue sky. The spring day was clear, and sunlight filtered through the thin white curtains onto the floor.

A patch of white light fell on Nan Xue’s profile.

Her skin was flawless, white and clean like a fresh lotus emerging from the water. Her lips were moist and red, full in color, resembling a delicate fruit in the snow. Her shoulder-length hair was shiny and soft, with the slightly wet ends resting on her very white collarbone.

“Sister, what do you want to see?” Nan Xue’s cheeks flushed as she looked over incredulously.

When Nan Xue heard those words, she almost thought she had misheard. Shu Yubai rarely made such direct requests when they were together. This kind of blunt and excessive statement was a first.

“Um… the teacher said that to draw something, it’s best to thoroughly understand and feel it,” Shu Yubai said, lowering her head. Her soft hair fell over her chest, and her ears turned slightly red. Her forehead was tenderly white, making her look very delicate.

“I want… to understand you better.”

Shu Yubai struggled to organize her thoughts and speak, still finding it difficult. Even though her words sounded proper, she found them hard to believe herself: “The deadline is in a few days, and I want to do a better job. The teacher said that to better capture something, you need to feel it deeply. That way, the painting will be more realistic and moving.”

“Is it just for the painting?” Nan Xue asked softly.

Shu Yubai looked up and saw a fleeting sadness in Nan Xue’s eyes.

“Is it just for the painting that you want to see? Is that it?” Nan Xue asked.

Shu Yubai was stunned, not understanding why this would make her sad.

“No…”

Nan Xue’s face turned a bit pale. Misunderstanding again, she sat there quietly, like a withered orchid, saying nothing.

Shu Yubai couldn’t bear to see her like this. It made her heart ache. She hurried over and sat beside her, starting to explain in a rush: “That’s not what I meant. I was saying…”

“Saying what?” Nan Xue looked at her sadly.

“The last few times we were together, you were dressed too conservatively. I didn’t see anything…”

She was referring to their first two attempts.

In the dark, it was Nan Xue who had been proactive. Only Shu Yubai had been naked completely. She had always been too embarrassed to undress Nan Xue, so she hadn’t even seen her chest.

After speaking, Shu Yubai looked down, her cheeks flushing.

“I also want to see you.”

Nan Xue was stunned, her fingers curling slightly. Her skin was translucent and delicate, like fine jade, unable to hide even the slightest blush of shyness.

“Really?”

She lowered her slender white neck, her black hair falling against her pale cheek.

“Yes.”

Shu Yubai held her drawing board, sketching lightly with her pencil.

She watched Nan Xue’s reaction from the corner of her eye.

After a moment, Nan Xue’s red lips curved into a light smile, the gloom from earlier vanishing. She leaned closer and breathed softly in Shu Yubai’s ear: “Sister, how much do you want to see?”

Shu Yubai: “…”

Nan Xue propped her chin with one hand, staring at Shu Yubai without blinking. “When did you start thinking about this? Did you think about such things before you liked me?”

Shu Yubai’s cheeks burned as she avoided eye contact. “Stop asking.”

Hidden in the dim light, with light white mist spreading from the bathroom, there was a faint floral fragrance. It was unclear if it was an illusion caused by the late cherry blossoms outside the window.

A flock of sparrows flew by, landing outside the window on branches that rustled in the wind.

Everything was peaceful and beautiful, as if from another world.

A decorative dry branch on the side of the bed stretched across a small walnut cabinet, and the room had a faint incense scent from somewhere.

Nan Xue sat on the bed, her delicate white fingers gently tugging at her waist tie. The ends of her slightly curved black hair draped over her smooth white shoulders, feeling cool.

The tie loosened.

Her soft yukata fell open like an unraveling cocoon.

Inside was a warm, dazzling white.

Her skin was exquisite, with a faint glow along the soft white contours. From her collarbone to her shoulders, she was slim and coldly pale, with beautiful butterfly bones on her back—fragile and delicate. As her slender arms moved, they seemed ready to take flight.

Thin straps of grass green wrapped her full, soft white chest, with water droplets gently trickling down.

Her waist was impossibly slender, like a newly sprouted willow, the curves showing a flexible strength.

Shu Yubai’s heart pounded wildly, her cheeks burning with heat spreading rapidly.

Nan Xue met her gaze, her earlobes red and hot, her movements paused.

“Why did you stop?” Shu Yubai asked, her throat moving slightly.

Nan Xue, now shy, shook her head and pulled her clothes back together. “Maybe next time.”

“Why?” Shu Yubai asked.

Nan Xue replied, “It’s a bit cold.”

She coughed softly, her thin shoulders shivering. A crack in the window let in a chilly breeze on this spring day that was warm yet still held a touch of cold.

“I’ll turn up the temperature,” Shu Yubai said, getting up to find the air conditioner remote. Unlike homes in the north with central heating, this place relied solely on an air conditioner, which wasn’t enough to keep warm in winter.

The temperature rose a few degrees.

The air became warmer.

“Sister,” Nan Xue called.

“Yes?”

Shu Yubai looked up at her: “Is it okay now?”

Nan Xue coughed softly. “You won’t dislike me, right?”

She lowered her swan-like neck, her ears tinged with red, her dense eyelashes fluttering nervously.

“Why would I dislike you?” Shu Yubai couldn’t help but laugh. “What are you thinking?”

Nan Xue coughed again and began to undress.

In front of someone you love, there are always worries—fearing you’re not attractive enough, not perfect enough, and that you might disappoint them. Nan Xue was no exception.

She even thought:

Would it be better to refuse and keep a little mystery?

But under Shu Yubai’s longing gaze, any sense of mystery disappeared. She couldn’t help but follow her desire, undoing her clothes bit by bit, like unwrapping a gift, giving everything to her.

Her delicate white fingers rested on the clasp of her bra. With a click, she unfastened it.