My Wife is the Vicious Supporting Character from an Era Novel - Chapter 24
Chapter 24
My Lips Are Numb from Kissing
Ji Baiqing’s jaw drops. “Wait… what do you mean, ‘like’?” she asks. “You said you wanted to be my friend. Doesn’t that mean you like me?”
Wen Miao’s breathing catches. “You said you wanted to be my friend. Doesn’t that mean you like me?”
Ji Baiqing is bewildered. “Can’t friends just be friends?” she asks, feeling a bit frantic. She can’t believe the “villainess” would have misunderstood her so badly. Why would Wen Miao like her? Is this an act?
Before she can say anything to ease the awkwardness, Wen Miao grabs her chin, presses a thumb against her lower lip, and bites her angrily. “Ji Baiqing, I hate you!”
Wen Miao is furious. All her emotional turmoil, all her worries over the past weeks, were for nothing. Ji Baiqing doesn’t like her romantically—she just wants to be friends. Wen Miao feels a surge of pain but refuses to give up. “I’ll try,” she tells herself. “What’s the worst that can happen?” The thought of Ji Baiqing liking someone else makes her heart ache. She’ll do whatever it takes to make Ji Baiqing fall for her.
Ji Baiqing’s first thought is that she’s messed up again. Wen Miao hates her! But then she realizes she’s not sure what to do. Wen Miao is too delicate to hit or scold.
Wen Miao’s voice trembles as she asks, “If you don’t like me, then why do you want to be my friend?”
“Does being friends mean you have to like me?” Ji Baiqing asks, still confused.
Wen Miao rephrases her question. “How can you be friends if you don’t like me? Don’t you like Li Wenwen, who you’re friends with?”
Ji Baiqing realizes that Wen Miao’s “like” is a different kind of “like”—it’s a platonic, friendly sort of affection. She’s relieved, but then she remembers the kiss. Why would Wen Miao kiss her?
Wen Miao answers without hesitation, “Good friends kiss all the time! But only the very best friends. So you can only do that with me.”
Ji Baiqing recalls some videos she’d seen in her previous life and thinks maybe it makes sense. Still, she covers her mouth and mumbles to Wen Miao, “Okay, but you can’t do that with anyone else, and next time, don’t bite me.”
Wen Miao smiles sweetly. “Can I kiss you now?”
Before Ji Baiqing can protest, Wen Miao’s lips are on hers. The kiss is clumsy at first, but then Wen Miao’s tongue expertly enters her mouth. Ji Baiqing feels her heart race. She is a statue, completely frozen, but Wen Miao continues, her movements getting more confident. Finally, Wen Miao pulls back, panting. Ji Baiqing is dazed. “My lips feel numb,” Wen Miao complains softly.
“You’re the one who started it,” Ji Baiqing retorts, her voice hoarse.
Wen Miao pouts and calls her “hateful” again. Ji Baiqing simply indulges her, tucks her in, and tells her to go to sleep.
But sleep doesn’t come easily. Ji Baiqing is wide awake until 4:30 a.m. and decides to get up and make some porridge. She then heads to the food station for her first official day on the job.
Director Xia gives her the work clothes and rubber shoes she was promised. Ji Baiqing goes to the warehouse where she meets Zhou Gang, who helps her. The pig they are to slaughter is huge, but with their combined effort, they manage to get it under control. Ji Baiqing, now experienced, skillfully slaughters the pig and sections the meat.
When she sets up her stall, a small crowd is already waiting. Ji Baiqing quickly gets to work, but the older people are very nosy. They ask about her age, whether she’s single, and try to set her up with their relatives. She learns to keep her head down and work silently.
There are some who resent her for getting such a good job. A burly man with a sallow face shows up and cuts in line. He starts a scene, lying on the ground and claiming the meat she sold the day before made his son sick. Ji Baiqing remains calm, and the other villagers, knowing the meat is butchered fresh every day, defend her. Ji Baiqing points out that she sold the pork on Wednesday, and if his son got sick on Thursday, it was because he didn’t eat it fresh. The man, seeing his lies exposed, scurries away in shame.
After work, Ji Baiqing goes to the supply store to buy colorful threads that Wen Miao requested. When she gets home, she finds Wen Miao mending a dress. Wen Miao tells her to come closer and tries to kiss her, but Ji Baiqing dodges, saying she’s dirty from work. Wen Miao tells her to go wash up, and Ji Baiqing promises that Wen Miao can kiss her as much as she wants after she’s clean.
But when Ji Baiqing returns, a basin of laundry is thrust into her arms. Wen Miao asks her to wash the clothes together. Wen Miao then finds a package from her grandmother. They open it together to find clothes, books, and two small wooden boxes. One box holds jewelry, and the other, to their surprise, contains a solid gold snake, which terrifies Wen Miao.
Ji Baiqing finds it amusing that Wen Miao, born in the year of the snake, is afraid of them. She notices a stack of ration coupons and a savings book underneath the snake. Wen Miao tears up, thinking about her grandmother and aunt worrying about her being hungry in the countryside. Ji Baiqing promises to take her home to visit for the National Day holiday. Wen Miao, happy, kisses her on the cheek and says, “You’re so good to me!”
They go to the river to wash the clothes. Ji Baiqing notices that Wen Miao seems to love playing in the water like a child. While they’re washing, two older women arrive and start gossiping about a man named Zhang Laizi, who is known for being a troublemaker and harassing women. Ji Baiqing’s expression darkens. In the original book, Zhang Laizi was the man who took advantage of Wen Miao and forced her to marry him.
Ji Baiqing pulls Wen Miao’s hands out of the water. Her voice is heavy as she tells her, “Zhen Zhen, stay away from the river from now on.” Wen Miao is confused but agrees.
Later, they are home, and Wen Miao asks Ji Baiqing to take a nap with her. Wen Miao changes into a beautiful white cotton nightgown with straps and small flowers. Ji Baiqing is mesmerized and tries to look away, but can’t help but notice Wen Miao’s shapely legs as she gets into bed.
Wen Miao asks Ji Baiqing to change and join her. Ji Baiqing is hesitant, but when Wen Miao shows her that she made a matching nightgown for her, she has no excuse. Ji Baiqing turns her back to change, not knowing that Wen Miao is peeking at her. She is amazed at Ji Baiqing’s slender waist, toned legs, and fair skin.
When Ji Baiqing is done changing, she smiles at Wen Miao, who is feigning sleep, and wakes her up. Wen Miao looks at her, then Ji Baiqing’s lips. She asks, “Ji Baiqing, come here, give me a kiss.”
Ji Baiqing, resigned, says, “Kiss, kiss, kiss!” and bends down. Wen Miao grabs her shoulders and expertly kisses her, her tongue exploring Ji Baiqing’s mouth. Ji Baiqing is surprised but starts to reciprocate, remembering what she saw in videos. She takes the lead, pressing Wen Miao’s head against the pillow and kissing her passionately. Wen Miao, breathless, pushes her away. Her face is flushed, and she’s panting. Ji Baiqing, also out of breath, looks at her, captivated.
“Why’d you push me away?” Ji Baiqing asks, nuzzling her. Wen Miao, embarrassed, simply says, “I don’t know.” She rushes out of the room to take a cold shower. Ji Baiqing notices a wet spot on the back of her dress but doesn’t think much of it.
After Wen Miao returns, they lie down again. Wen Miao warns her, “No more kissing.” Ji Baiqing agrees. Wen Miao falls asleep quickly, but Ji Baiqing lies awake, thinking about the softness of Wen Miao’s lips. She is convinced that Wen Miao is a succubus in disguise.
They both sleep until late afternoon. Ji Baiqing wakes up and wakes Wen Miao with a glass of water. Wen Miao is sleepy and a little dazed. She kisses Ji Baiqing on the cheek and says, “Good morning…” Ji Baiqing laughs, telling her it’s almost evening.
They go to water the vegetable garden, which is doing very well. Wen Miao, looking like a butterfly in her dress, waters the plants with a scoop. Ji Baiqing stops her from picking cucumbers, telling her they have thorns that will hurt her hands, and picks them herself.
Afterward, they go to the river to wash the vegetables. Ji Baiqing encourages Wen Miao to take off her shoes and play in the shallow water. But Wen Miao cries out in pain. Ji Baiqing finds a small cut on her foot and applies a medicinal herb she chews up.
As Ji Baiqing is washing the vegetables, a man with a pockmarked face appears, leering at Wen Miao. “You’re Wen Miao, right? You’re so beautiful, damn!” he says.