My Wife is the Vicious Supporting Character from an Era Novel - Chapter 31

Chapter 31

Take It Easy

Once Ji Baiqing leaves, Wen Miao relaxes. “Was it that obvious?” she asks, a faint smile on her lips.

Shang Min pours her a glass of water and replies, “To me, it was. Others may not notice, but I can see that the way you look at her is different from how you look at anyone else.” Even though Wen Miao is a captivating woman with alluring eyes, her gaze is usually calm, only showing a ripple of emotion when she looks at Ji Baiqing.

Wen Miao nods. “Yes, unfortunately, she hasn’t realized it yet and thinks we’re just friends.” Shang Min is not upset that this beautiful woman has feelings for someone else. Instead, she chats with her like a friend. “Actually, maybe not. She seemed to have a problem with me. Was she jealous?”

Wen Miao doesn’t know why, but she feels an instant connection with Shang Min. She frowns, a little annoyed. “Yes, she is. How can someone be so annoying? She likes me but keeps pushing me away.”

A mischievous look crosses Shang Min’s face. She puts a finger to her lips and whispers, “Watch me. Don’t say anything.” She stands up, and her water glass falls to the floor, shattering. Shang Min pulls Wen Miao into her arms, just as Ji Baiqing, having heard the noise, kicks the door open.

Ji Baiqing’s eyes widen at the intimate scene before her. A wave of bitterness and jealousy washes over her. “What are you doing!” she exclaims. She doesn’t care if they are genuinely interested in each other; she just wants to pull Wen Miao away. She grabs Wen Miao and pulls her into her embrace.

Shang Min is unfazed. She smiles at Ji Baiqing. “If I’m not mistaken, Wen Miao is my blind date. There’s nothing wrong with a hug, is there?”

“Bullshit!” Ji Baiqing retorts, looking like a little leopard whose prey has been stolen. “Only I can hug her!” she says without thinking.

Wang Guihua is puzzled, but Shang Min shakes her head, telling her to stay put. Ji Baiqing throws a yuan on the table and pulls Wen Miao away without another word. Wen Miao’s wrist is bruised from Ji Baiqing’s grip, but she says nothing, just watches the woman in front of her.

When they get home, Ji Baiqing parks her bike, pulls Wen Miao into the room, and locks the door. Her eyes are moist and slightly red. “Why did you let her hug you?” she asks, her voice hoarse.

Wen Miao pulls her hand away and sits on the bed. “Didn’t you tell me to go on a blind date? Why can’t I hug her if we hit it off?” she says, her lips curling into a smirk. “There’s more to come. A Qing, I told you that you can’t be so greedy.”

Before she can finish, Ji Baiqing lunges at her, pinning her to the bed. She kisses Wen Miao passionately, skillfully prying her lips open with her tongue. Ji Baiqing’s hand slides from the back of Wen Miao’s head to her neck, where she gently strokes her skin.

Wen Miao is breathless, her amber eyes hazy. She whimpers softly as Ji Baiqing’s hand caresses her neck. Ji Baiqing is not satisfied with her sweet moans and continues to kiss her aggressively, trying to mark her territory. The kiss is like a sudden downpour, soaking them both, making them sweat in the summer heat.

Finally, Ji Baiqing pulls away, and Wen Miao gasps for air. Her chest heaves, and her body is limp. Her tongue, red from the kiss, rests on her lips. Ji Baiqing holds her and moves to sit on the bed, holding Wen Miao on her lap. She buries her face in Wen Miao’s neck, inhaling her scent.

“Zhenzhen, Jie-jie, I was wrong,” she says, her voice muffled and a little whiny, a complete contrast to her earlier fierceness.

“What were you wrong about?” Wen Miao asks, her voice hoarse.

Ji Baiqing’s voice catches. “I… I love you. I just didn’t realize it, so I pushed you to someone else.” When she saw Wen Miao in Shang Min’s arms, her heart ached. Her mind went blank, and all she wanted was to break them apart. On the way home, she thought about it all. The emotions that she had been holding back finally came flooding in. She finally realized what her vague feelings for Wen Miao were. It was love. A romantic kind of love.

She looks at Wen Miao with teary eyes, her lips still red from the kiss. “Don’t love her. Please, keep loving me, okay?”

Wen Miao places her hand on Ji Baiqing’s cheek and presses down gently. Ji Baiqing winces but doesn’t pull away, leaning into the touch instead. Seeing her acting so sweet, Wen Miao can’t help but feel a pang of love. But she pushes her away playfully.

“You don’t love me, so how do you know you love me? Maybe you just haven’t been with anyone else,” Wen Miao says, using the same words Ji Baiqing once used on her. Ji Baiqing’s face turns red. She hugs Wen Miao again. “I was wrong, Zhenzhen. I was so wrong. Please forgive me.”

She pecks Wen Miao’s face, making her laugh. Wen Miao softens. She knows that Ji Baiqing’s actions were just because she was a clueless nerd who had never been in love before. Being three years older, she has to be more understanding.

“Just don’t do it again.”

Ji Baiqing’s eyes light up. “Zhenzhen, you’re the best!” she says with a cheerful voice.

Wen Miao kisses her cheek. “Ji Baiqing, I’m going to say this one last time. I truly love you. And only you.”

Ji Baiqing nods, her face flushed. “Wen Miao, I love you, too. Only you,” she whispers. “The kind of love where I want you to be my wife.”

She holds Wen Miao close and feels a pang of regret. She wishes she had realized her feelings earlier. Then they wouldn’t have had to go through all this, and Shang Min wouldn’t have been able to hug Wen Miao. She glares at Wen Miao. “Zhenzhen, do you like Shang Min?”

Wen Miao, who is starting to feel sleepy in Ji Baiqing’s arms, opens her eyes. “No.”

Ji Baiqing’s eyes are full of jealousy. “But she hugged you. You’re so pretty; she must be in love with you.”

Wen Miao closes her eyes again. “No, she knew I loved you. She hugged me on purpose to make you jealous.”

Ji Baiqing grinds her teeth and bites Wen Miao’s earlobe. “Bad jie-jie,” she complains.

Wen Miao yelps in pain. “Why are you always biting people? Are you a puppy?” she says, pushing her away. She pulls Ji Baiqing’s cheek. “Bad mei-mei.”

Ji Baiqing, captivated by Wen Miao’s gaze, becomes a clingy blob. She hugs and kisses Wen Miao, who gets annoyed and pushes her away. Ji Baiqing tries to cling on again, but He Xiangyue’s loud voice from outside stops her. “Ji Baiqing, where’s lunch?! Is it not ready yet?”

Ji Baiqing and Wen Miao look at each other. Wen Miao pushes her playfully. “Go cook.” Ji Baiqing gets up and walks out.

Alone, Wen Miao straightens her clothes and looks at her reflection. Her face is flushed from the kiss, and she covers the mirror, embarrassed. When her face calms down, she leaves the room.

During lunch, He Xiangyue notices that her daughter and Wen Miao are acting all lovey-dovey again, even more than before. Ji Baiqing is constantly putting food in Wen Miao’s bowl, treating her like a child. He Xiangyue kicks her under the table, telling her to behave. Wen Miao also glares at her, and Ji Baiqing finally settles down. Wen Miao puts a piece of eggplant in Ji Baiqing’s bowl, and Ji Baiqing’s nonexistent tail starts wagging again.

After lunch, they go back to being a clingy pair. They shower and then take a sweet nap, holding each other close. Ji Baiqing thinks to herself, “It’s so good to have a wife!”

Ji Baiqing wakes up early. It’s only 4 a.m., but the room is already bright. She looks at Wen Miao’s sleeping face, still giddy with excitement. This is her wife! She cuddles closer, kissing Wen Miao from her chin to her lips. She keeps kissing Wen Miao until she wakes up.

“You’re awake?” Ji Baiqing asks, her eyes full of affection. “Do you want to come to town with me today?”

Wen Miao, half-asleep, nods. Ji Baiqing finds her cute and gives her a loud kiss on the cheek. “Get up!” she says. She remembers the beautiful dress Wen Miao wore for the blind date and tells her to wear another pretty dress she hasn’t seen before. Wen Miao laughs at her childish request but puts on a new dress. Ji Baiqing is delighted and tells her how beautiful she looks.

They head to town on the bike. Ji Baiqing brings some dry food for them to eat, but she worries about Wen Miao having to eat something so basic. She tells Wen Miao that she can buy something from the state-run restaurant. But then she changes her mind and decides to give someone money to buy the food for her, worried that Wen Miao is too beautiful and might get into trouble. Wen Miao tells her that she is fine and that she will eat the dry food.

Ji Baiqing is still worried, but she lets it go for now. She is more determined than ever to earn money. She wants to give Wen Miao a better life. She tells Wen Miao to eat and promises to take her to a restaurant after she sells the pork. Wen Miao gives her half of her biscuit, and Ji Baiqing’s heart swells. The older ladies at the market tease her about having such a caring sister, but Ji Baiqing thinks to herself that Wen Miao is not her sister; she is her new wife!

After selling all the pork, they clean up the stall. Wen Miao helps, and her hands get dirty. Before they go to the restaurant, Ji Baiqing washes Wen Miao’s hands with soap. After they eat, they go to the post office. The night before, they had spent a long time writing a letter to Wen Miao’s family to tell them about their relationship. Ji Baiqing had written three drafts before finally settling on one.

As she mails the letter, Ji Baiqing feels her heart race. “What if they don’t like me?” she asks. She is also surprised by how open Wen Miao’s family is to same-s3x relationships. Wen Miao holds her hand. “Don’t worry. My grandma and aunt are very open-minded.” She also knows that a few months from now, same-s3x relationships will be legalized.

Ji Baiqing is relieved. “That’s good. If they don’t like me, I’ll just cry and hug their legs when we visit for National Day,” she says. “After all, you’ve already taken advantage of me. You can’t be irresponsible now!”

She says it loud enough for everyone to hear, and people turn and stare. Wen Miao blushes and covers her mouth. “Stop talking! We’re in public!” she says. Ji Baiqing nods obediently.

Back at home, Wen Miao looks at the flowers and grapevines they planted. She remembers that she promised to make a flower scent for Ji Baiqing. She thinks jasmine would be the perfect scent for her. She had seen a plant in the back of the mountain that looked like jasmine.

After dinner, she asks Ji Baiqing about it. Ji Baiqing remembers seeing some last year and agrees to go look for it with her later.

In the afternoon, they go to the mountain and find the plant. Wen Miao takes the hoe from Ji Baiqing and starts digging. She hits something hard and digs it out. It’s a dark lump of something she doesn’t recognize. She puts it aside and continues to dig. But Ji Baiqing is staring at the lump. She picks it up and wipes the dirt off. It’s a gold bar. The same one from the book that Shen Niannian was supposed to find after she got into college.

Wen Miao is not impressed. “Who would bury gold here?” she says. Ji Baiqing, feeling like a thief, washes the gold bar in the creek and hides it in her shirt. She hides it in Wen Miao’s money box. Wen Miao finds it ugly. “It’s ugly,” she says. Ji Baiqing insists that it’s useful. “It’s money. Don’t lose it,” she says. Wen Miao reluctantly agrees and locks the box. Ji Baiqing is pleased and kisses her on the cheek. Wen Miao, wanting more, points to her lips.

“Take it easy,” Wen Miao whispers, her words getting lost in the kiss.