Pillowside Passion - Chapter 7

7:

The night temperature in Xianghai was cool, perfect for sleeping, but a blanket over the waist was still needed. Du Qingting tossed and turned, lying flat then on her side, restless and irritated.

Unable to sleep, she got up to turn on the AC, sitting on the sofa as the cool air hit her. Her mind replayed last night’s scene. Leaning back, she lifted her bathrobe with her fingers tracing the bite mark on her inner thigh, her skin visibly bruised. She wanted to grab that woman’s hair, make her kneel and look up at her.

It was like a comic brought to life.

That woman… how could she be so haughty yet so debased?

So damn seductive.

Her thigh burned persistently. Du Qingting cursed her own weakness, but who could stay steely after that kind of bite?

Her only regret was trembling too much to act bold.

Half-dreaming, half-awake all night, she got up several times to check the door. No sound from next door. She crashed on the sofa until dawn, waking with a grudge.

The hotel offered breakfast. Du Qingting changed into today’s outfit: a black short-sleeve top, black wide-leg pants, and a low-waisted leather belt. Checking the mirror, she looked undeniably hot and sharp.

But something was missing.

Then it hit her, the woman’s clothes carried a captivating scent.

Du Qingting leaned closer to the mirror, eyeing the faint shadows under her eyes. Last night’s dream had her chased by a dog in a desert all night.

She was open-minded but had one untouchable line: no humiliation, no confinement. She had her pride and wasn’t into that.

If it didn’t work, she’d walk away clean. Lingering wasn’t her style.

Brushing off her mood, she headed downstairs for breakfast. At the entrance, she spotted a woman dining, her back facing Du Qingting. Her long hair was pinned up with a black clip revealing a graceful pale swan-like neck. Lower down, a black dress with a high slit faintly showed a silver leg ring.

Stunning. Tempting to tug.

In the next second, Du Qingting sat across from her.

The woman looked up, glasses on her nose.

As expected.

It was her.

Forget it. Du Qingting had guessed it was her. After a moment’s thought, she said, “Morning. Did you sleep well?”

The woman’s eyes behind her glasses were cold and distant. Du Qingting didn’t dare hold her gaze, feeling flustered, her eyes dropping to her chest.

Today she was too sexy, yesterday she wasn’t this bold.

You Jin set down her utensils, wiping her lips, tilting her head slightly. “I don’t really like steak. No need to serve it again. Take it away.”

The waiter immediately doused the flame, nodding respectfully.

Du Qingting stopped him. “Light it up. I’ll eat it.”

Blue flames flickered on the steak. As they died down, Du Qingting looked at You Jin. “There was a misunderstanding between us yesterday.”

You Jin picked up a custom juice, frowning slightly as she sipped. Du Qingting thought she’d finally speak, but You Jin only told another waiter, “Serving this kind of stuff first thing in the morning? Even the dogs people keep here eat better.”

The waiter bowed his head. “We’ll pass it on to the chef.”

“Fire them,” You Jin said.

Three staff members stood by Du Qingting’s side, dressed overly formal, more like managers. This woman was so strict at work.

You Jin lifted the napkin from her lap and stood up. “That’s all for today.”

Du Qingting stared, wanting to follow, but a waiter sidestepped, blocking her view and handing her the steak. “Miss, it’s ready. Do you want me to cut it?”

Her head spun. She glared at the waiter then looked outside, You Jin was gone. She shoved a piece of steak in her mouth and bit down.

“Disgusting.” They should be fired.

It tastes like rubber shoes.

Du Qingting spent the morning in the hotel lobby, not seeing You Jin again. She fiddled with her phone, occasionally glancing at comics. The domestic website was painfully slow, and she refreshed repeatedly.

At 3 p.m., Jiang Mingyue sent a link.

Jiang Mingyue: [Music festival, wanna go?]

Du Qingting clicked it. [Tomorrow?]

Jiang Mingyue: [Tonight. I’ve got tickets, my friend bailed. You’re leaving the day after, right? Perfect timing. Fill in your info.]

She calculated, she had to head back soon.

Her mom was blowing up her phone. Any longer, and she’d call the cops. Du Qingting sighed, feeling less free than a dog.

Jiang Mingyue: [Several bands, including Spring Train. Super lively, tickets are hard to get. You lucked out.]

Du Qingting had not heard of the band. Abroad, she’d been deep in comics, not music. She played Jiang Mingyue’s shared clip, skimming it—pretty good.

Xianghai’s tourism was booming. The concert was at a nearby stadium, usually used for soccer matches. That evening, Jiang Mingyue arrived with a backpack. They scanned their e-tickets and got prime seats in the viewing area. Jiang Mingyue explained that soccer was a big deal here, far better than the “sea cucumber guys” on the national team.

The crowd was huge, the venue sweltering.

Du Qingting listened to Jiang Mingyue’s banter, sipping water from a bottle.

As the concert started, people trickled in. Du Qingting’s gaze caught a figure, and she set her bottle down.

She’d changed again.

This time, a sleek black suit, black trousers, hair loose on her shoulders, glasses on—a restrained elite fresh from work, unwinding. The woman from last night’s group was with her.

As the performance began, she watched the stage quietly, arm resting on the table’s edge.

Jiang Mingyue chatted, “You can get autographs and photos. Want to?”

Du Qingting: “Sure.”

Jiang Mingyue: “Ever tried sea cucumber? Their soup’s famous here. There’s a spot nearby for local dishes. Wanna go after? Are you into it?”

Du Qingting: “Love it.”

Jiang Mingyue followed her gaze, studying the figure. “Du Qingting, you into that type, huh?”

Du Qingting: “Yeah, I’m into it.”

Jiang Mingyue chuckled. Du Qingting snapped out of it, not registering what she’d said. “What did you say?”

Jiang Mingyue teased, “Haha, guess.”

Someone came by selling drinks. Du Qingting got a juice and on impulse ordered one for the table ahead. Jiang Mingyue clicked her tongue.

When the waiter delivered the juice, You Jin leaned back slightly, then turned away without showing her face.

Jiang Mingyue stared, saying, “Damn, that side profile slays me. Looks like You Jin. Is it You Jin?”

Du Qingting: “Uh… like who?”

You Jin didn’t touch the juice, leaving it there. She raised her hand then set it down, a pair of gold-rimmed glasses now beside the juice glass. Propping her chin, she looked tired.

Every cell in Du Qingting’s body screamed:

Go be shameless, go now.

Jiang Mingyue waved a glow stick, singing along. Du Qingting turned away, trying to focus on Spring Train, but her ears ached, and nothing sank in.

Her eyes slid sideways. The woman’s friend was whispering in her ear, red and yellow lights flashing over their shoulders. Their faces were close, practically ear-to-ear and You Jin tilted her head, maybe smiling. The vibe was undeniably flirty.

Du Qingting had to admit, she really wanted to see her without the glasses. The earlier interaction irritated her.

Her heart felt prickly.

Jiang Mingyue shouted over the noise, “Du Qingting, wanna join their table up front?”

The 300 minute music festival featured rotating bands, the crowd roaring tirelessly. Du Qingting looked again—the woman and her friend stood, bending slightly to exit through a side door. They didn’t return.

The gold glasses sat untouched on the table.

Someone moved to take the empty seat. Du Qingting darted over, grabbed the glasses, and returned, holding them between her fingers.

The grueling concert finally ended at 8:30 p.m. They went to a restaurant for dinner. Du Qingting sipped sea cucumber soup, questioning her life choices. Jiang Mingyue ate happily, so she held back her complaints. She couldn’t fathom why something so pricey tasted so bad.

With an event on, the subway ran until 2 a.m. Du Qingting walked Jiang Mingyue to the station, pausing outside You Jin’s room for a moment.

Inside, You Jin untied her tie, dialing her phone. Her housekeeper answered. You Jin asked, “Where’s Little Butterfly?”

“Just got back,” the housekeeper said, leading a black Doberman over. It wore a muzzle and a silver dog tag, glaring fiercely.

The Doberman, sharp as ever, heard “Little Butterfly” and squatted, ears perked, craning to see the video.

The housekeeper showed it the screen, removing the muzzle. “This little guy gets so excited hearing your voice.”

“Call Mommy.”

“Woof woof!”

Little Butterfly, a German Doberman, had floppy ears when young but was now tall and imposing, its bark loud and powerful.

“Very good.”

“Bark again, and I’ll get you a gift.”

You Jin had a black-and-red box on her lap, filled with dog accessories. She chuckled to herself, “Someone thought this was for her, like I’m some big pervert.”

The housekeeper said, “She was in your room today, probably missing you. When are you back?”

You Jin fiddled with the leather collar, Little Butterfly’s eyes tracking her. “Depends. Might be a bit.”

She reached into the box, not finding what she wanted. The Doberman barked twice. You Jin thought, then looked under the sofa, spotting the black ball.

She picked it up, smiled, and tossed it.

Little Butterfly bolted after it, making the housekeeper laugh at its silliness. It soon returned, spitting an identical black ball at her feet, nudging it toward You Jin.

“Good girl,” You Jin praised. “Helping Mommy find her ball.”

The Doberman barked in the video. You Jin’s eyes softened, sighing, “I wanna pet my puppy.”

The housekeeper propped up the phone, preparing food for Little Butterfly. “By the way, the Du family called again, all flattery, hoping you’re not upset. Madam called too, and said there are some nice young people. She wants you to add them on WeChat and check them out.”

You Jin hummed lightly.

Another sleepless night. Du Qingting felt awful.

The last time she felt this bad was after messing up and laughing it off with You Jin. Lately, she kept thinking about it.

It had upset her, but she couldn’t pinpoint why.

After three days and two nights of thinking, she realized she’d been having a wet dream about kissing a mysterious older woman, only to be woken by You Jin’s slap, leaving her unsatisfied.

Du Qingting rolled over, pulling out the glasses. Her mind replayed the concert—gold frames, icy juice, the woman’s smiling eyes without them. She couldn’t picture her face clearly, just a vague, surreal blur.

Fine, she admitted it now: in that dream, she was kissing You Jin.

It felt awful, but You Jin was her first sexual fantasy.

Another restless night. Du Qingting got ready, stepping out and leaning against the wall, kicking aimlessly.

When the next door opened, she straightened instantly, forgetting how long she’d waited. You Jin, surprised to see her, hooked the doorknob and closed it.

Du Qingting fumbled for a moment. “Uh… did you lose your glasses?”

You Jin touched the new pair on her nose. “Yeah, the gold ones are gone.”

“I picked them up yesterday,” Du Qingting said.

“Thanks.” You Jin stepped closer, extending her hand, fingers elegant and clean. Du Qingting hesitated, wanting to play coy and make a demand.

But You Jin’s hand reached out, and she was speechless.

“Hm?” You Jin prompted.

Du Qingting took a deep breath. “Let’s go have breakfast together?”

“Eat first, then I’ll give them to you.”

Du Qingting hid the glasses behind her back, fingers brushing the frame. You Jin nodded, agreeing.

The restaurant’s menu had changed, and the waiters seemed more competent. You Jin ordered a few dishes. Du Qingting, sleep-deprived for two nights, her head foggy, ordered the same without fuss.

She asked, “Are you mad at me?”

Du Qingting had no experience coaxing girls, only You Jin—agreeing with everything saying, “You’re right, I’ll listen, my bad.”

“Why would I be mad at you?” The woman across smiled faintly. “My temper’s not that bad. You just don’t like dogs.”

Du Qingting should’ve been relieved, but it felt off, like if she didn’t like dogs, this woman would go find another one.

They were just a fleeting fling—shouldn’t meddle in each other’s business, as that’d cross a line. Yet she felt uneasy.

Du Qingting said, “You were ignoring me on purpose.”

“Hm? Was I?” You Jin squinted, thinking. “You mean yesterday? I didn’t see you.”

“…”

That hit Du Qingting’s heart harder than admitting she’d ignored her. “This morning, I sat across from you, and you ignored me too.”

You Jin picked up a shrimp. “This morning, the service pissed me off. I was busy and maybe ignored you a bit. Adjusted quickly, though. Sorry.”

Du Qingting didn’t need her apology, knowing she wasn’t mad was enough. Eating breakfast, she wanted to say something, but time flew. You Jin ate lightly sampling a bit then used mouthwash.

She waited as Du Qingting ate slowly. Wiping her lips, Du Qingting pulled the glasses from the empty seat beside her, polished clean, and handed them over by the temple. You Jin tucked them away, then stood with her bag. “I’m off.”

Du Qingting grabbed her hand. You Jin turned, eyes puzzled. “Hm?”

Her actions outpaced her thoughts. “If I wasn’t so stubborn the other day… I’m leaving tomorrow. Could you spare some time? Maybe we could hang out somewhere.”

She rambled, barely making sense, her head aching.

“You really want to?”

“Yeah.” Du Qingting had Jiang Mingyue for company, but she inexplicably wanted to go with her. Rubbing her nose, embarrassed, she said, “Could you… make time to hang out with me?”

You Jin looked at her hand, then unlocked her phone with her fingerprint, typing away, looking busy.

Du Qingting waited a few minutes, staring, then spoke up. “Hey, big sister, pay attention to me.”

So shameless. Whatever, go with it, or she’d make herself sick.

You Jin asked, “Will you be good?”

Du Qingting nodded. “I’ll be good.”

You Jin held out her hand. Confused, Du Qingting remembered the mint candy in her pocket and handed it over. You Jin pinched it, answering a call, saying something about “pushing it back” and “tentative online meeting.”

Du Qingting’s thoughts scattered. You Jin ended the call. “Good enough? I’ll work tomorrow and play with you today.” She looked earnestly into her eyes, gently squeezing her palm.

“Then during the day…”

“Daytime’s yours too. I’m with you from now on.”

Du Qingting drowned in her tenderness, her heart racing, nearly barking for her. “Really?”

You Jin nodded, her hand suddenly rubbing Du Qingting’s head. “Really.”

Du Qingting shivered, screaming internally.

Woof.

Damn.

So shameless, she really wanted to be her dog.