Rapid Collapse (GL) - Chapter 40

Shen Xi struggled in her bedroom for a long time before finally gathering the courage to put on the new pajamas she had just bought and stepping out.

She lowered her head and sat down in front of Han Ning, never daring to look up to see her reaction. The air felt frozen, and Shen Xi sat stiffly on the chair, feeling as if she were sitting on pins and needles—utterly embarrassed.

A few seconds later, she couldn’t take it anymore. She felt ridiculous, like a clown, actually daring to have seductive thoughts about Han Ning. The entertainment industry was full of beautiful women, and Han Ning herself was already a dazzling beauty. What kind of women hadn’t she seen?

Shen Xi bit her lip and furrowed her brows. The more she thought about it, the more absurd her actions and thoughts seemed. She stood up, intending to return to her bedroom and change back.

Han Ning’s gaze was locked onto her, unconsciously drawn to the fair skin revealed below Shen Xi’s collarbone. At this moment, in Han Ning’s eyes, Shen Xi exuded an irresistible allure, completely unaware of it herself. Her lowered gaze, her biting lips, her furrowed brows, and the shy blush on her cheeks—each of these was incredibly tempting.

As Shen Xi got up, Han Ning reached out and grabbed her arm, staring into her eyes. Shen Xi struggled a little, her movements carrying an unintentional hint of playing hard to get.

“You’ve already dressed like this, so why regret it now?” Han Ning wrapped an arm around her waist and leaned down to tease her. “Are you cold?”

Her voice carried an unmistakable smile. Shen Xi glared at her, both shy and annoyed, thinking Han Ning was doing it on purpose. She threatened, “Let go of me, or I’ll bite you!”

Unexpectedly, Han Ning only laughed even more, her dark eyes sparkling. She even tilted her head slightly, exposing her fair neck. “So fierce? You really want to bite me? Go ahead—bite.”

“You—” Shen Xi was speechless. She gave her a glance, then fell silent. Pouting, she pushed Han Ning away and sat back down, clearly sulking.

“Is this… a seduction attempt?” Han Ning rested her chin on her hand, gazing at Shen Xi with a teasing smile.

Shen Xi kept her head down, saying nothing.

Han Ning thought to herself, Why so hesitant? Shen Xi, can’t you just pounce on me boldly for once?

“Alright then… If there’s nothing else, I’m going to eat. You should go change before you catch a cold.” Han Ning nodded, turned back, and picked up her chopsticks to eat.

Shen Xi looked at her side profile, her mind heating up as she suddenly made a decision.

She reached out and took Han Ning’s chopsticks away.

Han Ning looked at her in confusion. “What are you doing…?”

The next second, Shen Xi’s soft lips pressed against hers. She wasn’t very skilled, just leaning in and staying still. Her watery eyes flickered as she locked gazes with Han Ning.

Han Ning’s lips curled into a smile. She interlocked their fingers and deepened the kiss.

As she leaned in, Shen Xi instinctively leaned back, overwhelmed by the passionate affection. Unable to resist, Han Ning teased her, “You really are like a sweet, sticky rice dumpling—soft and fragrant…”

“Stop talking…” Shen Xi frowned, clearly displeased at being interrupted. She stared at Han Ning’s lips and, imitating her, leaned in again for another kiss.

“Wait a second…” Han Ning covered Shen Xi’s lips with her hand, holding back a smile. With a serious expression, she asked, “Tell me, what are we now? I don’t want you kissing me and then calling it a misunderstanding again.” She rolled her eyes, clearly still holding a grudge over last time.

“If you want, we can get married right away. If you think that’s too fast, we can date for a while and then get married. Either way…” Shen Xi lifted her hand, her gaze landing on Han Ning’s wrist, which bore their matching couple bracelet. “We’re already wearing our couple bracelets. I won’t run away, and you’d better not even think about it.”

Han Ning was slightly surprised by her words. She had expected Shen Xi to give her an answer, but she hadn’t expected her to bring up marriage.

Looking into Shen Xi’s eyes, Han Ning realized she was completely serious. Shen Xi wasn’t someone who would make such a promise lightly, which meant her words came from the heart.

Seeing Han Ning hesitate in silence for so long, Shen Xi’s eyes dimmed slightly with disappointment. She hesitated before asking, “What’s wrong? You… don’t want to marry me?”

Han Ning quickly shook her head. “Of course not!” She pulled Shen Xi into her arms, resting her chin on her shoulder with a soft laugh. “It’s just that… happiness came too suddenly. I never expected you to say the word ‘marriage.’”

Hearing that, Shen Xi visibly relaxed. She let out a small sigh of relief and murmured against Han Ning’s shoulder, “I don’t know if you feel the same way as I do…”

“What do you mean?” Han Ning asked softly, picking up her chopsticks and feeding Shen Xi a piece of spicy beef. Shen Xi chewed and swallowed, blinking as the light cast shadows under her long, curled lashes, making her look like a porcelain doll.

Han Ning rested her chin on her hand, gazing at her intently. This face… I could never get tired of looking at it.

Shen Xi reminisced, “That day, when Cheng Nian saw Yu Xin, she was so happy that she ran into her arms, calling her ‘wife’ while acting all spoiled. The way Yu Xin doted on her…

I’ve never seen anything like that in real life before. At that moment, I felt so envious.”

She glanced at Han Ning, holding her hand, eyes overflowing with emotion. She confessed, “Actually, there was a little secret—I looked at them and thought of us.”

Han Ning nodded. “I thought about it too. I remember wondering how nice it would be if it were you running into my arms. I’d spin you around and listen to you call me ‘wife’…”

“Really?” Shen Xi smiled, peeling a shrimp and feeding it to Han Ning. “Open your mouth, wife~”

Han Ning chewed the shrimp, her eyes curving into crescent moons. She wiped her mouth, then kissed Shen Xi’s lips with a smacking sound. “I don’t want shrimp anymore—I want to eat you, my little rice dumpling~”

Refusing to let Han Ning have her way, Shen Xi quickly got up and dashed away. But Han Ning wasn’t about to let her escape. How could she let her sweet rice dumpling run away now? She chased after her all the way to the bedroom, tackling her onto the soft bed.

Shen Xi lay there, her cheeks flushed, breathing heavily. Her arms wrapped around Han Ning’s neck as she gazed up at her with sparkling eyes.

“Not running anymore, huh?” Han Ning pinched her cheek teasingly.

Shen Xi’s eyes carried an unspoken allure, filled with deep affection. She whispered in Han Ning’s ear, “I never planned on running.”

Han Ning raised an eyebrow. “Oh? So this was intentional?”

“Got you, didn’t I?” Shen Xi laughed.

Their laughter grew softer as Han Ning kissed her, her slender fingers trailing over the smooth skin of Shen Xi’s waist. Shen Xi bit her lip, muffling a soft moan. Han Ning’s hair cascaded over Shen Xi’s collarbone, her gaze deep and unreadable. Shen Xi’s face burned, her eyes shimmering with barely restrained emotion. Their breath mingled, the warmth in the room growing thick. Time blurred, and only when Shen Xi’s fingers finally released their grip on the silk sheets did she whisper breathlessly, “Ning Ning…”

Her eyes glistened with unshed tears, her voice shaky and endearing.

Han Ning kissed her lips tenderly, savoring her sweetness.

“Wife…” she murmured softly into Shen Xi’s ear. “You taste so sweet.”