Reborn! Entangled with the Obsessive Best Actress - Chapter 25

Though the words carried no overt threat, Song Qingxing offered no resistance to Xie Jingcheng’s coercion, closing her eyes.

It’ll just be a little tiring, she thought.

Xie Jingcheng tied her up slowly, each movement imbued with a deliberate elegance.

Today, Xie Jingcheng wore her glasses again, the black-rimmed frames giving her the air of a white-collar office worker.

Yet her actions were anything but restrained.

The slender wrists were slowly bound with black rope, a scene that, while not overtly seductive, stirred a primal desire deep within the heart.

Xie Jingcheng glanced up at Song Qingxing, whose eyes remained closed.

I’m ready for my punishment. Come on, her posture seemed to say, making Xie Jingcheng want to laugh.

Leaning closer, their noses brushed. Xie Jingcheng pressed her lips against Song Qingxing’s soft mouth, a kiss she had longed for, its heat enveloping their lips and teeth.

A kiss that made parting unbearable.

Slender fingers crept upward, gripping Song Qingxing’s arm through the thin shirt. Beneath her palm lay soft skin, making her yearn to go further.

Xie Jingcheng, however, retained her composure, aware they were in the car. But having finally caught the little kitten in a compromising position, how could she resist teasing her further?

The kiss grew increasingly passionate.

Song Qingxing was on the verge of losing her breath when a sudden knock on the car door startled them like a thunderclap in the night.

Xie Jingcheng immediately pulled away. Years of self-restraint kept her from cursing aloud; had it been anyone else, her mouth would have been spewing profanities.

Xie Ze, standing outside, had been knocking for some time. When no one answered, he grew suspicious.

The car’s heavily tinted windows made it impossible to see inside. Assuming the vehicle was empty, he reached for the silver-plated door handle.

His fingers had barely touched the handle when the door swung open with a whoosh, revealing Xie Jingcheng glaring at her cousin.

This time, she couldn’t hold back.

“Xie Ze, what do you want? This is my car.”

“I’m not obligated to drive you home today.”

She had initially agreed, but learning he’d taken her to that all-male bar just to provoke An Wenqing had changed her mind.

In that instant, Xie Jingcheng felt that even if she abandoned her cousin at the bar, it wouldn’t be a grave mistake.

“Elder Female Cousin, I truly didn’t know you were inside,” Xie Ze said, his face flushed with embarrassment as he lowered his head. Yet his eyes couldn’t resist darting furtively toward the car, clearly fueled by a burning gossip-hungry soul.

The interior of the car was dimly lit, as the lights weren’t on. He could only make out a woman leaning against the window, her disheveled clothes revealing a snow-white shoulder and a delicate, pink-tinged collarbone. Her hands seemed to be clasped together, bound by a black satin ribbon that draped down to her knees.

Xie Ze’s breath nearly caught in his throat. He had always imagined his elder female cousin would suddenly renounce worldly life in her later years, retreating to a Buddhist monastery to become a renowned abbess.

But it turned out she had someone she loved.

She had kept this secret remarkably well; the entire Xie Family remained completely unaware.

“Now that you know, you should leave. And what are you staring at? If you keep looking, I won’t hesitate to gouge your eyes out,” Xie Jingcheng said with disdain.

Those who knew her well understood that while she might not actually gouge someone’s eyes out, her repertoire of tormenting methods was vast and varied.

Xie Ze frantically closed his eyes.

Perhaps in his haste, he stumbled backward, his left leg tripping over his right, and fell awkwardly. His palms scraped against the ground, but he ignored the pain and scrambled away.

“Elder Female Cousin, I was wrong!”

“I’ll never do it again! Please don’t tell my dad!”

Only his terrified voice carried on the wind reached Xie Jingcheng’s ears.

The car fell silent. No one spoke. Xie Jingcheng’s simmering anger, disrupted by her cousin’s interruption, was once again suppressed.

She lowered her head, staring at her own foolish actions, her heart filled with remorse.

Such crude and violent methods would only push the woman she loved further away. This was something she should have understood without needing to be taught, yet she had inexplicably succumbed to such absurdity.

“I’m sorry. I let my emotions get the better of me.”

Xie Jingcheng reached out to untie the satin ribbon binding Song Qingxing’s wrists. As she untied it, she noticed a ring of bruises on Song Qingxing’s pale wrists, a testament to how forcefully she had restrained her.

Her guilt deepened.

“It’s okay,” Song Qingxing said softly.

“I was wrong too. I should have told you I was going to a place that sells beauty.”

Song Qingxing rubbed her wrist before rummaging through her bag for her phone.

After unlocking it, she handed it to Xie Jingcheng.

“Here, take a look,” she said. “If I’ve broken our agreement in the slightest, may I be drowned in a stinking sewer right now.”

Song Qingxing had died in her previous life in foul-smelling green water, making this curse several times more venomous than being struck by lightning.

Faced with the offered phone, Xie Jingcheng wavered, her resolve faltering.

Yet she held firm to her principles. She raised her hand and covered the phone with her palm.

“I believe you. I won’t doubt you again. I don’t need to see the evidence, and you don’t need to make such a toxic oath.”

Xie Jingcheng’s expression was earnest, showing no hint of placating.

“I apologize for today’s incident. To make things fair, Song Qingxing… you may punish me once.”

Xie Jingcheng had always been straightforward.

If she accidentally stepped on someone’s foot or slapped them, a simple apology wouldn’t suffice. The best resolution, in her view, was for the other party to retaliate in kind—to step back or slap her in return.

This was her understanding of justice.

And so, she offered Song Qingxing the same reciprocal punishment.

Song Qingxing had initially intended to refuse. As a kept woman, she had no right to make such an unreasonable demand of her benefactor.

But then, a flash of inspiration struck her.

The thought vanished instantly.

After all, Xie Jingcheng was a renowned actress!

Using her as a sparring partner to hone her acting skills would be the perfect opportunity.

So Song Qingxing reached out and wrapped her arms around Xie Jingcheng’s neck.

Perhaps due to their earlier struggle, Song Qingxing’s collar had come undone, allowing a delicate, woody fragrance to drift into Xie Jingcheng’s nostrils.

It wasn’t a spicy scent, but rather the fresh, clean aroma of newly cut wood—soft and refreshing, like a gentle breeze against her face.

Xie Jingcheng had tried this perfume before, but when she wore it herself, it had seemed like just another fragrance, at best a pleasant woody scent. Yet now, on a different wearer, the mood and the way the scent felt were entirely different.

Her lips pressed into a tight line.

Damn it!

What if I want to tease her again?

Her thoughts were still racing when Song Qingxing’s arms looped around her neck.

Song Qingxing smiled sweetly, like an apricot blossom in early spring—tender and captivating.

“Alright, then I’ll propose a punishment.”