The Eunuch Has A Wife - Chapter 68

Chu Yingbai was momentarily stunned. She had prepared for all possible scenarios, thinking that if this person let go, she would remain composed and treat it as an accident.

If this person stubbornly insisted on acting like a rogue and tried to force something, she would patiently lecture them, hoping to guide this misguided girl back to the right path.

Never did she expect that Bai Hongmo would defy all expectations and actually act coquettishly towards her!!

Chu Yingbai observed Bai Hongmo’s expression. The girl’s eyes were clear, filled with determination, and there was a hint of something indescribable—a subtle probing.

Her heart softened inexplicably, and her hands gradually relaxed, gently resting on Bai Hongmo’s shoulders as she leaned into her embrace.

The carriage swayed slightly, and inside, it was quiet. The two of them held each other in silence, neither speaking a word.

Bai Hongmo tightened her embrace, holding someone she had just met that day. In truth, she had long admired Chu Yingbai from afar but had never had the chance to meet her.

Her father often said, “Look at the eldest daughter of Prime minister Chu.”

To the young Bai Hongmo, Chu Yingbai was that “other family’s child”—the exemplary, outstanding child.

Knowing her father’s expectations, she forced herself to study music, chess, calligraphy, and painting, abandoning her once lively and spirited nature. She molded herself into the delicate and refined image she now presented.

Having pretended for so many years, some habits that weren’t truly hers seemed to have become ingrained, while the things that were once genuinely hers seemed to have faded from memory.

“We’ve arrived at the Bai residence.”

The voice of a maid came from outside. She usually sat inside the carriage with her mistress, but now, with Miss Bai here, she had been relegated to sitting outside.

Chu Yingbai silently shifted her position, and this time, there was no resistance. The arm around her waist obediently loosened and let go.

“Miss Bai, we’ve arrived at your residence.”

She must have been bewitched today, allowing a girl to hold her for so long. But then again, they were both women, so what harm could a hug do?

As she was lost in thought, Bai Hongmo sat up and, before Chu Yingbai could react, gently hugged her and whispered in her ear, “Sister, don’t forget me.”

With that, she leaped out of the carriage, and a cheerful laugh followed.

Bai Hongmo glanced back at the departing carriage. Today had been an unusually interesting day.

The carriage was quiet. When the maid entered, she found her mistress lost in thought. She blinked but wisely chose not to disturb her.

Chu Yingbai’s ears still echoed with the words that seemed to burn, “Sister, don’t forget me,” and the lingering embrace. She had actually been so close to another woman.

No, not really. They hadn’t been that close. It was just a hug, albeit a long one, but they hadn’t done anything. The whispered words had been brief.

Her thoughts were in disarray. They had only just met—wasn’t this too fast? No, it wasn’t too fast…

Back at her residence, Chu Yingbai focused on copying a few pages of Buddhist scriptures, and her chaotic mind gradually settled. Miss Bai must have been young and naive, overstepping boundaries. There was no need to dwell on it.

By evening, however, a single sentence from her maid stirred the calm waters once more.

“Miss, the Bai residence has sent an invitation.”

Chu Yingbai opened the invitation with a composed expression. A line of bold characters caught her eye: “Tomorrow at the end of Chen hour (9 a.m.), at the Lou Shang Lou restaurant, private room Jia on the second floor.”

The signature was Bai Hongmo’s.

The end of Chen hour—just after breakfast—and the meeting was at Lou Shang Lou. Did this mean they were having lunch together?

Chu Yingbai frowned slightly as she looked at the invitation. If it was for lunch, wasn’t arriving at Chen hour too early? There was still over an hour until lunchtime. What would they do at Lou Shang Lou so early?

Unbidden, she recalled the girl lying in the carriage, cooing at her, “Let me hold you for a while, just a little while.”

The invitation in her hand was silently clenched tighter. Chu Yingbai walked back to her desk, opened the Buddhist scriptures, and began copying again.

Calm your mind—steady your breath—do not worry—do not be disturbed.

The next morning, after breakfast, with less than an hour until the appointed time, Chu Yingbai was about to instruct her maid to accompany her when the scene from the carriage flashed through her mind.

She frowned slightly and spoke in an even tone, “Stay here and air out some of the books on the shelf.”

At Lou Shang Lou, in the private room.

Bai Hongmo glanced at the waiter who was serving tea. The service at Lou Shang Lou was impeccable. “You may leave now. Return when it’s time to serve the meal at noon. No need to attend to us until then.”

The waiter quickly withdrew. With an hour and a half until noon, he could attend to a few more customers in the main hall and perhaps earn some extra tips.

The private room’s window was open, and the spring breeze carried the scent of tea into the room.

Bai Hongmo stood up to close the window when there was a knock at the door.

“Come in.”

Chu Yingbai entered and saw the person closing the window. She pressed her lips together and remained silent.

“Sister, please sit. The tea is just ready.” Bai Hongmo sat down beside her, their chairs almost touching.

Bai Hongmo subtly glanced at the distance between the two chairs. It seemed the other person had deliberately placed them close together.

“Miss Bai, what is the purpose of inviting me here today?”

“I wanted to hold you for a while, just a little while.” As she spoke, Bai Hongmo leaned her head against Chu Yingbai’s shoulder and wrapped her right arm around her.

Fortunately, the chair was large enough, with a backrest. Lou Shang Lou was truly considerate.

Chu Yingbai stiffened, instinctively trying to pull away, but the arm around her waist tightened.

Her fingers clenched slightly, and her voice cooled. “If Miss Bai has nothing else, I shall take my leave.” She had been invited here just to be held? What an absurd reason.

Bai Hongmo wasn’t flustered at all. She smiled and gently shook the person in her arms. “This is very important to me. Does Sister find it absurd?”

Chu Yingbai’s expression shifted slightly. Since her thoughts had been guessed, she saw no point in denying it. She nodded lightly. Yes, it was absurd.

Bai Hongmo laughed outright. “If that’s the case, why doesn’t Sister push me away? If you push me away, we can go our separate ways.”

Chu Yingbai’s hand, which had been about to push her away, paused. If she pushed her away, they would have no further connection. The thought made her hesitate inexplicably.

Bai Hongmo took Chu Yingbai’s hand in hers and coaxed, “I like Sister very much—the kind of liking a younger sister has for an older sister. I only have an older brother and no sisters. I really want an older sister.”

The body in her arms relaxed slightly, and the hand she held loosened its grip.

A glint of something deeper flashed in Bai Hongmo’s eyes. The eldest daughter of the Chu family was unexpectedly naive and easy to deceive.

“My liking for Sister is the kind between sisters. Don’t overthink it.” Bai Hongmo leaned closer to Chu Yingbai’s ear and whispered softly.

Chu Yingbai’s heart was slightly unsettled. “I’m not overthinking it. I don’t have a younger sister either, it’s just… just…” But do ordinary sisters behave like this?

“Just what?”

The warm breath by her ear made her shiver.

Chu Yingbai shifted slightly, her mind flashing back to the phrase from yesterday—”so close, almost intimate.” Was she really overthinking this?

“Nothing. I’m just not used to it.”

Hearing this, Bai Hongmo moved away slightly, not pressing so close. “You’ll get used to it. I don’t know how ordinary sisters behave, but in my heart, I just want to hold Sister like this, to be close to you.” Closer, until the dignified and elegant Miss Chu showed a different expression because of her.

Chu Yingbai remained silent, like a puppet being held. Her mind was still in disarray. Something felt off. She had only come here to fulfill the invitation.

But what were they doing now? They had only met yesterday. Calling each other sisters wasn’t wrong, but should sisters who had just met the day before be hugging like this?

“Can we sit a little further apart?”

“No.” Bai Hongmo refused outright, then seemed to remember something and loosened her embrace. “Sister, can we stand and hug for a while?”

Chu Yingbai sat rigidly in the chair, her legs as if rooted to the ground. No, this wasn’t good at all. But looking at the smiling girl before her, the words of refusal lingered on her lips, yet she couldn’t bring herself to say them.

“Sister?” Bai Hongmo stood up and looked at her.

Chu Yingbai remained motionless, her lips pressed tightly together, silently trying to refuse.

The girl gazed at her for a long time, her eyes gradually filling with disappointment and sorrow.

Chu Yingbai closed her eyes for a moment, sighed deeply in her heart, and slowly stood up. Fine, she would indulge her this once. She would tell the servants not to accept any more invitations from the Bai residence, and that would be the end of it.

Seeing her stand, Bai Hongmo’s eyes curved into a smile, pure and bright, like a child who had found a treasure, her laughter filled with contentment.

Chu Yingbai was momentarily stunned by that captivating smile, and in the next instant, she was pulled into a tight embrace.

“Sister, I’m so happy in my heart. What about you?” Are you happy too? Bai Hongmo looked at the person before her. They were almost the same height, their eyes level.

Chu Yingbai’s gaze flickered, and she softly replied, “Mm.”

In her heart, there was no sadness, no discomfort or rejection, only a strange mix of fluster and nervousness. Perhaps she was happy too.

Bai Hongmo looked at the person whose expression remained calm, her eyes darkening slightly. She moved her hands upward, one resting on the back of Chu Yingbai’s head, the other supporting her neck.

“Sister, I want to do something else with you.”

Her voice grew slightly hoarse, carrying a bewitching allure.

Chu Yingbai’s heart skipped a beat. Suddenly, she felt that coming here today had been a mistake. She shouldn’t have kept compromising, because the girl before her was clearly pushing her limits.

Before she could ask, “What do you want to do?” the words were silenced between their lips.

Chu Yingbai’s eyes widened in shock. The softness of their lips, the fragrant breath mingling between them—she thought distractedly that ordinary sisters certainly didn’t behave like this.

She snapped back to reality and pushed the other person away.

In the next moment, she reached out worriedly to steady Bai Hongmo, but seeing that the girl had already braced herself against the chair and hadn’t fallen, she silently withdrew her hand.

Once Bai Hongmo steadied herself, she looked at Chu Yingbai with a hurt expression. “Sister, why did you push me? Was it uncomfortable?”

Uncomfortable? It didn’t seem so. In fact, it felt somewhat… No, she shouldn’t be thinking about this. Chu Yingbai’s expression turned cold. “Ordinary sisters don’t do such… such intimate things.”