The Mouth Is Stubborn, But the Body Is Quite Honest [Rebirth] - Chapter 8

Chapter 8: 008 “Tell Your President Qi, I’m Not Done With Her…”

After Gu Linlang’s mother passed away, she would always fall into nightmares during thunderstorms. At that time, Qi Wanyang would always stay by her side, comforting her softly. Little Gu Linlang would curl up in her arms, tearfully saying, “Wanyang feels just like my mom, so gentle.”

Qi Wanyang remembered how she responded then: “I don’t want to be your mom. But I will always stay with you like this.”

“Pinky promise!” Little Linlang’s tears turned to a bright smile, her wet eyes sparkling. “Wanyang, you have to keep your word! I hate rainy days with thunder the most.”

Unfortunately, reality often went against expectations. Soon, their relationship underwent a tremendous change. Their former closeness became distant, and eventually, they became sworn rivals who couldn’t stand the sight of each other. The promise of the past became nothing more than childish words.

Could it only be childish words?

But I’ve always taken it seriously.

I even went to great lengths to trick her just so I could be by Gu Linlang’s side during this thunderstorm.

The rain outside the window intensified. Gu Linlang unconsciously snuggled into her arms. Qi Wanyang tightened her embrace, her fingertips gently smoothing the furrow in Gu Linlang’s brow.

“Gu Linlang…” she whispered in her heart, her gaze fixed on the girl’s trembling eyelashes. “What am I going to do with you?”

Fortunately, her embrace was still effective. Gu Linlang gradually relaxed her brow, and her breathing became long and steady.

The next morning, sunlight poured into the room like golden threads, wiping away all traces of the previous night’s storm. Gu Linlang woke up in the warm sunshine, surprised that she had slept soundly all night. How long had it been since she had such a peaceful sleep during a thunderstorm?

She turned over and found that Qi Wanyang was no longer in bed. She reached out and felt her phone on the nightstand, with a note pressed beneath it. Qi Wanyang’s handwriting was clear and strong: “Linlang, good morning. I’ve left for work. There are clothes that fit you in the last compartment of the walk-in closet; feel free to choose whatever you like. I’ve instructed Aunt Li and the others to prepare breakfast. She is waiting downstairs. If you have any other needs, just tell them. Uncle Jian is also waiting for you in the garage and can take you anywhere in Longcheng after you’ve had breakfast. You can contact me if anything comes up.” Qi Wanyang’s business card was attached below the note.

Gu Linlang’s lips involuntarily curled up as she thought, “Seeing as you were so thoughtful, I’ll overlook last night’s unpleasantness.”

Just as she was about to get up, the System suddenly spoke: “Ding. Congratulations, Host, for completing another instance of physical contact with Qi Wanyang. This was a hug, lasting over 6 hours, earning 60 Love Value.”

Gu Linlang instantly froze, the smile fixed on her face. What is going on? When did she hug Qi Wanyang? And for over 6 hours? Didn’t that mean they hugged the entire night? Recalling last night, she vaguely remembered someone gently holding her, whispering by her ear, which made her feel incredibly safe. She thought she had dreamed about her mother—she never expected that smelly fox, that scoundrel, Qi Wanyang, had been pawing at her! She quickly turned to look at the “line of demarcation” on the bed and realized that she was the one who had crossed the line!

The System seemed oblivious to Gu Linlang’s impending explosion of emotion and continued broadcasting: “Additionally, congratulations, Host, on successfully passing the novice period and formally entering the intermediate stage. In this stage, contact outside of missions will no longer earn Love Value, but completing specified missions will grant higher rewards, and occasionally, you will receive extra lucky bags.”

“Hmph! Who cares about some rotten lucky bag!” Gu Linlang was so angry she stomped her foot.

The thought of having more intimate contact with Qi Wanyang in the future gave her a headache. She stormed into the walk-in closet, grabbed a few random clothes, quickly washed up and got dressed, and then strode out of the room.

“Good morning, Miss Gu.” As soon as she reached the second floor, Gu Linlang was greeted in unison by a neat row of maids. The sight made her pause; every maid wore an enthusiastic and respectful smile, as if they were receiving a VIP.

But her mood remained sour, remembering how much Qi Wanyang had taken advantage of her last night. As she reached the first floor, the head maid immediately stepped forward and curtsied slightly: “Miss Gu, breakfast is ready. Please proceed to the dining room.”

Gu Linlang languidly glanced at the dining room, where the long table was covered with local breakfast delicacies. But she was too angry to eat anything. She snorted without looking back: “No appetite. I’m leaving, don’t bother seeing me out.” She turned to walk away.

After two steps, she still felt unsatisfied, so she spun around sharply: “Tell your President Qi, I’m not done with her!” (literally: I’m not finished with her!)

The maids cautiously saw Gu Linlang off. When they relayed Gu Linlang’s message to Qi Wanyang, Qi Wanyang was silent for a moment, then gently shook her head and sighed. She couldn’t figure out where she had failed to be a good host to make Miss Gu so unhappy. However, since Gu Linlang said she was “not done,” that was fine—she had no intention of ending things with her either. They would just be “endless” (never done).

“Aunt Li, you may go about your duties,” Qi Wanyang’s tone was calm. She neither blamed the maids nor elaborated. Just as she hung up, her assistant, Daina, entered with a stack of documents. Qi Wanyang motioned for her to put the documents down, momentarily putting Gu Linlang’s matters aside to focus on the files.

Daina poured Qi Wanyang a hot cup of coffee and noticed her frequently rotating her neck and rubbing her shoulders. She couldn’t help but ask: “President Qi, are you feeling unwell? Should I call a masseuse?” Qi Wanyang was indeed sore all over from sleeping in one position all night. But she smiled and shook her head: “It’s fine, just a stiff neck. It’ll be better soon. Go ahead and get to work; I’ll call you when I’m done signing the documents.”

After Daina left, Qi Wanyang couldn’t help but think about last night. She had thought holding Gu Linlang while sleeping would be easy, just like when they were little. But last night, watching the sleeping Gu Linlang, she was so nervous she didn’t dare breathe, her body stiff as a board, which was why she was sore all over today.

Qi Wanyang smiled bitterly to herself. Was this “pain and happiness” combined? But she quickly dismissed the idea. It was just temporary nervousness from not having been this close to Gu Linlang in a long time; she would get used to it. Sleeping in an embrace with Gu Linlang could only be a happy thing, not painful. However, Miss Gu was clearly angry right now, and it seemed she was very angry.

Thinking of Gu Linlang’s angry expression, Qi Wanyang couldn’t help but curve her lips—she was like a little kitten with all its fur puffed up, surprisingly adorable.

Back at home, Gu Linlang was still furious about Qi Wanyang taking advantage of her. She couldn’t help but wonder what else Qi Wanyang had done while she was asleep. If there had been truly intimate actions, would the System have given her more Love Value?

“Yes, Host,” the System seemed to read her mind and answered in a timely manner. “Actions like kissing or making love will earn much higher Love Value.”

The System’s blunt words made Gu Linlang’s face instantly flush. She shot up from her chair. “Don’t talk nonsense! Even if I want a healthy heart, I will never let that opportunistic smelly fox take advantage of me! I have boundaries! Besides, I don’t even like women, so how could I possibly make… with Qi Wanyang?” She grew more frantic as she spoke, finally just snorting in exasperation.

“Host, you may be mistaken,” the System analyzed calmly. “Last night, Qi Wanyang merely hugged you while sleeping. She did not move at all during the entire process.”

“Hmph, who gave her permission to hug me? Just that alone is unforgivable!” Gu Linlang put her hands on her hips, looking utterly unconvinced.

The System continued to explain: “She may have intended to comfort you. Furthermore, given human physiology, staying in the same position all night would definitely cause muscle soreness. You, on the other hand, slept very peacefully in her arms, which is why you feel so refreshed now.”

Gu Linlang was momentarily silenced by the retort but still stubbornly argued: “Tch, I just can’t stand her self-important attitude. If it weren’t for the mission, who would bother with her!” She suddenly realized something and her eyes widened: “Wait a minute, this scoring system has problems, right? A simple hand-hold adds 5 points, but I was hugged all night, and it’s only this much?”

The System’s mechanical voice was flat: “Host, in the beginner missions, the Love Value coefficient for different levels of contact does vary. For example: hand-holding is 5 points, a hug is 15 points. However, if a contact action is continuous, you receive an extra +3 points for every minute in the first 10 minutes, an extra +2 points for every 10 minutes between 10 and 60 minutes, and then an extra +1 point for every hour afterward. Therefore, last night you…”

“Stop, stop, stop!” Gu Linlang’s temples pulsed, and she ground her back teeth in anger. “This scoring system is completely messed up! Why didn’t you explain all these convoluted rules in the beginning?”

The System countered logically: “You didn’t ask.”

Gu Linlang was nearly choked by the answer. She took a deep breath, forcibly suppressing her anger: “Fine, then you tell me clearly now, what exactly is the deal with the intermediate missions? What kind of ridiculous rules are there?” She counted on her fingers, “Also, what did you replace the warning system with, like you mentioned before?”

The air suddenly went quiet. The System was silent, as if it had crashed, for quite a while before bringing out its official tone again: “I apologize, Host. The mission content beyond the intermediate stage is classified information and is currently unavailable for advance inquiry~ That’s how we keep the element of surprise~”

“Surprise, my foot!” Gu Linlang grabbed a pillow and hurled it into the empty air. The pillow hit the wall with a dull thud. “From now on, you are forbidden to mention the name ‘Qi Wanyang’ in front of me!”

Gu Linlang irritably grabbed her phone, and the screen suddenly lit up. Messages from the group chat “Longcheng’s Four Flowers” popped up one after another.

“Linlang, did you really run into Qi Wanyang last night?” Hong Hui was the first to surface, her tone full of gossip.

Zhao Xiaoxuan followed close behind: “Qi Wanyang has been gone for four years, does she still remember us? I heard she’s super gorgeous now? Is that true?”

“Spill the beans!” Hu Xinyi also joined the excitement.

The three of them were Gu Linlang’s rich second-generation best friends since junior high. They got along well and often went out to eat and play together. No one knew who came up with the juvenile group name, but Gu Linlang hadn’t paid much attention to it in her past life. Now, it looked particularly childish.

Before Gu Linlang could reply, the outspoken Zhao Xiaoxuan added: “But you are so uncool! You secretly ran off to reminisce with Qi Wanyang at your birthday party? Aren’t you two sworn rivals?”

Seeing the messages flooding the group, Gu Linlang felt like her head was going to explode. Why couldn’t these people stop talking about “Qi Wanyang”?

Although she had been on good terms with Hong Hui and the others in her past life, she really wasn’t in the mood to deal with them now. She took a deep breath, trying to reply casually: “Sorry for the poor hospitality last night. It was just that it had been so long, and I couldn’t resist exchanging a few barbs with her, and the whole night was spent at her place.”

“What!!! A whole night? Were you two together the whole night?” The group instantly exploded, Zhao Xiaoxuan and the other two seeming even more excited than Gu Linlang herself.