Why Suffer for This Distress (GL) - Chapter 10

He Jingmo was a little embarrassed by Su Xiyan’s praise. She smoothed the hair behind her ear and said softly, “It’s alright.” Hearing Su Xiyan’s praise in this ambiguous atmosphere made He Jingmo much happier than usual.

“Exactly! You’re only a little bit short of catching up to me.” Su Xiyan laughed and turned around to grab the bath scrub, preparing to scrub her back. He Jingmo froze in place, unable to speak for a long moment.

“Scrub my back for me.” Su Xiyan stuffed the bath scrub into He Jingmo’s hand and quickly turned her back, not daring to look at her body. Su Xiyan tried hard to suppress her fast heartbeat and could only distract herself by talking non-stop. She was genuinely afraid that He Jingmo would realize her current nervousness. It was different now compared to college. In college, He Jingmo only suspected she liked women, but now, she knew for sure that she liked women. Suspicion and certainty are on entirely different levels. If He Jingmo knew that she was reacting to her nude body right now, she would definitely be in for a terrible time.

“Ow! That hurts—”

The sudden friction on her back made Su Xiyan cry out. She sharply turned to see what was happening behind her, but He Jingmo forcefully held her shoulders, preventing her from turning around. “Why are you moving? Don’t you want your back scrubbed?” I’ll scrub you to death, you stubborn idiot! He Jingmo applied more force, and Su Xiyan hissed in pain, letting out repeated wails.

“Gentler, be gentler! Jingmo, it hurts, you’re killing me!”

“Why are you yelling? Someone who doesn’t know might think I did something to you!” He Jingmo’s weighty words shut Su Xiyan up. Su Xiyan dared not make another sound, biting her lip tightly, her body trembling severely.

In just a few strokes, her back, which was originally as crystal clear as jade, turned into a cooked crab shell under He Jingmo’s rough handling. Su Xiyan turned her head to look at her crimson back in the mirror with a tearful face.

“Is it clean?” He Jingmo was in a great mood after venting her pent-up frustration. Su Xiyan pouted and looked at her, feeling wronged. He Jingmo looked at her back and felt a little regretful too; she had been a bit heavy-handed in her anger just now. She pursed her lips, thinking of something to comfort Su Xiyan, when she heard Su Xiyan let out a “Tch” and say defiantly, “Isn’t it just because I spoke the truth? Did you have to be so rough? I’m just prettier than you, it was publicly acknowledged in college!”

He Jingmo looked at Su Xiyan’s face and felt an urge to push her head into the toilet.

“Jingmo, let me scrub you too.” Su Xiyan looked at He Jingmo flatteringly. He Jingmo raised an eyebrow. So attentive?

“Don’t worry, I absolutely won’t seek revenge, and my hand will definitely be gentle!”

“Oh, you’re going to put your hands on me and still be gentle?”

“Jingmo…”

“Thank you. Thanks to you, I’ve showered three times today.” He Jingmo had been irritated by Su Xiyan all day and didn’t want to give her any face. Su Xiyan saw her expression and knew she was still angry, but she wasn’t discouraged. She leaned closer and said with a smile, “Then let me give you a massage. I’m professional-grade.”

“Here?” He Jingmo looked at her, her eyes full of provocation. Su Xiyan was slightly stunned by her inexplicable gaze. “Where else would we go?”

He Jingmo nodded. Fine, since someone wants a full nude massage, I’ll just enjoy it.

The moment her hand touched He Jingmo’s soft skin, Su Xiyan was filled with regret.

“Are you tickling me?” Clearly, He Jingmo was very dissatisfied with this cautious touch. “What kind of apology attitude is that? It’s not sincere at all!” Su Xiyan’s face was completely red, and her hand trembled slightly. Every time she touched He Jingmo, her heart fluttered. Lonely. I must be lonely! Su Xiyan roared internally. No way, I must find a girlfriend tomorrow! I’m actually shamelessly lusting after my best friend. No, Su Xiyan, you cannot be such a beast!

While comforting herself, Su Xiyan carefully scrubbed He Jingmo’s back. The effect of the dissipated alcohol seemed to gather again at this moment. Su Xiyan felt dizzy. All she could see was the snowy white back and the sexy nape of the neck swaying in front of her.

“I feel a little dizzy…” Su Xiyan genuinely couldn’t continue. If this went on, she would go crazy. He Jingmo frowned and turned around. “Trying that trick again? How many times have you been dizzy today? You—” When she saw Su Xiyan’s bloodshot eyes, which looked like they wanted to devour her, He Jingmo’s complaints ceased abruptly. She froze for a moment, and then her usually calm and composed face flushed crimson as if it were being scorched by a flame.

“Wash yourself after you sober up!”

She shoved the bottle of body wash into Su Xiyan’s hand and shot out of the bathroom like a rocket, not giving Su Xiyan time to react. He Jingmo had intended to playfully tease and bully Su Xiyan, but when she truly saw the desire and need in her eyes, her heart jumped into her throat, and she fled uncontrollably.

Inside the bathroom, Su Xiyan clutched the body wash and remained stunned for a while. After a moment, she shook her head, picked up the body wash, and rubbed her arm. She was startled when the bottle touched her arm and sighed gloomily. What was that about? Why did I panic? Also, why did He Jingmo put the body wash in my hand? It made me mistake it for the bath scrub. When Su Xiyan was completely sober and walked out of the bathroom, He Jingmo had already set the food on the table, waiting for her.

Their eyes met, and both felt a bit awkward. Su Xiyan quickly turned her head toward the dishes on the table. Looking at the exquisite and mouth-watering dishes, her tormented stomach couldn’t resist. She practically rushed forward, throwing all embarrassment aside, picking up her chopsticks, and eating eagerly.

“Slow down, drink some porridge first.”

He Jingmo felt a pang of sympathy watching Su Xiyan. Su Xiyan chewed her food and rightfully accepted the bowl of porridge He Jingmo had prepared, lowering her head to drink it. “It’s delicious.”

“How outrageous is that President Xiao of yours? She doesn’t even let you eat?” He Jingmo frowned at Su Xiyan. Su Xiyan swallowed the porridge, added a piece of hairtail fish, and said, “You don’t know, she’s not human, she’s a female monster.”

“What exactly did she want with you?” This question had bothered He Jingmo for a long time, and she finally asked it. Su Xiyan didn’t take it to heart, lowering her head to pick out fish bones. “Sigh, she’s crazy. She insisted I was like Sailor Moon, possessing both beauty and wisdom, just like her when she was young. She absolutely fell for me and wants me to join Shenghuang.”

He Jingmo was speechless. What kind of person is this? Su Xiyan chewed the fish and smiled at her. “Heh, don’t worry, I’m definitely not going.”

“Angran and Shenghuang…” He Jingmo considered how to phrase the rest of her sentence. Su Xiyan knew what she was going to say and looked at her. “I have enough self-awareness. Yes, Angran is far behind Shenghuang, but I’m not useless. If she tries to force her way, I would rather destroy Angran than let it be named Xiao.”

He Jingmo’s frown deepened. Su Xiyan knew she was worried and comforted her: “Don’t worry. She wouldn’t bear to see a great beauty like me vanish like a wisp of smoke.”

“Did you reach an agreement?” He Jingmo looked at her, exasperated. This person loved to be mysterious, making her worry unnecessarily. Su Xiyan nodded. “Mm, we agreed. She’ll buy shares and join the board of directors.”

“That simple?” Although He Jingmo wasn’t a businesswoman, she understood the principle that there are no free lunches.

“She gets a dividend, and whenever she and her wife come here in the future, I’ll personally accompany them for dining, drinking, and entertainment.”

“…”

Although she hadn’t met President Xiao, the words Su Xiyan spoke painted an impression of Xiao Moyan as an uneducated, lecherous old woman who only cared about eating, drinking, and having fun.

“And you have to join them for drinking?” He Jingmo was displeased. What was this? Accompanying them for meals, drinks, and fun? A three-way escort? Su Xiyan was also a little worried, shuddering at the thought of Xiao Moyan’s massive alcohol tolerance. “I figured once we got to know each other, maybe she wouldn’t drink so much. From what she said, she’s separated from her wife and is lonely and restless, so she relies on looking at pretty girls and alcohol to pass the days.”

“Do you believe that?” He Jingmo looked at Su Xiyan with disdain. Su Xiyan returned the look with equal disdain. “No!”

The two fell into silence again. Su Xiyan was silent while eating, while He Jingmo was deep in thought. She cared about Su Xiyan and absolutely would not let her keep drinking like this. Just as she was thinking, the doorbell rang. Su Xiyan pulled her face out of the bowl. She frowned, looked at the clock, and wondered, “Who would come at this hour? So early in the morning.”

“I’ll go check. You stay put.” He Jingmo, afraid Su Xiyan was still drunk, got up to open the door. Su Xiyan didn’t fight her and continued to tackle the food on the table. Just as she was eating happily, she heard a sound of “Ah!” and the familiar voice of the shameless old woman rang out.

“Oh my, who is this? So pretty!”

He Jingmo didn’t make a sound, probably startled.

But the increasingly hearty and excited voice of the shameless old woman echoed throughout the hallway, “Hello, little beauty. I am Xiao Moyan. You can call me Big Sister Xiao!”

A fish bone instantly got stuck in Su Xiyan’s throat. She coughed until tears streamed down her face. She ignored everything, got up, and rushed out.

The wolf is here!