Chapter 46: Hmph~ Get Dressed and Go Downstairs to Meet My Parents

“Get dressed right now!”

Linlin’s voice was loud, but she clearly lacked confidence, because Ruan Yuan didn’t listen to her at all.

She pressed up against her from behind, arms wrapping around Linlin’s waist and tightening.

Then one hand covered Linlin’s eyes, plunging her vision into darkness.

The other hand rested on her soft belly, the palm hot even through the thin nightgown.

The tip of Ruan Yuan’s nose brushed against her neck, warm breath spraying across her skin, making it tickle.

Then Linlin felt it — the tip of a tongue.

Lightly tapping against the back of her neck. Once, twice, three times.

Linlin froze completely. 

It wasn’t fear; it was because… her body was no longer listening to her.

She could feel herself starting to tremble.

Ruan Yuan pressed close to her ear, her voice soft and carrying hot breath into her ear canal.

“Linlin, even your mom has accepted me.” She paused.

“So can we do something a little more intimate now?”

Linlin’s mind buzzed loudly. More intimate things? What kind of intimate things?!

What the hell was going on in Ruan Yuan’s head!

She wanted to argue back, curse at her, kick her away.

But for some reason her body went weak, her legs unsteady.

Was it because her ears were too sensitive? Or because of a certain word in Ruan Yuan’s sentence?

She didn’t know. She only knew that her current state was very dangerous.

Extremely dangerous.

She twisted her body, trying to break free.

Ruan Yuan followed her movement and turned her around.

The hand covering her eyes moved away. The two of them were now face to face.

Linlin looked at Ruan Yuan, and Ruan Yuan looked back at her.

Ruan Yuan’s hands moved from behind to the front, resting just above Linlin’s hips.

Linlin tried hard to put on an “I’m really angry” expression — furrowed brows, tightly pressed lips, glaring at Ruan Yuan.

But the problem was, her eyes were watery. Because of the earlier stimulation, there was still a bit of moisture lingering in them.

Her hair was messy. 

After rolling around in bed all night, her pink hair was disheveled, a few strands sticking to her cheeks.

That “I’m very angry” expression, in front of Ruan Yuan, somehow looked like…

“Mm, I-I haven’t accepted you yet, so no!”

Her voice was also a little soft. It didn’t sound like an absolute “no.”

It sounded more like “I’m not ready yet.”

Ruan Yuan simply looked at her, then smiled.

“Linlin, when you’re like this…”

“You clearly like it, but you still refuse. So cute.”

Linlin’s face instantly burned. Like it? Who liked it?!

She was just…

Just…

She didn’t even know what she was “just” doing.

“Linlin’s reaction just now was really cute~”

Ruan Yuan added another line.

Linlin’s face grew even redder. She was truly defeated.

This Ruan Yuan was always calling her cute, always teasing her, always doing those strange things.

The key point was that she didn’t actually dislike it at all. Why was that?

She didn’t understand. Could this be…

The feeling of liking someone?

She sneaked a glance at Ruan Yuan.

Ruan Yuan was smiling gently at her. Linlin’s heart skipped a beat.

No no no, what was she thinking!

She quickly pushed that thought down.

“T-That was…”

She struggled to organize her words.

“That was just a physiological reaction! It has nothing to do with me!”

Yes, exactly. It was her body not listening, not because she wanted it.

“Mm-hmm.”

Ruan Yuan nodded with an understanding expression.

“It has nothing to do with Linlin. It’s Linlin’s body that won’t behave.”

Then she reached out and stroked Linlin’s head like she was petting a kitten.

She ran her hand from the top of her head down along the strands of hair, over and over.

Linlin was stunned. Because this action…

Felt really good. For some reason, it just felt very comforting.

She unconsciously narrowed her eyes a little.

Then she quickly opened them again. No!

What was she doing!

How could she feel this good just from being patted on the head twice!

Ruan Yuan looked at her conflicted little expression and smiled even brighter.

Her hand continued stroking. Linlin’s hair was very soft, pink, and silky — it felt wonderful to touch.

Linlin stayed like that, being petted on the head while her mind was in complete chaos.

What was wrong with her?

In her previous life, she had clearly been a hot-blooded young man!

So why did being patted on the head by a girl now feel so pleasant?

No, she had to sort this out. She needed to figure out exactly what she felt toward Ruan Yuan.

Who could she use as a reference? Xiran? Jiang Niaoniao?

Alright, first Xiran. What kind of feelings did Xiran have toward her?

Scenes from her memories flashed by.

“I want to eat you up… but then you wouldn’t be cute anymore.”

“If I cut off your legs, Linlin won’t be able to run away anywhere.”

“Linlin’s ears taste really good.”

Xiran’s feelings toward her were sick, twisted, and terrifying possessiveness.

She wanted to turn Linlin into something that belonged only to her — something no one else could touch.

No one could get close. Thinking about it made Linlin’s back run cold.

But strangely, she realized that her feelings toward Xiran weren’t pure hatred either.

Beneath the fear and pain, there seemed to be something else hidden.

What was it? She couldn’t quite say.

Maybe she had gotten used to it, or become numb.

Maybe… that occasional “gentleness” shown in that extreme control had created a strange feeling inside her.

But it wasn’t like. Definitely not like.

She couldn’t say she hated it either. It was just… very complicated.

So complicated that even she couldn’t sort it out. Then what about Jiang Niaoniao?

What kind of feelings did Jiang Niaoniao have toward her?

Warm scenes flooded her mind again — a cozy room, steaming hot tea, gentle massages.

“I will protect Linlin.”

“Linlin, don’t be afraid.”

“I’ll make Linlin feel really good.”

And everything that happened yesterday…

Jiang Niaoniao was gentle. She would protect her. She would never hurt her.

But…

Linlin realized that toward Jiang Niaoniao, she didn’t have that “heart racing” feeling. She didn’t dislike her.

She even quite liked spending time with her, because it felt comfortable, relaxing, and safe.

But that feeling was more like…

Like what Ruan Yuan had lied about before.

“Best friend.”

Yes.

It was exactly the feeling of a best friend.

Not lovers — just friends.

Then what about Ruan Yuan?

Linlin lifted her head and looked at Ruan Yuan, who was still stroking her hair.

Ruan Yuan was looking down at her. Linlin stared into those eyes for several seconds.

Her heartbeat quickened again. Ruan Yuan was a pervert, that was a fact.

She would sniff her feet, burrow under her skirt, hug her and smell her.

She would make her faint (even if it was her own fault), and say things that made her blush.

But Ruan Yuan’s perversion was different from Xiran’s.

Xiran’s perversion was frightening.

Ruan Yuan’s perversion… made her want to laugh.

Xiran’s advances hurt.

Ruan Yuan’s advances… felt good.

Moreover, Ruan Yuan cared about her feelings.

She was afraid of making her cry, afraid of making her angry, and would stop when she said “no.”

Thinking about all this, something inside Linlin softened.

She realized that her feelings toward Ruan Yuan really were different.

She didn’t mind Ruan Yuan getting close. She didn’t mind being hugged by her. She didn’t mind being touched by her.

She even…

Felt a sense of satisfaction from being “liked” when Ruan Yuan smelled her.

She felt comfortable when Ruan Yuan patted her head, and her heart raced when Ruan Yuan called her cute.

Was this liking someone? Linlin didn’t know.

In her previous life she was a man, and in this life she was a girl who had always been bullied.

She had never experienced what “normal” liking felt like.

Because everyone around her was abnormal.

But if it was someone like Ruan Yuan… maybe it wasn’t unacceptable?

“What is Linlin thinking about?”

Ruan Yuan’s voice pulled her back.

Linlin snapped out of it.

Only then did she realize she had been staring at Ruan Yuan for a long time.

Looking at that smiling face, the messy feelings in her heart suddenly calmed down.

Forget it. I won’t think about it anymore. I can’t figure it out anyway.

She took a deep breath and looked up.

“Hmph~”

She tried hard to look like she was still angry.

“Put your clothes on properly.”

“We’re going downstairs to meet my dad.”