Perhaps it was because of the intense activity that had occupied most of the night, or the warm, human-shaped pillow beside her, that Liu Zhaoran slept especially well that night. No dreams, no waking in the middle of the night. She simply slept through until the next morning.

She moved her body, experiencing for the first time what it felt like to greet the morning after sharing a bed with someone. After all, she was used to sleeping alone. Even in the past, when she had done such things, there had never been a morning this warm and cozy.

The room was steeped in an intimate scent, mixed with the subtle, unique fragrance of the two of them. Liu Zhaoran blinked and looked down at the person held in her arms. The Little Lion’s golden hair was scattered in messy disarray, half covering, half revealing, so that only a delicate jawline was visible.

Her head was pillowed on Liu Zhaoran’s shoulder, and she clearly showed no sign of waking. Remembering how she had truly worn this person out last night, sending Song Nanyin to sleep in a near-comatose state, Liu Zhaoran reflected that in the future she really shouldn’t abstain for too long. Otherwise, it was all too easy to overindulge and exhaust the Little Lion.

Liu Zhaoran got up, gave Song Nanyin her own pillow to hug, then padded barefoot into the bathroom. She glanced in the mirror at the scattered red marks on her body. Song Nanyin hadn’t originally planned to leave marks, but Liu Zhaoran had tormented her so badly that at climax she hadn’t been able to stop herself from biting.

Touching the faint teeth marks that remained, Liu Zhaoran arched an eyebrow in a good mood and soaked herself in the comfortable tub, pondering what she should have for breakfast today.

Of course, Song Nanyin was destined to miss that breakfast, because by the time she woke, the sun had already climbed high. Scattered tourists had already come to play on the beach, and the owners of nearby villas, having finished their lunches, were strolling leisurely barefoot along the sand.

Song Nanyin hugged the pillow in her arms and nuzzled comfortably into the blankets. The overly silky texture, along with the utterly relaxed feeling of her body, made her pause briefly. Then she half closed her eyes and waited for consciousness to gradually seep back.

The room held only herself. The sheer blinds fluttered, and layer upon layer of folds were cast by the sunlight onto the wall, forming beautiful patterns of folded light and shadow.

Song Nanyin let out a soft sound. Just as she tried to move, she immediately felt the soreness in her lower back.

Her right forearm ached unbearably, and her waist, legs, and hips felt as if they had done a whole day of muscle work. The slightest movement stirred up an unbearable, aching weakness.

“Did I… overindulge?” Song Nanyin muttered quietly. Then the weakness that pervaded her entire body thoroughly confirmed her suspicion. She flung aside the pillow saturated with Liu Zhaoran’s scent, her brow furrowed so hard that a little mound rose between her eyebrows.

Song Nanyin had never imagined that her first time having sex would be such a big deal. Not only with another woman, but with someone who was, in a sense, her mortal enemy and former love rival. If it had just been sex, well, that would have been fine.

The problem was that she and Liu Zhaoran had, without a doubt, carried on for most of last night, with plenty of give-and-take, and the final result was overindulgence…

The memories stored in her mind churned to the surface. Even if Song Nanyin didn’t deliberately summon them, the memories of her body and muscles were far easier to retrieve than the images stored in her sea of consciousness.

Her nipples were still a little sore now, the result of Liu Zhaoran’s biting and pinching. The Black-Hearted Lotus was practically a breast fetishist.

Her collarbones were also covered in hickeys sucked onto them. Hmph, some White Moonlight goddess. She bites people without even blinking.

Her buttocks were swollen and hot. No need to wonder; Liu Zhaoran had slapped those out too. If she looked now, she would probably still see the faint finger marks. Damn it, Liu Zhaoran, what kind of devil are you?

Her arms were soft and sore, too tired to lift. Her shoulders ached as well, and moving them even made clicking sounds. Her lower body was swollen and hot from too many demands, as if Liu Zhaoran’s fingers were still inside her, their presence lingering with unmistakable persistence.

Feeling the discomfort throughout her body, Song Nanyin mentally scolded Liu Zhaoran from head to toe. Why had she never noticed before that Liu Zhaoran was at her core such a… such a lewd, wanton person?

If she could help it, Song Nanyin really didn’t want to use such an adjective. But after searching her entire vocabulary, she still felt that only this word suited her best.

Thinking of the blush-inducing dirty talk Liu Zhaoran had let slip from time to time last night, and how she had made endless demands on her body, this way and that, Song Nanyin covered her face and curled herself up tightly in the blanket.

“That wretch Liu Zhaoran, she’s really not picky when she’s hungry. No wait, that’s her own problem. What does it have to do with me?” Song Nanyin grumbled to herself. After thinking it over, she felt she had somehow insulted herself, so she changed her words.

She tossed and turned in bed for quite a while, fiddled with her phone to check whether any messages had come in, and after finding that no one had contacted her, put the phone down again.

Even though she had already slept for a long time, with so much physical energy expended, Song Nanyin still felt her body was depleted.

It might also be that she had consumed too much “water” last night and hadn’t been able to replenish it in time.

She got out of bed and went into the bathroom, catching a glimpse of her somewhat haggard self in the mirror. How to put it… there were no dark circles, but her face carried a very obvious tiredness. To use that kind of expression, it was like… she had been wrung dry.

Song Nanyin pinched her own cheeks, feeling that this bout of overindulgence had inflicted indelible damage on her, damage that would take at least three straight days of sheet masks and a week of sleeping early to repair.

“You wretch, you must have done this on purpose because you can’t stand me being prettier than you.” As she said this, Song Nanyin deliberately dripped several drops of bath oil into the tub. She knew it was Liu Zhaoran’s, a limited edition brand at that, and not cheap.

She was going to use it, and use a lot of it.

After a lovely bath, Song Nanyin felt in much better shape. She tidied herself up, casually pulled on a dress, and went downstairs to get something to eat.

Song Nanyin had no sooner reached the bottom of the stairs than she spotted Liu Zhaoran coming out of the kitchen. The other woman had clearly been up for ages. She had showered, done her skincare, and had even slyly curled the ends of her hair into a natural arc.

Her long hair was loosely pinned up, she wore a set of pure white loungewear, and a pale blue apron was tied around her. At this very moment, she was carrying a bowl of soup and setting it on the table with a smile.

“You’re awake. Come have lunch. I made dishes you like.” Liu Zhaoran’s smile grew even wider when she saw Song Nanyin come down. At this moment, Liu Zhaoran had once again resumed her usual “elegant and dignified” manner.

Her complexion was excellent, even radiant. Warm-toned clothes, ink-black hair. Her smile was warm and soft, and with that apron, she looked for all the world like a gentle wife. Only Song Nanyin, the victim, knew what this wretch had said and done last night.

“You got up early,” Song Nanyin muttered, harboring some resentment. She had assumed Liu Zhaoran would be just like her, uncomfortable everywhere, aching all over.

But looking at her now, Liu Zhaoran’s legs and feet were perfectly fine, and she wasn’t even bracing her waist. Her entire state seemed even better than before. This unequal state bred displeasure in Song Nanyin’s heart. How come… only she had gotten hurt?

Song Nanyin’s voice was very quiet, and she thought Liu Zhaoran hadn’t heard. She sat in her seat and silently ate the lunch Liu Zhaoran had prepared. She was genuinely hungry, and after what happened last night, she didn’t know what to say to Liu Zhaoran or how they ought to interact.

Besides not knowing what to say, Song Nanyin truly was hungry, and the dishes Liu Zhaoran had made were, without question, all things she liked, perfectly suited to her appetite.

Since her body had changed, Song Nanyin had noticed her appetite had grown noticeably. In the past, she could eat one bowl of rice at most, but now she could easily put away two.

She kept her head down, eating. Just then, a cup of tea suddenly appeared beside her. Song Nanyin wiped her mouth with a tissue and, without looking up at Liu Zhaoran, went on eating and drinking tea as if the person across from her didn’t exist.

Liu Zhaoran didn’t mind being ignored. Instead, she propped her head on her hand and watched Song Nanyin eat the food she had made with considerable interest. Only when the other woman had nearly finished did Liu Zhaoran prepare to speak.

“Rest a bit. In a little while I’ll drive you home, we’ll move all your things over, and from now on, you’ll live here.”

Just as Liu Zhaoran said this, Song Nanyin was holding her hot tea up to her lips. From the first word to the last, it was more than enough to make Song Nanyin choke on the tea she had swallowed.

The decorative pendulum clock on the wall swung with a tick-tock, making the silence in the dining room all the more pronounced. Song Nanyin’s eyes flew wide open, as if she had heard some earth-shattering, stupefying piece of news. She was stunned for a long while before she finally coughed out the first choked cough.

Her face burning red, she hastily grabbed several tissues to wipe the water marks around her mouth, and only after she had recovered did she glare furiously at Liu Zhaoran.

“Black-Hearted Lotus, was that you speaking just now, or a ghost?” From every angle, Song Nanyin found it hard to imagine Liu Zhaoran saying those words. After all, in her view, she and Liu Zhaoran were simply incompatible.

The two of them had already racked up so many “accidental unions” through accidents. Song Nanyin truly didn’t want to add so bold a stroke as cohabitation to their relationship.

“Team Leader Song needn’t be so astonished. I’m sincerely inviting you to live with me. I think the two of us are very well matched in many ways, and we can become regular bed partners.”

“Do you even know what you’re saying?” Song Nanyin stared at Liu Zhaoran, dumbfounded. If she weren’t afraid that getting close would mean catching Liu Zhaoran’s scent again, she really would walk over and knock on this person’s skull to see whether the real Liu Zhaoran had been possessed, and what stood before her now was “Liu Nonsensical Zhaoran.”

Fine, fine. Even if last night had been quite comfortable, and Liu Zhaoran had gotten a taste of it, she still couldn’t make such a shameless request. Who would want to live with her for the long term? Song Nanyin would be the first to refuse.

“I know you’re in a hurry to refute me, but don’t rush. The things I’m about to say, you can consider before deciding whether to agree.”

“First, Team Leader Song must really like the food I make, right? It’s to your taste, and it’s much better than takeout. At the very least, it’s healthy and hygienic.” As Liu Zhaoran spoke, Song Nanyin instinctively wanted to refute her, but she looked down at the dishes she had eaten clean.

Yeah… her mouth couldn’t open.

“Second, from what I know, Team Leader Song’s current rent isn’t cheap, and with the car loan you still have to pay off, you’re not exactly well off. If you move in here, I can cook for you and drive you to work. That way, food, housing, and even the monthly gas money can all be saved. Added up, you should save quite a lot.”

Song Nanyin listened and wanted to refute again, but when she thought of her wallet, which had grown a little shy from all the leave she had taken recently, she fell silent once more.

“Also, your physical condition is still unknown in terms of what changes may come, and I’m the only one who knows your secret. I’m tight-lipped and won’t mention it to anyone. At the company, when you need it, I can also cover for you.”

Liu Zhaoran advanced step by step, weaving her advantages into every aspect that mattered to Song Nanyin. Her gaze stayed fixed on the woman across from her, and she watched Song Nanyin’s expression shift from initial resistance to the present contemplation. She knew then that she had already tipped the scales in the Little Lion’s heart.

“Finally, although Team Leader Song may not want to admit it, you can’t deny that in bed, we suit each other perfectly. Last night we had many orgasms. You felt wonderful, and so did I.”

“Given Team Leader Song’s current physical condition, finding someone else to take care of your physiological needs should be very difficult. You can’t possibly keep enduring forever, right? I can top you, and you can top me. That way, with just me alone, you can relieve the physiological needs of both of your sex organs.”

Liu Zhaoran said this so bluntly that Song Nanyin’s face flushed red. She scratched her head awkwardly, feeling that Liu Zhaoran really did make a lot of sense. She admitted it: she had been persuaded.

“If Team Leader Song still isn’t willing to trust me, I can give you one more layer of assurance. We can draft a cohabitation agreement. I’ll write the contents, and anything you’re unhappy with, you can modify or add.”

Liu Zhaoran was a flawless strategist. Every point she raised matched what Song Nanyin wanted, striking straight at her heart. Hearing this, the last sliver of hesitation in Song Nanyin’s heart scattered as well.

She thought for a moment, then looked up at Liu Zhaoran, a trace of discomfort on her face.

“Then… fine. Go write it now. When you’re done, show it to me for review.” Song Nanyin lifted her chin and spoke as if commanding a subordinate. Seeing that she had been persuaded, Liu Zhaoran nodded, rose, and went to the study.

Standing at the desk, she looked at the contract she had drafted in advance and let out a soft laugh.

The process was much simpler than she had imagined!