Chapter 23 - Soft Red Lips [Part 1]

Sorry for the long unannounced break, I was burnt out and drowned in work + big events. I'm continuing, but cannot guarantee stability after the summer. During the fall I need to start looking for universities, finish my internal assessments and all sorts of stuff. I'm really dreading the 13 page paper about math... QAQ

Btw, JJWXC is launching an international site for official translations. I'm helping a friend edit and she's hoping to get all chapters done by then (she has done so much it's insane! My edit speed can't keep up tho.... QAQ). It's gonna be called smth like "Silly Beauty" :D

anyways, here's part one, the rest is 10 pages long, doesn't really help my sanity. I'll try to finish it in a day or two though.

Enjoy!

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The two are silent throughout the whole way home.

The atmosphere was awkward.

Not knowing what to do, Tan Kai sped up to send them home faster, and smiled, "See you on Monday."

Shen Man waved back with a smile.

Lin Shu slams the car door shut and heads up the stairs.

Shen Man follows her with a small smirk, not too fast or too slow.

At home, they do not see Aunt He.

Lin Shu did not change her shoes and the heel of her high heels hit the floor as she walked.

She sits on the sofa with a cold expression, looking like she was expecting an apology.

Shen Man changes her shoes and pours a cup of tea. Her tall body leaned on the door frame and her slender finger traced the edge of the teacup. Her gaze was calm and leisurely, waiting for the girl on the sofa to speak first.

Lin Shu couldn't hold in her anger any longer and stared at Shen Man with shiny apricot eyes, "Didn't you say you wouldn't compete for Shao Qi with me?!"

"Why did you intervene and not let me dance with him?!" She added in an intense tone.

Shen Man slowly sets down her teacup and elegantly approaches Lin Shu.

Sunlight hit her back, casting a tall shadow enveloping Lin Shu.

The contrast between the bright light and dark shadows brought her a sense of oppression.

Lin Shu's vision is blocked by a large span of black shadows.

Her heart skips a beat and she subconsciously leans back, until her back sank fully into the soft cushions of the sofa.

Her back is stiff, like an alert little cat about to attack.

The smile on Shen Man's face grows deeper, as she slowly approaches the sofa.

When she arrives in front of Lin Shu, she bends down.

A strand of hair fell from behind her ear and past her shoulders, brushing past Lin Shu's face and finally landing on her red dress.

The white, tender skin on Shen Man's chest were revealed due to her movements.

From Lin Shu's angle, she had a perfect view of the cleavage.

Lin Shu gasps and her momentum instantly halved. She grasps the sofa hard as she stares straight at Shen Man, unwilling to back down.

Shen Man chuckles.

She slowly lowers an index finger, and under Lin Shu's nervous gaze, it lands on Lin Shu's shoulder.

As she leaned forward, her cleavage was exposed even more.

The distance between the two narrows as they stared into each other's eyes. They were close enough to see each curly eyelash.

Shen Man opens her red lips and says playfully, "I never attempted to take him from you."

Lin Shu's fire immediately fueled up and she retorted with gritted teeth, "You obviously did!"

"Hh" Shen Man laughs. She moves her finger from Lin Shu's shoulder to her jaw.

Lin Shu's mouth was forced open, and her dark pupils reflected a cold but beautiful face.

Her exquisite eyebrows, tall and straight nose, slightly opened red lips. They are getting closer and closer to her...

"uu..." Something hot touches Lin Shu's lips and her eyes widen in surprise. She subconsciously reaches out to push the person in front of her away.

Shen Man held her struggling hands to her chest.

When Lin Shu felt the softness under her hand, her movements froze.

Her brain became a span of blank space as the oxygen in her body was gradually taken away and she couldn't think.

She closes her eyes.

Warm, suppressed breathing near her ear and fragrance surrounding her nose.

Lin Shu felt like she stepped into the clouds. She was soft all over and all her senses were concentrated on her red lips.

The warmth on her lips slowly leaves.

Lin Shu opens her eyes, her vision blurry.

Shen Man gasps in a low voice as she licks her bright lips. Staring at that small, flushed face, she asks, "Shushu, do you understand now?"

"You..." Lin Shu jolts awake and finally recovers her reason. She pushes Shen Man away, shouting, "Let me go!"

She stood up in a panic and ran back to her room as fast as she could.

Shen Man stood where she was. The sunlight falling on her figure, bringing a touch of gold and shadows to her face.

Her deep, sharp eyes contained a trace of a smile.

Shen Man sits on the sofa.

Leaning back comfortably, she looked very satisfied and picked up the remote control, which she had never touched before.

The TV turns on to the channel Lin Shu always watched.

Shen Man changes to a different one, her beautiful eyes staring at the screen. However, her mind was actually full of the face of a flushed, attractive beauty.

She was like a delicate rose, secretly fascinating others.

Shen Man licks her lips.

She seemed to feel another person's softness and sweet taste.

*

Lin Shu angrily returned to her room and sat in front of the dresser.

Reflected in the mirror was a girl with bright red lips and a pair of misty apricot eyes, creating a sense of innocence and pitiful beauty.

Lin Shu couldn't believe the soft and delicate looking girl was her.

She pursed her lips and closed her eyes tightly. When she opened them again, her eyes regained their usual bright confidence.

Lin Shu sneers, picking up the tissues beside her to wipe her mouth and reapply lipstick.

She purses her lips and sorts out her messed up hair, caused by being pressed against the sofa when they kissed.

Watching her reflection in the mirror becoming exquisite and beautiful again, Lin Shu showed a hint of satisfaction.

After a while, her smile froze and her brows furrowed.

Lin Shu thought for a few seconds, then suddenly stood up and walked out aggressively.

The clicking of her high heels resounded through the room.

Lin Shu walked in front of the sofa and stood there condescendingly. She glances at Shen Man with a raised chin and demands, "Shen Man, why did you kiss me?"

She asked this confidently, with no trace of weakness from before.

A bit of surprise flashed in Shen Man's eyes, then amusement, and in a calm tone she said, "Because Shushu is too cute"

"Humph." Lin Shu responds coldly like an arrogant little peacock, "There's so many people who like me. There's no way I'd choose a woman."

"Don't think that just because you live in my house, you will have a chance. I would never fall for you."

"Really?" Shen Man raised her eyebrows and sat up from the sofa.

Lin Shu immediately steps back vigilantly and loudly declares, "If you dare to step out of the line in the future, don't blame me for not being polite."

After she finished speaking, her little face showed a fierce expression.

Shen Man was not afraid at all and her expression was still meaningful.

She looks at Lin Shu carefully and for a long time. She didn't see nausea nor disgust from Lin Shu's angry eyes.

Thinking of their spring breeze last time, Lin Shu didn't seem to have any other reaction either besides anger.

Shen Man is now relieved, and her smile deepened.

"Why're you laughing?" Lin Shu asked, alert and with discomfort on her face.

"Nothing." Shen Man shook her head and stood up.

Startled, Lin Shu quickly runs back to her room. Her previous aggression and confidence was nowhere to be seen.

Shen Man sits down again and leans back comfortably. She picked up the remote control and casually browsed the channels.

*

When Aunt He came back, she saw Shen Man lying alone on the sofa. It was rare for her to watch TV and she also seemed to be in a good mood.

Aunt He put down the fruits in her hand and asked, "Manman, why are you back? Where's Miss Lin?"

"Shushu is in her room." Shen Man replies.

Aunt He glanced towards Lin Shu's room and lowered her voice, "Then I'll cook dinner."

"Okay." Shen Man turns off the TV and gets up to go back to her room.

Wearing pajamas, Shen Man walks to the bathroom with some makeup remover.

When passing by Lin Shu's room, Lin Shu coincidentally just opened the door.

The two looked at each other.

Shen Man showed a faint smile.

Lin Shu just gave her a hmph, turned her head, and walked to the living room.

"Shushu, we're going to eat soon, don't you want to change your clothes?" Shen Man reminds her.

Hearing this, Lin Shu turned around and walked back to her room.

Soon, she came out again with a small box in her hand.

In the box were several makeup removers, cleansing oils, and face wash. They're all different colors, but one thing was the same–they were all name brands.

Shen Man glanced at them and asked, "Shushu, do you need to use the bathroom?"

"Of course." Lin Shu arrogantly replies and enters the bathroom.

Shen Man stood outside with a bit of surprise in her eyes.

She thought Lin Shu would avoid her. She never thought that the young lady didn't feel inferior, but still acted like normal, as if she wasn't affected at all.

Probably because she wanted to retaliate, Lin Shu didn't use the bathroom in her own room and wanted to grab the one she uses.

Shen Man stood outside the door and quietly waited.

After ten minutes, Lin Shu still didn't come out.

Shen Man thought for a moment and finally left.

As soon as she left, Lin Shu came out, making it obvious that she did this on purpose.

Shen Man only thought she was naive and childish.

She does not go inside the bathroom, but looks at Lin Shu and says, "Shushu, the makeup around your eye wasn't removed properly."

"What?" Lin Shu was shocked and hurried back to her room to look for a mirror.

Seeing a small trace of smudged eyeliner near her left eye, she turns red in embarrassment. Inside, she was angry and shy but didn't want to pursue Shen Man for this matter.

Aunt He sets the dishes on the table and calls them for dinner.

Shen Man sits down with a smile.

Lin Shu, on the other hand, had a cold expression, which turned livid when Shen Man looked over.

Aunt He noticed the atmosphere during dinner wasn't calm, so she quickly serves them the meal and turns back to the kitchen.

After the two finish eating, Lin Shu returns to her room before coming back out again to tidy up.

Shen Man sits and drinks tea.

While clearing up the dishes and chopsticks, Aunt He says, "Manman, you have a good temper– no matter what Miss Lin does, you can stay calm. If it was someone else, I'm afraid they'd feel offended and can't bottle it in."

"Although Miss Lin is not bad at heart, no one can stand her spoiled young lady's temper." Aunt He deliberately lowered her voice, while secretly glancing in the direction of Lin Shu's room. Her eyes were full of admiration for Shen Man, "Only you can control Miss Lin."

Shen Man lowered and her eyes gently traced the edge of the teacup with her finger in silence. Aunt He only saw Lin Shu's fiery temper, impulsiveness, and how she was always getting angry at her, but Shen Man knew most of it was due to her flirting.

She didn't mind Lin Shu's nitpicking from time to time. Anyways, Lin Shu couldn't beat her in an argument. On the contrary, with a spirited and energetic beauty by her side every day, life became much more interesting.