My Straight Girlfriend with Skin Hunger Syndrome - Chapter 113
Chapter 113
That night, Yi Shanshan didn’t prove to be quite as… formidable as she had imagined.
After just one round, followed by another muffled under the covers, her energy was completely drained.
Cradled in Ying Yuan’s arms, kissed and caressed tenderly, Yi Shanshan’s drowsiness washed over her, and she soon drifted into sleep.
When she opened her eyes again the next day, it was already noon.
The sun blazed outside, but the curtains in the room were drawn evenly, transforming the harsh sunlight into scattered fragments of starlight that shimmered at the window.
The room was comfortably warm. Yi Shanshan, usually one to toss off blankets, made sure Ying Yuan was properly covered. Ying Yuan, in turn, protected her from front to back, keeping her from catching a chill.
Yi Shanshan struggled to open her eyes, then arched a leg over Ying Yuan’s body.
She had slept so deeply that it took a while for her vision to fully clear.
Once her sight focused, she realized Ying Yuan had already been awake, her bright eyes fixed on Yi Shanshan like a calm lake reflecting the sky.
Lost in the reflection in those lake-like eyes, Yi Shanshan couldn’t help but reach out with a fingertip to touch Ying Yuan’s eyelashes.
The lake rippled, sending faint tremors across its surface.
“Ying Yuan…” Yi Shanshan murmured, her voice still raspy from sleep. “You look… like you love me so much.”
Ying Yuan’s mind reeled, her most closely guarded secret exposed like a piece of glutinous rice candy wrapper gently torn open.
“Mm,” she murmured in response, her voice low and muffled.
Yi Shanshan grinned, her smile blooming like a flower, unstoppable and incomparable.
“Already so smitten with me, and we’ve only just gotten together~” Yi Shanshan drawled, smugness dripping from her voice. “Girlfriend, what are you going to do with yourself later?”
Ying Yuan chuckled, playing along. “Exactly! What am I going to do? This is a disaster.”
“Don’t worry, don’t worry,” Yi Shanshan cupped Ying Yuan’s cheeks and planted a kiss on her lips. “I’m not the fickle type who abandons the old for the new~ Love me properly, and I won’t let you down~~”
“Okay,” Ying Yuan agreed.
“Are you hungry? Should we get up?”
Ying Yuan leaned closer. “How about some proper loving right now?”
“Ehhh… I haven’t even washed my face or brushed my teeth yet~” Yi Shanshan pushed her away, a touch embarrassed but not too much.
“I need to tidy up a bit,” she insisted, still caring about her appearance.
“Okay,” Ying Yuan relented, loosening her embrace.
“Time to get up!” Yi Shanshan sprang up in a carp-like leap, ready to bound off the bed with boundless energy.
But halfway through the jump, she yelped, “Ouch!” and clutched her lower back.
Her eyes widened in shock, disbelief etched across her face.
Ying Yuan immediately sat up and reached out to support her. “What’s wrong? Did you twist your waist?”
Yi Shanshan winced. “Ugh…”
Ying Yuan’s palm hovered over Yi Shanshan’s lower back, hesitant to touch. Her brow furrowed. “What does it feel like? Where exactly?”
Yi Shanshan straightened slightly. “Just my waist…”
Ying Yuan’s hand pressed down firmly, anchoring itself.
Yi Shanshan: “Move it a little.”
Ying Yuan: “Hmm?”
Yi Shanshan: “Massage it.”
“Oh, okay.” Ying Yuan applied gentle pressure.
The warmth of her palm eased the ache in Yi Shanshan’s fatigued muscles. As the soreness melted away, Yi Shanshan realized she’d overdone it these past few days, completely wrecking her waist.
Yi Shanshan: “……”
Wait, is this all it takes?
What kind of intensity is this?
I used to endure eight hours of singing and dancing every day without complaint!
Ying Yuan watched her expression closely. “Does it feel any better?”
A little, but not completely healed.
Yi Shanshan focused on the ache, realizing it wasn’t just muscle soreness. The pain seemed deeper, inside her body, in a specific area.
“Ying Yuan!” Yi Shanshan cried out, her voice filled with anguish. “I think I’m having kidney deficiency!!!”
Ying Yuan: “!!!”
Yi Shanshan: “It hurts inside! Like pre-menstrual cramps, but worse!”
Ying Yuan immediately stood up. “Let’s go to the hospital for a checkup.”
Yi Shanshan quickly grabbed her arm. “It’s not that serious. I just need to rest a bit, I think.”
Ying Yuan: “…Really?”
Yi Shanshan nodded. “Mmm…”
Yi Shanshan threw herself into the arms of her newly beloved girlfriend, who she couldn’t bear to part with. “But I don’t want to rest—!!!”
She could still shout and yell, and walk normally after getting out of bed, though she occasionally winced and held her lower back.
It seemed the physical issue wasn’t serious at all; the real problem lay in Yi Shanshan’s mind, which had been battered by wave after wave of emotional shocks and anxieties.
After washing up, she sat down at the dining table to eat—yes, a proper meal. That was all she could manage now.
Yi Shanshan frowned, looking utterly disgruntled.
Ying Yuan consoled her, “Everything has its trade-offs. Those with explosive power often lack endurance. It’s the body’s way of protecting itself—we can’t expect ourselves to run at full speed all the time, like machines. We’ll pace ourselves better in the future, and everything will be fine.”
Yi Shanshan retorted, “Then how come you don’t suffer any consequences?”
Ying Yuan stammered. “…I, uh, didn’t exert myself as much?”
Yi Shanshan: “Aaaaah, Ying Yuan! I’m gonna punch you! I’m gonna punch you!!!”
Ying Yuan laughed uncontrollably, extending her arm and letting Yi Shanshan pummel her.
Yi Shanshan, only half-full from her meal, gnawed at the flesh of Ying Yuan’s arm. Lost in the moment, her lower back grew both sore and numb.
Yi Shanshan: “……”
She threw Ying Yuan’s arm aside, her eyes vacant. “So, what are we… doing today?”
Ying Yuan: “There are some project matters to handle. I might be working online with Senior Qi this afternoon.”
Yi Shanshan: “Hmph.”
Ying Yuan: “Weren’t you meeting a friend?”
Yi Shanshan: “That’s tomorrow.”
Leaning back in her chair, Yi Shanshan sighed weakly. “Guess I’ll just… have to read a peaceful book…”
I have no choice but to calm down.
On a scorching afternoon, Ying Yuan worked diligently at her computer while Yi Shanshan lay on the sofa, alternating between her phone and a book.
Yi Shanshan had witnessed Ying Yuan’s work habits before. In the Activity Room, she would sit motionless for hours, never lifting her head from her tasks.
But things were different now. Though still deeply focused, after every half-hour, Ying Yuan would get up to check on Yi Shanshan.
She wouldn’t disturb her, nor insist on conversation. Instead, she’d pour Yi Shanshan a glass of water, offer a small snack, gently massage her lower back, or tuck a stray strand of hair behind her ear.
It was a silent, nurturing care, falling gently on Yi Shanshan like a soft rain, keeping her spirits buoyant and light.
People used to say Ying Yuan was my simp, Yi Shanshan mused.
Now I feel like Ying Yuan’s dog, pampered and spoiled, showered with meticulous care and attention. She asks nothing of me, only wants my happiness.
Ugh… Yi Shanshan wriggled her toes. I love being her little dog.
But her Master was growing increasingly busy.
Qi Hongyue’s contract with Canxing was finalized swiftly. To ensure the project ran smoothly and efficiently, Qi Hongyue registered a company, rented an apartment in a residential building for use as office space, and procured more professional equipment.
The location, naturally, was City A, conveniently near A University, since most of the key members of the Project Team were still students.
This meant Ying Yuan had to return to campus early.
Yi Shanshan, having already cleared most of her work, and now completely absorbed in her romance, didn’t hesitate to accompany Ying Yuan back to City A.
The day they saw the familiar university gates again, it was raining.
The downpour washed the city clean, rinsed the leaves to a vibrant green, and cooled the air.
The sweltering, dazzling summer had finally come to an end.
In the days leading up to the start of the semester, Ying Yuan stayed at Yi Shanshan’s apartment in the Faculty Residences.
During the day, when Yi Shanshan had nothing to do, she would accompany Ying Yuan to Qi Hongyue’s office. She didn’t deliberately disrupt the others, but she always dressed beautifully and strolled around, drawing glances from everyone who passed by.
During breaks, she attracted even more attention.
Although she refrained from overt displays of affection in public, her beautiful eyes clung to Ying Yuan, admiring her from head to toe. Every word she spoke to Ying Yuan was soft and sweet, like a kitten’s meow.
Yi Shanshan made no secret of her relationship with Ying Yuan. In fact, she seemed to relish the opportunity to show it off. If no one asked, she’d practically beg them to, then promptly embrace Ying Yuan and plant a kiss on her lips, beaming like the sun itself as she declared, “This is my girlfriend! My actual girlfriend! We’re both gay!”
Qi Hongyue: “……”
Qi Hongyue couldn’t bear to watch. Yi Shanshan, undeterred, waved her hand expansively and bought food and drinks for everyone, purchased potted plants and mops for the office, and even splurged on a new hard drive for the Artist team before they could submit a requisition form for Qi Hongyue’s approval.
Qi Hongyue: “……”
Fine, Qi Hongyue thought. Such generosity comes with strings attached. I’ll just have to endure it.
When the workday ended, Qi Hongyue ordered a simple takeout meal in her live-in office-apartment and prepared to work late again.
Meanwhile, Yi Shanshan clung to Ying Yuan’s arm, chattering incessantly in a sweet, sticky voice, planning their evening. “After dinner, let’s take a relaxing hot bath. And then… after the bath…”
Qi Hongyue: “……”
Could she ever get rid of Yi Shanshan?
She desperately wished school would start sooner, so that this towering Buddha of a girl, Yi Shanshan, would actually go to class.
Is romance really that amazing? Why didn’t I feel this great when I was dating? What’s Ying Yuan doing right to feel this good?
Infuriated, she mistakenly stabbed her rice bowl with her chopsticks, tearing the grains apart.
Fortunately, September arrived quickly. Yi Shanshan and Ying Yuan transitioned from freshmen to sophomores, now upperclassmen. They hurried across campus, feeling much more mature.
“Are you sure you want to stay in the dorm?” Yi Shanshan asked, her brow furrowed. “With your packed schedule and helping Senior Qi, we’ll have no time together at all if you’re in the dorm at night…”
“It’s strict at the beginning of the semester. Just for a few days,” Ying Yuan said, patting Yi Shanshan’s head. “We can eat lunch and dinner together. If you wake up early enough, I’ll buy breakfast and bring it to you. Call me anytime you don’t have class—we’re not far apart, we can still hang out.”
“That’s a good solution,” Yi Shanshan pouted. “But what about… that?”
Speaking these words under the blazing midday sun on campus, with teachers and students passing by, Ying Yuan’s cheeks flushed. “We don’t live in the dorms full-time…”
Yi Shanshan’s eyes lit up. “Isn’t there an empty bed in your dorm? I wanted to move in before, but you were always against it. Surely you won’t mind now!”
Ying Yuan: “!!!”
Ying Yuan: “But Mao Mao and Xiaohan need to sleep at night! We can’t just…”
Yi Shanshan: “Ohhhh~”
Yi Shanshan: “You’re right, the dorm beds are too small anyway. Not much room to… work with.”
Ying Yuan’s cheeks burned crimson.
Is it really just about “room to work with,” Babe?
Yi Shanshan: “Still, the thought of sneaking around in the dorm is kinda…”
Ying Yuan quickly cut her off. There was something she’d been wanting to discuss with Yi Shanshan for a while.
“Should we tell Mao Mao and Xiaohan about us?”
Yi Shanshan answered almost without thinking, “Of course! It’s not like we can hide it anyway. I was even planning to surprise them!”
“Shanshan.” Ying Yuan gripped her arm and gently pulled her further into the shade of the tree. Looking earnestly into her eyes, she said, “Right now, only our friends in the Project Team know about us—it’s still a small circle. But once we tell Mao Mao and Xiaohan, and then Lina, if we don’t keep it discreet, the news will spread to many irrelevant people very quickly.”
“With your popularity at school, the news could be all over campus in just a day or two. Classmates, even teachers, Lin Feng… your parents…”
Ying Yuan took a deep breath. As she spoke, a chill crawled up her spine, making her heart tremble.
“I don’t know what might happen then, and I don’t want you to have to face anything bad.”