My Straight Girlfriend with Skin Hunger Syndrome - Chapter 20
Chapter 20
The praise came as a complete surprise to everyone.
Mao Mao and Xiaohan were initially stunned, but their eyes quickly lit up with excitement.
Lina gaped in disbelief, unable to fathom how a bullying scenario had suddenly transformed into a sincere compliment.
Ying Yuan was even more bewildered. She felt she should be the one saying such things to Yi Shanshan, not the other way around.
When it came to beauty, Yi Shanshan was the undisputed center of attention. Having grown accustomed to her own reflection—or at the very least, the faces of those around her—how could she possibly lavish such fervent praise on Ying Yuan, who considered herself quite ordinary?
Ying Yuan frowned slightly, puzzled.
Yi Shanshan, of course, wouldn’t offer any explanations in such a public setting. After delivering her compliment, she lingered for a few more wistful glances at Ying Yuan before turning and walking away with a cheerful stride.
Whoosh! The crowd had arrived in a flurry and vanished just as quickly.
Lina grabbed Ying Yuan’s arm. “What did she mean by that? Was she mocking us?”
Mao Mao chimed in, “Her expression didn’t seem mocking at all. It actually looked quite sincere. Maybe she’s not as bad as we thought. After all, she didn’t deduct points from our dormitory that day.”
“Doesn’t Ying Yuan look absolutely stunning today?” Xiaohan exclaimed. “Don’t you think she has… a certain je ne sais quoi about her?”
Lina and Mao Mao squinted at Ying Yuan for a long moment.
After Xiaohan booked the karaoke room, Ying Yuan lowered her gaze and urged them, “Let’s get going.”
Even on the short walk, the trio resumed discussing Yi Shanshan’s strange behavior.
Lina remained skeptical and subtly hostile, while Mao Mao, ever the fence-sitter, leaned toward whoever made the most convincing argument. Xiaohan, meanwhile, alternated between “Tsk tsk tsk” and “Ooh—,” embracing chaotic evil as she obsessively shipped Ying Yuan and Yi Shanshan’s “CP” based on the flimsiest of clues.
They settled into the karaoke room, singing songs and intermittently continuing their discussion.
Ying Yuan huddled in a corner, forced to sing one song before lapsing into silent contemplation.
She was also pondering Yi Shanshan’s earlier reaction, but unlike her friends’ analytical speculation, she was… savoring the memory.
Savoring Yi Shanshan’s gaze, savoring the way Yi Shanshan’s eyes sparkled like stars when she smiled, savoring the mischievous glint in Yi Shanshan’s eyes—a glimpse of the fox’s cunning she could never quite suppress.
What’s Yi Shanshan plotting now? Ying Yuan wondered.
What scheme was she concocting to throw Ying Yuan into turmoil and confusion?
Ying Yuan now felt that Yi Shanshan herself couldn’t escape responsibility for the kinds of dreams she was having.
Her phone buzzed twice, the vibration barely noticeable amidst the loud music, but Ying Yuan immediately snatched it up.
A new message from Yi Shanshan read: You looked so stunning today. I can hardly wait.
It felt like someone had scratched the tip of her heart. Clutching her phone, Ying Yuan took a deep breath. Unsure how to respond to such an exclamation, she simply didn’t reply.
“Ying Yuan, Ying Yuan, pick a song!” Mao Mao shouted. “Did you come to KTV just to stare at your phone?”
Without a second thought, Ying Yuan lied effortlessly. “I’m busy with something. You guys go ahead and sing.”
In reality, nothing was happening. Ying Yuan stared at the line of text on her phone screen, lost in thought.
A moment later, another message from Yi Shanshan arrived: It’s all your fault. I was planning to find you near the end, but now I can’t stop thinking about you.
I couldn’t get enough earlier, Yi Shanshan added.
What exactly is so captivating about me? Ying Yuan felt her cheeks flush.
She glanced up. The walls of the private room were decorated with chaotic yellow glass, and her reflection showed her looking much the same as usual, except her hair was down.
Yi Shanshan: 【Ugh… time is dragging on forever.】
Yi Shanshan: 【I can’t stop thinking about it. Over and over and over again.】
Ying Yuan’s finger froze on the screen. She finally couldn’t resist the itch Yi Shanshan had stirred within her and replied: 【So? What do you want to do?】
Yi Shanshan’s message arrived almost instantly:
【Which room are you in?】
【Let’s pretend to go to the bathroom right now and meet somewhere close by.】
Ying Yuan: ……
Yi Shanshan: 【Hurry, I’m already getting up.】
Forced to go along with Yi Shanshan’s plan, Ying Yuan hastily reported her room number and rose to leave.
“I’m going to the restroom,” she muttered, leaving behind a curt, icy remark.
Yi Shanshan, intimately familiar with Blue Sky KTV’s layout, quickly designated a meeting point.
Yi Shanshan: 【Share your live location.】
Afraid Ying Yuan might not come, or would take too long.
Having already stepped out of the room, Ying Yuan followed Yi Shanshan’s instructions.
Her entire purpose for being here was to complete the three-day mission with Yi Shanshan, so her sudden urgency shouldn’t seem too strange.
Perfectly reasonable, Ying Yuan reassured herself inwardly.
Finally, after rounding a bend in the corridor, Ying Yuan spotted Yi Shanshan.
The petite purple-clad witch, Yi Shanshan, visibly brightened the moment she saw her. She quickened her pace, her arms instinctively opening slightly.
In the long corridor, there were no corners to avoid the main thoroughfare.
Yi Shanshan approached Ying Yuan, tilting her head back to gaze up at her like an eager little bird awaiting a treat.
“We…” Ying Yuan’s mind reeled under the intensity of her gaze. “What should we do…?”
Yi Shanshan stared back unblinking, her own thoughts seemingly in disarray. “What do you mean, ‘What should we do’?”
Ying Yuan: “People will come through here. The servers are constantly passing by.”
Yi Shanshan: “You’re right.”
Ying Yuan: “Then…”
Yi Shanshan took a step to the side and casually pushed open the door to a private booth.
The booth was dark and unoccupied.
Before Ying Yuan could react, Yi Shanshan yanked her inside.
The door opened, then slammed shut.
Ghostly howls of karaoke echoed down the hallway, but here, enveloped in thick soundproofing, it was as if they had entered another world—a hazy, quiet realm.
Yi Shanshan: “Easy peasy! There are tons of rooms here, way more convenient than school.”
Ying Yuan was too stunned to speak. It was true that this place was more convenient than school, but this wasn’t a private room they’d reserved, and the door didn’t lock. At any moment… at any moment a waiter or another customer could suddenly barge in…
In the dimness, Yi Shanshan seemed utterly unconcerned. She stared intently at Ying Yuan, gripping her sleeve and urging, “Ying Yuan, Ying Yuan, look down at me.”
Ying Yuan lowered her head, strands of her hair falling across Yi Shanshan’s face.
Yi Shanshan’s face showed nothing but manic excitement and her flawless makeup.
“What are you looking at?” Ying Yuan asked.
“Nothing. I just like that look in your eyes,” Yi Shanshan replied softly, her voice tinged with girlish shyness and innocence. “Calm and detached, yet utterly obedient.”
That’s not quite right, Ying Yuan thought.
She wasn’t calm, nor was she detached. Trapped in this environment, treated like a toy by Yi Shanshan, she felt lost, helpless… and consumed by an overwhelming sense of despair and anxiety, unable to control her own emotions.
“Ying Yuan, when you furrow your brow, you look a little sad,” Yi Shanshan said with a smile. “It adds a touch of fragility, making you even more captivating.”
Ying Yuan raised her hand and smoothed the furrow between her brows.
Yi Shanshan giggled, her hands gradually sliding up Ying Yuan’s arms until her palms pressed against her neck.
“Ying Yuan, hug me.” Her thumb caressed the pulse throbbing in Ying Yuan’s neck as she leaned in closer. “Obey me, or I’ll punish you.”