My Straight Girlfriend with Skin Hunger Syndrome - Chapter 21

Chapter 21

Perhaps it was the dim lighting, perhaps the vivid memory of Yi Shanshan’s punishment, perhaps Ying Yuan’s fear, or perhaps a sudden surge of boldness.

In that moment, facing Yi Shanshan—who had both seduced and threatened her—Ying Yuan decided: Fine, I’ll hug her.

What’s the big deal? It’s not like we haven’t hugged before.

They were old hands at embracing. The only difference was that today, Ying Yuan was the one to raise her arms first.

“Mm,” Ying Yuan murmured, a muffled sound escaping her throat. Then, as Yi Shanshan had wished, she opened her arms and embraced her.

Yi Shanshan’s soft, warm body pressed into Ying Yuan’s embrace, squeezing out the last sliver of space between them.

It wasn’t until Ying Yuan’s palm settled on Yi Shanshan’s back that she realized with a jolt, as if burned by fire, that this time was different.

This time, she was the one initiating this intimacy.

Every movement was under her control. She had to apply just the right amount of pressure, consider exactly where her fingertips should touch Yi Shanshan’s body—her slender waist or her bare, smooth back.

Beneath Ying Yuan’s hand, Yi Shanshan remained completely still, seemingly transformed into a defenseless, fragile creature.

In moments like these, an impulse surged from the depths of Ying Yuan’s heart—the distance between them felt too vast, too insubstantial, like soft cotton that still had so much room to be compressed with the slightest pressure.

Ying Yuan dared not apply force of her own volition, but her selfish desire allowed her to ask a disingenuous question:

“Do you want me to hold you tighter?”

She already knew the answer.

Yi Shanshan nodded gently in her arms. This submissive compliance fueled Ying Yuan’s excessive thoughts.

Ying Yuan’s arms tightened, drawing their bodies closer, then deliberately squeezed Yi Shanshan against her chest.

Caught off guard, Yi Shanshan let out a squeak.

Ying Yuan now fully associated her with a soft, defenseless creature. The lingering shadow of resistance in her heart vanished, replaced by a light, airy pleasure.

She stroked the back of Yi Shanshan’s head, feigning comfort.

Once Yi Shanshan had relaxed… she squeezed her again.

Yi Shanshan jerked her head up in fury: “!!!!”

Ying Yuan cleared her throat: “…Ahem.”

Yi Shanshan: “I’m not a little kitty!”

Ying Yuan: “Okay, okay, you’re not.”

Yi Shanshan: “You ruined the mood!”

Ying Yuan: “What mood?”

What mood…? Yi Shanshan froze, speechless.

It was an unspoken atmosphere, the kind that demanded consequences once clarified. A tacit, ambiguous understanding, a wicked desire to greedily indulge in something they knew was wrong.

Yi Shanshan stammered, uncharacteristically speechless.

Glaring at Ying Yuan, she couldn’t contain her frustration. She buried her face in the crook of Ying Yuan’s neck, nuzzling fiercely against that familiar spot.

Ying Yuan steadied her by the waist, drawing her closer. They fell into their familiar rhythm, their breaths mingling against each other’s skin, making the air burn.

The moment was fleeting, far too brief to satisfy Yi Shanshan.

Suddenly, Yi Shanshan’s phone blared to life, its lively ringtone filling the entire room.

Ying Yuan startled and released her grip.

Yi Shanshan, furious, snatched her phone and answered sharply, “What?!”

“Worried you fell into the toilet! You’ve been gone forever!” A sharp, high-pitched male voice replied. Ying Yuan heard the voice clearly and felt a jolt of alarm.

She shouldn’t be able to hear it so clearly unless the speaker was nearby.

Yi Shanshan continued shouting, “Can’t live without me?! You’re all grown up—time you learned to walk on your own!”

Ying Yuan desperately wanted to cover her mouth, but it was already too late.

The person on the other end of the line clearly heard the transmission through the air. In a loud, resonant voice, he shouted, “I could swear you’re right here! Where are you hiding? There’s no women’s restroom here…”

He didn’t finish his sentence because the door had already been pushed open.

A tall, slender young man dressed in what could only be described as provocatively appeared before them. He held a phone in one hand and pushed the door open with the other, blinking rapidly to adjust to the darkness. Then he let out a high-pitched yet resonant exclamation: “Holy shit—!”

Ying Yuan: “……”

Yi Shanshan: “……”

The young man: “Holy shit, I never would’ve guessed, Yi Shanshan! You’re into this kind of thing too?! If I’d known you were busy with ‘serious matters,’ I wouldn’t have come looking for you. I’ll go tell the others right now—no one’s to disturb you.”

As he spoke, he was already backing away. Yi Shanshan frowned and barked, “Get back in here.”

The young man froze in his tracks, looking from Yi Shanshan to Ying Yuan. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to interrupt you. I know these moments are usually the most…”

Yi Shanshan cut him off, striding up and landing a solid punch on his shoulder. “Shut your mouth!”

The young man fell silent. Yi Shanshan glanced back at Ying Yuan, who stood frozen, looking lost and bewildered.

Yi Shanshan opened her mouth. “This is my friend, just a regular friend. Nothing like what you’re thinking. We just bumped into each other and found a quiet place to chat for a few minutes. Who’s as horny as you all day?”

The guy stammered, “Ah… right, right…”

“What else would it be?” Yi Shanshan whispered. “To you gays, everyone must be gay, huh?”

The guy chuckled awkwardly a couple of times, then bowed apologetically to Ying Yuan. “Sorry, sorry, I misunderstood. Since you’re all friends, why don’t you join us? They’re having a blast singing right now.”

“They have their own group,” Yi Shanshan retorted. “Why would they want to hang out with you guys? Just get out of here. I’ll be back in a bit.”

The guy raised a hand and left.

The door to the karaoke room remained slightly ajar, letting the cacophony of music and singing from inside spill into the corridor.

Standing by the crack in the door, Yi Shanshan turned to Ying Yuan. “Scared you, didn’t I? Don’t worry about guys like that. I told him not to spread rumors.”

“Mmm,” Ying Yuan mumbled, forcing out a vague sound.

She couldn’t quite make sense of her current feelings. Her face burned like that of a petty thief caught red-handed by the shopkeeper at the door.

Don’t pay attention to people like that. What kind of person is she anyway? A lesbian?

Yi Shanshan had denied it so vehemently, as if it were an inviolable boundary for her. As if any association with homosexuality were a negative rumor that needed immediate clarification.

She’s my friend, just a friend.

Yes, Ying Yuan had repeated this to herself countless times. If she had to introduce Yi Shanshan to others, she would say the same.

But why did her heart clench so painfully when she heard those words from Yi Shanshan’s own mouth? Why did it make her so deeply unhappy?

What was I expecting her to say? Weren’t these the words she should have said?

There was nothing wrong with Yi Shanshan. There had never been anything wrong with her. The problem lay entirely within Ying Yuan herself.

Ying Yuan shouldn’t have had that dream last night.

Ying Yuan stood frozen in place as Yi Shanshan closed the door and walked back to her.

Yi Shanshan hugged Ying Yuan, gently rocking her back and forth.

“Seriously, I can never get enough of hugging you…

“But if I don’t go back now, they’ll gossip about me behind my back for ages. Who knows what stories they’ll invent?

“If only I could shrink you down and keep you in my pocket. Then I could take you out and hug you whenever I wanted.”

Ying Yuan opened her mouth, her dry voice managing to say, “It’s okay. You should go back now.”

“I should get going too,” Ying Yuan added. “My friends are waiting for me.”

And with that, they parted ways.

The frantic journey here had felt long and agonizing, but walking back now, she realized it was only a short distance.

Ying Yuan pushed open the karaoke room door. Lina grabbed her arm and pulled her down to the center of the sofa.

“No more running away! We’ve already queued up your songs. Sing them all—no stopping until you’re done!”

Mao Mao and Xiaohan joined in the clamor, shoving the microphone into Ying Yuan’s hand. The karaoke playlist scrolled through one bizarre, melancholic love song after another.

Ying Yuan sang with her mouth open, her thoughts drifting to another world. After what felt like an eternity, a waiter knocked on the booth door and entered, followed by a procession of staff.

“Your Supreme Tropical Fruit Platter.”

“Your BBQ Extravaganza.”

“Your case of Natural Mountain Spring Water.”

“Your Sweet & Aromatic Cocktail Set.”

“And your Anytime S VIP All-Access Karaoke Suite Card.”

They announced each item, setting them down one by one. The small table in the private room was soon overflowing.

Mao Mao, Xiaohan, and Lina were too stunned to speak for a long moment. Only after the staff had finished arranging everything did they finally shout, “This isn’t ours! We didn’t order any of this!”

“Room 306 is correct,” the waiter replied. “Ms. Ying Yuan, this was added to your order by a friend. She said she hopes you have a great time.”