My Straight Girlfriend with Skin Hunger Syndrome - Chapter 56
Chapter 56
In the spacious room, half the occupants stared wide-eyed, while the other half gaped open-mouthed.
Yi Shanshan could claim to have enjoyed pleasant, private moments with every single person present, especially Ying Yuan, her best friend, with whom she was as inseparable as honey and beeswax.
Yet she had no connection whatsoever with Qi Hongyue.
Their personalities were diametrically opposed, each rushing headlong in opposite directions. Even a single word exchanged between them would have seemed strange, yet now, Yi Shanshan had brazenly demanded Qi Hongyue accompany her to bed.
Everyone’s shocked gaze shifted between Yi Shanshan and Qi Hongyue.
Qi Hongyue herself stared incredulously at Yi Shanshan, then abruptly turned her disbelieving stare toward Ying Yuan.
Ying Yuan shivered involuntarily. The situation had escalated to a terrifying level.
She couldn’t believe Yi Shanshan’s audacity—dragging Qi Hongyue into what should have remained their private affair.
Even worse, she dreaded imagining what horrors Yi Shanshan might commit if they shared a room, and what brutally honest truths Qi Hongyue might blurt out, sending Ying Yuan straight to hell.
“No!” Ying Yuan blurted out.
Her sudden outburst caught everyone off guard. She hadn’t managed to control her volume, her voice loud and resonant, like someone disrupting a wedding to claim the bride.
All eyes instantly snapped back to her.
Though no one dared speak, their eager gazes radiated a thirst for scandalous gossip.
Ying Yuan: “……”
She’d shouted and voiced her objection, but she hadn’t yet thought of a plausible reason.
With her gaze lowered and brows furrowed, Ying Yuan felt like she’d dug a massive pit for herself and was now trapped at the bottom, unable to climb out.
Yi Shanshan couldn’t suppress her smirk.
She turned, cocked her head, and fixed Ying Yuan with an unblinking stare. With calculated precision, she pressed, “Why not? Senior Qi is our team leader, after all. If a team member has a problem, shouldn’t they seek her help first?”
Ying Yuan: “……”
Yes, why not?
Come on, brain! Think of something!
“Because I refuse,” Qi Hongyue interjected, her gaze locking onto Ying Yuan. “Ying Yuan knows me well enough to know I’d refuse.”
Guanyin Bodhisattva, savior from suffering and deliverer from calamity.
Ying Yuan looked up at Qi Hongyue, her eyes brimming with gratitude.
Yi Shanshan’s smile faded, becoming shallow and fixed at the corners of her lips.
“Then why did you refuse me, Team Leader?” Yi Shanshan asked. “Do you have something against me personally?”
Qi Hongyue: “It’s not convenient for me.”
Yi Shanshan: “How’s it not convenient? We’re all girls here. What’s wrong with taking a nap together…?”
Ying Yuan couldn’t bear to listen anymore. She was convinced Qi Hongyue was about to say, “Because I’m gay, and I don’t casually sleep with women.”
The scene was unbearable, as if Qi Hongyue had become her proxy, voicing the deepest secret in her heart.
Ying Yuan grabbed Yi Shanshan’s arm, cutting her off mid-sentence. “If you’re really scared, I’ll keep you company.”
She figured this was what Yi Shanshan wanted all along. Whatever Yi Shanshan wanted, she would find a way to get.
But Yi Shanshan didn’t relent. She glared at Ying Yuan, her mind racing with unspoken thoughts.
“Didn’t you already make your choice? Didn’t you want to sleep with everyone?”
Ying Yuan was visibly embarrassed. “This… we can always adjust it, right? We’re here to have fun, be flexible, and just enjoy ourselves…”
Yi Shanshan: “But you really wanted to be with everyone, didn’t you? If you stay with me, won’t you be sad?”
Ying Yuan: “……”
She really remembers every single word I said.
She’s seizing every chance to retaliate with my own words.
You bad dog.
“I’d still be happy,” Ying Yuan mumbled.
Afraid Yi Shanshan would press further, she tugged at her sleeve. “Let’s go. Everyone’s tired. We should…”
Yi Shanshan didn’t budge. She grabbed Ying Yuan’s wrist. “I don’t want you to miss out on hanging out with everyone.”
Ying Yuan: “????”
Yi Shanshan: “And I don’t want to miss out either.”
Ying Yuan: “????”
Yi Shanshan dragged her toward the kang bed. “Let’s just try it together. I’ve never slept on a communal bed like this before. We’re all good friends from the Project Team, so we won’t disturb anyone. I want to hear what kind of bedtime gossip everyone shares.”
Ying Yuan: “……”
Damn.
After going around in circles, Shanshan could have simply stated from the start that she wanted to sleep here. Instead, she deliberately kept Ying Yuan’s heart in a state of nervous turmoil, like a rollercoaster ride.
With the dilemma resolved, everyone in the room breathed a collective sigh of relief.
Even Ying Yuan, who had suffered a crushing defeat, couldn’t help but feel that things were better this way.
At least it’s better than Shanshan and Hongyue fighting. At least it’s better than Shanshan and Hongyue sleeping together.
With the sleeping arrangements settled, everyone began to settle in for the night.
Yi Shanshan was the first to pull Ying Yuan inside, claiming the innermost spot against the pearwood cabinet at the head of the kang. She then motioned for Ying Yuan to lie down beside her.
Though still technically part of the group, Yi Shanshan had carved out her own private space, using Ying Yuan as a buffer against anything she disliked.
At first, everyone was a bit reserved, but as they all settled onto the kang, they gradually grew livelier.
Some rolled around in the middle of the kang, while others grabbed each other to pose for absurd photos, laughing and teasing until, in a sudden hush, they began chatting idly about nothing in particular.
Yi Shanshan’s body slid downward; she wanted to lie down, but she was far from satisfied with the pillow.
Her brow furrowed as her eyes darted left and right, but her gaze ultimately settled on Ying Yuan.
Ying Yuan sat with her legs stretched out straight.
Her thighs—in terms of shape, surface area, and texture—looked many times more comfortable than the hotel pillow.
Yi Shanshan stared intently, her eyes glowing with a hazy, longing light.
Ying Yuan, having just finished listening to a story, turned and immediately caught that look.
Without needing a moment’s thought, Ying Yuan’s brainwaves instantly synchronized with Yi Shanshan’s, understanding exactly what she wanted.
The only question was whether she was willing to give it.
Truth be told, Yi Shanshan had been quite well-behaved. After climbing onto the kang, she hadn’t complained about anything or uttered a single unhappy word.
Now that she was sleepy, she couldn’t help but stare, doing nothing more.
Ying Yuan’s heart fluttered slightly as she gazed at Yi Shanshan’s fair, peach-like face. Finally, she asked, “Want to use me as a pillow?”
Yi Shanshan’s eyes lit up instantly. She looked up at Ying Yuan and nodded vigorously.
Ying Yuan glanced around at the others, sprawled in every conceivable position.
It wasn’t unusual for close friends to sleep curled up together.
Having blended into the group, there was nothing odd about Ying Yuan and Yi Shanshan being close either.
Ying Yuan adjusted her position, leaning against the headboard. This way, her legs could form a comfortable pillow for Yi Shanshan.
“Come on,” she said.
Yi Shanshan crawled over like a puppy and whispered, “Ying Yuan, aren’t you going to sleep?”
“Mm, I don’t need to.”
Yi Shanshan: “If I press too hard, tell me.”
“Okay.”
“And if you get sleepy, wake me up.”
“Mm-hmm.”
Yi Shanshan blinked. “Then it’ll be your turn to sleep, and I’ll be your pillow.”
Ying Yuan froze, momentarily stunned.
Yi Shanshan scooted closer and lay down, gingerly resting her head on Ying Yuan’s lap. She shifted a few times, finding the perfect position.
Her waterfall of long hair cascaded across Ying Yuan’s legs, framing Yi Shanshan’s face below—her delicate features clear in the dim light.
Yi Shanshan’s long lashes fluttered as she asked again, “Are you sure it’s okay? Does it hurt?”
Ying Yuan thought her head felt like a puppy’s—soft, light, and fluffy. How could it possibly hurt?
Ying Yuan shook her head, her voice unusually gentle as she replied, “It’s fine. Just go to sleep.”
“Mmm~” Yi Shanshan hummed contentedly and closed her eyes.
The chatter in the room gradually faded until it disappeared completely.
In the quiet space, only soft breathing remained. Ying Yuan gazed at the scene before her: the floral-patterned kang, the corn cobs hanging on the wall, the diamond-patterned window frame framing the lush green grasslands outside.
Yi Shanshan lay deeply asleep on her lap.
Her classmates, sprawled haphazardly across the kang, were also asleep.
Serene, peaceful, miraculous—yet somehow, she felt she had finally blended into this world, becoming ordinary.
Still, something crucial had changed.
Yi Shanshan had asked if it hurt. Yi Shanshan had said she could be her pillow.
Yi Shanshan had openly vied for her attention in front of everyone. Yi Shanshan had resorted to all sorts of little tricks just to be near her.
Yi Shanshan and Ying Yuan shared the same creation period, the same memories.
These memories were open, bright, and witnessed by others.
Everyone had taken a long afternoon nap.
By the time they gathered, it was nearly four o’clock.
As Ying Yuan led Yi Shanshan outside, Yi Shanshan kept leaning over to look at her leg.
“It’s really not numb? You were using it as a pillow for so long…”
Yi Shanshan’s voice was soft and full of questions.
“Are you sure you don’t want me to massage it? Or maybe tap it a bit?”
“Are you really okay not napping? Won’t you get sleepy and dizzy?”
“Why didn’t you wake me up? I didn’t actually need to sleep that long.”
“Are there going to be lots of games later? Do you still have the energy to play?”
Ying Yuan spotted Qi Hongyue and reached out to grab Yi Shanshan’s arm, pulling her upward.
“Don’t worry, I’m plenty strong.”
Yi Shanshan was completely lifted to her feet, staring blankly at Ying Yuan’s face. “Waaah… you’re different now~”
Ying Yuan: “Hmm?”
Yi Shanshan: “You’re not as weak anymore. You’ve been secretly working out behind my back.”
Ying Yuan: “……”
Yi Shanshan’s words inexplicably ignited Ying Yuan’s competitive spirit.
In the past, she had feigned weakness due to specific circumstances. In reality, she possessed boundless energy and above-average physical fitness, capable of enduring grueling periods of work and study. After brief rests, she could quickly replenish her vitality.
“Yeah, I’ve been working out,” Ying Yuan said vaguely, trying to brush off Yi Shanshan’s suspicions.
She didn’t release Yi Shanshan’s arm, continuing to hold onto her as they crossed the street together.
Together, they stepped onto the lush green meadow, its rolling hills dotted with grazing cattle and sheep under a clear, crisp sky.
“Want to team up with me for the games later?” Ying Yuan rarely took the initiative to invite someone, “I’ve got everything planned out. I guarantee you’ll win.”
“Yay!” Yi Shanshan exclaimed, her voice bubbling with delight.
Soft puddles dotted the path, making it tricky to walk. Yi Shanshan tugged her arm free from Ying Yuan’s grip.
Ying Yuan glanced back as Yi Shanshan hopped over a puddle and reached out to take her hand.
Their palms met—soft, warm.
Yi Shanshan’s fingers didn’t grip tightly; they lay light and loose, as if their touch could begin or end at any moment.
“Since you’re being so irresistible, I suppose I’ll reluctantly agree,” Yi Shanshan teased, her face beaming with joy.
“Mm-hmm,” Ying Yuan replied, tightening her grip on Yi Shanshan’s boneless-feeling palm. “I won’t let you down.”