My Straight Girlfriend with Skin Hunger Syndrome - Chapter 73
Chapter 73
Ying Yuan could answer all these questions, and she wanted to answer them.
But tonight, staying in Ying Yuan’s room was impossible.
Objectively impossible.
Her little room was usually unoccupied and had no air conditioning.
The only air conditioner was in her grandparents’ bedroom, where she would sleep when it got too hot. Otherwise, she stayed in her own room with the window facing the courtyard open.
As night deepened, the temperature would cool down. But it would never be cool enough for Yi Shanshan, a My Lady accustomed to climate-controlled environments.
Besides, if Yi Shanshan slept in the same bed with her, the heat would double. Just imagining the scene made Ying Yuan feel feverish, desperate for release.
“I don’t think that’s possible,” Ying Yuan told Yi Shanshan, carefully explaining the reasons she could articulate.
Yi Shanshan pouted, clearly dissatisfied. “Do you have a fan? We could turn on a fan.”
“We do,” Ying Yuan replied. “But sleeping with a fan blowing directly on you for too long can make you feel uncomfortable.”
“How did you get through summers as a kid, then?” Yi Shanshan asked. “Did you always sleep with your grandparents?”
Ying Yuan reminisced with a smile, “We didn’t have air conditioning when I was little. But the summers back then didn’t seem so sweltering. Even during the hottest part of the day, we’d still run around outside playing. Sometimes at night, we’d spread a mat in the courtyard and lie under the stars.”
Yi Shanshan exclaimed excitedly, “Let’s do that too!”
Ying Yuan eyed her skeptically. “The ground will be crawling with bugs—ants, ladybugs, crickets, grasshoppers… and they might suddenly fly onto your face!”
Yi Shanshan shrieked, “Aaaahhhh!!!”
Ying Yuan burst out laughing at her reaction.
Staying the night here wasn’t an option. After a quick discussion, they decided to tell Grandpa and Grandma that Ying Yuan would return to the city with Yi Shanshan that evening.
The grandparents had no objections, knowing Yi Shanshan had a car to take them. They even packed extra food from the house for Ying Yuan to bring back.
As dusk settled and darkness approached, the grandparents, concerned about the road ahead, urged them to leave.
Yi Shanshan, already accustomed to traveling at night, wasn’t in such a rush. She was fascinated by everything in Ying Yuan’s hometown, pulling Ying Yuan along to introduce her to every detail of the house. When Ying Yuan mentioned she’d planned to pick some melons from the fields for her, Yi Shanshan stubbornly demanded she get one right then.
“Let’s go together!” she called out.
Ying Yuan: “It’s already dark.”
Yi Shanshan: “Have the car follow us.”
Truly… impressive…
Yi Shanshan refused to ride in the car, insisting on walking with Ying Yuan through half the village road and then half the field path.
It wasn’t a long walk, and the roads had been widened recently. But having a car trailing behind them, its headlights illuminating their path, felt far too conspicuous.
As they walked, Ying Yuan greeted every villager—young and old—along the way. Yi Shanshan, her face beaming with a radiant smile, mimicked Ying Yuan’s greetings, adopting an enthusiastic demeanor as if she were the village native.
When they reached the fields, with no houses or people in sight, she still seemed a little disappointed. “That was fun!”
Ying Yuan: “……”
Yi Shanshan looped her arm through Ying Yuan’s, observing the scenery on either side. “Ying Yuan, is this corn?”
Ying Yuan: “Yes.”
Yi Shanshan: “It’s so tall!”
Ying Yuan: “If I threw you in there, you’d get lost.”
Yi Shanshan: “Ha ha ha ha! Don’t throw me! What about that? What’s that?”
Ying Yuan: “Kiwifruit.”
“Kiwi doesn’t grow on trees?!” Yi Shanshan’s eyes widened as she tugged Ying Yuan closer for a better look. “Kiwi actually grows on vines, just like grapes!”
Ying Yuan chuckled. “Yeah, this area is famous for its kiwi. You’ve never seen one before?”
Yi Shanshan: “I’ve only ever seen them sliced open.”
Yi Shanshan: “Why are there bags hanging on them? Does that mean they’re already fruiting?”
Lowering her voice and glancing around, Yi Shanshan whispered, “No one’s guarding them… let’s sneak one and try it!”
Her eagerness was simply too adorable.
Even though it was pitch-black, with only the faint car headlights and moonlight to illuminate their surroundings, Yi Shanshan managed to turn the place into a fantastical amusement park.
Ying Yuan couldn’t resist. She reached out and pinched Yi Shanshan’s cheek. “They’re not ripe yet. Don’t be so greedy~”
Yi Shanshan gasped, covering her cheek in shock as she glared at Ying Yuan.
Ying Yuan’s heart skipped a beat. “Did I pinch too hard? I—”
“Ying Yuan, you actually pinched my cheek!” Yi Shanshan exclaimed, her eyes curving into crescents that sparkled like stars. “You must think I’m super cute! You’re totally smitten with me!”
Ying Yuan: “……”
Yi Shanshan yelped excitedly and pounced on her, “Ahhh, I want to pinch you too! Don’t run away—”
Well, if you tell me not to run, I’m definitely running.
Ying Yuan leaped forward, Yi Shanshan hot on her heels. The car, trailing slowly behind, switched its headlights to high beams, wary of them tripping.
The world transformed into a dazzling stage bathed in brilliant light.
Ying Yuan burst into laughter, matching Yi Shanshan’s infectious joy.
Their playful chase led them to the edge of the field.
The car couldn’t go any further. Ying Yuan switched on her phone’s flashlight and took Yi Shanshan’s hand, guiding her into the darkness.
“When I was little, our family grew fruit trees and wheat. The flour we ground from our own wheat was delicious. Later, as my parents earned more and my grandparents got older, much of the land went fallow.
“Now we just grow some vegetables and melons. The watermelon you ate earlier today came from our other field.”
Ying Yuan crouched down, pointing to a sprawling vine. “I loved eating these cantaloupes when I was a kid. Grandma always saved some seeds each year. Their thin skin and high water content make them hard to transport, so you rarely find this variety in stores these days.”
Yi Shanshan crouched beside her, gazing at the green vines sprawled across the ground, illuminated by the flashlight. “Wow!!!”
Ying Yuan parted the leaves and pointed. “Look, there’s a melon.”
The pale green melon, round and sweet, was marked with faint white veins. Plump and gleaming, it looked like an enormous emerald unearthed from the darkness.
“Ah…” Yi Shanshan’s voice softened in awe. “It’s so cute! I suddenly want to grow one.”
“It’s awakened your ancestral farming instincts,” Ying Yuan said with a smile. She reached out, grasped the melon vine, and with a crisp snap, plucked the ripe melon.
“Aaaah!” Yi Shanshan shrieked. “You killed Guagua!”
Ying Yuan: “……”
Ying Yuan shook with laughter.
She pulled a tissue from her pocket and wiped the melon’s rind clean. With a sharp squeeze, the melon cracked open.
The sweet fragrance instantly filled the small space.
“Aaaah…” Yi Shanshan’s accusatory wail transformed into a greedy sigh. “It smells so sweet!”
After removing the seeds, Ying Yuan handed her a slice. “Now this is truly killing Guagua. Eat it, let it become one with you.”
Yi Shanshan grinned like a contented kitten. Without hesitating, she accepted the piece, undeterred by the lack of washing or their current midnight squat on the field ridge. She opened her mouth wide and devoured the melon in two or three bites.
“Mmm~ So~ delicious~” Yi Shanshan cooed, her eyes crinkling in blissful contentment.
Ying Yuan handed her another slice.
Under the moonlight, they shared the entire melon.
Completely satisfied, Yi Shanshan began exploring the field, her earlier hesitation about picking the “melon babies” gone. She plucked one after another, piling them into Ying Yuan’s arms.
Ying Yuan willingly became her human shopping bag. Some melons were still small and unripe, but Yi Shanshan picked them anyway, and Ying Yuan didn’t object.
“This is so much fun! So exhilarating!” Yi Shanshan exclaimed, straightening up after bending over for quite a while. She wiped the sweat from her forehead with a hand. “When I retire from my singing career, I’m going to rent some land and become a farmer.”
“Sounds good,” Ying Yuan replied, refraining from mentioning the hardships of farming. If that day ever comes, she thought, I could come and be Yi Shanshan’s farmhand.
She knew a great deal about cultivation.
Having had her fill of melon picking, Yi Shanshan stood before Ying Yuan, gazing at her.
Noticing the thin layer of sweat on her forehead, Ying Yuan said, “There’s a tissue in my pocket. Take it and wipe yourself.”
Yi Shanshan reached into Ying Yuan’s pants pocket, pulled out a tissue, unfolded it, and suddenly pressed it over Ying Yuan’s face.
Ying Yuan: “!!!”
Through the tissue, Yi Shanshan vigorously rubbed Ying Yuan’s face, clearly settling the score for having her cheeks pinched earlier.
“You’re sweating too, Ying Yuan. Let me wipe you down properly.”
Ying Yuan could only sigh and suppress a smile.
My Lady, lacking any gentleness, had crumpled the tissue into a sodden wad. Unwilling to toss it on the ground, she stuffed it back into Ying Yuan’s pocket.
Ying Yuan: “……”
She was about to reassure her that the tissue was biodegradable and wouldn’t pollute the land, but Yi Shanshan fixed her with an intense gaze, abruptly shifting the topic. “Ying Yuan, even your sweat smells sweet.”
Ying Yuan: “……”
The night breeze began to flush her cheeks.
Yi Shanshan stepped closer, pressing against her. “Ying Yuan~ It must be because you’ve eaten such delicious fruits since childhood. You’re sweet through and through~”
Silence settled around them, broken only by the cicadas’ ceaseless chirping.
A pale moon hung in the sky, casting a faint, ethereal glow across the endless fields.
Yi Shanshan tilted her head back to look at her, her parted lips glistening.
Ying Yuan thought, Instead of these sweet words that only stir my heart, I’d rather she just did what she wants.
“If you want to hug me, go ahead,” Ying Yuan said. “We’re not in a rush right now.”
Yi Shanshan’s eyes lit up. She grabbed Ying Yuan’s arms with both hands but didn’t lean in for a hug.
“You’re holding the melons,” Yi Shanshan said. “I can’t hug you properly.”
She stood on tiptoe, leaned forward, and gently pressed her soft lips against the corner of Ying Yuan’s mouth.
A fleeting touch, and then she drew back, her face radiating delight. “It still smells like melon!”
Ying Yuan felt she was becoming desensitized to such overtures.
At some moment, some fleeting instant when Yi Shanshan gazed at her, it was as if she had already announced her intentions—that she would do such intimate things.
Not all thoughts are spoken aloud; the eyes speak, and the body speaks too.
Yi Shanshan’s affection for Ying Yuan’s body had reached an extraordinary depth. She longed to be close, to touch, to embrace, to kiss…
Even if it defied reason, she found Ying Yuan’s scent uniquely sweet and intoxicating.
Purely physiological attraction.
If physical attraction could reach such intensity, could it potentially… lead to a shift in sexual orientation?
Ying Yuan froze, the true shock stemming from the thought that had sprouted in her mind.
It was like a tiny seedling of hope, suddenly sprouting from a dark corner, its slender tendrils stretching out, swaying…
She clutched the melons tightly in her arms, making sure not a single one slipped.