My Straight Girlfriend with Skin Hunger Syndrome - Chapter 99
Chapter 99
Yi Shanshan thought the Qixi Festival meal Ying Yuan had prepared was the most delicious thing she had ever tasted in her life.
She took a flurry of photos, itching to show them off to everyone, but her finger froze just before posting on WeChat Moments.
My WeChat Moments isn’t secure, she knew.
Even with group settings, secrets would inevitably leak.
Slipping her phone back into her bag, Yi Shanshan gazed at Ying Yuan, deciding to savor the tangible, palpable beauty of this moment in reality.
Unsurprisingly, Ying Yuan earned another couple’s sticker.
As they continued participating in the festival activities, they felt more and more like the event had been tailor-made for them.
There wasn’t a single challenge they couldn’t conquer.
In the pool’s water maze, Yi Shanshan’s swimming prowess shone, while Ying Yuan stood on the bank, effortlessly guiding her through the labyrinth with a single set of instructions.
The love song relay was Yi Shanshan’s comfort zone. She not only responded quickly but sang with such captivating charm that drew a crowd.
Even Ying Yuan herself was astonished by their chemistry test. In less than a year together, their understanding of each other had deepened to such remarkable depths.
Yi Shanshan’s eyes were blindfolded for the “Blindfolded Recognition” game. Terrified someone else might touch Ying Yuan even briefly, she began sniffing vigorously the moment the signal was given, rushing toward Ying Yuan like a little dog.
Without needing to identify her, she crashed straight into Ying Yuan’s arms.
With a swift yank, she tore off the blindfold and triumphantly raised her hand, announcing her victory.
It had taken her only… five seconds.
Ying Yuan gazed at her in delighted surprise, wrapping her arm around Yi Shanshan’s slender waist. “Are you really like a little dog?”
“A police dog-level one,” Yi Shanshan replied, tilting her head back, sniffing the air, utterly entranced by Ying Yuan’s scent. She nuzzled her nose against Ying Yuan’s skin. “It only works on you.”
Ying Yuan was beginning to believe that her body and scent truly possessed something extraordinary, something that resonated with Yi Shanshan’s extremely narrow signal range.
The final competition barely qualified as a game.
Couples were instructed to write down their grievances about their relationship on bricks, then use coconut bowling balls to knock them down.
It was a deeply emotional segment. Some couples even burst into tears as they hurled their bowling balls.
Yi Shanshan glanced at them and said to Ying Yuan, “If we have no complaints, wouldn’t this be a victory without a fight?”
No complaints? Ying Yuan looked at Yi Shanshan.
They had been entangled for so long, arguing countless times. Even this day as “couples” was a pretense, a ruse.
“We could write it seriously,” Ying Yuan said. “I’m really curious… about your evaluation.”
Yi Shanshan looked away and nodded. “Sure, why not?”
She paused, then added, “Since we’re playing, let’s make it… authentic?”
“Okay,” Ying Yuan agreed.
They each walked to separate areas to prepare their bricks.
When they returned, each carried only one.
Unusually, they didn’t stand close together, leaving a three-meter gap between them.
The wind fluttered the ends of their hair. Yi Shanshan gazed at Ying Yuan, teasing her with a smile, “Why only one brick? Did you cram it full, every last space filled, eight hundred words?”
Ying Yuan shook her head, avoiding Yi Shanshan’s eyes. Instead, her gaze was fixed on the brick in Yi Shanshan’s hand.
She was terribly nervous, her heart pounding fiercely. She felt a bone-deep fear, dreading any words that might appear on that brick.
In that moment, she truly understood her own cowardice.
Once again, she had proven Yi Shanshan’s paramount importance in her heart.
Any hint of Yi Shanshan’s dissatisfaction seemed capable of crushing her.
Swallowing hard, Ying Yuan asked, “You go first, or me?”
“You,” Yi Shanshan replied, seemingly incapable of fear. She tilted her chin, still smiling. “I’m dying to know what my girlfriend is dissatisfied with about me.”
Ying Yuan tugged at the corner of her lips, forcing a smile.
She walked to the other end and placed the brick she held down.
Only two words were written on it: Inferiority Complex.
Yi Shanshan froze, stunned.
The host handed the microphone to Ying Yuan. “Why did you write Inferiority Complex?”
Ying Yuan took a deep breath, her gaze dropping to the floor. These words could only be spoken while staring at the ground.
“It’s not about our relationship. It’s my own problem.
“The gap between us is too vast. By any measure, I’m not the person who should be standing by her side.
“She’s a star, but I’m just an ordinary person. If I were to let a star fall, that would be my…”
Before she could finish her sentence, the sound of a bowling ball crashing into the pins interrupted her.
The loud thud echoed through the air as Ying Yuan looked up in a daze. She saw Yi Shanshan standing nearby, her brow furrowed and her eyes blazing with fury.
Rumble, rumble, the coconut bowling ball hurtled toward the brick wall.
The obstacle, which had been in place for less than half a minute, was shattered with a smash.
“Sin…”
The word still lingered on Ying Yuan’s tongue.
When she finally whispered it aloud, her voice was barely a whisper, like a mayfly challenging a tree or a mantis trying to stop a chariot.
Ying Yuan froze, stunned.
Yi Shanshan strode toward her, her eyes fixed on Ying Yuan with a fierce intensity, as if she wanted to tear her apart and chew her to pieces.
A faint fragrance drifted in the air as Yi Shanshan stopped before Ying Yuan. Ignoring her completely, she glared down, then kicked the toppled “Inferiority” brick aside and replaced it with her own.
The brick that had haunted Ying Yuan with dread now revealed its answer with brutal clarity:
Distrust.
Yi Shanshan had written “Distrust.”
Yi Shanshan snatched the microphone from Ying Yuan’s hand.
Even with Ying Yuan standing right in front of her, Yi Shanshan insisted on holding the microphone and shouting into it at the top of her lungs.
“What bullshit about stars? What pathetic self-pity? Let’s cut the crap—you just don’t believe me!
“You don’t believe me when I say I love you! I’ve told you a million times, and you still don’t believe me!
“You don’t believe you’re special to me, even when I’m practically crawling at your heels like a lapdog, begging you to play with me! You still don’t believe it!
“You don’t trust my judgment, my choices, my feelings! You just think you’re always right! This isn’t self-pity—it’s arrogance! Pure, unadulterated arrogance!”
Yi Shanshan shouted at Ying Yuan, her voice amplified by the microphone, crashing against Ying Yuan’s forehead like a deafening alarm.
Ying Yuan’s head rang.
Yi Shanshan grabbed the front of her shirt, as if she wanted to rip out Ying Yuan’s heart.
“You never mention any of my flaws, do you? Not a single one!
“I’m willful, selfish, arrogant, condescending, mentally ill, prone to violence, and ruthless in pursuit of my goals. I spend all day coercing, controlling, and bossing you around. Why don’t you ever mention any of that?!”
Yi Shanshan sniffled, suddenly feeling deeply wronged. “If you could just admit one true thing… You’re just trying to fool me with this nonsense. You don’t like me…”
Her voice choked, tears welling in her eyes. Her rims were red, the tip of her nose flushed, her eyes drooping like a puppy’s.
Ying Yuan stared at her steadily, her brow furrowed. Yi Shanshan had truly ripped her heart from her chest, clutching it in her palm, squeezing it until it ached.
“I didn’t…” Ying Yuan murmured.
Yi Shanshan lightly pressed a finger, muting the microphone.
“Didn’t what?” she asked, her voice thick with tears, audible only to the two of them.
“Didn’t think those were your flaws,” Ying Yuan replied, “and didn’t try to trick you.”
“That’s not the point,” Yi Shanshan insisted. “The point is that last part…”
Ying Yuan’s heart trembled. She was indeed walking on the edge of a cliff; the slightest misstep would send her plummeting.
“I don’t dislike you,” Ying Yuan finally said.
“I don’t believe you,” Yi Shanshan retorted immediately, her question following so closely on Ying Yuan’s words that she gave her no room to think. “Prove it to me.”
“I… I’d do anything for you,” Ying Yuan said.
“That’s just because you’re a good person,” Yi Shanshan replied.
“I’m so happy when I’m with you,” Ying Yuan insisted.
“That’s because I’m fun to be around,” Yi Shanshan countered.
Ying Yuan frowned, her brow furrowed. “You’re different from everyone else to me.”
The corners of Yi Shanshan’s lips tilted upward, but she forced them down again. “That’s just because our experiences together have been unique.”
Cornered, Ying Yuan felt like an ant on a hot pan. “I like you! I enjoy all physical contact with you. I’m possessive, and I want this day to last longer.”
Yi Shanshan couldn’t hold back any longer. She burst out laughing.
Clutching the small piece of fabric, Yi Shanshan tugged Ying Yuan closer. Tilting her head back, she gazed tenderly into Ying Yuan’s eyes. “Say it again~”
“I like you,” Ying Yuan repeated.
“Me too~” Yi Shanshan replied.
“Don’t ever doubt yourself again. Earning my affection is proof of your worth.”
“And don’t ever question my judgment. From childhood until now, I’ve always chosen the best.”
Ying Yuan’s heart shimmered with light, stars twinkling within her chest.
“Mm-hmm,” she murmured softly in reply.
“From now on, you’re not allowed to doubt me,” Yi Shanshan said, releasing her grip and patting Ying Yuan’s arm. “Go, smash that brick.”
Ying Yuan obediently walked forward, her mind still in a daze.
By the time she’d retrieved the coconut and successfully smashed the brick labeled “Distrust,” a blush had crept across her cheeks. Only then did she fully realize what she’d done.
Yi Shanshan had forced her to confess.
She had revealed her affection, even though it had been woven into every moment of their interactions. Yet this love had ultimately spilled from her lips, unable to be contained.
After the activity, Yi Shanshan ran toward her, beaming, and threw herself into Ying Yuan’s arms.
She wrapped her arms tightly around Ying Yuan, hugging her as intimately as if she were holding her most cherished doll. “Ying Yuan,” she said, “we won! We collected all the heart stickers! We get the top prize!”
Ying Yuan lowered her gaze, noticing the lingering redness around Yi Shanshan’s eyes. Beneath her joy, she glimpsed the hidden pain and grievances.
“I’m sorry,” Ying Yuan said. “I was wrong.”
Yi Shanshan didn’t look at her, burying her face in Ying Yuan’s arm and clutching her hand even tighter.
“Knowing you were wrong is enough,” Yi Shanshan murmured softly. “I won’t stay mad at you for long…”
Ying Yuan reached out and pulled her into a full embrace.
Couples watching nearby smiled approvingly, and staff members fired confetti cannons, showering them with glittering fragments.
The golden rays of the setting sun bathed them, casting the ocean stretching below in deep blue hues.
Ying Yuan felt as if the entire arrangement was too perfect to be real, as if a beautiful dream had actually come true. Perhaps she really was the protagonist of a romance novel.
Before the sun completely dipped below the horizon, Ying Yuan and Yi Shanshan finished casting their hand mold.
Yi Shanshan abandoned her earlier idea of posing in a slightly provocative way. Instead, she simply intertwined her fingers with Ying Yuan’s, their hands clasped upright like a prayer.
A staff member asked what inscription they wanted.
Holding Ying Yuan’s hand, Yi Shanshan replied, “Together forever.”
Together forever.
Their hand mold bore no names or dates, only those two words. They arranged for it to be placed beneath the most tranquil tree in Shi Lin.
The sun dipped below the horizon, the island fell silent, and the starry sky shimmered into view.
Having snagged a handful of discount coupons at the event, the pair decided to stay the night on the island rather than head back.
After checking in at the front desk, Yi Shanshan clung to Ying Yuan’s arm as they headed inside, cheerfully muttering, “It’s peak season, so it’s no surprise standard rooms are sold out. A king-size bed is fine too—this hotel is fancy, so the bed must be huge! If you’re worried about me disturbing your sleep, I can roll over to the edge and create a whole Milky Way between us—”
Though she seemed to be considering Ying Yuan’s comfort and adhering to her earlier standards, Ying Yuan felt no sense of ease or relaxation. The phrase “a whole Milky Way between us” particularly grated on her nerves.
The Milky Way was vast beyond measure; she didn’t want to be separated from Yi Shanshan by such an expanse.
They rode the elevator, walked down the corridor, and swiped their keycard to enter the room.
The moment the lights came on, Yi Shanshan gasped, “Wow!”
Ying Yuan took in the room’s decor: a table adorned with love-shaped balloons, pink heart-shaped throw pillows, wine-red bedding, and white-and-pink rose petals scattered across the bed and floor…
Yi Shanshan released Ying Yuan’s arm and cheerfully dashed inside. She picked up a greeting card from the table and exclaimed, “Happy Qixi! May our love last a hundred years!”
Pushing open the bathroom door, she exclaimed, “Wow! They even scattered flower petals in the bathtub!”
She ran to the bed and examined the towels folded into the shape of two swans intertwined at the neck. “Impressive craftsmanship!”
Her gaze drifted to something prominently displayed on the bedside table. “Ahem… we… probably won’t need this…”
The soft light in the room bathed Yi Shanshan, making her as giddy as a little bird fluttering about.
Ying Yuan hadn’t forgotten they were still pretending to be a couple. The mere taste of having Yi Shanshan as her girlfriend had already become addictive.
A girlfriend should make her girlfriend even happier.
A girlfriend has a responsibility to make her girlfriend even happier.
Ying Yuan reached out and locked the door. She strode over, took Yi Shanshan’s hand, and pulled her into her arms.
Leaning down, their noses brushed. Yi Shanshan’s breath, still ragged from her earlier excitement, pressed against Ying Yuan’s lips, hot and turbulent.
“It’s getting dark, girlfriend,” Ying Yuan murmured. “We can… do other things now.”