Countdown (2)
Bai Lian bit down on her lip. Sounding heartbroken, she said, “I… genuinely consider you a friend. Y-Yet, you…”
General Manager Bai’s demeanour made me feel as though I just got to know General Manager Bai. She was a simple person, sincere and straightforward. It was hard for her to form friendships inside the walls deep within the palace, yet I disrespected the genuine feelings she shared with me. It finally struck me that I hurt her feelings without realising it, resulting in her flaring up for such a long time.
Furious, Bai Lian shook: “I don’t want to ever see you again!”
“Wait. Sorry!” I blurted, blocking off Bai Lian’s path. “I…”
Ostensibly annoyed just seeing me, Bai Lian stomped: “You what?!”
Bai Lian was oblivious of how much she appeared as a young girl with her behaviour, stunning me. I adjusted my emotions and sincerely answered, “I honestly don’t know what happened. I swear I didn’t do it deliberately. Honest.”
“You said the same thing last time!” thundered Bai Lian. “There’s no way you can do the same thing unintentionally so many times! Do you not know who I am? Were you planning it from the moment you asked me to play your wife at Wuhua County? Why do you keep doing this? Do you not know it’s impossible for us to… You… Out of my way!”
Bai Lian threw a palm strike my way. I reactively intercepted it. Our skin contact seemingly blasted away the confrontational atmosphere. The force of her blow dispersed. Her breathing gradually grew erratic. Our feelings were identical to the first afternoon we met. Only then did I discover her breathing sped up before I kissed her, not afterwards. I pulled her into my embrace to find her as hot as if she had a fever. She was red from her face to her neck.
While I was lost in my thoughts, Bai Lian hit me, but she didn’t enhance it with any energy. I suppose she didn’t actually hate me so much. I looked down at her face leaning on my chest. She slowly raised her head. I didn’t know why she wore a faint smile.
“H-Has she always been this beautiful?” I asked myself.
General Manager Bai always was a beauty. Among all of the beautiful women I met, I could hardly name anyone who surpassed her beauty; it’s tragic. Princess Hongzhuang, Jingan, Boss Shen and Su Xiao (?) were all beauties in their own right, but the only one who could hold a candle to Bai Lian’s charm in my arms was my absolutely perfect young shiyi.
Nobody paid attention to General Manager Bai, because she was usually awfully strict with herself, trying to keep her emotions from showing. She often wore a stoic face to hide her emotions. As a consequence, she gave the vibe she was stern and strict. The look deducted points from her beauty, but there was also the fact she never wore make-up.
Bai Lian’s big eyes looked ever so slightly narrowed, giving her the puppy eyes look, sweeping one off their feet and leaving an unforgettable impression. Her eyes looked most enthralling when she had a tender look in her eyes. When she was willing to smile genuinely, her eyes would smile, knocking your guard down without you being aware. Her narrow waist, the swell of her hips and immodest thighs were irresistible. She was a weapon that could fell a nation. The people in the imperial palace – the Emperor in particular – were blind, I tell you. How they didn’t know there was such a jewel next to them was beyond me.
I couldn’t resist touching Bai Lian’s smooth cheek. She shyly lowered her head and stayed on my chest. Unable to resist, I lowered my head to steal those rosy lips. As I went down, I thought to myself, “If she wasn’t a eunuch, th-, wait, wait, wait! General Manager Bai is a eunuch!!”
I speedily performed three qi circulations. To indicate I was innocent, I forced my hands to release their hold on Bai Lian. As we lost skin contact, the uncontrollable urge dissipated.
Bai Lian snapped out of it and stammered, “Wh-What just happened? Did you do something to me?”
“Not a thing,” I replied, checking my hands before checking Bai Lian’s. “It all happened just because we held hands.”
Bai Lian believed me, since she personally witnessed everything. That was not to mention she, too, realised something was odd about her. She was bashful, eager, smiling tenderly and charming a nation to its doom; she wouldn’t usually display any of those traits.
“Why did that happen…?” Bai Lian glanced at me then grabbed my arm after mustering up courage. Nothing happened. The surge of passion didn’t visit again. She remarked, “Strange… Why?”
I took the opportunity to say, “Whatever the reason may be, the record is clear now, right? I never violated you on purpose. Don’t be angry with me, please?”
“Hmph, you think you can get off so easily after what you did?” Bai Lian’s tone sounded much friendlier compared to before. She folded her arms and wore on a thinking face: “Why does it happen? I never had the feeling before. It’s as if… my body won’t listen to me. I also feel you…”
Bai Lian glanced at me. She looked away immediately upon noticing her face turn red. I went along with her. I pretended I was lost in thought and didn’t notice. Then, I revealed a look of enlightenment: “I get it now!”
Bai Lian turned back: “What?”
Tone serious, I said, “We must be an inseparable match made in heaven… Is it my destiny to marry a eunuch?”
Bai Lian looked stupefied: “Doesn’t that mean I’m fated to marry…”
Realising the problem with what she was about to say, Bai Lian’s face turned bright red. She unleashed a twenty-plus fist thump combo on me: “I’m not marrying you! Go marry your Su Xiao!”
‘Huh? What sort of logic is that?! Why is Su Xiao the only candidate besides you?! Just how do you see me?! Call me debauched or a creep? Fine, I’ll accept it begrudgingly, but I’m not a creep who likes boys! If anything, you’re a eunuch. That’s better than a full-fledged boy, isn’t it?!!’
My own thinking started to creep me out. “Why… would a eunuch be better…?” I asked myself.
“What’s the problem with eunuchs? Are you looking down on us?” Bai Lian furrowed her eyebrows: “Eunuchs know how to express sympathy better than girls. Eunuchs in the palace are particularly nice…”
I was too busy counting all the pros of eunuchs on my hands that I forgot what we were even talking about.
Bai Lian then asked, “Understand what makes eunuchs great now?”
“Yeah, yeah. Since you strongly recommend yourself so much, when are we getting married?”
Bai Lian took a second, but she did catch on to what I said, so she stopped and changed her response: “Eunuchs can’t get married! What sort of twisted thoughts sprout up there?!”
Well, we cleared the misunderstanding; therefore, Bai Lian wasn’t so angry with me. As soon as we stopped talking… I heard her stomach growl. She wore on her straight face again and said, “That’s all it takes for you to be angry? Let’s go eat something, then.”
“Cool, cool, cool,” I responded, holding my head. “You have to do something about your tone. You were just calling me ‘Dear’ the last two days. You switch gears too fast for anyone to dare marry you.”
“Anymore nonsense from you and no prayers will save you from me beating your teeth out!”
And… we continued on with our playful quarrelling as we made our way to the temple…
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