One Pet Gets Married

Chapter 45

Although there were matters at hand, Tang You'an still couldn't bear to see Song Xici suffer, even if she herself wasn't feeling particularly comfortable. So, one after the other, the two entered the room.

Tang You'an hadn't been in this room many times, but the subtle, intoxicating fragrance always lingered, easily enveloping anyone who entered.

After closing the door, Tang You'an turned sideways, glanced at the balcony, then looked back at her.

Upon entering, Song Xici hugged a soft white pillow and lay down on the bed. The lazy sunlight streaming through the window covered her body, accentuating her porcelain-like skin, though her mood didn't seem particularly high.

Song Xici seemed to know what she wanted to do, yet also appeared uncertain about what she was actually doing. In a daze, she followed Meng Meng's advice.

"To be precise, your whole body is uncomfortable, right?" Tang You'an asked, taking a step towards her.

"Mm..." Song Xici nodded, pressing her lips together and tugging at the corners of the pillow. Her joined legs slowly fell to the right as she reached out to punch her back, looking quite uncomfortable. The movement caused her dress to ride up slightly, revealing her fair, toned calves.

Tang You'an looked at Song Xici lying on the bed for a second, then turned towards the balcony to draw the curtains, cutting off half the light source.

Afterward, she lightly adjusted her collar, gazing out through the curtains at the scenery outside, lost in thought.

After a while, Tang You'an turned and walked towards her, stopping at the bedside. "Lie on your stomach. That way, I can massage you better to relieve the discomfort."

"Okay." Song Xici nodded, then put the pillow aside and rolled over to lie face down on the bed. However, this position made her heartbeat even more audible in her chest.

After all, her intentions weren't pure; she had an ulterior motive.

"Today, why..." Tang You'an took off her shoes and half-sat on the bed, her throat bobbing. "Why aren't you keeping me at a distance like usual?"

"I..." Song Xici's hand gripped the pillow tighter at these words. "Recently, when have I ever done that? And your requests... in the end, which one have I truly refused?"

"You didn't refuse, but... you were also unwilling," Tang You'an said, her long lashes lowered. "I don't want you to feel like I'm coercing you into anything. You know, even though I might feel uncomfortable about some things, I still prioritize your feelings."

"So... is that part of the reason why you've been so quiet lately?" Song Xici asked cautiously.

Tang You'an looked at her dark hair, unsure how to answer, and could only nod. "Mm."

Song Xici recalled Meng Meng's words, then struggled internally for a moment before saying, "That's not it. I don't feel like you're coercing me... You might have misunderstood me..."

At this moment, Song Xici's mind was in utter chaos.

Who was she? Why did she keep doing things against her principles? What happened to the promised one-meter distance, the refusal of physical contact, the decision not to fall in love? But now?

"Alright, let's not talk about this anymore..." Tang You'an brushed aside her hair and placed both hands on her shoulder acupoints. "I saw you rubbing here earlier. Is this where it hurts most?"

Her shoulders were so thin that they felt slightly bony under Tang You'an's hands. She held them gently, fearing that even a little pressure might hurt her.

"Mm..." Song Xici responded softly, her head turned to the side.

"Um, would it be better if I took off my outer clothes?" Song Xici's eyes darted as she asked.

Tang You'an stared at her hair for a long moment before nodding. "That would be better."

"Okay, I'll take them off then." Song Xici ran a hand through her hair, then half-sat up on the bed and reached to untie the belt of her knit cardigan.

Despite her hands and emotions trembling like wind-rippled water, Song Xici then placed her hands on the shoulders of her knit cardigan.

Since she hadn't gone out and the room temperature wasn't low, she was dressed quite lightly today. As the beige knit cardigan fell away, her beautifully curved figure was revealed beneath the olive green camisole dress. Her pretty, concave shoulder blades and soft, fair skin exuded allure in every inch.

Tang You'an gazed at her back, lowering her head and letting out a shallow breath.

"You'an..." Song Xici scratched her hair and turned to look at her.

Half of her slightly wavy hair fell over her shoulders, complementing her soft, half-turned cheek, lively eyes, and pink lips. Song Xici was truly captivating.

"Mm?" Tang You'an lowered her hands, her gaze moving from Song Xici's body to her face, feeling something unruly stirring within her.

"What's wrong?" Song Xici asked.

"Nothing... Well, let me massage you." Tang You'an said.

"Mm." Song Xici nodded slightly, then slowly lay face down on the bed, resting her cheek on one palm.

Tang You'an looked at her for a moment before reaching out to brush her hair aside, continuing the previous routine. However, when Tang You'an's hands touched her skin, Song Xici's body trembled again.

"Does it hurt?" Tang You'an watched her for a while, lightening her touch.

"No..." Song Xici shook her head, biting her lip.

So Tang You'an continued massaging: "I can't reduce the pressure any more. Just bear with it for now."

"Okay..." How could Song Xici dare say that her earlier trembling wasn't entirely due to the pressure?

Tang You'an didn't say anything more, just moved on to massage the Jianjing acupoint after finishing with the previous one. The skin under her palms was probably well-cared for, soft and delicate. As she massaged, Tang You'an noticed Song Xici's slightly parted lips and couldn't help asking, "Does it feel good?"

"Mm..." Song Xici nodded. "Lower... on my back too..."

Hearing this, Tang You'an responded with an "Okay" and moved her hands to her back.

"I've looked online, and some essential oils are very useful. Adding a few drops while bathing can really help relieve physical and mental fatigue..." Tang You'an spoke to distract herself.

"I know, I've bought some," Song Xici then asked, "Is my clothing... making it difficult to massage?"

"Yes..." Tang You'an said, continuing to massage her back. The silky clothing was indeed hindering the massage quite a bit.

"Then maybe... I should take it off." Song Xici's lips parted.

"Then..." Tang You'an looked at her. "Alright."

She thought Song Xici probably wouldn't do anything strange.

So Song Xici knelt up again. She brushed her hair back, then unzipped the right side of her dress a bit and pulled down the two straps. Suddenly, a flawless, perfectly curved, snow-white back was presented before Tang You'an. In the faint sunlight, Song Xici's body looked exquisite. Tang You'an couldn't help but turn her head away.

In her mind, all sorts of strange, tangled thoughts were swirling. She wanted to embrace this seemingly soft body from behind, and then...

Afterward, holding the slipped-off camisole dress to her chest, Song Xici slowly lay back down.

Tang You'an tugged at her sleeve, let out a breath, then placed one hand back on Song Xici's back, overlapping the other on top, using her palms to slowly massage her.

During this time, neither of them spoke much, each maintaining a strange silence.

However, Tang You'an could feel that whenever she applied a bit more pressure or moved from one spot to another, Song Xici's body would tremble slightly. Occasionally, she seemed to hear a faint sigh.

Although Tang You'an knew Song Xici's reactions were likely due to her using too much force rather than being affected by her touch as described in certain stories, her thoughts still wandered uncontrollably in certain directions. Tang You'an's pressure wasn't as strong as before, but this made Song Xici feel a subtle heat radiating from every spot Tang You'an touched.

"Do you often have your girlfriends massage you like this when your body aches?" Tang You'an asked, her eyes lowered.

Song Xici's hand under her face gripped the pillow tightly, her voice soft: "Yes... No, not often, just occasionally..."

"And you're like this with them too?" Tang You'an lowered her eyes, tilting her head to look at Song Xici. For some inexplicable reason, she felt uncomfortable about this.

At this moment, Song Xici's brows were slightly furrowed, her full lower lip caught between her teeth. A few strands of hair fell across her lips and jaw, giving her a truly bewitching air, like a seductive spirit.

"Guess..."

Tang You'an looked at her without speaking, continuing to massage and relieve pressure. Although her touch wasn't heavy, by the time she finished the routine, Song Xici's originally snow-white skin had taken on a faint redness.

"Do you feel any better?" Tang You'an finally asked.

Song Xici's forehead was covered in a fine sheen of sweat, and she found herself unable to speak. How could she describe it? She just felt uncomfortable somewhere.

"Also, I want to ask... why are you letting me get so close without any wariness today?" Tang You'an still felt Song Xici was acting strange today.

Song Xici frowned at this, turning her face to the side Tang You'an couldn't see.

Tang You'an curled her hand slightly, continuing to look at her: "You're... not afraid of me anymore?"

Hearing this, Song Xici gripped the pillow and immediately used her poorly-worn dress to cover important areas, half-kneeling on the bed to look at Tang You'an: "What should I be afraid of?"

Tang You'an stared at her beautiful collarbones, then at her seemingly innocent face, feeling dazed.

"What can you do to me?" Song Xici gritted her teeth, her left hand still covering her clothes in front, then reached out with her right hand to hook Tang You'an's neat collar.

"I can't-" Tang You'an lowered her eyes.

"Haven't you always complained about the distance between us?" Song Xici released her collar, ran a hand through her hair, then pushed Tang You'an's shoulder.

Tang You'an's body tilted back from the push, then looked at her, completely bewildered.

"Haven't you always felt that we're not as close as I am with my other friends?" Song Xici pushed her again.

This push caused Tang You'an to lie back on the bed, though her elbows still supported her on the mattress as she stared wide-eyed at Song Xici in front of her.

"Starting from today, I want to prove to you that I can be as intimate with you as with other friends. Is that not okay?" Song Xici's slender fingers hooked Tang You'an's collar, then traced from her collar to the tip of her chin.

Tang You'an looked at her, her pupils suddenly constricting.

"I didn't say it wasn't okay..." After a moment, Tang You'an sat up, supporting herself with one hand on her bent knee, gradually leaning closer to Song Xici's face.

"Then isn't it fine?" Song Xici tilted her head slightly, looking at Tang You'an's face so close to hers, her gaze moving from her lips to her eyes.

"If that's the case, why bother with any cover? Couldn't you undress more thoroughly, just like you said you used to bathe with Meng Meng in high school..." Tang You'an lowered her eyes, then looked back at her, inexplicably saying these words.

"Of course I can, but it has to be reciprocal. Only if you undress too..." Song Xici's eyes darted before she pinched Tang You'an's collar.

"You said it."

After staring at her for a moment, Tang You'an suddenly pulled out one side of her shirt, then raised her hand to unbutton her collar. Then, the second button. Seeing Tang You'an's collarbones peeking out from under her collar, Song Xici tightened her grip on her clothes in front. Just as Tang You'an had unbuttoned all the buttons, her phone in her pocket suddenly rang.

She took it out and saw it was Zhao Zixi.

"It's Teacher Zhao Zixi. She doesn't usually call you unless it's important. You should answer it." Song Xici glanced at the phone screen, weighed the situation, and finally lowered her eyes, pulling her straps back up onto her shoulders and zipping up her dress. After all, the mood had been broken.

Hearing this, Tang You'an looked up at her, let out a breath, and finally sat on the edge of the bed to answer the call: "Hello?"

"You'an, come out. I have a dinner gathering tonight with important people. Come with me and meet some of them." Zhao Zixi got straight to the point.

"But I already have plans with Xiao Meimei. She also said she'd introduce me to some people." Tang You'an rubbed her forehead.

"Who?"

"Zhao Xiaochen and Qiu Ze." Tang You'an answered.

"I'll call her and cancel for you. Those aren't really important people. Come to my gathering. I'll send you the location on WeChat." Zhao Zixi said.

"Alright..." Tang You'an nodded.

Then Tang You'an hung up the phone and began adjusting her clothes.

"Go ahead." Song Xici said, also sitting on the edge of the bed.

"Okay, I'll head out then." Tang You'an glanced at her again, then stood up.

Seeing this, Song Xici quickly stood up too. Then, just as Tang You'an was about to continue buttoning up, she was suddenly pulled down by Song Xici.

Looking at Song Xici's hand and the ring on it, Tang You'an then gazed at her quizzically.

"Go early and come back early. Don't let anyone take advantage of you." Song Xici reached out and deliberately buttoned Tang You'an's last button, then looked up at her with her round eyes.

Tang You'an looked at her, nodded after a moment, checked the time, then turned and left Song Xici's bedroom.

Although she had her own matters to attend to now, Tang You'an's mind was filled with thoughts of Song Xici.

It was all a mess, and she couldn't sort out her thoughts at all. She didn't know what was wrong with her. Looking around, she wondered if anyone else had a more complicated relationship than hers with Song Xici.

They were married, but she was told it was fake. They were supposed to be friends, but Song Xici had always seemed reluctant to do even things friends normally do. And today, it felt like they had done things beyond the scope of friendship.

Her head was about to explode.

But one thing was clear: she was entangled with Song Xici, this woman who controlled her. Her emotions revolved entirely around Song Xici.

Even when she arrived at the place Zhao Zixi mentioned and learned that there were still a few hours before the dinner, so she was asked to accompany her in choosing jewelry, Tang You'an felt a little angry despite the smile on her face.

If it weren't for this phone call, she should have... seen what she had always wanted to see...

Although she had those things herself, but...

Sitting on the sofa in the jewelry store, Tang You'an watched Zhao Zixi discuss custom earrings with the staff, feeling time passing very slowly.

Meanwhile, after seeing Tang You'an off, Song Xici paced around the room several times, then picked up her phone and messaged Meng Meng: "I, well, I don't know if I, I guess I seduced her... Used all my acting skills... You should know, I'm supposed to be innocent..."

After sending the message, Song Xici sighed and sat down in the hanging chair with her phone.

More than ten minutes later, Song Xici received a reply from Meng Meng: "Tell me in detail, what did you do?!"

"Well, I lured her to bed, we... were about to take our clothes off, but unfortunately she was called away by a phone call. Even if we had undressed, probably nothing would have happened." Song Xici sent back.

Meng Meng: "I can't believe it, sis! You're amazing! You either don't flirt at all, or you go all out and lure them straight to bed. I'm impressed!"

Song Xici frowned and replied: "Wasn't it you who said to seduce her..."

Meng Meng: "Haha, yes, yes. But... how was it? Seduction is the best approach, right?! How did it feel?!"

Song Xici held her phone, calmed herself, then pressed her lips together and replied: "To be honest, it was kind of exciting..."

Meng Meng: "So, keep going! Go for it! As long as she's around, seduce her! I've got to get back to work now, bye bye~"

After reading the message, Song Xici pressed her index finger to her lips, thought for a moment, then searched for some dessert recipes. She copied the required ingredients into her notes, then changed into a shirt and jeans, put on a light jacket, and drove to the supermarket fully armed.

Overall, she wanted to surpass Xiao Meimei in culinary skills too. She refused to believe there was anything she couldn't do if she put her mind to it.

At 7 PM, Tang You'an and Zhao Zixi sat at the dinner table, not eating much but drinking glass after glass with the others.

It was mostly Zhao Zixi asking everyone to take care of Tang You'an, who didn't seem as nervous as most people would be in this situation.

In fact, the most influential person there, the elderly Mr. Zhang Fuheng, quite appreciated her. Perhaps because the old gentleman liked traditional Chinese arts like music, chess, calligraphy, and painting, he found common ground with Tang You'an. He even asked Tang You'an to add his granddaughter Zhang Lili on WeChat. Tang You'an couldn't refuse and had to add her.

Fortunately, this dinner was very civilized. People even engaged in impromptu poetry composition, with nothing unsavory. The unfortunate part was that, due to drinking etiquette, they had to drink quite a bit. Also, everyone was having such a good time that the dinner kept getting extended.

As they ate, Tang You'an's phone lit up midway through. It was a message from Song Xici.

So Tang You'an put down her glass, glanced around at everyone, then opened her phone under the table.

"Are you still at the dinner?" Song Xici asked.

Tang You'an replied: "Yes. Have you eaten?"

"No..."

"What are you doing then?" Tang You'an looked up to chat briefly with someone at the dinner, then lowered her head to continue messaging.

"Making something delicious for you." Song Xici answered.

"What delicious thing?" Tang You'an asked.

For a while after that, Song Xici didn't send any messages.

So Tang You'an continued chatting with people, but still glanced at her phone from time to time.

A few minutes later, her phone suddenly lit up. Song Xici had sent the words "strawberry cream cake" along with a short video.

Tang You'an opened the video. In it, Song Xici took a bite of a small cake, then stuck out her pink tongue to lick away a bit of cream at the corner of her mouth.

But she hadn't licked it all off. Tang You'an thought she must be going crazy. Even through the screen, she wanted to lick it off for her.

"Little Tang, don't you agree?!" However, at this moment, a gentleman beside her suddenly spoke up.

Tang You'an was startled and quickly looked up at everyone, not knowing what topic they had wandered off to.

"Since ancient times, those who indulge excessively in lust, whether for men or women, have never come to a good end, right?! Come on, say you agree!" The gentleman continued to urge her.

Tang You'an smiled and could only nod, though beads of sweat had formed on her forehead.

So everyone inexplicably burst into laughter again.

After quite a while longer, the dinner finally ended. It was somewhat fruitful; from what people said, she might even land a couple of commercials at this stage.

Tang You'an was feeling a bit dizzy from the alcohol, but otherwise fine. By the time she got home, it was already past 9 PM.

After opening the door and changing her shoes, Tang You'an had just straightened up and taken her bag off her shoulder when she saw Song Xici wearing a loose, slightly sheer white shirt with her hair in a casual bun, coming out of the kitchen carrying a plate of small cakes and a glass of honey water.

"How was the dinner? Was the food good?" Song Xici asked.

"Actually, I didn't eat much. As we talked, the food got cold and wasn't very tasty." Tang You'an said.

"What should we do then?" Song Xici paused, thinking it was too late to cook anything substantial. After considering for a moment, she spoke again, "Then... should I make you some noodles?"

Hearing this, Tang You'an suddenly remembered the indescribable stories she had read a couple of days ago and coughed.

"What's wrong?" Song Xici looked at her.

"What exactly... do you mean..." Tang You'an stared at her.

Song Xici froze for a few seconds, then suddenly her eyes darted. She moved closer and said softly, "What else could I mean? I mean I'll make you noodles to eat."

At that moment, Tang You'an didn't know if it was because she had consumed too much alcohol or because Song Xici was standing so close to her, close enough to feel her hot breath. Otherwise, how could it be so hot?