Evolution - Chapter 65
Chapter 65
Alphas have a terrifying amount of stamina.
Amid wave after wave of climaxes, the thought drifted vaguely through Yu Zhiyao’s sluggish mind.
Slender, powerful fingers, a warm, nimble tongue, and Ji Changqing’s first time… entering her again and again, never ceasing.
When it was finally over, she had no strength left to clean herself. In a daze, she was only aware of Ji Changqing wiping away every trace from her body with a warm towel before holding her as they fell into a deep sleep.
When she woke, her body still felt sore and weak, but the spot beside her was empty. If the aftereffects of her physical exhaustion weren’t so intense, she might have thought last night was nothing but a dream.
Propping herself halfway up, the blanket slipped from her shoulders. A voice came from the direction of the sofa. “You’re awake?”
Yu Zhiyao turned to see Ji Changqing standing up, her posture tall and full of vigor. She crossed to the bed in a few quick strides, lifted the covers, and scooped Yu Zhiyao into her arms. “Ready to get up and wash? I ordered some food; I’ll have them bring it up in a little while.”
Yu Zhiyao answered wearily, “When did you get up?” Ji Changqing’s clothes weren’t the same ones she’d worn yesterday. Had she gone back?
“I was up at six. I went out to buy a few things. I’ll stay here and take care of you for the next couple of days.” Ji Changqing carried her into the bathroom, handed her the toiletries she had already laid out, and turned to start cleaning the tub. “You should take a bath; you’ll feel better. Lunch should be here by the time you’re finished.”
Yu Zhiyao rolled her eyes. Take care of me? After the way she’d carried on yesterday, it would be a blessing if her foot injury didn’t get any worse.
Sitting in the tub, Yu Zhiyao couldn’t help but think that in the past, between the sheets, “making you cry” had just been a figure of speech, an expression of their passion. She never imagined that one day, that figure of speech would become a literal description. The memory of crying out as she was brought to her peak again and again last night made her cheeks burn.
When she came out of the bath, the sheets and duvet had all been changed, and lunch had arrived. The two of them squeezed together on the sofa and ate their meal in silence.
After lunch, she announced she needed to rest and unceremoniously kicked Ji Changqing out—telling her to go wander around and burn off some of that boundless energy. The excuse was ready-made, anyway. There were plenty of places she had already seen that Ji Changqing hadn’t gotten around to yet, and since she wasn’t going to see them again, she might as well let Ji Changqing go complete the solo quests.
Ji Changqing was clearly reluctant, her unhappiness written all over her face. She looked aggrieved but said nothing.
Yu Zhiyao, with particular ruthlessness, ignored her.
“Go out, or go back.”
“I just want to stay here with you. I won’t do anything, really, I promise,” Ji Changqing said with utmost sincerity, stopping just short of swearing an oath.
“If you’re not going to do anything, then why stay? Now, go!”
“To sit here and look at you.”
“You’re better looking.”
“Then you can look at me,” Ji Changqing said gleefully, thrilled that there was finally a day she could win just by using her looks.
Completely speechless, Yu Zhiyao turned her head away. Her shoulders trembled as she suppressed a laugh, and she quickly burrowed under the covers. “Are you going to listen to me or not?”
Reluctantly, Ji Changqing shuffled over—not toward the door, but to the head of the bed. She squatted down without a word and just started tugging at the corner of the duvet.
Unable to stand her pestering any longer, Yu Zhiyao lifted the covers just a little and beckoned to Ji Changqing with her finger.
Ji Changqing immediately offered up the handsome face that had just been complimented, hoping to win Yu Zhiyao over with her good looks.
Exasperated, Yu Zhiyao pinched that handsome face, then looked at it and felt a pang of reluctance. She quickly planted a kiss on it to console her. “Go out for a walk, won’t you? You can tell me all about it when you get back.”
Pleased at being coaxed like a child, Ji Changqing clung to Yu Zhiyao and wheedled several more kisses out of her, continuing until they were on the verge of igniting. At that point, a flustered and annoyed Yu Zhiyao turned on her and mercilessly swept her out the door.
Gently closing the door, Ji Changqing’s lips curved into a smile. Humming a tuneless melody, she set off with a spring in her step to complete the solo quests Yu Zhiyao had arranged for her.
But as she walked, Ji Changqing’s mind began to wander.
Without that one person by her side, the mountains were still mountains, the lake was still a lake, and the sea of flowers was still a sea of flowers, yet everything felt… off.
With her mind restless and filled with thoughts of Yu Zhiyao, Ji Changqing could hardly muster any enthusiasm. Still, she knew that if she dared to just give the sights a cursory glance and then gave vague, nonsensical answers when Yu Zhiyao asked her about it, she would be treated with utter disdain.
So, she had to rally her spirits.
Gradually, she began to find it interesting and was able to immerse herself.
When she came to, the sun was already setting in the west.
When she returned to the hotel, the lights were on in the room. Yu Zhiyao was leaning against the headboard, reading. Seeing Ji Changqing enter, she set her book down on the nightstand.
“You’re back?” she asked, reaching for the service bell. “I’ve ordered dinner. If you…”
She had been about to say that they could add to the order if there was something else she wanted.
But Ji Changqing had already approached, lowering her head to kiss Yu Zhiyao’s face.
She paused, leaving the sentence unfinished. She compliantly raised her arms to circle around Ji Changqing’s neck, focusing wholeheartedly on the kiss.
This had been their habit when they were together before: a goodbye kiss before leaving for the day, a hello kiss upon returning, a goodnight kiss before sleep, and a good morning kiss upon waking…
It had once made her seriously suspect that Ji Changqing had been a kissing gourami in a past life.
But undeniably, during that time, their feelings had only grown more intense, never fading with the passage of time.
That was, until she left the city to take over her family’s business, and they began a long-distance relationship. The distance, the lack of time, the changes in their respective statuses—for all these reasons, their relationship eventually became unsustainable.
She had resented Ji Changqing for refusing to move to her city, for insisting on staying put. And Ji Changqing had resented her for leaving, for choosing to go back and take over the family business. Perhaps what Ji Changqing resented most of all was that she had never been honest about her identity.
She hadn’t known how to explain it. That she’d never wanted to take over the family business? That all she wanted was to do her research?
It was all a fait accompli. Any further explanation would have sounded like a weak excuse.
When the kiss ended, Ji Changqing perceptively went to change her clothes and wash up before returning to the bedside to cuddle with her.
“Rested well?” Ji Changqing asked, holding Yu Zhiyao in her arms. She nuzzled her chin against her, her lips brushing almost imperceptibly against Yu Zhiyao’s ear.
Yu Zhiyao shrank back slightly, then snuggled deeper into her embrace. “More or less,” she answered lazily.
The aftereffects of exhaustion weren’t so easy to shake off. It was just that most of her mental energy had returned.
Ji Changqing’s voice, laced with a smile, murmured low in her ear. Her warm breath tickled Yu Zhiyao’s neck. “Mm, when did you wake up? Did you miss me?”
Yu Zhiyao toyed with Ji Changqing’s hands, which were clasped over her abdomen. She spread her own fingers, comparing their size. “I did.” She thought for a moment, then made a small gesture with her fingers. “A tiny bit.”
Ji Changqing couldn’t help but chuckle.
They made idle small talk until the doorbell rang. Ji Changqing reluctantly released her and got up to answer it.
Waiters filed in with serving carts, methodically setting up in the partitioned living area. In moments, they had created a comfortable dining space worthy of a fine restaurant. The head waiter stepped back, placed a slender vase of fresh flowers at one end of the table and a bottle of wine at the other, and only then looked satisfied.
Ji Changqing was secretly amazed. OCD was no joke.
Yu Zhiyao gave a soft “hmpf,” and Ji Changqing, taking the hint, quickly ran back to carry her off to get ready.
While waiting for Yu Zhiyao to finish getting ready, Ji Changqing leaned against the wall, her mind wandering.
Actually, the clues had always been there, in President Yu’s habits and the little details of her daily life. She had been so naive back then, thinking her girlfriend was simply a sophisticated girl with culture, taste, ambition, and high standards.
Twenty years passed. Blue Star underwent a collective evolution, and everyone’s lives were turned upside down. All their past conflicts washed away like water off a duck’s back, leaving no trace.
A new life, a new beginning—that was what had finally given them the chance to hold each other’s hands once more.
When Yu Zhiyao emerged, she found Ji Changqing posing like “The Thinker.”
Just as she was about to call out to her, the waiter outside raised his voice slightly. “Ms. Yu, dinner is ready. Is there anything else you need?”
“Not for now. Thank you,” Yu Zhiyao replied.
Ji Changqing had already snapped out of her reverie. She reached out, scooped up Yu Zhiyao, and instead of setting her down in the other chair, settled her onto her own lap.
Yu Zhiyao gave her a push. “I sprained my foot, not my hands. That’s enough out of you!”
A hurt look appeared in Ji Changqing’s eyes. “I just want to hold you.”
Yu Zhiyao was momentarily speechless. The woman had become utterly shameless; she even knew how to play the victim now.
Though she knew Ji Changqing was up to no good, Yu Zhiyao had no choice but to coax her. “Alright, you can hold me. After dinner, you can hold me as much as you want, okay?”
It wasn’t as if she believed the woman could restrain herself tonight anyway. And, of course, she didn’t quite trust herself to refuse, either.
After all, there was precedent.
When they had first gotten together, they hadn’t been able to bear being apart for a single second. They had thrown their entire itinerary into chaos, even changing their flights.
Yes, she thought, it’s better to just give in. It’s certainly better than having her feed me while I’m sitting on her lap.
Ji Changqing was quite pleased. She still fed Yu Zhiyao a couple of bites before obediently placing her in the other chair.
She ate with her head tilted, taking a bite of rice and glancing at Yu Zhiyao, then taking a bite of food and glancing at her again.
Her staring made Yu Zhiyao laugh. “If you keep that up, I’m going to demand a refund.”
Ji Changqing immediately reined herself in and stopped teasing her.
But no matter how passionate or inseparable they were, they couldn’t truly cast everything aside.
Yu Zhiyao changed her plans again and again, finally pushing her departure date to after Ji Changqing’s convalescence was over.
Back when they were forced into a long-distance relationship on Blue Star, it had been manageable. They could find time to see each other every so often.
But in the interstellar age, such a thing was a fantasy. Neither the Academy of Sciences’ headquarters nor Ji Changqing’s military base was in a convenient location. They would be lucky to meet once every three to five years.
She just wanted to spend a little more time with her, that was all.
On the day of Ji Changqing’s departure, the weather was clear and the breeze was gentle.
They had been together for nearly three months and had long prepared themselves for this. But when the day finally arrived, their eyes still grew red.
Ji Changqing took the exclusive passage for military personnel, so she didn’t need to go through security ahead of time. The bustling crowds of the spaceport ebbed and flowed around them, yet they remained untouched, like reefs in the ocean, unmoved by the crashing waves.
When the boarding call for Ji Changqing’s flight came over the broadcast for the third time, Yu Zhiyao took a small step forward. Tilting her head up with a smile, she gently pressed a kiss to Ji Changqing’s lips, then pulled away. “It’s time. You should go.”
Ji Changqing lowered her gaze, watching her intently for a long moment before slowly opening her arms and pulling her into a tight embrace, as if the contact could stave off the reluctance welling in her heart.
After Ji Changqing disappeared through the security gate, Yu Zhiyao slowly walked outside. In the plaza between the spaceport and the public maglev station, a group of young people was performing, singing their hearts out.
On a strange impulse, she walked over to them. “Could I sing a song?”
The enthusiastic youths happily agreed, eagerly asking what song she wanted to sing and if she needed them to play for her.
Yu Zhiyao shook her head, politely declining their kind offer.
The wind gently stirred her hair. She slowly tilted her head back, watching as starship after starship took flight, tracing arcs across the sky before vanishing among the stars.
Her clear voice drifted out, following the white contrails left by the starships:
So many changes in a short life
How rare it is to slowly step back into the ordinary
...
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