Chapter 55 This time, let's go slower.

Today is not Christmas Eve, but my memories overlap with the night I was eighteen.

It's like the anticipation of making an apple pie for someone you love, your heart immersed in the honey-infused apple filling, sweet and soft, or like the golden-brown, warm, and comforting crust woven into diamonds.

Shang Shu felt as if she were back in front of the villa in Aicheng, holding that heavy sentiment in her hands, but no longer timid, but earnestly and enthusiastically knocking on that door.

"Gu Sui, would you like to spend Christmas with me?"

Eighteen-year-old Shang Shu, amidst the sweet aroma of apple pie, received a "I am deeply honored" from twenty-five-year-old Gu Sui.

Today, the response to 25-year-old Shang Shu is a passionate and lingering kiss from 32-year-old Gu Sui.

Shang Shu's eyes widened in surprise, and she gently pushed him away, placing her hands on his shoulders: "Gu...Gu Sui, I still have a cold, um—"

Seeing that Gu Sui had no intention of stopping, she unconsciously hooked her arm around his neck, slowly closed her eyes, and became absorbed in the moment.

Her cheeks were flushed from being cupped, and her lips were being nibbled on somewhat hastily. Shang Shu couldn't help but let out a muffled groan. Gu Sui's breath hitched, and she chuckled softly, panting slightly. Her slender fingertips brushed against the girl's earlobe, feeling the tremor in her voice. She then gently licked the corner of her lover's lips.

The kiss was too tempting and too lingering. Shang Shu was dizzy from the kiss, her whole body went limp. Her cold and stuffy nose already made it hard to breathe, and the tears she had just shed made it even harder for her to catch her breath. But she still craved the kiss until her mind went blank and she was about to suffocate, when she finally found a chance to catch her breath.

"Gu Sui..." Her face flushed, she leaned on Gu Sui's shoulder, her voice weak, "I...I'm a little weak..."

As soon as she finished speaking, Gu Sui felt the little girl's body slowly go limp on her shoulder. She quickly steadied her in her arms to prevent her from slipping.

"Ah Shu!" She anxiously shook the shoulders of the person in her arms, calling Shang Shu's name repeatedly. When there was no response, she anxiously reached out and touched the person's forehead.

Thankfully it's not hot.

Gu Sui hurriedly carried the person into the bedroom and gently placed them on the bed. Then he quickly asked the housekeeper to call the family doctor.

She anxiously stayed by Shang Shu's bedside, touching her forehead and tucking her in.

Fortunately, about a minute later, Shang Shu slowly woke up. She felt very dizzy and looked around blankly. She subconsciously reached out and touched herself, wanting to find Gu Sui.

"A-Shu, are you awake?" Gu Sui saw that she had opened her eyes and quickly took the hand that had been searching for her. She took a deep breath, and her heart finally settled down.

Shang Shu slowly came to her senses. She felt dizzy and dared not nod. She could only squeeze out a short "hmm" from her throat and blinked slowly.

"You scared me to death just now." Gu Sui put one hand on his neck, his brows furrowed, as if he hadn't recovered from the shock. "Is anything bothering you? I'll go get you some water, okay? The doctor will be here soon."

As he spoke, Gu Sui got up to pour water.

"No." Shang Shu gently tugged at the other person's clothes, her voice still a little weak and hoarse.

"Don't go." She continued to move her fingers, reaching up from the hem of her clothes to gently hook her little finger around Gu Sui's.

In the few dazed seconds after waking up, she was terrified, afraid that everything that had just happened was a dream. It wasn't until she saw Gu Sui's face that she felt that everything was real.

"Okay, I won't leave." Gu Sui sensed the unease, so she sat back down on the edge of the bed and held the little girl's slightly cold hand tightly.

She squeezed the soft hand in her palm, her brows still furrowed, and sighed softly, "Ah Shu, your body is too weak. You must take good care of yourself. I'll take you for a check-up in a couple of days."

She was genuinely worried about this. After all, she had been through a near-death experience herself, and of course she knew how important a healthy body was. But this was the second time the little girl had fainted in front of her, and with all the colds and fevers, how could she not be worried?

"Don't frown..." Shang Shu looked at Gu Sui's handsome face, reached out to stroke his brow, and obediently replied, "I'll listen to you."

She sighed inwardly, noting that Gu Sui had become much thinner after this ordeal, but was still as beautiful as she had been three years ago.

The family doctor arrived quickly. Gu Sui knew the girl was shy, so when explaining the situation to the doctor, he only mentioned the cold and crying, and didn't mention the kissing.

Feeling Shang Shu holding her hand tightly, she gently squeezed it to indicate that everything was alright, then let go and stepped aside, crossing her arms and leaning against the wall next to her.

nice.

Even though nothing had changed, perhaps because of the change in her identity, Shang Shu found Gu Sui increasingly alluring.

She stared at the person not far away, her heart starting to race involuntarily. Long, jet-black hair cascaded down one shoulder, revealing half of a porcelain-white arm and slender legs…

Ugh, so annoying!

This person looks good no matter where they stand.

Thinking about this, she felt a little dizzy. Why did her mind always contain these things?

Shang Shu quickly regained her composure, afraid that the doctor would notice something unusual.

The family doctor performed a few simple examinations and then looked at the young woman's still-reddened eyes: "It appears that the fainting was caused by weakness due to a cold, and the crying led to hyperventilation and some oxygen deprivation. I suggest that she avoid drastic emotional fluctuations for the time being and get plenty of rest..."

Upon hearing this, Shang Shu exchanged a glance with Gu Sui and lowered her head somewhat embarrassed.

The family doctor gave some more instructions and prescribed some multivitamins and zinc supplements, which reassured Gu Sui that the doctor could leave.

Shang Shu stared quietly at the ceiling, recalling how she had been kissed to the point of fainting. She felt a little embarrassed and pulled the blanket over her head to cover half of her face.

It smells so good; a faint scent of Gu Sui still lingers on the quilt.

"Are you feeling unwell?" Gu Sui leaned closer and asked with concern. Looking at the little girl's actions, she was a little confused, but fearing that she might suffocate the girl, she moved the blanket that was blocking her face away.

Shang Shu shook her head, and the dizziness gradually subsided. She slowly propped herself up on her arms and leaned against the headboard.

"Slow down." Gu Sui helped her up and then grabbed a pillow from the side and put it behind Shang Shu's waist to cushion her.

Shang Shu coughed lightly twice, feeling embarrassed and resentful that she had fainted at the worst possible time. She lowered her head, hooked Gu Sui's hand back into her own, and held it in her palm. Gu Sui's hand was warm and felt very comfortable to touch.

Shang Shu bit her lip and whispered reproachfully, "You still haven't agreed to what I said earlier..."

Although she knew that Gu Sui had already responded with this tender kiss, she still wanted to hear his answer in person.

Seeing that the girl was thinking about this, Gu Sui decided to tease her. Looking at the girl's slightly flushed cheeks, she smiled and tilted her head to look at her, asking, "What is it?"

Upon hearing this, Shang Shu gently pinched Gu Sui's hand, her ears burning: "You...you did that on purpose."

"Hiss..." Gu Sui pretended to be in pain, but his hand remained firmly held in someone else's grasp.

The young girl's confession was so beautiful that one time was never enough for her. These were the words of love she had waited three years for, the most wonderful thing she had ever imagined during those unbearable nights.

Shang Shu was anxious and coquettishly tugged at his arm, saying, "Tell me quickly, are you willing to be my... girlfriend or not?"

Gu Sui's ears were once again assaulted by the exquisite beauty, and a blush involuntarily crept onto her face. She lowered her eyes and let out a soft sigh as if she had finally gotten what she wanted. Then, she solemnly took Shang Shu's hand and looked earnestly into those shy eyes: "Shu, of course I'm willing. How could I not agree?"

As Shang Shu listened, the corners of her lips couldn't help but curl up into a sweet smile, and her heart began to race again. Snowflakes drifted down from the sky, falling gently and melting along with the rise and fall of her heart.

"Gu Sui".

"Um?"

I want to... kiss you.

Shang Shu braced herself against the edge of the bed, slowly sat up, leaned forward, and breathed heavily as she gradually approached her lover's face.

Gu Sui's lips curved beautifully. She lowered her eyes and smiled gently, once again tenderly offering her treasure: "Then this time, let's go slower."

Worried about Shang Shu's health, Gu Sui kissed her with extra care, her kisses short and repeated light pecking at the girl's lips, releasing her every few seconds to give her a breather.

Shang Shu felt an itch in her heart from the way the kiss was done, as if the itch was inside her nerves, and no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't scratch it. She kept asking for more, but Gu Sui just leaned back. She had no choice but to support herself on one hand to Gu Sui's side and use the other hand to hold the back of his neck, making it impossible for him to escape.

"Ah Shu..." Gu Sui called softly, her eyes misty, before once again immersing herself in this hard-won love.

As her long eyelashes brushed against the bridge of her nose, Shang Shu suddenly touched a wet drop. She opened her eyes and gently caught the falling star as if afraid of disturbing it.

"Did I bite too hard? You...you don't cry..." Shang Shu frantically wiped away her tears with her fingertips. Although Gu Sui looked as beautiful as a fairy in the sky when she cried, she couldn't bear to look at her any longer.

Gu Sui shook her head, grasped the slender hand that was haphazardly sketching, and sniffed: "No... I... I'm just happy."

She was so happy that she cried tears of joy. The dream she had imagined countless times had finally come true today. She no longer had to rely on closing her eyes to imagine what the little girl looked like, because her A-Shu had truly returned to her arms.

Shang Shu listened, leaned in and touched her forehead to Gu Sui's. She gently rubbed the tip of his nose, her knuckles stroking the back of his neck, her breath sweet as orchids: "Then... let's be even happier, okay?"

As she spoke, she breathed heavily and reached out to touch Gu Sui's buttons.

She really missed Gu Sui. The three years of torment felt like hell to her, and she thought he must have felt the same way. They had both suffered so much and were covered in wounds. Now they could finally taste that long-lost sweetness. She had almost forgotten what that feeling was, so she couldn't wait to melt him into her body and be intimate with him.

Just as she was about to untie it, Gu Sui pressed her hand down.

"Ah Shu, you can't..." Gu Sui controlled her breath, her expression somewhat serious.

The doctor had just advised people to avoid strong emotional fluctuations, and considering that Shang Shu had fainted once before, she dared not joke about the young girl's health.

Shang Shu looked aggrieved, her eyes welling up with tears. She deliberately sulked as she looked at the man's face: "You don't miss me at all, do you...?"