Chapter 9
Escaping is shameful, but it's useful.
The ability to hide is a valuable trait ingrained in human genes, an instinct that has enabled humans to survive effectively in dangerous jungles.
After a good night's sleep, Guan Shiyun felt much less ashamed yesterday; at least she was now the clear-headed CEO Guan again.
Looking at Li Miao, who was still sleeping beside him, he sketched her profile from a distance, from her forehead to the tip of her nose and then to her chin. She was truly perfect, and at only 18 years old, she had already blossomed into a beauty that could topple kingdoms.
At such a youthful and beautiful age, she was 26 and Li Miao was 18. Both were at such a good age, yet it seemed they shouldn't be together, as if being together would only lead to them letting each other down.
Last night… Guan Shiyun covered her face. She was wrong, even though she was unaware of the situation.
Everything happened so fast that she didn't even consider that Li Miao's age was a lie. It was her preconceived notions that made her forget the fact she hadn't noticed: there are actually many girls in this society who start working after graduating from junior high school, and they lie about their age at the age of fourteen or fifteen, just to avoid the child labor age limit.
Guan Shiyun knew that the welfare homes provided good support, but due to human nature, there were significant differences between different welfare homes. She didn't even know whether Li Miao started working at 18 or earlier.
"Haa..." Li Miao stretched and yawned, then opened her eyes to see Guan Shiyun leaning against the headboard watching her, and felt a surge of happiness.
"Are you hungry? Get up, wash up, and eat." Guan Shiyun coaxed the lazy little cat, saying they would talk after the meal.
"I'm not hungry. I don't like breakfast. I'll eat later." Li Miao slowly moved over and rested her head on Guan Shiyun's lap.
"Okay, let's eat later and talk."
"What are we talking about?" Li Miao wondered if it was about age. Wasn't that discussed yesterday? What else could it be?
"Tell me about yourself, your past, your experiences, and your age."
"Didn't we already discuss your age yesterday?"
Li Miao sensed that something was amiss. Guan Shiyun's demeanor made her uneasy. Her tone was gentle, her expression tender, and even her words were lighthearted. But something was off. Her current state resembled the polite greetings at a cocktail party. She was impeccably gentle, but the seriousness and earnestness hidden behind that gentle exterior did not allow anyone to be presumptuous.
Li Miao obediently sat up, trying to get away with it by acting cute, gently tugging at the hem of her clothes, and answered honestly.
"It's nothing. I grew up in an orphanage. I didn't like studying and couldn't concentrate on my studies, so I dropped out after junior high. The director and the others were very kind. I told them I didn't want to stay there anymore and wanted to go out and work, so they let me out."
"How old were you when you were born? Didn't anyone want to adopt you when you were little?" Guan Shiyun asked, puzzled.
Most of the children abandoned in welfare homes are due to illness. Such a beautiful and healthy child should not have remained unadopted for so long, so why was she abandoned?
"Yes, some people came out at 16, but I don't want to go with them. They smell terrible. And..."
Li Miao glanced at Guan Shiyun, hesitating whether to speak. Although the dean and the teachers there always nagged and scolded her, forbidding her from doing this or that, Li Miao felt that it was better than those who came to adopt her. At least they didn't smell bad, which she didn't like.
"The welfare home is great. I'm the boss there. I like the welfare home."
Listening to Li Miao's words, Guan Shiyun made a rough deduction: the orphanage was probably managed by a very kind person, and the protagonist, Li Miao, was probably a brat. As for the adoptive parents, Guan Shiyun used Li Miao's description.
"Is there no one who doesn't smell bad?"
"Yes, but I don't want to be adopted. I like the orphanage, why would I want to be adopted?"
Many people know that she grew up in an orphanage and feel sorry for her, like Lin Bei. Some people look down on her, but Li Miao doesn't think she's miserable at all. She even feels lucky, luckier than before she was abandoned.
Guan Shiyun thought slowly, and decided that she would have to ask the dean about the rest. She looked at Li Miao with her eyes darting around, looking a little reserved. She wondered what she had been through to develop such a personality, sometimes obedient and sometimes fierce. She reached out and took Li Miao's hand, and patted her head.
Sensing the subtle change in Guan Shiyun's attitude, Li Miao became lively again, unceremoniously lying back in Guan Shiyun's arms, her tone rather pitiful, as if seeking comfort.
"Sister, hug me."
She even knows how to take advantage of others, and her eyes are all shifty again. She's just pretending to be pitiful. Is she really pitiful? That remains to be seen, but even if she really is 'pitiful,' Guan Shiyun wouldn't pity others. In her view, pitying others is arrogant.
She simply wanted to understand Li Miao, and then clearly see and perceive Li Miao. As for happiness or misery, Guan Shiyun wanted to hear Li Miao's own story; she wouldn't define her past.
"Okay, let's talk about age."
"Why do we still have to talk about age? Can we please stop talking about this?" Seeing that pretending to be pitiful was useless, Li Miao sat up again.
She knew it; she had to lie! As for why? Her intuition was spot on; she felt that age was a huge bombshell. Since she couldn't change her age, Li Miao put on a tearful act.
"You don't want to take responsibility? Guan Shiyun! You slept with me and now you're denying it!"
"Yes, I don't want to take responsibility or admit anything." Throwing a tantrum to avoid the issue? Guan Shiyun wanted to know what other tricks Li Miao had up her sleeve. She refused to believe that she, who managed such a large company, couldn't handle her.
Li Miao was stunned. Guan Shiyun's calm expression made her feel scared. It seemed that acting cute and throwing a tantrum was useless. She lowered her eyes and honestly explained her thoughts.
"I'm an adult, not a kid anymore, and I've already slept with him, so what's there to hesitate about?"
“I can’t accept it in my heart, so you should move to the guest room,” Guan Shiyun said bluntly.
Li Miao didn't understand these things, so she could be immature, but she couldn't. After saying that, she prepared to get up and wash up. Li Miao was really wronged. She was very happy and cheerful last night, but this morning she turned on everyone. She was a little young, but she was very clever. Her performance of being on the verge of tears just now seemed to be coming true.
"I don't want to! Were you feeling unwell last night, that's why you kicked me out?"
"..." That little rascal!
Guan Shiyun held back, determined not to let her emotions cloud the conversation, as that would not help resolve the issue.
"Li Miao, do you like women?"
"What does liking women have to do with age?" Li Miao asked, looking into Guan Shiyun's eyes, puzzled.
"Do you like me?"
“Of course I like it, I love you, sister,” Li Miaomiao replied earnestly.
Why do you insist on sleeping with me?
"You smell nice."
Guan Shiyun's eyes darkened, and all traces of her gentle demeanor vanished. She slowly approached Li Miao, playfully hooking Li Miao's chin, her aggressive gaze scrutinizing the beautiful face.
Then, I slid my index finger down my throat until it reached my soft spot, grasped one side and kneaded it, while my other hand parted the shoulder straps of the nightgown and stroked along the curve to my thigh, reaching up from the nightgown.
Li Miao couldn't take it anymore. She braced herself on her arms and pulled back slightly, trying to escape the outstretched hand. Seeing Li Miao's reaction, Guan Shiyun stopped, pulled the loosened bra strap back, and soothingly patted the top of Li Miao's head, regaining her original gentleness.
Look—a girl who doesn't even know what sex is, or even understands her sexual orientation, has no idea what the consequences of her ingratiating flirting will be, or whether she can accept it.
When Li Miao saw Guan Shiyun stop, she immediately took her hand.
"Sister, I like you, it's true, I'm just a little nervous."
Li Miao was a little impatient. She hurriedly reached out to hug Guan Shiyun and kiss her. Why was she dodging? She shouldn't have dodged. She was just a little nervous, and a little bit of fear flashed through her mind.
Guan Shiyun did not accept the hug; for the first time, she pushed away the girl who rushed towards her.
Upon being rejected, tears immediately streamed down Li Miao's face. She was flustered, but she didn't understand why she was flustered.
Seeing the girl crying, Guan Shiyun felt a pang of pity, but she had to restrain herself and make the girl understand the difference between them.
"Do you understand?"
"I don't understand, I'm scared, please hug me."
Li Miao pulled Guan Shiyun's hand to her chest, then led Guan Shiyun downwards.
"I won't hide anymore, I'll do it with you, I'm willing, please don't stop holding me."
Still unable to bear it, Guan Shiyun pulled her hand away from Li Miao's grasp and hugged her tightly. She felt the person in her arms trembling, and gently patted her back, one pat at a time, trying to soothe her unease.
"Li Miao, don't be stubborn, listen to me, okay?" The girl in my arms nodded.
“You’re still too young. I don’t think you understand your own sexual orientation at all, nor do you understand what love, liking, or desire are.” Guan Shiyun continued patting the girl’s back.
"I apologize to you. I was confused and out of my mind last night."
"No, it was me who wanted to, it was me who seduced you." After saying that, she was slapped, but Li Miao didn't feel she was wrong at all, and she didn't regret it at all. She just wanted to, she just wanted to seduce Guan Shiyun and be with her.
“I really didn’t intend to have a relationship with you, so I arranged for you to stay in the guest room.” Hearing this, Li Miao was very unhappy, but luckily she acted quickly.
"You don't need to worry or be afraid. What just happened won't happen again." This time, Li Miaozhen was dumbfounded. No way! She wanted to object, but was slapped again.
"Stop causing trouble. Listen to me. If you cause trouble again, you're moving out. It's normal that you wanted to hide just now, but it's not right for you to keep pulling me along." Guan Shiyun pulled the person out of her arms, looked into her eyes, and said seriously, very solemnly.
“What’s wrong? I’m just nervous! I’m not lying!” Li Miao said, then grabbed Guan Shiyun’s hand again, trying to prove her point.
Guan Shiyun withdrew her hand, crossed her arms over her chest, and remained silent, only staring coldly at Li Miao.
"I was wrong!"
Li Miao was still unconvinced. She wanted to prove that she hadn't lied. She hadn't thought about whether she liked women or not, but she was willing to be with Guan Shiyun. She really was willing. She knew that from the moment she was intoxicated by the incense.
Guan Shiyun's probing was too sudden, and she was a little nervous. She didn't want Guan Shiyun to misunderstand, so she kept interrupting her. She was really annoyed. She was afraid that Guan Shiyun would misunderstand, afraid that Guan Shiyun would stop hugging her, and afraid that Guan Shiyun would say she wanted to break up.
"I don't know why you're avoiding it. Maybe it's because you don't like women, or maybe you're panicked or scared. The reason doesn't matter. What you did was right. If you don't want to do something, then refuse."
"I understand, I'll remember." Li Miao looked at Guan Shiyun and nodded solemnly, but in her heart she thought that Guan Shiyun wasn't unwilling.
"Do you remember why you wanted to be my girlfriend?" Guan Shiyun observed Li Miao's expression, not wanting to miss a single second.
"I..." Li Miao was a little confused. She was doing it for money, to make money, and to fulfill the idea in her mind of marrying a rich man.
"For money, right?" Li Miao shook her head desperately, unable to explain.
Does she like Guan Shiyun? Is she only after his money? This is the first time I've faced this question. It's as if being together is a given, but I haven't considered that their relationship isn't because of...
—They like each other.
She had told Lin Bei that she was after a rich man, not in a relationship. Li Miao felt a dull ache in her heart and was very sad, but she also felt guilty.
"Sister, I..."
"Why sleep with me if it's just for money? Shouldn't you be happier buying a house? Or did you learn this trick somewhere, playing the long game to catch a big fish, trying to please me this way? Saying I smell nice to get closer to me, is that just an excuse? Your fear after being rejected just now, is it fear of losing the opportunity to be with a rich man, or fear of breaking up? You said you want a lot of money, but you never thought about being with me. Am I another Xu Shao, someone who's stingy?"
Li Miao was stunned. She had never thought about these questions. She did what she wanted and said what she wanted, but she never thought about why.
Seeing Li Miao's stunned expression, Guan Shiyun also asked herself the same question. Li Miao was young and naive and hadn't thought about it, but she couldn't help but make the worst-case scenario plan for her.
Li Miao is too young. She cannot steal her youth and cloud her mind while she is blinded by materialism, and then take advantage of her by saying in a self-righteous tone: This is the price you pay for your greed.
Those who possess wealth use money to buy human dignity and youth. They themselves enjoy the fruits of this unequal exchange, yet they use morality to judge those who seek wealth, thus concealing the exploitative nature of their unequal status.
Guan Shiyun could sense that Li Miao might have a slight crush on her, but she wasn't sure if that crush was real or just an act. If it was an act…
She didn't need Li Miao to pretend to like her in order to please her. Even if Li Miao didn't like her, it didn't matter. She was still willing to be her stepping stone and help her climb up.
Because—it was Li Miao who first flirted with her, and it was she who was first moved.
Guan Shiyun couldn't love her when she despised herself. The love given by a despicable person is dark and damp, while she wanted to give a bright girl bright love and a bright future.
This relationship was an adventure for her, and she was excited about it, but she couldn't be despicable for it.
What she sought was the willingness of an independent soul.
If she wins, she will gain mutual affection.
Losing will give the world one more girl who can live the life she dreams of.
She accepts whatever comes her way, whether she wins or loses.
He straightened the girl's nightgown as she sat on the bed in a daze, and said earnestly, word by word.
"Think it over carefully, Li Miao. I'll teach you how to make money first. We won't talk about love until you've made enough money."
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