Chapter 60. Chapter 60 isn't enough, not enough. ...
"Why aren't you sleeping?"
To Shang Shu, these words sounded more like an invitation than a question.
Gu Sui heard the increasingly heavy breathing around his ear and wanted to turn around to face Shang Shu, but he was held in a circle and could not move.
Shang Shu did not answer, but instead began to paint a landscape on the clean silk. She painted very lightly, like the misty clouds swirling among the mountains, like the fresh snow settling on the mountaintop waiting to melt, ruffling the water's surface and outlining the hills in three dimensions.
"Ah Shu..." Gu Sui called out softly, as if there was still a damp, warm mist lingering in her throat.
"Is it alright?" Shang Shu hesitated, not wanting to lose her manners until she received permission.
"Hmm..." Gu Sui tried his best to control his vocal cords and made a suppressed guttural sound.
Shang Shu breathed softly and kissed Gu Sui's cascading hair: "I'm going to wash my hands."
Continuing with the unfinished landscape painting, Shang Shu recalled the techniques she learned in traditional Chinese painting classes when she was young. Her teacher once told her that a painter with a spiritual touch knows how to use the brush subtly, how to outline three-dimensional hills, and how to add beautiful veins and textures; how to make the brushstrokes clear in their beginning and end, each stroke delivered fully, neither too superficial nor too flamboyant; and how to be patient, to carefully examine and appreciate every inch of the scene, so that the painting can have more charm.
"Ah Shu..." Gu Sui called out Shang Shu's name with a burning desire, urging her to continue splashing ink and coloring.
Shang Shu was surprised by this initiative, but only hesitated for half a second before chuckling and saying, "A-Sui, don't rush..."
Gu Sui finally let out a sigh. She tilted her head back, the taut veins on her neck trembling slightly, and blushed with a rosy pink, like a fairy in a painting.
Shang Shu couldn't help but kiss her, a sincere, careful, and tender kiss.
She had always known that this was absolutely beautiful, in every sense of the word, the kind of beauty that needed no hiding. They were so alike that they could frown together, sigh together, and be guided by instinct, surrendering their souls completely.
That was the heavy snow she had been waiting for for three years, and tonight, it finally melted, trembling, in her hands.
Not enough, not enough.
She still had so much affection left unsaid, and she wanted to express it to her through her actions, word by word.
Those things they missed, regretted, and missed.
She wanted to take her to the cherry blossom trees and tulip fields in spring, to see the falling petals and smell their rich fragrance; she wanted to walk with her on the beach in summer, startling a wave, and then laughing and hiding in the coconut grove; she wanted to hold her hand on the maple-lined avenue in autumn, and sit with her on a vintage cruise ship eating freshly roasted chestnuts; she wanted to take her to the snow-capped mountains in winter, and kiss her in the steamy hot springs, where they could look up and see the dreamlike aurora borealis.
“Ah Sui…” Shang Shu’s eyes reddened, and she gently led Gu Sui to turn around.
I want more.
Looking at the breathtakingly beautiful Gu Sui, Shang Shu felt like she could barely feel her own heartbeat anymore. She couldn't think of anything else; she just wanted to rely on her instincts to please her lover time and time again.
Gu Sui's flushed cheeks calmed down, her eyelashes trembling like feathers in the wind.
Shang Shu admired her lover's passionate charm, but her smile vanished instantly when she glanced at some inconspicuous specks.
Gu Sui had just caught his breath when he heard Shang Shu's faint sobs.
“A-Shu…” Gu Sui’s voice was a little hoarse as she propped herself up to stroke the little girl’s face.
Seeing that Shang Shu refused to look up and meet her gaze, she had no choice but to cup the person's face in her hands and lift it up with a little force.
"Don't cry, don't cry..." Gu Sui had lost count of how many times she had said this. She only knew that Shang Shu had shed so many tears for her, and at this moment, she just wanted to use a way to comfort her.
Gu Sui kissed away all of Shang Shu's tears, then kissed her glistening lips. The salty tears turned into honey between their lips and teeth. As she kissed her, she pulled Shang Shu down to lie down.
“Gu Sui…” Shang Shu stared at her, lost in thought.
The dancing swallows represent Gu Sui's initiative, her willingness to be possessed time and time again.
"I love you." Shang Shu gently kissed her eyebrows and eyes, whispering in her ear with a soft sob in her voice.
"Ah Shu, I love you too."
As if to make up for all the regrets of the past three years, they indulged themselves to the fullest, tirelessly.
Lying flat on the bed, Shang Shu rested her head on Gu Sui's arm, then played with the ends of her hair. Looking past the strands, Shang Shu gazed at the lighter on the bedside table and asked, "Why are you smoking?"
"Miss you."
"Is it good to smoke?"
"It's not good to smoke."
"Will you still smoke in the future?" Shang Shu smiled.
"Let's not smoke anymore, let's all stop, okay?" Gu Sui said softly, turning his head to look at her and reaching out to pat her back.
Shang Shu nodded, gently inhaling Gu Sui's fragrance, and lightly nuzzled her neck with her head.
"I have to go to the company tomorrow," she suddenly remembered.
"I'll stay with you." Gu Sui replied quickly, as if he couldn't bear to be separated from her for even a moment.
Shang Shu tilted her head back and lightly kissed Gu Sui's lips: "No need, Dr. Gu, please rest well at home and work hard. Wait for me to come home."
"Okay." Gu Sui chuckled indulgently, not insisting any further.
After a restless night, Shang Shu woke up very early. The person next to her was still fast asleep, perhaps because he was really tired. She looked at her lover's peaceful and delicate sleeping face, couldn't help but smile, and rested her chin on her hand, staring at him for a while.
Afraid of disturbing Gu Sui, Shang Shu quietly took her clothes and went to the bathroom in the second bedroom to take a shower.
Water flowed over her skin, gliding over her slightly sore palms. Shang Shu stood quietly under the showerhead, closing her eyes, savoring the pleasure of last night. She knew that last time was from Gu Sui's tenderness, yet it was so beautiful that even now, recalling it left her speechless. That initiative didn't carry much of a flattering meaning; it was more of Gu Sui's overflowing love. Comparing Gu Sui to a reserved fairy was no longer appropriate; instead, she was more like a compassionate goddess.
When they returned to the master bedroom, Gu Sui's sleeping posture was almost unchanged. Shang Shu came to the bedside and gently kissed the corner of Gu Sui's lips.
Gu Sui was always a light sleeper, but this time she slept exceptionally soundly due to exhaustion. Sensing Shang Shu's movement, she struggled to lift her eyelids a crack: "Are you leaving?"
Her voice was weak and light; she moved her limbs slightly, feeling soreness.
"Okay, you should sleep a little longer," Shang Shu said softly into his ear, then reached out to pull the blanket up for Gu Sui.
"Come back soon." Gu Sui murmured indistinctly, his head buried in the blanket.
Shang Shu paused slightly as she stood up, then smiled and said, "Okay."
In the past, Gu Sui would never say such coquettish things. Back then, they would leave for class at different times, and people would just say things like "Go quickly" or "Be careful on the road."
Shang Shu's heart softened. She felt that Gu Sui was somewhat like a loving wife waiting for her husband to return home. If she said one more word, she probably wouldn't be able to leave.
She went downstairs and told the housekeeper to wake Gu Sui up later to eat something. Although she wanted him to sleep as much as possible, she was more worried about Gu Sui's stomach.
Song Lan was already waiting in the car. Although she already knew they had reconciled, she couldn't help but smile when she saw Shang Shu's radiant face and the dramatic change in her appearance.
"What's making you so happy?" Shang Shu asked as she got into the car, noticing a rare smile on Song Lan's face.
Song Lan also straightened her legs: "I was just thinking that it seems like a lot of wine was wasted."
"Huh?" Shang Shu was a little confused by what he said, but after looking more closely at Song Lan's smiling face, she realized that the person was laughing at her.
Thinking of all this, she felt a little shy and timid. Shang Shu propped her neck up and turned her head to the side: "When did your mouth become so mean?"
A soft laugh reached my ears.
"However, Lan Ye, I still want to thank you for all the things you told me before, and for taking care of me when I was sick." Shang Shu turned around and said earnestly to Song Lan Ye.
Although she felt that Song Lan had also taken all of this as her duty, she was unwilling to turn a blind eye to other people's contributions.
"I have my own selfish motives too," Song Lan said with a faint smile, jokingly adding, "Now that you're better, you can share my burden, right?"
Upon hearing this, Shang Shu raised an eyebrow and smiled, only to mysteriously say, "Then I'm afraid Secretary Song has miscalculated. I'm not going there for work today."
The metalworking room next to the office is not large; it was a space that Shang Shu specially prepared for her own use, separate from the design department.
She had drawn many design drafts here over the years, but she had become a bit rusty when it came to actually doing things. She sat at the table, holding the silver bar, and smiled, laughing at herself for being so nervous that she didn't dare to start because she cared too much.
Shang Shu took a deep breath, rolled up her sleeves, and began to work diligently. Before long, her fingertips were covered with fine silver powder.
Annealing, bending, hammering, polishing, engraving.
She knew her lover's ring size better than anyone. The firelight illuminated her profile as the metal instrument fell repeatedly onto the silver ring. Each drop, each movement, echoed her lover's heartbeat. The pure white silver was gradually infused with love, and the inside of the ring, which touched her skin, was engraved with the beautiful letters "S&S".
After a long while, all the machines stopped, leaving only a pair of rings lying quietly in Shang Shu's palm.
Shang Shu carefully placed the ring into the velvet box she had prepared earlier, tidied herself up briefly, washed her hands, and returned to her office.
Time flew by and it was already one or two o'clock. Shang Shu opened her phone and saw a message from Gu Sui already on the screen. She felt a little guilty and blamed herself for always forgetting the time when she got busy.
After a moment's thought, Shang Shu made a video call.
Gu Sui answered quickly, but she didn't often make video calls and wasn't used to pointing the phone at her face as soon as she answered, so when Shang Shu saw it, all she could see on the screen was the ceiling.
Shang Shu was eager to apologize: "I've been busy just now and haven't had a chance to check on you—"
Before she could finish speaking, Shang Shu took a small breath while looking at the screen.
Gu Sui finally adjusted his phone, and the screen showed a person wearing glasses sitting in a swivel chair in the study. Gu Sui was not wearing an outer garment, his long hair was draped down his back, and the rose-red marks on his neck and chest were clearly visible. The lenses reflected light slightly, and Gu Sui even intentionally or unintentionally nudged the frames with his knuckles.
Shang Shu slammed her phone down on the table with a "smack," biting her lower lip tightly. She felt her face burning up. She hurriedly picked up the water next to her and took a few sips, but accidentally choked and coughed.
"Are you alright?" Gu Sui asked, staring at the darkness in front of the screen with a half-smile.
Shang Shu coughed until her face turned red, and it took her a while to recover. She picked up her phone and said, "I'm in the office. You...you...put it on quickly."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
