Chapter 74: The Gift Was Myself

Watching Jiang Ling, who despite her shyness still did her best to show a delicate and charming side, Bai Xue was momentarily stunned.

The knot in her heart was genuinely swept away in an instant.

It was as if… some kind of magic had been cast upon her.

“I hope you can have a happier birthday,” Jiang Ling said, her gaze fixed on Bai Xue’s gradually darkening eyes.

“Don’t keep that stern face. No matter what happens, if you want, you can come to me anytime… Ugh!”

Before she could finish speaking, she was knocked down onto the bed, along with the ropes binding her.

Because she had just returned, a faint chill clung to Bai Xue’s body. The moment her skin touched Jiang Ling’s burning-hot body, waves of refreshing coolness immediately surged through her.

Her waist unconsciously lifted, as if demanding more.

“My mood today really isn’t very good.”

Bai Xue made no further movements, only burying her face in Jiang Ling’s neck, her icy lips brushing softly against the pale, tender skin. Her voice was muffled and unclear as she spoke, “My fantasy about idols comes from my mother.”

Jiang Ling’s eyes glazed over as she looked up drowsily. The faint touches made her skin itch with longing, but Bai Xue was speaking so seriously that she could only grit her teeth and squeeze out a response from her throat: “And then?”

“She was an excellent producer.”

Recalling her mother’s image, Bai Xue let her fingertips trace down Jiang Ling’s collarbone, “She trained an idol group that was nearly unbeatable at the time. It was also then that she fell in love with my father.”

“And after that?”

Bai Xue’s movements suddenly paused. She stopped teasing Jiang Ling, her voice heavy and low: “She passed away from overwork.”

Hearing this, Jiang Ling’s heart tightened. Instinctively, she wanted to reach behind and hold Bai Xue tight but remembered she was bound and couldn’t move. So she stayed silent, quietly feeling her cold temperature.

“She taught me so much and left me a lot. In the industry, my mother was called the ‘Cradle of Idols.’ Naturally, as her daughter, I inherited her talent and the expectations that came with it.”

“For a long time, I didn’t know how to live up to those expectations. As for my father… he’s a complete scumbag. Shortly after my mother passed, he brought home a beautiful woman and my older brother, Bai Ming.”

At this, Bai Xue slowly sat up. Jiang Ling saw a self-mocking smile in her eyes. “How ridiculous—he actually had a child older than me behind my mother’s back.”

“Yuantian Entertainment was co-founded by them. After my mother’s death, it became his empire, and now, I suppose, it’s going to be passed down to his son.”

A pang of sympathy welled up in Jiang Ling’s chest.

No wonder Bai Xue said she bet everything on NOVA. It represented not only her mother’s legacy but also the unspeakable anger and resentment she carried.

Jiang Ling looked up at her, imagining what a sorrowful face must lie beneath that exaggerated, flamboyant makeup.

She reached out, attempting to touch her, but was restrained by the ropes. She couldn’t move an inch and ended up gently rubbing her head against Bai Xue’s arm resting beside her.

The warmth of the touch pulled Bai Xue out of her memories. Her eyes gradually steadied as she finally gazed at Jiang Ling’s bright smile directed at her.

Her heart softened significantly, and her voice turned gentle: “Thank you for wanting to cheer me up, Jiang Ling.”

Bai Xue had probably guessed that Jiang Ling might prepare a birthday gift, but she hadn’t expected it to be so unique. Perhaps only Jiang Ling could have come up with this.

The suffocating emotions she’d endured all day in that so-called home were slowly fading away.

Hearing this, Jiang Ling shook her bound hands, her breath slightly heavy, sweat beading on her forehead. She shyly smiled, “Then I guess it’s about time you let me go…”

“But do you really understand what that means?”

Bai Xue interrupted, her face no longer lonely but alluring and enchanting.

Jiang Ling’s reply came out in a stammer: “You seem to really enjoy controlling others… so I thought, at least with this, I could make you happy… Don’t you actually dislike it?”

By the end, her voice was clearly panicked, her brows furrowed as if regretting that this “gift” had been too hasty.

Seeing her utterly unaware of the seriousness of the situation, Bai Xue’s eyes darkened even more.

She leaned over, rubbing her fingertip over Jiang Ling’s lips: “No, I like it very much.”

“Well, that’s good, isn’t it?!”

Jiang Ling’s words were drowned out by indistinct splashing sounds. She looked at Bai Xue’s smooth movements in disbelief.

“Ugh… Why do you have to put your hand inside…”

Bai Xue watched Jiang Ling’s flustered expression, grinning brightly.

“Smooth… slippery.”

After a moment, Bai Xue withdrew her hand. Jiang Ling immediately swallowed nervously and coughed softly.

“Cough cough! You actually like this kind of thing?! I…”

Bai Xue said nothing. Instead, she untied the ropes binding Jiang Ling’s wrists, pressing her left hand beside her head. With the other hand, she firmly grasped Jiang Ling’s right hand and slowly slid it down along her waist and abdomen.

“My mother once told me that she saw idols like elegant violins with rich, mellow tones.”

Jiang Ling’s eyes suddenly widened in panic. She squirmed weakly but could only helplessly watch as Bai Xue’s hand slid beneath the thin fabric, pressing down on her wrist.

“Ugh—”

A short moan slipped from Jiang Ling’s lips. The unprecedented sensation stirred restlessly within her.

She tried to curl her fingers inward, but Bai Xue slowly and methodically straightened them out, pressing again on the fragile, sensitive spot.

“And my mission is to do everything I can,” Bai Xue continued, her voice slow and steady, like a soliloquy in some coming-of-age film, “to play the most beautiful melody.”

As Bai Xue’s words fell, Jiang Ling saw a fleeting white light flash before her eyes. It was like riding a roller coaster at an amusement park—anxiety and tension filled her heart.

She gasped for air, toes stretched tight, clutching the bedsheet beside her pillow with all her might.

Bai Xue watched Jiang Ling’s helpless movements and the reddening at the corners of her eyes, her smile deepening.

So cute.

She wanted to tease her even more.

Jiang Ling felt completely powerless. The small hand tightly holding hers forced her to perform actions against her will.

Suddenly, Bai Xue’s movements quickened as if a mischievous child had found their favorite toy. Her expression brightened with joy.

Jiang Ling panted heavily, her face burning with shame as she weakly protested, “Don’t…”

Bai Xue released the hand pressing down on Jiang Ling’s free wrist and caressed her waist instead. Then, with a teasing yet contemptuous tone, she slowly said, “You really are all talk, Jiang Ling.”

“You’re welcoming me all over your body, but that stubborn mouth keeps lying.”

She looked down on Jiang Ling with the demeanor of a superior, commanding the situation from above.

“…”

Jiang Ling realized she was sinking into a strange feeling and instinctively shook her head, desperately trying to resist.

But it was futile. Under Bai Xue’s lingering touches, she was powerless to fight back, even feeling her consciousness fading away.

She bit her lip and forced out a dissatisfied sound from her throat: “Bai… Bai Xue, please don’t continue…”

If this went on, something terrible would definitely happen.

That kind of thing… no!

Jiang Ling instinctively tried to clamp her legs shut, but Bai Xue gave her no chance, pressing down harder.

“How can it feel like this…”

Her voice trembled as she turned her gaze away, delicate and charming, utterly unable to resist the overwhelming sensation.

Bai Xue’s voice was tender and lingering, her brows softening.

“Go ahead.”

With those words, the violin named Jiang Ling was played passionately in the quiet night, producing a dizzying melody that slowly merged with the bright moonlight.

After a while.

“Pa… A…”

Her chest heaved violently before finally calming down.

Bai Xue quietly wiped her off with a tissue, smiling as she waved it teasingly before Jiang Ling’s eyes. “Don’t judge a book by its cover.”

“What on earth are you saying…”

Jiang Ling turned her face away in embarrassment, forced to process the situation before her—

She had come to Bai Xue’s room on her birthday night out of concern and tied herself up, saying with great emotion, “This is the gift I give you,” only to be forcefully taken?!

How on earth had she come up with such a strange birthday present in the first place and actually followed through?

Trying to get up and argue, she barely climbed up before being lightly pushed down again.

“Bang!”

“… That?”

Jiang Ling timidly glanced at Bai Xue’s expression and struggled weakly on the bed, “I see your mood has improved, so I’ll leave now! Don’t worry, even if my legs are weak for now, I’ll manage to crawl back!”

“If I just let you go now, wouldn’t it waste the ‘gift’ you specially prepared for me?”

Bai Xue grabbed the loosened rope and quickly pulled the crawling Jiang Ling back. With swift, skilled movements, she tied her up again, smiling brightly.

“The night is still long.”

She fiddled with a box placed nearby. Jiang Ling, finally regaining some composure, saw Bai Xue holding a delicate and adorable pink hair clip, pressing it against her body.

“Eh, what’s this?”

She looked at Bai Xue’s deepening smile in confusion, not yet realizing the seriousness of the situation.

Bai Xue clutched the clip and swiftly removed the last restraints on Jiang Ling’s upper body.

Forced to have her clothes pulled aside, Jiang Ling’s hair instantly frizzed. She desperately used her arms to cover herself.

“You, you, what are you trying to do?”

“Nothing.”

Bai Xue forcibly pried Jiang Ling’s arms apart, revealing a breathtakingly beautiful sight before her.

“So pink and cute.”

“Bai Xue!”

Jiang Ling’s ears turned bright red, furious and embarrassed.

Seeing this, Bai Xue laughed heartily. “I’m talking about the clip, what were you thinking?”

“You… you’ve really had enough, haven’t you? Don’t you think it’s time to stop—”

Jiang Ling’s protests were drowned out by the jingling sound as Bai Xue pulled a silver bell attached to the clip’s chain.

With each movement, Jiang Ling’s body twitched, and her snow-white skin was inevitably flushed a rosy red like sunset clouds.

“Bai… Bai Xue…”

Jiang Ling let out a soft whimper, her eyes full of pleading, “It hurts… so much…”

Actually, when Fang Wanan customized these items, she didn’t consider this aspect at all. She thought Jiang Ling only wanted to satisfy Bai Xue’s collection obsession and had used excellent materials everywhere.

But at the same time, these props were real “toys,” not something as easily accepted as low-temperature candles.

So Jiang Ling was genuinely in so much pain she was about to cry. She curled her fingers, trembling as if shaken by a sieve, reaching for Bai Xue’s face.

Seeing this, Bai Xue’s eyes darkened. She was about to say something when Jiang Ling’s big tears spilled down her cheeks in a pitiful way.

Her cruel heart immediately calmed.

So, she shouldn’t be too rough at first. Bai Xue felt a little regretful and took a deep breath to steady herself before gently removing the clip.

“Pa… Pa…”

Jiang Ling trembled, curling her body as the burning pain almost overwhelmed her. She felt weak all over and closed her eyes, drowsiness instantly sweeping over her.

“I’m… going to sleep.”

She had just said this when a refreshing coolness spread across her chest, followed by… comfort?

Jiang Ling half-closed her eyes. Through the haze, she saw Bai Xue’s gentle movements, like savoring a tempting strawberry on the tip of a cake.

The cool sensation from the tip of her tongue greatly eased Jiang Ling’s discomfort, but she had no strength to speak. She waved a hand weakly and drifted off into a dreamy sleep.

Bai Xue stared deeply at Jiang Ling’s sleeping face for a long time before placing a kiss on her lips, dry from last night’s crying.

“I won’t let you escape.”

The next day.

Jiang Ling woke with pain—no, it was more like soreness and swelling?

In any case, she felt like her entire body was about to fall apart. She had no strength, only barely managing to support herself as she slowly got up.

What greeted her eyes were faint red marks crisscrossing her body and Bai Xue peacefully sleeping beside her.

Suddenly, the events of last night surged through Jiang Ling’s mind like a tide. She bit her lip in embarrassment and, as if trying to hide something, wrapped herself tightly in the blanket.

The blanket that had been covering both of them was now all tangled around Jiang Ling.

Feeling the chill on her skin, Bai Xue frowned slightly and opened her eyes to see Jiang Ling curled up like a little dumpling with her back turned.

After a few seconds, she chuckled softly and reached out to tug the blanket. “Hey, I’m freezing to death.”

“Better for you to freeze!”

A muffled, sulky voice came from inside the blanket. Jiang Ling didn’t move a muscle and even wrapped herself tighter.

This made Bai Xue smile all the more. She turned around, holding Jiang Ling along with the blanket tightly from behind and closed her eyes to continue sleeping.

Jiang Ling nearly suffocated. She wiggled her hips and finally shouted in exasperation, “I can’t breathe!”

Bai Xue stopped teasing her, checked the time, and then leisurely got up to gather the clothes that had scattered at some unknown point during the night.

What a truly wonderful night it had been.

Her mood was excellent now, and many future plans for NOVA floated in her mind.

Jiang Ling suddenly popped her head out from the blanket and glared at Bai Xue, who was calmly getting dressed as if nothing had happened.

“Are you not going to explain anything?!”