MTMIO Chapter 78

Chapter 78: She’s Like a Carnivorous Plant

The remaining road was short. Looking up, you could see the brightly lit hotel not far away, quietly nestled in a corner of the steel jungle.

But Lu You felt like she was walking through a century, her steps steady and slow, afraid of disturbing the cat dozing on her back.

Her shadow lengthened and shortened under the streetlights. Beside her was a wide road, the sound of traffic coming and going in the night, sometimes near, sometimes far, pulling at Lu You’s thoughts as well.

When near, they were the confessions Yue Yunxi had spilled under the influence of alcohol, messy and disordered, like a cold autumn rain pelting her heart, leaving her wildly beating heart unable to calm down for a long time.

When far, it was the dampness brought by the rain, a chill that seeped into her bones, making her heart ache faintly.

“Don’t just look at her, look at me too.”

“Others like you, I can fight for you, but if you like someone else, what can I do?”

Time sped backward in the cold dampness.

Back to a summer night, the opposite of this, stiflingly hot.

As stifling as plastic wrap scalded by boiling water, wrinkled over her nose and mouth, making it hard to breathe.

After dinner at the Tao’s house, Grandma had drunk some yellow wine and was sleepy, so the nanny had taken her home first.

Everyone else was still there, so she took Tao Xin’s hand and told the elders of both families about their relationship.

Lu Huai’an pointed at her nose and cursed furiously, Tao Mingyuan threatened to take off his belt and whip Tao Xin, Yue Shao was earnestly trying to persuade them, and Tao Xin was sobbing behind her.

The scene was chaotic, as if the storm outside was about to blow into the house.

Just after Lu Huai’an slapped her, Yue Yunxi, who wasn’t supposed to be back until the second day of the competition, suddenly returned.

The sound of the door opening, and Yue Yunxi, who shouldn’t have been there, instantly eased the tense atmosphere in the room.

Because of the burning pain on her face, because of Yue Yunxi’s appearance, she felt embarrassed, and a kind of mortification at being seen slapped by someone she knew.

The excessively complex emotions made Lu You clearly remember what Yue Yunxi looked like when she turned to see her.

It was the first time Lu You had seen the usually composed Yue Yunxi appear in front of her in such a disheveled state.

Her body was soaked by the rain, her arms wrapped around her chest as if she was cold, shivering. Her hair and even her eyelashes were covered in raindrops, gathering into large beads that fell the moment she looked over.

Yue Shao hurriedly grabbed a dry towel and draped it over Yue Yunxi’s head, asking her why she was back today, why she hadn’t used an umbrella.

Yue Yunxi’s eyes fell on her, her throat moved slightly, her voice hoarse and low, as if rubbed by rough sand: “…Too late… someone else took it.”

The word “umbrella” seemed to have been ground into powder by the rough sand, unable to make a sound.

Later, Lu You pulled Tao Xin away, passing by Yue Yunxi.

It was one of the few times that Yue Yunxi called her by her full name, using a title to forcibly distance them, confirming to her word by word: “…Lu You, are you together?”

Lu You didn’t quite remember what Yue Yunxi’s tone was like at the time, whether her voice was light or heavy, only that she remembered the look in her eyes.

Like a waterlogged basement, devoid of sunlight, devoid of any warmth, damp and cold.

So much so that she thought Yue Yunxi was the same as the elders in the room.

So, she looked directly into Yue Yunxi’s eyes, her tone soft and cool, her words laced with thorns: “What? Sister Yunxi, are you going to oppose us too?”

“…”

Lu You took a step forward, holding Tao Xin’s hand, only then did she hear Yue Yunxi say: “I don’t wish you happiness.”

The voice was so soft, so soft that it was hard to hear the pauses, so soft that it seemed a passing breeze could easily shatter the words.

…

The melody of “Shi Ye” interrupted her memories.

Three young girls walked out of the barbecue restaurant at the hotel entrance, arm in arm. The one in the middle was humming the chorus of “Shi Ye,” clutching her heart and sighing: “It’s so well-written, this is exactly how I feel about my crush! I have to vote for her, you all help me vote for her.”

“If you give one vote, I give one vote, Tao Tao will debut tomorrow!”

“I don’t want to, I want to vote for Xigua! The stage! It’s Xigua’s gender switch~!”

“Tch, your Xigua was recommended to the show by my Taozi, otherwise she’d still be a resident singer in that small, broken bar!”

Lu You happened to brush past them, and frowned when she heard this.

What’s broken?

Perhaps because they hadn’t seen a girl carrying another girl on her back very often, the girls’ laughter and cursing paused for a moment, and they glanced at them.

Lu You only reached out to pull open the hotel door when they started chatting again.

The girl who liked Xigua said angrily, “I advise you not to be too emotionally invested, have you forgotten the curse that everyone you like collapses! Be careful she collapses one day too!”

The girl shouted, “I won’t listen, I won’t listen, I won’t listen! I just like her!”

Then she started humming the chorus of “Shi Ye” again.

Lu You’s expression faltered slightly. She thought of the gossip Chu Xiao had shared, and connected it with the two lines Yue Yunxi had hummed.

The melody was the same, but the lyrics were different.

If Yue Yunxi wrote the chorus of “Shi Ye,” would she have any manuscripts or something?

Could they be in the blue folder?

The elevator door opened.

From the mirror inside, Lu You saw that Yue Yunxi on her back was awake.

“Taozi? I don’t like… Xigua, it’s not in season…” Yue Yunxi was obviously still drunk, speaking without much strength, “I want to eat durian.”

Lu You pressed the elevator button and said, “You can’t, you’ve been drinking.”

“Why can’t I if I’ve been drinking?” The awake Yue Yunxi was restless, her hands restless, tickling her chin, her mouth restless, biting her ear as she spoke.

A very light bite, a little sharp sensation.

Lu You irritably shifted her weight, “It’s bad for your stomach.”

Yue Yunxi coquettishly whined, “Don’t shift me, it’s bad for my stomach too.”

“…”

Turns out wanting to throw up can be said so elegantly.

“Then don’t bite my ears either.” Lu You reached into Yue Yunxi’s bag to find the room card, and suddenly felt a wet, soft sensation slip into her ear.

Like a paintbrush, smearing the inner circle, then tracing the outside of her ear.

The tingling sensation that shot up her spine made her freeze in place, holding onto the door.

Almost dropping the restless woman behind her on the ground.

“…No licking either!” Lu You said, grinding her back teeth.

“You’re so stingy, you little deer.” Yue Yunxi, deprived of her fun, listlessly rested on her shoulder, then suddenly straightened up and said, “Lu Lu, you know so much, you even know durian isn’t good with alcohol.”

Her topic and emotions were being pulled by the alcohol, very jumpy, completely different from her previous drunken state.

Lu You had seen many drunken customers at Lost Deer, all kinds of them, so she didn’t think much about it.

Opening the door and entering the room, Lu You was too lazy to turn around and close the door, so she simply let Yue Yunxi’s back lean against the door, took two steps back, and closed it.

The door clicked shut.

At the same time, Yue Yunxi whispered in her ear, “How come you’re so clueless about things in bed? Like you have no experience.”

“…What do you mean, ‘like’? I have no experience,” Lu You heard a low laugh behind her, and was inexplicably annoyed. She let go, then turned around, grabbed Yue Yunxi, who was unsteady on her feet, and very badly lifted her leg and used her knee to push her up, “Satisfied? With that answer?”

Yue Yunxi couldn’t help but whimper softly, the corner of her eye twitching. The crimson flush there hadn’t completely faded, her lightly trembling eyelashes casting shadows, the end of the shadows the light mole, making those eyes, filled with autumn waves, particularly captivating at this moment.

“Why are you blushing?” She didn’t mind Lu You’s mischief at all, reached out to touch Lu You’s cheek, which was very hot, and couldn’t help but smile, “I’d be satisfied with any answer, because it’s you, I’d like you no matter what you’re like.”

Lu You instantly lost her temper. The moment she lowered her leg, she noticed Yue Yunxi’s heavier breathing, and suddenly thought that in that matter, it seemed that she was attacking, but in fact, Yue Yunxi was in control.

During those times when she decided not to like her anymore, had Yue Yunxi tried to contact other people?

“Yes.”

Hearing Yue Yunxi’s answer, Lu You realized that she had asked her inner thoughts out loud.

It was normal. She even thought it should be like that.

Just like Yue Yunxi had said to her before, any kind of relationship was just an embellishment in life, not everything.

She could have one, and Yue Yunxi could have one too, could have one, or more than one.

Rationally, Lu You could understand and didn’t mind at all.

But emotionally, it was still a bit stuffy, the stuffiness of fermentation.

She made excuses for herself, jealousy was human nature, if she didn’t like her, she wouldn’t be jealous.

Yue Yunxi squinted at her, the hand caressing her cheek tickling her chin, stroking the spot where a small mole was, “What’s wrong?”

Lu You shook her head, suppressing a certain sour emotion bubbling in her heart, not asking Yue Yunxi how she contacted those people, or how far the contact went.

As far as she was concerned, how things were in the past didn’t matter.

But in a drunkard’s mind, there was no measure or restraint of sobriety, anything could be asked, anything could be said.

“Why?” The drunkard’s arm hung on her shoulder, as if she was tired of standing, leaning into her arms.

“Why what?” Lu You couldn’t hold the boneless drunkard, so she had to pick her up in her arms, and once again rejoiced that she had been properly trained by Yue Yunxi.

Otherwise, after serving her once, and once again, her arms would be useless.

“Why do you have no experience?” The drunkard not only kept asking, but also laughed at her, “How did you two date?”

Lu You’s eyebrows twitched, she looked at her silently from the corner of her eye, and after a long while, sighed and said, “I should record a video of you now, and show it to you tomorrow, a vinegar-soaked egg.”

Yue Yunxi laughed and trembled in her arms, “That’s a pity, you have to hold me, you don’t have a hand to record.”

Lu You sat her down on the bed, spread her hands, and smiled slightly, “Now I have hands.”

“It’s no use having hands either.” Yue Yunxi hooked her neck and wouldn’t let go, “Why do you have no experience? How did you two date? You still haven’t answered me, I have a good memory, unlike some people.”

Stabbing her heart twice with the same knife, and twisting the handle twice.

What some people? Just say her ID number.

“…Heh.” Lu You laughed angrily, took a deep breath, and helplessly said, “I don’t know, just like before.”

“What do you mean by ‘like’?”

“What it was like before we confirmed our relationship, it was like that afterwards, there were no changes.” Maintaining this posture for a long time was a little tiring, Lu You supported herself on either side of Yue Yunxi’s head, knelt halfway on the bed, and said with a low sneer, “Not that there weren’t changes, there were changes before we broke up, she became cold.”

Yue Yunxi’s fingers stroked her expressionless cheek.

“At most, we held hands, we didn’t even kiss.” Mentioning this, Lu You remembered and said, “Once, there was a hint of it, because we were very close.”

Yue Yunxi’s fingers curled slightly, her short-cut nails scratching Lu You’s cheek, her voice low and soft, “And then?”

“She seemed to be…” Her eyes fell on the void, Lu You frowned and recalled Tao Xin’s expression at that time, “Afraid to kiss me.”

Not just afraid to kiss.

She should be said to be afraid of being intimate.

To this day, she still couldn’t figure out why Tao Xin was afraid to be intimate with her, even holding hands she didn’t dare to do.

As soon as the words fell, Yue Yunxi’s hand stroking her cheek reached her nape, pressed her down heavily, her red lips parted slightly, her teeth biting her lower lip, slowly grinding, restraining her strength to the point of trembling.

Lu You’s tears were about to be kissed out.

“Don’t think about that guilty coward.”

This was the last seemingly sober thing Yue Yunxi said before she went to throw up.

After that, Yue Yunxi’s drunken state rose to the third level. After throwing up in the shower, she first rinsed her mouth and brushed her teeth as if nothing had happened.

Lu You almost thought she was sober, and knew to pay attention to her image and clean herself up.

As a result, in less than five minutes, Yue Yunxi ran to her, knelt in front of her, and tugged at her collar, “I want to take a shower, I’m stinky, I can’t untie it.”

“The ground is cold, you idiot.” Lu You coaxed her into the shower like a child, turned on the heat before untying her buttons, stopped abruptly when she untied to her flat abdomen, “…We can wash after we wake up tomorrow.”

She seriously doubted whether Yue Yunxi could take a shower on her own.

“No, stinky.”

“I don’t mind you.”

“I mind you, you’re stinky too.” Yue Yunxi tilted her head and looked at her innocently, “So we have to shower together.”

“…”

There was nothing wrong with that.

Lu You had seen many drunken people, but it was the first time she had seen a drunken state with layers.

When she was showering with her, Yue Yunxi seemed to be drunk to the fourth level.

Very crazy, not a frantic kind of crazy, more like a calm sense of crazy, trying to tease her in every way possible, deliberately saying things like

“Good deer, you’re learning so seriously, your experience points are accumulating very well, I like it very much.”

“How about I give you a progress award, don’t like it? Then a perseverance award? Rewarding you for doing it again.”

Words that sounded like praise but were actually stimulating, deliberately provoking all of Lu You’s inferiorities, doing things too far.

But she was still gentle, giving whatever was asked.

She was like a carnivorous plant, slowly enjoying her last meal.

After tossing and turning for more than two hours, they returned to bed.

Lying fragrantly in the bedding, Yue Yunxi seemed to be still drunk, drunk to the fifth stage,entangling her, saying she wanted to hear a bedtime story.

Lu You tucked her into the quilt, while muttering to herself that she must ban this person from drinking in the future, she softly asked, “What do you want to hear?”

“The story of Pinocchio.” Yue Yunxi said almost without thinking.

Lu You was stunned for a moment, because she thought of the past, from when she began to have memories, before Zhang Wenyin left that home, every night, Zhang Wenyin would tell her a bedtime story,

Of all the stories, the one that impressed her the most was Pinocchio.

She still remembered the night Zhang Wenyin told her the story, she listened with relish, not sleepy at all.

When the story was almost finished, she closed her eyes and pretended to be asleep.

Zhang Wenyin, as she did every night before, softly asked her, “Is our little deer baby asleep?”

She foolishly replied, “Little deer is asleep.”

Zhang Wenyin pinched her nose and said, “Heavens, why has it grown longer!”

Scaring her to burst into tears, really thinking her nose had grown longer.

The psychological shadow was quite large, and even developed a habit of touching her nose when she lied.

As a result, the person who taught her not to lie, deceived her again and again.

Promising to take her away with her, but letting her sit on the swing, waiting day after day.

Waiting from day to night, waiting only for a rainstorm that chilled her heart.

Saying she wanted to watch her grow up, watch her fall in love, watch her have her own little family.

But after leaving, she didn’t come to see her for a single day, even stingy with replying to her WeChat messages.

Liar.

The wound had been ripped open too many times, the pain was numb.

After the story was finished, on the phone screen, you could vaguely see a face without emotion, Lu You expressionlessly closed the page.

Yue Yunxi rested her arm, looking up at Lu You’s face, warmed by the light, in the orange-yellow light of the bedside lamp.

Perhaps the light was too warm, giving her the illusion that she could test.

Yue Yunxi softly asked, “If you were the old carpenter, would you forgive little Pinocchio?”

No.

Why should the bad child who lied again and again be forgiven?

Wouldn’t it be better to be a wooden man again?

Lu You lowered her eyes, meeting Yue Yunxi’s eyes, slightly blurred because she was sleepy, the words rotted in her stomach, not a single one spoken, she didn’t want to stir up excessive emotions at the time when she should be sleeping, affecting Yue Yunxi’s sleep.

Lu You curved the corners of her mouth, reached out her hand.

Yue Yunxi reflexively closed her eyes, feeling her soft, cool palm covering her eyelids.

“Go to sleep.”

She didn’t answer her.