Chapter 96: Tearing the Frost (1) [R18]
She didn’t wait for me to speak.
Mu Qinglan stepped back from the mats, tugged the curtain shut behind her, and pulled off her jacket without a word. It landed in a heap near the makeshift bed of layered mats and torn canvas sheets.
Then she turned and removed her jacket without a word. It dropped to the floor beside us, slowly like she was shedding the last layer of everything that kept her distant.
Her black hair fell over one eye as she leaned to the side, with flushed cheeks. And her shirt, thin, clinging with sweat, outlined every curve, every breath, every tremble. Now she revealed everything.
"You don’t need to say anything, just... don’t stop me."
I didn’t move.
She came toward me with that same calculated grace she carried in battle, cold precision hiding the heat underneath. Her fingers reached my collar, trailing down my chest. The tips were warm. A little shaky.
Her eyes locked with mine — sharp, electric blue. Usually unreadable. But not now. There was something behind them. Something I wasn’t sure she’d ever let anyone see.
"I wasn’t enough today," she said. "But I want to be. For you."
"Qinglan..." I started, but she raised her hand, brushing the back of it against my cheek.
"I know it’s stupid. We’re exhausted. Bleeding. Half-alive." She swallowed, voice quieter now. "But if I don’t do this... I might just break and kill someone."