The soft rustle of fabric stirred in the quiet room. Matriarch Shi Lan slowly opened her eyes, a faint violet hue flickering in her gaze before it faded completely. The room was dim, bathed in moonlight. It took her a moment to realize she wasn't in her own bed.
She sat up abruptly.
To her left, Li Lian lay peacefully under the covers—her breathing calm, her hair sprawled like crimson silk across the pillow.
Shi Lan's face flushed.
"Why… why am I next to her?" she whispered to herself.
A rush of memories from her time spent with Xiao Fang. The bath, his voice, the feeling of his body against hers… all of it came flooding in.
Her face turned scarlet.
She turned away immediately, brushing her hair over her shoulder with haste as if to hide from the shame creeping up her neck.
"What was I thinking…" she muttered, reaching for her inner robes.
