Chapter 14

What did she mean, her patience was limited?

Chu Yunmiao knew the line carried a double meaning, but she had no spare energy to dwell on such details. As Yu Changning tightened her arms, she also slowly pressed her body down; if Chu Yunmiao did not act now, she would be locked in that embrace for real.

With that in mind, Chu Yunmiao no longer dared waste time. She picked a plan at random and began to try escaping from the lower left side. She stepped out with her left foot and bent her body, intending to slip through the gap beneath Yu Changning’s left arm.

The idea was fine, but carrying it out was nowhere near as easy as she imagined.

Chu Yunmiao had barely lifted her left foot and not even reached her target when Yu Changning extended her right leg and blocked her path. Fortunately, Chu Yunmiao had been prepared; she twisted her left foot and turned defense into offense, kicking at Yu Changning’s right knee.

If that strike succeeded, forget escaping; she might even be able to knock Yu Changning straight to the ground and turn the tables completely.

But as expected, a counterattack was impossible; at least for now, it looked hopeless.

Chu Yunmiao did kick the joint of Yu Changning’s right knee, but she quickly realized—

It was useless!

Yu Changning’s right leg was like cast iron; no matter what she did, she could not budge it even slightly.

The Long Princess’s mind went blank for an instant. When she came back to herself, she finally understood what Yu Changning meant by “absolute, overwhelming force.”

Yes, this was absolute force suppression. When the other side’s power was far greater than yours, no matter how many good ideas you had, they would all lose to the enormous gap between you.

One force could defeat ten techniques.

Just as her attention was fixed on Yu Changning’s legs, above her, Yu Changning’s arms had already compressed to their limit and no longer satisfied her with simply bracing against the wall. She gathered her arms and drew Chu Yunmiao into her embrace, pressing a hand to Chu Yunmiao’s back.

Chu Yunmiao’s chin bumped against her shoulder; her upper and lower teeth clicked together lightly, leaving her head dizzy.

She lifted both hands and pushed at the other woman, though her tone lacked force as she demanded, “...Let go.”

Yu Changning didn’t move at once. Instead, she raised a hand and gently rubbed the crown of Chu Yunmiao’s head. The touch was warm and smooth, far better than anything she had ever imagined in her midnight dreams. From the angle Chu Yunmiao couldn’t see, Yu Changning’s eyes darkened; her gaze lingered on the Long Princess’s slender waist, so narrow it seemed as though it could be encircled with one hand.

Not yet...

Yu Changning slowly exhaled and loosened her hold, allowing Chu Yunmiao to break free.

She announced the result of the attempt: “Failed.”

Unconsciously, Chu Yunmiao’s hands folded over her chest.

She resented the excessive warmth in Yu Changning’s embrace; after leaving it, she felt strangely unaccustomed to the chill. But the Long Princess quickly composed herself. She lifted her head and looked at Yu Changning stubbornly.

“Again.”

Yu Changning: “Hm?”

A smile curved her lips as she bent to meet Chu Yunmiao’s eyes. “You’re sure?”

“So what if I failed once?” Chu Yunmiao’s face was already faintly red, but her gaze was sharp. “Again!”

Yu Changning gave a low laugh.

She really liked the way the little princess refused to give up.

“Alright.”

And so, an entire night passed. Chu Yunmiao began to suspect that she spent far more time in Yu Changning’s arms than standing apart from her, by a huge margin.

Only when the Training Gym announced over the PA system, “There are still thirty minutes until closing. Please leave in an orderly manner,” did Chu Yunmiao still fail even once. Sweat had already beaded on her forehead; she leaned, as if giving up, against Yu Changning’s arms and panted in small breaths.

They had a full day of assessment during the day, and then such high-intensity training at night; Yu Changning knew she was tired, so she said, “Let’s stop here.”

After speaking, she let go first.

Dozens of brief, half-finished embraces had indeed filled in a small part of the hollow of desire, but they had also tested her patience again and again.

Chu Yunmiao looked up. Seeing that face again, a little competitive spirit flared back to life.

“Let’s continue next time.” She asked, “Are you free tomorrow? Let’s set a time.”

Yu Changning had already started walking out, but she stopped at those words.

She turned her head slightly; her handsome profile was backlit, her expression complex and impossible to read.

Chu Yunmiao held her breath. Her intuition told her—

Yu Changning seemed angry.

In the next second, Yu Changning asked, “And what identity are you using to invite me?”

Chu Yunmiao froze.

She coughed. “Uh, a, a student to an instructor...”

Yu Changning let out a contemptuous laugh.

“I am the instructor for Class 1, but I’m not your instructor alone. The three-day break after this is my private time; I have every right to refuse you.”

That was not wrong.

If one wanted to be strict about it, even tonight’s practice sparring had been Yu Changning’s personal choice, not part of an instructor’s duty.

But after experiencing the best possible sparring service, how could Chu Yunmiao still endure a normal training format? Clearly, by the final few attempts, she had already found a bit of the trick to escaping; if she could go back tonight and review it carefully, maybe she would find a solution tomorrow!

Chu Yunmiao did not want to give up. She licked her lips and proposed, “...Do you take private sparring?”

“I’ll pay the highest market rate. No, I’ll pay double the highest market rate.”

“Heh. The Long Princess really is rich.” Yu Changning turned to face her.

A smile lingered at her lips, but her expression could hardly be called friendly; beneath her eyes lay emotions she was suppressing, not expressing, impossible to tell whether she was truly pleased or angry.

Chu Yunmiao blinked. For a moment, she even wanted to reach out and take her hand on her own.

It had always been like this before; as long as she acted spoiled, there was nothing Yu Changning wouldn’t agree to. But clearly that was not the case now. Her eyes were full of expectation, sincerely hoping that Yu Changning would accept her plea.

But that hope came to nothing.

Yu Changning bent down and leaned closer to her. “But I’m not short on money either.”

Chu Yunmiao certainly knew she wasn’t short on money.

As the Yu Family heir, the Empire’s youngest Lieutenant General, she was simply not someone who could be bought with money.

Just as Yu Changning seemed about to leave again, Chu Yunmiao grabbed her arm in a panic.

They were too close. Chu Yunmiao was still warm from training and damp with sweat, while Yu Changning remained cool and fresh; her clothes carried a faint soap scent, clean and distant.

“What do you want?”

Chu Yunmiao heard herself ask.

Yu Changning lifted the hand that Chu Yunmiao had not caught and lightly pinched her chin. Chu Yunmiao vaguely realized that the action was not quite right, but her thoughts were quickly led astray by Yu Changning’s words.

She countered, “Don’t you know?”

A wave of anger rose in Chu Yunmiao’s chest.

“What should I know?

“Yu Changning, if you don’t want to do it, then forget it. Don’t mess with people like this!”

She reached out, wanting to push the other woman away, but then she heard Yu Changning let out a long sigh.

“Ha.” She touched the crown of Chu Yunmiao’s head and asked, “Why are you hiding our relationship from other people?”

Chu Yunmiao knew she was talking about what happened that afternoon.

At the time, Yu Changning had been outside the door; she had clearly overheard Chu Yunmiao’s conversation with Lin Mo. Back then Yu Changning had not blown up on the spot, and apparently she had only been holding it in until now to settle the score with her.

The Imperial Crown Princess sniffled, suppressing her grievance. “Did I say something wrong? Wasn’t it you who disappeared for years for no reason and never once explained yourself?”

Yu Changning closed her eyes briefly. “That was because...”

She had only gotten halfway through when Chu Yunmiao became a little anxious. “Because what?”

But Yu Changning clearly had no intention of continuing.

She stroked Chu Yunmiao’s long hair in reassurance. “Forget it.

“Yunmiao, wait a little longer; wait until you... grow up a little more.”

Chu Yunmiao’s eyes widened. “What counts as growing up? I’ve already completed secondary differentiation; do you still think I’m a child?”

Yu Changning chuckled softly. Her finger, still under Chu Yunmiao’s chin, moved upward and gently brushed the bridge of her delicate nose.

Her voice was low and faint. “You have to believe me; when it comes to waiting for you to grow up, I’m far more impatient than you are.”

Chu Yunmiao stared at her blankly, as if stunned by the unabashed desire in the other woman’s gaze.

A faint flush spread over her cheeks. After a long moment, she awkwardly looked away.