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"Oh dear," Suiren called from the other side of the door when Maomao had tried and failed to open it several times. "It looks like it just won't open."
Maomao closed her eyes for a moment, but when she opened them again, she was still exactly where she'd been: locked in a small storage room with a celestial vision of beauty who was eyeing her with trepidation. The worst part was that Suiren had told her there were some unusual herbs being stored in here, and Maomao had rushed in to find not even a weed.
"How did she get you in here?" she asked Jinshi, not even trying to hide her disgruntlement. She'd been just about to leave the room in disappointment when Jinshi had hurried in and the door had closed and locked.
By accident, according to Suiren. By careful design, Maomao was sure.
With a chagrined look on his face, Jinshi gave a helpless shrug. "She told me you needed help," he said.
"I'll have to send someone for Gaoshun to fix this lock," Suiren said through the door, sounding distinctly pleased. "I'm sure he'll be able to get you out. You two just sit tight."
Suiren's footsteps faded away, and looking around the small room, devoid of all furniture (and, mostly importantly, all herbs), Maomao sighed. She didn't know where Suiren expected them to sit. She was more than fine with the floor, but she could just imagine the reaction if Jinshi emerged from this room with his elegant robes covered in dust.
"This is getting ridiculous," she said. She'd long lost count of the number of times Suiren and Taomei had arranged to throw the two of them into closer contact. And as for Gaoshun—well, even if he wasn't directly conspiring with the other two, he was of very little help, all things considered. It wasn't like Taomei would let him be anything else.
"I'll have words with them," Jinshi said. The flush high on his cheeks spoke of embarrassment, and it made Maomao remember all too well his confession in the carriage the other month—that he was trying to hold himself back, to keep himself under control in her presence.
She didn't understand why. She'd obviously indicated her willingness to take things further.
"Has that worked any of the other times you tried it?" she asked, and if her voice was pointed, it was also a little gentle.
Jinshi covered his face with one hand in despair. "Maybe if I have the Emperor speak to them…"
"That might be going a little far," Maomao interrupted. She didn't want to actually get Suiren and Taomei into trouble. Though come to think of it, knowing the Emperor's mischievous streak, he might very well just join in on the plotting.
She eyed Jinshi speculatively for a moment, wondering if she should say anything, and then forged on ahead.
"I wonder if it might be time to try another approach," she suggested.
Lifting his face from his hand, Jinshi tilted his head and frowned at her. "Oh? You have an idea?" he asked.
After another moment of hesitation, Maomao cleared her throat. "It might seem counterintuitive, Master Jinshi, but if we make them think they've gotten what they want, they might decide to ease up on us."
"…ah," Jinshi said faintly. He looked around the room—into the corners, at the door, at the ceiling, anywhere but at Maomao, really. He seemed to be struggling with something, and Maomao decided she could be patient.
It wasn't like she had much else to do right now, after all.
Finally, Jinshi met her eyes . There was something cautious on his face, a mix of resignation and eagerness that made her feel rather fond.
"What did you have in mind, exactly?" Jinshi asked, a little hesitant, the flush deepening on his cheeks.
Maomao shrugged. "Nothing much," she said. She eyed the door, calculating the angles of sight. Taking a step forward, she reached up to clasp Jinshi's shoulders and nudge him a little to one side. There. They'd be clearly visible when the door opened, but no so visible as to attract suspicion. "You should kiss me, Master Jinshi."
"Wh—what?" Jinshi stammered.
"Kiss me," Maomao said again determinedly. "I think they're just trying to get the ball rolling between us, so if they think they've done that, they'll leave us alone."
And then, without their interference, she and Jinshi could figure things out on their own, at their own pace, in their own time.
"Er…are you sure?" Jinshi asked slowly, and then, when Maomao leveled a pointed stare at him, he stepped in a little closer to her. Her hands were still on his shoulders, and with a slow intake of breath, he raised his to bracket her waist.
It wasn't their first kiss, but in some ways it almost felt like it, with how nervous Jinshi seemed. Maomao understood; she was curious to see how this was going to go, too. Jinshi's mouth was warm and careful against hers as he bent down to kiss her. Not hesitant; just like he maybe wanted to savour it. Maomao let him explore the contours of her lips for a moment, and only when he deepened it a little did she let her arms reach up to circle his neck.
Jinshi made a slightly strangled noise in the back of his throat, and Maomao frowned. She wasn't holding him that tightly. She went to loosen her hold, but before she could, Jinshi's hands slid up from her waist, brushing against the outside of her breasts, and—
"Leave them," Suiren hissed, and Maomao opened her eyes to see Gaoshun blinking at them in embarrassment. Suiren and Taomei stood behind him, light shining in their eyes as they frantically tried to push him out of the way so they could close the door again—and presumably lock it.
Scrambling, Jinshi reached out with one hand to block the door open. As he did, his fingers brushed against the front of her chest, and Maomao drew in a sharp breath. She'd never really thought about how sensitive her breasts might be; she'd really only ever thought about them in comparison to the size of the courtesans' and the Emperor's consorts'.
Perhaps that had been a mistake.
Huh, Maomao thought as the shiver of pleasure slowly seeped away, and without realizing it, she reached up to touch her lips.
She might have to ask Suiren to lock them in a room again, though perhaps not a storage room, this time.
Perhaps one with a bed.