Chapter 78: One Step Beyond Control

After showering and drying her hair, Kang Ning slipped into a coffee-colored robe adorned with subtle patterns and walked out of the bathroom, breathing in deeply with a sense of ease. She was halfway lost in the pleasure when someone pushed her aside.

“Move over!” Qu Mengmeng, carrying her change of clothes, strode into the bathroom and closed the door.

Kang Ning shook her head at the closed door, then returned to the living room to find a fresh cup of tea placed on the coffee table before her seat, warming her heart. She smiled at Lu Jing. “You’re always so thoughtful!”

Lu Jing smiled in response but kept her attention on the television, unlike her usual inclination for conversation.

Sensing something was off but unable to pinpoint the oddity, Kang Ning sipped her tea for a while, then entered Lu Jing’s bedroom to retrieve her newly purchased psychology book, “Nobility and Humility,” meant to induce sleep. She greeted Lu Jing in passing and then went into the guest room. After closing the door, Kang Ning turned on the desk lamp and switched off the wall light, lying on the bed in a comfortable, curled position to read. After half an hour, sleep overcame her, and she put down the book, turned off the light, and drifted into dreams.

In a haze, Kang Ning felt her wrist slowly tightening, her skin’s natural sensitivity and ever-present sense of danger suddenly triggered by a powerful instinct. Bathed in faint light from the living room, she astonishingly pushed herself upright with one hand on the pillow, springing into a handstand. Her other hand, wrapped in cloth, moved with blurring speed, leaving ghostly traces. Two cries rang out, and Kang Ning, lightning-fast in thought, was shocked; she released the tightly held rope and dropped swiftly onto the bed. The entire process took less than three seconds. When she reached out to turn on the lamp, the scene before her left her both amused and helpless.

Lu Jing and Qu Mengmeng lay back-to-back at the edge of the bed, their delicate necks tangled together by a long robe sash, coughing violently. Kang Ning hurriedly untied the loosened knot and gently helped them onto the bed, laying them flat. She carefully examined their necks while apologizing profusely: “I’m so sorry, Sister Jing, sorry Mengmeng, I really didn’t know it was you. I was confused, confused—I thought I was dreaming... wait…”

Kang Ning rushed out, brought back a large cup of water, and placed it on the bedside table. She awkwardly helped Lu Jing and Qu Mengmeng to recline against the solid wood-paneled wall at the head of the bed, offering water to each. Sitting cross-legged between them, she glanced from one to the other, utterly at a loss.

Qu Mengmeng burst into tears, her fists pounding Kang Ning’s chest and shoulders. “Did you really want to strangle me?!” After some time, she collapsed onto Kang Ning’s shoulder, sobbing in a tangle of emotion.

Kang Ning wrapped one arm around Mengmeng’s waist, the other gently rubbing Lu Jing’s chest to soothe her cough. Seeing Lu Jing was still a little distant, he simply pulled her into his embrace, tenderly caressing her back. Only then did Lu Jing, her face streaked with tears, recover enough to cling to Kang Ning, weeping in grievance.

After much comforting, the two finally calmed. Qu Mengmeng, not even considering her failed sneak attack, continued to cry and curse in endless streams—“ruthless, cold, cruel”—never repeating herself, leaving Kang Ning’s head spinning. Lu Jing repeatedly complained, her slender hands pinching Kang Ning’s waist as if twisting the volume knob, while Kang Ning, full of guilt and apology, dared not move, enduring it stoically, letting his beautiful girlfriends vent their grievances.

When Mengmeng finally ran out of new insults and Lu Jing released her grip, wiping away her tears, she saw a patch of bruised red on Kang Ning’s waist and immediately touched it with concern. Kang Ning, helpless at this sight, quickly helped Mengmeng, whose robe had loosened, exposing her spring-like beauty, to sit at the head of the bed, then took Lu Jing’s hand and asked, puzzled, “How did you two get in?”

Before Lu Jing could answer, Mengmeng’s fists flew again. “You bastard! Sister Jing and I just wanted to put you on trial, and who knew you’d nearly strangle us. I could have died! I’ll beat you…”

Kang Ning silently protested his innocence. If not for hearing their cries in time, these two beauties might have met a grim end. Still, he apologized sincerely: “I’m sorry, I really didn’t know. But you must remember, never do this again. If I’m not careful, someone could die! Mengmeng, Sister Jing, you both know how we feel about each other—if you want to ask anything, just ask. Why bother with a ‘trial’? Look at you now, faces full of tears and snot; you don’t look like judges at all.”

The first part of Kang Ning’s words soothed them, but the last part enraged them. Like two furious tigresses, they both leapt up, pouncing on Kang Ning, pinching and biting with all their might.

Having already been enticed by the sight of his disheveled girlfriends, Kang Ning’s self-control melted away under their heated bodies. As he quietly reached out with his right foot to turn off the lamp, he launched an unstoppable counterattack. The gentle Lu Jing was the first to be subdued, her long legs struggling only briefly before Kang Ning’s powerful thighs tightly entwined hers. After a few sweet moans, she surrendered completely, clinging to Kang Ning’s waist, gasping and trembling. As Mengmeng tried to pull away, Kang Ning easily laid her across the bed, sealing her lips with a fiery kiss. Her full curves quivered under the tender caress of his warm, moving hand…

More than twenty minutes later, as Lu Jing’s plaintive cry faded, the long-anticipated Qu Mengmeng shuddered with the fierce embrace, waves of pleasure overwhelming her. Soon, urged on by Kang Ning’s tenderness, her waist arched, meeting him with abandon, their breaths mingling in endless echoes…

After an indeterminate time, Lu Jing slowly awakened from the dizzying whirlwind. She opened her eyes to Kang Ning’s bright gaze, full of affection. She gently kissed the corner of his mouth, glanced at Mengmeng sleeping with a smile, her head resting on Kang Ning’s right arm, and sighed softly into his ear, “I knew this day would come, but I never thought it would be so soon. I can’t say whether it’s love, fear, or something else. Ah—once begun, it cannot be stopped! Little Ning, how do you plan to treat Mengmeng from now on?”

Kang Ning, who had already considered this many times, hugged Lu Jing tightly and kissed her beautiful eyes with deep feeling. “I have no reason to force anyone to love or not love. I can only let things happen naturally. I don’t want any of you to be unhappy, I don’t want anyone suffering or suppressing their feelings. I hope we can all be happy together. As long as I’m with you, I’ll do everything I can to make you happy! Sister Jing, please don’t blame me for being fickle. I can’t bear to lose any of you. I love you, Sister Jing!”

At that moment, Qu Mengmeng murmured softly in her sleep. Kang Ning gently shifted her into a more comfortable position, carefully pulled up her blanket, and she turned away, falling back into sweet slumber.

Kang Ning turned back, holding the lovely Lu Jing close to his chest, gazing silently into her eyes. “Sister Jing, ask me anything you want.”

Lu Jing shook her head, tenderly cupping Kang Ning’s face. “There’s no need to ask. I love you so much!”

At such a moment, words seemed pale and empty. A knowing look, a gentle touch, far surpassed anything language could express.

After a long, lingering kiss, the passionate Kang Ning released his embrace and moved atop Lu Jing, kissing her beautiful face and every inch of her skin with fullness and deep affection…