YJDNY - 46

“Shall we kiss before we leave?”

Of course, yes.

His question wasn’t phrased as a question at all—it carried no tone of inquiry, nor did it seek her opinion. Before the words were even finished, his actions had already taken over.

The hand cradling the back of her head pulled her closer, his lower lip capturing hers in a teasing caress. His tongue traced along her teeth and gums, prying open her lips, soft and entangled.

Xiang Ge raised her hand to loop around his neck, deepening the kiss with initiative. She took control, reversing their positions and launching an assault on his defenses.

Zhou Xingyan felt her advance but was more than happy to yield. He surrendered completely without resistance, obediently waiting for her to breach his gates, softening his movements and allowing her to roam freely across his territory like she was marking it.

After a while, she released him, her breathing still slightly ragged.

All the light in the old stairwell came from the faint moonlight streaming through the windows. Zhou Xingyan stood with his back to the narrow wooden window, silhouetted against the light, his face obscured.

Xiang Ge, facing the window, had faint traces of moonlight reflected in her dark pupils, making them glimmer.

Her lips glistened, and an almost invisible silver thread stretched between them as they parted, snapping apart.

She blinked, licking away the shimmering moisture from her lips. “Shall we go now?”

Zhou Xingyan pressed his forehead against hers, rubbing gently. “Let’s go.”

Xiang Ge stepped back slightly. “Turn the light on.”

Zhou Xingyan fished his phone out of his pocket, and the light flooded the stairwell again. The man lowered his gaze to look at her, and for some reason, Xiang Ge thought she caught a hint of regret in his eyes.

“...”

So what exactly are you regretting?

It was quite late by the time they got home. After taking a shower, Xiang Ge slipped into one of Zhou Xingyan’s hoodies and tossed her previous pajamas into the washing machine. She emerged with her hair still half-dry.

Zhou Xingyan was heating milk behind the kitchen counter. Seeing her approach, he glanced up briefly.

He didn’t own many casual clothes—mostly shirts. When he’d offered her something to wear earlier, Dr. Zhou had thought giving her one of his dress shirts might not be ideal. But now, seeing her in his hoodie, it seemed neither option was particularly ideal.

The black hoodie was oversized, its fabric appearing soft and comfortable. It hung long, covering a third of her thighs, transforming into something resembling a loose sweater dress that eliminated the need for pants.

Her exposed legs were pale and slender, her thighs supple, her ankles delicate, and the shape of her kneecaps especially pleasing.

Seeing him heat the milk, she walked over, tiptoeing slightly to grab two clean mugs from the top shelf. Her calves elongated as she stretched onto her toes.

As she raised her arms, the hem of the hoodie rode up momentarily before falling back down.

Zhou Xingyan leaned his palms against the edge of the counter, his upper body slightly bent forward. His fingertips brushed against the surface, then suddenly straightened as he exited the kitchen.

A few minutes later, he returned holding a pair of pants, presenting them to Xiang Ge. “Put these on.”

Xiang Ge was playing with the handle of the mug in her hand. She glanced at the pants in his hand, then looked down at her bare legs, suddenly realizing. “Ah,” she said.

She placed the cup on the table, refusing to take the pants, leaning closer with a teasing smile. “Are you going to help me put them on?”

To her surprise, Zhou Xingyan actually shook the pants out, holding them open, bending slightly in front of her.

Xiang Ge froze, having only intended to tease him lightly.

When no movement followed after a moment, Zhou Xingyan glanced up at her, tilting his chin. “Put them on.”

“...”

Xiang Ge snatched the pants from his hands, frowning. “I can put them on myself.”

Zhou Xingyan slowly straightened up, leaning back slightly, amused by her reaction.

Xiang Ge held the pants open, raising them high in front of her. She gave them a quick once-over from waistband to leg, wrinkling her nose in disdain. “These are so ugly, and way too baggy.”

Zhou Xingyan kept his head down, pouring the hot milk into the cups, not looking at her. “Ugly is fine; no one’s looking at you anyway.”

Xiang Ge casually tossed the pants onto a nearby barstool, then suddenly took two quick steps forward. She reached up, pinching Zhou Xingyan’s chin and turning his head toward her, staring directly into his eyes.

Zhou Xingyan, still holding the cup, was momentarily stunned, allowing her to teasingly pinch his chin and turn his head as she pleased.

The bones of his jawline were hard, but his skin felt surprisingly smooth. Xiang Ge let her fingertips brush against his jaw. “You’re looking at me right now.”

Zhou Xingyan snapped back to attention, narrowing his eyes slightly.

Before he could make his next move, Xiang Ge quickly withdrew her hand, retreating two steps. Smirking triumphantly, she picked up the freshly poured milk and turned toward the bedroom. “I’m going to sleep. Goodnight.”

Zhou Xingyan sighed, rubbing his brow bone, calling after her retreating figure. “Rinse your mouth before sleeping.”

Xiang Ge slammed the bedroom door shut.

Two minutes later, the door opened again. Xiang Ge popped her head out, drinking from the cup. “Hey,” she called.

Zhou Xingyan emerged, leaning against the dining table.

Xiang Ge sipped from the rim of the cup, thinking. “Tomorrow, I’m going to Xia Xia’s place to pick up a box, then head home to sort through some things.”

Zhou Xingyan nodded. “I’ll come with you after work.”

“You have a shift tomorrow,” Xiang Ge reminded him.

Zhou Xingyan paused for a second, then exclaimed, “Oh, right. No problem, I can switch shifts.”

“That’s definitely not okay,” Xiang Ge raised an eyebrow. “Didn’t Dr. Zhou previously refuse a colleague’s offer to cover your shift just to send me home? Such dedication.”

Zhou Xingyan: “...”

“And—” Xiang Ge paused, calculating in her mind. “You probably won’t see me for two or three months, right?”

Zhou Xingyan tilted his head slightly, unexpectedly showing no confusion. He calmly acknowledged with an “Oh.”

After a moment, he said, “I can visit the set.”

Without pondering why he knew what she was doing, Xiang Ge responded seriously, firmly rejecting the idea. “Nope.”

Zhou Xingyan raised his eyes, questioning.

“I’m still a newbie, and everyone on set is a senior. I need to maintain a proper attitude. How can I have my boyfriend visiting the set whenever? Plus, Su Yining is also on set. You might not know this, but Su Yining is infamous for being strict and rigid. She takes her work extremely seriously. If she catches wind of a newcomer who lucked into the lead role and isn’t focusing on acting but instead on dating...” Xiang Ge drained the last of her milk and continued, “That wouldn’t sit well with her.”

Zhou Xingyan poured a glass of warm water and handed it to her, taking the empty mug. Nodding, he replied, “Makes sense.”

Xiang Ge drank half the glass, handed it back, and continued. “This is my first film, and though I don’t plan to pursue acting afterward, I still want to leave a good impression on the legendary actress Su Yining.”

Holding both cups, Zhou Xingyan nodded again. “True.”

The next morning, Xiang Ge was woken up for breakfast, went back to bed for a short nap, and finally got up around ten to head to Xia Wei’s place to pick up the box.

Xia Wei was lounging at home, wearing pajamas and leaning against the bedroom doorframe as she watched Xiang Ge pack. “So, you’re with that doctor now?”

Xiang Ge picked a piece of candied fruit from Xia Wei’s coffee table, letting out an “Ah.”

“Nice,” Xia Wei clapped three times dramatically. “Looks really do matter. Being beautiful is unfair. Even someone who practically has ‘emotionally cold’ written on their forehead can be conquered.”

Xiang Ge chewed on the candied fruit, dryly commenting, “Emotionally cold doesn’t seem to apply anymore.”

Xia Wei’s eyes widened. “Your relationship has progressed this far already?”

“Not really,” Xiang Ge said gloomily. “And it seems like it’ll be stuck in neutral for a few months.”

Xia Wei crossed her arms, tapping her lips thoughtfully. “Then stand still for a few months. You’ve just started dating; waiting a few months is reasonable. Why do you look so unsatisfied?”

Xiang Ge, expressionless, grabbed the box and turned to leave. “Bye, see you in autumn.”

In early June, filming for The Cocoon began. Most of the crew arrived a week before shooting, except for some actors.

Xiang Ge arrived three days early. On the day she left, Zhou Xingyan happened to be on duty.

She didn’t tell him and booked a flight directly. When Gong Mo offered to accompany her, she declined.

By the time she landed, it was evening. Although she was a newcomer, she was personally chosen by the director to play the lead role. A crew car was waiting outside the airport. After exchanging polite greetings with the staff, Xiang Ge headed to the hotel where the crew was staying.

In the hotel lobby’s seating area, a woman sat on the couch, wearing sunglasses, legs crossed, resting her cheek on her hand, lazily chatting with someone across from her.

As the staff led Xiang Ge in, the woman tilted her head slightly, lowering it just enough for her sunglasses to slip down, revealing her intense gaze fixed on Xiang Ge without blinking.

Feeling the burning stare, Xiang Ge instinctively turned her head, thinking, Why is someone wearing sunglasses in this dim lighting? Does she think the hotel lobby lights will hurt her eyes?

Glancing over, she saw the woman’s sunglasses had slipped down, revealing half her eyes. Xiang Ge froze.

The woman, upon seeing her, suddenly smiled, her red lips parting as she said something to the man across from her.

At this point, the staff member accompanying Xiang Ge noticed her too and went over to greet her, addressing her as “Teacher Su.”

At this moment, Bai Yuandao, who had been sitting with his back to the entrance, turned around, smiling and waving at her. “Oh, our leading lady has arrived!”

Xiang Ge: “...”

It was really Su Yining!

Why was she here? So dedicated!

Su Yining didn’t have a lot of scenes in the movie, and given her status, there was absolutely no need for her to stay with the crew. Yet, she had arrived three days early, stating she hadn’t acted in a while and wanted to get a feel for the set.

Now, sitting in the hotel’s lounge area, Bai Yuandao and Su Yining seemed close, chatting about the film while Xiang Ge remained silent.

Despite sitting beside a triple-crowned actress and a somewhat famous director, Xiang Ge didn’t feel nervous. The only thing that made her uncomfortable was Su Yining’s persistent gaze, which had been glued to her since they met.

That gaze was oddly intense.

Smiling warmly, Teacher Su asked, “Is this our leading lady’s first time acting?”

Before Xiang Ge could respond, Bai Yuandao interjected seriously, “A top graduate from the Central Academy of Drama’s acting department, formally trained. Her graduation short film even won awards.” Bai pointed a finger upward. “Our leading lady’s eyes—they tell stories when she acts.”

Teacher Su nodded, still smiling. “How old is our leading lady?”

“Twenty-three,” Xiang Ge replied, thinking that despite her fame, Teacher Su was still willing to stay with the crew. She seemed humble, without any airs.

Teacher Su nodded. “Twenty-three, that’s good.” Tilting her head, she added thoughtfully, “What’s your birthday? And what time were you born?”

Director Bai: “...”

Xiang Ge: “...”

Something about this felt... off?

After awkwardly chatting with the bigwigs all evening, Xiang Ge returned to her room, unpacked, and sent the staff away. Not even five minutes had passed before Zhou Xingyan called.

The production team for The Cocoon seemed to have money to spare. Xiang Ge’s room was a suite with modern minimalist decor. White curtains hung in front of the floor-to-ceiling windows. From the window, she could look down and see streams of light from cars below.

Xiang Ge answered the call, took off her coat, and draped it over the sofa. Lazily curling up, she kicked off her shoes. Before she could say anything, Zhou Xingyan spoke.

He was on duty and had likely just finished rounds. It was quiet on his end.

His tone was calm but carried a hint of dissatisfaction. “Why didn’t you tell me you were leaving?”

Xiang Ge blinked. “I was going to tell you once I arrived, but you called before I had the chance.”

Zhou Xingyan stated matter-of-factly, “I won’t see you for months, and you didn’t tell me?”

Xiang Ge felt a twinge of guilt.

Licking her lips, she softened her tone, trying to appease him. “You were on duty, and if you had come to see me off, I might not have been able to leave.”

“...”

A direct hit. Zhou Xingyan fell silent.

Xiang Ge realized her words and asked, “But how did you know? Aren’t you on duty?”

Zhou Xingyan paused on the other end. “I called home, but no one answered.”

Xiang Ge hummed in acknowledgment, reminding him, “Dr. Zhou, you don’t have a landline at home.”

Caught in his lie, Zhou Xingyan didn’t miss a beat, smoothly changing the subject. “Did you meet the director? How’s the crew?”

Xiang Ge was brimming with excitement, eager to vent to him. Hearing his question, she stopped dwelling on the previous topic, switching the phone to her other hand. She flopped onto the sofa sideways, wriggling into her favorite position, legs dangling over the backrest. “I met Teacher Su today.”

Zhou Xingyan responded with an “Ah, really?”

Xiang Ge pulled her long hair out from under her, smoothing it to one side. Swinging her legs over the backrest, she lowered her voice. “I think Teacher Su is terrifying.”

Zhou Xingyan fell silent.

“She stared at me the entire evening. Her gaze was like an MRI machine, scanning me up and down, left and right. I felt like a fish being fried in a pan—first side A, then side B, until I was thoroughly cooked, or I wouldn’t be allowed out of the pan.”

On the other end, Zhou Xingyan chuckled softly.

Xiang Ge stretched her leg upward, pointing her toes downward to stretch. “And you’re laughing?”

Zhou Xingyan stopped laughing, speaking in a serious tone. “I think you could fry something else—not necessarily fish.”

Xiang Ge lowered her leg, rolling off the sofa and dragging her suitcase into the bedroom. While rummaging for pajamas, she continued, “Her gaze was really creepy, like glue. She even asked me my birthday—down to the exact time! And what I like to eat, my favorite color... Do you think she has some weird quirks, like introducing pretty young girls to potential suitors?” Xiang Ge thought for a moment. “Or maybe she’s interested in me and wants to introduce me to her son. After all, there aren’t many excellent girls like me. Keep it in the family, you know. Though there haven’t been any photos leaked, I’ve heard her son is quite handsome.”

Zhou Xingyan seemed to ponder for a moment, then slowly replied, “I think you’re right.”