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After work, Chu Yao walked to the entrance of the corridor and felt a gaze upon him. He looked up and saw Jiang BeiBei leaning over the railing, beckoning him with a wave and softly calling out, “Come.”
Chu Yao’s footsteps were already quiet, but now he deliberately treaded even more softly, making no sound at all.
Like a ghost clad in evening attire, he slipped into the night, pulling his beloved into his arms and giving her a deep kiss.
Jiang BeiBei gestured stealthily, like a thief, tiptoeing as she pulled him back home and closed the door behind them.
Across the hall, Chu’s mom and dad were there, and yet right under their noses, she had whisked Chu Yao away.
Amused, Jiang BeiBei turned back to look at Chu Yao’s expression. Chu Yao stood there, calm and composed, leaning against the doorframe with a smile as he watched her, asking, “Do I need to sign in after coming home from work?”
Jiang BeiBei burst out laughing. “So obedient?”
“Me? Obedient?” Chu Yao pressed down on his furrowed brows, shaking his head slightly.
“I have something to show you,” Jiang BeiBei said. “It’s for you, just wait.”
She ran into the room while Chu Yao slowly followed, leaning against the doorway. Sensing his gaze from behind, Jiang BeiBei nervously turned around and whispered, “Don’t peek!”
“What are you doing?”
“Showing you a treasure.” Jiang BeiBei laughed.
The moment those words left her mouth, they sparked endless imagination.
Chu Yao was momentarily stunned before he chuckled, “Are you about to sing ‘Daughter’s Affection’?”
It took Jiang BeiBei a moment to process his words before she burst into laughter. When she was little, watching Journey to the West at Chu Yao’s house, though too young to understand romance, that episode about the Women’s Kingdom had mesmerized her. The female monk guiding Tang Sanzang through the pavilions and water terraces said, “Let me show you the treasure of our country.”
The pearl curtain lifted, revealing the breathtakingly beautiful ruler of the Women’s Kingdom lying on the bed, her bare arms exposed, gazing at him with affectionate eyes.
At the time, she asked Chu Yao, “What is the national treasure? Is it the jewelry on her clothes?”
Chu Yao replied, “It’s a person.”
Jiang BeiBei only half understood, confused in her innocence, wondering how it could be a person.
Now hearing Chu Yao say this, Jiang BeiBei couldn’t help but blush. Her actions today were indeed quite similar to the ruler of the Women’s Kingdom on TV.
Taking a deep breath, she mustered the courage to ask him, “Yao Ge, do you notice anything different about me compared to earlier?”
Chu Yao stepped back half a step, his eyes slowly scanning over her.
Over and over again, Jiang BeiBei felt herself burning up when Chu Yao finally approached her. His fingers gently traced along her neck, following the curve of her neckline, until he hooked a silver chain.
Jiang BeiBei reached out to grasp his fingertips, saying, “Yao Ge, how did you figure it out so easily? I thought you wouldn’t notice.”
Chu Yao: “You weren’t wearing it earlier.”
He had noticed that beneath her collar, a thin silver chain peeked out faintly, though he didn’t know what dangled from it.
His gaze lingered on her collarbone for a moment before shifting away.
To be honest, Jiang BeiBei hadn’t expected him to spot it so quickly. A mix of joy and embarrassment filled her heart, causing her rehearsed lines to falter. She simply said, “You’re right. Here, take a share.”
She pulled out the chain, two rings dangling from it, lightly clinking together and producing a soft sound.
“I bought these today…you know, engagement rings. Once you wear them, don’t…don’t go chasing wildflowers elsewhere. That’s the meaning.”
Jiang BeiBei stumbled through her words.
Chu Yao’s voice was low and husky as he looked at the two rings, asking, “So easy…to give to me?”
“Huh?”
Chu Yao picked her up and placed her on the bed. By the time her back touched the soft mattress, Jiang BeiBei still hadn’t come to her senses.
Her eyes widened like almonds, round with shock, staring at Chu Yao with a dazed and helpless expression.
She watched as Chu Yao leaned down, his hands braced on the bed, his eyes narrowing slightly, gazing at her with intense and unfiltered desire. His voice, deeper than before, yet still measured, asked, “Do you want me to prove myself further?”
“This…this isn’t an engagement ring or anything!” Jiang BeiBei stammered, unsure of what she was saying.
Jiang BeiBei thought of herself as a wolf, lured by the dark wolf under the moonlight, eager to flirt with him. But when she got close, she realized that one glance from his nocturnal eyes had turned her into a sheep.
Flirting? No…she was about to have her throat seized!
Jiang BeiBei curled up into a ball, wishing she could cocoon herself, tucking her head in for protection.
Wherever Chu Yao’s gaze fell, it hit her vulnerable spots.
Jiang BeiBei held her breath, swallowing nervously, trying not to make any noise that might catch his attention.
“It’s not an engagement ring…yet you’d give it to me so easily?” Chu Yao’s voice was soft as he slowly drew closer. Jiang BeiBei could feel his breath. “Since you’ve bought it, I’ll take it seriously. We’re not playing house, BeiBei. What have I done to deserve a ring that signifies lifelong commitment from you?”
Jiang BeiBei was on the verge of tears, clutching the bedsheets, looking at him with both fear and anticipation.
She wanted to ask, “Then what will you do to prove yourself?”
But she didn’t dare. She feared she was playing with fire.
Despite Jiang BeiBei’s many tricks, most were childish. She wanted to add some romantic flair, but once it came down to it, she realized she was all talk and no action, far from matching up to Chu Yao.
Chu Yao closed his eyes, placing a gentle kiss on her forehead before embracing her. Whispering in her ear, he said, “A kiss, a night together—is that all it takes to change things between us? To mean we’re together? BeiBei…you’re such a child.”
Chu Yao slowly rose and pulled the startled Jiang BeiBei up, saying, “Song Lang once told me that your understanding of love is different from ours. Your older brothers were all worried about this. BeiBei, your reaction right now… it’s like that of a sixteen or seventeen-year-old high school girl.”
It wasn’t that she was ignorant of worldly affairs, but her understanding of love was so naive that it didn’t resemble that of an adult. Her concept of love likely still lingered on admiration, without knowing how to navigate romance or what to do after confessing and having her feelings accepted.
She treated her successful confession as the finish line, not realizing that she had only just begun.
Jiang BeiBei looked at Chu Yao, her eyebrows knitting together in a rare expression of concern. “The rings…”
Chu Yao slowly smiled. He said, “You keep them for now. Later, let me tell you when you can give them to me.”
Jiang BeiBei gave a small sound of acknowledgment, feeling inexplicably wronged. She asked, “What about the sign-in sheet?”
He probably thought it was childish.
Upon reflection, it really was childish—just like he said, the kind of romantic trick a sixteen or seventeen-year-old high school girl would come up with.
Chu Yao replied, “You keep it. I’ll sign it for you.”
“Yao Ge…” Jiang BeiBei finally spoke. “You’ve realized it too—I truly don’t know how to be in a relationship.”
Her idea of love consisted of nothing more than eating meals together, dating, kissing, and sleeping together…
Now that Chu Yao had pointed it out, she suddenly realized how overly simplistic her thoughts had been.
“It’s not difficult,” Chu Yao said. “I’ll teach you… what it means to be in a relationship.”
A knock came from the door, and Qin Yuan’s voice called out, “BeiBei, open up! Look what I have here!”
Jiang BeiBei immediately panicked, instinctively covering Chu Yao’s mouth.
Chu Yao let her cover him, his eyes teasing her.
Flustered and unsure of what to do, she pushed him down onto the bed, as if caught in the act, and hurriedly circled the room twice.
“Don’t make a sound!” Finally, she said this to Chu Yao.
For a fleeting moment, Chu Yao’s eyes seemed to hold a hint of resentment.
Jiang BeiBei rushed to the living room and opened the door, leaving it slightly ajar.
Qin Yuan wasn’t the scariest part; what terrified her was that Chu’s father heard the commotion and peeked out to check on the situation.
That look… tsk.
Jiang BeiBei didn’t dare to meet Chu’s father’s gaze again. Collecting herself, she asked Qin Yuan, “Third Brother, what’s going on?”
“Something good—the mascot of our firm.” Qin Yuan held up a basket and pulled out a fat cat. “The boss’s cat. He’s away on a business trip today and asked me to take care of it for a while.”
The cat was large and plump, its eyes rebellious, its face resembling a perpetually annoyed expression—it looked utterly disdainful.
Jiang BeiBei was momentarily stunned into silence by this sudden appearance of the cat.
“My mom’s scared of these things, so we can’t keep it there. The new house is empty, so it’s not safe.” Qin Yuan said, “So I’ll leave it with you.”
“…Oh.”
“Leave it with me,” Chu’s father suddenly interjected. “There’s always someone at my place.”
Qin Yuan turned back, half-joking and half-serious, “No way, Uncle Chu… I’m afraid you’ll dissect it for fun.”
Chu’s father chuckled, a look of disdain crossing his face.
“You… leave it with me!” Jiang BeiBei quickly took the cat, adopting a policy of swift resolution.
She still had someone hiding in her room!
But Qin Yuan didn’t leave. He wanted to use the excuse of taking care of the cat to linger around longer.
Unfortunately, Chu’s father also joined in, showing great interest in the cat.
For the sake of the cat’s safety—and the firm’s mascot—Qin Yuan had no choice but to abandon his plan of foisting the cat off and went home with it instead.
After Qin Yuan left, Chu’s father still hadn’t gone. He asked, “Is Chu Yao here?”
Jiang BeiBei: “…Uncle Chu.” Could you smell him or something?
Chu’s father smiled and moved with agility faster than a cat, almost teleporting. Amidst Jiang BeiBei’s gasp, he pushed open the door and saw his son.
“What are you doing here, hatching eggs and building a nest?”
Chu Yao’s expression didn’t change much. He calmly came out, politely bid farewell to Jiang BeiBei, and followed his father home.
After closing the door, a little while later, Chu Yao sent a text message.
“This Saturday, let’s go on a date. Are you free?”
Jiang BeiBei clutched her phone, as if holding her lover’s heart, and excitedly replied, “Roar!”
________________________________________
Early the next morning, Tang Xizhou opened his door and sang a self-composed tune as he headed out to work.
“Welcoming another dawn… mustering the courage to go to work.”
The cold weather felt like being inside a freezer. Despite wearing thick clothing, opening the door still felt like standing bare-chested in front of an open fridge.
Yan Qingming returned, and the two crossed paths at the entrance of the hallway.
“Hey, Big Brother, you’re back?” Tang Xizhou perked up upon seeing him, mischievously draping his arm over Yan’s shoulder and peering at the bag in his hand. “Ah, jianbing guozi today?”
These two acted like old neighbors who had lived together for years. Even the fiery spark in their gazes had faded from familiarity. If not explicitly stated, or if one hadn’t witnessed their intimate expressions, others wouldn’t detect anything unusual.
Yan Qingming asked him, “Did you eat breakfast?”
“Nope, I’ll grab it.” He snatched the bag, patted Yan Qingming’s shoulder, and casually pulled out the collar of his shirt that had gotten tucked in. As he walked and ate, he muttered, “Your neck has teeth—it keeps eating your collar.”
“Give me the house keys.” Yan Qingming said.
Tang Xizhou tossed them over, shamelessly laughing, “There’s a lot of dirty laundry. Just throw it all in the washing machine, thanks, Big Brother.”
As Jiang BeiBei descended the stairs, Yan Qingming withdrew his gaze, smiled at her, greeted her, and went home.
Jiang BeiBei heard her brother mutter, “Won’t even take a bath, so stinky…”
Jiang BeiBei caught up with Tang Xizhou, handed him a carton of milk, and reminded him to heat it up at the office before drinking.
“Second Brother, how long will you be busy?”
“Cut to the chase—I’ll shower and change tomorrow,” Tang Xizhou said, biting into his jianbing guozi.
Jiang BeiBei laughed and ran off, getting into the news interview van across the street.
Tang Xizhou paused and called out to her, “Where are you going?”
“To the suburbs for an interview! Don’t worry, Second Brother, bye!”
Tang Xizhou chewed on his jianbing guozi, feeling his heartbeat today was a bit irregular.
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