TSDT - 26

The small argument was completely forgotten by the man after that night. He had a taste of it and wanted more, like a chick tasting meat for the first time, full of enthusiasm, frequently seeking affection. The frequency of his kisses was alarmingly high, and almost every time he showered, while kissing, he would try to press Jiang Ying’s head down.

During high school, girls would chat in the dorms at night, innocently and curiously discussing intimacy between men and women. One girl, rich in theoretical knowledge, offered a golden phrase: when it comes to kissing and touching breasts, there are only zero times or countless times.

Jiang Ying now felt that, by analogy, “that” was the same. Men in sexual matters always seemed to let their animalistic side take over; pleasure was a necessity, no different from three meals a day.

Every day now, she felt that taking such an extreme truce measure on impulse that night was truly shooting herself in the foot.

Yes, every day.

Meng Jingshu had practically moved into this small apartment. His belongings went from just two or three changes of clothes to Jiang Ying having to clear out a quarter of her closet for him. The small sofa, now relegated to a storage rack, held Jiang Ying’s outerwear and dresses on one end, and dark men’s overcoats on the other. Half of the desk was occupied by his computer and a stack of documents. The same went for the bathroom; a corner of the sink belonged to his razor and aftershave.

Traces of the man’s life were all over the forty-plus square meters. The small house became a bit crowded, but full.

Several times, Jiang Ying deliberately complained, saying he was encroaching on her living space.

Meng Jingshu’s fingertips were busy on the keyboard, typing out strings of characters. He didn’t even look up, calmly saying, “Then come to my place, and you can encroach on my space.”

Jiang Ying “hmph-ed” and turned her head away.

She wouldn’t go. It was too much trouble. A girl’s daily necessities were quite fragmented, and moving them back and forth was too much hassle. Besides, his place wasn’t close to the subway station, making daily commutes inconvenient. Her small apartment was more comfortable.

On nights when she wasn’t working, she mostly watched TV series, no need for thinking, laughing when happy, sighing when sad. Meng Jingshu, after finishing his own tasks, would pull his chair closer, absentmindedly watch with her for a while, and then seduce her. Or sometimes he’d skip the watching part entirely.

His seduction was an art. He wouldn’t immediately start with kisses or random touching; he’d boil her like a frog in warm water.

He’d draw close, gently play with her slightly curled hair ends, twirling them between his fingers, then sniffing them. Her attention would inevitably be somewhat diverted to him. Next, he would brush her dark hair behind her ear, lean in and drop a light kiss or two on her temple. A touch and then gone, then he’d grab her hand and toy with it in his palm. Like stroking a small toy, he’d rub each finger, and finally, his slightly rough thumb would rub against her smooth palm, slowly and with some force, kneading it repeatedly.

Just from one hand, Jiang Ying could feel all his body heat transferring to her. Every time he squeezed, her heart would thump, and she wouldn’t even know what was happening on the TV anymore. When she tried to pull her hand away, he wouldn’t let her. The harder he pressed, the more she softened. When she turned to glare at him, she would fall right into his trap; he’d pull her in, into his embrace. Finally, who paused the long episode became unknown.

They each went to work every day. If they were free, they would leave work together. If it was early, they would go home to cook; if it was late, they would eat out. In any case, they always ended up well-fed and then lustful.

In this small space, they were like oil and honey.

The last period of warmth before winter, whether sunny or cloudy, brought good weather.

The small mint plant, dug from the green belt downstairs and now in a cup on the balcony, had also fully absorbed sunlight and water, truly taking root. From being crooked and sparse, it now stretched out vigorously.

Jiang Ying, like an old mother, thought of ways to nourish them, watering them with rice water and recording their growth daily. Piglet and Panda both did her proud, each sprouting new tender shoots, their new leaves a vibrant green, growing neck and neck. Even in late autumn, their vitality was undeniable.

She shared photos of the mint on her Moments, with the caption: Panda & Piggy are thriving.

Plants aren’t as endearing as pets, so aside from a few elders who showed interest and asked a couple of questions, other peers active on Moments simply liked the post.

So when Jiang Ying came out of court after finishing her business and scrolled through a string of comments on her Moments, all in the same formation, she was bewildered.

“Oh? Whose like did I see?” x N

Scrolling down the list, all the commenters were her high school classmates.

Jiang Ying had a bad feeling.

Sure enough, at the bottom, she saw Meng Jingshu’s like.

“...”

Headache.

Why would he, a perennial lurker, suddenly like her post? From the perspective of their high school classmates, they were clearly supposed to be estranged due to love turned to hate!

She wanted to curse him, even wanted him to undo the like, but there was no good reason. After all, he had a part in the mint.

Alone on the street, thinking about all sorts of things, alternately angry and laughing, she gradually tasted a secret joy, a sneaking thrill.

________________________________________

After taking a bus and then the subway, Jiang Ying passed a familiar coffee and dessert shop. Feeling a bit peckish, she went in to look around. While Browse, she discovered a few new items. She hesitated for a long time, finally choosing a Raspberry Mascarpone Napoleon and a Pineapple Coconut Tart.

Jiang Ying liked the atmosphere there, so she simply found a seat, enjoyed her dessert, and opened her laptop to write a report.

Her seat wasn’t far from the ordering counter, so she could see customers coming and going just by looking up. Soon, her attention was drawn to a man, not because she wasn’t concentrating on work, but because the man’s laughter was... excessively hearty. He was dressed in a suit and tie, looked quite young, probably around Jiang Ying’s age, and was very chatty, laughing and talking with the beautiful owner.

Jiang Ying initially thought this man might be interested in the beautiful owner, which was why she took a second look, then wondered, he looks a bit familiar?

She discreetly took a photo of him and sent it to Meng Jingshu, asking, “Is this person your friend?”

He was probably busy; it took a while for him to reply, but he didn’t answer her question. Instead, he asked, “Are you downstairs from my company?”

So?

Jiang Ying: “Yeah.”

Meng Jingshu: “I’m outside.”

So???

This man was getting increasingly shameless.

Jiang Ying: “Just passing by, not looking for you.”

She could imagine Meng Jingshu probably smiled.

He then said: “I have plans tonight, eat by yourself.”

Jiang Ying: “Oh.”

As if just remembering, he said: “By the way, the person in the photo, he’s now a partner at the company, a classmate from my university days. His name is Wei Zhanfeng, do you remember him?”

Jiang Ying: “I vaguely remember him.”

Meng Jingshu: “Mm. We should have dinner together sometime soon.”

Jiang Ying stared at that sentence, her heart giving a little thump, and she didn’t reply.