TSDT - 29

After dinner, due to furious instructions from her mother—Mom Jiang had sent her over ten in-depth articles about “Drink these in autumn and winter, and they (seventy-year-olds) actually...”—Jiang Ying had no choice but to go to the supermarket to buy a health pot.

As usual, she was held up by the beverage shop at the supermarket entrance. Milk tea and supermarkets were a perfect match; one sip enlightened the soul, transforming her into a poet.

Having done it so many times, Jiang Ying no longer bothered bragging to Meng Jingshu about her “happy water.” She hummed along to a popular TV drama theme song playing on the supermarket radio, like a happy elementary school student on a spring outing.

Meng Jingshu found it amusing. His free hand reached out to hold hers.

Her swaying hand suddenly fell into a warm, dry palm, gently enveloped.

Jiang Ying froze, like an electric shock, and pulled her hand back, tucking it behind her.

Meng Jingshu paused, tilting his head to look at her.

Jiang Ying turned her gaze away, not wanting to meet his eyes.

The atmosphere instantly became inexplicably gloomy.

A phone call ended the silence.

Mom Jiang, learning that her daughter was at the supermarket choosing a health pot, immediately called to guide her. Jiang Ying took a reluctant big gulp, then handed the milk tea to Meng Jingshu to hold, and went to the home appliance section to look for the brand her mother mentioned.

Meng Jingshu, having nothing to do, strolled behind her, watching her touch each of the different styles of pots arranged in rows, chattering with her mother about features, capacity, and price.

He followed her finger as she scanned around, already having chosen a satisfactory model in his mind. But he had no right to suggest, so he could only wait by the side, holding the half-drunk milk tea in his hand.

Jiang Ying introduced a round of options to her mother, distractedly listening to her comments on their pros and cons, her attention then drawn to the milk pots and electric hot pots on the adjacent shelf.

Meng Jingshu: “...”

He rarely went grocery shopping with others. When he did, it was only when necessary, to buy what he needed. Typically, it took him only a few minutes from selecting items to paying and leaving, without wasting any extra time.

Such slow, leisurely Browse probably dated back to his childhood, with his grandparents.

Are all women like this? His grandmother was the same. She clearly had a shopping list before coming, but once in the supermarket, she seemed to want to touch every item on the shelves, looking here and there, wanting this and wanting that. But when his grandfather nodded and said yes to everything, she would turn around and criticize him for being wasteful with money.

His grandfather, helpless, pulled him, who was already impatient, to the children’s section to read books. Soon after, he again told him to stay put and not wander off, then went to find his grandmother to continue shopping with her.

Why would someone go, despite being tired and bored and still getting nagged?

At that time, Meng Jingshu completely didn’t understand.

But now, he seemed to.

Just being by her side, not even speaking or doing anything, all the time spent didn’t feel wasted.

Meng Jingshu’s thoughts wandered, a rare occurrence. He unconsciously switched hands holding the milk tea, the light yellow straw swayed in front of his eyes for a moment, and the teeth marks bitten into its top also left an impression on his heart.

He suddenly felt a little thirsty and took a sip with a neutral expression.

It wasn’t overly sweet; it was quite good.

He always liked the flavors she chose.

When Jiang Ying and Mom Jiang finally reached a conclusion, their call ended. Jiang Ying put the items in the shopping cart and instinctively reached for the milk tea from Meng Jingshu’s hand without even looking.

Then she felt her hand was light.

?

She had only had a few sips, how was there so little left?

Meng Jingshu met her questioning gaze, calmly saying, “It tasted pretty good. Want me to buy you another one?”

“...”

Jiang Ying wasn’t that obsessed, but...

“Didn’t you say this was ‘abdominal muscle disappearing water’?”

Meng Jingshu smiled at her, “It’ll be used up, don’t worry, they won’t disappear that easily.”

Jiang Ying said nothing, choked by his suddenly lowered voice, her face hot, not to mention that feather-light, tickling smile, which quite plainly indicated which “consumption” method he was referring to.

In broad daylight, her sense of morality was high, making her easily embarrassed.

Jiang Ying didn’t confront him, her gaze flitting around as she casually tossed some snacks into the shopping cart.

Rarely finding such emotions as shyness on her face, Meng Jingshu watched her for a while, the urge to get closer irresistible. So, he reached out for her hand, even just a touch would do.

But she seemed prepared, quickly slipping her hands into her pockets.

He was confused, and his brow furrowed slightly, subtly displeased.

Jiang Ying grinned, whispering to him, “Um... birth control is running low. Go grab some later and pay for it together. Just leave the stuff in the car, bring it over tonight. I’m too lazy to carry it.”

It has to be said, Jiang Ying sometimes had him perfectly under control. Young Master Meng, born with a silver spoon in his mouth and spoiled by his grandparents, had arrogance and dominance deeply ingrained in him. No matter how much time and experience refined him, that hint of a playboy remained. Simply put, spending money made him proud. Moreover, she mentioned another of a man’s impressive feats, which instantly satisfied his vanity.

Any budding temper was casually extinguished by her few words.

He responded with a faint “Mm.”

“It’s almost time to go back to work, I’m leaving now,” she said, stepping back two paces before waving at him, a smile still on her face, “Thanks, boss, goodbye, boss~”

Even when ordering him around, she called him “boss.”

Meng Jingshu chuckled, raising his chin, motioning for her to go.

Jiang Ying hurried away. Only after she was outside the supermarket did she let out a heavy sigh of relief.

Indeed, she still... couldn’t be truly carefree.

________________________________________

Back in the office, several colleagues were gathered, eagerly discussing something.

They saw Jiang Ying return and waved her over, asking her what she wanted to do this weekend.

“Team building?” Jiang Ying asked.

In the same office, most were either interns who had just started or new lawyers who had been certified for less than two years. They were all young people in their early twenties, without much money or family responsibilities, but they enjoyed leisure, and every month they would go out together for dinner, karaoke, or movies.

Zheng Yifeng said, “Xiaoman is treating us, to celebrate her boyfriend getting an offer from HuaX.” He added, “We’re still choosing a place.”

So someone else was paying, no wonder everyone was so excited, even Zheng Yifeng, who was usually quiet, was actively asking and answering questions.

“Congrats, Xiaoman,” Jiang Ying said with a smile, “Is it Saturday or Sunday?”

Xiaoman smiled sweetly: “Saturday, let’s have a good time, and then rest on Sunday. Wouldn’t that be wonderful?”

Jiang Ying pondered, then told her, “Saturday... I might have something on, but not for sure. If I’m free, I’ll definitely come.”

“You absolutely must come! I’ll bring my handsome guy to meet everyone,” Xiaoman said grandly, “If you have family members, bring them too, let’s all have fun together.”

Aside from Xiaoman and another guy, everyone else in the office was single. When she said that, everyone wailed about wanting to find a partner, and Jiang Ying joined in the commotion.

Xiaoman poked her in the waist: “What are you shouting along with them for? Are you single too? You’re always glowing, putting on makeup so diligently, don’t tell me you don’t have a man.”

“...”

Was it that obvious?

Jiang Ying glared at her, her face stiff: “No way! Or else I’ll go find three, five family members right now, and we’ll come and eat you out of house and home.”

Xiaoman: “Wow! If you don’t, you don’t, why be so harsh! I’m telling you clearly, family members are limited to partners, don’t try any shady tricks. If they come, they’ll have to kiss in public!”

Someone almost cried: “Single people have to be force-fed dog food?! Do we have any dog rights?!”

“Hahahahahahaha, that’s too tragic!”

“Xiaoman, don’t think we’ll yield just because you’re paying, I’m reporting you for discrimination on behalf of the Singles Association.”

“Get out! Being too jealous will hurt your luck in love!”

“Wow! That’s so mean!”

________________________________________

They chattered and laughed for a while. As soon as working hours began, the volume instantly dropped, everyone returned to their places, and buried themselves in work.

Xiaoman’s desk was right next door. She stole moments from her work, chatting with her boyfriend while writing, even making a lawsuit sound sweet. Jiang Ying watched, amused, but also felt a subtle, undeniable envy.

—But what right do you have to be envious?

The WeChat desktop icon in the menu bar glowed orange. Jiang Ying clicked on it. It was Meng Jingshu asking if she was late.

She said, of course not.

A reasonable greeting, a concise reply, the conversation complete, no need for a follow-up.

—Everything was your own choice.

She calmly organized some documents for a while, and the orange light unexpectedly glowed again. Her fingers paused, and she felt a little nervous when she clicked to open it.

He said: “Want to kiss you.”

Time seemed to stop at that instant. The late autumn sunlight was warm enough to make one dizzy.

After a very long time, she replied: “:P”.

—Ah... still envious.

________________________________________

Meng Jingshu replied quite late. He seemed a bit busy lately, with no less social engagements and overtime, but he still reported to Jiang Ying’s place every day.

Sometimes Jiang Ying felt speechless, sincerely telling him not to come if he was busy. The man just pretended not to hear, domineeringly sealed her lips, and began pulling down her pants without explanation.

Just like now, Jiang Ying was carried onto the table, Meng Jingshu standing like a steel rod in front of her, cradling her head, and passionately kissing her.

He had wanted to do this at noon, and after waiting for half the day, he finally got to kiss her.

The intimate entanglement made them both pant softly, their lips and tongues entwining, releasing warm breaths. Their faces were slightly damp, especially their lips.

He had drunk some wine that evening, but after showering, when he leaned close, there was only a cool mint scent, barely noticeable. However, when her tongue entered his mouth, it was a different story. The alcohol, filtered by his body, had lost its fermented taste, leaving only the pure essence of alcohol, which made her feel slightly tipsy and numb upon contact.

Jiang Ying felt a bit dizzy from his kisses. He paused his assault, pulling back slightly, and her eyes remained gently closed. Meng Jingshu kissed her eyelids, and her eyelashes fluttered slightly before she opened her eyes.

She might not know it herself, but she always looked like this when kissing: her face flushed, eyes closed. And after the kiss, she’d keep them closed, as if too shy to look at him. It took him kissing her eyelids for her to seem to get the signal and slowly open them.

Her eyelashes were long but not thick, just like her whole being, clean and pure. Perhaps it was because her dark pupils were so large and bright that she always looked a little childish without makeup.

In the past, Meng Jingshu didn’t have romantic feelings for her, partly for this reason. She looked too young and too well-behaved. They weren’t the same kind of people; he shouldn’t mess around with her.

Things are unpredictable.

Did he misjudge her, or did she change? How could she, doing nothing and not even dressed up, wearing silly fluffy pajamas, attract him so much?

Meng Jingshu grabbed the little hand he hadn’t held during the day into his palm and kneaded it. He then lowered his head, touched her swollen lips, and murmured hoarsely, “Jiang Ying... have you gotten prettier?”

She smiled, her feet tickling him, rubbing against the side of his strong thigh like scratching.

His mind wandered, and he once again took her lips.

He kissed her gently, placing her hands on his shoulders, and mumbled, “Hold me.”

Jiang Ying let out a muffled hum, deliberately pulling her hands away. She just wouldn’t hold him.

The kiss deepened, and her tongue lost its freedom.

She wiggled her feet in protest, but was suddenly lifted into the air. Only her legs were held at his waist by his broad hands, her back feeling utterly empty.

“Are you going to hold me or not?” he asked.

The feeling of being about to fall was quite bad. In her physiological panic, she argued with him for a moment.

He maliciously let go, and Jiang Ying instantly dropped. She yelped, instinctively clutching his neck. But her toes didn’t hit the floor as expected—he had already been prepared to support her hips.

Jiang Ying was so annoyed her teeth itched, and she bit his chin.

Meng Jingshu chuckled, tossed her onto the bed, and then pressed himself onto her. They kissed passionately, growing hotter with each kiss. He knelt between her legs, burying his head. Whatever stimulation she had given him before, he returned it in kind.

The night was heavy with mist, and behind them was the hazy dark sky. A soft yellow bedside lamp lit up the room, transforming the dark background into a mirror, a mirror of undulations and tremors.