CM - 72

After recording their statements at the police station and getting back home, it was already 4:30 in the morning.

While Shen Ting-wen was in the shower, Zhou Shu-rong got him a new blanket, placed it in the guest bedroom, and took out the first aid kit. When he came out of the shower, she called out to him, “Come here.”

Shen Ting-wen was only wearing a pair of pants, his upper body bare. He walked towards her while drying his hair.

He didn’t just have a sleeve tattoo; he also had a tattoo on his back. His pants were low on his hips, revealing a bit of abdominal hair, and above that were muscle lines that would make anyone drool. With a body this good, Zhou Shu-rong felt it would be a waste if he didn’t have at least seven or eight ex-girlfriends.

Zhou Shu-rong started blow-drying his hair, “Why did you work out your abs?”

Shen Ting-wen said matter-of-factly, “Other boyfriends have them. Do you want your boyfriend to not have any? Do you want to be embarrassed?”

Zhou Shu-rong grabbed his hair hard, “Bullshit! Did you know me before?”

Shen Ting-wen didn’t answer that question. “I didn’t need to know you beforehand. I just needed to be single for twenty years and be ready to dedicate myself to you.”

Zhou Shu-rong was flustered. His words weren’t flowery at all; they were very plain, like he was stating a fact. But it was precisely this honesty that Zhou Shu-rong couldn’t handle. It made her feel weak all over.

She stopped talking to him and focused on blow-drying his hair. Midway through, she accidentally caught sight of the tattoo on his back. Why did it look so familiar?

She stopped, reached out, and touched his back. She looked closely for a while and realized, “Are you bored? Why did you get this tattooed on you? You look like an idiot.”

Shen Ting-wen leaned back between her legs, touching her knees. “It’s so beautiful, isn’t it? You and I.”

“Beautiful my ass!” Zhou Shu-rong couldn’t handle it. “Go get it removed. Couldn’t you get something normal tattooed? If I drew a turtle, would you get that tattooed too? And weren’t you embarrassed when I drew it on you in the bathroom? And you tattooed it on yourself?”

Shen Ting-wen thought it looked good. “When you’re old and have Alzheimer’s, you can look at my back, and you’ll remember. Isn’t that nice?”

Zhou Shu-rong hit his shoulder, “Thanks for cursing me!”

Shen Ting-wen yelped, “Ouch...”

Zhou Shu-rong remembered that he was hurt and stopped talking. She started applying medicine and bandages to his wounds, treating them with the seriousness of a newly hired nurse.

After she had taken care of the surface wounds, she asked him, “Anywhere else?”

“No.”

Zhou Shu-rong pulled his arm over and checked again, making sure all the exposed areas were fine. She screwed the cap back on the ointment and put it away. “Go sleep in the guest room. I’ll get you a pass from school so you don’t have to go this morning.”

Shen Ting-wen looked at her, “Are you going?”

“Yes.”

“Then I’m going too.”

Zhou Shu-rong wouldn’t allow it, “Look at your face. You’re not going anywhere.”

Shen Ting-wen didn’t argue with her this time. “Okay.”

Zhou Shu-rong got him a bottle of water, then shooed him off to bed, “Go to sleep.”

Shen Ting-wen pretended to be scared, “I’ve never slept in someone else’s house. I’m a little scared by myself.”

Zhou Shu-rong knew he would say this, so she had prepared a plan. “I’ve lit some incense for you. Just sleep. Nobody will bother you.”

“I’m not dead. Why did you light incense for me?”

“I was afraid you’d be scared.”

“You’re so thoughtful.”

Zhou Shu-rong pushed him into the guest room, “Stop stalling and go to sleep!”

She closed the door and went to take a shower.

After she was done with everything and lying in bed, she couldn’t fall asleep.

Too many things had happened in the past two days. They seemed minor, but they were very telling. Shen Ting-wen cared about her too much, and she couldn’t quite understand why.

They were strangers who met, slowly fell for each other, and decided to be together. It hadn’t been that long. How could he be so in love with her already? On one hand, she found it incredible, and on the other, she couldn’t explain the anxiety and fear she felt on the way to call the police.

She had never been so scared. She was afraid something would happen to Shen Ting-wen. The other guys weren’t holding back. What if they seriously hurt him?

This feeling was getting deeper and deeper, to the point where she couldn’t control it. Was this the kind of relationship they should have at their young age? Her lack of experience in this area made her ask countless ‘whys’ in just ten minutes.

She tossed and turned, unable to sleep, so she quietly got out of bed, quietly went into the guest room, and softly called Shen Ting-wen’s name, “Are you asleep?”

Shen Ting-wen didn’t answer.

Zhou Shu-rong lay down on his bed and slowly wrapped her arms around his waist.

Shen Ting-wen suddenly hugged her.

Zhou Shu-rong jumped in surprise, “What are you doing?”

“I should be asking you. Why are you sneaking into my bed in the middle of the night? What do you want to do? Do you want to sleep with me?” Shen Ting-wen said, his voice close to her ear.

Zhou Shu-rong pushed him, “I’m scared, okay?”

Shen Ting-wen hugged her tighter, “It’s okay. I’ll protect you. From now on, you can sleep with me.”

“Dream on! Only for tonight!”

“If it’s just for tonight, can we sleep without clothes? They say it’s the best way to relax, and you get the best sleep.” Shen Ting-wen’s voice was soft.

Zhou Shu-rong believed his nonsense. “Who are ‘they’? Porn?”

Shen Ting-wen chuckled softly, the vibration in his chest making Zhou Shu-rong’s ears tingle and itch. She tried to pull away, “Stop laughing!”

“This is the first time you’ve ever come to me for comfort. What’s wrong with me laughing?”

“I’m ticklish!”

Shen Ting-wen’s hand moved down, “Where are you ticklish? I’ll scratch it for you.”

“My ears are ticklish!”

Shen Ting-wen kissed her ear, “Is that better?”

It wasn’t. It was even more ticklish, “Don’t move! The more you move, the more ticklish I get!”

Shen Ting-wen turned her around so she was facing him, “I’m ticklish too. Can you scratch me?”

Zhou Shu-rong hugged him, her hand on his back. “Where?”

Shen Ting-wen said, “Move your hand forward.”

Zhou Shu-rong moved her hand to his front, resting it on his pectoral muscles. “Here?”

Shen Ting-wen said again, “A little lower.”

Zhou Shu-rong actually believed him at first, but the lower her hand went, the more she realized something was wrong. She pulled her hand back and decided she didn’t want to sleep with him anymore. She regretted her decision to sneak in here and wanted to leave.

Shen Ting-wen wrapped his arm around her waist, not letting her go. “Have you ever heard the saying, ‘You don’t let a duck fly away when it’s already in your mouth’?”

Zhou Shu-rong glared at him, “Don’t tempt fate! Shen Ting-wen!”

Shen Ting-wen acted wronged, “Didn’t I obediently go to sleep when you told me to? You’re the one who came in here secretly, you got into my bed, you got under my blanket, and you hugged me. If I didn’t react or do anything, would I still be a man?”

Zhou Shu-rong was filled with regret. Her heart was racing, her mouth was dry, and she was nervous. She wasn’t afraid of what Shen Ting-wen might do to her; she was afraid of him seeing her give in to his temptations.

She felt a little embarrassed. Her lustful self was truly embarrassing.

Shen Ting-wen’s hand rested on her lower abdomen, then slowly one hand moved up and the other moved down. Zhou Shu-rong’s chest was beautiful and full, but not to the point of sagging. It was firm and felt nice to the touch. Just one touch was enough to get him addicted.

Zhou Shu-rong’s mind was racing from his gentle touch, and she instinctively snuggled closer to him, but her mouth still said, “Don’t move...”

Her voice was uncharacteristically soft, and hearing it made Shen Ting-wen hard. “You’re the one who needs to stop moving. If you get me worked up, I’m going to take advantage of you.”

Zhou Shu-rong didn’t dare to move. Her face was still pressed against his chest, her breath hitting his skin.

Shen Ting-wen’s hand slowly moved to her private area. He didn’t dare to go all the way. He knew the difference between a single meal and a lifetime of meals. He didn’t want a moment with this little darling; he wanted a lifetime.

He teased her, “You’re so hot. What are you thinking about?”

Zhou Shu-rong pushed his hand away, “Don’t touch me there.”

“But you touched me. You did this and that to me for so long. Can’t I touch you just once?” Shen Ting-wen whined.

Zhou Shu-rong’s face was hot too, “That’s only because you kept...”

“You do whatever I want. Do you like me that much?”

“Shen Ting-wen! Be reasonable!” Zhou Shu-rong was angry.

Shen Ting-wen brought both of his hands back and hugged her waist, “Okay, okay, I won’t say it anymore. Let’s go to sleep.”

Zhou Shu-rong wanted to go back to her room, “Let go of me. I want to go back.”

Shen Ting-wen didn’t let go, “I’m scared. I don’t know your house well. What if a ghost snatches me away? Wouldn’t you cry yourself to death?”

“Then that ghost must be out of its mind. Out of all people to snatch, it chose an annoying person like you.”

Shen Ting-wen laughed, “You think I’m annoying now? I wonder who was worried sick when she saw me fighting.”

Zhou Shu-rong was tired. Once Shen Ting-wen stopped touching her, she couldn’t stay awake. Her consciousness slowly faded, “That wasn’t me...”

Shen Ting-wen didn’t say anything else. When she fell asleep, he kissed her lips, stealing a bit of her saliva. It was sweet and warm in his mouth, just like the little thing in his arms.

He had seen how much she cared about him today.

So what if he got hurt in a fight? It was worth it.