Chapter 36

On the evening of New Year’s Eve, before Ji Qingyuan’s performance, he repeatedly reminded Zhu Xinyue and Ji Linyu to watch, asking them to take photos and videos when he went on stage.

After climbing the mountain and having dinner outside, Ji Linyu and Zhu Xinyue checked into a secluded villa in a nearby town.

The house had been cleaned the day before they arrived, with a clear view of the mountain they had climbed from the balcony. Away from the hustle and bustle of the city center, it was quiet here.

Ji Linyu was in the living room, adjusting the TV to the channel broadcasting the Spring Festival Gala.

Zhu Xinyue wandered around the house.

“Boss Ji, have you stayed here before?” Zhu Xinyue leaned against the stair railing, looking towards Ji Linyu in the living room.

“No, I bought this house last year and just finished renovating it,” Ji Linyu was no more familiar with the house than she was.

Zhu Xinyue had initially wanted him to show her around, but hearing this, she decided to explore on her own.

The master bedroom was on the second floor, with a guest bedroom opposite, both decorated in a modern minimalist style, reminiscent of a hotel.

Zhu Xinyue walked into the master bedroom and casually opened the closet, finding both men’s and women’s clothes inside, all brand new with tags still on them.

The men’s sizes matched Ji Linyu’s measurements, while the women’s were exactly her size, all dresses.

Zhu Xinyue remembered the shopping trip with Ji Linyu before the wedding banquet and suspected he had secretly noted down her dress size.

Even the brand was the same as the one they visited last time.

She took out one of the dresses and compared it in front of the full-length mirror in the dressing room, but because she was still wearing a sports suit, she couldn’t see the effect.

Should she try it on?

Zhu Xinyue turned on the light in the dressing room, pulled the curtains closed, and started trying on the dress.

A black velvet dress with lantern sleeves, featuring a large V-shaped criss-cross strap design on the back, was both sexy and elegant, complementing her excellent figure.

Looking at herself in the mirror, Zhu Xinyue suddenly thought that since she and Ji Linyu got together, apart from kisses and hugs, they hadn’t gone any further. Even living in Lishan, they each had their own room…

In the closet in front of her, men’s and women’s clothes were placed together, whether intentionally arranged by the staff or not, assuming they would sleep in the same room tonight.

Various embarrassing scenes flashed through Zhu Xinyue’s mind. She coughed lightly and carefully picked a dress from the closet to try on.

After trying on a few dresses, Zhu Xinyue heard a knock on the door.

“Xinyue, Qingyuan’s show is about to start,” Ji Linyu knocked.

Zhu Xinyue was fastening the belt of the dress and glanced at herself in the mirror. She felt this dress was a bit too dreamy and exaggerated—puffy sleeves and a lwide skirt made her feel like she was about to transform into Cinderella and attend a ball.

“…Just a moment,” she hurriedly took off this dress and randomly picked another one to wear.

Ji Linyu couldn’t hear clearly what Zhu Xinyue said through the door. After waiting for a while without getting a response, worried that something might have happened to her, he pushed the door open.

As soon as he turned the doorknob and opened a crack, he was pushed back by a force.

“Wait, I… I’m changing clothes,” Zhu Xinyue’s cheeks were red.

Ji Linyu seemed to have been scalded and immediately let go of the doorknob, allowing the door to close with a resounding “bang.”

She’s changing clothes? Ji Linyu cleared his throat and banished the improper thoughts from his mind.

“I’ll wait downstairs for you,” Ji Linyu was about to go downstairs, but the door opened again a crack.

Zhu Xinyue poked her head out, asking, “Could you help me tie the strap?”

The room’s heating was very adequate, and even wearing a short-sleeved tank top wasn’t an issue, but the dress Zhu Xinyue grabbed randomly was a strapless short dress, with the shoulder strap needing to be tied into a bow by hand.

Ji Linyu entered the room.

The only light in the room came from the dim lamp on the right side of the entrance, casting warm white light on Zhu Xinyue. Her fair skin glowed under it, and the thin straps of her dress hung down, transforming the strapless dress into a bandeau^[1]The term frequently refers to a garment that wraps around a woman’s breasts. It is usually part of a bikini in sports or swimwear. It is similar to a tube top, but narrower. It is usually … Continue reading style, accentuating her perfect shoulders and prominent collarbones.

“The straps…” Zhu Xinyue held up the dress with one hand and hooked up one of the straps, turning slightly. “There’s another strap at the back, tie it together with this one.”

Ji Linyu’s gaze fell on the slender strap hanging down the back of her dress. He pinched this strap and took the one she handed him.

These straps were so delicate, it felt like they could come loose with just a tug. Blushing, Ji Linyu focused intently on tying the straps, awkwardly securing them to stabilize the dress.

“There, let’s go downstairs to watch the program,” Ji Linyu finished tying both straps and took Zhu Xinyue’s hand, leading her downstairs.

Zhu Xinyue felt the straps were a bit tight on her shoulders, restricting her movements. However, the sound of the host starting the program could already be heard downstairs, so she didn’t pay much attention and followed Ji Linyu downstairs.

On the TV screen, a festive scene unfolded. The subtitle at the bottom left displayed Ji Qingyuan’s name. 

It was his turn to sing.

Zhu Xinyue activated her phone’s recording function to capture Ji Qingyuan’s performance, proving that she was indeed watching it attentively.

But when she glanced sideways, she noticed Ji Linyu sitting beside her, completely still, solely focused on her. She lowered her voice and asked, “Aren’t you filming? Ji Qingyuan might say you’re not watching the show seriously.”

“He knows we’re together,” Ji Linyu replied, reaching over to wrap his arm around Zhu Xinyue’s waist.

The dress hugged her closely, and the warmth from his palm seeped through the light fabric, making Zhu Xinyue’s hand tremble as she held the phone.

As Ji Linyu drew closer, Zhu Xinyue’s heart raced. Their current posture almost felt like they were embracing each other.

In the living room, besides the music playing on TV, Zhu Xinyue could hear the rapid beating of her own heart.

Why hadn’t she realized before that this song was so long?

As the song ended, Zhu Xinyue sent the video to Ji Qingyuan. Just as she sighed with relief, someone turned off the TV.

The living room suddenly fell silent, and Zhu Xinyue’s mind raced with various thoughts. Was something about to happen?

“I’m going to take a shower,” Ji Linyu released Zhu Xinyue and headed upstairs.

He just went upstairs without further ado.

Zhu Xinyue’s anticipation was dashed. As she breathed easier, she couldn’t help feeling a bit disappointed.

Did he really have no thoughts about her at all? Zhu Xinyue stroked her pounding heart, starting to overthink things.

Was her appearance not good enough? Many people had complimented her on her looks.

Could it be… he couldn’t? Or was there some psychological barrier? Zhu Xinyue furrowed her brows. If that were the case, their future together would be difficult. Such discordance in this aspect would inevitably lead to conflicts.

Zhu Xinyue decided to wait for Ji Linyu to come out of the shower and talk to him about it.

She entered the bedroom on the second floor and heard strange noises coming from the bathroom.

The sound of water mixed with muffled groans.

Zhu Xinyue thought Ji Linyu might have bumped into something, so she knocked on the door and asked, “Are you okay? Do you need help?”

She could fetch the first aid kit for him.

The sound inside suddenly stopped, leaving only the endless sound of water.

“Ji Linyu? Are you alright?” Zhu Xinyue grew more worried and knocked again.

Just then, the bathroom door opened, and a gust of steamy air tousled her hair. Zhu Xinyue looked up and met Ji Linyu’s deep, ink-colored eyes.

Water droplets trickled down from his hair, dripping onto his shoulders, following the contours of his muscles. Zhu Xinyue dared not look lower, simply staring straight into his eyes.

“Can you… help me?” Ji Linyu’s voice was hoarse, sending a current through her ears.

Zhu Xinyue swallowed nervously, tentatively asking, “H-how can I help?”

Ji Linyu grabbed her wrist and pulled her into the bathroom, casually closing the door behind them.

He was completely soaked, and his whole body was wet. Holding onto her wrist, he made her dry skin moist as well.

He pushed Zhu Xinyue against the bathroom door and kissed her lips passionately, nibbling on her soft lips. But he couldn’t satisfy his desire. Instead, it escalated uncontrollably.

Zhu Xinyue placed both hands on his shoulders, feeling the increasing warmth beneath her palms. Her dress was dampened by the water on his body, leaving dark traces.

Between their intertwined breaths, Zhu Xinyue felt his kisses were different from before. This time, they were more urgent, more… irresistible.

When she could hardly catch her breath, he finally released her. Zhu Xinyue leaned against his shoulder, breathing heavily.

Ji Linyu held her wrist and guided her hand downward.

His speech was slurred, and each word he uttered brushed past her earlobe, causing her heart to beat faster.

“You said you’d help me.”

It was time for her to fulfill her promise.

Zhu Xinyue’s body seemed beyond her control, her knees weakening. With one hand clinging to his neck, the other hand under his control, she blushed from head to toe.

He rubbed against Zhu Xinyue’s delicate palm, bent his knees, and rubbed her palm, seemingly wrinkling her hand.

Without any methodical consideration, he surged forward recklessly.

Zhu Xinyue was enveloped in mist and couldn’t see anything clearly. It felt like she was sitting on a small boat on the sea, only able to see the waves coming over, wetting her dress, and bobbing up and down with the waves.

When the big waves rolled in, one wave after another, after finally calming down, Zhu Xinyue’s dress was soaked through. The hem of her skirt clung tightly to her thighs as she looked expectantly at Ji Linyu.

“Is… is it okay now? Or do you want to take a shower first?” Zhu Xinyue noticed her voice had changed slightly.

Ji Linyu simply picked up Zhu Xinyue and effortlessly placed her on the large sink countertop.

“A favor for a favor.”

With no fabric barrier between them, the cold marble countertop pressed against her overheated body. Zhu Xinyue leaned back, water dripping, the mist-covered mirror reflecting her, making her straighten her back, hands braced behind her.

Ji Linyu held her knee with one hand, forcing her legs apart, and kissed her lips in this position.

Zhu Xinyue clenched her fists, enduring his kisses, her body aroused by waves of heat, causing even the marble countertop beneath her to mist over.

Ji Linyu’s large hand lifted her skirt, fingertips catching her intimate clothing, his gaze deep, meeting her dazed eyes as he asked softly, “Can I?”

Zhu Xinyue felt uncomfortable, her inner knee brushing against his abdomen, nodding slightly.

As the so-called reciprocity, she thought he might use his hands, but Boss Ji was bolder and more greedy.

She melted like candy on his tongue, the cramped bathroom filled with a sweet fragrance.

Tonight is destined to be sleepless.