Embrace The Waist

Thinking of this, Jiang Xiao quickly came up with an excuse to brush it off: “It was your nephew and his girlfriend who upset me. I don’t even want to talk about it…”

As she spoke, Jiang Xiao waved her hand, appearing as if she didn’t want to say more.

“My nephew?” Zhou Qishen’s tone rose, showing a hint of interest.

Jiang Xiao blinked innocently, hinting, “The illegitimate son your brother just acknowledged.”

“My dress got splashed with red wine by his girlfriend. I thought, as an elder, I wouldn’t stoop to her level, so I didn’t say anything. But your nephew rushed over and scolded me, being extremely arrogant and protective.”

Zhou Qishen recalled the red wine stain on her white dress when they first met in the parking lot and didn’t respond for a moment.

Seeing this, Jiang Xiao thought he believed her nonsense and couldn’t help but smile slightly, continuing on her own: “For your sake, I kindly threw him a birthday party. Instead of being grateful, he was disrespectful, so I slapped them both.”

In terms of making up stories, Jiang Xiao never lost. After her retelling, not only did she restore what happened at the party, but it also sounded logical. She even managed to sow some discord: “Husband, if your nephew wants to marry that woman in the future, you really need to talk to dad about not letting her into the family easily.”

After hearing her words, Zhou Qishen couldn’t help but admire her ability to turn black into white and vice versa.

“Husband, why aren’t you saying anything?”

After rambling on, without receiving any response, Jiang Xiao couldn’t help but look up at him.

Zhou Qishen raised his hand to cover his lips, hiding a fleeting smile, and his eyes held an amused glint: “Yes, I’ll pass it on to my dad.”

He deliberately enunciated each word, with a deep, magnetic voice, making it convincing.

Tsk, what an actor.

Jiang Xiao silently criticized him in her heart. They really were both quite the talkers.

She could tell that Zhou Qishen didn’t plan to expose her for now. Although she didn’t know his reasons, it was currently beneficial for her.

*

At 4 a.m., in a high-end apartment complex in the city center.

A duplex apartment with one unit per floor, featuring 270° panoramic floor-to-ceiling windows. Looking outside, the first thing in view was the Jinjiang River spanning the northern city, with a broad view and beautiful scenery.

The numbers on the elevator kept changing until they stopped on the 26th floor.

Zhou Qishen was the first to step out of the elevator. After taking a few steps, he noticed there was no movement behind him. He turned around in confusion, only to find the woman who had confidently insisted on coming home with him was now huddled in the corner of the elevator, not moving at all.

He raised an eyebrow. “Not coming out?”

Jiang Xiao noticed a hint of impatience on his face and felt she couldn’t be too fussy. Reassuring herself that nothing would happen, she slowly shuffled forward at a snail’s pace.

The apartment had a standard, minimalist CEO style, predominantly black and white, modern and spacious, but lacking warmth.

Jiang Xiao was in a state of extreme nervousness, her mind was a mess, and she was not stupid enough to ask why there was no trace of her as the “hostess” in the house.

“You’ll sleep in the second room on the left. There’s a bathroom in there.”

After settling her in for the night, Zhou Qishen headed straight to the kitchen, opened the fridge, took out a bottle of cold mineral water, and casually drank from it.

After a few gulps, he suddenly thought of something and looked at Jiang Xiao, who was standing there dumbfounded. “Want some water?”

Jiang Xiao nodded. After a long night, she was tired, thirsty, and a bit hungry. As an actress, her self-discipline did not allow her to eat late at night. She could only wait and find a way to get something to eat the next morning, but she still had to drink water.

Zhou Qishen paused, and instead of taking a bottle of ice water from the refrigerator and handing it to her, he turned and walked to the cabinet on the other side, took out a glass, and added some hot water from the built-in water dispenser.

Watching him, Jiang Xiao was somewhat surprised by his attentiveness. Earlier, he had also prepared a mask for her at the police station. Although he appeared aloof and cool, he was more caring than she had imagined.

Taking the glass he handed her, she sipped it—the warmth was just right.

After finishing the water, Jiang Xiao said, “I’m going to take a shower,” and quickly disappeared from Zhou Qishen’s sight, like a rabbit fleeing from a predator’s territory.

Zhou Qishen withdrew his gaze, fiddling with a lighter as he strolled to the balcony, lighting a cigarette along the way.

The cool breeze tousled his hair, and the city’s unique car noises shattered the rare tranquility.

Biting the cigarette lightly, one hand in his pocket, Zhou Qishen gazed lazily at the traffic below. He couldn’t help but think of the little wife he had picked up.

Extremely beautiful and extremely interesting.

Even though he knew she was pretending and had an agenda, he still chose to bring her home.

It’s totally unlike him.

As his thoughts wandered, memories drifted back to their first meeting years ago, when she had tricked him with her lies, making him willingly break his rules and be used by her.

A slightly youthful smiling face slowly appeared in his mind, and he curled his lips in self-mockery. “Nothing’s changed, little liar.”

Hearing approaching footsteps, Zhou Qishen removed the cigarette, holding it between his fingers, the smoke dispersing in the wind. He casually glanced back. “If you hate the smell of smoke, just stand there and don’t move.”

Jiang Xiao paused.

The balcony lights were off, and Zhou Qishen, dressed in black, was almost invisible in the night, with only the faint glow of the cigarette outlining his shape.

As the wind blew, Jiang Xiao faintly smelled tobacco. She didn’t mind smoking, but that didn’t mean she liked smelling other people’s secondhand smoke. So she chose to listen to him, stopped where she was, and didn’t move forward.

A few seconds later, Zhou Qishen stubbed out the half-burned cigarette in an ashtray and asked in a low voice, “Anything else?”

Though his tone was neutral, anyone being troubled repeatedly would likely feel annoyed.

Jiang Xiao pursed her lips, lowering her head like a child who had done something wrong, her voice muffled. “I don’t have any clean clothes.”

Zhou Qishen glanced at her already changed slippers, guessing she only realized this after entering the bathroom. Being in someone else’s home is not the same as being in your own; the inconveniences are clear only to the person involved.

“Wait here.”

With long strides, Zhou Qishen walked past her to the master bedroom on the left. Soon, he returned with a set of black pajamas. “Wear this for now.”

A top and a pair of pants.

Jiang Xiao took them and held them against her body, muttering softly, “They seem a bit big…”

Not just a bit, but very big.

Though Zhou Qishen wasn’t overly muscular, his height of over 1.9 meters made the clothes exceptionally long. The top could barely pass as a dress in the trendy oversized boyfriend style.

But the pants were so baggy and long that they reached her neck. Jiang Xiao thought if she tried hard enough, she could fit her entire body into one leg. Wearing them would require constant attention to avoid them slipping down, so she might as well not wear them.

Zhou Qishen glanced at her slender frame and chuckled softly.

Considering their size difference, he had chosen pants with a tighter waist that fit him snugly, yet they were still far too big for her.

“That’s all there is. Make do with it for now, and we’ll figure it out tomorrow.”

Realizing there probably weren’t any clothes in her size, Jiang Xiao felt relieved; it would be odd if there were.

Just as she was about to leave with the clothes, his voice came again, “If anything’s inconvenient, just tell me. I’ll find what you need, don’t hold back.”

His slightly warmer tone made Jiang Xiao pause for a second, and she couldn’t help but glance at him. His handsome profile was hidden in shadow, making it hard to see clearly.

“Thank you,” Jiang Xiao nodded, then added softly, “husband.”

She almost forgot her role as his wife.

Zhou Qishen leaned lazily against the wall, watching her. Since they entered, she hadn’t called him “husband” due to nervousness or self-protection. Now, her sudden utterance felt refreshing.

After staring for a while, he smirked. “Want to sleep with your husband tonight?”

The unexpected words frightened Jiang Xiao so much that she screamed, “What?!”

Zhou Qishen suppressed his laughter and took a step forward: “Why are you so scared?”

As he moved forward, Jiang Xia moved backward, stammering, “I, I, I…”

She struggled to continue, but couldn’t find her words.

Jiang Xiao’s heart was pounding wildly, as if it might leap out of her chest. She stuttered, “I… I’m on my period, it’s inconvenient.”

Her excuse was as awkward as her acting, but Zhou Qishen’s amusement deepened. He reached out and lifted Jiang Xia, whose legs had gone weak, with a slight force. Her soft waist was held firmly in his hands, delicate and boneless, yielding to his grip.

He had no intention of letting her off easily. Leaning close to her ear mischievously, he whispered in a low voice, “Oh? Is that so? It’s just sleeping, your husband won’t touch you.”

The cold scent of wood mixed with smoke wafted over. Jiang Xia instinctively held her breath, then pushed against his robust chest like a solid wall. “T-today… forget it, I’m going to take a shower.”

Jiang Xia had acted in intimate scenes with many young male actors before, but she had never been so nervous as she was now, feeling as though she were sinking deeper into a bottomless pit, struggling against someone who seemed to engulf her tighter with every move.

Zhou Qishen could tell she was genuinely scared. Her long lashes trembled incessantly, making her look like a startled wild cat. Since she knew he could be seen as someone with ulterior motives, why did she bother to come close?

Unable to guess the answer, he became restless for a moment. The teasing look in his eyes gradually faded, he withdrew his smile, and calmly helped her steady herself before immediately releasing her hand.

“I’m going to take a shower,” Jiang Xia almost fled.

Because she was so flustered, she bumped into furniture along the way, either hitting a chair or kicking the sofa, causing her to frown in pain and lightly gasp. The culprit, once again, remained carefree and laughed mockingly, pushing her embarrassment to the limit and making her face flush.

When she finally reached the guest room, Jiang Xia immediately locked the door, panting with residual fear.

She knew Zhou Qishen had no such intentions towards her, just teasing her for fun. But better safe than sorry. It was necessary to be cautious to avoid any accidental incidents when alone in the room together.

Leaning against the wooden door, Jiang Xia steadied her mind before taking her clothes to the shower.

The bathroom was fully equipped with new, unopened toiletries. The freshness of the items suggested they were regularly replaced, although there was no way to tell if anyone else had ever lived in this room.

However, Jiang Xia didn’t mind, as long as no one was staying there now.

After showering, Jiang Xia sat cross-legged on the bed and texted Liang Cheng to let her know she was safe. She provided the location, the name of the community, and the floor number in text. They agreed to send messages and locations to each other every hour to prevent any accidents.

[Your Social Sister Liang]: Remember to lock the door and windows.

[Just Jiang Zi]: It’s locked, nothing has happened for the time being.

[Your Social Sister Liang]: Of course nothing happened. After all, you’re the one with intentions. What are you worried about?

Jiang Xiao stopped typing for a moment and rolled her eyes silently, but she couldn’t refute it. After all, Liang Cheng was right. A crazy woman who had randomly recognized her husband was in her own home, so Zhou Qishen should be the one who was worried.

[Just Jiang Zi]: Oh, yes, yes, I’m afraid I won’t be able to control myself and pounce on him, okay?

[Your Social Sister Liang]: Just rush in, and remember to start a live broadcast for me.

[Just Jiang Zi]: Get lost! I’m going to sleep.

Jiang Xiao threw her phone in frustration, buried her face in the pillow, and didn’t turn over until her breathing became difficult, freeing herself.

Staring at the pitch-black ceiling, Jiang Xiao blinked her clear and beautiful eyes, and couldn’t help but start imagining the scene when she pounced on Zhou Qishen. But just as she started, she shuddered suddenly.

The scene was too beautiful, and she couldn’t continue the fantasy.

“Sleep, sleep.”

Jiang Xiao closed her eyes and forced herself to sleep.