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☆ 34. Just Sleep Like This
In the deep night, everything was silent, even the sky drizzled with fine rain, falling softly on the tiled roof and flowers without making a sound. A gentle breeze brushed through, just enough to sway the flowers and grass, while the branches of the jujube tree in the courtyard remained still.
On this rainy night, the quiet was rare.
The light in the room hadn’t been turned off, and there was no enchanting or stimulating atmosphere as one might imagine, it seemed to echo the tranquility outside, silent and still, with only the man’s heavy breathing breaking the calm.
Ji Meng lay on the inner side of the bed, wrapped in an orange floral cotton quilt. She lifted part of the quilt, poking her head out to look at the man lying beside her.
The man was bare, his body flushed from the heat he couldn’t shake off, his skin showing clear contours, with lean, powerful muscles glistening with beads of sweat.
Though his breathing had calmed down for a while, the heat still lingered, and his breaths remained heavy and distinct, his broad chest rising and falling continuously.
Ji Meng felt a pang of heartache. She bit her lip, hesitating before asking him, “How about I help you?”
It was awkward, truly awkward.
She thought they could go all the way this time.
The atmosphere was so good, and everything had gone so smoothly—infinitely better than the previous two times.
The deep red of her dress contrasted with the crystal buttons, and her well-defined fingers gently peeled it open.
She turned into a puddle of water, letting him manipulate her.
No one expected that in the end, the position would be wrong!
Even with the lights on, at the crucial moment, she realized the position was off.
Ji Meng was so shocked that she almost shouted, ‘System!’
She had no experience. In her previous life, to overcome her condition, she had tried to watch a couple of adult films, but she couldn’t continue after just the beginning.
Later, when she read novels, they were mostly light romance, and she gained no practical experience from adult literature.
She thought Su Cheng would know.
But unexpectedly, he didn’t, and it didn’t happen!
Even with the lights on, it didn’t work.
The first failure shattered the atmosphere. Even though Su Cheng coaxed her, pulling her apart and trying to make her see clearly, she still didn’t dare.
It was too big.
And long.
She was afraid, afraid that she couldn’t handle it.
She was cowardly, that’s just how it was.
The atmosphere didn’t improve, instead, it became cowardly, leading to the current situation.
She felt a bit worried, realizing that if the man held back for too long, it might cause problems, especially since they had done this four or five times already.
“Do you want to?”
Thinking of how Su Cheng had been worn out, with the veins in his neck bulging, yet still managing to restrain himself after she backed down, wrapping her tightly in the blanket instead, Ji Meng felt a bit cruel. She couldn’t help but reach out to poke his arm.
It was hot and hard, the temperature penetrating her fingertips to her heart, causing her to shrink back slightly from the heat.
Su Cheng was in pain now, his body rigid and burning, the heat inside him rising wave after wave, like a tidal wave threatening to overwhelm him. Even though he lay flat, the situation showed no signs of improvement.
He wanted to take a cold shower, but Ji Meng wouldn’t allow it, as if she were deliberately teasing him.
Hearing her careful voice, he clenched his fist for a moment before turning to look at her, “How do you want to help?”
His voice was hoarse, filled with a dry rasp, and his deep black eyes had red veins surfacing.
Ji Meng sensed that he was a bit angry.
If it were her, she would also be upset. She had nodded in agreement to try again, but then she hesitated at the last moment, effectively putting him through this twice.
“Um…”
Ji Meng wanted to say just use the hand, but the words felt shameful as they reached her lips, and she instead cast her gaze down towards him.
After a moment, she gritted her teeth, realizing that she could make some other sacrifices. She pulled the blanket back a bit more, hugged him, and reached out to caress his face.
His face was also very hot and sweaty.
In the past, Ji Meng hated people who were dripping with sweat, but facing him, it felt as if everything had healed on its own. Perhaps he was indeed tolerant and indulgent towards her.
Just like now, he was uncomfortable, but she stopped him from taking a cold shower, and he complied.
“What do you think would help you? I’m okay with anything,” Ji Meng leaned in and lightly pressed her warm lips against his, speaking softly.
This was her first time being gentle with a man.
Anything…
Su Cheng’s gaze darkened again. He reached out to hold the back of her neck, deepening the kiss she had initiated, but he didn’t dare to go further. After a moment, he pulled back and looked at her, asking, “Are you sure anything is okay?”
He really had a pair of beautiful, deep, affectionate eyes, even with the red veins, they still enchanted her. She tightened her embrace, nodding slightly, “Yes, but the last step is still difficult for me. I’m really a bit scared, maybe we shouldn’t turn on the lights tonight…”
“It’s okay.”
Su Cheng raised his hand and pressed her against his chest. It felt as if something was overflowing from his chest. He didn’t blame her and even felt a pang of sympathy for her.
He should take it slow, step by step, allowing her to gradually accept him.
If he hadn’t been sure before, after several encounters and tonight’s unexpected turn, he was now completely certain that the person lying beside him was still a girl.
Moreover… he wasn’t sure if his intuition was right, and he hoped it wasn’t.
Perhaps she had some unpleasant experiences in the past… similar to what Qiuqiu nearly encountered in her previous life.
His heart felt heavy and painfully swollen.
He originally wanted to know where she came from, specifically who she was, and her past experiences, but now he didn’t want to think about it at all, not even a little.
He just wanted to cherish the present her. If she was willing to share, he would be very happy. If she wanted to keep that part of her life a secret forever, he could accept that too.
His heart, which had been swaying with excitement at her words of “anything is okay,” slowly calmed down.
Let’s wait a bit longer.
He had no experience and didn’t want to hurt her.
At least he could read some materials to learn more.
“Just let me hold you to sleep like this, we’ll slowly get used to it,” Su Cheng said, pulling the blanket over them and gently kissing the corner of her lips, speaking softly.
He wanted to cherish her and didn’t want her to feel even the slightest bit of reluctance.
Desire can sometimes be terrifying and uncontrollable, but when faced with someone you truly want to cherish, it seems manageable.
“Are you serious?” Ji Meng asked, a bit disbelieving, as she found herself completely embraced in his arms.
She wasn’t wearing anything.
She could feel how hot his body was against hers, like scorched volcanic rock, and his strong heartbeat was even more intense, pounding against her, and…
If he was already feeling this uncomfortable, did he really just want to hold her?
Wouldn’t holding her make it worse?
“Really, I want to hold you to sleep, just like this,” Su Cheng said, tightening his embrace around her.
His body still felt uncomfortable, he still wanted her, desperately, wishing he could meld her into him.
But perhaps with other desires and yearnings, he felt he could endure it.
He wanted her to trust him more, to know that he cherished her and wouldn’t force her to do anything she didn’t like.
He hoped this wouldn’t cause her any problems.
“Are you really okay? You’re just being stubborn. I heard that if there are issues in this regard, it’s not easy to treat…”
“What are you thinking?”
Su Cheng glanced down at Ji Meng, who was looking at him with a mix of anxiety and uncertainty, feeling both amused and exasperated. He felt sorry for her, while she seemed to doubt whether he was okay.
“I’m fine, but if you keep looking at me like you think I’m sick, I wouldn’t mind letting you help me for real.”
Unable to resist, he playfully pinched her nose, careful not to squeeze too hard, lingering a little longer. When she couldn’t help but widen her eyes and exhale with her mouth open, he finally let go, lifting her up a bit before she could get annoyed and said earnestly:
“I won’t force you to do anything you don’t want to. Wait until you’re ready. You were scared because you saw it with the light on, right? So let’s wait until you forget or feel more comfortable, and then we can try again?”
Ji Meng was stunned, she didn’t expect to hear such words.
She knew how difficult it was for him to hold back. He had been uncomfortable the previous two nights too, but they hadn’t gone through this kind of struggle or been honest with each other…
“Okay.” After a long pause, Ji Meng heard herself reply softly. Then she reached out and hugged him, burying her head in his shoulder.
“Mm, I’ll turn off the light.”
Earlier, Su Cheng had pulled a wire to the bedside. He stood up and tugged on it, and the light went out. With his long arms, he easily switched it off, then adjusted his position, holding her tightly and saying, “Alright, sleep now.”
“Mm.” As the room fell dark, Ji Meng responded and closed her eyes.
She rested her head against the hot nook of his shoulder, suddenly feeling an unprecedented sense of security.
Perhaps she could try to learn a bit about that kind of knowledge. Qiuqiu’s happiness level had now reached 80%, and although Sansan couldn’t unlock many system functions yet, she should have enough energy to watch a little movie.
Ji Meng pondered and slowly fell into a deep sleep.
Recently, Su Cheng had been waiting for Ji Meng to fall asleep before he went to sleep himself. He found joy in listening to her steady breathing as she drifted off, but tonight, he was somewhat reluctant to sleep.
The days of only training in the army seemed far behind him, now, he just wanted a warm home with his wife and children, not wanting to part with her, even for just a few days.
Thinking about the days ahead when he wouldn’t be able to drop her off at work or pick her up, he felt even more reluctant.
He decided to compress his time as much as possible and finish his tasks early to come back home sooner.
Su Cheng quietly thought about how he could return early while unable to resist leaning down to kiss the top of her head.
He didn’t dare to press too hard, fearing he might wake her, so he gently nudged against her and inhaled the fragrance of her hair.
In order to get things done and return home earlier, Su Cheng woke up before dawn the next day to catch the earliest train. This morning, Ji Meng was awakened by the alarm clock.
When Su Cheng was around, Ji Meng usually woke up naturally, or he would come to wake her gently if it was getting late. After several days of this routine, she had almost forgotten what the alarm clock sounded like.
The iron alarm clock rang three times before Ji Meng finally realized it was the alarm. She reached out to fumble around on the nightstand for a while before managing to turn it off. After sitting up and realizing what had happened, she opened her eyes and, sure enough, didn’t see Su Cheng, which made her feel a sudden sense of loss.
It felt emptier than the last time when Ji Qinghe and the others were in the dark province, she felt drained all at once.
Taking her time to find clothes, she unusually didn’t bother to choose, quickly grabbing a shirt and pants to put on. She ran a comb through her hair a couple of times, took a hair tie from a clip, and tied her hair up casually before heading out.
At this moment, Qingyu and Qiuqiu were already up and brushing their teeth in the yard.
Unlike usual, when Qiuqiu was chatty and full of talk, this time both of them were particularly quiet while brushing their teeth.
“Auntie, good morning,”
Qingyu called out first as she saw Ji Meng coming out of the house, spitting out the foam from his mouth.
Hearing her voice, Qiuqiu also saw her mother and greeted her too: “Good morning, Mom.”
Her tone was still soft, but the liveliness of the past was gone.
Ji Meng understood why Qiuqiu seemed out of sorts, she knew her too well. After all, she felt a bit off too. But in front of the kids, she had to appear full of energy. She put on a smile and replied, “Good morning, my babies.”
Qiuqiu had gradually adapted to Ji Meng calling the two kids “babies,” still feeling happy about it, her eyes filled with smiles. However, Qingyu clearly hadn’t adjusted yet.
In her entire life, Ji Qiao had never called her “baby.” Hearing that made her blush instantly.
Feeling embarrassed, she hurriedly swallowed some water and continued brushing her teeth, her head down so her face wasn’t visible, only showing a pair of cute little red ears.
Seeing the two kids, Ji Meng’s mood finally improved quite a bit.
After having breakfast, Ji Meng was worried that Ji Qinghe wouldn’t be able to manage taking the two kids to school alone, especially since today was Qingyu’s first day at school. So, she decided to go with Ji Qinghe to drop the kids off.
Now that the family was getting bigger and Qingyu was starting school, Su Cheng had brought back a Phoenix-brand two-eighths bike a couple of days ago. It was a men’s model, slightly larger than Ji Meng’s.
It was just right for one person to carry one kid, making it convenient.
Ji Qinghe had no objections to this plan but was concerned about Ji Meng being late for work.
“Why don’t I just take them? You might not make it to work on time.”
They left the house just before 7:10. It took about five minutes to bike to the kindergarten, but they would likely be delayed a bit, making it tight for Ji Meng to get to school by 7:30.
When Su Cheng was around, he would take Qiuqiu to school first to ensure Ji Meng could sleep a little longer.
“It’s fine. I’ll drop them off and then head over, I’ll make it in time.” Ji Meng waved her hand and went to get the bike.
Seeing this, Ji Qinghe didn’t stop her.
After dropping off the kids and heading to work, it felt like nothing had changed compared to before, but in reality, the difference was significant—biking alone to the collective, there was no one to talk to.
It felt lonely, empty, and hard to adjust.
On the first day apart, Ji Meng began to think about it.
However, once she got to the collective, she couldn’t afford to dwell on her feelings of emptiness.
She was too busy.
In the past, they worried about not having enough orders, but now that the sales team in the collective has tasted the sweetness of earning commissions, they have started venturing into even more distant lower-level counties and cities, in addition to the surrounding areas.
Orders have been increasing, and the production department simply can’t keep up with the volume.
Moreover, with mid-April approaching, the first wave of summer clothing is about to be released, so they can’t blindly expand. Most importantly, there was a batch of products distributed for free earlier, and several sales representatives didn’t perform well despite having large quantities.
The issue is that these people, eager for variety and more sales, refuse to let the collective adjust the styles and have even provided false data.
Running a business can be really challenging, especially in such a wide-reaching operational management scenario, where all kinds of problems can arise.
Ji Meng noticed that, in this era, people can be very naive, but there are also those who are quite shrewd, like those who manipulate data.
In light of this situation, Ji Meng implemented strict management regulations, stating that any company found guilty of hiding data would have to bear the inventory burden themselves, and those with severe violations would be cut off from the free distribution collaboration, although this requires oversight and inspections.
With the sales team focusing on market development and operations assisting with production, the responsibility for supervision and inspections fell on Ji Meng and Meng Ling, the two idle ones.
So, for the next few days, Ji Meng was busy going around inspecting stores with Meng Ling.
The nearby counties were plentiful, and the two of them [1]“Nearly ran their legs off” is an idiomatic expression that means they were extremely tired or exhausted from walking or working for a long time. It conveys the idea that they were so … Continue readingnearly ran their legs off, by the fifth day, Meng Ling was starting to reach her limit.
“I say, we should stop this free distribution model, it’s just too exhausting.”
“You still have to add leather goods next month, and the volume will be even larger. How are you going to check each one?”
References
↑1 | “Nearly ran their legs off” is an idiomatic expression that means they were extremely tired or exhausted from walking or working for a long time. It conveys the idea that they were so physically worn out from the effort that it felt as though they were about to collapse or that their legs could no longer keep going. |
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JustMeow18[Translator]
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