Although the two of them had already slept together for three nights, Lin Sangyu still hadn’t gotten used to it.
Resting her head on Jiang Wenzhe’s arm, she rolled from side to side in his arms, changing positions every few moments.
“If you’re this restless, I’ll take you to the hospital tomorrow.” Jiang Wenzhe couldn’t take it anymore and pinned her down.
Lin Sangyu looked at him with bright, sparkling eyes: “Jiang Wenzhe, I can’t sleep, and I’m a little hot.”
Jiang Wenzhe closed his eyes,
Jiang Wenzhe sat up,
Jiang Wenzhe turned on the air conditioner and set it to 16 degrees.
After a while, Lin Sangyu felt waves of bone-chilling cold air blowing in from all directions, sending a shiver down her spine.
Shivering from the cold, she stammered, “Jiang Wenzhe, I’m a little cold now.”
“Then hold on tighter,” Jiang Wenzhe’s muffled voice came from above her.
“Oh.” Lin Sangyu rolled back into Jiang Wenzhe’s embrace, burying her face against his chest and wrapping her arms tightly around his waist.
It felt as if her whole body had been nestled right into him.
Jiang Wenzhe’s body temperature seemed a bit higher than hers; holding him did indeed feel warm.
Thump, thump—
As if she’d discovered a new continent, Lin Sangyu pressed her ear closer and said delightedly, “Jiang Wenzhe, I can hear your heartbeat.”
“It would be strange if you couldn’t hear it.”
“True,” Lin Sangyu thought Jiang Wenzhe had a point. “If there were no heartbeat, wouldn’t that mean I’m sleeping while hugging a dead person?”
The person who’d just been called a dead person clenched his fist, grabbed the blanket, and smacked it down hard over Lin Sangyu’s face.
Lin Sangyu was suddenly smothered; she felt her breathing catch. She yanked the blanket off in one swift motion, gasping for air, and said angrily to Jiang Wenzhe, “Are you trying to murder me?”
Jiang Wenzhe kept his eyes closed and replied casually, “Mm-hmm.”
Feeling a twinge of sadness for a second, Lin Sangyu lifted her head slightly, gazing at Jiang Wenzhe’s prominent Adam’s apple and his beautifully chiseled jawline, and asked, “If I died, would you be sad?”
Before she could get a response, Jiang Wenzhe’s large hand came down straight onto her mouth, covering it mercilessly. He said, “Shut up. You’re not allowed to say things like that.”
“All right,” Lin Sangyu said. Then, as if a thought occurred to her, she nuzzled her head upward until it was almost level with Jiang Wenzhe’s. Hesitantly, she added, “Let’s talk about something.”
Jiang Wenzhe clicked his tongue impatiently. “What is it that can’t be discussed during the day? Why does it have to wait until we’re in bed at night?”
Jiang Wenzhe pulled out his phone and held it up to Lin Sangyu’s face to turn it on.
In the darkness, the light stung Lin Sangyu’s eyes. “That’s so bright! Move it away.”
“Let’s check the time. What time is it?” Jiang Wenzhe remained in the same position, his tone firm.
“It’s 12:25.”
Jiang Wenzhe turned off his phone and asked her, “So?”
Lin Sangyu still wouldn’t give up: “But it’s really, really important. I’m afraid I’ll forget tomorrow.”
“Go ahead,” Jiang Wenzhe said, running his fingers through his hair in frustration.
Lin Sangyu looked at him with a pleading expression: “Could you find some time to help me shoot a video?”
“Film what?”
“Have you ever come across those videos where a sugar glider dives from a height and someone catches it in the palm of their hand?”
“Yeah, I’ve seen them,” Jiang Wenzhe said.
“I want to film something like that, but a little different. I want to incorporate a travel segment—we’d film at different spots in London, and I’d edit it all together later,” Lin Sangyu explained her idea.
Jiang Wenzhe raised an eyebrow: “What’s in it for me?”
“You want something in return?” Lin Sangyu pouted.
How stingy of him.
“I’m this busy, and I’m supposed to make time to help you shoot a video—shouldn’t there be something in it for me?” Jiang Wenzhe’s tone shifted, sounding a bit carefree and unconventional. “Or are you trying to get me to do this for free?”
“Am I that kind of person?”
Lin Sangyu could actually see how exhausted Jiang Wenze had been these past few days. He’d even been using his usual free time to handle work and make all sorts of phone calls she didn’t understand.
That was why she’d been agonizing over it for so long and only finally brought it up that evening, hesitantly.
After thinking it over, she mustered her courage, her eyes firm as she held up a finger—
a big, bold “1.”
“Once this video goes viral, I’ll give you ten percent of the profits. How about that?”
Jiang Wenzhe closed his eyes briefly. “That’s a bit too generous. I can’t handle that.”
Is that so? She’d just been worried she was being too stingy, but she never expected Jiang Wenzhe to have such a weak “ability to handle” money.
Still, Lin Sangyu remained generous as she said, “Then I’ll give you a hundred yuan.”
Jiang Wenzhe was so exasperated he burst out laughing: “Lin Sangyu, you don’t need to give me money—just give me some practical compensation.”
A tangible reward?
Lin Sangyu’s eyes darted around a few times, her gaze fixed on the ceiling. A moment later, she met Jiang Wenze’s eyes: “Well then, from now on, I’ll wash my own underwear—you don’t have to wash them for me anymore.”
On the night she first took a shower in human form, unable to tell which of Jiang Wenzhe’s bottles and jars was for laundry detergent, she simply placed her underwear in a small basin, planning to watch him do the laundry and decide later.
However, when Jiang Wenzhe came out of the shower, Lin Sangyu discovered that he had already washed her little panties and tossed them into the washing machine.
After that, little by little, she stopped washing anything at all.
Every little detail of daily life, big and small, seemed to have been taken care of by Jiang Wenze.
Silence. Complete silence.
Jiang Wenze grabbed Lin Sangyu by both ears and shook her head back and forth, up and down.
“What are you doing?” Lin Sangyu felt a bit dizzy from the treatment; Jiang Wenzhe’s face even began to blur before her eyes. She said discontentedly.
Jiang Wenzhe said with great concern, “I’m just shaking you to see if your head is full of water.”
“It’s not full of water. Stop shaking me, stop shaking me.”
Lin Sangyu bent and straightened her arms, using her elbows to forcefully push away Jiang Wenzhe’s mischievous hands.
Jiang Wenzhe asked her, “Then why don’t you think before you speak?”
She choked on her words, her cheeks puffing out in a huff as she said, “Then I won’t give you any perks. Today, I’m definitely going to take full advantage of you for free!”
With that, she turned away with much fanfare but little action, leaving only her empty back for Jiang Wenzhe to see.
Jiang Wenzhe reached out and pulled her back, poking her fair, delicate cheek from behind and sighing, “I’ve been taking care of you for so long, yet you still haven’t grown up.”
So childish.
Besides, he felt like he’d unconsciously been influenced by Lin Sangyu and had become a bit childish himself.
“Where haven’t I grown up?” Lin Sangyu’s indignant voice came from behind her round head.
“Fine, fine, you’re grown up,” it was already very late, and Jiang Wenzhe had no desire to argue with a child. He raised his hand to adjust the air conditioner to a normal temperature. “Go to sleep.”
Lin Sangyu had actually been feeling sleepy for quite some time; upon hearing this, she immediately replied, “Good night, Jiang Wenzhe.”
The London night was quiet and peaceful; the evening breeze gently brushed against the hotel windowpane, carrying a touch of languor and a hint of romance.
Once the person in his arms was breathing steadily, Jiang Wenzhe called out in a hoarse whisper, “Lin Sangyu.”
Seeing no reaction, he quietly moved on to the next step.
The flowing air seemed to turn into a viscous liquid; moonlight shattered into fragments like bricks and stones scattered across the floor, and Jiang Wenzhe could hear the true beat of his own heart.
In the pitch-black darkness where all five senses were infinitely amplified, Jiang Wenzhe gently lifted Lin Sangyu’s left hand and quietly pulled out the soft measuring tape he’d hidden under the pillow.
The fingers that had signed countless contracts worth hundreds of millions were, at this moment, actually trembling slightly—even though it was merely a simple matter of measuring a finger’s dimensions.
Slowly and gently, he carefully slipped the measuring tape onto Lin Sangyu’s right ring finger, bit by bit, as if handling something precious.
*
Last night, Jiang Wenzhe had forgotten to draw the curtains, and the first rays of morning sunlight streamed into the room without warning. He raised his hand to block them, but the light slipped through the gaps between his fingers.
Looking down, he saw Lin Sangyu, her face soft and plump in sleep, snoring soundly against his chest.
Her long, feathery eyelashes drooped, and the sunlight made the fine downy fuzz on her cheeks clearly visible, making her look like a soft, juicy peach.
Jiang Wenzhe leaned down and kissed her eyelid, then kissed the tip of her nose, and finally, with restraint and self-control, planted a kiss on her lips.
It’s worth it,
he told himself.
Slowly withdrawing his hand, Jiang Wenzhe nimbly rolled over and got out of bed.
The rustling sounds weren’t loud, but for some reason, Lin Sangyu happened to wake up.
Perhaps from spending too much time with Jiang Wenzhe, her body clock had truly synced with his.
She opened her eyes groggily and saw Jiang Wenzhe with his back to her, getting dressed.
His robe fell away, revealing a beautifully proportioned back with well-defined muscles—his latissimus dorsi stood out sharply, like the wings of an unfurled butterfly. As he dressed, the muscles in his back tensed naturally, creating a fluid, rippling movement that fully showcased his strength with every motion.
Lin Sangyu stared at him without blinking, then suddenly blurted out, “ Jiang Wenzhe, could you sleep naked from now on?”
You have to fight for your own perks—Lin Sangyu realized this and put it into practice.
Jiang Wenzhe fastened the last button of his shirt before slowly turning around. He looked down at Lin Sangyu, who was lying on the bed, as if he’d heard something amusing. He snorted with a chuckle and said:
“Don’t sexually harass me.”
Author’s Note:
The very first second after opening my eyes: Wifey, let me give you a kiss!
The very next second after getting dressed: Don’t sexually harass me.
(That smug look)