◎She bit down hard on Shen Ruoxi’s earlobe.◎
Shen Ruoxi pried at Jian Jixing’s fingers, forcing her to release her grip inch by inch.
“Your acting isn’t bad either; you still didn’t let go even after hanging up the phone.” Shen Ruoxi looked toward her. “If I didn’t know you were also pursuing Wuwu, I’d really be afraid you’d fall for me too.”
Jian Jixing: “…” When it came to the skill of a sharp tongue, the two of them were evenly matched.
Seeing her let go of her immediately, Shen Ruoxi was also able to break free, her gaze still fixed on Jian Jixing.
She just knew Jian Jixing couldn’t stand being spoken to like that. It was just saying she liked her, did she need such a huge reaction?
In the early morning, Shen Ruoxi still carried a faint fragrance, and her slightly reddened ears made her look very much like a tender Juliet rose.
Noble and elegant.
When she stood up, she already habitually raised her chin slightly, maintaining a gorgeous posture at all times.
Jian Jixing was different.
Leaning backward against the sofa, she raised her eyelids to sweep a glance at Shen Ruoxi, letting out a dry laugh: “You’re done acting and now you’re discarding me? Weren’t you quite affectionate with me just now?”
Jian Jixing had long known that Shen Ruoxi’s acting skills were superb, but she didn’t know she could deceive elders so smoothly and skillfully.
Yan Yaojin probably really thought their progress was going well; otherwise, why would she have naturally suggested they go home?
“Thank you for praising my acting skills,” Shen Ruoxi said.
Heaven and earth as witness, that wasn’t what Jian Jixing meant at all.
But she didn’t say much more either: “Give me a copy of your schedule through Zhou Mei, will you?”
With a very businesslike tone, Shen Ruoxi grew a bit displeased: “What for? Did you really take what I made up just now to heart? Are you going to come chase after me on my next schedule too?”
“No need to think so much,” Jian Jixing said. “You portrayed me as being so clingy to you in front of Mom. If she asks about it when we go home and finds out I don’t even know your itinerary, wouldn’t that give the game away?”
Shen Ruoxi said ungraciously: “Understood. I don’t believe Mom might not be able to tell I was lying.”
Jian Jixing chuckled softly: “But she’s willing to believe you.”
“Since you can play along so well with me in front of Mom, does that mean whatever I say, you’ll just do as I say?”
Jian Jixing half-raised an eyebrow, seemingly interested: “What else do you need me to cooperate with you on?”
“What I want, you might not necessarily be able to cooperate with,” Shen Ruoxi also smiled. “If we’re going to act out the full set, we’re still lacking a bit.”
They had already shared a bed, what further step could they possibly lack? Pondering this for a moment, Jian Jixing had a flash of insight.
It was kissing.
And this wasn’t something decided by just one person alone, so Jian Jixing said:
“Let me see just how far you can go.”
Too competitive. This was way too competitive.
Wasn’t it next Wednesday that they were going home? Why start rehearsals this early?
Shen Ruoxi felt that Jian Jixing was simply provoking her, but she didn’t want to let Jian Jixing truly feel smug.
Wasn’t it just acting? What was so difficult about that? Portraying a deeply devoted couple was a compulsory course for Shen Ruoxi.
She just rarely filmed kiss scenes, not that she didn’t do romance scenes. There were formulas for this; she just needed to apply them to Jian Jixing.
No one could fail to be subdued under her charm—even someone like Jian Jixing who disliked her had to acknowledge this objective reality.
That could be seen from the way Jian Jixing’s gaze never moved away from her the moment she started moving.
Shen Ruoxi enjoyed this kind of focused admiration. She had lived her entire life this way, and naturally she would continue to be this proud in the future.
“How far I can go depends on how far you can endure.” Without wearing slippers, she walked barefoot toward Jian Jixing.
When she reached out her hand, Jian Jixing didn’t dodge.
She touched Jian Jixing’s light loungewear robe, made of cotton, in a dark shade—the material identical to the one from last night.
A thought stirred in Shen Ruoxi’s heart: last night, if not for Mom’s request, Jian Jixing definitely wouldn’t have come out to pick her up.
“Last night, if Mom hadn’t demanded it, you definitely wouldn’t have come.” Pinching Jian Jixing’s collar, Shen Ruoxi gave it a soft tug. “Director Jian’s acting was quite good at the time too; I actually thought you came specifically for me.”
Jian Jixing found it funny: “Who do you think can give orders to me?”
That was true.
It was a well-known fact that Jian Jixing was a renegade. At first, her family disagreed with her becoming a director. Later, after entering the industry, she directed niche themes, mixing documentaries with art films, sometimes even being extremely stream-of-consciousness—not that Shen Ruoxi hadn’t watched them, but she truly couldn’t understand them.
She didn’t understand what was in Jian Jixing’s heart, which was why Shen Ruoxi had never imagined she would one day become Jian Jixing’s female lead.
Even though Jian Jixing was notoriously easy to get along with, no one dared to truly anger her. Back at the Golden Wutong Awards ceremony, only Shen Ruoxi had dared to snap at her like that.
The order was undoubtedly given by Ms. Yan, but that umbrella was personally chosen by Jian Jixing as the one most suited for Shen Ruoxi.
Given Shen Ruoxi’s style, even if it were a plain umbrella, it had to be dignified, exquisite, intricately crafted, and steeped in the sedimentation of time to match her.
“That’s true.” Realizing how quickly she had been persuaded, Shen Ruoxi said to Jian Jixing again, “Smooth-talking.”
“Then what should I say?” Jian Jixing humbly asked for advice.
Instead, Shen Ruoxi turned the tables on her: “I can’t be bothered to talk to you much. Talk to you and you don’t understand, talk more and you’ll argue with me—in short, out of so many people, you are the one who annoys me the most!”
Jian Jixing truly admired this ability of hers to turn falsehoods into truths.
You talk to her and she doesn’t listen, she listens and doesn’t do it, she does it and does it wrong, she does it wrong and won’t correct it. She used every single trendy phrase she knew on her.
It wasn’t the first time Jian Jixing had witnessed Shen Ruoxi’s skill at making unreasonable demands, but she still found it miraculous that someone could apply this skill over and over again to perfection.
Her provoking Shen Ruoxi? She clearly tried to dodge her whenever she could.
“So many people.” Jian Jixing suddenly turned to look at Shen Ruoxi, taking a bit of interest in playing with words: “Best Actress Shen has such great charm, why don’t you let me learn—who are those people, and how do they all treat you?”
Failing to sense the danger in this, Shen Ruoxi blurted out: “Wuwu wouldn’t tick me off the way you do all the time, wouldn’t be as unappreciative as you, and wouldn’t use sarcasm and irony on me.”
Seeing Jian Jixing’s expression cool down, Shen Ruoxi knew she had hit Jian Jixing’s weak spot.
As soon as Chu Mu’s name was mentioned, Jian Jixing changed completely. Just a moment ago she was joking around with her, and now she was starting to lose her temper.
“How do you want her to treat you?”
Shen Ruoxi purposely angered her: “At least Wuwu’s lips don’t need me to kiss them, and the words she speaks are soft too.”
To this remark, Jian Jixing gave no reply. Taking her silence as being frustrated and at a loss, Shen Ruoxi raised her eyebrows in satisfaction.
As for the rehearsal that supposedly couldn’t give the game away, as long as Jian Jixing was willing to cooperate nicely with her, Shen Ruoxi could handle it with ease.
Jian Jixing had originally been sitting motionless on the sofa, but Shen Ruoxi easily pulled her up. Linking arms, resting her head slightly on Jian Jixing’s shoulder—this looked like a very intimate action, truly something only young couples would do.
Jian Jixing lowered her gaze, the ripples in her heart unclear whether they were due to Shen Ruoxi’s action or because she was still pondering Shen Ruoxi’s words.
Shen Ruoxi was someone who simply loved dancing limitlessly on her bottom line.
She had already told her never to bring up Chu Mu’s name again; mentioning anyone else would be fine, but absolutely not Chu Mu.
Having just been bitten by her herself, she could still so calmly bring up another alpha—if this were in front of others, it would be equivalent to saying her own alpha wasn’t up to snuff.
And calling her affectionately “Wuwu”.
Did Chu Mu have no titles left? The person was already an internationally renowned Professor Chu.
The more Jian Jixing thought about it, the more displeased she grew, but she didn’t move, letting Shen Ruoxi act willfully.
Shen Ruoxi herself became unsatisfied: “Can’t you cooperate a little?”
“My not moving is the best cooperation I can give you,” Jian Jixing said, emotion undetectable in her tone. “Are you done yet?”
“No, I can’t get it right. If it were Wuwu—”
Jian Jixing stepped forward, her hand hooked around Shen Ruoxi’s waist and gripped tight: “Do you really take me for dead? Mention her one more time?”
As soon as Chu Mu was mentioned, she reacted strongly.
Shen Ruoxi had felt a bit uneasy at first, but now her temper flared up immediately.
She had felt a tiny twinge of a guilty conscience when first bringing up Chu Mu, but now she had zero guilt left.
“I’ll mention her, what else can you do to me?” The more angry Jian Jixing got, the less Shen Ruoxi feared her, even leaning forward to press right against her ear to amplify: “Wu—wu.”
The moist heat brushed against the auricle; lover’s whispers ought to have been charming and moving, but they were instead at such loggerheads.
“She wouldn’t choose you anyway; you’re both alphas, only an omega like me is the most compatible match, and when she returns to the country she’s definitely going to be with me.”
“But don’t forget whose side you are an omega on right now.”
The dominant position shifted effortlessly. Bringing along a fair bit of personal emotion, Jian Jixing easily covered Shen Ruoxi’s jaw with her palm, turning it to reveal that jade-like delicate ear.
Just woken up, Shen Ruoxi’s ears didn’t wear any jewelry. But they were small, exquisite, delicate, and smooth, like fine soft jade.
All she had to do was lower her head, revealing her canine teeth which had long since sharpened, and bite down hard on Shen Ruoxi’s earlobe.
Shen Ruoxi’s entire body stiffened, instantly inhaling, though her body quickly softened again.
Pheromones enveloped her, and Jian Jixing’s arm supported her.
A bit of pain, the earlobe instantly dyed the color of a peach blossom, as if steamed by hot heat, sending more tingling sensations straight to her nerves and leaving her defenseless against the electric shock.
Sweet fragrance filled the air; caught off guard, Shen Ruoxi couldn’t even hold back her pheromones, which spilled over.
Jian Jixing gave her a pull, and the two of them simultaneously tumbled onto the soft sofa, Shen Ruoxi landing squarely seated across Jian Jixing’s lap.
At the moment of the fall, Shen Ruoxi was exasperated: “I’m definitely going to complain to Mom!”
Looking at the clear bite mark on Shen Ruoxi’s ear, Jian Jixing was very satisfied.
“If you want to complain, go with this on.”
Heat flushed across Shen Ruoxi’s face, the numbness behind her ears growing increasingly pronounced. Her lips and cheeks were stained with the color of peach blossoms, and even her angry expression looked mouthwateringly gorgeous.
Releasing Jian Jixing’s collar, Shen Ruoxi badly wanted to hit her.
“Everyone says Director Jian is the most patient person in the circle, patient to the point of a frigid libido.” She asked through gritted teeth, “Why are you different right now?”
Where was there any sign of a frigid libido here?
This was seduction. Shen Ruoxi was certain of it.
Jian Jixing remained her usual lazy self: “Because you’re different.”
It sounded like she was teasing her, yet also like she was joking.
Yet Shen Ruoxi’s expression softened nonetheless, a subtle sense of achievement suddenly welling up in her heart.
Even if Jian Jixing disliked her, she had to admit her charm.
Shen Ruoxi had always been very confident; she knew she had this capability. Since Jian Jixing was willing to say this, she was easy to coax and willing to step down the stairs provided.
The distance was very close, and under the ambiance created, it seemed something could genuinely happen.
Jian Jixing was leaning in closer; her aura made Shen Ruoxi’s heart hammer like a drum, causing her to instinctively twist her fingers tighter into her sleep dress.
When those slightly cool fingertips brushed her hair backward like a thin layer of ice, Shen Ruoxi’s breathing grew very tense, but she didn’t refuse.
Bite if she wanted to bite; actually, she wanted it too.
Under mutual consent, what did one more time matter? Just treat it as accidentally getting bitten while teasing a dog.
Shen Ruoxi gently closed her eyes.
Yet after waiting a short while, the familiar biting sensation never arrived. Opening her eyes, she saw Jian Jixing looking at her with a half-smile. Seeing her eyes open, Jian Jixing stood straight up.
For a fleeting moment, Shen Ruoxi was dazed: “What are you doing?”
“Since you praised me as being the most patient, I don’t want to live down your expectations,” Jian Jixing said magnanimously. “This time I can endure it.”
“Jian Jixing!”
Jian Jixing immediately turned her head back: “What, or do you want it after all?”
“Get out, hurry up and get out, scram.” Shen Ruoxi’s emotions were somewhat agitated, her breathing continuously intensifying, her slender body rising and falling.
Still feeling that wasn’t enough to vent her anger, she reached out to grab a throw pillow from the side and hurled it over: “I never want to see you again!!!”
[Author’s Notes]