Su Qingmiao took a quick shower in the bathroom. In the mirror, she saw the marks covering her body.
They were especially obvious around her collarbone and on her chest—deep hickeys that stood out clearly.
She touched one. It still hurt faintly.
He had sucked hard last night.
Su Qingmiao sighed. He seemed particularly fond of leaving marks on her.
It had been the same the first time. The marks had taken many days to fade.
Fortunately, she had come prepared.
She took a tube of concealer from her backpack. This brand worked very well and had excellent coverage. It cost a little over thirty yuan and had been recommended by Tan Jingjing.
The girls in their dormitory all came from ordinary families. Whenever someone found something affordable and effective, they would share it with the others.
Su Qingmiao covered the marks on her body, then dried her hair and changed into the clothes she had brought.
When she left the bathroom, the person in the master bedroom still had not come out. Su Qingmiao glanced at the time. It was almost eleven.
He would not let her leave, either…
All Su Qingmiao could do was sit on the sofa and wait for him.
Actually, she had a part-time job that afternoon.
She tutored English to a middle-school girl, but the girl had just sent her a message saying she had something to do today and would have to reschedule the lesson for next week.
Su Qingmiao replied that it was fine.
She charged one hundred yuan for an hour of English tutoring. Each session lasted two hours, and twice a week earned her four hundred yuan.
She also worked part-time at an upscale restaurant, though she had not been scheduled for a shift today.
Su Qingmiao could completely cover her university living expenses by herself. Not only did that lessen the burden on her father, it also allowed her to contribute a little to the household expenses. She truly cherished this job.
Su Qingmiao sent Mom several more messages, asking how she was feeling.
She had gone to the hospital yesterday and stayed there with Mom for the night.
It had been nearly two weeks since Mom’s surgery. The doctor said there had been no rejection reaction, and that she could be discharged after a few more days of observation.
Mom sent her a short voice message, her voice gentle: 【I’m doing very well. Don’t worry anymore, Su Qingmiao. Once Mom is discharged in a little while, I’ll be able to cook for you again.】
Hearing Mom’s voice, Su Qingmiao’s eyes reddened slightly.
It had been a long time since she had eaten food cooked by Mom.
That would be wonderful.
She typed a reminder to Mom: 【Get plenty of rest. Don’t secretly play with your phone—it’s bad for your eyes.】
Mom replied with a sticker: 【Yes, ma’am.】
Su Qingmiao smiled, warmth spreading through her heart.
After a while, she suddenly felt a little dizzy, and her heart began to race.
Su Qingmiao suffered from low blood sugar. This happened whenever she skipped breakfast.
She hurriedly took a piece of candy from her backpack and put it in her mouth. She closed her eyes and rested for quite some time before the feeling finally passed.
Just then, her stomach suddenly let out a loud, hungry growl.
Su Qingmiao glanced toward the bedroom again. It was almost noon. How was he still not awake?
She was starving.
She pulled out her phone, intending to order delivery, then remembered that she did not know the exact address here.
Su Qingmiao bit her lip in frustration.
She was so hungry that her stomach had begun to ache. She felt as if she could eat an entire cow.
She got up and walked toward the enormous open kitchen.
The pots and stove were all brand-new. It was obvious they had never been used; some even still had their tags attached.
A villa this large ought to have at least something to eat, right?
Su Qingmiao opened the double-door refrigerator. Inside, several rows of imported bottled water were arranged neatly alongside some foreign liquors she did not recognize.
Other than that, it was completely empty.
The corner of Su Qingmiao’s mouth twitched uncontrollably.
…There was not even a single vegetable leaf or egg.
What a poor man.
She closed the refrigerator door, but the dizziness grew worse.
She had no choice but to brace herself against the kitchen island until it passed. Her gaze drifted over the cabinets beside it.
She pulled open several in succession.
When she opened the last one and saw what was inside, Su Qingmiao’s eyes lit up instantly.
She took out a package of exquisitely packaged Italian pasta. It was printed with foreign words she could not understand, but the quality was clearly excellent.
Whatever. It was food, and that was all that mattered.
She washed the pot, filled it with water, tested the stove, and turned it on.
The water boiled quickly, and Su Qingmiao put in the pasta.
About seven or eight minutes later, the pasta was cooked.
She found a plate and prepared to scoop it out.
…She had accidentally cooked too much.
She had no choice but to divide it between a second plate.
The pasta came with its own sauce packet.
Su Qingmiao squeezed the sauce over the noodles and mixed everything together carefully.
“It smells so good.”
She smiled, the corners of her lips curving upward, and felt as if she were about to drool.
She turned around, picked up a pair of chopsticks, and sat down on one of the high stools to eat.
*
Jin Boyan woke to the tempting aroma of food.
He slowly opened his eyes.
He never used the stove at home. He disliked the smell it left behind and, at most, would make himself some coffee.
So… it could only be her.
He put on his pants, got up, and opened the bedroom door.
The girl was sitting on a chair, her hair casually tied behind her. She wore a pale pink dress with puff sleeves and a fitted waist, revealing a glimpse of her slender, snow-white calves. The dress made her look delicate and tender, ethereal and beautiful.
Tsk. How did she manage to make everything she wore look like an invitation?
Hearing his footsteps, Su Qingmiao instinctively turned her head.
The man wore a pair of light-gray athletic shorts, the elastic waistband hanging loosely around his lean hips.
His upper body was bare.
Broad shoulders and a narrow waist, his collarbones sharply defined, his skin cool and white as porcelain.
Several ambiguous scratch marks stood out clearly across his pectoral muscles and sharply defined eight-pack abs.
His hair was slightly mussed from sleep, a few strands of black falling rakishly over his brow. He looked her over lazily, with a hint of amusement in his eyes.
Su Qingmiao’s body immediately stiffened. She felt flustered, as if she had been caught sneaking food.
She hurriedly chewed and swallowed the noodles in her mouth.
“I—I was hungry. You had pasta here, so I cooked some.” She explained herself, her ears burning.
Why wasn’t this man wearing any clothes?
“Do you want some? I accidentally cooked too much.” She looked at him.
Her eyes were timid, like black glass moistened with water. Her lips were full and slightly stained with sauce, making her look rather adorable.
For some inexplicable reason, the sight warmed Jin Boyan.
He curled his lips. “Sure. I’ll go wash up first.”
For a moment, Su Qingmiao did not know whether to continue eating or wait for him to come out so they could eat together.
Forget it. She would wait for him.
Otherwise, sitting there watching him eat would probably make things awkward.
Su Qingmiao squeezed the sauce packet over the other serving of pasta, mixed it for him, and placed the chopsticks neatly on the plate before waiting for him to come out.
Fortunately, Jin Boyan washed up quickly and came out in less than ten minutes.
His upper body was still bare…
Su Qingmiao was not in the habit of looking at a man’s body, so she could only lower her gaze and stare at the noodles in her bowl.
Jin Boyan sat down beside her, so close that she could smell the clean, cool scent clinging to him.
Even though they had already shared the most intimate relationship, Su Qingmiao still felt uncomfortable.
Jin Boyan raised his brows when he saw the pasta already mixed with sauce, and the corner of his mouth lifted into a slight smile.
The two of them ate quietly like that.
But after a few bites, Jin Boyan lost interest and his appetite faded.
When he had seen her eating earlier, her eyes had been bright and sparkling, her cheeks puffing up like a greedy hamster. He had thought it must be delicious.
Su Qingmiao had been taught since childhood never to waste food, so she quickly finished every noodle on her plate.
Jin Boyan set down his chopsticks and propped his chin on one hand as he looked at her. “Is it good?”
She really had quite an appetite.
Fortunately, all the weight went to the right places.
He could still remember how she felt beneath his hands and the sensation of her skin beneath his tongue.
He was very satisfied with her figure.
“Mm, it’s pretty good.” She nodded honestly, then unconsciously licked her lips.
That small movement fell into Jin Boyan’s eyes.
His gaze darkened uncontrollably. His eyes lingered for a moment on her moist, full lips, and the corners of his mouth curved into a teasing smile.
He grabbed her and pulled her over, making her sit on his lap.
Su Qingmiao was caught off guard and accidentally pressed her palm against his chest.
The firm feel of his muscles and the heat of his skin made her jerk her hand back as if she had been burned.
Oh God, she had not done it on purpose.
“Tsk.”
A lazy, teasing click of the tongue came from above her.
“You touched me,” he said playfully. “In broad daylight, too. What are you trying to do?”
Su Qingmiao’s face flared red, and even her ears burned.
“I—I didn’t mean to!” she explained nervously. “You suddenly pulled me over…”
Seeing how flustered she was, Jin Boyan’s mood improved even further.
His hot breath drifted along the side of her neck. “Forget it. It’s not as if you didn’t touch plenty of me last night.”
Su Qingmiao’s ears grew even hotter.
Last night… he had been the one holding her hand, guiding it inch by inch over so many places.
Especially…
Jin Boyan took her slender, fair fingers in his hand, savoring the memory of the previous night.
“What should I do? You’ve gotten me worked up just by touching me.”
His voice was husky and sensual, carrying a hint of temptation. “Why don’t you touch somewhere else, too? Hmm, Miaomiao?”
Su Qingmiao was so humiliated she wanted to die. Her lashes trembled as she refused him. “No.”
Seeing how desperately she wanted to vanish on the spot, Jin Boyan let out a pleased, low laugh.
She blushed so easily whenever he teased her.
So obedient.
In an excellent mood, he kissed her collarbone. “Miaomiao, you’re really interesting.”
Su Qingmiao only felt mortified… She did not find it interesting in the slightest.
Was this the kind of perverse amusement rich people had?
It was so twisted.
Jin Boyan glanced at the pasta package on the kitchen counter. He wanted to see what brand she found “pretty good,” so he could have Aunt Zhou stock more of it next time.
But when his gaze landed on the expiration date printed on the package, the smile on his face froze instantly.
…It was expired.