Lin Jianxi struggled internally for a while before she threw off the covers, got out of bed, put on her shoes, and headed toward the bathroom.
She leaned close to the crack in the bathroom door, listening for any movement inside. In less than half a second, she heard the low, heavy panting of a man from within. Lin Jianxi was so startled she froze, unable to react.
With a click, the bathroom door opened.
Lin Jianxi jolted, instinctively taking a step back, her expression dazed as she stared at him.
Jiang Xu was wearing a loose white bathrobe. The belt wasn’t tied tightly, and the collar hung open loosely, revealing a well-defined expanse of muscle below his collarbone.
Jiang Xu lowered his eyelids slightly, his gaze locking onto the woman’s clear, beautiful eyes. “How long were you listening?”
Lin Jianxi’s heart trembled, her long, curled eyelashes fluttering slightly. Her face felt warm as she avoided his gaze and slipped past him into the bathroom. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
She slammed the door shut with a bang.
A faint hint of amusement flickered in Jiang Xu’s dark eyes. He stood there for a long moment before finally leaving.
Inside the bathroom.
Lin Jianxi looked around the clean, tidy space. Whether it was psychological or something else, she couldn’t shake the feeling that the air was filled with a blush-inducing, heart-racing atmosphere.
She raised her eyes to the mirror, her cheeks tinged with a faint blush. The sound of that heavy panting echoed in her ears, and she shook her head vigorously, taking a deep breath.
Lin Jianxi lifted her hands and patted her slightly flushed cheeks. “Lin Jianxi, stop thinking about it.”
She stayed in the bathroom until her complexion returned to normal before stepping out. By then, Jiang Xu was already lying in bed. Only a dim, yellowish nightlight was on in the master bedroom.
Doing her best to ignore the strange feeling in her heart, Lin Jianxi walked softly to the bedside, lifted the covers, and got into bed. She lay on her side, curling her fair, slender legs.
Lin Jianxi tried for a long time to fall asleep, but sleep eluded her. The faint, cool scent of wood drifted over intermittently. She sighed inwardly, telling herself to sleep quickly.
Suddenly, a hand appeared around her waist. Lin Jianxi shuddered all over and was about to speak when the man pulled her closer by the waist, drawing her into his embrace.
Lin Jianxi’s breath caught. “Jiang Xu!”
Jiang Xu settled her into the crook of his arm, resting his chin against the top of her head as he inhaled her familiar, delicate fragrance. “Don’t move. Just sleep like this.”
A long while later.
Lin Jianxi turned to face him, lifting her gaze to his sharp jawline. “Are you sick or something?”
Jiang Xu paused for a moment, narrowing his deep, dark eyes. His lazy voice carried a dangerous edge. “Lin Jianxi, try saying another curse word.”
Lin Jianxi wisely closed her mouth and looked up at him. From her angle, she couldn’t see his face clearly, only the vague outline of his features.
Jiang Xu wrapped his arm around her slender waist and slowly closed his eyes. The familiar, delicate fragrance lingered around him, mixed with a clean, gentle scent.
Lin Jianxi’s gaze swept over his smooth jawline, his sexy Adam’s apple, and then glanced at his collarbone. Almost as if possessed, she leaned forward and bit his Adam’s apple.
Jiang Xu stiffened slightly, his Adam’s apple bobbing uncontrollably. His low voice was hoarse and strained. “Lin Jianxi, if you move again, you’ll face the consequences.”
Lin Jianxi scoffed. “Jiang Xu, don’t you think you’re being contradictory right now? We’re about to get divorced. Is this appropriate?”
Jiang Xu was taken aback, lowering his head to meet her eyes. “Lin Jianxi, didn’t the divorce not go through?”
“Yes,” Lin Jianxi rolled her eyes, “we didn’t get divorced, we’re about to get divorced. During the cooling-off period, as far as I’m concerned, we’re already divorced.”
Jiang Xu frowned, his voice low and magnetic. “Without a divorce certificate, it’s an invalid divorce.”
Seeing her remain silent, Jiang Xu gathered the strands of her hair scattered on the pillow, twirling them around his fingertips. “Who’s really being contradictory here? Why did you bite my Adam’s apple?”
“I…” Lin Jianxi’s face flushed. The nightlight cast a glow on the man’s face, his deep eyes like dark whirlpools, as if trying to draw her in.
“Hmm?” Jiang Xu watched her leisurely, his eyes reflecting her image.
Lin Jianxi’s face grew hotter, and she felt a mix of embarrassment and anger. “Clearly, you were the one who hugged me first…”
“Oh, then I’m sorry,” Jiang Xu took in her subtle expressions, the corners of his lips lifting slightly. “I still want to know why you bit my…” He deliberately paused. “Adam’s apple.”
Lin Jianxi wanted to curse.
For the first time, she thought Jiang Xu was infuriating. When she loved him, he remained indifferent. Now that she was determined not to love him anymore, he came to tease her.
What else could this be but infuriating?
After a long silence, Jiang Xu suddenly tightened his grip around her waist. “Lin Jianxi?”
Lin Jianxi snapped back to reality, frowning slightly as she glared at him and said coldly, “Let go.”
Jiang Xu loosened his grip, his eyes fixed on hers. “Lin Jianxi, is it so hard to tell the truth?”
“Not hard,” Lin Jianxi blinked, speaking nonchalantly. “Why should I tell the truth?”
“Fine, don’t tell me then.” A faint, elusive smile flickered in Jiang Xu’s eyes. “Not telling me doesn’t change the fact that you bit my Adam’s apple.”
“Can you just shut up?” Lin Jianxi felt she must be crazy to argue with Jiang Xu about such pointless things in the middle of the night.
“Alright.” Jiang Xu closed his eyes.
Lin Jianxi: “…”
After that, the bedroom fell into silence.
As the night deepened, Lin Jianxi grew increasingly drowsy. She yawned, tears nearly welling up in her eyes.
Surrounded by the familiar, crisp scent of sandalwood, Lin Jianxi succumbed to her exhaustion and fell into a deep sleep.
Jiang Xu opened his eyes, his deep gaze hiding inscrutable emotions. After a moment, he reached out to trace the delicate, beautiful face before him.
A long while later.
He parted his lips, his voice hoarse. “Silly girl, don’t you like me? Can’t you wait a little longer?”
The next day.
When Lin Jianxi woke up, the space beside her was empty. She glanced at the clock on the bedside table—it was already 8:30. She lay in bed for a while before getting up. Since the shop had already been rented out, it didn’t matter whether she went there or not.
Perhaps out of habit from working weekdays, Lin Jianxi drove to the qipao shop after breakfast.
The parking spots in the alley were all taken, so Lin Jianxi had to turn around and park outside. Walking from there wasn’t too far—just a few minutes on foot.
Lin Jianxi walked along the bluestone-paved path. From a distance, she could see the qipao shop surrounded by caution tape, with a crowd gathered around and people carrying large cameras.
Lin Jianxi paused for a moment before continuing forward in her high heels, the click-clack of her steps echoing. The people around the caution tape began murmuring, and she could vaguely make out a few sentences.
“It’s really so sudden. Weren’t they filming in S City yesterday? How did they end up in Huaijing today?”
“I heard the S City scenes have wrapped up.”
“That can’t be. They only started filming a little over two weeks ago—it couldn’t have wrapped up that quickly. It must be a change in the production team.”
“Lin Yujing is here!”
Lin Jianxi followed their gaze and saw a group of people surrounding Lin Yujing. The man at the front held a large black umbrella, shielding her completely from view.
“I saw the cheongsam—it’s so beautiful! And it’s red too. What a shame we can’t see her face.”
“I caught a glimpse of Jingjing’s fair and delicate ankle. Our Jingjing is beautiful from head to toe.”
Lin Jianxi twitched the corner of her mouth and walked toward the entrance of the cheongsam shop. Whispers buzzed around her, and the area outside the shop was filled with the clamor of people’s excited chatter.