Lin Jianxi’s cheeks burned, her heart pounding like a drum. Gritting her teeth, she said, “Jiang Xu! Have you gone mad?”
Jiang Xu’s breathing grew slightly heavy. He gently bit her snow-white earlobe before shifting to kiss her lips, tenderly parting them.
His scorching breath brushed against her face as he closed his eyes, lingering over her crimson lips.
Lin Jianxi’s face grew increasingly flushed. She felt her body heating up, her head dizzy. Pressed against the door by Jiang Xu, she was kissed for a long while before he finally released her lips. She opened her mouth, gasping for air.
Jiang Xu’s deep eyes were veiled with an irrepressible desire as he leaned down to suck on her collarbone.
Lin Jianxi’s face reddened like a boiled shrimp. After a few rapid breaths, she reached out and pinched the man’s lean, narrow waist with all her strength.
Jiang Xu released her lips and met her captivating, shimmering eyes. His voice was low and hoarse. “Shall we do it?”
Lin Jianxi’s pupils contracted slightly. Before she could recover from her shock, the man skillfully undid the clasps of her cheongsam and pulled down the zipper on her back.
Lin Jianxi’s eyes widened in surprise. She covered her chest with both hands. “Jiang Xu! Have you lost your mind?”
A low chuckle rumbled from Jiang Xu’s chest as he slowly leaned close to her ear. “You drove me mad.”
Lin Jianxi’s breathing faltered. The man’s scorching breath gently brushed against the curve of her ear, making her freeze for a moment. Her voice trembled as she said, “Jiang Xu, don’t do this.”
A faint curve lifted the corner of Jiang Xu’s lips. His voice was raspy and lazy. “Fine, if you don’t want to, we won’t.”
In the next instant, he scooped her up by the waist and strode toward the bathtub. “If we’re not doing it, then we’ll take a bath.”
Naturally, Lin Jianxi had no intention of complying with his wishes. The moment he set her down, she turned and tried to run, only to have her wrist seized firmly by him.
Lin Jianxi paled from the pain. The man slowly loosened his grip, wrapping his arms around her from behind and leaning close to whisper in her ear, “Lin Jianxi, it’s just a bath. Why are you so resistant?”
Lin Jianxi’s breath hitched. “You’re insane!”
Tonight’s Jiang Xu was too unfamiliar, as if he had become a different person entirely. It made her wonder whether the aloof, untouchable Jiang Xu from before had been nothing but an illusion.
Hadn’t she merely mentioned divorce?
Was it necessary for him to be this angry?
Jiang Xu’s fingers traced the clasps of her cheongsam, undoing the remaining ones before tossing the delicate lotus-pink fabric to the floor.
Lin Jianxi’s heart pounded wildly. For the first time, she faced him naked while fully conscious. The jade hairpin securing her hair was pulled out by the man, and her dark, silky locks cascaded down her back.
Jiang Xu carried her into the bathtub. As they settled in, water overflowed from the tub.
Lin Jianxi sat with her back to him, her finely sculpted face tinged with a faint blush. Her captivating, shimmering eyes were misty, and her lips were beautifully crimson.
Jiang Xu leaned in to kiss the woman’s porcelain-like shoulder blades, his breathing gradually growing heavier. His narrow, deep peach-blossom eyes were clouded with irrepressible desire.
Lin Jianxi’s slender back trembled slightly. The man’s warm lips pressed against her skin, sending a current of electricity slowly coursing toward her heart.
Biting her red lips, Lin Jianxi spoke in a cool yet trembling voice, “If we’re taking a bath, then just bathe. Don’t touch me recklessly!”
Jiang Xu leaned close to her ear, his slightly heavy breath brushing against her earlobe. His voice was gentle yet hoarse. “Lin Jianxi, it’s been nineteen whole days.”
Lin Jianxi was stunned for a few seconds, then snapped back to reality, her face flushing with heat as she pursed her lips in silence.
She couldn’t help but grumble inwardly: that damn man remembers everything so clearly.
…
About half an hour later, Jiang Xu carried Lin Jianxi out of the bathroom. The woman in his arms was blushing so intensely it seemed she might bleed, her delicate and beautiful face cold and expressionless.
Jiang Xu placed her on the bed. The moment Lin Jianxi touched the sheets, she moved as far away from him as possible, curling into a small ball under the blanket, her pale, slender fingers trembling slightly.
Her face flushed crimson, Lin Jianxi closed her eyes resentfully, cursing Jiang Xu silently in her heart.
How embarrassing. This was the first time she had helped him in such a way, and she didn’t even want her hands anymore.
Jiang Xu plugged in the hairdryer, pulled the small woman hiding under the blanket out, removed her dry hair cap, and began drying her hair with somewhat clumsy movements.
Lin Jianxi kept her eyes closed the entire time, her heart a whirlwind of emotions. It seemed like she really couldn’t get divorced after all, but this wasn’t so bad either. Jiang Xu had changed quite a bit because of it.
Her love for him had never wavered. A love so deep it was etched into her bones—how could she let it go so easily?
Over ten minutes later, Jiang Xu unplugged the hairdryer, got into bed, and pulled her into his embrace.
Lin Jianxi lay with her back to him, pressed against his broad chest. He held her close, and the steady rhythm of his heartbeat seemed to echo against her back.
Jiang Xu tightened his arms around her slender waist, leaning his face close to her neck. “Let’s go watch a movie tomorrow.”
Lin Jianxi paused for a few seconds. “No.”
Jiang Xu: “…”
The master bedroom fell into an instant, deathly silence.
After a long while, Lin Jianxi spoke up. “Don’t press against me. You’re too hot.”
Jiang Xu released her, stared at her fair, beautiful nape for a moment, then slowly closed his eyes.
Lin Jianxi blinked her long lashes, a pang of bitterness rising in her heart. Did he really have to stop just because she told him to?
The next day, Lin Jianxi woke up to find Jiang Xu gone. She reached out to touch the space beside her, only to feel a cold emptiness. As usual, she drove to her qipao shop.
The moment she stepped inside, Ban Xia and Tong Man turned to look at her in unison. “Good morning, boss!”
“Morning.” Lin Jianxi nodded and walked confidently inside in her high heels.
Ban Xia and Tong Man exchanged a glance. Tong Man said, “The boss seems to be in a bad mood today.”
Ban Xia hummed in agreement. “Let’s get back to work. We’ll talk to the boss about the trending topic later.”
Once Lin Jianxi entered her studio, she threw herself completely into her work. When she was working, Tong Man and Ban Xia usually wouldn’t disturb her unless it was something urgent.
Lunchtime. Lin Jianxi came out to eat with Ban Xia and the others. Her shop wasn’t too big or too small, and she didn’t take on apprentices, only hiring Ban Xia and Tong Man.
Tong Man glanced up at Lin Jianxi and noticed the red marks on her neck. Her eyes widened in surprise, and she immediately signaled to Ji Banxia.
Following her gaze, Ban Xia saw the clearly visible red marks on their boss’s neck.
“What’s wrong?” Lin Jianxi asked, looking puzzled. She had already sensed their odd behavior.
“Boss,” Ji Banxia pointed to her own neck, “your neck…”
Lin Jianxi’s hand holding the chopsticks froze. She gritted her teeth. “A mosquito bit me.”
Ji Banxia and Tong Man exchanged another glance. Were there mosquitoes already? What kind of mosquito was this powerful? It left such a large red mark—must be a poisonous one.
“Boss, do you know you’re about to go viral?”
Lin Jianxi: “…”
“It’s about the cheongsam incident yesterday. You and Lin Xiaohua went viral, haven’t you noticed your personal Weibo followers have already surpassed a hundred thousand?” Tong Man started chattering away.
Lin Jianxi frowned, “Lin Xiaohua?”