The gentle strength at her waist could not be ignored, it felt as if an electric current were passing through her.
Fu Chaoying turned around to face her, embracing her head-on.
The moment their soft forms pressed together, both women shuddered, a nameless ripple stirring in the depths of their hearts. Then, as if struck by a bolt of electricity, Ye Jiayuan’s arms, which had been wrapped around her, stiffened slightly.
Fu Chaoying’s eyes shimmered. She tilted her head to look at her, only to discover a faint pink flush blooming behind Ye Jiayuan’s ears, appearing translucent under the light.
Fu Chaoying’s throat moved slightly, her heart rate suddenly accelerating.
At this moment, Ye Jiayuan was worlds apart from her usual cold and self-contained self.
Fu Chaoying stared at her silently, unmoving, wanting to take in every inch of her current expression.
Yet, within two seconds, Ye Jiayuan regained her composure. Her gaze returned to a calm stillness as she lowered her head and asked matter of factly, “What are your plans for the afternoon?”
Ye Jiayuan’s voice betrayed no abnormality, it was steady as ever, as if the person who had just been momentarily flustered wasn’t her at all.
Fu Chaoying chuckled softly and let her go.
The scent of magnolia that had filled her senses abruptly dissipated, leaving only a lingering trace of ambiguity in the air.
Fu Chaoying’s voice rose slightly at the end. “Do you have work to handle this afternoon?”
Ye Jiayuan gave a slight nod and said frankly, “I originally had a small meeting to attend, but I can push it back.”
Fu Chaoying suggested with a faint smile, “Then how about going to the studio? I’ll paint, and you can work?”
Ye Jiayuan raised no objection. She turned and went downstairs to get her laptop.
Upon entering the studio, Ye Jiayuan looked around and finally settled on the sofa by the window.
The moment she sat down, her entire body sank into the cushions. Her brow furrowed imperceptibly before she switched to a nearby rattan chair.
Fu Chaoying caught this subtle reaction. A hint of interest flashed in her eyes as she curled up on the sofa and intentionally asked, “You don’t like soft sofas?”
Ye Jiayuan nodded slightly and gave a terse reply: “They’re bad for the waist.”
Fu Chaoying surreptitiously shifted her gaze toward Ye Jiayuan’s waist. The lines were smooth, clad in dark suit trousers, slender yet possessing a sense of hidden power.
The sound of a soft cough reached her ears.
Fu Chaoying looked up abruptly and unexpectedly collided with Ye Jiayuan’s deep gaze. Her heart tightened instantly, and her throat moved.
Seeing her entirely sunken into the sofa in a semi-reclined position, her fair neck seemingly glowing under the light, her pink lips suddenly parted: “Sister Jiayuan, is your waist… not good?”
Ye Jiayuan’s gaze swept across Fu Chaoying’s slender waist. Her top had hitched up slightly, revealing a patch of fair, tender skin that seemed to glow with an enticing luster.
Ye Jiayuan’s eyes darkened a shade. Her voice dropped an octave as she countered, “What about your waist?”
Fu Chaoying noticed her gaze and realized the conversation… seemed to be going in the wrong direction.
Just as she looked down to pull down her hem, which had been lifted at some unknown point, she heard a knock at the door.
“Xiao Ying, afternoon tea is ready.”
A familiar sense of tension, the thrill of being caught in a tryst, spontaneous arose.
Fu Chaoying’s heart skipped a beat. Almost instinctively, she stood up to leave, but her wrist was caught by Ye Jiayuan.
A warm touch radiated from her wrist. Fu Chaoying looked back at her, only to hear her whisper, “Don’t be nervous.”
Then, Ye Jiayuan released her hand.
The moment she let go, another voice called from outside: “Xiao Ying, Miss Jiayuan, are you in there?”
Aunt Wu’s voice carried a hint of confusion, making Fu Chaoying even more flustered.
Fu Chaoying took three steps in two to exit the ambiguous atmosphere, then raised her voice: “We’re here, please come in.”
As Ye Jiayuan watched her slightly panicked retreat, her eyes curved into a silent smile.
By the time Aunt Wu pushed the door open, Fu Chaoying was already standing before the easel, ostentatiously sketching on the canvas. She said naturally, “Sister Jiayuan was just on a call.”
Ye Jiayuan hummed in cooperation.
Aunt Wu didn’t ask further. She set down the refreshments and smiled at Ye Jiayuan. “Miss Jiayuan, I’ve changed the flower tea recipe this time. See if you like it.”
Ye Jiayuan nodded slightly, thanked her, picked up a cup, and took a small sip.
Fu Chaoying naturally walked over to them, watching Ye Jiayuan drink with anticipation.
Aunt Wu was beaming, a hint of pride in her tone. “Xiao Ying blended this flower tea herself.”
Ye Jiayuan took another sip, gazing deeply at Fu Chaoying. “The taste is quite good.”
“You two carry on then.” Aunt Wu left with a smile, thoughtfully closing the door behind her.
Silence returned to the studio. Fu Chaoying went back to her easel. Just as she turned to say something to Ye Jiayuan, she saw that the other woman had already opened her laptop and begun working.
What kind of person spends the first day of an established relationship busy with their own career?
Then again, coming from a workaholic like Ye Jiayuan, it seemed perfectly normal.
Fu Chaoying shook her head helplessly.
She became absorbed in her painting, her inspiration flowing like a spring, only to be abruptly interrupted by a ringtone.
Ye Jiayuan’s phone call had indeed arrived.
“I’ll take this.” Ye Jiayuan stood up and walked toward the door.
Fu Chaoying watched her figure disappear from her field of vision, then withdrew her thoughts to focus on the canvas.
A long time passed before Ye Jiayuan returned and sat back down on the rattan chair.
“I have a meeting at 3:30. It should take about 45 minutes.”
Fu Chaoying nodded. “Okay, go ahead.”
Time slipped away until Fu Chaoying’s thoughts were pulled back by the fading light. She looked up and realized the sky outside was filled with a sunset as brilliant as fire.
Fu Chaoying turned her head, only to find the rattan chair empty. Ye Jiayuan was gone, and her laptop had vanished too.
Fu Chaoying felt a momentary sense of loss, but then she heard footsteps approaching from the door.
She turned at the sound. Ye Jiayuan was walking toward her steadily, silhouetted against the light, her features slightly blurred in the shadows.
“Looking for me?” There seemed to be a hint of a smile in the tail end of Ye Jiayuan’s voice.
Fu Chaoying blinked. “I wanted to talk to you, but I turned around and found you gone.”
Ye Jiayuan walked quickly to her, stopping just a step away. She stared into her eyes. “Talk about what?”
Ye Jiayuan’s gaze was gentle and earnest, as if the entire world consisted of only her. Fu Chaoying’s eyes curved. She pointed a finger at the magnificent sunset outside and said softly, “The painting I gave you… its inspiration came from a scene like this.”
Ye Jiayuan followed her gaze.
After staring for a while, she gave a single, low-toned evaluation: “It’s beautiful.”
Her tone was flat, devoid of any emotional color.
Fu Chaoying smiled and shook her head.
A person as rational as Ye Jiayuan probably found it difficult to understand the objective connection between the sea, flowers, and sunrise in that oil painting and the sunset before them.
For those who are excessively rational, it is hard to grasp such wild leaps of inspiration.
Fu Chaoying stopped talking to her and focused on her painting, but she noticed the other woman hadn’t moved.
Aware that Ye Jiayuan was watching her paint out of the corner of her eye, Fu Chaoying felt a strange nervousness, the hand holding her brush felt unsteady.
Fortunately, it wasn’t long before Ye Jiayuan turned and left.
By the time Aunt Wu came to call them for dinner, Fu Chaoying hadn’t finished.
Aunt Wu had naturally prepared a portion for Ye Jiayuan.
Fu Chaoying looked at her and asked, looking for conversation, “Where are Assistant Liu and the driver?”
Ye Jiayuan looked up and said softly, “They went to eat.”
Since her assistant and Liu Xin hadn’t left, it seemed Ye Jiayuan would likely return to Hong Kong today.
A long-distance relationship was an objective reality.
Fu Chaoying pursed her lips.
The meal was eaten in silence.
Fu Chaoying didn’t ask when she was leaving, feeling that asking now would be like chasing a guest away.
After dinner, the question felt difficult to voice.
Ye Jiayuan seemed to see through her thoughts. A hint of a smile flickered in her eyes as she asked, “Back to painting?”
Fu Chaoying nodded. “There’s only a little bit left.”
The two returned to the studio together.
Ye Jiayuan sat in the rattan chair again.
Before long, a phone ringtone broke the silence once more.
This time, Ye Jiayuan didn’t leave. She answered directly: “Okay. Five minutes.”
Five minutes was enough for Ye Jiayuan to pack her laptop, say her goodbyes, and head downstairs.
Hearing that brief answer, Fu Chaoying felt a sudden surge of melancholy.
Ye Jiayuan hung up quickly and walked over to her. “Xiao Ying,” she said in a low voice.
Fu Chaoying looked back at her with a forced smile. “Do you want me to see you to the airport?”
Ye Jiayuan shook her head, staring into her eyes. “I have an emergency meeting. Can I borrow the study?”
Ye Jiayuan meant… she was going to have her meeting here?
“Of course.” Fu Chaoying’s eyes brightened. She stood up immediately to lead her to the study.
Walking side by side through the long hallway, Fu Chaoying asked softly, “Then when are you going back to Hong Kong, Sister Jiayuan?”
“Tomorrow night.”
“Oh.” Fu Chaoying felt inexplicably happy.
At nine o’clock in the evening, Fu Chaoying finally finished her new painting.
She put down her brush, stretched, and turned around, wanting to share the work with her, but Ye Jiayuan was nowhere to be seen.
A hollow sense of disappointment rose in her heart. She stepped out, intending to find her in the study.
Reaching the study door, she knocked lightly. A cold voice from inside said, “Come in.”
Fu Chaoying pushed the door open, only to hear her speaking in a low, serious tone, the meeting wasn’t over yet.
Fearing she was intruding, Fu Chaoying was about to apologize and leave, but then she heard Ye Jiayuan say, “Let’s end it here for today. You all discuss it further.”
The meeting ended abruptly.
Fu Chaoying looked back to see her leaning against the back of the chair, sitting with a touch of languor, beckoning her with a finger.
Only a warm yellow desk lamp was on in the room. The soft light brushed over her face. Ye Jiayuan had a faint, almost imperceptible smile on her lips, and her eyes were fixed on Fu Chaoying as if trying to draw her in.
At this moment, Ye Jiayuan looked like a goddess enticing a mortal, or perhaps a demoness with a touch of enchantment.
It was a profound contrast to the cold, steady, and meticulous woman she was at work.
Fu Chaoying’s heart trembled. As if possessed, she walked toward her.
Then she saw Ye Jiayuan reach out an arm. Fu Chaoying subconsciously spoke with a hint of a pout, her voice rising playfully at the end: “Sister Jiayuan?”
Ye Jiayuan’s hand hung in the air, palm up, her fingers long and well-defined, seemingly possessing some kind of magic.
Fu Chaoying’s throat moved. Slowly, she placed her hand into the other’s.
Ye Jiayuan’s palm gently closed around hers, bringing warmth and a soft touch. Then, with a slight pull of her arm, she drew Fu Chaoying forward.
Caught off guard, Fu Chaoying took a step toward her and suddenly found herself encircled by an arm around her waist.
The gentle strength at her waist could not be ignored. The faint scent of magnolia on Ye Jiayuan wrapped around her densely. Her warm breath seemed to penetrate through the thin shirt into her skin, merging with her heartbeat.
The skin in contact with her began to itch slightly. Fu Chaoying’s breathing became erratic.
The embrace was light, yet it carried a faint, hidden dominance.
After a few seconds, she was slowly released.
If Fu Chaoying weren’t standing right in front of her, she would have doubted whether everything just now had been a dream.
Before she knew it, Ye Jiayuan had returned to her normal demeanor, as if she weren’t the one who had just held her waist. She asked deeply, “Are there any spare rooms in the house?”
Fu Chaoying looked at her and blinked. “Doesn’t your mother know you’re back? You don’t need to go home?”
Ye Jiayuan gave a soft hum. “I didn’t tell them.”
No one knew that Ye Jiayuan had returned to Nanyan specifically to find her.
Fu Chaoying’s eyes curved as she nodded. “There are plenty of rooms. You can choose whichever one you like.”
Ye Jiayuan didn’t speak, just stared at her quietly.
Fu Chaoying’s heart skipped a beat. She smiled again. “Then why don’t you stay in the room next to mine? It’s more convenient.”
“Convenient…” Ye Jiayuan repeated the word. “Convenient for what?”
The end of her sentence lilted upward, and a smile seemed to play at the corners of her mouth.
Fu Chaoying leaned closer to her face, her tone full of meaning. “Convenient for… our secret relationship.”
Ye Jiayuan stared at the beautiful face before her. Her gaze traveled from the curved eyes all the way down, finally fixing on those full, pink lips.
Just as their warm breaths were nearly mingling and their lips were inches apart, Ye Jiayuan’s throat moved but suddenly, a phone rang.
Like a clap of thunder, it jolted them out of the ambiguous atmosphere.
Fu Chaoying stood up instantly, quickly putting distance between them, acting as if she were just breathing normally to steady her heart.
Then she went out to ask Aunt Wu to clean the room. When she returned, Ye Jiayuan had finished the call.
Fu Chaoying and Ye Jiayuan behaved with perfect decorum, as if everything that had just happened was a mere hallucination. At this moment, they were just a pair of normal, politely distant family friends.
Hearing that Ye Jiayuan was staying the night, Aunt Wu’s joy was written all over her face. she repeatedly invited her to come over more often in the future.
Fu Chaoying wordlessly met Ye Jiayuan’s gaze, then looked away naturally. “Sister Jiayuan is very busy with work, she doesn’t have much time to come over and play.”
Ye Jiayuan glanced at her and said calmly, “I have time on weekends.”
“That’s wonderful! Our Xiao Ying always stays home on weekends too.”
Fu Chaoying leaned into her ear and whispered in a voice only the two of them could hear, “You have time on weekends?”
Ye Jiayuan nodded slightly and lowered her voice as well, whispering back into her ear, “Every weekend.”
Ye Jiayuan’s warm breath brushed against her ear, leaving a trace of itchiness.
Fu Chaoying’s heart stirred. With a slight smile, she turned and said she was going back to the bedroom to get something.
When she returned, only Ye Jiayuan was in the room.
Ye Jiayuan saw the small bear she had brought over and heard her soft laugh: “Then let it sleep with you~”
Ye Jiayuan shook her head. “No need.”
As expected. Fu Chaoying looked back at her with a hint of a coquettish tone. “Fine, then let’s not separate them.”
Ye Jiayuan hummed softly, her gaze landing on her face.
The room fell into an instant silence, with only the sound of their breathing audible. Fu Chaoying suddenly took two steps toward her.
Ye Jiayuan watched her approach, her gaze focused.
Fu Chaoying stopped in front of her and reached out, gently tugging at her sleeve twice.
“What about us?”
Fu Chaoying looked straight into her eyes. She stood on her tiptoes, lightly clinging to her shoulders, her voice soft and carrying an irresistible temptation: “Should we… also sleep together?”