Ruan Jiujiu remained frozen in place.
Cheng Jun pressed his lips together, cradling the back of her head with one hand, and kissed her forcefully. His tongue swept past her lips and teeth, delving deep into her mouth, their tongues intertwining. The intensity of the kiss left Ruan Jiujiu almost breathless.
Despite being drenched by the rain, his body was burning hot, pressing against her like a heated iron, sending shivers through her heart.
Ruan Jiujiu’s mind turned to mush, and all she knew was to stand on her tiptoes, clinging to his neck as they kissed, savoring the last traces of air.
Time seemed to blur, and even the rain had eased off significantly.
Her lips, bitten several times by Cheng Jun, throbbed with pain, snapping her out of her daze. She trembled, taking in several deep breaths of the damp air while still leaning against Cheng Jun’s chest.
Above, Cheng Jun’s voice sounded, “Feels like a dream, doesn’t it?”
“…”
Ruan Jiujiu hesitated for a moment, then met his dark eyes and realized the significance of Cheng Jun’s earlier passionate kiss. Perhaps Cheng Jun had also realized something, but neither of them said it out loud, as if it were a curse. As soon as someone mentioned it, the curse would become reality.
She shook her head, and suddenly, she smiled.
“No.”
The night’s rain had stopped, but both of them were soaked through their clothes.
To avoid a repeat of the previous outcome, Ruan Jiujiu and Cheng Jun changed into dry clothes before she went to the kitchen to brew ginger syrup to expel the cold from their bodies.
A small pot of water was simmering away, and Ruan Jiujiu sat on the sofa, waiting. Cheng Jun emerged from the bathroom, a towel wrapped around his waist, revealing his smoothly sculpted upper body. There were no large muscles or obvious signs of rigorous fitness training, but every part of his body was solid. Ruan Jiujiu, who had personally inspected it, found the firm texture extremely pleasing.
With his naked upper body exposed, Cheng Jun’s body glistened in the light. Ruan Jiujiu quickly averted her gaze and scolded, “What are you doing? Put your clothes on!”
Upon hearing Ruan Jiujiu’s scolding, Cheng Jun, who had originally been heading to the study, slowed down and walked up to her, stopping right in front of her.
He bent down, and Ruan Jiujiu could catch a glimpse of something incredibly enticing.
Not to mention… the strawberry marks and scratches left on his shoulder blades.
His skin was milk-white, which made the red marks stand out even more, revealing the intensity of their activities from the previous night.
Ruan Jiujiu’s face turned bright red: …
…
…
Cheng Jun spoke slowly, “Why so shy?”
Ruan Jiujiu: “Ahem…”
Indeed, she was the one who had left the strawberry marks and scratches, so there was no need to be shy. Nevertheless, Ruan Jiujiu couldn’t help but blush and said, “Go put your clothes on, and be careful not to catch a cold.”
“Okay.”
After a kiss, Cheng Jun returned to his normal self as if the intense emotions that had surged during the rainy night were not his own.
He changed into dry clothes as instructed, and Ruan Jiujiu prepared ginger syrup, pouring it into a bowl while her mind wandered. The porcelain bowl was hot, and the scalding temperature instantly pierced her fingertips, causing her to shiver and almost spill the bowl.
“Ah!” Ruan Jiujiu’s hand slipped, and she watched as the scalding soup was about to pour onto her arm, most likely causing a painful burn.
Cheng Jun, standing behind her, reacted faster than she did and caught the bowl. The piping-hot ginger syrup spilled, and some splashed onto Cheng Jun’s hand. In the midst of Ruan Jiujiu’s exclamation, he caught it steadily, his skin turning slightly red from the heat. Cheng Jun remained composed, despite the burning sensation.
“Oh my gosh, why did you catch it with your hand? Quickly put it down, put it down!”
Ruan Jiujiu pulled him towards the sink. She turned on the faucet, and water gushed out, showering Cheng Jun’s hand repeatedly, cooling the burn. There was no burn ointment at home, so Ruan Jiujiu tried to recall the nearest pharmacy. It shouldn’t have closed at this hour.
She instructed Cheng Jun to keep rinsing for at least ten minutes, and then she would go buy some medicine.
However, Cheng Jun stopped her.
“No need.”
“At this moment, you can’t feel any pain, but you’ll suffer later.” Ruan Jiujiu felt both angry and heartbroken, her gaze fixed on Cheng Jun’s hand. “The pharmacy is very close. Didn’t I buy medicine for you last time? I’ll be back in a few minutes.”
“Then I’ll go with you.”
Cheng Jun turned off the tap, dried his hands, and put on his coat.
“No need, it’s not necessary for both of us to go for something like this. Listen to me and take a cold shower,” Ruan Jiujiu thought, Cheng Jun’s hand was so valuable that even selling a hundred of her wouldn’t be worth as much.
“No,” Cheng Jun stood still, looking at Ruan Jiujiu. “I want to go together with you.”
His “together” was emphasized heavily, as if he was stressing something.
Ruan Jiujiu was momentarily stunned, suddenly understanding that Cheng Jun’s unease at this moment might be more serious than she had imagined. Come to think of it, Cheng Jun was sensitive to her emotions. Whenever she had unusual feelings, he would be the first to sense them. And now, feeling Ruan Jiujiu’s anxiety, perhaps… he was even more anxious than she was.
She couldn’t help but smile, trying to lighten the mood. “Don’t overthink it. It’s not like we won’t come back. Alright, alright, since you insist, let’s go together.”
On a rainy night with a cold wind, Ruan Jiujiu put on her coat and noticed that Cheng Jun’s hand was already red and swollen.
She stepped forward and said, “Let me help you.”
She grabbed the hem of his coat, gathered it together, and used one hand to pull up the zipper. The friction of the zipper produced a faint sound, and accidentally got stuck in the middle. No matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t get it to go up. Ruan Jiujiu exerted some force, and the zipper flew up with a whoosh. Cheng Jun happened to lower his head, and the zipper went up, catching his chin.
Cheng Jun: “…”
Ruan Jiujiu: “I’m sorry…”
She pulled the zipper back down to chest level, but Cheng Jun’s chin now had a red mark, and his eyes stared at her silently, looking pitiful.
Today, Cheng Jun was seriously injured by Ruan Jiujiu’s actions.
As Ruan Jiujiu looked at him, she couldn’t help but laugh again. This time, it wasn’t the stiff smile from before, but her eyes and eyebrows were filled with genuine amusement. “You’re probably the most pitiful domineering CEO.”
The strange atmosphere that had been present earlier was now replaced by a light and cheerful mood.
The damp, rainy night felt a bit chilly, and as they walked back, a light drizzle began to fall once again.
Cheng Jun’s hand burn wasn’t too severe, and even without burn cream, it would likely heal reasonably well in a few days. The employees at the pharmacy couldn’t help but admire the affection between the couple, teasing them for being so loving. Ruan Jiujiu had initially been quite worried, but hearing their comments made her cheeks flush with embarrassment.
She tucked the medicine into her pocket and walked home with Cheng Jun.
The asphalt road beneath their feet was wet and muddy, and it was easy to step into puddles if they weren’t careful. Ruan Jiujiu took each step cautiously, tiptoeing and holding onto Cheng Jun’s sleeve tightly. “Rain is the only bad thing about this, it’s so easy to get caught in a downpour.”
Cheng Jun made a slow, thoughtful sound of agreement.
“For the next few days, try to use your hand less. Even though it’s not serious, wounds need proper care.”
“Okay.”
“Is it still hurting?”
“If I say it hurts, will you hug me?” He asked with a sense of entitlement.
Their conversation came to a halt, and Ruan Jiujiu burst into laughter after a few seconds. “You’re so tall, yet you’re not shy about being affectionate.” With that, she suddenly turned around and hugged Cheng Jun, running her fingers through his disheveled and fluffy hair.
Cheng Jun was like a gentle giant, allowing Ruan Jiujiu to tousle his hair into a mess.
“Is it still hurting?”
“If I say it hurts, will you give me a kiss?”
Ruan Jiujiu: “…Don’t be too forward.” She said that, but her upturned lips couldn’t hide her amusement.
They walked slowly in the direction of home, and with Cheng Jun by her side, Ruan Jiujiu felt inexplicably reassured. She thought that even if there were many problems, Cheng Jun would solve them all. Cheng Jun was the kind of person who seemed unreliable on the surface but was actually very dependable.
As they climbed the stairs one after the other, Cheng Jun had one hand in his pocket and the other hooked around Ruan Jiujiu’s index finger.
Ruan Jiujiu followed behind and suddenly remembered something, so she said excitedly, “Do you know about Orpheus from Greek mythology?”
“Yeah, he had extraordinary musical talent.”
“Do you remember the love story about his wife? He wanted to bring his wife, who had been bitten by a poisonous snake, back from the Underworld. After getting permission, he held her hand and started walking back to the mortal world. But he was told not to look back until he saw the first ray of sunlight in the mortal world, or his wife would be forever trapped in the Underworld.”
Cheng Jun asked slowly, “…Do you have to tell such a scary story?”
Ruan Jiujiu: “…Oh.”
Upon reflection, maybe it wasn’t the best choice of story.
She had only thought of the story of Orpheus and almost forgot about the dream she had. After Cheng Jun’s reminder, the connection between the story and the current moment with him did seem a bit eerie.
Ruan Jiujiu quickly said, “I was just talking nonsense.”
Cheng Jun tightened his grip on her finger. “So, don’t wander off.”
No matter where they went, it had to be somewhere he could find her.
“I…”
Suddenly, with a “click,” the entire hallway plunged into darkness, and Ruan Jiujiu was almost startled, her body covered in goosebumps. Then she realized that the old building’s electrical wiring had probably malfunctioned again and was being repaired. Cheng Jun immediately exerted force, holding onto Ruan Jiujiu and not letting go. She quickly reassured him.
“Don’t be afraid, don’t be afraid. I was just talking nonsense; I’m right here.”
As if on cue, a myriad of thoughts raced through Ruan Jiujiu’s mind. Under the tension of the moment, she almost blurted out an expletive, but she managed to hold it back.
Did they really need to cut the power off so promptly? It scared not only Cheng Jun but also herself.
“That scared me… It hasn’t been long since the last time. Why is it malfunctioning again?”
Cheng Jun asked, “Are you okay?”
“I’m fine, don’t worry. I’ll look for my phone.”
Cheng Jun had left his phone behind when he went out, but fortunately, she had hers. She fumbled in her pocket and accidentally pulled out the burn cream, which fell to the ground. Ruan Jiujiu exclaimed, and quickly reached down to pick it up.
In an instant, the lights came back on, and the hallway was no longer pitch black.
There was no movement behind him. Cheng Jun’s expression changed, and he quickly turned around. But in the next second, he froze in place.
The hallway was clean and empty, and on the steps lay a tube of burn cream, the only thing left behind.
But Ruan Jiujiu was gone.
The author’s note: Jiujiu: My mouth, it might have been blessed by the God of Misfortune…
Don’t be afraid, everyone, it’s just a little sweet treat. This is called a married couple’s separation, which is better than a honeymoon (please don’t blame me).
Haha, more seriously, Jiujiu’s situation will be resolved sooner or later, so don’t worry!
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