When Ruan Jiujiu woke up, her head was pounding.
She only remembered sitting on the sofa, playing with her phone. After that, she had no recollection of how she ended up in the bedroom, let alone falling asleep on the bed.
“Oh.”
She had been drinking!
Ruan Jiujiu put on her slippers, rubbed her eyes, pushed open the door, and found Cheng Jun leaning against the table, eating frozen rice balls while browsing his phone.
Without thinking, Ruan Jiujiu asked, “Did you take the rice balls out of the refrigerator to thaw?”
Cheng Jun nodded.
Ruan Jiujiu had reminded him many times, and despite finding it troublesome, he still did it.
“That’s good then.”
Ruan Jiujiu ruffled her hair with her hand and continued somewhat embarrassedly, “Did I get drunk last night?”
Cheng Jun remained silent.
“I didn’t go crazy or anything, did I?”
Ruan Jiujiu had no memory of the previous night and was afraid she might have done something inappropriate, similar to the last time.
Cheng Jun spoke slowly, “You kicked me.”
Ruan Jiujiu: “?”
She actually kicked him?
Seeing Cheng Jun’s serious expression, Ruan Jiujiu felt embarrassed. “I hope I didn’t… um, hit any important parts.”
Cheng Jun’s gaze wandered for a moment, making Ruan Jiujiu even more nervous.
“Could it be…”
“My waist hurts.”
“Waist? Oh, it’s your waist.”
Ruan Jiujiu breathed a sigh of relief.
Cheng Jun asked quietly, “What did you think it was?”
Cough, cough, cough…
To this question, Ruan Jiujiu chose not to answer.
She turned and went to the bathroom to freshen up, while Cheng Jun continued to eat his rice balls. It wasn’t long before Ruan Jiujiu let out a surprised “Huh” from the bathroom.
“Huh! Why is my neck like this? Why is there a red swelling?”
Cheng Jun almost choked on his rice balls.
Ruan Jiujiu pushed open the bathroom door, one hand pulling down her collar. She pointed to her neck, and there was a vivid red mark on the right side of her slender neck. It contrasted sharply against her fair skin, making it eye-catching.
The two of them locked eyes, and Cheng Jun’s expression became rigid.
“Could it be…”
Cheng Jun: “…”
Ruan Jiujiu: “Could there be bugs in the house? Oh no, you should go to the supermarket and buy some insect repellent. We need to get rid of them early.”
Cheng Jun: “…”
Ruan Jiujiu truly hadn’t thought much about it, to the point that Mr. Fruit Farmer Cheng successfully escaped suspicion.
Ruan Jiujiu looked in the mirror for a while, looking frustrated. The clearly visible bite mark didn’t look pleasant at all, and if it didn’t fade in a few days, it could lead to gossip among her colleagues.
She found some concealer and carefully applied layer after layer to the swollen area until it didn’t look too conspicuous. After making sure, she returned to the living room.
Cheng Jun had been eating a rice ball for quite some time, which made Ruan Jiujiu wonder if something was bothering him.
“Did you not sleep well last night? You seem a bit off.”
Cheng Jun glanced at her, and in his mind, he recalled the image of Ruan Jiujiu being alluring and calling him “Big Brother” last night.
She lay on the bed, full of charm, enchanting, and called him “Big Brother” with her drunken, hazy eyes.
“The rice balls don’t taste good.”He said.
Ruan Jiujiu believed him.
“Oh, then next time, don’t buy this flavor,” she replied.
Cheng Jun bought some insect repellent and, under Ruan Jiujiu’s guidance, thoroughly “exterminated” every room in the house.
To Ruan Jiujiu’s disappointment, several days passed, and there wasn’t a trace of bugs, not even a leg. Perhaps the insect repellent wasn’t effective enough, or maybe the bugs had sensed the impending danger and relocated in advance.
However, since that day, Ruan Jiujiu hadn’t been bitten by bugs again, so she breathed a sigh of relief.
After a spring rain, the cherry blossoms and apricot blossoms in a nearby park burst into delicate buds and branches, with fragrant grass and falling petals, attracting people to go for outings.
Taking advantage of the fact that there weren’t too many people yet, Ruan Jiujiu found some free time and dragged Cheng Jun to admire the flowers.
Of course, when admiring flowers, one should wear a beautiful dress. Ruan Jiujiu was wearing a long green dress that made her look stunning.
She was excited all the way, preparing to take some beautiful photos.
Of course, it would be even better if Cheng Jun could be relied upon.
Ruan Jiujiu kept instructing Cheng Jun along the way, “Listen to me later, I’ll tell you how to take the pictures.”
Cheng Jun: “Okay.”
“If you make me look ugly in the photos, I’ll hold a grudge.”
Ruan Jiujiu issued a warning.
Cheng Jun: “Okay.”
“…Are you this confident?”
Cheng Jun agreed so calmly that Ruan Jiujiu still couldn’t trust him completely. She was prepared for the possibility of getting irritated by his straight male aesthetics in the photos.
Not many people were present at this time, but the appearance of the two still attracted a lot of attention.
Fortunately, Ruan Jiujiu had foresight, and both of them wore sunglasses, covering half of their faces.
The scene didn’t seem like they were there to admire flowers; it looked more like they were going to walk the runway.
…So, they became even more eye-catching.
Ruan Jiujiu pulled Cheng Jun towards a secluded grove.
Looking up, they could see the blossoming flowers, delicate and beautiful, brimming with the beauty of spring.
Ruan Jiujiu took a deep breath, in a cheerful mood. “It’s so nice, it’s been a long time since I walked like this.”
Cheng Jun suddenly looked at her.
Ruan Jiujiu asked, “Huh? Why are you looking at me like that?”
Then she realized that at times like this, the male lead usually said something like, “You’re more beautiful than the flowers.”
Cheng Jun was probably trying to find the right words.
To take some beautiful photos today, Ruan Jiujiu had deliberately put on some makeup.
Although Cheng Jun was straightforward, it didn’t mean he lacked aesthetic sense.
Cheng Jun slowly said, “There’s something on your face.”
“…”
At this point, Ruan Jiujiu felt embarrassed.
“Where is it? Can you help me wipe it off? It’s not smudged eye makeup, is it?”
Cheng Jun reached out and wiped the corner of her left eye on her face, removing the so-called dirt cleanly.
Ruan Jiujiu realized something was wrong and quickly picked up her phone, opening the front camera.
Cheng Jun emphasized that he had wiped it very clean, leaving no traces.
…
…
…
Ruan Jiujiu glared at him and exclaimed, “Why did you wipe off my beauty mark!”
She had painstakingly placed it in just the right spot! It was for the sake of the photo!
Cheng Jun only started preparing to take photos of Ruan Jiujiu after receiving a beating.
With one less beauty mark, Ruan Jiujiu’s mood was far from wonderful, especially when dealing with an unreliable photographer like Cheng Jun.
As Ruan Jiujiu continued to instruct him on finding angles and poses, Cheng Jun adjusted the focus calmly, aiming at Ruan Jiujiu.
“Click! Click!”
Photo after photo, Ruan Jiujiu hurried forward to see the results of Cheng Jun’s photography when he signaled that the photo session was over.
To her surprise, the photos turned out exceptionally well. The beauty in the pictures was radiant, as if she were a forest nymph, both innocent and unconsciously alluring amidst the dappled leaves. The composition was excellent, the angles were right, and the focus was spot on. It was a highly finished photograph that required minimal post-processing.
Ruan Jiujiu was genuinely shocked. “What happened to you? Why did your photography skills suddenly improve so much?”
Cheng Jun replied slowly, “I learned a bit. It’s quite simple.”
Ruan Jiujiu thought to herself, “Why do I feel like my IQ has been crushed?”
Cheng Jun took several pictures of Ruan Jiujiu, but when she tried to take photos of him in return, he declined.
Cheng Jun said, “I don’t like having my picture taken.”
“Alright,” Ruan Jiujiu said, hugging the camera. “I was planning to take a few photos together, but forget it. We can do that another time.”
“Taking photos together is fine,” Cheng Jun clarified.
Ruan Jiujiu said, “Huh?”
Cheng Jun repeated, “Taking photos together is fine.”
Since Cheng Jun agreed, Ruan Jiujiu happily picked up the camera and aimed it at the two of them.
She looped her arm through Cheng Jun’s, affectionately leaning against his shoulder. The man beside her stiffened instantly, but he maintained a calm appearance.
The scene froze in that moment.
Ruan Jiujiu pulled her arm back and checked the photos on her camera.
She blinked and asked, “Why is your face suddenly so red?”
By the time she looked up, Cheng Jun had returned to normal.
Facing Ruan Jiujiu’s question, he replied calmly, “I dressed too warmly.”
He held Ruan Jiujiu’s hand. “Let’s go and see the flowers.”
Cheng Jun didn’t let go of her hand throughout the journey.
His palm was broad and warm, and he continued to hold Ruan Jiujiu’s hand as they walked side by side through the grove. This experience made Ruan Jiujiu feel wonderful.
It was like being fed a piece of honey. Her heart felt sweet, as if even the scent in the air had turned into a sweet flavor.
Cheng Jun’s gaze was accurate. “There’s a pastry stall up ahead. I’ll buy a few pieces.”
Ruan Jiujiu: “?”
Sure enough, the sweet scent wasn’t just her imagination; there was a food stall selling snacks.
The stall displayed a variety of exquisitely crafted pastries, and Ruan Jiujiu immediately spotted the cherry blossom glutinous rice cakes, saying, “Let’s get a few of these.”
The soft and moist pastries seemed to melt in the mouth, with a sweet and sticky texture that was very delicious.
Cheng Jun waved his big hand and said, “Get five of each.”
“Hey, can you finish all of these?” Ruan Jiujiu asked, immediately realizing her question was unnecessary.
Cheng Jun never had an issue with finishing food; how could he possibly leave any behind?
The shopkeeper, delighted to have such a big customer, packaged the pastries and even threw in a few extras, handing them to the two with great enthusiasm. “Are you heading to the temple later?”
“Temple? Is there a temple nearby?” Ruan Jiujiu asked.
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