Chapter 28
Ji Ting was sleeping on his side, her hair scattered behind her. Tan Yucheng was embracing her waist from behind.
Ji Ting, still groggy, felt a warmth and caught a faint scent of shower gel. She turned over and snuggled closer to his chest.
Tan Yucheng lowered his gaze to her in the darkness.
He pressed her waist lightly, pulling Ji Ting closer, her soft skirt sliding up as he effortlessly pulled her closer into his arms. He opened his arms for her to rest against him, feeling drowsy himself, gradually drifting back into sleep.
When Ji Ting woke up, it was still early. The room was faintly misty from the humidifier, and the smart clock showed a little past five forty in the morning. The spacious bedroom clearly wasn’t ordinary.
She was a bit dazed and shifted her body, realizing her waist was constrained. She looked down.
One arm was wrapped around her waist, its veins and joints distinct and familiar to her. Her heartbeats quickened involuntarily, and she twisted her body.
Without surprise, she saw Tan Yucheng’s face, now asleep and devoid of its usual intensity. His jet-black hair covered his eyes, revealing only his prominent nose and thin lips.
As he slept, he appeared much softer.
Ji Ting’s heart raced faster, gazing at his face so close within this narrow distance.
How did she end up sleeping here?
And why was he here with her?
Her gaze lowered, noticing his upper body bare, revealing the muscles of his shoulders and arms. Ji Ting’s cheeks flushed slightly as she realized he was only wearing black casual home pants.
His muscular physique, his abs usually hidden under clothes, was now on display.
At this moment, she felt the clarity of his muscular contours. She could feel everywhere her hands had touched during those two intimate encounters, but she couldn’t focus on examining them closely. The throbbing sensations buried within her body left her in a daze, making it impossible for her to concentrate.
Ji Ting quietly watched his sleeping face. The room had a dehumidifier and air conditioning running, the two subtle noises blending together. The sound insulation here was very good; she couldn’t hear anything from outside. Ji Ting thought to herself, even when he’s asleep, he has moments where he’s completely defenseless like this.
Over the years of being friends, they actually knew each other quite well. Occasionally, during gatherings, they would stay overnight together, but always with a group of people. During their junior year of college, for New Year’s Eve, they chose a high-altitude tea house in Beijing, overlooking People’s Square where the crowd surged below. They played games, drank tea, and ate pastries throughout the night.
In one corner of the tea house, there were eight tatami mats. Ji Ting and he happened to sit on two adjacent mats. Leaning against the rounded tatami mats, after a game of Werewolf and drinking some millet wine, Ji Ting turned around and found him asleep. The tatami mats were a bit small for him, so he leaned his upper body against it with his long legs stretched out, reaching the wall directly in the shadows, where he slept peacefully.
She was drinking millet wine at the time, and seeing that he hadn’t shifted his gaze for a while, she thought he was completely asleep. Who knew his eyes were not closed, and in a lazy, husky voice, he asked, “What are you looking at?”
At that moment, she felt caught red-handed, her face flushing red. She asked him if he wasn’t asleep.
He grunted, covering his eyes, saying he couldn’t sleep well outside.
Beside them, Long Kong had pulled a hat over his head and seemed to have fallen asleep without any awareness of time or place.
So Ji Ting had never really seen him sleeping so defenselessly, but this was in his house. Ji Ting thought about this, then realized the next moment.
His house? His room?
Where were her parents?
Instinctively, she moved and woke Tan Yucheng, who subconsciously grasped her waist. Tan Yucheng’s voice was low, not awakened directly from his deep sleep, and was buried in her neck.
“Where are you going?”
His hot breath sprayed on her neck, causing her to stop without moving. She held his wrist and asked softly, “Where are my parents?”
“In the guest room,” he said languidly, without any sign of awakening, giving a sense of fatigue
Ji Ting listened for a moment, subconsciously pushing his arm, but his arm remained unmoved. He kissed her neck lazily and asked, “What time is it?”
Ji Ting turned her head. “Six o’clock.”
“Still early,” he said, reassuring her that Aunt Qiu and Uncle Ji wouldn’t come to the master bedroom temporarily. Ji Ting gripped his wrist tightly, her neck feeling hot, the heat even reaching her ears.
She said, “My parents always wake up early. The supermarket opens around six in the morning.”
Tan Yucheng didn’t respond.
His kiss wasn’t particularly passionate, with a lazy sense of still being half asleep. Ji Ting’s heart was beating fast all along, ready to get up, but he held her waist firmly, preventing her from getting up.
Her skirt slid up, his palm pressing against her delicate waist.
Ji Ting’s cheeks were flushed. She turned to look at him. Tan Yucheng looked at her with a helpless lazy feeling, propping himself up and looking at her. After a few seconds, he lowered his head and kissed her lips.
It was a morning kiss. Ji Ting instinctively tilted her neck upwards. The hand that held his was not strong enough. Her skirt had already slipped down somewhere, intermittently covering and uncovering. His palm left marks on her waist and grazed her leg.
On that large white bed, under the grey blanket, the two nestled deeply in the soft bed. The man’s shoulder blades arched. In this early morning moment, the heat surged.
For a long time.
Tan Yucheng released her lips from his bite and said, “I’ll sleep a bit more, I’ll go to the next room.”
Ji Ting’s face and neck were both red, her skin burning hot. She gripped the soft blanket in front of her, her eyes watery as she watched him get out of bed. His black pants were slightly loose, and he picked up the black shirt nearby, putting it on. He walked barefoot out of the door.
The door closed softly.
The room became quiet, with only the sound of the clock ticking.
Ji Ting’s face felt hot. She turned over, resting her head on the soft pillow. She felt lazy and didn’t want to move much. The master bedroom was indeed chilly, with just a large bed in the middle. There was a single chair next to the floor-to-ceiling window, and a small round table in black, on which an aroma diffuser was placed, still emitting the scent of ebony wood.
Despite this house being called a marital home, his master bedroom still looked like a bachelor’s design.
Ji Ting closed her eyes for a moment, then turned to find her phone. She picked up the device from the bedside table, turned it on, and immediately opened her social media feed, scrolling down a couple of posts.
It was his post.
He had posted the picture she took last night of the moon and stars.
The starry sky filled the picture, with the moon just peeking out.
The photo Ji Ting took was really good. After he posted it, there wasn’t much else, just the photo.
But just with this single photo, it caused a stir in his circle. He hadn’t posted on social media for several months. The latest one before this was a link to a new store opening. This sudden post, with the photo posted by him at midnight last night.
By now, the likes were already lined up.
Not to mention those comments.
Chen Fei: Huh? Huh? Was last night’s night sky so beautiful? I didn’t see it. I was working overtime. Brother Tan, did you take this photo? I don’t believe it.
Fu Yan: My wife also took a few photos last night. Where were you in Tianyu?
Zhou Xiong: Brother Tan isn’t that romantic, right? This photo doesn’t look like his style. Let me use my dog’s nose to sniff it out, something’s fishy.
Long Kong: Tsk, good morning. Rare to see you post on social media, Brother Cheng.
Meng Jia: Does Li City have such a beautiful sky? Can I save the photo?
Feng Yingying: … Can I save it too?
Yu Xi: Wow, it’s really a beautiful sky.
Zhong Yu liked this post.
Zhong Yu and Shu Xiao are very good friends, and they both unexpectedly liked Tan Yucheng’s post.
Perhaps this photo is indeed very beautiful.
Ji Ting unexpectedly saw the photo she took in Tan Yucheng’s social media post, feeling a strange sensation. She clicked to view it. She had crouched for quite a while to take this shot, waiting until the moon emerged from behind the stars and captured the moment when the stars were positioned around the moon.
There was a sense of companionship between the two.
Ji Ting couldn’t help but feel that she had taken a good photo too, so she also liked it.
After liking it,
She put down her phone and lay down again for a while.
Qiu Dan and Ji Lindong had indeed woken up. Ji Ting saw Qiu Dan’s photo of the lake on her social media a few minutes later. She got up shortly afterward, her soft skirt draping over her long legs, and she picked up the black suit jacket from the bedside and put it on. Putting on slippers, she pushed open the bathroom door in the master bedroom.
A new set of toiletries was placed on top. After Ji Ting finished washing up, Xiao Xi also asked the nanny to put a set of skin care products for her to use. After a simple skin care routine, Ji Ting left the master bedroom.
As soon as the door opened.
The bathroom door next to the guest bedroom was pushed open, and Tan Yucheng emerged from inside, surrounded by steam. He had a white towel in his hand, wiping his hair, and his white shirt collar was slightly open, with a few droplets of water sliding down.
Ji Ting met him face to face.
The heat he brought out seemed to envelop her as well, making her face slightly warm. “Took a shower?” she asked.
Tan Yucheng took off the towel, raising an eyebrow. “Mhm, just took a shower.”
Ji Ting nodded in acknowledgment.
Meanwhile, the nanny called out to them both to come for breakfast. Ji Ting turned and said, “Let’s go.”
She walked towards the living room.
Tan Yucheng chuckled lightly behind her, casually tossing the towel into a nearby laundry basket. They walked together into the dining room, where the nanny had set out freshly prepared breakfast on the table.
She mentioned that both of their parents had gone downstairs for a walk and asked Ji Ting if she wanted some congee.
Ji Ting replied, “Thank you, Auntie.”
The nanny smiled warmly and went to the kitchen to fetch a bowl of congee for her.
Ji Ting took it and across from her was Tan Yucheng, drinking coffee and having a sandwich with fried eggs inside. He used chopsticks to pick out the fried egg and moved a plate closer to Ji Ting, placing it there for her to eat.
The nanny, seeing this, paused slightly and then smiled.
She said, “I forgot you like fried eggs.”
“Yucheng is so attentive,” the nanny chuckled and then went back into the kitchen, saying, “I’ll fry two more.”
Ji Ting gripped the spoon and said, “Auntie, it’s not necessary…”
“It’s okay,” came the nanny’s voice from the kitchen, followed by the sound of the door closing. Ji Ting looked at Tan Yucheng somewhat helplessly and asked, “Do I really have to eat this fried egg?”
Tan Yucheng glanced up from his phone, sipping his coffee, and teased, “Eating one more fried egg won’t make you gain weight.”
“The auntie means well, so you should eat,” he added with a hint of playfulness in his voice.
Ji Ting playfully kicked him under the table, but Tan Yucheng remained unmoved, his lips curling slightly. He casually scrolled on his phone screen, appearing nonchalant.
On the table, there were already many side dishes. Soon, the nanny came out with a plate containing two freshly fried sunny-side-up eggs, accompanied by a small dish of soy sauce.
Ji Ting rarely had such a hearty breakfast. Usually, when rushing to the shop, she would hurriedly order takeout or buy something from nearby shops. Today, she decided to relax and eat a bit more.
After the large flat had been renovated, the sunlight came in beautifully. The weather was also very good today, with sunlight pouring in through the small living room, almost reaching their feet. Both sets of parents returned from their walk. As they walked into the house, they saw the two young people sitting in the dining room, quietly having breakfast. Tan Yucheng reached out and pushed the soy sauce towards Ji Ting.
He even used a knife to cut the fried egg for her, making it easier for her to pick up.
Both sets of parents stopped in their tracks, looking at each other. Xiao Xi linked arms with Qiu Dan and said, “Yucheng has been good to Ji Ting all these years. Those other flings that appeared around him were like smoke.”
“Dan, why do you think they just can’t get together?”
Qiu Dan didn’t say anything. She just looked at the two people in the dining room. Compared to Xiao Xi’s sense of regret, Qiu Dan didn’t feel particularly regretful about anything. Her only concern was whether Ji Ting could interact with other boys again.
She withdrew her gaze and turned to Xiao Xi, smiling, “It’s good. Yucheng is like a half-brother to Ji Ting.”
Xiao Xi nodded upon hearing this, “That’s true. Then I also have a half-daughter.”
Qiu Dan playfully nudged her.
After breakfast, the parents returned. Ji Ting’s family had to leave. They had come for a short vacation from last night until now. They brought many gifts when they arrived, and when they left, both Tan Yucheng and Tan Hui had gifts in their hands. These were all bought by Xiao Xi while accompanying Tan Hui on his business trips. Tan Hui’s construction company was about to go public, so there were many business social events to attend.
The two families escorted Ji Ting’s family downstairs to their car. Ji Lindong playfully shoved Tan Hui and said, “You can find these things in any supermarket. Old Tan, do you look down on my few hundred square meters of supermarket?”
“I wouldn’t dare, I wouldn’t dare. I’m still waiting for you to find me some wine to drink. These are all for Tingting and Qiu Dan. Are you trying to defy death by intercepting women’s gifts?”
Ji Lindong shook his hand and reluctantly gave up his place.
Tan Hui walked up satisfied and put the gifts in the trunk. Tan Yucheng smiled as he picked up the gifts one by one and placed them in as well. Ji Ting stood by the car with the car keys in hand.
After finishing placing the gifts, Tan Yucheng lifted his eyes to meet hers.
Their gazes locked for a moment. He closed the trunk and said, “Let’s stay in touch on WeChat.”
Ji Ting’s face flushed slightly. She murmured in agreement and bent down to get into the car.
Qiu Dan and Xiao Xi chatted for a while before getting into the front passenger seat. Ji Lindong soon followed into the back seat. Ji Ting rolled down the car window, started the car, and Xiao Xi reminded her to drive slowly.
Ji Ting smiled and nodded in response, her eyes scanning over.
Tan Yucheng stood with his hands in his pockets beside his parents, his gaze flickering in this direction. His presence was impossible to ignore—broad shoulders, long legs, with a hint of wildness.
As the car turned out of the parking spot, Ji Ting withdrew her gaze, focusing on driving, her ears burning hot.
They got onto the main road.
First, they had to go to the supermarket. It was past the morning rush hour, so there was no traffic jam, and they quickly arrived at the supermarket entrance, where people were coming and going in a steady stream.
Qiu Dan unbuckled her seatbelt and before getting out of the car, she glanced at Ji Ting. “Did you see the photos? How was it?”
Ji Ting gripped the steering wheel and paused before replying, “It’s alright, Mom. I’ll think about it some more.”
“Don’t put too much pressure on yourself. Lu Hai was just an accident. This guy seems decent to me, at least he looks good and he knows his roots,” Qiu Dan said, looking at Ji Ting.
Ji Ting murmured, “I’ll think about it some more. Please don’t rush me for an answer.”
“Okay.”
Ji Lindong got out of the car first, so Qiu Dan wasn’t in a hurry anymore. She looked at her daughter and said, “Xiao Xi is also anxious. She introduced a girl from Nan’an to Yucheng, who is also an accountant and quite good-looking.”