Chapter 34
The floor was covered with delicate gift boxes, each tied with large black satin ribbons into big bows. Shi Yu stared blankly at everything before him. He felt like Mario entering an adventure world, needing to work hard to earn his exclusive coins through actions.
Surrounded by countless gift boxes, Jiang Shangwan stood beside him, affectionately holding his arm. “Why are you spacing out? Hurry up and open one. Which one do you want to start with?”
Shi Yu suddenly tilted his head and turned her face toward him, wrapped his arm around her waist, and gave her a long kiss. “Thank you.”
Thank you for responding to my love and loving me so sincerely.
“Dummy,” Jiang Shangwan pulled on his sleeve and sat down with him, eager to begin. “Hurry, open it!”
Shi Yu reached for the gold gift box closest to Jiang Shangwan, carefully untied the bow, and set the ribbon aside. The box was small. When he opened it, inside was a special edition CD. The cover showed a male singer’s head with a melancholic expression, gazing at the sky, and a small line of text beside it — “I Exist Because Of You.”
The reason for this gift dated back to a chilly winter day. Jiang Shangwan and Shi Yu had enjoyed a steaming hotpot meal. While walking afterwards, they passed a coffee shop with white walls and black lettering. The male singer’s warm voice suddenly drifted to their ears through the opening door —
“Love at distant ends hangs in the sky, the wind has stopped, but it doesn’t matter.”
Jiang Shangwan looked up, meeting Shi Yu’s eyes filled with a gentle smile and warmth. She heard him say, “Suddenly, it feels so romantic.”
So she remembered that moment.
“I remember that day. I really liked this gift,” Shi Yu said with a slight smile, recalling Jiang Shangwan wearing a pure white mink coat that made her face look extraordinarily pure. After his simple comment, her ears turned red, and he gently rubbed her cheek.
Shi Yu then opened another gift box. It was also small and straightforward — a bottle of sake. The box was decorated with bold calligraphy: “(Note: Juyondai Ryusen, 十四代龙泉” (or 十四代龍泉 in traditional Chinese) refers to a famous and prestigious Japanese sake brand) Juyondai Ryusen,” with a red square stamp in one corner.
Jiang Shangwan said meaningfully, “Can you guess what this bottle is for?”
Shi Yu quietly nodded.
Ever since one time he accompanied her to eat omakase, she had learned how strongly sake affected him—much more than whiskey. Whether it was an allergy or not, after a few small cups, he would turn bright red all over.
Shi Yu quietly closed the bottle cap. “…Shall we drink it tonight?”
“Finish opening the gifts first, then we’ll drink.” Then slowly enjoy his handsome looks.
Shi Yu kept opening gift boxes one after another, from small ones to bigger ones—there were ties, a tailored handmade suit, a Rolex watch encrusted with diamonds, car keys…?
The gifts got more and more expensive. Shi Yu sighed helplessly, “Why did you even give me a car?”
He had already gotten his driver’s license long ago. Not long after starting his business, he bought a low-key Audi A8 for occasional social events and appearances. He wasn’t interested in luxury cars or mansions, to him, a car was just a means of transportation.
He held the supercar keys in his hand and put them back into Jiang Shangwan’s palm. “I really don’t want this.”
Jiang Shangwan was a little upset. Since being together, he had strongly resisted letting her pay for anything—from investments to everyday expenses, he covered it all. Now, even on his birthday, he wanted to return a gift she carefully picked out. “No way. You have to keep it. It’s been ordered for a long time, parked in the garage downstairs.”
A black Bugatti, like a wild wolf hiding in the dark night, ready to pounce. The moment she saw it, she thought of him.
Shi Yu shook his head helplessly and finished opening the rest of the gifts, which included some smaller items. When he opened the largest gift box, he paused, slightly stunned.
It was an oil painting.
The man in the painting had a dark expression, one hand resting on a woman’s thigh, holding her close to his lean waist. He lowered his eyes to kiss the woman in his arms. The woman tilted her neck back as he embraced her, her fingertips hooking the edge of his shirt.
Shi Yu’s fingertips traced the woman’s cheek in the painting, as if trying to feel her skin’s warmth through the canvas.
Jiang Shangwan wrapped her waist around him from behind. “Do you like it?”
“I really like it,” Shi Yu said in a hoarse voice. “When did you paint it?”
Jiang Shangwan pressed close to his ear with a teasing tone, “A few days ago when you were on a business trip. Missing you and not seeing you, I had no choice but to pick up the brush and paint the image of you in my mind, while…”
“While what?” Shi Yu asked deliberately, pulling her onto his lap, his fingers stroking her smooth skin. He whispered, “Is that so?”
Jiang Shangwan’s face flushed a moist red, breathing quickened, and she whispered softly, “Let’s go to the room.”
Shi Yu casually grabbed the bottle of sake, quickly opened it, tilted his head back, and drank. His eagerness made the sake spill, wetting the edge of his clothes.
Then he wrapped his arms around Jiang Shangwan’s waist and carried her in big strides back to the bedroom. “Hold me tight.”
Jiang Shangwan hooked her arms around his neck. When her back touched the soft bedding, she was gently laid down on the bed. Her eyes locked onto him, staring straight ahead, watching as his whole body flushed red in an instant, his gaze hazy as he grabbed her ankle.
“Help me take off my clothes,” Jiang Shangwan smiled at him, her eyelashes trembling slightly.
Shi Yu let go of her hand and looked down at her slightly parted red lips, noticing the small hidden pink tip of her tongue, and her long black hair spread across the bed.
“Wanwan,” he murmured, unbuttoning his shirt one button at a time. By the third button, his broad chest, flushed with a reddish tint, was clearly visible.
Jiang Shangwan struggled to suppress the urge to lick and kiss him. She lifted her leg and hooked her toes tightly around his belt, teasing, “Hurry up.”
That foot was naughty, pressing down, making his breathing grow deeper and heavier.
He tossed the shirt carelessly to the floor. Shi Yu leaned down and kissed those mischievous lips. Her soft lips seemed to have a magic that seduced his soul, and the unbearable heat inside him only eased the moment their skin touched.
Wet, teasing sounds came from between their lips. Jiang Shangwan was held tightly as he kissed her firmly, while she hugged his back tightly, feeling his urgent kisses, moving more quickly and fiercely.
His kisses came like a tornado, wild and intense, beating fiercely on her heart like a violent storm. His movements grew rougher, as if he wanted to devour her with those lips and tongue, to blend her into his bones and blood.
Shi Yu frantically stirred within her lips until he had stolen all her oxygen. He lifted his head and gasped, unable to bear it, “I want… Shi Yu… I want…”
They had never gone this far before.
Shi Yu pressed close to her head, biting her earlobe, his fingers tracing along her waistline, responding to her movements and thoughts.
In Jiang Shangwan’s past experiences, intimacy had only left her with pain, making her resist and fear close contact.
This was the first time in her life she felt such a desperate craving and addiction to intimacy—longing to be closer to him, closer and closer. Every inch of her skin brushed by his fingers felt hot and alluring.
She tightly hugged his neck, breathing in his irresistibly fresh scent…
“Can I?” Shi Yu kissed her sweat-dampened hair tenderly. Even though he was already extremely uncomfortable and his mind fuzzy, he still gently asked for her consent.
“I want you.” Jiang Shangwan kissed his neck again and again, encouraging him, “I want you.”
As if finally making up his mind, Shi Yu turned off the ceiling light, leaving only a dim, warm yellow bedside lamp on. He opened the drawer of the nightstand, where there was a box of BYT that Jiang Shangwan had prepared long ago but hadn’t opened yet.
He buried his head to kiss her. Sweat mixed with sweat, they shared each other’s breath and heartbeat. Their palms grasped one another tightly, fingers interlaced.
Jiang Shangwan furrowed her brows tightly, like an injured swan. She trembled lightly with her head tilted back—too long without intimacy, her body was protesting in discomfort.
Shi Yu also felt uneasy. He gently kissed away the tears leaking from the corner of her eyes, kissed her flushed earlobes, soothing her, “Feeling a bit better?”
—
Jiang Shangwan’s tightly furrowed brows slowly relaxed. Her face, initially pale from pain, flushed deeply red. She hooked her arms around Shi Yu’s neck, trembling uncontrollably.
Held closely in his arms, she felt their rapidly rising body heat and warmth. The air seemed filled with an aura of desire, tightly wrapping and engulfing them.
Jiang Shangwan’s legs curled around his waist. Her long, fair legs tensed tightly and swayed lightly. Her voice broke in and out as she kept calling his name, “Shi Yu… Shi Yu…”
Shi Yu groaned softly and patted her waist, “Relax a little, okay?”
He bent down and bit her neck, leaving a bright red mark on her collarbone. Jiang Shangwan shivered gently beneath him, gripping his arm tighter and tighter.
Desire surged beyond the bounds of reason. Jiang Shangwan felt drenched as if drowning, sweat soaking her hair completely and dripping down her cheeks. She gasped for breath, her mind blank, eyes fixed on Shi Yu’s slightly moving Adam’s apple.
A deadly experience she had never felt before… it turned out that besides pain, there could also be such a wonderful feeling.
Jiang Shangwan tilted her head up to kiss Shi Yu’s lips, licking the sweat beads sliding down his chin. Her tongue curled and rolled into his mouth, swallowing softly with a slight roll in her throat.
Shi Yu held her hand tighter and tighter, their fingers locked firmly. His chest heaved violently as they embraced, feeling each other’s rapid breaths.
—
Jiang Shangwan rewarded him by touching his abs and leaned down to kiss him.
Shi Yu pulled the blanket over Jiang Shangwan, turned on the air conditioner to prevent her from catching a cold, and asked, “Does it still hurt?”
Jiang Shangwan shook her head lightly and looked at him, “It doesn’t hurt anymore.”
She slyly winked, “But my back is painful…”
—𝖦𝗈 to my Carrd and check my other works!—