Chapter 66 Have you rested enough? I can continue...

Zhou Shilin's eyes were beautiful, with narrow, slightly upturned corners and long, thick eyelashes, like a masterpiece meticulously sculpted by God. Those pupils, usually shrouded in a coldness, were now tinged with a deep, inky black, as if some emotion was slowly brewing within them.

Stared at by those unblinking eyes, Chen Ci's ears couldn't help but burn: "What's so interesting?"

Hearing her ask this, Zhou Shilin leaned closer, his nose almost touching hers: "For example, flirting with you in the kitchen."

His voice was lower than usual, with a hint of sexy breathiness that made one's heart itch. Chen Ci swallowed and coughed lightly: "Is Mr. Zhou always so blunt?"

Zhou Shilin nuzzled her nose and whispered into her ear, "I'm very straightforward when I do things."

Chen Ci: "..."

She knew that Zhou Shilin had long wanted to do *that* with her in the kitchen.

Some people always laugh at her novels, even though they themselves haven't read anything serious.

Chen Ci turned her head and bit Zhou Shilin's ear, causing a thin layer of red to visibly rise to his cheek. Zhou Shilin paused slightly, then wrapped his arms around Chen Ci's waist and lifted her onto the control panel.

Chen Ci instinctively hugged him, her hand somehow getting some glutinous rice flour on it, leaving a faint white mark on Zhou Shilin's skin. Zhou Shilin didn't notice, or perhaps didn't care. He lowered his head and kissed Chen Ci's lips.

Although the two have been living together for the past few days, they haven't engaged in any overly intimate behavior, and even when they sleep, it's purely for sleeping.

The medicine Zhou Shilin brought back from the doctor had been opened and used by someone else; this person could only be Chen Ci. Zhou Shilin didn't know how serious her condition was. When he asked her, she said she was fine, but Zhou Shilin still restrained himself for several days.

Chen Ci only used those medicines twice and never used them again. Zhou Shilin thought she should have recovered almost completely.

These past few days, he'd been worried about things going too far, so the two of them had barely even kissed. If Chen Ci hadn't bitten him earlier, he could have held back a little longer.

Between lovers, some things don't need to be said explicitly.

Shen Ci admitted that biting Zhou Shilin's ear earlier was an implication with some kind of intention. She and Zhou Shilin had been living together for the past few days, and Zhou Shilin had become more restrained than before. Even when she rolled into his arms while sleeping, he could control himself and just hold her like that while they slept.

Judging from his behavior that night, he didn't seem like someone who could control himself so well.

Chen Ci knew he was worried about her health because he saw her use the medicine he brought back—even though she had told him she was fine, he seemed to take it as just a polite remark.

So Chen Ci gave him some other hints, which Zhou Shilin picked up very well this time.

When Zhou Shilin lifted her onto the kitchen counter, Chen Ci admitted that she was still a little excited. After all, she often reminisced about the taste of that night. However, Zhou Shilin's deep kiss, which gave her no chance to catch her breath, made her a little overwhelmed.

It must be because she has neglected exercise in the past few years that she is so much less fit than Zhou Shilin!

If she had consistently practiced martial arts, this wouldn't have happened!

Sensing that Chen Ci was struggling to hold on, Zhou Shilin finally loosened his grip on her slightly, but he still pressed himself tightly against her, ready to kiss her again at any moment: "What's wrong? You can't take it anymore before we've even started?"

Chen Ci: "..."

Is this what you call not having started yet? Back when she was at the martial arts gym, she would warm up before starting training!

Zhou Shilin cupped her cheek in his hands, his thumb gently stroking her face: "You need to practice."

"..." Chen Ci retorted, "I'm a martial arts champion!"

"A true hero doesn't dwell on past glories. How many years has it been since you last trained?"

"...But I can still fight!"

"You're strong, that's because you're powerful. An ordinary person could be subdued by you in one or two moves, but in terms of physical fitness, you've definitely regressed."

Chen Ci: "..."

Thinking about it carefully, Zhou Shilin is indeed the only one who has been able to spar with her for so long over the years.

"But is it possible that you're just too physically fit?"

“My physical strength is indeed much better than that of ordinary people, so…” Zhou Shilin leaned down and pressed closer to her, “you need to exercise more.”

"..." If you want her to exercise, you can talk to her nicely; there's no need to threaten her with that thing.

"Have you rested enough?" Zhou Shilin's breath, falling on Shen Ci's skin, seemed even hotter than before. "May I continue?"

"..." Can she back out now?

Zhou Shilin obviously wouldn't give her that chance, and kissed her again before she could speak. Shen Ci didn't know when, but she was already half-lying on the table.

When she first came to Zhou Shilin's house, she felt that the control panel was particularly large, and it would be no problem for a person to lie down on it.

I never expected to put it into practice now.

Zhou Shilin's aura slowly spread throughout her body, and her mind became increasingly hazy. The places he touched became increasingly intense.

There were a few clanging sounds around, as if something had fallen to the ground. Chen Ci didn't have time to care at the moment. Zhou Shilin briefly left her and then took out a box that shouldn't belong in the kitchen from the cupboard.

"No..." Chen Ci's heart heaved violently. She tried to sit up but felt limp and had no strength left. "Why would this be in the kitchen?"

Zhou Shilin walked back to her side and bit open a small bag: "Because I wanted to leave some special memories with you here."

"..." Before Chen Ci could think any further, Zhou Shilin's kiss landed on her again. Having learned from their first experience, the two were much more in sync this time. Zhou Shilin kissed her to distract her while making slow, gentle movements.

Shen Ci hugged the person in front of her tightly, subconsciously calling his name. Zhou Shilin's movements became faster, and Shen Ci's consciousness seemed to be scattered by the impact, with only the place where the two were in contact remaining clear.

As everything calmed down, the sky outside the window had already darkened. The dessert we had agreed to have would probably have to become dinner on the table instead.

Zhou Shilin carried Chen Ci to take a shower, and it was another hour later when they came out of the bathroom.

As Chen Ci sat in front of the dressing mirror drying her hair, she was still thinking about one thing—just how many places in this house had Zhou Shilin placed that thing!

After tidying up the kitchen and bathroom, Zhou Shilin walked into the room and said to Chen Ci, "There's no time to make dinner, so I ordered a private restaurant to deliver. I'll make sweet osmanthus rice balls in fermented rice wine now."

Chen Ci glanced at him, then pulled out a similar small box from the drawer in front of the dressing mirror: "There's one here too! Did it replicate itself at home?!"

Zhou Shilin glanced at what she was holding and said to her, "Don't think too highly of yourself. It was me who diligently placed a box in every room."

Chen Ci: "..."

You really deserve a compliment.

“As for the area in front of the mirror…” Zhou Shilin paused, “don’t you think it’s a good place too?”

"..." Mr. Zhou, please hand over your reading list! She wants to read it too!

When Chen Ci dried her hair and went to the kitchen, Zhou Shilin was kneading glutinous rice balls. His hands were large, with long, well-defined fingers and strong muscles. Thinking about how those hands had just been on her body, doing unspeakable things, and now they were kneading rice balls…

No, can I still eat these little glutinous rice balls?

Her face inexplicably flushed red. Zhou Shilin looked up at her and saw her staring at his hands with a flushed face.

Zhou Shilin quickly understood.

"I figured I was just eating it myself, and it had to be cooked, so I didn't wear gloves." Zhou Shilin walked to the refrigerator, took out a pair of food-grade gloves, and put them on.

Chen Ci slightly shifted her gaze, coughed lightly, and said, "That's not what I meant."

"I know." Zhou Shilin walked back to the kitchen counter and continued kneading small glutinous rice balls. "Anyway, my hands smell like you, you shouldn't mind, right?"

Chen Ci: "..."

Do you really have to say it?

The dough Zhou Shilin had kneaded that afternoon was no longer usable, so he was using freshly kneaded dough of his own. Chen Ci walked over, put on a pair of gloves, and started rolling small dumplings with him: "How did you roll them so round?"

Zhou Shilin said, "As long as you're skillful, you know I'm very skillful."

Chen Ci: "..."

hehe.

Considering that Zhou Shilin was so skillful and was serving her, Chen Ci decided not to argue with him: "What's the use of rolling it into such a round shape? It's going to be eaten anyway."

Zhou Shilin said, "Because this dessert is called Osmanthus Fermented Rice Balls, not Osmanthus Fermented Rice Dumplings."

Chen Ci: "..."

She didn't roll it into a perfect round shape, but it wasn't a complete lump either!

"I'll make this much for now, enough for one bowl." Zhou Shilin glanced at the water that had just boiled and put the dumplings he had just made into the water.

The small glutinous rice balls couldn't be cooked for long, so Zhou Shilin kept a close eye on them the whole time. Chen Ci rubbed the small glutinous rice balls in her hands and asked him, "Aren't you going to eat any?"

"I can hold on a little longer. You must be very hungry after expending so much energy."

"...You were quite considerate afterwards." Chen Ci's words carried a hint of sarcasm.

Zhou Shilin understood.

He loosely clenched his right hand, pressed it to his lips, coughed softly, and said somewhat awkwardly, "Sometimes I really couldn't control myself, but I think you share half the responsibility."

"..." She didn't do anything in the bathroom just now! How could he suddenly lose control like that!

Men are always good at making excuses!

The glutinous rice balls were cooked quickly, and when paired with fermented glutinous rice and Grandma's osmanthus honey, they really did bring back memories of home.

"The taste is not bad." The freshly cooked glutinous rice balls were still very hot, and Chen Ci could only take a small bite. Her eyes lit up slightly. "President Zhou is indeed quite something."

“Your grandma’s osmanthus honey is the best.” He had just tasted a little and it was indeed quite different from what was sold outside. Since he had a day off tomorrow, he planned to try making it according to the recipe given by the housekeeper.

“That osmanthus tree also deserves credit!” Chen Ci blew on the osmanthus-flavored sweet rice balls in the spoon and ate them. “Although there are thousands of osmanthus trees in the world, that osmanthus tree is different for all of us.”

That tree must have been planted by her maternal grandparents together, carrying their memories and emotions, and also holding most of Chen Ci's memories of her maternal grandmother.

Zhou Shilin leaned against the edge of the table, his hands resting on the edge, looking down at Chen Ci sitting next to him.

Noticing his gaze, Chen Ci, holding her spoon, looked up at him and asked, "What's wrong?"

Zhou Shilin shook his head and slowly said, "To me, you are that osmanthus tree."