Chapter 66 "Does it hurt?"...

The sound of running water in the shower was deafening. On the other side, Jiang Nuanyu felt as if a bucket of cold water had been poured over her head. She was incredulous and frustrated at the same time.

She touched her face; it was still burning. She placed her hand on her heart; it was pounding. She gazed wistfully in the direction of the "culprit." The partition between the dry area of ​​the bathroom and the outside was made of transparent glass, and she could see the steam rising from the shower.

Whether it was a misperception or not, Jiang Nuanyu felt that the cool scent of shower gel in the slowly spreading steam was somewhat similar to Liang Qi's scent.

She tilted her head back and sniffed carefully, but as she did, she realized that her scent wasn't exactly the same as Liang Qi's. Before she could figure out what the difference was, the dehumidification system was activated, and the moisture was quickly drawn towards the vent, no longer drifting towards her.

She sat there, having nothing to do. Her eyes darted around, and her gaze fell on the shirt she was sitting on, making her face flush again.

Liang Qi looked even more robust than usual without clothes on. When he lifted her up and placed her under his shirt, all she could see was his body and skin. Although the moment was brief, the raw, unadorned power he exuded was so intense that it lingered in her mind for a long time.

Jiang Nuanyu tried hard to recall that intimate moment that had almost passed a year ago. At the time, she was too confused and tense, and the impact of sex on her was far greater than the simple experience. As a result, she only had fragmented memories of that night, but could not remember the specific details very clearly.

She was lost in thought outside when the sound of water in the shower suddenly stopped. A moment later, Liang Qi came out with a towel tied around his waist.

His hair was still wet, all pulled back. As he passed her to get a towel, he glanced at her.

Jiang Nuanyu immediately lowered her head, staring at her wobbly toes, ignoring him.

Jiang Nuanyu had just figured it out. Liang Qi had been on a plane all night and definitely wanted to take a shower first. But she was still unhappy. If he had planned to take a shower all along, why did he deliberately provoke her and then leave her hanging?

After thinking it over, she still felt that he had gone a bit too far.

Liang Qi was near the bathroom door, a few meters away from Jiang Nuanyu. Jiang Nuanyu noticed out of the corner of her eye that Liang Qi was looking at her, but he didn't say anything, so she couldn't help but want to confirm it.

She turned her head, lifted her eyelids to take a look, and sure enough, Liang Qi was staring at her while drying his hair with a towel.

Their eye contact lasted only a second before Jiang Nuanyu looked away, continuing to feign composure. But in truth, the sight of Liang Qi, half-wrapped in a towel, drying his hair, had quite a jolt to her.

That said, it's true that she and Liang Qi had a very intimate relationship, but that one time was before, it happened almost entirely by skipping all the ambiguous stages and fast-forwarding to the very end. This very private Liang Qi, stripped of his external identities, is far too unfamiliar to her.

Liang Qi walked up to her, and her foot was still wobbling. She kicked his leg, but she didn't stop, only slightly reducing the amplitude.

Liang Qi noticed that she was clutching a section of his shirt cuff in her hand. Jiang Nuanyu saw this and said with a slightly arrogant tone, "You sat here for me."

Liang Qi raised his eyebrows slightly but didn't speak.

As she spoke, she kicked him again.

Liang Qi pulled off the towel and threw it aside. He grabbed her knee, stroked it downwards, pressed down on her flailing legs, and reached his other hand between her knees.

Jiang Nuanyu was on guard this time, and she squeezed her legs together to prevent him from succeeding.

Her strength was no match for his, but Liang Qi didn't force her to continue. He looked up at her in the mirror and simply stood to the side of her legs.

Jiang Nuanyu thought he had given up and had just relaxed when Liang Qi placed his hand on the other side of the table beside her, leaned down, and easily trapped her in his arms.

The distance between them suddenly closed, and Jiang Nuanyu's heart clenched. She loosened her grip on his shirt, leaned on the counter, and looked at him.

His hair had just been dried; clumps of wet hair, some swept back, some to the sides, had a messy, wild, and sexy quality. A single drop of water clung to a strand near his forehead and landed on the back of her hand.

Liang Qi stared into her eyes. Unlike his previous casual teasing, his eyes now held a heavy, suppressed emotion, as if it were burning.

Jiang Nuanyu had a premonition that he was going to continue doing what he had done before he went to take a shower.

Her rebellious streak suddenly resurfaced—he could stop whenever he wanted, and continue whenever he wanted; how could it all be up to him?

She awkwardly turned to the side, creating some distance, and turned her face away, saying, "My slippers aren't here, so I'll have to—"

She was halfway through her sentence when Liang Qi suddenly leaned in and lightly kissed the corner of her lips.

He kissed her very lightly, making a short "pop" sound when his lips touched her cheek.

Jiang Nuanyu was stunned for a moment, her heart trembled at his sudden touch and kiss, and the murmurs that were swirling in her mouth immediately stopped.

Liang Qi glanced at the spot he had just kissed, then looked up into her eyes: "Are you angry with me?"

"without--"

Before she could even finish uttering her first syllable, Liang Qi pecked her lips again and whispered, "Don't be stubborn."

Jiang Nuanyu actually fell for his act. She pursed her lips and said very seriously, "Now... I don't seem angry anymore."

She was really well-behaved. Always unexpectedly well-behaved, genuinely well-behaved.

A faint smile appeared in Liang Qi's eyes. He looked at her for a long time and said, "Seems like?"

Jiang Nuanyu: "Hmm."

"What do you mean by 'seems like'?" Liang Qi raised his hand, his thumb lightly brushing against her lower lip, and asked, "Do you still want me to kiss you?"

His voice sounded like a bewitching spell to Jiang Nuanyu. She felt weak in the knees and was too shy to speak.

"Hmm? Do you want to or not?" Liang Qi didn't accept her acquiescence and said, "It's up to you."

Jiang Nuanyu's face instantly became even hotter, but after he kissed her twice and made it clear that he wanted her, she relaxed and stopped hiding her feelings.

“I want to,” she said, looking at his lips. “If you wanted to kiss me anyway, then I want to even more.”

Liang Qi was taken aback by her answer, and his gaze lingered on her face for a moment. He looked at her, slowly moved closer, paused for a second at her lips, then tilted his head and took a small sip of her lips in his mouth, giving her a quick kiss.

Jiang Nuanyu was completely comforted by him, and her heart melted with warmth.

Liang Qi reached out and cupped the back of her head, gently pulling her head to the side so that her face was pressed against his.

Jiang Nuanyu tilted her head slightly to accommodate him. He carried the refreshing scent of a shower, and there were still water droplets on his skin. Compared to her burning face, his face appeared slightly cool due to the steam.

He pressed his cheek against hers, then turned his head and gently kissed the back of her ear.

Jiang Nuanyu narrowed her eyes, stimulated by him. The sensation from his kisses coursed through her skin like an electric current, sending shivers down her spine and making her fingertips tremble slightly.

Liang Qi swept one side of her hair behind her back. Without the hair covering her, Jiang Nuanyu immediately felt a chill on her chest and subconsciously shrank her shoulders.

Liang Qi grasped her neck, lifted her chin with his thumb, and kissed her jaw.

Jiang Nuanyu felt another jolt in her chest, her lips involuntarily parting as she almost gasped for breath. In her hazy state, Liang Qi turned to face her again, tilting his head to meet her gaze. She lifted her eyelids to look into his eyes, but couldn't hold them for long, only glancing briefly before looking away.

As soon as her gaze shifted away, he placed another very light kiss on her lips. Her heart skipped a beat again.

His hand, which was resting on her neck, slowly moved down, and with a flick of his fingertips, he lifted her shoulder strap and gently pulled it down.

Jiang Nuanyu instinctively raised her hand to block, but Liang Qi pulled her wrist to stop her.

He lowered his head and kissed her shoulder and collarbone. Jiang Nuanyu was incredibly nervous, her heart pounding in her throat. Just when she thought he would continue, he turned back and kissed the crook of her neck.

He kissed his way down her neck to her chin, and she tilted her head back to meet his kisses, panting softly. The overhead light shone into her eyes, and she almost collapsed, clutching his hand tightly, calling out to him with uncontrollable longing, "Liang Qi..."

Liang Qi stopped, straightened up, and placed her hand on his chest. Her fingers lightly dug into his pectoral muscles, and he wrapped his arms around her legs, pulling her closer to him.

Jiang Nuanyu's outer thigh bumped against his chest, causing a sharp pain. Realizing what was about to happen, her breath caught in her throat. She looked up, gazing into his deep eyes, and unconsciously swallowed.

Liang Qi lifted her up by the back of her neck, pinched her face, and lowered his head to kiss her lips.

Unlike the previous kisses that were almost just touching, this time he took her directly into his mouth, quickly penetrating deeper and becoming more aggressive, sucking and biting.

The dehumidification system had stopped sometime ago; the faint hum had ceased. The surroundings were too quiet; the soft, intimate sounds of lips touching could be clearly heard.

She reached up and climbed onto his neck, and he pulled her close to his chest.

The shirt she had been sitting on fell off, and Liang Qi grabbed the towel he had used to dry his hair and casually spread it out.

Jiang Nuanyu thought he wanted to stay there, so she took advantage of a break in his kiss to say shyly, "The platform is too hard..."

Liang Qi picked her up, her black hair swaying gently with his movements, finally spreading out like a flower on the quilt.

Several days later, in just a short while, Jiang Nuanyu's neck was covered in a thin layer of sweat.

The indoor sunlight was dazzling. She closed her eyes and clasped her hands tightly around his arm. Liang Qi felt her strength and grasped her hand in return, enveloping it in his palm.

To this day, Jiang Nuanyu still doesn't know how to define her intimacy with Liang Qi last year. Perhaps it was just an instinctive demand from each other's bodies to achieve some kind of satisfaction, driven by hormones—the most primal physiological impulse.

But returning here again, although their relationship still lacks a clear definition, she is quite certain that something beyond impulse exists between them. It is a heartfelt cherishing, a mutual possessiveness, and perhaps love.

From Beijing to Paris, her heart was always unexpectedly tugged by him. She longed, struggled, regretted, and dared not admit that she was hoping; she would be tormented by heartache, but occasionally, she would also feel happiness because of the connection she had once shared with him.

In the past six months, she had so many dreams that she had become numb to them and could no longer distinguish between her dreams and the reality of her time in Beijing.

She also forgot that reality is a thousand times more real than a dream.

She was breathing heavily, her head tilted to the side under the covers.

Liang Qi reached out and cupped her face, then lowered his head and placed gentle kisses on her damp hairline and closed eyelashes.

In fact, on that rainy night last year, he didn't go all the way. She was covered in a cold sweat, her body burning hot, almost unconscious, tears and sweat mingling together, even her eyebrows were damp. Even though he was close to the climax, he couldn't bear to continue.

Later in the bathroom, under the shower, he admitted that things had gotten out of his control that night.

The first time she kissed him, her lips pressed against his, awkward and unsure of herself. From that, he should have guessed that her experience was probably zero. He didn't have time to be the guide, but he also wouldn't have thought of that beforehand. By the time he realized it, it was too late.

But he can't always do only half of it.

Jiang Nuanyu's head was unknowingly pushed under the pillow. She took the opportunity to cover her face and bury herself in the pillow, trying to cover up the whimpering sounds she couldn't control.

Liang Qi naturally refused.

He grasped her waist and pulled her down, revealing her face. Her face was flushed, and from the sudden closeness, she let out a soft, delicate gasp: "Ah—"

The tank top strap, which had already been rolled up around her waist, was pushed up again, getting caught at her ribs and revealing a section of her slim waist and flat stomach.

Liang Qi glanced down and noticed the scar from her appendectomy.

Two rice-grain-sized T-marks were distributed on her lower right abdomen, grayish-white, with a faint pink tinge of fresh wounds.

He placed his palm on her and gently rubbed it, then looked up and asked, "Does it still hurt?"

She lay in bed and shook her head: "It doesn't hurt anymore."

"Just these two places?"

Jiang Nuanyu pursed her lips, seemingly a little proud: "There's another one inside my belly button."

Liang Qi then touched her navel.

Jiang Nuanyu chuckled, tilting her head and shoulders to one side, and pushed his knee with her hand: "It tickles..."

He placed his hands on the back of her knees and pressed down slightly. She couldn't take it; her body tensed, and she arched her neck, groaning...

Liang Qi stopped: "Does it hurt that much?"

Jiang Nuanyu paused, her chest flushed red, and after a moment, shook her head at him.

Liang Qi looked at her for two seconds, then continued forward and said, "If it hurts, you should say so, okay?"

She whispered, "It doesn't hurt..."

She was still quite inexperienced, and Liang Qi didn't want her to push herself, so he asked to confirm, "Really, it doesn't hurt?"

Sensing his seriousness, she looked at him and nodded, "Mm."

Liang Qi had a pretty good idea of ​​what was going on, but suddenly he wanted to tease her. He raised an eyebrow: "You're not lying?"

Sure enough, Jiang Nuanyu pouted and whimpered, "I'm telling the truth. If you keep asking me like that, I won't answer..."

Liang Qi fell silent for a while—

"OK."

He did what he was supposed to do after he believed her.

"ah--"

She turned into a little butterfly.

Jiang Nuanyu once thought that Liang Qi was a gentle breeze, neither cold nor hot, invisible and intangible, attracting her to get closer, yet unattainable.

But at this moment she thought, Liang Qi could also be a raging storm, whipping her wings and making her dizzy, but also allowing her to soar to great heights.

*

While Liang Qi went to the bathroom for a quick shower, Jiang Nuanyu took a short nap in bed.

She vaguely thought that in this matter, Liang Qi was indeed behaving exactly as he always had. He seemed to be letting her have her way, but in reality, he didn't let her have her way.

She had gone to bed early the night before and had rested quite well, so her energy was still relatively good. But he didn't finish until she was so exhausted that she couldn't hold on any longer and didn't even have the strength to speak.

Hearing approaching footsteps, Jiang Nuanyu pulled the blanket down further, leaving only her eyes showing.

Liang Qi was wearing a close-fitting bathrobe, which made his shoulders appear even broader. Jiang Nuanyu looked at him and felt her face under the covers getting hot again.

She can no longer calmly observe his body, though she wasn't exactly calm to begin with.

Liang Qi was about to walk towards the bedroom door when he glanced back and saw her furtive expression, which amused him.

He stopped and asked, "Are we running again this time?"

Jiang Nuanyu had just been thinking about this, and his mention of it left her speechless. She shrank her face into the blanket, blocking their view of each other.

This is clearly not a clever trick.

Liang Qi walked to the bedside in a few steps and looked down at her. She blinked twice and tried to cover her eyes with the blanket, but he stopped her with his hand.

She argued, "It's true that my friend came to my house last time. You even helped me bring my phone in."

"Hmm." Liang Qi said knowingly, "You never intended to run away."

Jiang Nuanyu pursed her lips and remained silent.

She was at her wits' end with him; admitting it wasn't true, and arguing it wasn't right either. After a few seconds of hesitation, she simply stopped saying anything. He grabbed one end of the blanket, and she shrank to the other side.

She rolled over and pulled the far corner of the blanket over her head.

She had covered her face, but most of her bare back and half of her white breasts peeking out from beside her arm were clearly exposed.

Seeing this, Liang Qi felt a surge of heat again. Her carefree attitude was just like a kitten playing hide-and-seek, thinking that if she hid her head, her body wouldn't be discovered, and she didn't even notice that her tail was wagging.

He chuckled inwardly, shook his head, covered her back with the blanket in his hand, glanced at her again, and said, "Aren't you feeling stuffy?"

After a brief pause, Jiang Nuanyu peeked her head out from under the covers.

She was hot and shy, her cheeks were flushed, and her hair was stuck to her forehead and nose. She brushed it off with her hands.

Liang Qi tucked a few stray strands of hair from her face to one side, rubbed her face with the back of his fingers, feeling the warmth and delicate texture, then pinched her red earlobe and asked, "Go wash it yourself, or should I help you dry it?"

The heat around his fingertips suddenly intensified, and the person on the bed paused for a moment before saying, "...myself."

"Do you want me to carry you over?" Liang Qi said. "Your slippers aren't here."

"No need." Jiang Nuanyu shook her head in refusal; she wasn't even dressed yet. "I can go by myself."

Liang Qi didn't say anything more, just smiled, turned around and left.

Jiang Nuanyu sat up and immediately felt a sharp pain in her lower abdomen. When she got out of bed, her legs trembled involuntarily.

She was frowning and rubbing her stomach when she noticed a pair of slippers lying quietly by the bed.

She took two seconds to react, then felt utterly ashamed.

She asked him what he was laughing about...

...He tricked me again.

If she had known, she wouldn't have said that unnecessary thing. Anyway, all her pretense was transparent to him, so she might as well have told the truth.

Jiang Nuanyu fussed with herself for a while, then wrapped herself in the bath towel Liang Qi had left on the bed, took a shower, and then slipped into the dressing room to find a set of Liang Qi's pajamas to wear.

She still wasn't wearing pants—they were too big.

She walked around to the other exit of the dressing room and, through the bookshelf wall opposite, could vaguely see Liang Qi's figure at the desk between the books and the mezzanine.

She peeked out from behind the bookshelf, just as Liang Qi turned around. Their eyes met, and his clear, untainted gaze still made Jiang Nuanyu's heart skip a beat. She stood there, not daring to take another step forward.

Liang Qi placed one hand on the edge of the table, pushed the chair back a little, and called out to her, "Come here."

Jiang Nuanyu walked over and stopped a step away from him. Liang Qi was clearly not satisfied with this distance, so he reached out and grabbed her wrist, pulling her closer and making her stand between his legs.

Seeing that he was dressed neatly and his hair was combed, Jiang Nuanyu asked him, "Are you going out?"

"Hmm." Liang Qi glanced at his watch and said, "I have two meetings this morning."

“…Oh.” Jiang Nuanyu’s eyes dimmed slightly. She looked at his white shirt and suddenly reached out and grabbed his tie.

Not only Liang Qi, but Jiang Nuanyu herself was also startled by this action. But she didn't let go, emboldened by some unknown courage.

Liang Qi let her pull him along, tilting his head back slightly to look into her half-closed eyes.

He placed one hand on her waist and rubbed it: "What time is your flight?"

"Noon," Jiang Nuanyu said, "a little after one o'clock."

Liang Qi quickly estimated the time and realized that it was too late no matter what.

He squeezed her hand and said, "See you in Paris."

Although reluctant, Jiang Nuanyu nodded and said, "Okay."

She pursed her lips, hesitating again and again, but in the end, she couldn't bring herself to ask. She thought to herself, if only he could guess what she was thinking right now.

She looked into his eyes expectantly, and Liang Qi looked back at her. Suddenly, he chuckled softly and said, "I'll be in Paris this Saturday, or at the latest Sunday."

Make your wish come true!

"Okay!" Jiang Nuanyu smiled, her eyes narrowing. "I understand."

Liang Qi gently pinched the corner of her curved lips, then casually put his arm around her neck. He glanced towards the entrance and said, "I'll take care of those luggage items by the door." He looked at her and asked, "Do you have any privacy?"

Jiang Nuanyu raised her eyebrows, her gaze falling on something to the side, pondering the connection between her belongings and his talk of "privacy." She quickly realized what he meant, and a blush immediately spread across her cheeks.

That's right, she had underwear and such in her luggage.

She stammered, "It seems like..."

Liang Qi nodded: "Do you mind if I see this?"

Jiang Nuanyu was so overwhelmed by his questions that she turned her head away in embarrassment.

Liang Qi reached out and straightened her face, placing his hands on either side of her neck to hold her in place, making her look at him.

He looked up at her, his tone not particularly harsh: "Why are you always hiding?"

Jiang Nuanyu shook her head and did not answer.

Liang Qi asked her, "Does shaking your head mean you're not avoiding it, or that you don't mind?"

“Yes, all of them,” Jiang Nuanyu said.

She mixed truth with falsehood, trying to be clever and stubborn.

Liang Qi looked at her, then suddenly tugged at the corner of his lips and let her go: "Okay."

He turned his gaze to the table, just as the phone on the table vibrated.

Both of them fell silent.

Jiang Nuanyu knew he should leave.

Liang Qi moved the chair back, stood up, grabbed her waist, lifted her up, and sat her on the table.

Jiang Nuanyu sat obediently, raised her hand, and stroked the marks she had made on his tie.

Liang Qi hooked her palm, took her hand down and held it in his own, and she gripped his fingers in return.

He rubbed his hands together and said, "The driver will take you to the airport later."

"OK."

"I'll have someone bring you lunch."

"……good."

Liang Qi didn't speak for a few seconds, then stroked the back of her neck through her hair: "Let's go."

She nodded: "Mm."

He glanced at her, let go of her, grabbed his phone from the table, and left.

Liang Qi's footsteps faded into the distance, and the sound of the door closing disappeared for a long time before Jiang Nuanyu finally came to her senses.

Their brief meeting after returning home began abruptly and ended just as abruptly. Thinking about what happened that morning, she felt a warmth in her heart and her face flushed.

Does this mean she "ran away" again?

After thinking about it very seriously, she shook her head at herself.

Of course not.

This time, her departure wasn't an escape. Their next meeting in Paris was the first one she and Liang Qi had arranged. She could look forward to it with peace of mind, without the worry of it being a disappointment.

*

After finishing her meal, Jiang Nuanyu quickly packed her small suitcase. The driver was already waiting for her downstairs.

She didn't touch her luggage at all, leaving it entirely to Liang Qi.

As she closed the door, she felt a pang of reluctance to leave the place she had only stayed for less than a day.

That's good, there's still a place in this city waiting for her to come back.

While waiting at the airport, Jiang Nuanyu's mood was completely different from when she left Beijing last time.

Before boarding the plane, she took out her phone and sent a text message to Liang Qi: "Liang Qi, thank you."

At that moment, Liang Qi had just finished a meeting and was walking towards his private restaurant. Seeing this seemingly random text message, he wondered why she was thanking him, when he received another message.

"Reciprocity is key, 569257, that's my door lock code in Paris."

Liang Qi looked up and smiled helplessly. As he was about to put his phone away, he glanced at the time and guessed that her flight was about to take off.

So he replied, "Have a safe journey."

After Jiang Nuanyu found her seat and sat down, she saw Liang Qi's reply and felt a warm and heavy feeling in her heart.

She thought for a moment and replied, "Everything went smoothly."

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