Chapter 68: A Night Overwhelmed by Desire, Enjoying His Body

Li Wenjing couldn't quite describe the days after he left. She was busy moving, studying, and organizing everything. And as for him, the kisses he'd given her, the hugs he'd given her, the tickling sensation of his hair against her neck... all of this seemed to have become a thing of the past. He was no longer by her side, his consciousness existing in a mysterious place. At first, she'd dreamt of him: strolls along the beach, his faded denim shirt, bleached in the sun. He'd come home to clean her room, donning a panda apron to separate egg whites for marinating meat while she used the yolks for steamed eggs. He'd sit quietly beside her, his chin resting on his hand, watching her eat. Between them, there seemed a calm, devoid of any sadness.

After moving to the UK, she was busy for a while. When her time was occupied by various trivial matters, he came less and less. When one day she didn't think of him and the time belonged to her, she would feel guilty at first, but gradually, such days became more and more, and she got used to his absence.

In a blink of an eye, the days passed by and it was the third year without any incident.

Li Wenjing had just arrived at the airport when Lu Cong approached her. He was tall, wearing a white T-shirt and black work-wear-like pants, holding a bouquet of eye-catching red roses. His smile blossomed as soon as their eyes met, and before he could say a word, he gave her a big hug.

"I miss you so much."

Li Wenjing kept a straight face and said nothing. He said, "What's going on? You're still unhappy after a few days in Africa. Don't stay here anymore. Come back home with me."

"Nothing, the solo trip was a bit boring. How were you?"

"Not so good! You're such a cruel woman. You came here on vacation by yourself and left me in England! I really wanted to come see you but I was afraid you'd ignore me. I was so miserable and heartbroken that I caught a cold as soon as I got home. My nose was blocked for several days and I lay in bed like an old man."

"I'm afraid you have the flu. I was already saying I was sick and couldn't even speak, but you insisted on taking care of me. You deserve it."

Li Wenjing turned around and smiled. He put a hand on her shoulder and said, "I won't mention anything unhappy from now on. Oh, I know you're not mad at me anymore, otherwise why would you come to pick me up? You probably don't want me to be on the streets of Africa and get bullied by black guys."

"Who can bully you?"

"Shaoyin, you've bullied me so many times. Don't just stand there. I'm almost dying of exhaustion carrying these flowers."

After accepting his flowers, he quickly kissed her on the lips, put one arm around her back and held her under her shoulders, "Come on, I'll treat you to dinner. You're starving. There's nothing on the plane, and the bread is so hard it could break my teeth."

They took a taxi to her place and casually walked into a streetside barbecue restaurant. Li Wenjing had no appetite and only ate a few meats, while Lu Cong grilled plate after plate. She ate little and spoke little, mostly listening to Lu Cong's fragmented chatter about his "adventures" around the world, things she had heard countless times before. Finally, he brought the conversation back to Kenya—a place they shared memories of. Besides Gu Weiyi, he continued to talk about it bit by bit, and she just nodded.

After dinner, he continued talking. Li Wenjing pushed her plate aside, fixed her hair with a clip, and put her phone in her bag. Seeing this, he shut up and went to pay the bill. They walked in silence all the way back to her room.

The city's night sky was always too bright to see clearly. There were no stars, only a hazy, slender moon in the sky. Li Wenjing lay on the balcony, gazing at the dark blue sky outside. Lu Cong took out five bottles of beer he had just bought at the supermarket from his bag and placed them on the railing outside, separating the two of them.

"Let's see who can drink faster. Are you unhappy today because you don't drink?" Lu Cong said.

"boring."

Having said that, she picked up the nearest bottle of beer, tilted her head back towards the sky and started drinking. On the other side, he was not to be outdone, and drank "tons of beer" towards the sky.

After finishing a bottle and taking a break, he asked, "What's going on here? You don't look like you have much luggage. Tell me if you need anything and I'll go get it for you."

"I don't like to bring a lot of stuff when I go out, the less the better. I did buy some things while shopping here, but I asked them to send them back for me."

"Yeah, for someone like me who moves around so often, I don't dare buy too many things. All I have are a few sets of military uniforms. I buy souvenirs and send them back home. I often think, if I accidentally die of 'honor' one day, my parents will come to claim my belongings, and they'll probably only have those few sets of clothes. Life is like this, and when you die, you won't leave anything behind." He raised the bottle of wine to her, "So eat and drink, and don't think too much."

Li Wenjing opened the second bottle of wine and toasted with him. Her eyes slid across the side of his body. His broad chest rose and fell under his T-shirt with his breathing. Her eyes slid down to his arm. The white beer foam was sliding across his wheat-colored skin. Even through the bottle, he was attractive all over.

After a crisp sound of glass clinking, he pushed away the empty bottle of wine and grinned, "Ms. Li Wenjing, be more careful! I'm about to win. I'll give you three minutes to think about what I'm going to do if I win."

As he spoke, he grabbed the last bottle of beer and drank it all in one gulp. The beer flowed down the corner of his mouth to his neck, gleaming faintly on the dimly lit balcony.

The wine was gone, and the distance between them seemed to vanish. He walked over to her, holding her in his arms, and leaned down to kiss her. His embrace was so natural, it skipped her time to think. Her head and body tilted back, her toes off the ground, as if she were floating from the balcony back to the bed. Even though she knew what was going to happen from the moment he stepped into the room, when it actually happened, lying on top of him, her hair loose and brushing against his face, she still felt a sense of floating unreality.

"What are you thinking about?"

"you guess."

"Don't ever say you're thinking about others at this moment."

"No, I just think it's a little funny. We've known each other for so long..." She supported herself on her knees and pressed down on him twice, then said with a smile, "You're so hard."

"Nonsense! You didn't even react in bed with the woman you love. Am I sick?"

He untied the suspenders on her body and caressed her breasts. She still smiled and pinched his chest with her fingers, "You are much bigger than me, touch yourself."

"Don't tell me you don't like it. I'll put my clothes on then."

"like……"

Before he could finish his words, he had already raised his head and bit her lips. She panted and twisted against him, enjoying the tingling sensation of the long embrace. She found that the two of them were indeed very compatible, even if they were not moving, just lying in bed without talking. When he touched her back during the relaxing moments, she began to tremble again.

"Want to do it again?"

"You're very strong."

"Isn't it because you want too much? What if, I mean what if, in a few years I can't do it anymore, you might need to find someone else."

"Who knows? If you keep thinking about it in your thirties, by the time you're forty or fifty, with gray hair and wrinkles all over your body, you might not want to do it anymore..." Li Wenjing said, "Not necessarily. Maybe many women by that age find their peers no longer capable, and those too young can't bring themselves to do it, so they still want to do it."

"Well, I'm not exaggerating, I'm in good health, I'll try to be able to accompany you when I'm fifty or sixty."

"It's okay, I'll find a younger guy, so don't force it..."

"Oh my God! I'm really sad. Listen to this!"

He held her tightly and pressed her against his heart. She knew nothing. The warmth of his body flowed through her, wrapping her up as if she were in a very safe place. She slept very soundly until she woke up early the next morning. She opened her eyes and met his gaze.

"You scared me to death. Why didn't you call me when you woke up?" She yawned, still feeling a little sleepy.

"I'm used to getting up early, so I'll sleep a little longer since it's still early."

He caressed her back while kissing her. Her whole body began to heat up again. She really wanted him still, and the feeling made her tremble. She also realized that the power he exuded was pulling her away from the past and into a new life, a new life that she was not sure whether she wanted to accept. Before she was completely swallowed by lust, she opened his hand and sat up. "Goodbye, if you wait any longer, you won't be able to rent a car. We agreed to rent a car early and drive yourself. It will take forever."

After packing their bags, they headed to the car rental agency. Lu Cong leaned against the counter, haggling with the owner. The sun was blazing, and seeing their lips dry from talking, Li Wenjing told him to go to the supermarket across the street for some iced drinks.

As she walked quickly across the street, her neck suddenly felt light, accompanied by a flash of silver on her chest. With a soft "ding" sound, the necklace fell into a dusty pit on the road.

She squatted down almost subconsciously, her fingers eagerly reaching into the pit.

“Wen Jing——!”

Lu Cong's roar and a sharp brake sound exploded from behind her at the same time. Before she could react, a force suddenly pulled her forward, and her forehead hit the hardened curb with a dull sound. Her vision suddenly went black, her knees felt hot, and a rusty smell filled her mouth.

When she recovered from the dizziness, she looked up and saw Lu Cong standing in front of her, blocking the way for the truck behind them. At the same time, his hand, pressed to the ground, had pierced an exposed steel bar on the roadside. Blood gushed out from the side of his arm, creating a glaring red patch on the yellow earth before her eyes.

"What are you doing? You didn't even listen to me!"

Before she could care about him, his reproach reached her ears first.

"I……"

Li Wenjing hesitated and didn't know what to say for a moment. He suddenly grabbed her right hand, which had been clenched into a fist, and her fingers clenched even tighter.

"What is that? Let me see."

His voice was hoarse, and the cold sweat from his forehead, mixed with blood, dripped onto the back of her tense hand, feeling warm and sticky. As soon as she was distracted, he pried open her knuckles and the necklace fell into his hands.