Chapter 61 Staying Tonight

Chen Jizhou logged into this account again because Jiang Meng had asked him about that game from back then.

His intuition was sharp; he knew she had probably guessed something.

I'd lost my old cell phone, but I still remembered the account and password. Once I logged in, I saw the message she'd sent.

He never cared too much about himself in this relationship.

It wasn't until I saw her tears today that I realized that she had also been hurt.

It is only when people are being cared for that they can see the reflection of so much grievance in the mirror-like eyes of the other person.

Chen Jizhou had been incredibly busy at the company lately, and it was already quite late when he got home. As he entered, he noticed light coming from the living room. Upon closer inspection, he saw that the person who had been sprawled out on the sofa had also heard the noise at the door and sat up abruptly. Jiang Meng tiptoed over to him, stepping over the scattered rose petals on the floor, and stretched out her arm to show him the floral arrangement inside: "Look, isn't it beautiful?"

A thin layer of rose petals covered the ground. In addition to the flowers, there were also some small string lights hanging on the wall, but the light was very dim and they looked like they had reached the end of their lifespan.

Chen Jizhou looked inside, then at her: "What are you doing?"

Xie Zhuo said, "If you like someone, you will go to see them without hesitation."

He tried to understand, then laughed: "You see me by waiting for me at home?"

Jiang Meng: "Oh no, no, I was planning to get everything set up before picking you up, but it took me so long—oh, I even took a nap in between. I admit I'm a bit of a procrastinator, otherwise I should have been able to pick you up."

Chen Jizhou stood there watching her smile, his eyes crinkling into bright crescents.

Jiang Meng thought he didn't like it: "What are you laughing at?"

"I'm laughing at how cute you are."

He reached out to rub her head, but Jiang Meng nimbly dodged.

He went further inside and took a look at the rather decent flower arrangement.

Jiang Meng said, "The flowers aren't arranged very regularly. Actually, I wanted to arrange them into a heart shape."

Chen Jizhou smiled and said, "It's alright."

Jiang Meng nodded her chin again and pointed to the wall: "That light seems to be low on power; it keeps flickering."

"It's okay."

She smiled and stepped forward, peering into his eyes: "I learned it from TV dramas, I'm not very good at being romantic, are you satisfied?"

Chen Jizhou looked at her: "How long did it take?"

"About an hour."

He watched quietly for a moment, then went into the room; there were also some on the sheets.

Jiang Meng said, "This is clear, it's a LOVE."

Chen Jizhou looked her over for a moment, and seeing the expectant look in her eyes, he turned around and gently hugged her.

After embracing for a while, he whispered, "So happy."

Jiang Meng smiled knowingly, "What?"

He smiled faintly, turned his gaze, and kissed her temple: "I said, I'm so happy."

Jiang Meng nodded in satisfaction: "Yes, that's how it should be. Tell me if you're happy, and tell me if you like something."

Jiang Meng must have already showered; she was wearing one of her bear-patterned nightgowns. When he hugged her tightly, he could smell the same fragrance of her shower gel. Before she could finish speaking, he caught her off guard, lifted her knees, and pinned them against the wall behind her. In a passionate kiss, she clutched the collar of his black shirt and responded enthusiastically.

After the kiss, Jiang Meng clung to him, wrapped her arms around his neck, and asked, "Are you tired after working so long?"

Chen Jizhou said, "I'm not tired. I can even go for a three-kilometer run."

She noticed that his chest was rising and falling slightly from the passionate kiss, and she could feel the muscles there.

Jiang Meng made a surprise move; she reached out and unbuttoned three of his buttons.

Then, sensing that this action was a bit dangerous, she paused for a moment with her fingers, and whispered, "Don't run away, stay with me tonight."

“…Hmm.” After a while, he buttoned his shirt back up.

In the incredibly agitated atmosphere, the two of them blushed and let go of each other.

Yan Yuqing knew about Jiang Meng and Chen Jizhou's "reconciliation". She had no impression of the man she had only met once, but she remembered that he was very handsome and had a great body. So she said in a fanciful way, "You two would be like a match made in heaven if you met."

"Like lightning striking the earth? You could say that, but we're still at the stage where we could bump teeth even when we kiss."

Jiang Meng mumbled something, thought for a moment, and then asked her in a very low voice, "Hey, will it be very uncomfortable the first time?"

Yan Yuqing was extremely surprised: "No way, you haven't slept together yet?"

Jiang Meng nodded slightly.

"Aren't you planning to marry him?"

Jiang Meng nodded slightly again: "If he's willing."

Yan Yuqing: "What if he can't perform down there?"

“Then I’ll try to cure him.” Jiang Meng’s voice was even lower as she covered her mouth with her hand and leaned closer. “But from what I’ve observed, he seems to be doing quite well.”

"How do we observe this?"

"He taught me to swim, and I was already quite good at it in junior high school."

Yan Yuqing let out a meaningful "Wow".

Jiang Meng coughed and said, "Stop it. Don't get any ideas here. It's lewd."

"And what makes you any better? You started having such lewd thoughts back in junior high, which is even more disgusting."

Jiang Meng was speechless.

After holding her breath for a moment, she said, "Okay, I admit it, I am a little bit."

Trusting men is something I anticipated long ago.

However, she also said matter-of-factly, "Well, everyone is just starting to develop, so of course they'll have a bit of a desire to explore."

Yan Yuqing realized something was wrong: "What, you've known him since junior high?"

Jiang Meng smiled brightly instantly: "We've been childhood sweethearts, our love is stronger than gold!"

...

Jiang Meng led Chen Jizhou to sit down at the small table.

She prepared red wine and desserts, taking them out of the refrigerator: "Look, Valentine's Day cakes."

It was a very small raspberry and lychee fruit cake, which she chose this time according to his taste.

Chen Jizhou sat down: "What kind of Valentine's Day is this today?"

"I'll give it to you if I want, no double standards allowed." She looked at the person opposite her, raised her smiling eyes, and handed over the small spoon. "Eat up."

Chen Jizhou had just taken a bite when she abruptly brought up, "You went to see my dad? Before you went to Singapore."

"Really?" His expression and tone were indifferent. "I don't remember."

She scoffed, "The toughest thing about you is your mouth."

Chen Jizhou chuckled, head down, as he popped cake into his mouth. "You've seen me from head to toe?"

"..."

Jiang Meng rested her chin on her hand and covered her flushed face: "You're so irresponsible. I'm talking seriously, you jerk."

He smiled slyly, lowered his eyes, and feigned innocence: "I didn't say anything, did I?"

Seeing that Chen Jizhou seemed too lazy to recall these things, he probably thought it was pretentious. After a while, Jiang Meng changed the subject and said, "Mom knows about us being together."

This time his expression became more serious, and he hurriedly asked, "What did Auntie say?"

"She angrily questioned me, 'How did you end up with this bastard?'"

Chen Jizhou immediately frowned, the small cake in his hand lost its appeal, and he looked at Jiang Meng with disbelief, as if this was an insurmountable problem, and whispered, "Then what should we do?"

Winning over elders was not difficult for Chen Jizhou. He imagined the expression Teacher Ye might make when she said those words—but he couldn't. It shouldn't be like that, Teacher Ye had been quite friendly to him. However, when it came to such an important matter, it was right for her to have some consideration. After a while, he calmed himself down and said lightly, "It's okay, I have money, that's a plus."

Jiang Meng stared at his complex expression, and afraid she would laugh, she quickly covered her mouth.

When he looked up at her, she had already composed herself: "What's the rush? You're not getting married anyway."

Chen Jizhou: "Did I say that?"

“My friend told me, the one who read your palm last time,” Jiang Meng said, then thought for a moment and laughed again, “Oh, you lied to her, you said you'd marry me?”

He didn't respond.

Jiang Meng blinked, finally realizing something: "Could it be because you're waiting for me?"

"I'm not waiting for you."

He said calmly, "Have you ever heard the saying, 'Life shouldn't be too full'? I'm fine as I am. I think, 'I'll give you all the happiness I can't have. Then I'll have everything, right?'"

As Chen Jizhou spoke, he leisurely tasted the wine she had prepared, holding his wine glass. He noticed that Jiang Meng was silent, and upon closer inspection, her expression had become very solemn, with tears welling up in her eyes. Under the warm, fragmented light of the string lights, she looked quite beautiful, like a pear blossom in the rain.

Instead, he laughed, as if he didn't understand: "What's there to cry about?"

She wiped her eyes and said, "It's nothing, I just... feel sorry for you."

Chen Jizhou adopted his usual lazy demeanor: "Honestly, I've never met anyone who feels sorry for me. They just envy me. I have everything I could want, and my looks alone are enough to make me the most beautiful person on Earth. What is there for me to feel sorry for?"

Chen Jizhou smiled as he looked at her tearful eyes, recalling a saying: "A woman's tears are a man's weapon."

He said, "From now on, if you cry, I won't comfort you anymore. I'll cry with you and see who can cry longer."

Jiang Meng burst into laughter through her tears: "You shameless!"

After taking a few small bites of cake, he tossed the spoon aside and said, "It's so sweet."

Jiang Meng: "Huh? You don't like sweets?"

Chen Jizhou: "I like it to death. That's just how I am. My mouth is the second hardest thing in my whole body, don't you know that?"

She said, "You arrogant jerk, don't think I won't lay a hand on you just because you're my boyfriend."

Chen Jizhou generously said, "Come on, punch me and let me have some fun."

Jiang Meng went over with her fists, but was pulled into his arms and given a domineering kiss in return.

She gently bit his lower lip; it was soft and easy to kiss, not hard at all, and had a sweet smell.

It quieted down.

He touched her cheek: "Stay tonight?"

Jiang Meng kept her eyes downcast with wet eyelashes and didn't say anything.

Chen Jizhou: "Okay?"

"What if I can't explain it well?"

"Then I will take forceful measures."

She pretended to get up and said, "No, I'm leaving!"

He pressed her tightly against his lap, grabbed her chin, and threatened, "Woman, you're trapped now. Surrender."

Jiang Meng couldn't help but burst out laughing.

"I'm going to throw up, Chen Jizhou... Can you..." Jiang Meng laughed so hard she bent over, her voice breaking, "Can you be normal for once? Don't be like this, okay?"

He chuckled, "What's wrong? Don't you like this kind of thing?"

"This is a bit too domineering, I can't stand it."

Chen Jizhou said, "You're too domineering, yet you bite me."

He patted Jiang Meng's waist, which was taut from laughing, and told her to get up: "Okay, I'm going to take a shower."

Jiang Meng quickly stood up, her eyebrows dancing with excitement, and said, "Aren't you afraid I'll take the opportunity to run away?"

He casually unbuttoned his cuffs: "So I've decided to let you come in and watch me wash."

Seeing that he had grabbed her hand, Jiang Meng shyly shook it off, her face flushed, and said, "Who wants to see? I'm not as lewd as Xiao Jin."

Chen Jizhou had already stood up, bent down slightly, looked into her eyes, and smiled slightly, like a kitten or puppy wagging its tail, obediently asking for something: "Please be a little more lewd, I beg you."

"..."

Jiang Meng looked away, pushed him, and said, "I won't run, you go quickly."

"real?"

“Really, really,” she urged in a very soft voice, “I’m quite anxious too.”

Chen Jizhou smiled at her shy expression, picked up his bathrobe, and went into the bathroom.

Jiang Meng called from the doorway, "Don't waste my flowers, make sure you smell nice after your shower!"

A soft laugh came from inside, followed by a lazy "Okay" through the glass.

When he came out of the shower, the beautiful flower petals on the bed in the bedroom had already been lifted off along with the blanket.

Jiang Meng lay face down in the middle of the bed, with a tablet on the bed. She was idly watching a variety show with her head down. The length of her nightgown was originally to her knees, but because of her lying face down, it was pulled up to the middle of her thighs. Her two legs were spread straight on the gray bed sheet, thin and well-proportioned, so long that they could hardly fit on the bed, and part of her toes were dangling over the edge of the bed.

Back in school, boys loved to point and whisper about girls. Jiang Meng was naturally considered a goddess by them, so they jokingly called her "Leg Goddess." Chen Jizhou was particularly annoyed by these guys' habit of staring at girls' figures and gossiping. Even compliments were unacceptable; words from boys always carried an element of scrutiny, perhaps accompanied by even more unhealthy fantasies. Her beauty and charm belonged only to herself; she didn't need anyone else's judgment or opinion. Finally, Chen Jizhou pulled those boys aside and warned them one by one, finally erasing the nickname from the gossip.

Hearing the door close, she turned to look at him.

The windows and doors inside the room were all tightly closed, making it completely airtight.

The variety show was interrupted, and the only audio device, the tablet, fell silent.

What should we do now?

When in doubt, kiss first.

Chen Jizhou knelt on one knee between her legs and leaned down to kiss her.

Jiang Meng hugged him, her hands touching the rough texture of his bathrobe. After a while, she gently pushed him away and asked in a low voice, "Are you wearing anything underneath?"

"without."

"So, should you take your clothes off first, or should I?"

After Jiang Meng finished speaking, she felt that it was inappropriate for her to say such words, and muttered angrily, "Chen Jizhou, how can you ask a quiet and reserved girl like me to say such things? Are you even a man?"

He couldn't help but smile, but when he looked at her again, his eyes darkened slightly, as if brewing a storm, and he asked her, "Have you thought it through?"

"I've thought it through."

Chen Jizhou said in a low voice, "Then take a look for yourself."

"What are you looking at?"

"See if I'm a man or not."