Chapter 89 Kiss Scar

The little one goes to bed too early at night and wakes up before midnight.

Now when he wakes up at night, sometimes he holds his bottle and drinks milk, which helps him fall back asleep. Other times, he gets more energetic and wants to play for a while. Today he was very energetic, holding the bottle with both hands, sucking on the nipple, swallowing small sips, and his eyes were darting around, looking for his mother.

She had just learned to say "mama" during the day, and she started using it at night. Later, after she was full from drinking milk, she threw the bottle aside, kicked her arms and legs wildly, and kept calling out, "Mama, mama, baba..."

"Our little dumpling wants to play with Mommy and Daddy?" The auntie smiled and picked up the baby. She glanced at the time and said, "Mommy went to pick up Daddy. They should be back soon. Shall we call Mommy to see where they are?"

The little dumpling waved its tiny fists, making "ee-ee-ooh" sounds.

When the phone rang, Jin Zhao was sitting on Meng Yanxi's lap.

Meng Yanxi held her back with one hand and supported her waist with the other.

Jin Zhao is such a lazybones, and he always takes so long, so she soon started to act spoiled and refused to move. Meng Yanxi kissed her earlobe, his hot tongue tracing her skin.

Jin Zhao felt her scalp tingling from his teasing, and took the initiative to cup his head and lean down to kiss him.

Her hair was now quite long, partially obscuring her snow-white body. Her black hair and fair skin shone brightly under the light. As they kissed, strands of hair brushed against him like feathers, lightly grazing his taut, burning chest muscles.

Meng Yanxi held her waist with his hands, his fingers tightening and sinking deep into her skin, the veins on the back of his hands bulging with an irresistible urge to move.

The cell phone rang.

He clearly felt Jin Zhao's body reflexively tighten, and then release him a moment later.

It must be that the little dumpling has woken up; she and the baby have developed a tacit understanding in this regard now.

Jin Zhao tried to get his phone, but as soon as he let go of her, Meng Yanxi pulled him back.

"I won't answer." He possessively held her, then suddenly pressed down on her waist, forcefully.

Jin Zhao exclaimed in surprise.

With her eyes closed and her breathing steady, she explained to him, "Meng Yanxi, don't... it must be the baby waking up."

But Meng Yanxi remained unmoved, burying her face in her chest and mumbling, "There's an auntie here."

Jin Zhao leaned back slightly, her neck stretching into a snow-white arc, looking incredibly sexy under the light: "I know... I'm just telling him."

“You wouldn’t just say it once,” Meng Yanxi exposed her mercilessly, murmuring, “but you are mine now.”

He never liked being disturbed at times like this, so he picked her up in their current position and carried her to the bedroom.

This provocative position caught Jin Zhao completely off guard.

The short journey was filled with screams of despair.

The absent-minded shout completely drowned out the inconsiderate ringtone of the cell phone.

The aunt from the Meng family was sensible; after Jin Zhao didn't answer the phone, she didn't call again. Fortunately, the little dumpling was considerate and didn't insist on playing with her parents late at night. She played with her aunt for a while and then fell asleep again.

Jin Zhao felt a little ashamed.

She didn't sleep after it was over, worried about the little dumpling they had left at home, and tried to coax a certain awkward man home.

She didn't know how much Meng Yanxi had drunk that night, but she suspected he had sobered up, judging from his behavior just now. But his head still seemed a little dazed, clinging to her like a clingy puppy, and saying sweetly, "Lingling, you have to love me more."

Jin Zhao touched his head.

Meng Yanxi is actually not suitable to be a "puppy dog" because his fur, no, his hair, is not soft at all; it's very stiff, and touching his head feels like your fingertips are being pricked.

She said helplessly, "Okay."

Meng Yanxi: "Stop lying to me."

Jin Zhao: "...Meng Yanxi, my reputation isn't that bad, is it?"

Meng Yanxi remained silent.

She suddenly remembered the video on her phone and said with undisguised joy, "Oh right, the little dumpling can say 'daddy' and 'mommy' today. Let me show you."

As she spoke, she couldn't wait to reach for her phone to share the message with him. Just as she lifted the blanket, he grabbed her hand and pulled her back into his arms in a domineering manner.

Jin Zhao was puzzled by Meng Yanxi's unusual clinginess tonight and glared at her, asking, "What's wrong?"

Meng Yanxi didn't give her another chance, and mumbled, "Looks like you're not tired yet..."

He kissed her again.

Jin Zhao's reason was once again plundered and ravaged; his mind was completely blank all night. If he had any thoughts at all, they could be summed up in four words—

He offered himself to the wolves.

...

Later, she turned her head absently. His hand supported her face, his long, strong fingers pressing against the soft bed, the sensual veins on the back of his hand tightening and relaxing with a certain rhythm… Her gaze unconsciously lingered on the inside of his wrist, where there was a deep red mark, resembling a birthmark from afar, but clearly visible as a scar at this intimate distance. A tiny mark, a mark left from a poisonous spider bite, which hadn't faded over the years.

The scar kept swaying, blurring her vision, but the twelve-year-old boy in her heart gradually became clearer.

Unruly and rebellious, with a heart full of courage.

Jin Zhao couldn't help but turn her head and kiss the scar.

The man's body suddenly stiffened.

...

Meng Yanxi was particularly torturous that night, half-drunk and half-awake, seemingly drunk yet sober, making it impossible for anyone to resist, causing countless breakdowns.

It seemed that he gradually began to get better after she kissed the scar on the inside of his wrist, becoming less crazy, but then he started to rub against her in a more delicate and lingering way.

The two returned home the next day. Exhausted, Jin Zhao slept all day, while Meng Yanxi was surprisingly refreshed and went to the company. In the evening, when she woke up, Meng Yanxi was already home, playing with their little one downstairs.

The little dumpling was a good dumpling; he didn't hold a grudge against his father for making him cry yesterday, and happily played with him again. He lay on the mat in front of Meng Yanxi, his little arms supporting him, tilting his head back and smiling at Meng Yanxi, making "ba, ba ba" sounds.

Meng Yanxi was quite hypocritical. Although her eyes were practically overflowing with joy when she heard her son call her "Dad," she stubbornly said, "You little chatterbox, one call is enough. Why do you keep calling? Are you trying to compete with Lingling for affection?"

Little dumpling: "Mommy, Mommy!"

Meng Yanxi propped herself up on the floor mat with one arm, tilted her head and smiled: "Then you can't compete with her. She will always be number one in my heart. You'd better give up as soon as possible."

Little dumpling: "?"

Do you want to listen to the nonsense you're spouting?

Jin Zhao thought to himself, "Shouldn't I be moved to tears during such a heartwarming moment?"

Not to mention that Meng Yanxi is also a crybaby.

He cried when the baby was born, and last night when she said those three words to him, his eyes instantly welled up with tears again. Although he managed to hold back his tears, his head was slightly tilted back, his eyes were bloodshot, and his eyes were wet, giving him a strangely pitiful and delicate beauty. So much so that she, who had originally gone to pick him up to go home, ended up partying with him all night because she couldn't resist Meng Yanxi's charm.

*

Jin Zhao learned from this experience and took it seriously, and from then on, she would talk to Meng Yanxi about everything.

However, nothing particularly noteworthy has happened recently; most of the time it revolves around the baby. Meng Yanxi's thoughts are hard to fathom. If you tell him everything, he gets upset and says sarcastically, "Why don't we wait until he grows teeth and then tell me himself?"

Jin Zhao thought for a moment and asked sincerely, "Do babies start talking as soon as they start teething?"

Meng Yanxi just watched her silently.

"Don't you have anything else to ask me?"

Jin Zhao thought for a moment and shook his head.

Meng Yanxi remained silent for a long time: "When you came to Luxi to find me that day, you ran into Wu Fei late at night, and you didn't have anything to ask me?"

Jin Zhao shook her head: "I guess she saw Luo Heng's post on WeChat Moments. She probably likes Lu Jingyue and wants to help him. It has nothing to do with you."

Meng Yanxi gave a slight smile: "Lu Jingyue said thank you."

"What about the others?" Meng Yanxi asked again. "Meng Zhuxi is always promoting me all over the world, saying that I change girlfriends every month, but you never seem to ask me about it."

“I know it’s a misunderstanding, you’re not that kind of person. Brothers and sisters are naturally inclined to love and hate each other. But I’m different, I don’t hate you,” Jin Zhao blinked and sweetly coaxed him, “I only love you.”

Meng Yanxi, who had been quite serious about demanding an explanation from his wife, couldn't hold back his smile any longer upon hearing this. He pouted and then gave a light, feigned hum, "You're just trying to coax me."

Jin Zhao, taking advantage of the situation, stood on tiptoe and gently kissed the corner of his mouth, asking tenderly, "Don't you like it?"

Meng Yanxi looked down at her and said softly, "You could try a little harder to coax her."

Jin Zhao looked up, somewhat surprised: "Am I not trying?"

Meng Yanxi held her waist and affectionately pulled her into her arms: "Hmm, not very attentive."

Jin Zhao felt wronged.

Meng Yanxi looked into her eyes and said, "Lingling, you don't have any possessiveness towards me."

Jin Zhao: "Desire of exclusivity?"

Meng Yanxi: "Yes, I only have feelings for you."

Jin Zhao thought for a moment and asked sincerely, "Is it possible that this is your problem? You need to change it?"

Meng Yanxi remained noncommittal: "Maybe, but I don't plan to change. It's hard for someone like me to fall in love with someone, and once I do, I don't intend to hold back."

Jin Zhao looked at Meng Yanxi with mixed feelings.

It was clearly a beautiful love confession, but she didn't know why this person could say it so awkwardly.

After a long silence, she said, "Meng Yanxi, you need to uphold some male virtues."

"Male virtue?" Meng Yanxi raised an eyebrow, a hint of eager surprise suddenly appearing in her eyes. "So you admit that you're jealous, and you were just being stubborn? Look at you, what face do you have to save in front of me? I won't laugh at you."

Jin Zhao: "..."

She didn't know how this person managed to make her so happy while talking, and couldn't help but correct him: "No, what male virtue means is that once you're married, you should live a good life with your wife, and not think about possessing her or being jealous all the time. You should learn to be humble and loving."

Meng Yanxi: "..."

*

On July 2nd, Jin Zhao went to the school to pick up a sample copy of the SSCI paper she had published. That day happened to be the school-wide assembly before the summer break. Except for those on maternity leave like her, all faculty and staff had to attend and clock in; otherwise, they had to request leave through the online office (OA). Using the OA meant a deduction in pay. Of course, one could choose not to clock in or use the OA, but that was a different story—a "ghost employee," meaning a deduction in pay and a reprimand.

Therefore, the school-wide faculty and staff meeting every semester is the day when Jin Zhao sees the most colleagues. There are even banks that have discussed cooperation with the school and come over to apply for credit cards on this day.

The information booth was conveniently located in the lobby on the first floor of the School of Foreign Languages. Many bank staff members came, each with a tablet. It was quite large, and the benefits offered were more than those outside: suitcases, air fryers, and two-year JD Plus memberships.

Some teachers needed to apply for credit cards, while others came to apply for cards because of the JD Plus membership and gifts.

Jin Zhao took the journal downstairs and happened to run into Professor Tan from the same department, who had just finished swiping his card in the academic lecture hall and was coming over to get a new card.

"Teacher Jin, what are you doing here?"

Professor Tan specializes in linguistics and is in his thirties; he's an excellent young teacher. He was one of the interviewers when Jin Zhao interviewed me. Last year, he went to the UK as a visiting scholar and just returned a couple of days ago. Unfortunately, his return came just in time for the faculty and staff meeting, and he barely managed to avoid this ordeal.

"Didn't you go to Cambridge for a visiting scholar position?" Teacher Tan was out of touch and still remembered receiving the offer before the new year. She was quite surprised to see her at the college. "Are you only going for six months?"

"Teacher Tan, you're back?" Jin Zhao greeted her with a smile, explaining, "No, I had my baby at the beginning of the year, so I couldn't go."

Teacher Tan isn't married yet, and she doesn't quite understand Jin Zhao's decision. If she could go to Cambridge, she would crawl there even if she had to. But she expressed respect, because sometimes people can't even empathize with themselves at a certain moment, unless they actually experience that moment, let alone with different people.

Teacher Tan didn't say anything about regret, but simply asked, "Are you going again later?"

Jin Zhao nodded firmly: "I will go."

Professor Tan just returned from her visiting scholar program and is most familiar with the procedures. If Jinzhao's visiting scholar offer was for February of this year, then under special circumstances, the visiting scholar period should be able to be postponed to September. Professor Tan naturally asked, "You've postponed it to September? Then you'd better prepare your visa application in advance. The international situation is a bit tense right now, and visas there aren't easy to get."

Just then, a bank employee called out to Teacher Tan, who smiled and said, "It's my turn," before turning back to process her credit card application.

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Author's note: Zhao Zhao is going on a visiting scholar trip!