Chapter 81

◎Planting trees. ◎

No one spoke anymore.

The room was quiet, save for the sound of salt grains tapping against the windowpane, mingling with the muffled thud of the bed frame swaying.

The snow outside the window seems to be falling heavier and heavier.

When Li Yingqiao was a child, he learned to plant trees from his teachers. All he had to do was dig into the moist soil, plant the sapling, then use a shovel to dig it in, fill it in, and fertilize it. That was it.

She secretly planted one too, watering it every day, hoping it would grow strong and healthy quickly. But as she waited, she worried it wouldn't grow up to look like she hoped. Unexpectedly, in its perfect environment, a naturally grown little white poplar sprouted, its roots fresh and tender green, standing tall and upright.

But only she knew that planting and pulling out those roots buried underground would take quite a bit of effort.

Some people are just patient enough, so the planting goes more smoothly. He successfully planted himself in her soil, and from then on, her little garden had an extra lush little poplar.

She had imagined what Yu Jinyang would be like in her dreams on such a stormy night—would he be indifferent, expressionless? Because back then, she simply couldn't imagine what Yu Jinyang's cold face would look like when they formed such an inseparable connection.

Or perhaps she thought he would be shy and avoid her gaze, making any eye contact during the planting process impossible.

It couldn't possibly be like this—

Yu Jinyang's features were naturally suited to such a rainy day; his brows and eyes appeared even more profound and striking. His gaze was moist and slightly red. The rain was so torrential that his eyelashes were held low by the raindrops, yet his eyes stared intently at people as he slowly and methodically buried the soil, shovel by shovel.

...

He made a soft "Hmm?" sound, seemingly laughing, but it was slow. He didn't even realize how hoarse his voice was: "Should we stop?"

...

The lights were too bright. Li Yingqiao raised her arm to cover her eyes, listening to the sound of snowflakes falling softly onto the awning outside the window.

Then her lips were held in someone's mouth.

He lowered his head and kissed her, and she obediently opened her mouth. He originally wanted to hold on until the end, but when he thought of her stubbornness, he stopped because she wouldn't say it hurt.

"Don't stop." Li Yingqiao took her arm down and commented, "A line of egrets has soared into the blue sky."

"So you're using it like this?" Yu Jinyang couldn't help but laugh out loud, burying his face in her shoulder. He tilted his head back and let out a muffled groan. "Li Yingqiao, I might not be able to face Teacher Liang anymore."

She pretended not to hear and played with his hair.

Yu Jinyang shook his head to smooth his hair, making it feel more comfortable to touch, but she was still dissatisfied and said, "It's not as nice to touch as before."

"Where?" he asked, knowing the answer already.

"I'm talking about hair, you tell me where."

He didn't respond again, and silently continued to dig deeper and more firmly into the poplar trees that had just been planted in her small garden.

I hadn't even finished writing today's daily report by the time she mentioned a line of egrets soaring into the blue sky.

...

The snow stopped, and it became quiet outside the window.

He finished writing the daily report. The creaking of the bed continued, and Li Yingqiao even kicked him repeatedly, saying, "Yu Jinyang, are you ever going to stop?"

He said no, it was still early.

He grabbed her ankle, pulled her towards him, lifted her legs up to his waist, and carried her to the bathroom.

Li Yingqiao nestled on his shoulder, biting his shoulder and ear, and then, quite irresistibly, began to roam over his body.

Imagination and practice are two different things.

It turns out that Yu Jinyang and Yu Jinyang are two different things.

After the two of them finished taking a proper shower and came out, the tide of desire receded, and they were as silent as they had been, no matter how absurd they had been just now.

Politeness is a good thing; it can break the ice at crucial moments. Yu Jinyang went downstairs, picked up the clothes and skirt she had just taken off on the stairs, and tossed them onto the sofa for Li Yingqiao. Li Yingqiao simply said thank you.

Yu Jinyang said, "Don't mention it." After he finished speaking, they both laughed. Li Yingqiao watched him silently bury half of her face in the pillow, only blinking one eye at him, as if to say, "I really want to sleep now, Yu Jinyang."

He smiled and was about to sit down on the edge of the bed to pinch her cheek, wanting to ask her if she was hungry and if she wanted to eat something else.

However, the next second, Yu Jinyang's phone rang, and almost instantly they both remembered that Gao Dian was also there tonight!

Li Yingqiao jumped out of bed with a start.

As Yu Jinyang put on his T-shirt, he held the phone to his ear, his voice casual yet respectful: "Brother Dian."

Li Yingqiao silently poked his cheek with her finger; she was a very bad person.

Yu Jinyang sat down on the edge of the bed, one hand still holding the phone inside his sleeve, his clothes not even properly put on. The moment she poked his face, he reflexively pinched her cheek, his thumb rubbing against her face, and they played around like that for a while, half-dressed and half-undressed.

Then I heard Gao Dian say on the other end of the phone, "Meow, I won't have any late-night snacks tonight, I have to go back to Shenzhen."

"So urgent?" Yu Jinyang was taken aback, slowly pulled up the other sleeve of his T-shirt, gestured for her to rest and sleep, and said to the person on the other end of the phone, "Something happened at home?"

Gao Dian was also in a hurry. As he hailed a taxi downstairs, he said, "A rich woman is causing trouble at my door! My God, she's even come to my dad's factory! I've already escaped back to Fengtan, but she's still clinging to me. I really don't know what she's after!"

"Uh..." Yu Jinyang couldn't have a goose give birth to a gosling either, so he could only say, "Okay, you go back first, we'll talk about it later."

Gao Dian said, "By the way, Meow, I have a question for you."

"Go ahead and ask." Yu Jinyang tucked the blanket around Li Yingqiao.

Do you know what the relationship is between Qiaoqiao and Zhang Zongxie? Is it possible that he is Qiaoqiao's ex-boyfriend?

Yu Jinyang glanced down at Li Yingqiao, who had already closed her eyes peacefully, ready to drift off to sleep.

"I don't know, wasn't she her former boss?"

On the other end of the phone, Gao Dian said seemingly without a care in the world, "Ah, it's pointless to ask you. You and Qiaoqiao seem to be less familiar with each other now than I am with her."

Yu Jinyang chuckled, "...Where did you get the idea that I'm not as familiar with her as you are?" He was about to say, "Do you even know where she lives and sleeps now?" But he stopped himself in time. In this small town full of gossip, such words would only lead to misunderstandings, and Gao Dian couldn't quite grasp the situation.

Gao Dian said, "I guess it's just a feeling."

“If your feeling isn’t accurate, try feeling it again,” he said.

"Then she must be familiar with Zhang Zongxie—"

Yu Jinyang interrupted impatiently: "Gao Dian, what exactly do you want to say?"

This is not very high-class; it doesn't seem like the kind of high-class person who would talk about gossip.

After stammering for a while, Gao Dian finally said, "Meow, I just feel that you like Qiaoqiao a little. Whether it was when you were getting tutoring at Teacher Liang Mei's house before, or when I said I wanted to be Qiaoqiao's dog, you acted as if you were the only dog ​​she could keep. I could sense it, but you are so good at tolerating it."

“I’m on my way to the high-speed rail station, meow,” Gao Dian looked out the car window. A thin layer of snow covered the rooftops, but the road was still a wet asphalt road. The taillights shone brightly. “It’s snowing in Fengtan. I don’t know why, but I feel a little lonely this winter. Miao Jia and the others are all in pairs. You’ll definitely be even more lonely if I leave. So I want to tell you, if you like Qiao Qiao, you have to tell her not to let her go with someone else.”

The room was quiet. Yu Jinyang hadn't turned on the speakerphone, but Li Yingqiao, who had her eyes closed, heard it and suddenly opened them. Yu Jinyang was both amused and exasperated.

"Gao Dian, Li Yingqiao and I actually—"

“Don’t pretend with me, Yu Jinyang,” Gao Dian immediately interrupted. “I know it’s because of your father, but so what? Can he catch up with you with only one leg? Besides, I’ve seen your phone’s photo album. You created a separate album for Qiaoqiao, but there isn’t a single decent photo. It’s still that Nokia.”

Yu Jinyang felt that telling Gao Dian about this over the phone might make him feel even more lonely. So he said, "Let's talk about it when you come back from Shenzhen."

After hanging up the phone, Li Yingqiao lay there and reached out to him meaningfully, "Let me see your phone's photo album."

He slapped the door open, turned off the light, and lay down.

Li Yingqiao turned to the side, propped herself up on her elbow, and looked down at him.

The curtains were drawn, plunging the room into darkness. Moonlight couldn't penetrate, but their silhouettes were still visible. Li Yingqiao saw him close his eyes.

She thought he was shy.

Li Yingqiao couldn't sleep; her mind was filled with the scene in the bathroom just now—

The last time was on the bathroom sink. Li Yingqiao sat with her back against the mirror, while he stood and slowly entered her. Li Yingqiao poked his lips with her index finger, meaning we were going to sleep, but he opened his mouth and bit her.

He first bit her, then held her in his mouth—his gaze was no longer as burning as before; it was clear and had returned to its usual indifference. He looked at her calmly, biting her fingertips, letting her awkwardly tease and roam, only slightly opening his mouth to let her play with him as she pleased.

This feeling of being strong yet completely under her control was something only Yu Jinyang could give her; she herself didn't even realize that she was susceptible to it.