Chapter 109
His scent is everywhere.
The next morning, Zhan Xinyue was so sleepy that she could barely open her eyes, and she sat at the dining table in a daze.
Zhan Wei glanced at her: "Why are you so sleepy? Did you go thieving last night?"
Zhan Xinyue's hand trembled as she held the chopsticks, and she glanced quickly at Shi Ziqian with a guilty conscience.
Shi Ziqian was serving her porridge, his eyes fixed on the spoon, his movements perfectly normal, though the tips of his ears were slightly red.
Zhan Xinyue glanced at his ears and blushed as well, quickly burying her head deep in her face.
Fortunately, Zhan Wei didn't pay much attention to the two of them. After saying that casually, he went to the kitchen to get the remaining food.
After breakfast, Zhan Wei drove Zhan Xinyue and Shi Ziqian to the store.
Zhan Xinyue chose an established shop with relatively affordable products and decent business. More importantly, the shop had been open for almost ten years, and its employees were all experienced veterans, making it a perfect place for a newcomer like Zhan Xinyue to practice.
Although she was called an intern store manager, it was really just a nominal title; she mainly learned from the senior store manager. The two arrived just in time for the weekly meeting, and after listening to the store's revenue and quarterly targets, Zhan Xinyue started working alongside the store manager. Shi Ziqian was given a thick brand manual to familiarize himself with the product information.
Zhan Xinyue didn't dare to look at Shi Ziqian much. Sure enough, people's minds aren't normal at night. Thinking about what she said to Shi Ziqian last night, and how she even inexplicably cried, she just wanted to find a crack in the ground to crawl into.
Fortunately, there was a lot to learn, and once I got busy, I gradually forgot about everything else.
In a brief moment of busyness, she saw Shi Ziqian sitting by the floor-to-ceiling glass wall outside the store, calmly flipping through a thick product brochure. Perhaps it was the warm lighting in the store, but he exuded a gentle warmth that was different from his usual demeanor.
He had changed into the store's uniform white shirt and black trousers. The simple style looked incredibly elegant on him. Sitting there, he didn't look like a store clerk at all, but rather like a young master of a conglomerate who was inspecting the business.
This store operates on a budget-friendly model; the products are not particularly expensive, and the decor is not luxurious.
However, Shi Ziqian simply sat there quietly, his eyes slightly lowered, which made the whole store look like it was located in a high-end shopping mall.
Zhan Xinyue pursed her lips and smiled secretly.
Going to work with my boyfriend is so wonderful.
The busy day passed quickly, and the two finished get off work very late. After closing time, the mall was about to close, and the escalators were stopped, so they had to go down the stairs.
Zhan Xinyue had a very happy day, busy and fulfilling. Especially during breaks from work, she could see Shi Ziqian whenever she looked up, which made her very happy. So she didn't feel tired at all, but rather quite excited.
"It seems like you're having a lot of fun in the store," Zhan Xinyue said, swinging his hand gently. "How about you? How are you feeling?"
Shi Ziqian pondered for a moment: "It will be very difficult to endure."
"Why, are you feeling a little bored?"
Shi Ziqian tightened his grip on her hand: "Because it's too difficult to wait for a time when the two of us can be alone together."
Zhan Xinyue lowered her head and laughed, but before she could laugh for more than two seconds, he lifted her chin with his hand.
Shi Ziqian kissed her on the lips. "It's finally all better now."
With no one around, it seemed like we could indeed do some reckless things.
Zhan Xinyue tiptoed and hooked her arm around his neck, responding softly.
Just as the scorching heat was about to penetrate deeper, Zhan Xinyue's phone rang abruptly, its presence so strong in the small space that it was impossible to ignore.
Zhan Xinyue broke free a little and looked at him with innocent eyes.
Shi Ziqian sighed, pinched her cheek, and let go: "Answer it."
When Zhan Xinyue heard his sigh, she almost laughed, but she forced herself to take out her phone and saw that it was Zhan Wei.
As soon as the call connected, Zhan Wei's voice came through: "Yueyue, have you and Xiaoqian come down yet? I'm by the roadside."
Zhan Xinyue hurriedly replied, "Okay, I'll be right down."
"Hurry up, parking is difficult here," Zhan Wei urged again.
After hanging up the phone, Zhan Xinyue smiled and extended her hand to him: "Shall we go?"
"Let's go." Shi Ziqian reached out and took her hand, with the other hand in his pocket. After walking a few steps with her, he suddenly said, "Uncle, it takes up a lot of our time to pick us up and drop us off like this every day. How about I have someone bring my car over in a couple of days?"
Zhan Xinyue tilted her head: "Hey, you have a car now."
“Yes, my dad gave it to me when I turned 18,” Shi Ziqian said. “That way, we can go to and from get off work by ourselves.”
Zhan Xinyue nodded; she had never seen him drive before.
Just thinking about it makes me really look forward to it.
The feeling of happiness she had during the day lasted until she went to sleep that night. After lying in bed for a while, thinking that Shi Ziqian was lying right next to her with just one wall between them, she couldn't help but bend her index finger and gently tap the wall.
A moment later, the same two knocking sounds came from the other side.
It was like a secret code between the two of them.
Zhan Xinyue couldn't help but chuckle softly.
She turned over, contentedly preparing to drift off to sleep.
But then the phone next to my pillow lit up.
Shi Ziqian sent me a message: New moon, tonight is a full moon, let's go out and admire the moon.
Before yesterday, she wouldn't have thought much about those words, but today she suddenly couldn't help but think about other things.
She chuckled quietly for a while while holding her phone before getting out of bed.
The moment she pushed open the door, Shi Ziqian was leaning against the doorway, watching her with a leisurely air, the bright moonlight shining behind him.
There was a large lounge chair on the balcony, where the two leaned against each other.
Panpan obediently lay at their feet, her eyes half-closed.
Looking up at the night sky, Zhan Xinyue felt a sense of elation. She casually started a conversation: "The manager said that the store's foot traffic today is several times higher than usual. I guess it's because there's a handsome guy sitting at the entrance. Don't you think so?"
Shi Ziqian held her hand, his fingers slipping between hers to intertwine, then released, then held again: "I think it has something to do with the pretty new shop owner."
“No, that’s not true. A few times I’ve seen customers walk by outside the shop, glance at you through the glass, and then suddenly turn around and come in,” Zhan Xinyue said. “I’ve discovered that using your looks to attract customers is a very effective marketing tactic. I’m going to ask for a raise for you.”
Shi Ziqian kneaded her fingertips: "Thank you for your recognition, Manager Zhan. I am honored."
Zhan Xinyue joked with him happily, "Doing business seems quite interesting. I'll come back and open a shop after I graduate. Do you want to come and join me? As long as Manager Zhan has food to eat, you'll have soup to drink."
Shi Ziqian readily agreed: "Okay, then I'll follow you from now on."
Zhan Xinyue continued rambling, "What if I become the most successful distributor in our city in the future? Then you won't need to go out to work anymore. I'll keep you as a mistress..."
"Just a distributor?" Shi Ziqian chuckled softly. "You can be a little bolder. Crescent Moon, wouldn't you like to have your own brand?"
“My own brand…that sounds more interesting.” Zhan Xinyue leaned her head on his shoulder, gazing at the full moon in the sky. “Let’s take it slow and see how far I can go.”
“Yes,” Shi Ziqian said, “No matter where you want to go, I will always be behind you and support you to the best of my ability.”
Zhan Xinyue's heart stirred slightly. "Shi Ziqian, I don't think I've asked you yet, what is your dream?"
“I hadn’t thought about these things before,” Shi Ziqian said gently, “but now, realizing your dream together is my dream.”
At this moment, the boy's sweet words were more moving than the boundless night.
She stared blankly as he lowered his head to kiss her fingertips, his expression gentle and devout.
Her fingertips felt a little numb, and she couldn't help but touch his beautiful lips with her finger.
Shi Ziqian looked at her, his lips tracing upwards along her fingers, across her palm, and gently landing on her lips.
My heartbeat gradually slowed down, and it felt like the whole world had shrunk down to just the person in front of me.
Her head was spinning, and she gripped his shirt tightly, wanting only to get closer, even closer.
"Your shirt is still hanging on the balcony, I'll go get it." Suddenly, Pang Yun's voice came through the thin balcony door.
With the sudden voice, faint footsteps were already very close.
Zhan Xinyue's body stiffened, her body reacting faster than her brain, and she pulled Shi Ziqian and pushed him into the room next door.
"Whoosh—" The sound of the balcony door opening.
Just as Zhan Xinyue closed the door, she heard the noise and instinctively took two steps back, tripped, and fell onto the bed.
"Did you fall?" Shi Ziqian immediately came to check on her.
"Shh—" She grabbed his hand and pulled him to sit down beside her, even slowing her breathing.
In the darkness, she heard Zhan Wei's voice outside: "Don't come over, I'll get it, so you don't cough again later."
Pang Yun lowered her voice: "Keep your voice down, the two children are asleep, don't disturb them."
"You can't go to sleep this early, can you?" Zhan Wei's voice also lowered a few decibels, a little puzzled. "It's still very early."
"The lights are all off; they must have been exhausted from working in the shop all day."
...
As her eyes adjusted to the darkness, Zhan Xinyue realized that she had just hastily retreated into Shi Ziqian's room. She felt even more guilty and barely dared to breathe, gripping his hand tightly.
Shi Ziqian, however, remained calm and gently lifted her chin, giving her a kiss on the lips.
Zhan Xinyue leaned back in fright: "My mother is outside."
"Hmm," Shi Ziqian responded, continuing his light, almost imperceptible kisses, his tone nonchalant. "So?"
An ambiguous, soft touch brushed against her lips. Then, she gave a vague, lingering kiss.
A tingling sensation ran through her scalp, like an electric shock. She staggered backward, collapsing onto the bed.
"Why are you hiding?" He leaned in, his breath close again, about to kiss her once more.
“No…” Zhan Xinyue turned her head away and said reluctantly, “Not now, let’s stop for a while.”
"No," Shi Ziqian said in a low voice, "unless you say those words from last night to me again."
Zhan Xinyue was momentarily confused: "Which sentence?"
"Tell me to kiss you."
Her face flushed instantly. Zhan Xinyue bit her lip, originally determined not to say a word, but upon hearing clear footsteps on the balcony, she whispered again, "Kiss me."
“Okay,” Shi Ziqian replied.
With that reply, his lips pressed against mine.
"You lied to me..." Zhan Xinyue didn't have time to say more accusations before her words turned into a muffled sob. His tongue had already slipped in, probing inside and hooking her tongue to suck and bite.
"New Moon." His voice became muffled.
I like you.
The hand that was pushing against his chest seemed to lose its strength because of this sentence, and slowly slid down, finally wrapping around his waist.
With the curtains drawn, the room was pitch black, which made both touch and hearing more sensitive, and the ambiguous sounds of water during the entanglement of lips and tongues were especially clear.
She was unable to think; her brain had completely shut down, a hazy, confused state, as if floating in the air.
In the midst of the chaos, a thought surfaced in her mind.
The two of them like this really look like—
Adultery.
My head feels even dizzier.
She didn't know when the sounds on the balcony finally disappeared. She was so overwhelmed by his kiss that she could only helplessly hold onto his waist. The boy's waist and abdomen were lean and strong, his muscles slightly taut, firm, and exuding a sense of burgeoning power.
Her fingers, driven by instinct, moved involuntarily over his waist.
Shi Ziqian let out a muffled groan and relaxed his movements.
Reason barely returned during this lull, and Zhan Xinyue took the opportunity to push him away and sit up.
"I should go back now," she said softly.
"Okay." Shi Ziqian didn't insist, and ruffled her hair. "Goodnight."
As she pushed open the door, the moonlight streamed in. She glanced back briefly.
Shi Ziqian was sitting with one leg bent, the top two buttons of her pajamas undone in her daze, revealing her collarbone, showing an unusual looseness and casualness, and also an extraordinary sexiness.
In the play of light and shadow, he chuckled softly, his eyes shimmering with tears.
Zhan Xinyue only felt that he looked like this.
It's so astringent.
Zhan Xinyue hurriedly fled back to her room, only to realize, as she collapsed onto the fluffy blankets, that she was covered in Shi Ziqian's scent. Even though she was back in her own room, it felt like his fragrance lingered everywhere.
She kept her head down for a long time, and just as she looked up, her phone lit up.
Shi Ziqian sent a voice message.
She stared at it for a long time before clicking on it.
"New Moon, I'm probably going to have insomnia again tonight."
Before I could even respond, another message arrived.
"The blanket is covered in your scent from your rubbing against it."
Zhan Xinyue blushed so deeply she almost bled, and quickly typed: "Whose fault is it!"
A fierce-looking emoji is included as a bonus.
Shi Ziqian sent another voice message, very short, with a hint of laughter in his voice, the last syllable of which trailed off: "It's my fault."
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