Chapter 72 Responding to force, not gentleness
The familiar and endearing child's voice instantly extinguished the ambiguous sparks in the air, causing both of them to freeze in place, their disordered and burning breaths coming to a halt, as if petrified.
"Zhizhi! Can you hear me?" Xiaotang's voice, tinged with confusion, rang out again, sounding particularly clear in the suddenly quiet living room.
Wen Zhi snapped out of her daze, hurriedly pushed away the burning hot body that was hugging her, took a deep breath, and then took out her phone with the screen lit up from her pocket.
Upon seeing this, I was so startled that I almost dropped my phone.
On the phone screen, there was a picture of Xiaotang's chubby face close to the camera.
It was a video call!
Wen Zhi quickly covered the front-facing camera, walked briskly to the sofa, sat down, vigorously wiped her glistening, moist lips with the back of her hand, adjusted her expression, and then released her hand from the camera.
In the small window at the top right of the screen, a beautiful face with a faint peach-colored blush appeared. Her eyes were moist and sparkling, her nose was straight and upturned, and her full lips were redder than usual. Her whole person looked as if she had been steamed by heat.
He quickly checked that there was nothing wrong with himself in the camera's view before gently asking, "Xiao Tang, why are you still up so late?"
"Zhizhi!" When Xiaotang saw Wenzhi appear on the screen, her big, round eyes lit up, and she said softly and sweetly, "I missed you!"
"I miss Xiaotang too." Wen Zhi's lips curved into a gentle smile, and she asked with concern, "Did you have fun at kindergarten?"
"I'm so happy!" Xiao Tang immediately started talking, shaking her head and telling Wen Zhi about the fun things that happened at kindergarten.
After standing to the side for a while, Song Juelan walked over very quietly and sat down next to Wen Zhi, deliberately avoiding the phone camera.
He turned his head slightly, his gaze fixed intently on Wen Zhi's softly sculpted profile.
Although I already know that the two are brothers, seeing how Wen Zhi and Xiao Tang get along, I still feel that Wen Zhi is surrounded by a faint halo, which is different from his usual self.
Just like the impression Wen Zhi left on him throughout the summer vacation.
He couldn't quite put his finger on what that subtle feeling was.
Song Juelan's gaze lingered on Wen Zhi for a long time before slowly shifting to the phone screen, where the two faces with extremely similar features came into view.
This was the first time he had seen Xiao Tang since he learned the true relationship between Wen Zhi and Xiao Tang, and his feelings were complicated and hard to describe.
The little dumpling in front of him, whom he once wanted to be his stepfather, has now become his brother-in-law.
Wen Zhi, who was talking to Xiao Tang, felt her back tighten slightly and a sense of tension inexplicably after Song Juelan sat down next to her.
If Xiaotang were to see him and Song Juelan alone in a room late at night, it would seem a bit... inappropriate for children.
However, after holding his breath and waiting for a while, Song Juelan showed no intention of disturbing him. She simply sat upright to the side, quietly listening to their conversation, and he breathed a sigh of relief.
Just as he relaxed and was chatting with Xiaotang with complete concentration, a hand with distinct knuckles silently reached out from the side and gently covered his hand that was resting on his lap, out of sight of the camera.
Wen Zhi's body stiffened slightly, and she paused halfway through her sentence, almost forgetting what she was going to say.
Those slender fingers restlessly hooked his palm, then moved upwards inch by inch, gently caressing the skin on the inside of his wrist, the fingertips carrying a burning heat.
The desire that had just been interrupted by the ringing phone seemed to creep back up along the points of skin-to-skin contact.
Wen Zhi's fair cheeks, which had just lost their flush, were now tinged with a faint blush again. She tried to maintain a gentle tone while pushing away the large, mischievous hand with little force.
After he pushed the large hand away, it casually placed itself on his thigh and then provocatively slid down between his legs.
"Zhizhi, your face is so red!" Xiaotang leaned close to the camera, her small nose almost touching the screen, and her bright eyes blinked a few times.
Wen Zhi gripped one of Song Juelan's fingers tightly, stopping him from doing anything further, and forced a smile: "Because it's a little hot here."
"Xiao Tang, who are you talking to?" A gentle female voice came from the phone, accompanied by footsteps approaching from afar.
Upon hearing the adult's voice, both those on and off the screen showed a hint of panic.
Xiao Tang immediately put her phone back in its original place, Wen Zhi quickly sat up straight, and Song Jue Lan also quickly withdrew his hands that had been doing whatever he wanted, and placed them properly back on his lap.
The three people sat up straight, and the air instantly became quiet.
A beautiful face appeared on the screen, looking somewhat surprised: "Oh my, Zhizhi?"
Rong Rui sat down on the sofa, picked up Xiao Tang who was staring at the screen, and put her on her lap. She smiled and explained to Wen Zhi, "I left my phone on the coffee table and forgot to lock it. Xiao Tang took it and played with it. I didn't expect him to call you."
Then, she lowered her head and asked Xiaotang softly, "Do you miss Zhizhi?"
Xiao Tang nodded vigorously, her soft cheeks trembling with each nod.
Wen Zhi was also surprised by Rong Rui's sudden appearance. She tightened her grip on her phone and forced a casual "Mom."
"By the way, Zhizhi, are you going home for the National Day holiday?" Rong Rui suddenly remembered this important matter and looked up at her eldest son on the screen.
Wenzhi would always go home whenever school was on holiday, and this time was no exception.
He nodded without hesitation: "Yes, I'm planning to buy a ticket soon."
Rong Rui's eyes curved slightly: "Then send me the tickets once you've bought them, and your dad and I will prepare your favorite dishes in advance."
After the mother and son chatted casually for a few more minutes, Xiao Tang, who was sitting on Rong Rui's lap, was taken to take a bath by his father.
In the video feed, only Rong Rui remained. Looking at her handsome eldest son on the other end of the screen, she hesitated for a moment before tentatively asking, "Zhizhi, are you still dating that swimming coach...?"
This unexpected question startled Song Juelan, who was off-camera.
He didn't expect that Wen Zhi's mother already knew they were dating, and judging from her tone, she knew it when he was still "working part-time" at the swimming pool.
But didn't he and Wen Zhi only recently confirm their relationship?
This unexpected discovery left him stunned for a long time.
Wen Zhi, who was standing next to her, replied obediently, "It's still here."
Rong Rui's feelings suddenly became complicated.
She had never met the swimming coach and didn't know what kind of person he was. She only knew that he was a working professional, so she was always a little uneasy about him.
I originally thought that after Wen Zhi started school, the two of them would be in a long-distance relationship for a while, and maybe their passion would fade away. I didn't expect that the two of them were still dating.
"Didn't you say last time that you would bring him back for us to meet if you had the chance? When is he free?" Rong Rui couldn't feel at ease until she saw Wen Zhi's boyfriend in person, so she couldn't help but ask again.
Wen Zhi was taken aback by the question and subconsciously glanced at Song Juelan beside her, just as Song Juelan came to his senses. He nodded slightly to her.
He instantly understood what Song Juelan meant, paused for a moment, and then hesitantly told Rong Rui, "This holiday... I'll bring him back to see you all."
Rong Rui on the other side of the screen also widened her eyes slightly, a hint of surprise flashing across her face. After a pause, she smiled with delight: "That's great! I'll tell your dad later. We all really want to meet him."
Then she remembered another concern and asked tactfully, "Zhizhi, you two... aren't that far apart in age?"
She has been seeing news reports lately about older men luring inexperienced college students, and she is very worried about this.
Wen Zhi glanced quickly at the person beside her and replied, "Hmm... not many."
Anyway, Song Juelan is already an adult, so he can't be considered an ignorant teenager.
After agreeing to bring her partner home for the short holiday, Rong Rui finally felt a little relieved. She smiled and said a few more words before telling Wen Zhi to get some rest and then hanging up the video call.
Before Wen Zhi could put down his overheated phone, he was tackled to the sofa by the person next to him, whose bright, star-like black eyes reflected his bewildered face.
When did you tell your aunt that we were dating?
Wen Zhi was a little confused by the question. Although she didn't understand, she still thought about it carefully: "It seems... it was on your birthday."
The day his parents returned home from their trip, Rong Rui immediately noticed something was amiss and blurted out the truth.
Sure enough, it was around that time.
Song Juelan's heart tightened, and she pressed on, "Then why did you... run away?"
What he wanted to ask was, why were they abandoned at that time?
Wen Zhi's beautiful eyes flickered, and she explained softly, "Didn't I leave you a letter...? School was about to start then, so there was no other way but to have a long-distance relationship with you for a while. Who knew you'd be here too..."
Long-distance relationship?
Song Juelan caught this key word, paused for a moment, and suddenly realized the truth about Wen Zhi's behavior. He felt both annoyed and amused.
No wonder Wen Zhi didn't block him after running away, and even replied to his messages; no wonder Wen Zhi was willing to share her daily life with him; no wonder that night when he "punished" Wen Zhi, she initially responded to him with her body...
Thinking about it this way, Wen Zhi does seem to have felt quite wronged.
Song Juelan lowered his head slightly, blocking the mouth that was still muttering, his tongue pushing open the teeth and hooking around that sweet, soft tongue.
There was no possessiveness in this kiss; it was like savoring the most precious treasure in the world, gently tracing every inch of his mouth with the tip of my tongue, absorbing his sweet breath.
Those dark eyes, their sharpness concealed, lowered slightly, their soft gaze lingering on that beautiful face beneath their thick, dark eyelashes.
When the tender kiss ended, Wen Zhi, unusually, didn't feel dizzy; she even pursed her lips with a lingering sense of satisfaction.
Although she didn't know what was going on, Wen Zhi keenly sensed that Song Juelan's attitude had inexplicably softened at this moment.
He was stubborn and wouldn't listen to reason at times like this. As soon as he saw Song Juelan soften, he didn't care that the other person was still on top of him and immediately pouted: "Do you regret being too harsh on me before?"
Although he still found the little liar somewhat hateful, Song Juelan still gave a low "hmm": "I apologize to you."
Wen Zhi was taken aback by his straightforward apology. She paused for a moment, her gaze shifting unnaturally, before she pressed on with feigned bravado, "Then... how do you plan to make it up to me?"
As soon as he finished speaking, Song Juelan, who had stood up, easily picked him up and carried him towards the bathroom.
"How about I bathe you tonight as compensation?"
Wen Zhi: ?
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