Chapter 32 Indulging Your Arrogance as a "Mature Man".
Afterwards, Liang Jingzhuo got off the bed and threw away his things.
Xie Qingci lay on the bed with her eyes closed, not wanting to move. Her eyelids were swollen and she couldn't open them.
The sound of flushing water came from the bathroom, and a moment later, footsteps approached from afar, and Liang Jingzhuo returned.
Only one corner of the quilt covered Xie Qingci's waist, leaving her fair shoulders and back exposed to the air. The warm yellow light shone on them, making them look like honey and cream.
Learning from his previous mistake of accidentally stepping on her hair, he tied it up for her before starting this time.
With clumsy, unskilled hands, he awkwardly wrapped her hair into a bun at the back of her head.
He picked up the clothes that had fallen to the ground and asked her, "Want to take a shower?"
Xie Qingci opened her eyes upon hearing the sound, and certain memories surfaced in her mind. After three seconds, she decisively refused: "No, I'll go by myself later."
Liang Jingzhuo glanced at her bare shoulders and back, his gaze inadvertently sweeping to one side, where the light-colored bed sheet had damp marks near the edge of the bed.
His gaze paused, recalling the chaotic scene of not having time to grab tissues, and he reminded her, "Then we need to change the sheets."
Xie Qingci paused, lifted her head from the pillow, glanced back, and after realizing what it was, her cheeks flushed, and she mumbled, "Mmm..."
Then she grabbed the nightgown from the side of the bed, put it on, threw back the covers, and got out of bed, intending to get new sheets and duvet covers. "Go take a shower, I'll change."
Remembering how she almost collapsed from her knees just now, Liang Jingzhuo asked, "You can manage?"
Xie Qingci wanted to ask why not, but when she looked up, she saw the person standing by the bed.
His back was bare, and he was only wearing dark pajama pants, revealing a strong and muscular physique.
When her gaze fell on his broad shoulders, she remembered that she had just bitten him, and—when he held her ankle, her toes had stepped on that spot.
She quickly looked away, her feet landing on the carpet beside the bed. Just as she was about to get up, a wave of weakness washed over her legs and hips, making her tremble and almost unable to support herself.
As if she had just finished a whole leg and glute training class, her hips, which had been slightly off the bed, sat back down and looked up at the person standing not far away.
"How about... you go instead?"
Liang Jingzhuo replied, "Okay." As he turned to get the sheets, he paused, then turned back, his gaze lightly touching her leg. "Go take a shower. Can you manage by yourself?"
Xie Qingci felt a flush of heat rising from her cheeks to her forehead. "...Okay."
"Okay." He didn't ask any more questions and turned to walk into the dressing room.
Xie Qingci sat by the bed for a while, when Liang Jingzhuo's voice called her from inside the dressing room, a clear and bright voice: "Xie Qingci."
Where did you put the sheets?
She had bought new bedding, and it wasn't in the same place anymore.
She suddenly remembered that he had just called her Yaoyao and baby in a deep, hoarse voice, which was completely different from his current well-behaved manner.
A sense of unease rose within her. Ignoring the intrusive scene, she replied seriously, "In the second cabinet from the far left."
A low response came from the walk-in closet, followed by the sound of a closet door being pushed open.
Once she was sure he had been found, Xie Qingci stood up from the bedside. Her legs were still sore and weak, and she felt that she didn't need to attend the physical training classes this week.
Liang Jingzhuo found new bed sheets and duvet covers, and when she brought them out, the sound of running water could already be heard in the bathroom.
He stood at the head of the bed and studied the style of the duvet cover. In the past, Aunt Wen would do these things, and there were also maids at home in Hong Kong Island.
This was the first time he had changed the sheets himself.
He pulled off the duvet cover; the damp stains on the sheets were already half-dry. His gaze swept over that spot, and a few frames of the scene flashed back.
He discovered that Hsieh Ching-Tzu blushed easily; to be precise, her entire skin was prone to redness.
The dry, tight feeling surged up his throat again. He regained his composure and pulled the sheets off as well.
When Xie Qingci came out after taking a shower, Liang Jingzhuo had already changed the sheets and blankets and came in from outside the door with his hair slightly damp.
He went to the guest room to take a shower.
The heated atmosphere cooled down, and he looked at her and said, "Let's go to sleep."
Xie Qingci nodded in agreement.
They each went to their own side, lifted the covers, and got into bed.
The ground lights were still on, and the soft sound of rain could be heard intermittently, giving the illusion that it was really raining outside.
He lay down on his pillow, and as usual, Liang Jingzhuo would say he was going to turn off the light at this time.
Xie Qingci closed her eyes to the sound of rain, but he didn't hear him say he wanted to turn off the light. The light was still on through her eyelids.
A moment later she opened her eyes, turned her head to look at him, and was just about to ask him if he was still not asleep.
Her gaze suddenly met his, and the words she was about to say paused.
In the dim light, Liang Jingzhuo looked at her for a while, then suddenly asked, "Do you want me to hold you while you sleep?"
?
What?
Xie Qingci blinked in surprise, about to say no, but the person beside her had already reached out his hand and pulled her into his arms.
In the same position as in the morning, she rested her head on his arm, his strong, powerful arm beneath her neck, his body heat penetrating the thin fabric and touching her clearly pulsating heartbeat.
Liang Jingzhuo lowered his eyes to look at her. His long, thick eyelashes cast a gray shadow on his eyelids in the halo of light. Sensing her unconscious tension, he asked, "Are you not used to it?"
Previously, when they slept in the same bed, they slept separately, with her quite far from him. He thought it was because she hadn't gotten used to such close contact yet.
But seeing her sleeping soundly in his arms today, he thought she must have gotten used to it.
Xie Qingci paused for a moment, then tried her best to relax her body and said, "A little."
The fact that there was even a slight indication that it was acceptable meant that Liang Jingzhuo did not let go of her.
He found it somewhat intriguing that she could accept deeper intimacy but was uncomfortable with this kind of touch limited to the surface of the body.
He thought it might be an individual difference, that she was just a little slow to warm up, but then he felt that she wasn't actually slow to warm up at times.
He stared at her for a few seconds, then said, "But you've just gotten used to it very well."
Although she was crying, he could tell that she liked him.
Xie Qingci's mind went blank for a moment before she realized what he was saying. The blush that had just subsided returned to her cheeks. "You're not allowed to speak."
Her response was a perfectly fitting "Okay".
If you're not going to talk, then go to sleep. Liang Jingzhuo reached out to turn off the light.
This time, however, it was his phone that rang on the bedside table.
The hand reaching for the light switch paused in mid-air, then changed direction and picked up the phone.
A video call from Ms. Zhuang.
As if by prior arrangement, the two women called them one after the other.
Xie Qingci saw the nickname on Liang Jingzhuo's phone screen and scrambled to get out from under his arms.
She had only rolled once when he pulled her back into his arms and said, "No need."
After the call ends, press the answer button directly.
"You went to Jingzhao..." Ms. Zhuang sat on the edge of the bed, holding her phone, wanting to ask Liang Jingzhuo where he was now.
Lu Li had already reported back to the group, but she hadn't seen him return. She asked if he had arrived in Jingzhao, but he didn't tell her.
As soon as the call connected, two faces suddenly appeared on the screen, and her open mouth abruptly stopped.
Liang Jingzhuo called out, "Mommy."
Xie Qingci was trapped between his arms and chest, unable to escape, and could only smile and call out, "Aunt Zhuang."
Then they realized that the way she addressed her was inappropriate, so they changed their address along with Liang Jingzhuo, calling her softly, "Mommy."
Not to mention Zhuang Shuying, even Liang Jingzhuo was hearing Xie Qingci use this title for the first time.
A faint, special current surged through her eardrums and into her heart because of her call.
Zhuang Shuying was stunned for only a moment before closing her mouth and laughing. She glanced furtively at the bottom of the screen at the two people standing close together, and sweetly replied, "Good evening, Xiao Ci."
Xie Qingci smiled slightly, feeling a layer of sweat on her neck and back, and replied with a forced smile, "Good evening."
Liang Jingzhuo moved the phone closer to his side and asked, "What's up?"
Zhuang Shuying coughed lightly, suppressing the smile on her lips. "It's nothing, I just wanted to ask if you've arrived in Jingzhao yet. Um... it's getting late, I'm going to the beach to sunbathe, uh... no, I'm going to sleep."
After saying that, she hurriedly tried to hang up, but before the screen could even switch to video, she heard a voice: "Ali!! Oh ho ho ho—"
Then, the call ended with a "ding".
Xie Qingci: "..."
Liang Jingzhuo: "..."
The screen displayed the call interface, then turned off after a moment. Liang Jingzhuo put down his phone. "I told you, talk to her less. She's not like other mothers."
That day, he told her to chat less with Ms. Zhuang. Xie Qingci thought he was afraid that Ms. Zhuang would tell her embarrassing stories about him when he was in school, but now she understands.
But she maintained a respectful attitude and gave her assessment: "Hmm...pretty cute."
“But you could have let me go just now.”
This way, this situation will not occur.
Liang Jingzhuo put the phone back on the bedside table. "This is what she wants to see, otherwise she would call me every day from now on."
After this ordeal, his ears will at least have a week of peace.
During his month in Australia, he answered Ms. Zhuang's calls almost as frequently as he received his daily work calls.
Xie Qingci asked, puzzled, "Why?"
He turned to look at her, "Reminding me to keep in touch with you more often, so you don't feel neglected, saying I—"
He paused at this point.
Xie Qingci leaned against his chest, raised her neck to look at him, and blinked. "What did I say to you?"
"At such an advanced age, there is no sense of crisis."
"..." Indeed, it's very much in Ms. Zhuang's style.
Xie Qingci felt that laughing at this time was a bit disrespectful, so she pursed her lips and thought for a moment before comforting him, "You're not that old. My classmate said you're at most a mature man."
"Mature man?" Liang Jingzhuo was unfamiliar with this term, and frowned, clearly not satisfied with the description.
Xie Qingci thought for a moment about how to explain it to him, "It means mature man, um... as an adjective, it can be summarized as an attractive older man."
Older.
His brow furrowed even deeper. "Then what's the difference between that and someone who's quite old?"
"..." Xie Qingci was speechless for a moment. After a moment of silence, she continued to explain, "More charming. Being older is not always a derogatory term."
After saying that, just as Liang Jingzhuo was about to speak again, she reached out and covered his mouth with her hand, "Okay, shut your mouth, don't ask anymore."
Liang Jingzhuo obediently shut his mouth, and after Xie Qingci removed her hand, he continued, "But you did not fulfill your promise."
Xie Qingci was about to close her eyes and go to sleep when she heard this sound. She opened her eyes and asked in confusion, "Fulfill what?"
In the dim light, the person in front of me had bright, dark eyes. "Send us our group photo."
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