Cake tricks
The power switch was a little loose; after it was switched on, the auditorium was bright again. Before the light came on, Shen Tinghe had already distanced herself.
The sudden light made her blink, her eyes welling up with tears as she looked at Chen Rancheng. Her eyes were sensitive, especially since she was wearing makeup. Her gaze shifted down to his lips, where a striking red stain appeared.
"Take a sip."
The noise was a bit loud, and Chen Rancheng couldn't hear it clearly, so he turned his head and leaned closer.
Shen Tinghe lowered her voice, "You have lipstick on your lips when you purse them." The more she spoke, the hotter her face became.
Chen Rancheng heard him clearly and looked at Shen Tinghe's eyes darting around, "Where? Point it out."
Shen Tinghe looked at him and didn't move. What were you pointing at?
"I can't see it." At this moment, Chen Rancheng was like a child standing on the sidelines, with a strong sense of "I won't do it unless you tell me."
Shen Tinghe really wanted to retort, "If you don't know, then don't wipe it!"
The next second, Chen Rancheng reached out and wiped her lips, removing the red that had spilled onto her lips. His fingertip was stained with bright red, and Shen Tinghe's nerves tensed up. She subconsciously looked around.
Having just recovered from the darkness, most people were in a panic and no one noticed the two people in the corner.
His fingers intertwined, crushing the rose-red powder between his fingertips. Meanwhile, the red on his lips had already quietly faded.
Shen Tinghe did not participate in the second half of the activities, as the college had arranged many things as the end of the semester approached.
Winter days are short and dark. The dim streetlights and bare tree branches are a unique love letter to winter. The snow from a couple of days ago has not yet melted, and the remaining snow piled up next to the tree roots makes the night even brighter.
While waiting for the elevator, Shen Tinghe ran into Lin Yanshi, who was coming out of the office. Lin Yanshi was the graduate student of the teacher who gave her the trial class, and he had also given her a lot of professional guidance after she entered the school.
"So late."
The elevator was descending when the ticking numbers stopped, and the doors opened. Lin Yanshi politely placed his hand on the door, gesturing for Shen Tinghe to enter first.
Shen Tinghe made a helpless expression like a corporate slave and pressed the floor button.
Most of the school teachers' cars are parked on campus. The underground parking garage is a distance from the teaching building, so Lin Yanshi parted ways with her as soon as he left. Shen Tinghe doesn't usually like driving and usually takes the subway to work. The subway is very convenient as it goes directly to the campus. By the time she figured out how to drive the car out of the parking space, she had already boarded the subway.
The cold wind was biting, and Shen Tinghe pulled the hood up over her head to keep warm, the large brim of the hood obscuring half of her face.
The deep rumble of a car engine came from beside her. Shen Tinghe turned her head, and Lin Yanshi rolled down the window. "Get in, I'll give you a ride."
White smoke billowed from his mouth. "No need, thank you, I have something else to do."
She and Lin Yanshi weren't exactly close; they were just casual acquaintances at work. It was bound to be awkward sitting in the same car, and they had very few topics to talk about. Shen Tinghe had already anticipated the agonizing journey.
Hearing that Shen Tinghe had something else to do, Lin Yanshi didn't insist. He told her to be careful and then merged into the traffic. Shen Tinghe waved to him and then adjusted her hat, which had been blown off by the wind.
Shen Tinghe strolled leisurely towards the subway station. A few days ago, the shops along the street were still decorated with festive red and green ornaments for Christmas. A large Christmas tree was placed in front of a dessert shop, adorned with delicate decorative balls that shimmered golden under the warm yellow lights.
A black sedan followed silently behind, like a knight leading the darkness. As if guided by intuition, Shen Tinghe glanced back.
The familiar hazard lights made Shen Tinghe's brow twitch for no apparent reason.
The next second, the actions of the people in the car confirmed her guess. Chen Rancheng drove the car to a position level with Shen Tinghe and rolled down the window.
Seeing Shen Tinghe standing in front of the dessert shop for a short while, I asked, "Want some cake?"
Shen Tinghe was still thinking about what he had come up with, and didn't pay attention to what he was saying as he opened and closed his mouth. She just nodded subconsciously.
Chen Ran drove the car into a parking space on the side of the road and led her into the dessert shop.
As closing time approached, there wasn't much left in the shop; almost everything was sold out. Shen Tinghe's eyes were fixed on a Black Forest cake, the only remaining cake among several loaves of bread.
The shop assistant said that the customer who had placed the order had to cancel due to unforeseen circumstances, which is why there was only one piece left.
"Wrap it up for us," Chen Rancheng decided for Shen Tinghe.
As she left the dessert shop, a cold wind swept over her again, and Shen Tinghe realized what she had done. She had bought a cake late at night; it would spoil if she didn't eat it, but eating it would leave her with a terrible sense of guilt—it was like a hot potato.
The person beside him didn't follow, so Chen Rancheng turned around and saw Shen Tinghe standing there, staring at the cake he was carrying. "I can't eat it." The cool wind ruffled the stray hairs on her face, and Shen Tinghe let the hairs block her vision. "You can eat the rest, okay?"
Chen Rancheng casually pulled the hood of her clothes over her head. "Okay, I'll eat the rest. Let's get in the car first, it's cold outside."
The car still had the warmth from the previous heating, and you could feel it as soon as you sat down. Shen Tinghe took off her hat, opened her down jacket, and fastened her seatbelt. Everything was ready, but the car hadn't started yet.
Shen Tinghe turned to look at Chen Rancheng, puzzled. "Let's go!"
Chen Rancheng, hands on the steering wheel, leaned back calmly in his seat. "Where to?"
"My home!"
Chen Rancheng wasn't buying it; he still remembered the kiss she'd given him. "Why would I go to your house?"
"Let's eat cake." Shen Tinghe brought up the car's navigation system and entered the address.
"And then what?" Chen Rancheng let her linger at the central island and fiddle with the navigation.
Shen Tinghe adjusted her seat and sat back down. "Go to sleep," she said, as if to say, "I've already given you the address, so hurry up and leave."
After Chen Rancheng turned on his turn signal and waited for the car to pass, he turned the steering wheel and merged into the traffic. After a while, he said again, "I don't have pajamas."
"Why do you need pajamas?"
Chen Rancheng raised an eyebrow. Not wearing pajamas? That doesn't seem like a bad idea.
Shen Tinghe's residential area is near the university. Chen Rancheng knew exactly where it was just by looking at the name she typed. He knew this area like the back of his hand.
The building is an old six-story building without an elevator. There are six households per floor, and Shen Tinghe lives on the fourth floor.
Normally you wouldn't notice, but now that Chen Rancheng is carrying a cake and following behind, the narrow stairwell is noticeably cramped, and the already dim lights are dimmed even further by Chen Rancheng.
Upon reaching the open passageway, Shen Tinghe made way for her, saying, "You go ahead." She always felt like a lamb to the slaughter with him behind her. "Fourth floor."
Shen Tinghe's home is decorated in a warm and inviting style, with a natural wood color scheme, which immediately reveals that she is a person who loves life.
Old Chen, who rarely came to prepare men's slippers for him, had become a relic of the past. He took them out and tossed them to Chen Rancheng, saying, "These are my dad's." After changing into them, he went to the bedroom to change out of his outer clothes.
Chen Rancheng placed the cake on the dining table and looked around the simple and cozy room, which was full of life. It was a one-bedroom apartment with a living room, and there was a hanging chair on the balcony with a book still inside.
The sofa was a bit messy, with clothes piled all over it. Chen Rancheng took off his coat and hung it on top of the clothes that Chen Tinghe had just hung up. He picked up the scarf that had been mopping the floor and hung it up again.
She boiled another kettle of water, adjusted the temperature of the cooled boiled water to make it warm enough so it wouldn't burn her mouth, and saw Shen Tinghe come out after changing her clothes. "Drink some water first, then eat the cake."
The warm water flowed into my stomach, and a warm current flowed through my body, instantly warming my cold stomach.
The cake wasn't actually that big, not even as big as Chen Rancheng's outstretched hand. Shen Tinghe opened the box, carefully pulled out the cake, and held a plastic knife in the air, figuring out how much she would eat.
Chen Rancheng noticed that she wasn't thinking about lighting candles. "Aren't you going to light candles?" Shen Tinghe looked at him with a knife in her hand, her eyes somewhat dazed, as if she had forgotten about it.
"No, no, let's eat first, it's not my birthday."
Finally, he cut off a small tooth, pushed the rest towards Chen Rancheng, and said very generously, "You eat it!"
Earl Grey tea-infused animal cream, with a subtle tea aroma, mixed with dark chocolate crumbs, brings a sense of fulfillment to any dessert connoisseur.
"Is it good?"
Shen Tinghe nodded, pointed with her fork at the remaining cake, and said, "Eat up."
Chen Rancheng's eyes were deep, and he unconsciously swallowed hard. "Let me try it." He then put his tongue into Shen Tinghe's mouth, and the cream on the corner of her mouth was hooked into her mouth and melted between her teeth.
After tasting the appetizer, it was time for the main course. Before she could even swallow the cake, someone snatched it from her mouth, leaving Shen Tinghe with an empty mouth. The fork she was about to use to take another bite froze in mid-air.
"Don't you have one?"
Chen Rancheng dug out a large piece and presented it to Shen Tinghe as an apology, "Ah—"
Shen Tinghe opened her mouth to take a bite, but the cake in front of her suddenly moved down, offering itself up to Chen Rancheng.
Her body was invaded, her tongue was held and entangled, and she was only released when she had difficulty breathing.
Shen Tinghe gasped for breath, her eyes glazed over from the kiss.
After all that, the cake was still obediently in Chen Rancheng's hands. He picked up the cake and placed it in front of Shen Tinghe.
"I'm done, okay?"
Shen Tinghe grabbed his hand to stop him from running away and ate the cake. Chen Rancheng then scooped out another piece to eat himself.
Shen Tinghe seized the opportunity, leaned close to him, and bit the spoon. Her plan had succeeded, and she looked at him triumphantly, chewing on her victory.
Chen Rancheng put down the fork, put his hands under her armpits, lifted her up and placed her on the table, locking her between his legs.
"You ate my cake." She said, pinching the tender flesh on Shen Tinghe's cheek.
Shen Tinghe tilted her head back. So what?
If you ate my cake, of course you have to give it back to me.
Chen Rancheng lifted her chin and leaned down to kiss her.
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