Chapter 65. A torrent of skillful sucking and teasing. ...
Ning Jiu returned to the car. Ning Duyun had regained some consciousness and was leaning back in the back seat, looking rather weak.
I diluted the hangover medicine with water and handed it to her. After drinking it, the dizziness and nausea she felt after drinking were relieved, and her breathing gradually became steady.
Ning Jiu breathed a sigh of relief, restarted the car, and drove towards her apartment in the city center.
The carriage remained quiet the entire way until they entered the elevated highway, at which point Ning Duyun suddenly spoke—
"That boy who was with you just now looks familiar."
Ning Jiu glanced at her sideways, but before she could respond, she heard her continue.
"He looks remarkably like a senior figure who was in charge of scientific research at the Chinese Academy of Sciences. He spearheaded many key research projects back then."
Ning Jiu paused, her hand on the steering wheel. She recalled Gu Qiuzhe's description of Qiao Bolin's family background in high school and guessed that Ning Duyun was probably referring to Qiao Bolin's grandfather, the academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences who held a very high position in the scientific research field.
She looked at her aunt with some curiosity: "Do you also pay attention to scientific research?"
"I wouldn't call it paying attention; it's just that because of my work, I come into contact with a lot of viewers, and sometimes I'm lucky enough to encounter one or two unique individuals."
Such families have too many boundaries and deep entanglements. Ning Duyun hesitated to speak because she had seen something.
"It's not easy to meet someone you get along with, but the more you care, the more you tend to overthink." She smiled and shook her head as the traffic outside the window changed, adding, "But after thinking it over, the most important thing is to be happy. The rest is up to time."
-
Winter passed and spring came. After the New Year, Ning Jiu finished his project in Beijing and returned to Shanghai University to prepare for the final defense of his graduation thesis.
Because she was graduating with her master's degree ahead of schedule, her progress was a whole semester faster than her classmates. The preparation of graduation-related materials was also forced to be put on the agenda ahead of time, and the pace of the process accelerated accordingly.
On the day of her departure, Ning Duyun saw her off at the airport. Even someone who rarely showed her emotions had tears welling up in her eyes.
As the new year passed, an invisible yet inseparable thread had long since formed between them. Before parting, Ning Duyun reached out to straighten Ning Jiu's scarf, a thousand words stuck in her throat, and in the end, she could only choke out a single sentence.
"Have a safe journey. Don't forget about your aunt when you get back to Shanghai. Send me a message every now and then."
Spring arrived, and more than a month passed. The bet she made with Qiao Bolin was gradually forgotten, and she regarded it as just a joke he made on a whim.
After all, apart from receiving a New Year's Eve greeting text message from him, Ning Jiu had not heard from him since. It seemed that, just as the two of them had said last time, their next meeting was far away.
Sometimes Ning Jiu would think that if she hadn't said those words back then, perhaps they would have bumped into each other again like they did before the New Year.
But the thought only flashed through her mind and she quickly suppressed it.
Perhaps it was because Qiao Bailin knew in his heart that they probably would never see each other again that he proposed that bet. Looking back now, that conversation felt more like a farewell than a bet.
Back in Shanghai, life was once again on edge. Ning Jiu was busy revising her graduation thesis and preparing for her defense. She spent her days in the library and her nights revising until she couldn't sleep. When the defense was successfully completed, she felt not excitement, but a kind of lightness that was almost dazed.
After leaving the venue, she went to Shen Zhiying to sign the final paper confirmation form.
The office door was ajar, and Shen Zhiying was chatting with several professors.
"You're really amazing, Professor Shen," an elderly professor from the neighboring college said with a smile. "The students you've taught this year are all outstanding. One graduated early, and another is going back to China to do his own interview project. They'll be your living advertisements from now on."
Shen Zhiying listened, then smiled faintly, her tone as calm as ever.
"Ultimately, it's all thanks to their own hard work; I just gave them a push."
The old professor nodded, then suddenly seemed to remember something and his interest soared again.
“I remember your student who graduated a few years ago was named Liu Qingman, right?” He clicked his tongue in admiration. “That girl is amazing. I saw in an industry newsletter the other day that she won a team award for cross-cultural psychology in Singapore. Now that she’s back in China, she’s even more accomplished. I heard she’s been specially hired as a psychology expert by a pretty famous tech company in Shanghai.”
The old professor smiled and shook his head: "Young and promising, you have a bright future ahead of you."
A name, both strange and familiar, flashed through Ning Jiu's mind. Standing at the door, her hand, which was about to knock, paused slightly.
She and Liu Qingman had been in close contact for a while, but ever since she learned that Liu Qingman was Qiao Bolin's attending psychologist, Ning Jiu had always had a strange feeling that lingered in her heart. In addition, she had been busy with her studies recently, and the two had not been in contact for a long time.
After knocking on the door, Ning Jiu went in and handed the materials to Shen Zhiying. The latter quickly flipped through a few pages, a hint of satisfaction showing in her eyes.
"Thank you for your hard work," Shen Zhiying said, looking up and speaking gently. "The revisions to this part of the thesis are very thorough."
"By the way, your senior sister Liu Qingman recently returned to China." She paused, as if mentioning it casually, "I remember that the project you were working on in Beijing was also related to somatization, right? She has been researching this field for the past few years and has done very in-depth research. You can talk to her more when you have time; maybe it can give you some new inspiration."
Invite Liu Qingman.
She's done this before.
But now, whenever Ning Jiu thinks of this name, the image of another person always comes to mind.
From Shen Zhiying, Ning Jiu learned that Liu Qingman's career in Singapore was thriving and her family had long been settled, so she wouldn't have returned to China without a reason.
She forced herself not to think too much about it, but the reason that Liu Qingman would suddenly return to China—
No matter which angle you look at it from, it seems that only one option remains.
Upon realizing this, Ning Jiu felt as if something had been drained from her.
Back in the apartment, I should have breathed a sigh of relief because of the successful defense, but instead, my heart felt a little sore.
My mind went blank for a moment, then my peripheral vision fell on the light gray leather jewelry box in the corner of the bookshelf.
She raised her hand and opened the lid. At the bottom, there was a small velvet pouch. She gently untied the drawstring, and her palm felt a cool sensation. A white jade bell-shaped pendant gleamed softly under the light, still as crystal clear as ever.
That was when Qiao Bolin went to Xuan Yin Temple during his high school years. He said that after he drew a good fortune stick, the monk gave it to him.
She had kept it at the bottom of the box ever since graduating from high school and hadn't taken it out for a long time.
Her fingertips traced the edge of the jade pendant, the cool touch seeping into her palm inch by inch. Suddenly, an almost absurd thought occurred to her—
Or... let's take it to the temple again.
But she stopped the thought as soon as it came to mind.
She didn't understand why, even after so much time had passed, a single, uncertain thought could so easily disrupt her emotions.
Ning Jiu lowered her eyes, sighed softly, held the jade pendant in her palm for a moment, and then, as if making a decision, tied it back around her neck and hid it under her shirt collar.
Sitting down at his desk, he hesitated for a few seconds before finally picking up his phone and sending a message to Liu Qingman.
[Ningjiu] Senior, I heard from Professor Shen that you have returned to China. I wonder if you have any free time these days?
Liu Qingman said she was busy with some work and couldn't get away, so she could only meet Ning Jiu at the coffee shop downstairs from the company. When Ning Jiu arrived, she just happened to pass by two young employees wearing Null-J name tags.
"Hey, have you heard? The boss hasn't been to the company lately." One of them whispered gossipingly. "I really hope he comes back soon. He's handsome and has a great temper. Working with him is a real treat."
Another person laughed and chimed in, "He's probably away on another business trip. He disappears as soon as he gets busy; he's a workaholic at heart."
"I really hope he can change his personality of working himself to the bone. It's hard to understand why someone so handsome is still single."
As their gossiping voices faded into the distance, Ning Jiu pushed open the door and entered, smelling the faint aroma of coffee in the air.
Liu Qingman sat by the window, working on her laptop even during her lunch break, looking more exhausted than she had seen before.
Noticing Ning Jiu's arrival, she put down her work, rubbed her temples, and quickly composed herself.
"I'm sorry, Xiao Jiu, I'm sorry to have to make you come all the way to the company."
"fine."
Ning Jiu sat down, her gaze inadvertently sweeping over the stack of documents next to her notebook.
With just one glance, a familiar name jumped out from between the lines, and her movements unconsciously paused.
Are you very busy with work lately?
“It’s much busier than before.” Liu Qingman’s lips curled into a faint, bitter smile. “Now I’m a special psychological consultant at Null-J, and I have to handle work-related matters. In addition, a patient I used to take care of has recently had a relapse. With these two things piled up, I’m a little overwhelmed.”
The patient's condition is fluctuating.
Ning Jiu's fingers tightened on her knees, trying to keep her voice calm: "Then where is he now?"
She was stunned when she asked the question.
A moment of silence fell between them. Liu Qingman sighed softly and closed the notebook in front of her.
"You're here to ask about President Qiao, right?"
"......"
Ning Jiu didn't answer, her fingertips gently tracing the inside of the coffee cup. Liu Qingman noticed her hesitation and softened her tone.
“Actually, this treatment started five years ago.” She paused, as if carefully choosing her words. “Initially, Mr. Qiao Jialing personally asked my husband to help with the treatment. At that time, Qiao Bolin’s somatization symptoms were already very severe. He was in a state of self-isolation for a long time. Once his emotions were stimulated, he would have a violent stress response, such as self-harm.”
At this point, Liu Qingman's expression turned serious: "You should have noticed it too, right? He doesn't smoke, but he has a habit of letting the smoke pass through his lungs. For a period of time, this action was extremely frequent, even to the point of muscle memory. It's a typical self-harming and self-destructive behavior."
“Mr. Qiao Jialing said at the time that he would only be allowed to leave Beijing once his condition stabilized, but he simply refused to cooperate.” She shook her head gently. “He refused to communicate and refused any form of intervention. We almost thought he was going to give up on himself.”
“Later, after my husband learned more about his condition, he told him that he could only see you after he was cured, and he stopped resisting treatment,” Liu Qingman said, looking at Ning Jiu. “You know what happened next. After five years of treatment, his condition was temporarily under control, and Mr. Qiao Jialing lifted his restrictions.”
“Because my husband had other projects in Beijing at the time, I took over Qiao Bolin’s follow-up treatment.”
It turns out that he survived those five years in this state.
Ning Jiu felt as if her heart was being gripped tightly by an invisible hand, and she could hardly breathe.
"And now?" Her voice was strained, as if it were being squeezed out of her throat.
“Before the Lunar New Year, Mr. Qiao’s condition suddenly worsened. My husband and I tried remote intervention for a period of time, but the effect was not good.”
Liu Qingman's expression gradually became serious, and the dark circles under her eyes made her look even more tired under the bright lights.
"I rushed over after the New Year, but President Qiao—"
She stopped abruptly, her voice choked with emotion, as if she had just remembered something.
Seeing her hesitant expression, Ning Jiu's heart sank.
"However, don't worry no matter what." Liu Qingman quickly changed the subject. "Qiao Bolin's current condition... is not suitable for hospitalization, and of course, it is not suitable for him to continue working. Mr. Qiao Jialing has arranged for him to recuperate at the Jinshan Villa, where he will be taken care of by someone."
As soon as the words left his mouth, he chuckled softly, a hint of embarrassment in his expression.
"Ah, I've said too much." She looked up at Ning Jiu, her gaze gentle. "It's actually a good thing that you were able to detach yourself in time. He has someone to take care of him, so there's no need to worry too much. If you came to me this time because you feel guilty and burdened, then you can relax a bit."
"......"
Liu Qingman checked the time; her phone screen lit up, indicating another work-related message had arrived. She glanced apologetically at Ning Jiu.
"Sorry, I have to go upstairs to take care of some things. Let's end our conversation here for today."
Liu Qingman's slender figure disappeared from sight, and the coffee shop fell silent again, with only low background music and the occasional hissing of the coffee machine.
Lunch break time arrived, and office workers hurriedly left after packing their coffee. Ning Jiu sat alone in the coffee shop, her coffee already cold, but she didn't take another sip.
It was nearly dusk when I left the coffee shop.
The streetlights were already on, their orange glow spreading through the damp air, giving the whole street a hazy, warm feel.
Ning Jiu hailed a taxi, intending to go to her studio, but changed her mind before she could finish speaking.
The further you go out into the suburbs of Shanghai, the quieter it becomes. The neon lights outside the car window gradually fade away, replaced by groves of trees and the silhouettes of scattered villas.
Jinshan Villas is a well-known high-end private residential area outside the city, with a quiet environment, strict security, and wide roads that are rarely visited.
Halfway through the drive, the sky suddenly darkened, and a fine drizzle fell on the windshield, which was swept away by the wipers and turned into blurry water streaks.
Ning Jiu didn't bring an umbrella, so before getting out of the car, the driver took out a clean brown paper shopping bag from the side of the car door and handed it to her.
"These are leftovers from what I just bought. If you don't mind, young lady, you can take them to cover up the problem for now."
After thanking the driver, Ning Jiu held the brown paper bag above her head and walked quickly forward.
She didn't know what she was thinking at the time; her emotions beat her reason, giving her almost no time to think before bringing her here.
There are very few villas in Jinshan, and the buildings are spaced far apart. The sound of rain is dispersed layer by layer by the wind on the empty streets, making the surroundings seem even quieter.
Ning Jiu only wanted to confirm whether what Liu Qingman said about Qiao Bolin being alright was true, so she overlooked the fact that the villa area was unusually quiet tonight, with even patrolling security guards rarely seen.
As she got closer, she recognized the black sedan that was quietly parked in front of the innermost villa almost immediately.
However, the lights inside that building were not on.
......
What happened?
It's not too late yet, so Qiao Bolin shouldn't be asleep. But Liu Qingman said that someone is taking care of him, so why are the lights in the room off?
Ning Jiu herself was unaware that when she saw the lights in the villa were off, a strong sense of panic suddenly welled up in her chest, almost overwhelming her.
The feeling came suddenly and violently, as if the most important part of my heart had been forcibly ripped out, making even breathing difficult.
The rain was getting heavier and heavier, and the ends of her hair were already soaked. A few strands of hair clung to the snow-white skin on the side of her neck, and the coolness seeped into her bones.
He held the brown paper bag above his head and strode to the door, trying to catch even the slightest sign that someone was inside.
But all around remained silent.
His car was still parked at the door; where could Qiao Bailin have gone?
Ning Jiu almost instinctively avoided that worst thought and stood quietly at the door.
In those few seconds, her ears were ringing, and a overwhelming sense of regret almost overwhelmed her.
If she hadn't said goodbye to him before the New Year.
If she hadn't said anything harsh to him.
if......
There are no "ifs".
After waiting a while longer, the clothes were soaked through by the rain, and wrapped tightly around my body, making me shiver with cold.
Ning Jiu's shoulders relaxed slightly, and she walked out as if all her strength had been released.
step.
Two steps.
With a snap.
The kraft paper in his hand fell to the ground.
In a flash, a strong arm pulled her into the room. Before Ning Jiu could react, the door slammed shut.
All light sources were blocked, and she was pinned against the door by the man's knees.
Having walked in the rain for too long, Ning Jiu felt a chill all over her body.
Her upper body was half-soaked by the rain, and there were still traces of water on her cheeks. A few strands of hair, wet by the rain, clung to her face. Her bewildered and helpless demeanor was inexplicably enhanced by a hint of desire.
She hadn't yet recovered from the sudden turn of events, and subconsciously looked up at Qiao Bolin, blinking as if to confirm.
A glistening droplet rolled down her thick eyelashes, trickling down her smooth cheeks and onto the man's veiny forearm, spreading out in tiny, delicate patterns.
One, two, three...
More and more.
Ning Jiu couldn't tell for a moment whether it was rainwater or something else.
The moisture blurred the boundary between the two, and the air was gradually heated by their intertwined breaths. The humidity was heavy, and their clothes clung to each other. Something was being slowly ignited, waiting to spread like wildfire.
Qiao Bolin's gaze was fixed on the corners of her reddened eyes, his gaze so deep it almost swallowed her whole.
He leaned down slightly, the warm, wet touch fleetingly passing by his eyes, followed by a slight, burning sensation, and then his familiar, deep voice reached his ears.
"It's salty."
His thin lips curved downwards, from the corners of her eyes to the bridge of her nose, gently soothing her emotions.
The touch abruptly stopped at the corner of her mouth, the gentle caress taking on a different flavor, revealing a dangerous and surging nature. His other hand began to knead Ning Jiu's nape, subtly easing her tension and unease, igniting a long-dormant fire within her.
A warm current slowly crept up her spine, her breathing became shallow, and she felt as if she were enveloped in rising steam. Suddenly, she felt a warmth on her earlobe—
Jobel gently took her earlobe into his mouth, skillfully sucking and teasing it, his breathing almost matching her heartbeat.
Thump, thump, thump.
Ning Jiu was rendered speechless by his scorching breath, and the burning sensation vanished abruptly the next second.
Qiao Bolin released his earlobe, which had been licked and bitten until it was slightly red, and then gently kneaded the back of Ning Jiu's neck. Ning Jiu couldn't help but let out a muffled groan as he seized the opportunity to penetrate her, his lips and tongue directly and roughly invading her.
She was overwhelmed by his increasingly skillful kissing, and in her daze, she felt the heat on her thighs intensify.
Her soft, full lower lip was gently bitten, like flirting, or like an appetizer before the main feast.
The pendulum of victory swung to his side after several months, and the moment the bell rang, the heat from his lips almost made her lips tremble.
He told her.
"Baby, I won."
-----------------------
Author's Note: 500 words added to Chapter 35, 800 words added to Chapter 64.
The next chapter will be very [heart emoji], and will most likely be updated at 11 PM.
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