Chapter 16
Jiang Lan stood face to face with her, and Xiao Ming still felt a little uneasy.
Jiang Lan had no problems during their time together; the problem lay with her.
She's been considering whether this relationship should continue, wondering if she really likes Jiang Lan enough to tolerate the negative emotions that arise between them. These negative emotions might come from his friends, colleagues, classmates, or even family.
They're building new social relationships, relationships that could potentially last a lifetime. Everyday life will bring its share of friction and challenges, and there might even be children. Are they truly ready to enter into this relationship?
If not, you should make things clear to him in time, break up immediately, and cut your losses.
She is someone who hates any emotional entanglements. The persona she creates at the company is to avoid building relationships with others, even those that can be automatically severed upon leaving the company.
She had only dined with his colleagues and friends once, but she was already imagining countless future gatherings. He not only had friends, but also classmates, business partners, family, and relatives. If they were together, could she avoid the social events he would bring? No! She would have to be his appendage, behaving properly and speaking eloquently in these social situations, and then smiling and socializing.
It's probably because the feelings aren't strong enough, and she feels that compromising for him isn't worth it. If she were head over heels in love and wanted to be with him forever, she wouldn't be bothered by these things.
Although he was reluctant, Xiaoming nodded.
Jiang Lan touched the small cardboard box in her pocket and led her into the elevator.
As soon as the two entered the house, before Xiaoming could even put down his bag, Jiang Lan pulled him into her arms and kissed him fiercely and recklessly, venting her anxiety and longing from the past few days between her lips and teeth.
Only when Xiaoming was out of breath did he bend down, pick him up, and carry him directly into the bedroom, then push off with his heel and close the door.
The room was filled with a muffled "ooh" sound as lips and teeth were blocked, followed by the sound of heavy winter clothes falling to the ground, the crisp sound of a belt buckle hitting the floor, the creaking of a mattress under heavy weight, and then muffled groans from a man and a woman.
Seeing that the last line of defense was about to fall, Xiaoming covered Jiang Lan's lips tightly and hurriedly said, "I won't take responsibility even if you sleep with me!"
Jiang Lan lowered her eyes, looking at her face, which was flushed from her kiss, her eyes moist with emotion, but the words that came out from her lips, which were red from being sucked, were so cold.
"You don't need to take responsibility. No matter how many times we sleep together, you don't need to take responsibility. You don't have to do anything you don't want to do, just be my girlfriend."
With the arrow already on the bowstring, Xiao Ming could barely squeeze out a little space in his head to think about the future, except for the handsome man in front of him. But when he heard the words "no need to take responsibility," his heartstrings relaxed, and he hugged Jiang Lan's neck and kissed her.
If anyone later denies the effectiveness of the beauty scheme, Xiaoming will definitely step forward to refute it.
The slapping sound of skin quickly touching and separating continued for a while. The door opened, and Jiang Lan carried Xiaoming into the bathroom, tenderly giving her a thorough wash.
The whole box of small umbrellas was opened before the night finally quieted down.
Xiao Ming was fast asleep when the alarm clock suddenly rang. It rang and stopped, then rang again, before finally being turned off on the third time.
With a determined look, Xiao Ming sat up, glanced at the time, and immediately jumped up, shouting, "I'm late! I'm late!"
I grabbed a random nightgown from the closet, slipped it on, rushed into the bathroom, and mustered the courage to pee. [Huh?! It was burning hot when I went to the toilet last night, and it's all better already?]
But when I felt physically better, I was happy in my heart. When I came out of the bathroom and saw Jiang Lan setting out breakfast, I felt much more at ease with her.
"You only slept for a few hours, why are you up so early? You've already bought breakfast."
"Yes, I'm in high spirits when something good happens." The pharmacy clerk teased him as he handed him his medicine, asking if he had been practicing yin-yang tonification.
Xiao Ming gave him a sharp look, then, thinking it was already too late, he sat down and started eating breakfast. Jiang Lan served Xiao Ming like a little eunuch, bustling around him here and there. Xiao Ming pretended not to see anything and just ate his own breakfast. She had told him to stop several times last night, and he kept nagging her, but he wouldn't stop. Otherwise, they wouldn't have both been late.
After finishing breakfast and going back to his room to change clothes, Jiang Lan followed him in and closed the door behind him.
Seeing Xiaoming looking at her with a terrified expression, Jiang Lan pulled him into her arms, buried her face in his shoulder and couldn't stop laughing, suppressing her laughter: "Lie down, I'll apply the medicine for you."
Xiao Ming suddenly realized what was going on, and then defensively grabbed the hem of his nightgown: "I don't need you, I can do it myself, you can leave."
“Even if you wanted to, I’m powerless right now. Your boyfriend isn’t a superhero. It’s inconvenient for you to go there, so I’ll do it. Didn’t I apply the medicine to you while you were asleep? It was quick and effective. Lie down, we need to get to work.”
Having been successfully persuaded, Xiaoming lay on the bed, silently covering his eyes, letting Jiang Lan apply the medicine to him.
The area where the medicine was applied felt cool and comfortable. After being applied several times, Xiaoming began to find it unbearable and whispered to Jiang Lan, "Is it done yet?"
Jiang Lan looked at the bright red and glistening flowers in front of her, her Adam's apple bobbing involuntarily, and her voice was a little hoarse as she spoke: "You need to massage it a bit to help it absorb. Once the inside is done, I'll apply some to the outside."
The tip was a little red and swollen. Jiang Lan gently massaged that area to help the medicine absorb. Xiao Ming bit his lower lip hard to avoid making any inappropriate noises.
After applying the medicine, both of them broke out in a sweat.
Jiang Lan, his hands sticky, turned and went into the bathroom. When he came out, Xiao Ming had already changed her clothes and was stuffing her nightgown into the washing machine. When she saw him looking over, she turned to the side to cover herself.
Jiang Lan touched her nose, not asking why she wanted to throw the fleece nightgown she had just put on that morning into the wash.
After seeing Xiaoming off to work, Jiang Lan tidied up the house and prepared to leave as well. He needed to go back later to pack clothes and daily necessities, which he would then bring over in the afternoon.
He realized that Xiaoming was just a paper tiger. She was soft-hearted and couldn't say no to people. Even when he was in a bad mood, she would reply to his messages in time. She seemed aloof, but that was just a protective facade. So, if he wanted to truly integrate into her life, he had to be more assertive.
It's not that he doesn't respect her, but if he really follows her rhythm completely, he can only stay outside of her life. How can the two of them ever get together?
In ancient times, well-mannered young ladies were often harassed by rogues and scoundrels; there's a reason why good women are afraid of persistent suitors.
Xiao Ming has a lot of theoretical knowledge in that area, and he has also watched instructional videos. The female protagonists in those videos are so thin, yet they have mismatched stamina and endurance, which shows that the theory of plowing and oxen is not a hoax.
It wasn't until I actually got into the fight that I realized I was a complete weakling; the dull blade was only causing continuous damage reduction.
After a long day at work, I felt restless and uncomfortable. After sitting for a short while, the area against the chair ached all the way to my bones, and after standing for a while, the pain returned.
Xiao Ming felt a little regretful; he shouldn't have been tempted by Jiang Lan's restrained yet sexy expression at the time. Alas, [the punishment for impulsiveness].
Fortunately, tomorrow is the weekend, and next Monday is New Year's Day, so a couple of days off should be enough.
"Xiaoming, are you feeling unwell?"
"ah?"
"Look at your dark circles, and your lips are all white."
Seeing Yingjie getting closer and closer, Xiaoming felt guilty and quickly put on his baseball cap and mask: "I might have caught a cold. Stay away from me, or you'll catch it."
Upon hearing this, Sister Ying immediately tilted her head back and hurriedly pulled out a mask to put on: "You too, if you're not feeling well, you should wear a mask as soon as possible. I'm very busy these days preparing for the annual meeting, so I can't afford any mishaps."
There was no other way; I was afraid my experienced older sister would notice something, so I could only scare her a little.
Finally, it was time to leave work, and I rushed out the door and squeezed into the elevator.
When Xiaoming got home, he found the whole house clean and tidy. The clothes in the washing machine were already hanging out to dry, and the sheets that had caused such a mess last night were still hanging on top. Xiaoming couldn't help but exclaim, "So this is what it feels like to have a hardworking yet considerate 'fairy godmother'!" She had come out and done all the chores while he was at work, and then went back home on her own when she saw he was coming back. How could she be so quick to do that!
After finishing the packed food, I took out my pajamas and went to the bathroom to shower. I didn't sleep much last night, and I worked a full day today. I'm really exhausted. I need to go to bed early tonight.
Jiang Lan was busy all morning and didn't arrive at the company until the afternoon.
Liu Zhen winked at him for a while and said, "Well done, buddy. The spring night is too short to rise before the sun rises high. From now on, the emperor will not hold court in the morning."
Jiang Lan curled her lips, but did not refute.
Seeing his reaction, Liu Zhen's eyes widened, and he shouted, "Holy crap, I was right?! You were like a dog that had been kicked out a while ago, but you've straightened up overnight! To celebrate that your innocent hat has finally been taken off, you have to treat us! You absolutely have to treat us!"
Without saying a word, Jiang Lan transferred the funds to the receptionist and asked her to arrange afternoon tea for the whole company, saying it was to wish everyone a Happy New Year.
There were a lot of things to arrange before the holiday, and Jiang Lan didn't finish until almost nine o'clock. After getting off work, she rushed to Xiao Ming's house.
He opened the door, and the room was pitch black. He assumed Xiaoming had gone to some pre-New Year's Day event and hadn't returned yet. But when he asked her that afternoon if she had any events planned, she had said no.
Jiang Lan felt a little disappointed.
When I turned on the light to change my shoes, I found that there were no slippers for Xiaoming in the shoe cabinet, and the bedroom door was also closed. My heart leaped with joy again.
She gently pushed open the door and looked at the bed. There was a human figure curled up on the bed. She tiptoed over, turned on the night light, and looked at the peaceful sleeping face under the dim light. Jiang Lan couldn't help but lower her head and kiss her forehead.
After eating a little something, Jiang Lan tidied up the things in her suitcase, washed up, and was about to hug Xiaoming to sleep. But she sat up again as soon as she lay down, took out the ointment, and gently applied it to Xiaoming. It seemed that she was really tired last night. She didn't wake up except for a few whimpers while the ointment was being applied.
Jiang Lan lay there for a long time, but the reaction in her body just wouldn't go away. So she simply gave up, pulled the person into her arms, and pretended to sleep, not caring what anyone else did!
As for the embarrassing incident where Xiaoming touched someone while half-asleep and was so frightened that he kicked the person off the bed, I won't go into details.
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