Getting better and better
After the charity gala.
This was the first time Lin Tingyue had woken up in such a relaxed atmosphere, and the tension in her heart seemed to have disappeared.
She opened her eyes, and the morning sunlight filtered through the gauze curtains, casting soft dappled light on the wooden floor.
The house was quiet, but she could sense that Chi Zhuo must have already gotten up.
The images from last night flooded her mind uncontrollably; Chi Zhuo's eyes, gazing at her in the dim light, remained unforgettable.
Her cheeks started to burn again, and she instinctively buried her face in the fluffy pillow, took a deep breath, and calmed down.
This feels so unfamiliar.
She lingered in bed for a while before getting up to wash up.
When I pushed open the bedroom door, I felt a strange sense of nervousness.
Sure enough, Chi Zhuo was already in the living room.
Instead of his usual formal loungewear for the weekend, he wore a loose gray sweatshirt and sweatpants, his hair casually drooping, looking less sharp than usual.
He was standing in front of the island counter, intently looking at the latest news on his tablet, with a steaming cup of coffee beside him.
He looked up when he heard her footsteps.
The air seemed to freeze for a moment when their eyes met.
"Good morning," he said first, his voice slightly hoarse from the early morning.
"Good morning." Lin Tingyue felt her voice was a little dry. She walked towards the kitchen to pour herself a glass of water, her steps a little unnatural.
"Auntie cooked millet porridge, which is being kept warm in the pot, and also fried dumplings."
As Chi Zhuo spoke, he naturally picked up the empty cup beside him, poured her a cup of warm water from the health pot next to him, and pushed it in front of her.
"Thank you." Lin Tingyue took the cup, her fingertips accidentally touching his. They both paused slightly, then moved away as if nothing had happened.
She sipped her water, secretly glancing at him out of the corner of her eye.
Chi Zhuo seems... a little different.
I can't quite put my finger on what's different, it's just a feeling.
The two ate their breakfast in silence.
"What are the plans for today?" Chi Zhuo put down his chopsticks and asked casually.
Lin Tingyue shook her head: "Nothing special, maybe I'll look at some information and draw some diagrams."
Her studio is just starting out, and she's busy even on weekends.
"Hmm," Chi Zhuo responded, paused for a few seconds, and then continued, "I'm free this afternoon too."
"Um?"
Lin Tingyue didn't understand why Chi Zhuo suddenly brought this up, and she hadn't planned to ask him about his schedule.
After breakfast, Lin Tingyue took the initiative to clear the dishes, and Chi Zhuo didn't leave either, but leaned against the island counter watching her busy herself.
His gaze was so intense that Lin Tingyue felt her back burning, and her hands unconsciously quickened their movements.
“Um…” She didn’t turn around, pretending to be focused on rinsing the dishes, “Thank you for last night.”
"What are you thanking me for?"
“It was… when I met Jiang.” She paused, her voice lowering, “and… what we said in the car later.”
There was a moment of silence behind him, then his deep voice rang out: "You're welcome. I'm just stating the facts."
The water was rushing loudly, but Lin Tingyue's heartbeat was even louder.
She turned off the tap, turned around, and mustered her courage to look at him: "Aren't you... curious about who he is?"
Chi Zhuo's deep gaze fell on her face, calm and unwavering: "Someone who makes you unhappy. That's enough."
His trust and his lack of excessive inquiry were like a warm current, gently flowing into Lin Tingyue's heart.
She suddenly felt that those unspeakable past experiences could truly be turned over gently in his eyes.
“He’s my ex-boyfriend.” She said it anyway, her tone light and relieved. “Back then, I went abroad to win him back, but…” She quickly skipped that sentence and continued, “Later, I found out he was already with someone else.”
She laughed self-deprecatingly, "I feel like I was pretty silly back then."
Chi Zhuo listened quietly, his face expressionless, but his eyes were very focused.
After she finished speaking, he took a step forward, and the distance between them instantly closed.
He reached out and gently brushed away a stray strand of hair from her forehead, his fingertips warm and his movements gentle.
“He’s not stupid,” he looked at her, his gaze deep, “he’s just not good enough for you.”
A simple sentence brought a sudden pang of sadness to Lin Tingyue's nose.
Those days and nights of self-doubt seemed to be gently soothed at this moment.
She looked at his face so close to hers, the atmosphere was so perfect, she almost felt like she was drowning in his eyes.
Just then, Chi Zhuo's cell phone rang.
The enchanting atmosphere was instantly shattered.
As if startled awake, Lin Tingyue subconsciously took half a step back, her cheeks flushing bright red.
Chi Zhuo also withdrew his hand, his expression returning to its usual calm.
He received a work call and went to his study to handle it.
Lin Tingyue was curled up on the sofa in the living room looking at fabric samples, but her attention was always wandering, and her eyes kept drifting toward the closed door of the study.
The two of them remained separated in their own spaces, each striving for their own careers.
As evening approached, her phone rang; it was her mother calling.
"Yueyue, are you busy?" Her mother's voice was as gentle as ever.
"No, Mom, what's wrong?"
"Nothing much, just wondering how you've been lately. Are you and Chi Zhuo... doing alright?"
There was a hint of caution in the mother's words.
When the Lin family's business ran into trouble, the Chi family offered a helping hand on the condition of a marriage alliance.
Zhen Lan always felt that she owed something to her daughter.
Lin Tingyue's heart softened, and her tone became gentle: "We are all fine, don't worry."
"That's good, that's good." Zhen Lan seemed to breathe a sigh of relief. After chatting for a few more minutes, she suddenly changed the subject, "By the way, next Friday is your father's birthday. The family is planning to have a simple family dinner. Can you and Chi Zhuo... come back?"
Lin Tingyue paused.
In the past, she would have simply made an excuse to decline.
Now, she holds her phone, hesitating about how to answer.
If I agree directly, will Chi Zhuo be willing to cooperate?
"What's wrong? Is Chi Zhuo busy?" Lin's mother noticed her hesitation and her tone immediately became somewhat disappointed.
"No, he..." Before Lin Tingyue could finish speaking, Chi Zhuo's voice came from behind her.
"What's wrong?"
She was startled and turned around to see that Chi Zhuo had come out of the study at some point and was standing behind the sofa looking at her.
Lin's mother, who was on the other end of the phone, heard the voice and quickly asked, "Is that Chi Zhuo?"
Lin Tingyue covered the microphone and said to Chi Zhuo in a slightly embarrassed voice, "My mom... asked if we could go back for my dad's family dinner next Friday."
She thought he would hesitate or refuse outright.
But Chi Zhuo merely raised an eyebrow, reached out and took the phone directly from her hand, his tone instantly becoming gentle and polite: "Mom, it's me, Chi Zhuo."
Lin Tingyue stared at him in disbelief.
"Yes, next Friday, right? Don't worry, Tingyue and I will be there on time."
He spoke into the phone with the naturalness of a son-in-law, “We’ll prepare the gift, you don’t need to worry about it… Okay, that’s all then, take care of yourself.”
He finished the call quickly and handed the phone back to Lin Tingyue, who was still in a daze.
"You... how could you agree to that?" Lin Tingyue took the phone, somewhat bewildered.
"Otherwise what?" Chi Zhuo looked at her, a slight smile playing on his lips. "It's my father-in-law's birthday, shouldn't we go back?"
“But…” Lin Tingyue wanted to say that this was not within the scope of the agreement.
“No buts.” Chi Zhuo interrupted her, his gaze falling on her slightly parted lips in surprise, his eyes deepening. “Now, shouldn’t we continue discussing the issues from this morning?”
"Morning? What's wrong?" Lin Tingyue didn't react for a moment.
Chi Zhuo leaned down, placing his hands on the back of the sofa on either side of her body, encircling her within a small space.
He was very close, his breath almost brushing against her cheek.
“About…” he lowered his voice, his voice carrying a captivating magnetism, “something I almost didn’t finish.”
Lin Tingyue's heart skipped a beat, her cheeks flushed instantly, and even her ears burned.
As she watched his handsome face slowly approach, her mind went blank, leaving only the heart in her chest pounding wildly, almost trying to break free.
His nose brushed against hers lightly, his warm lips almost touching hers.
Before Lin Tingyue could react, Chi Zhuo had already grabbed her hand tightly, then lifted her up by the waist and placed her on the sofa before kissing her.
The two of them forgot about time and were completely immersed in the atmosphere.
Chi Zhuo pressed down on this delicate body, one hand supporting himself on the sofa, the other hand roaming over her body.
Unlike last time, both of them were sober this time. Lin Tingyue could clearly feel the other's passion and intensity. She wanted to make him stop, but Chi Zhuo seemed to be completely absorbed and ignored her little actions.
Lin Tingyue gradually stopped struggling and, following Chi Zhuo's breathing, slowly became intoxicated.
The hot sensation on her legs gradually spread throughout her body. She unbuttoned Chi Zhuo's shirt and touched the man's chest for the first time in a real way.
For so long, she had always been careful in her words and actions in front of him, never daring to make a mistake, and she also deeply remembered the agreement between them.
Of course, this also includes marital obligations.
But today, she felt a different emotion. This gentle kiss was a loving touch, unlike the previous possessiveness. Chi Zhuo was slowly letting her feel tenderness, prioritizing her feelings as much as possible.
Feeling the coolness of the skirt, Lin Tingyue felt a little dizzy. The tingling, numbing sensation seemed to surge through her body like an electric current, and she almost trembled.
The two were so close that Lin Tingyue felt herself sweating and wanted to reach up to touch her forehead. The next second, Chi Zhuo pressed her hand down and whispered into her earlobe: "Concentrate."
Lin Tingyue twisted her body into a ball, hugging Chi Zhuo's neck even tighter. She was panting heavily, but couldn't control her voice, only able to nod and laugh intermittently, "Okay...okay~"
As their heavy breathing rose and fell, night quietly descended.
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