Chapter 34 "President Zhu, do you know what the Four Loves are...?"
"No……"
Although Zhu Meng verbally refused, his body language betrayed him by not flinching.
Although suddenly, he and Jiang Shan became too close.
However, if he had physical contact with Jiang Shan, he would definitely benefit. Jiang Shan's willingness to get so close to him was like a windfall, enough to feed an entire village.
Hmm... although this windfall seems like it might bite.
Quietly feeling the man's unbearable trembling and incoherent voice, Jiang Shan licked his lips and began to enjoy the delicious meal.
The meat was firm and bouncy, just as she had imagined.
It's true that those who have exercised are different.
Jiang Shan's lips were soft, but a little cool.
Zhu Meng was a genuine virgin, and had never experienced such a tingling, numb stimulation before.
He instinctively tightened his chest muscles.
The tender meat that was within easy reach had turned into a hard lump like dough. It looked as if the cooked duck had been magically thrown out of the iron pot. Jiang Shan was displeased.
"Relax."
She poked Zhu Meng's chest muscles, which she couldn't reach, with dissatisfaction: "You're too tense, I can't feel them."
Zhu Meng cried out in his heart, "Heaven, please discern the loyal from the treacherous!"
How did Jiang Shan manage to be so confident and assertive, making someone with skin hunger, who is sensitive to even the slightest physical contact, suddenly open one of her most secret defenses to her?
Is it possible that he deliberately tensed his chest muscles because he didn't want her to touch him?
I'm hungry.
After waiting for more than ten seconds and seeing that Zhu Meng did not react, Jiang Shan not only failed to understand the embarrassment from Zhu Meng's slightly distorted facial features, but also reached out and pinched the hard rice bowl.
Zhu Meng kept a straight face, inwardly criticizing and correcting himself for his lack of firmness in resisting bad temptations.
Zhu Meng, Zhu Meng, as a man, you must have a bottom line. A kind-hearted man often spoils a woman. You must uphold the bottom line of saying no to bad temptations.
Jiang Shan stared longingly at the food rations that were so close yet unattainable. He clasped his hands together, forming a perfectly fitting stepping stone, and prayed "knock knock" into the granary, which was as hard as a rock.
"Please, let me have just one more bite."
To get a good bite, she bit the soft flesh inside her mouth and tried to squeeze out a tear from the corner of her eye.
She refused to believe that if Liu Bei could win an empire by crying, how could she, as the ruler of the empire, not win a big prize from Zhu Meng by crying?
Zhu Meng felt a sharp pang of conscience.
Oh, is he really that unreasonable? He even made Jiangshan cry!
Although he didn't seem to say anything... Jiang Shan had never cried before, and even when faced with his eccentric family, he bravely endured everything.
It must be his fault.
But once this precedent is set...
Jiangshan is someone who can appreciate the flavors of life, and the more he eats, the more he feels like "once you've seen the ocean, other waters are nothing; once you've seen the clouds of Wushan, other clouds are nothing."
Or is it that once you get something, you stop treasuring it?
"Just one bite, please? Please."
Jiang Shan noticed the hesitation in Zhu Meng's eyes and immediately knew that he had made the right bet. He quickly rubbed the corners of his eyes with the back of his hand until they were even redder, and didn't forget to sniffle.
Zhu Meng was completely won over by her feigned pitifulness.
Forget it, what bottom line do we need?
The bottom line is that you can't eat it.
He only liked one girl, Jiangshan.
He has all the foods she likes.
Just give it to her.
She's not in good health, and she's really starving. Who can he complain to?
"……All right."
After struggling with the decision for three minutes, Zhu Meng finally acquiesced in a low voice in the deep night.
Last time, Jiang Shan only touched his pectoral muscles, and it happened to coincide with his skin hunger flare-up, which was exactly when he needed relief. The two of them got what they wanted, so there was nothing wrong with that.
But this time, Jiang Shan's unconscious actions will become the fuse for a powder keg.
Zhu Meng's long, slender, and fair fingers moved gracefully, like playing the piano, as she gently unbuttoned the outer buttons of her bathrobe, revealing a black bodysuit.
It's a bit hot, I'll take off my jacket.
It's September, after all, the tail end of summer.
Jiang Shan's grin stretched almost to his ears.
She pinched her still perfectly toned muscles a couple of times before immersing herself in the ocean of knowledge.
"Thank you, you are such a kind person."
Her voice was a little muffled, but you could tell that her tone was rising.
Zhu Meng closed his eyes tightly and remained silent.
...There's no need to thank me for something so trivial, is there?
"A piece of time flows slowly, rippling gently in the moonlight; I play a tune of the delicate fragrance of lotus blossoms, and beautiful melodies fall beside me..."
Phoenix Legend's songs unexpectedly emerged from some obscure corner.
For a moment, Jiang Shan thought her phone was ringing, but upon closer inspection, she realized that her ringtone wasn't the gentle and soothing "Lotus Pond in the Moonlight," but rather the passionate and unrestrained "Free Flying."
There were only two people in the room, so if it wasn't her phone ringing, it could only be Zhu Meng's phone.
"Hey," the man in front of him closed his eyes and pretended to be dead, ignoring the ringing. Jiang Shan reached out and poked Zhu Meng's slightly flushed cheek, prompting him with interest, "Your phone is ringing."
Jiang Shan wasn't annoyed that his good deed was interrupted.
Anyway, there's plenty of good time ahead.
It won't make a difference if we wait a little longer.
Zhu Meng originally wanted to pretend he didn't hear, but since Jiang Shan had already reminded him to this extent, he couldn't continue to grit his teeth and pretend to be deaf and dumb.
"So?" Zhu Meng lifted his eyelids and raised an eyebrow coldly.
He wasn't angry, he just didn't want to say more.
Because his current state is like someone who has run ten kilometers in the snow wearing only a shirt.
My entire respiratory tract was blocked by the biting ice and snow. Every breath I took was like a broken bellows creaking and groaning as it worked itself out of its power, hoarse and unpleasant to hear.
He had to catch his breath after every word he spoke, like a seductive fox spirit from ancient times, his words going straight to the heart.
"Would you like to take this?" Jiang Shan asked, his fingertips sliding from Zhu Meng's cheek to the corner of Zhu Meng's lips, as the poem "Fireflies light up the night's starlight, who will add a garment of dreams for me?" played.
She paused, seemingly intending to continue downwards.
But Zhu Meng waited quietly for ten seconds, and she still didn't move.
His Adam's apple bobbed, and he closed his eyes slightly.
"I won't answer."
The only person who would call in the middle of the night is probably his mother, who has an American work schedule.
If he guessed wrong and it wasn't Ms. Zhu calling, that would be even worse. He could only catch his breath in front of Jiang Shan out of necessity, but if he caught someone else catching his breath on the phone, he would faint!
"But... I'd like you to take the call."
Jiang Shan's eyes shone brightly under the dim yellow lamplight.
"This phone keeps ringing in the middle of the night, as if she won't give up until you answer it. You might as well answer it and ask what's going on."
As she spoke of profound principles, she ran her hand along Zhu Meng's tense lips and touched his Adam's apple.
"Well!"
Jiang Shan ate heartily, while Zhu Meng endured it again and again, almost becoming a ninja turtle, but he still couldn't stand the foreign feeling in his Adam's apple. He frowned and let out a barely audible groan.
"So, shall I answer the phone?"
Zhu Meng's beautifully curved Adam's apple trembled slightly in Jiang Shan's hand, like a piece of fine jade about to be shattered.
"I'm a little tired and don't really feel like moving." Jiang Shan smiled slightly, using the same tactic he always employed, which always worked surprisingly well. "You can manage, right?"
The angels and demons in Zhu Meng's mind are engaged in a fierce battle.
The devil advised him that life is only 30,000 days long, and every day should be lived in a different way so as not to have lived in vain.
The angel gently scolded, "You shouldn't have made such a fool of yourself! You're over thirty years old, can't you be a little more mature? Do you still think of yourself as a teenager?"
Zhu Meng carefully took out her phone, which was constantly playing music, and when she saw the words "Ms. Zhu" flashing on the screen, she finally gave in.
"...Okay." Mom, I'm sorry.
As soon as the call connected, Ms. Zhu's cheerful voice came through: "Son, how are things going with that girl lately? Has she been paying attention to you?"
Zhu Meng's heart was hanging in the air, not knowing when Jiang Shan would pinch him or touch him.
Fortunately, Jiang Shan did nothing.
"……fine."
His voice was very hoarse. Ms. Zhu, having relevant experience, quickly drew a conclusion based on the timing.
"Hey Zhu Meng, what are you doing? Am I bothering you?"
"No, I'm sorry to bother you." Even though Jiang Shan didn't make any move, Zhu Meng's voice still trembled. "What is it? Just tell me."
"Okay, then I'll get straight to the point." Ms. Zhu spoke at more than three times faster. "It's still about your brother-in-law. Has he stopped going to school to study with his peers? I heard it's going well; he can even talk to people now. This weekend, your grandparents are going to take him back to Beijing. They asked me to call you so you can go and see your brother-in-law too."
Zhu Meng's face remained expressionless.
"Okay, I'll go."
"Okay, I understand. I won't bother you anymore. You can have fun." As if afraid of missing something good, Ms. Zhu hung up the phone with a "beep" before the sound of the word "fun" had even faded completely.
After waiting and waiting, the attack on Jiangshan did not come. Zhu Meng felt not relief, but disappointment.
Jiang Shan deliberately made him answer the phone at this time because she wanted to do something, right? She wasn't going to do anything, so why did she go to all this trouble and answer the phone in such an awkward position with him?
"I'm sorry, I didn't know the person opposite you was your mother." Jiang Shan scratched his head. "If I had known she was an elder, I wouldn't have done this."
Zhu Meng suddenly realized.
Oh, Jiangshan is playing around. Playing with his body is actually quite interesting.
I only didn't do it out of respect for my elders...
It's not that he's not attractive enough to her.
“My mother is fine, she’s a very open-minded person.” Zhu Meng, afraid that Jiang Shan wouldn’t understand what he meant, hurriedly added, “She’d love for you to do something to me.”
Jiang Shan nodded, his expression listless and uninterested, it was hard to tell whether he believed it or not.
Zhu Meng coughed softly.
"...Aren't you going to eat?"
Jiang Shan waved his hand.
"Let's talk about it later, I'm a little tired right now."
She said she was tired, but that was just a verbal rest. Her hands, still exhausted, continued working, occasionally pinching Zhu Meng's strong biceps like a cat kneading its paws.
Zhu Meng was so frightened that he tensed up his muscles.
Afraid of feeling bad if he couldn't reach Jiangshan, he gritted his teeth and forced himself to relax.
Actually, he wasn't in any particular discomfort; in fact, he felt somewhat relieved.
However, this kind of relief was too strange, and it was different from the massage techniques that doctors usually use, so he couldn't accept it for a while.
But Jiangshan has developed a fever, how did it turn out like this?
The last time she had a fever, she was perfectly normal; she basically just went straight to sleep and didn't do anything...
Huh? Why did she stop touching it halfway through?
Zhu Meng looked up and saw Jiang Shan's hands pressed against her chest, as if he were gently rubbing it, and his lips were slightly purplish-blue.
"Is it tiring to lean like this?" he asked.
"Hmm," Jiang Shan nodded, "I feel a bit tight in my chest."
She raised her hand, and the fitness tracker lit up.
Jiang Shan easily opened the "Pulse Wave Heart Rate Arrhythmia Analysis" function, and sure enough, he saw the bracelet reminding him that "Suspected premature beats were detected."
Oh, no wonder, her heart always feels like that when she stays up late.
Even when I don't stay up late, this still happens.
Zhu Meng's eyes widened slightly.
"Are you experiencing heart problems?"
In his mind, heart damage is something that can only be caused by long-term suffering, and people with heart problems are basically elderly people in their seventies or eighties.
Jiang Shan is still so young, how could he...?
"It's alright, I'm used to it. It usually gets worse at night, but as long as I can fall asleep, it's not a big problem." She thought for a moment, "Even if I can't fall asleep, raising my pillow a little higher will make me more comfortable."
Zhu Meng patted himself on the shoulder.
Would you mind sleeping on my shoulder?
Jiang Shan rubbed his eyes, which were a little sore from staying up late.
"?...Okay, but you're a bit tall, I might not be able to lean on you...Eh!"
Zhu Meng picked Jiang Shan up in his arms, like an eagle snatching a chick, and let her lie on top of him, facing him. Afraid that Jiang Shan would fall, he put his arms around her shoulders and intentionally or unintentionally measured her figure.
Hmm, she's so small and always seems to lack energy.
However, during the meal just now, she didn't mind climbing up and down like she was on a jungle adventure.
He almost risked his life because of his stutter.
Isn't he right here? He can't possibly run away...
"Mr. Zhu, I have a question for you."
Jiang Shan gently blew a breath into Zhu Meng's ear, and his ears turned bright red, like a ripe fruit radiating heat from the field due to respiration.
"At this time, please don't call me 'President Zhu' anymore." Zhu Meng coughed several times forcefully.
Jiang Shan blinked and asked him a question in return.
Why?
Her eyes were very clear, like a lake on the plateau that only holds the meltwater from the high mountain snow and ice. Even Zhu Meng, who was experienced in society, could not tell whether she already knew the answer and was asking knowingly, or whether she really didn't know.
Zhu Meng was momentarily speechless.
He turned his head slightly to hide the struggle in his eyes from Jiang Shan.
"...I don't like it." It's so embarrassing to be addressed with such respect by someone ten years younger than me at such an indescribable moment.
Jiang Shan finally grasped a sliver of truth from Zhu Meng's awkward little gestures.
She smirked: "What if I insist on shouting?"
Zhu Meng's lips were stretched into a straight line, sealed tighter than the zipper of his windbreaker.
Jiang Shan always wears black-rimmed glasses on his nose. He is not very experienced in dealing with people, and his experience in love is just as poor as his. She seems to be the kind of obedient girl who has never been in a relationship and only knows how to study.
At first, he didn't dare to use a harsh tone when speaking to Jiang Shan, for fear that any word he uttered would hurt her body, which had never experienced the harshness of society.
Over time, he began to realize that Jiangshan was more than it appeared on the surface.
But he never expected that she would be so extraordinary.
Did she throw herself into other men's arms like this before?
Does she also pinch other men's pectoral muscles to get food?
Would she let that man answer the phone at a time like this?
Countless questions surfaced in Zhu Meng's mind, but he had no desire to ask Jiang Shan directly.
Even if he knew about her past, so what? Would he find all those men and beat them all up? ...They did have a brief affair with Jiang Shan after all. Wouldn't Jiang Shan be angry if he did that?
It's best not to upset her and hurt her health.
It's already quite good that he can be one of these men now.
Zhu Meng turned his head to the side and closed his eyes slightly, a submissive gesture.
"If this kind of perverse humor makes you happier... then go ahead and shout it."
Jiang Shan was extremely shocked.
How could someone as rigid as Zhu Meng agree to her perverse taste?
He was surprisingly well-behaved!
Jiang Shan smiled broadly, gently ruffling Zhu Meng's jet-black hair—which hadn't been styled with hairspray and could be moved with his touch—as if praising his pet Corgi for finally growing ears.
"You're so good."
Zhu Meng's face turned as black as a giant pot that blotted out the sky.
That's so weird.
Why was his first reaction to being praised for being well-behaved by Jiang Shan not angry, but happy?
Isn't he... a normal person?
No! He's a normal person!
Zhu Meng retorted coldly, "I am not a pet."
Jiang Shan was charmed by his stubbornness.
Hey, isn't this the epitome of a cool, aloof cuteness? And the kind where she's completely unaware of it.
Zhu Meng, a product that's all talk and no action...
Perhaps we could actually develop the "Four Loves" function?
Jiang Shan couldn't help but chuckle. Her eyes sparkled, like the tiny, golden egg pieces in the famous Yangzhou fried rice.
"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have treated you like that... But if you're talking about a person, you could also describe me as well-behaved, right?"
Throughout his life, Zhu Meng had only been praised twice by Ms. Zhu when he was a child. After he coldly and seriously refused when he was seven years old, Ms. Zhu never called him that again.
I never imagined that at the age of thirty-two, I would hear this from a girl ten years younger than me.
He sighed softly.
I don't know if it's out of helplessness or overindulgence.
"...Whatever makes you happy."
Zhu Meng's repeated tacit approval emboldened Jiang Shan, and in a moment of impulsiveness, she blurted out the question that had been swirling in her mind.
"Mr. Zhu, do you know what the Four Loves are?"
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Author's Note: I'm juggling both studying and writing—I'm the best! [Sprinkling flowers] Today's challenge is to go to bed early at 11:30. Wish me luck, and wish everyone good sleep! [droopy-eared bunny head]
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