Video Call
It was late at night and only a bedside lamp was on in the master bedroom. The light was dim and the undulating outlines of the furniture looked like beasts in the darkness.
Wen Lingyi finished her shower and lay down on the bed covered with soft Egyptian cotton sheets. She was still damp, her hair wrapped in a towel, a few strands of hair falling around her neck.
She picked up her phone, the screen's brightness glaring in the dim light. She clicked on the chat box, and the photos Zhou Jianxing had sent popped up. She scrolled through them one by one, her fingertips lingering on the screen.
Her photography skills had clearly improved; her composition and lighting were much better than before. Wen Lingyi zoomed in on a detail in one of the photos and unconsciously bit her lower lip.
The current Zhou Jianxing was a far cry from the little maintenance worker who would blush even when they first met, and who didn't know where to put his hands and feet when they were intimate. A subtle sense of accomplishment, almost a sense of successful taming, spread throughout Wen Lingyi's heart.
In the photo, Zhou Jianxing was wearing a champagne gold nightgown that was split to the thigh, revealing her smooth honey-colored thighs. The two slender straps hung loosely on her shoulders, almost sliding down her arms.
The long chestnut hair is draped down, covering the key parts just right. The ups and downs of the hair suggest the full curves underneath, which is very imaginative.
There was a thin layer of sweat on her neck, which shone brightly under the light. The lines of her collarbone were deep and clear, which made Wen Lingyi's breathing slow down.
She typed a reply.
Shuiyue Gallery - Wen Lingyi: "Very beautiful."
His fingertips paused for a moment, and he added another sentence with a bit of evil taste.
Shuiyue Gallery - Wen Lingyi: "But I want to see you in work clothes."
While I waited for a reply, the only sound in the room was the low hum of the air conditioner. Not long after, my phone vibrated softly as a new image loaded.
In the photo, Zhou Jianxing is wearing a dark blue work shirt with a white "Schindler Maintenance" logo printed on the chest. Three buttons of his shirt are undone, the collar is open, and his neck, stretched backward in a graceful yet fragile curve.
One hand stopped at the fourth button, the slender fingers with distinct knuckles slightly bent, as if paused at the moment of a certain action, with an awkward and deliberate temptation.
Wen Lingyi looked at the photo and her eyes darkened.
Where did she learn all these things? She stopped thinking about it, and her other hand unconsciously lifted the hem of her pajamas, the fabric rubbing against her skin.
Xingxing: "Sister Wen, do you like this?"
Wen Lingyi stared at the line of words and the picture for a few seconds, without replying immediately. She placed the phone screen face down on the soft mattress, closed her eyes, and her chest rose and fell slightly.
·
Elsewhere, Zhou Jianxing stared intently at the screen, but no new messages arrived. She slowly re-buttoned her shirt, one button at a time, until the collar fit snugly around her neck. She then tied her long, sweat-soaked hair back into a neat ponytail.
Holding the phone, she waited and waited, but the screen remained dark. A sense of loss slowly welled up in her. She put the phone down, and the screen hit the bedside table with a slight sound.
She got up from the bed and changed back into her old, somewhat baggy T-shirt and shorts. She walked over to the full-length mirror and saw a face reflected in it that was incredibly red, even the tips of her ears were tinged with pink.
It seemed like no matter how many times I tried this daring move, I was always swept away by shame afterward.
However, every hour of their separation seemed stretched out. She was afraid that the distance would make Wen Lingyi accustomed to life without her, and that the novelty and affection they felt would gradually fade as they stopped meeting.
She could only use this clumsy and straightforward way to remind the other person of her existence.
Walking to the desk, he crossed out another date on the calendar. Today was the fourth day since moving out of Lanyue Bay. Wen Lingyi said she'd been busy with work lately and had to travel with her aunt who had just returned from abroad, so she hadn't had time to see her these past few days.
The only way to relieve the longing is to repeatedly look through the few photos of Wen Lingyi stored in the mobile phone, or stare at the historical chat records between the two.
However, her life during this period was not entirely filled with longing. Perhaps it was because Wen Lingyi's "I like her" made her feel more at ease. She was no longer as anxious as she was during the period of unrequited love, and temporarily tried to return to her own track.
Daily maintenance work is monotonous and repetitive, and the various faults that require careful resolution take up most of the daytime.
Last weekend, she accompanied Ajie to visit a wedding planning company. In the end, Ajie gritted his teeth and finalized an open-air proposal plan that exceeded the budget but sounded very good, and paid a deposit.
This afternoon, Ajie dragged her to the jewelry counter in the mall to order an engagement ring. Xiaomin had slender fingers, so the ring needed to be specially made and would not be available for pick up until two days later.
In her free time, she also trimmed the neglected and somewhat wild flowers and plants on the balcony. Zhou Shufen was only responsible for watering, and the plants, lacking care, had branches and leaves stretched out in all directions. Now, they have finally regained a bit of freshness.
·
Wen Lingyi had previously urged her to practice piano well, and she had always remembered. These past few nights, whenever she had a free moment, she would practice "Autumn Leaves" over and over again, using the sheet music she had painstakingly copied.
The awkward melody flowed from the erhu strings, and she looked forward to one day being able to play in rhythm with Wen Lingyi's piano.
Just as she picked up the bow and prepared to practice again, the phone screen lit up.
Girlfriend: "I like it. You're sexy, baby."
"Sexy"—those two words seemed to have a temperature, burning Zhou Jianxing's cheeks and ears. His fingers hovered over the screen, his heart pounding. He tried to form words in his head, but he didn't know how to respond to such a straightforward compliment. He typed and deleted again.
Before she could compose a response, Wen Lingyi's next message popped up.
Girlfriend: "I want to see you, are you available to take the video call?"
Zhou Jianxing was stunned and subconsciously looked down at the old T-shirt he was wearing that had a faded cartoon pattern and no pattern at all. His hair was tied up casually, with a few strands sticking up in a messy manner.
She almost immediately wanted to stand up and put on the work shirt.
However, she really wanted to see Wen Lingyi. So, the moment the WeChat video invitation ring rang, her fingers pressed the answer button faster than her brain.
I was also afraid that Wen Lingyi would be unhappy if she waited too long.
The screen lit up, but across from her was a thick darkness, with only the light from the phone screen illuminating Wen Lingyi's face. The light cast bright and dark shadows on her face, making her features appear blurry and pale in the camera, as if covered by a layer of fog.
"Sister Wen," Zhou Jianxing adjusted the angle of the phone in a hurry, trying to find a better-looking angle, her fingers nervously curling the ends of her hanging hair, "Should I go... change my clothes?" She let go of her hair and pointed at the loose T-shirt on her body, her expression a little annoyed.
"No need." Wen Lingyi's voice came through the speaker, with a slight electrical noise, but it hit Zhou Jianxing's eardrum clearly. She saw Wen Lingyi smile on the screen, and the corners of her eyes curved slightly.
"I just wanted to see if you were cheating on me," she paused, her tone sounding casual.
The words "I miss you" went around in circles on her lips, and finally changed to a more roundabout and awkward way of saying it.
"Cheating?" Zhou Jianxing opened her eyes wide, "Cheating what?" She obviously didn't understand this joke which was a bit ambiguous and tentative.
Forget it, playing this kind of riddle with this little fool is like talking to a cow.
Wen Lingyi laughed inwardly.
"Sister Wen," Zhou Jianxing's attention quickly shifted. She moved closer to the screen, almost sticking her face to it, staring intently at the unclear face in the darkness, and questions popped up one after another.
"Is your cold completely gone? Is your throat still sore?"
"What have you been eating these days? Have you been eating well every day?"
"Where did you go with your aunt? Are you tired?"
"Do you work late every day? Is it very tiring?"
The concern in his tone was not hidden at all.
Although she had asked these questions repeatedly in previous text messages, she had received brief responses.
But at this moment, when I really saw the person and heard the voice, all the suppressed worries and trivial concerns came up all at once, as if only through this repeated confirmation could I slightly ease the worries in my heart.
Besides, she was not good at talking and could not find any other topics to talk about, so she could only ask the same old questions over and over again, chattering away.
"Sister Wen," Zhou Jianxing's speech slowed down after a long while. She suddenly moved closer to the camera again, her entire face enlarged on the screen, and then slowly moved down until only her plump, slightly open lips were left on Wen Lingyi's screen.
"I miss you." The voice came from the loudspeaker, vague and breathy, as light as the catkins in March falling on Wen Lingyi's eardrum. Zhou Jianxing was acting coquettishly.
"...Yeah," Wen Lingyi lowered her voice, making the sound of electricity seem smaller. She felt an urge to reach through the screen and rub the hairy-looking head. "I know."
"What about you?" Zhou Jianxing bit her lower lip and asked cautiously, holding her breath, "Do you... miss me too?" She was always like this, not knowing how to be roundabout or conceal. If she thought of something, she would ask directly.
"Yeah." Wen Lingyi responded softly and nodded.
Then, Zhou Jianxing on the other side of the screen seemed to have his whole face lit up instantly. His eyes curved up, and the corners of his mouth couldn't help but lift up, revealing a huge and brilliant smile, the kind of unconcealed, pure and silly joy.
Zhou Jianxing stared at Wen Lingyi's face on the phone screen and laughed heartily.
At this moment, the background on Wen Lingyi's side suddenly lit up, as if the bedside lamp had been turned on. The warm light dispelled the darkness, and the phone seemed to be fixed somewhere, the lens's field of view expanding, no longer just framing a face, but able to see more clearly.
Zhou Jianxing's laughter gradually subsided until it stopped.
On the screen, Wen Lingyi wore a black silk suspender nightgown. The soft fabric clung to her curves, and the delicate lace design at the chest revealed the skin beneath. The warm light cast a soft edge on the contours of her body.
"Baby." Wen Lingyi's voice rang out again, clearer than before, with a hint of hoarseness. This voice penetrated Zhou Jianxing's ears, like an omnipresent stream of warm water, flowing over her highly sensitive nerve endings and stirring up a subtle and continuous tremor deep in her brain.
Zhou Jianxing's breathing rhythm was completely disordered. He blushed and looked away, not daring to look directly at the screen, as if looking at it any longer would be some kind of offense.
"Baby," Wen Lingyi seemed a little dissatisfied with her subconscious avoidance of gaze, and this time her tone was almost commanding, "Look at me."
Zhou Jianxing opened her mouth slightly, trying to calm her rapid heartbeat by taking a deep breath, but it had little effect. Her eyes obediently fell back on the screen, and this time, as if they were nailed to her, unable to move away.
She watched Wen Lingyi on the other side of the screen, slowly kneeling on the bed, reaching out her hands to the hem of her nightgown, which was so short that it barely covered her legs. Her fingertips pinched the thin layer of black silk and pulled it up very slowly.
Under the hem of the skirt, a small piece of more delicate black lace fabric of the same color is revealed. On the sides of the waist are two extremely thin straps, about the same thickness as pajamas straps, outlining the curves of the waist and hips.
Then, Wen Lingyi's knees slowly moved on the white bed sheet, and her body moved closer to the front camera of the mobile phone, until the small piece of cloth was enlarged on the screen, occupying most of the picture, and every detail was breathtakingly clear.
Then, the knot of the thin belt at the waist was gently pulled loose. The black lace fabric was freed from its restraint and fell softly downwards.
At this moment, the taut string in Zhou Jianxing's mind suddenly broke with a buzzing sound.
"This is... the reward you want from me." Before Wen Lingyi could finish her words, the video call was abruptly hung up by Zhou Jianxing.
The screen suddenly went black, reflecting Wen Lingyi's own stunned face.
After a moment of silence, the phone vibrated several times in succession.
Wen Lingyi, feeling depressed and a little amused, clicked on the message.
Star:"……"
Xingxing: "Sister Wen, this is too stimulating for my heart. I need to take a break."
Xingxing: "But thank you."
Thanks?
Wen Lingyi looked at the last three words, feeling both amused and unsure how to react. Was she supposed to reply with "You're welcome"?
Zhou Jianxing, this dead kid, is sometimes really...unromantic.
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