49. First Love
After the party, Ye Zhenzhen was exhausted from the day, so she went home, changed out of her high heels, and took a relaxing bath.
The internet, however, is buzzing with excitement as people happily discuss this fashionable and charitable event.
This year seems to be the year Starlight Charity Fund raised the most funds, right? It's nearly 40 million, while I remember it was only a little over 20 million last year.
[The Peach Blossom Couple alone contributed 10 million! And there's another 10 million from a mysterious handsome man and beautiful woman. To be fair, the quality of this year's auction items is quite high, and some are quite collectible.]
[To be honest, that jade bracelet is absolutely gorgeous!! I've never seen jade with such vibrant, floating patterns before! The color scheme is reminiscent of Monet's Water Lilies!!]
Are CEO Gu and that guy at the table rivals? Why are they arguing over prices?!
[It's been so long, this generation of netizens is hopeless!! How come they still haven't figured out their identities??]
[Found them! Found them! Foreign netizens have found their Instagram accounts! Wow, they're both from the Swire family in Y country!!]
[Wow, that's the old family that's involved in multiple fields like aviation, shipping, commerce, and entertainment?! They definitely deserve to sit at the same table as Prince Gu!!]
......
After digging into the couple's family backgrounds, netizens gushed about their good looks.
The discussion quickly shifted to other topics, such as which celebrities embarrassed themselves on the red carpet, which donated more, and which donated less; whose look was stunning, and whose look was absolutely awful...
Among them, Bai Xue's appearance was ridiculed the most, and many netizens compared her with Ye Zhenzhen, and the results were even more tragic.
The two have now completely reversed their online reputation and public image, which just goes to show that fortunes change.
Ye Zhenzhen didn't pay much attention to the changing online situation.
This was the first time she had worn high heels since she fell and twisted her ankle when she got out of the car in them. She was also wearing an evening gown that required a high level of poise, so she had to be on edge all night, unable to eat freely and having to maintain her composure.
When I got home, I felt stiff all over, especially my legs, which were sore and tired. I only felt a little better after taking a bath.
Since it was still early while I was lying in bed, I decided to massage my calves myself.
"Does your leg hurt?" Gu Tingshen asked when he came in after taking a shower and saw her movements.
"I'm a little sleepy. It's been too long since I wore high heels." Ye Zhenzhen wrinkled her nose. "High heels are simply inhuman. Not only do my feet hurt, but my back is also sore..."
"Then don't wear them anymore, even flat shoes," Gu Tingshen comforted her. "Lie down and I'll give you a massage."
Ye Zhenzhen obediently lay down, and thinking of the man's strength, she instructed with some unease, "Be gentle, just massage lightly."
The man agreed in a low voice, but after a while he didn't move. Just as Ye Zhenzhen was about to turn her head to see what was going on, she felt a hot palm pressing on her calf.
She then lay down comfortably, and the feeling of her stiff muscles being kneaded was surprisingly pleasant.
She couldn't help but hiss softly. The man stopped abruptly, his voice low and hoarse as he asked, "Does it hurt?"
"It's a little sore, but it feels much better after the massage." Ye Zhenzhen resolved to persevere. "It's okay, come on, I can handle it!"
Gu Tingshen knelt on one knee beside the bed, his eyes filled with complex emotions. She truly had no idea how dangerous, yet how alluring, it was to be lying so defenselessly in front of a man.
I remember when we first started living together, Ye Zhenzhen always wore two-piece pajamas, but perhaps because she trusted him too much, her silk nightgowns have recently been brought out again.
The flowing silk outlined her body in a graceful curve, her slender waist without an ounce of fat, and her lower back flared out in a full and pert arc. The knee-length skirt concealed her thighs, but her exposed calves were rounded, long, and stunningly white, with delicate ankles that looked exquisitely fragile.
Gu Tingshen subconsciously clenched his fist. His hands were large; one hand could easily grasp her ankle, preventing her from breaking free...
He shook his head, the dark thoughts that flashed through his mind sweeping into the void. Suddenly, he felt that this posture was familiar. Thinking of his loss of composure when he helped her apply medicine last time, he smiled bitterly to himself.
Ye Zhenzhen wanted to be strong and not be so delicate as to be unable to bear even the slightest pain, but she still couldn't help but let out a soft moan of pain.
"Um.."
"hiss.."
"Ouch, be gentle..."
After finally finishing massaging his calves, Gu Tingshen straightened up.
"I'm not so sleepy anymore, and the swelling isn't there either." She moved her legs, feeling much better. Not wanting to get up, she simply asked the man, "Could you massage my back too?"
Upon hearing this, Gu Tingshen silently took a deep breath and bent down again.
But as soon as he touched her slender waist, Ye Zhenzhen twisted away and turned around, her eyes glistening with tears. "Hahaha, don't tickle me like that, it's so itchy."
"How about this?" Gu Tingshen's eyes were deep, his fingers sliding along her waist.
Those fingers seemed to carry an electric current, causing a tingling and itchy sensation wherever they touched. She twisted her waist to dodge, laughing so hard she could hardly breathe, tears welling up in her eyes.
"Hahaha...No, I can't take it anymore, it itches! Hahaha..."
In that short while, her face flushed crimson with laughter, her long, loose hair clinging to her forehead and neck, glistening with a damp, vibrant color.
A thin layer of sweat appeared on her body, and the silk dress clung to her skin, even the wrinkles were suggestive.
The boundless beauty of spring cannot compare to even a fraction of her charm.
Ye Zhenzhen was so ticklish that she turned over, panting. She grabbed the man's big hand with one hand and used the other to scratch Gu Tingshen's ticklish spot. Her fair and slender fingers scratched his neck, armpits and waist.
Hmph, you think you can tickle me?!
No matter how much she scratched him, the man didn't react at all, didn't even try to dodge, and didn't laugh at all.
Ye Zhenzhen looked up in confusion, thinking to herself, "You're amazing! Aren't you ticklish at all?"
But she fell silent after meeting Gu Tingshen's gaze.
She didn't know when, but the man's body was now completely above her.
They were so close they could hear each other breathing. The man's expression was somewhat obscured by the backlight, but the intense light in his eyes startled her.
What a look that was! In that fiery, intense gaze, even the air seemed to thicken.
She stared blankly as the distance between them grew shorter and shorter until they were about to touch. In a panic, she turned her face away and felt a soft, wet touch brush against her cheek and stop at her ear. Then, the man pulled her into his arms.
Her heart was already racing, Ye Zhenzhen's ears were bright red, and her face was burning hot. Her mind was a jumble of chaotic thoughts that she couldn't make sense of. In her panic, she tried to struggle against the man's broad chest, but he held her even tighter.
"Don't move, let me hug you." The man's voice was low and hoarse, filled with suppressed emotion.
The surroundings fell silent for a moment, with only the sound of their heartbeats remaining.
The rapid, powerful heartbeat was almost deafening.
He held Ye Zhenzhen in his arms, listening to their heartbeats gradually merging into one, her mind a chaotic mess.
He wanted to kiss me?! He just tried to kiss me?!
———
She tossed and turned in bed, listening to the sound of water in the bathroom. Her face was burning hot, and she couldn't sleep. She wrapped herself up like a silkworm and thought about random things for a long time before finally falling asleep from exhaustion.
Gu Tingshen came over with a chill in his body. When he saw her, he shook his head and chuckled. Once he felt less cold, he pulled back the blanket and hugged her.
The emptiness in my arms was instantly filled, as if I were embracing the whole world.
For the first time, he realized he didn't have a ticklish spot. He had never had any intimate contact with anyone since he was a child. But under her touch, his skin felt an endless longing, a ticklish sensation in his heart, a desire to hold her, to pull her into his arms, and never be apart again.
Especially when faced with Jin Qinglan's provocation, he realized that he was truly jealous. No matter how indifferent he acted, he still regretted the time that had passed.
Fortunately, he has both the present and the future.
From now on, they will spend every day together.
---
"Tao'er, something's not right with you." Zhao Nanqiao was browsing the jewelry exhibition with Ye Zhenzhen when she noticed her absent-minded best friend. Suddenly, she put her arm around Ye's shoulder and asked, "Let's go, let's stop looking and find somewhere to eat!"
"Ouch, you're so heavy!" Ye Zhenzhen felt a weight on her shoulder from the pressure and rolled her eyes at her. "It's nothing. I just saw you had nothing better to do, so I came with you to the exhibition. All you do is eat!"
"You're just being stubborn. You've looked at three booths and your mind has wandered off at least five times. You're definitely preoccupied." Zhao Nanqiao looked unconvinced. "I've been keeping you company for half the day. Come on, won't you do me the honor of grabbing something to eat with me?"
A screen divides the space into a fan shape, with twelve pieces of plain silk painted with strange rocks and flowers. A magnolia-shaped chandelier hangs under the mortise and tenon structure of the wooden beams, and light shines through the white petals, creating shimmering water ripples on the blue brick floor.
The rosewood wooden table was covered with a Suzhou-embroidered lotus-patterned tablecloth, on which the plates, bowls, and dishes had an antique feel, but it was clear that neither of them was in the mood to appreciate them today.
"Here, have a taste~ I looked it up on the plane, this place has amazing Chinese pastries!" Zhao Nanqiao handed a plate of delicate pink lotus-shaped pastries to Ye Zhenzhen. "Try it!"
"It looks pretty good!" Ye Zhenzhen picked up the lotus leaf-shaped plate and spun it around. The pink lotus-shaped pastry was clearly layered, with a yellow stamen in the middle. It was so lifelike that it was almost too beautiful to eat.
She took out her phone, snapped a photo, opened WeChat, and wanted to share it.
My finger paused again when I saw the words "Old Gu" at the top of the page.
She didn't know when it started, but she had developed the habit of wanting to share everything with Gu Tingshen. Scrolling up their chat history, there were pictures of the black panther, Nannan, and even the roses and hydrangeas in the yard that she had taken. The man would always reply seriously.
Before they knew it, their chat history was getting longer and longer...
"What's wrong?" Zhao Nanqiao was chewing on a hawthorn pastry when he looked up and saw that Tao Tao was lost in thought again. He was speechless. "My Tao Tao, what's wrong? Tell me, I'm so worried!"
"Tell me," Ye Zhenzhen bit her lip, lowered her voice, and asked somewhat shyly, "Is it possible that Old Gu... likes me a little?"
"Cough cough cough..." Zhao Nanqiao was drinking water from a white porcelain cup when she heard this and almost spat it out.
"Be careful," Ye Zhenzhen said anxiously, patting her back and handing her a tissue.
Zhao Nanqiao finally stopped coughing, wiped the water from the corner of her mouth, and then looked up to carefully observe Ye Zhenzhen's expression. Confirming that she wasn't joking, she couldn't help but scrutinize Ye Zhenzhen with a complex look. "Are you serious?"
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