Chapter 46
He swiftly bent down and kissed her forehead.
Josh's lips were a luscious color, and under the soft light, they looked plump and juicy, making them look very kissable.
And that is indeed the case.
Chen Zhiyu rarely felt so out of control. The desire buried deep in his bones sprouted and he desperately wanted to be close to her.
Again and again, time after time.
I wish I could be with her all the time.
His sexy throat bobbed up and down, and Chen Zhiyu slowly lifted the other's chin, leaning closer again to carefully drink. His lips parted the soft, shimmering flesh, sucking and licking.
Josh was breathless from the kiss, turned her head away, and pushed him away forcefully, saying, "Are you never going to stop?"
With his forehead resting on her thin shoulder, Chen Zhiyu rubbed against it very lightly. "I'm going on a business trip next Monday." This was clearly a pouting remark, and he looked incredibly pitiful.
Next Monday, which is tomorrow? Josh cupped his head in her hands, and the two looked directly at each other. "So suddenly?" After saying that, she belatedly realized how reluctant she was to part with him. "How long will you be gone?"
Chen Zhiyu took her hand and kissed it repeatedly, saying casually, "It'll probably take three to five days." Afterwards, he lifted Qiao Xi off the table and carefully placed her on the bed, supporting himself on it. "It's almost Chinese New Year, and Boss Liu said this project is quite big and can't afford any mistakes, so he asked me to keep an eye on it."
Josh listened absentmindedly. For the past few months, she had been away on business trips while Chen Zhiyu waited patiently like a statue waiting for her husband. She never expected that their positions would be reversed so soon.
Three to five days isn't really a long time, far less than the time Chen Zhiyu spent away from home when he was in school, but things are different now. "Then come back quickly," Qiao Xi blurted out.
Chen Zhiyu paused for a moment as he leaned down to kiss him. His Adam's apple bobbed, and before he could open his mouth, he heard the person beneath him urging him on.
"Did you hear me?"
Josh knew that Chen Zhiyu's promise regarding when he could return was meaningless. Saying those words stemmed entirely from an unconscious dependence on and longing for him.
"You can't bear to part with me?" When Chen Zhiyu realized what was happening, he lowered his head and spoke very softly, his breath landing on Qiao Xi's ear with a warm breath.
Josh's face flushed, but she stubbornly refused to look at him, saying, "No, I didn't."
Chen Zhiyu didn't expose her. He suddenly chuckled, grabbed Qiao Xi's wrist with one hand, placed it on the pillow above her head, buried his cool nose in the crook of Qiao Xi's neck, smelled the fragrance, and kissed her repeatedly.
The pulse on the side of his neck pounded wildly beneath his skin, and Josh's breathing suddenly became rapid. He was frozen in place, unable to move, and could only let him do as he pleased.
With winter approaching, the heating in the house was on full blast, making it very comfortable. Chen Zhiyu and Qiao Xi snuggled together for a while, finally settling comfortably into a single bed.
After discussing the business trip, the two remained silent. The room was quiet as they simply relaxed and embraced, feeling neither awkward nor bored.
A long silence followed.
Josh finally got up and, with Chen Zhiyu watching her with reluctance, tiptoed back to her room. Seeing Tang Ning fast asleep in the bedroom, she lay back down on the bed, covered herself with the blanket, and quickly fell asleep.
The next morning, Tang Ning left in a hurry after eating the breakfast that Chen Zhiyu had bought.
Breakfast was brought back by Chen Zhiyu after his morning run. It was in a stainless steel insulated container and was still hot when he brought it home.
The two people at home were woken up by Tang Ning's phone ringing. Tang Ning, who works at her family's company, doesn't have regular days off. If anything happens at the company, as long as her father calls, she has to run back home and obediently follow orders.
After seeing Tang Ning off, Chen Zhiyu and Qiao Xi didn't stay at home any longer.
They were often away from home for a while. Apart from occasionally going to the police station to assist with investigations, they were usually free. So when they had nothing to do, they would wander around the neighborhood where they rented a place.
The two of them gradually developed the good habit of taking a walk after meals. They had just arrived home and needed to restock the refrigerator.
I haven't been back for several months. Apart from the green trees turning into bare poles, Liyun Community is still the same as before. The weather is nice today. It's around 10 a.m., and it's still quite warm at this time.
There are fewer and fewer young people in the neighborhood now. The location is too remote, public transportation is average, and there's no subway nearby. It's more suitable for people who work nearby, otherwise, the daily commute is too long.
Unless absolutely necessary, few office workers would choose to rent a place here.
Downstairs in the small park, near the fitness equipment, several elderly men and women were exercising, their waist twisters spinning rapidly. Just as Qiao Xi and Chen Zhiyu reached the first floor and hadn't even stepped out of the building entrance, they heard shouts coming from the building's doorway.
"Hey! Ha! Go! Hey!"
With high spirits and powerful voice.
The voice sounds familiar.
"Grandpa Li is warming up his voice. What are you going to sing today? 'Serve the country with utmost loyalty'?" As Qiao Xi went out, she saw Grandpa Li sunbathing by the path in front of her door. "Judging by your demeanor, anyone who didn't know better would think you were going to practice martial arts."
"Get out of here!" Even when Grandpa Li was cursing, he did so with great force.
Chen Zhiyu couldn't help but rub his forehead and take a small step back in embarrassment. You see, Grandpa Li had been in a wheelchair since the year Chen Zhiyu moved in.
Grandpa Li lived in the same building as them. Josh had grown up here and knew all the neighbors well. Because of Qiao Dacheng back then, the neighbors had all secretly helped their family in various ways.
Grandpa Li, sitting in front of the two men, was no different from someone sitting on a dragon throne, majestic and imposing, beckoning them over, "Come on over."
The two followed obediently. From Grandpa Li's perspective, next to the trash can against the wall opposite, there was a stray dog that looked fierce and bared its teeth.
Josh suddenly realized that Grandpa Li was actually outsmarting it.
The old town area has lax management, resulting in weak pet abandonment control, and stray dogs and cats are frequently seen in the vicinity.
The dog was clever too. Before, with one person and one dog, there was still a chance of winning. Now, with three people and one dog, the odds were against it. It barked helplessly twice, then tucked its tail between its legs and fled in a sorry state.
Josh laughed and pushed Grandpa Li onto flat ground. "You too, don't fight it. It's dangerous if it bites you. Just drive your electric wheelchair away; it definitely won't be able to catch you."
Grandpa Li knew that Qiao Xi had been eyeing his electric wheelchair for some time, so he rolled his eyes at her and said, "Can't I get carsick?" Then he directed Chen Zhiyu, who was standing obediently behind Qiao Xi, "You, you go and bring that thing behind the trash can out for me."
That thing?
Although Chen Zhiyu was puzzled, he didn't ask any questions and obediently walked towards the three large trash cans placed against the wall. As he got closer, he first heard meows hidden among the natural noises, and then he spotted a white thing in the gap between the blue and green trash cans.
A small kitten was nestled in a discarded cardboard box in the corner, its eyes half-closed.
"It's a cat." Following the sound, Josh found it.
Grandpa Li suddenly spoke up, his face showing certainty, "It was probably born to a cat that was wandering around here a month ago. I told him that the cat was pregnant, which is why its belly was so big, but Old Han wouldn't believe me and insisted that it was just fat."
Josh stood to the side, attracted by the cute little bundle of flesh. She carefully took the kitten from Chen Zhiyu's hands, her movements gentle, as if afraid of hurting it.
It was a tiny kitten, covered in short, fluffy fur, its eyes barely open. Josh could feel it shivering in her arms, probably because it was so cold. Without thinking, she unzipped her coat and pulled the kitten closer to her.
Touched by the scene before him, a hint of reluctance flashed in Grandpa Li's eyes. As if afraid the dog would understand, he whispered, "She was probably abandoned by her mother." Only after saying that did he suddenly realize what was happening and look at Josh's expression. He immediately felt that he was truly old and senile.
Grandpa Li opened his mouth awkwardly, his eyes filled with panic, unsure of what to say to make amends.
Josh didn't seem to mind. He kept his head down, coaxing the fluffy little thing with a warm smile on his face, and said softly, "It's okay if Mommy doesn't want you. I can take care of you."
Though it seemed casual, Chen Zhiyu heard a serious promise in it. "Can we do it?" He saw that the kittens must have been abandoned shortly after birth, and he was worried that they wouldn't be able to take good care of them.
Grandpa Li finally found an opening to chime in, agreeing from the side, "Yes, if all else fails, we should call the police."
"Why call the police?" Josh asked.
"They're in charge. Last time I saw a stray dog on the overpass, I called them and they took it away." He sounded quite proud.
"Why would you go to the overpass if you have nothing to do? Grandma Zhang doesn't care about you."
"I didn't go up. I just looked around nearby. I have my own car." Grandpa Li said somewhat urgently, patting his beloved car with a hint of pride, "I can push it faster than she can."
Josh didn't say anything more, thinking to herself that she should complain to Grandma Zhang about him. She then lowered her head again: "Let's not waste the police's resources. I'll keep it for now and find it a good home later." When she looked up again, she saw Chen Zhiyu's worried eyes: "What? I raised you, don't you trust me?"
For some reason, Chen Zhiyu felt ashamed and his cheeks were burning when Josh said these things in front of Grandpa Li. He quickly replied, trying to appease him, "I wouldn't dare."
The feeding methods for kittens are definitely different from those for adult cats, especially for kittens abandoned in the dead of winter. Josh and Chen Zhiyu said goodbye to Grandpa Li and took the kitten to the vet. They would first give it a physical examination, and then make further plans after the vet confirmed that there were no abnormalities.
While the cat was being checked, the two went to the supermarket. It was Sunday morning, and the supermarket was more crowded than usual.
With the Lunar New Year approaching, the crowds are bustling and the atmosphere is exceptionally lively.
Chen Zhiyu pushed the shopping cart, following closely behind Qiao Xi.
Josh stood in front of the condiment shelf, head down, carefully comparing the price and volume of two bottles of soy sauce.
Her fair neck was exposed, gleaming softly under the bright supermarket lights. Chen Zhiyu's heart stirred, and he couldn't resist touching it with his fingers and pinching it. Seeing that she was turning her body to try to avoid him, he hooked his arm around her neck and pulled her closer to him. The distance between them closed instantly, and he leaned down and kissed her forehead.
Josh was startled by the sudden movement and quickly looked around. It wasn't that he was afraid of being seen, but he was just wondering why this guy was being so blatant. He pretended to reach out to hit him, saying, "You've got some nerve."
Chen Zhiyu smiled and took her hand, their fingers intertwined, and the two continued shopping at the supermarket hand in hand.
While waiting in line at the counter, Josh suddenly suggested, "Let's name the cat," turning to him and asking, "What do you think we should call it?"
Chen Zhiyu offered no constructive suggestions, saying, "Anything is fine. Do you have any ideas?"
"Not yet." Josh shook his head.
“We found it in winter, so why don’t we name it something related to winter?” he suggested, but when he looked down, he noticed that Josh’s eyes were wandering and his attention was completely drawn to a mother and daughter in front of him.
The girl looked to be about the same age as Josh and was snuggling affectionately against the shoulder of the person next to her, while the mother seemed to be scolding her for not knowing the occasion, but the smile in her eyes was hard to hide.
Chen Zhiyu keenly sensed Qiao Xi's emotional change. The hand he was holding was cold, so he wrapped it around Qiao Xi's hand and carefully protected it.
As a child, Josh had imagined what her relationship with her mother would be like. Outside the mall, she suddenly spoke up, "Both my name and Qiao Mai's name were given to me by my grandmother."
Chen Zhiyu stopped, turned his head, and looked at her quietly without saying a word.
The old man's thinking was very simple: the most important thing in life is to be well-fed. Once you're well-fed, everything else will fall into place. That's the origin of the name Qiao Mai.
"Is your name Hope?" Chen Zhiyu asked tentatively, gently squeezing her hand.
“Yes.” Josh nodded firmly. “Grandma’s wish was simple: she hoped my arrival would bring hope to the whole family.”
But what happened next?
What hope?
Hopefully, Qiao Dacheng will see the error of his ways and return to the right path.
Animals are animals; there's no way to expect them to pull back from the brink.
There is hope, at least their mother has escaped her suffering.
Her sudden mention of these things was undoubtedly triggered by the scene before her eyes. "Josh, you gave me hope." Chen Zhiyu squeezed her hand in a flattering manner, and for some reason, the image of the kitten's paw pads came to mind. "I also have no memory of my mother."
Upon hearing this, Josh suddenly laughed. "What? Afraid I'll be sad?"
"I won't. I've never even met her, so I'm pretty easygoing." The voice trailed off. "If we're talking about sadness, Qiao Mai is definitely more upset than me."
Actually, Josh wanted to keep the cat as a form of emotional support. The warm winter sun shone on them, and the hand holding Josh's was slightly sweaty. Chen Zhiyu softly suggested, "Josh, let's keep that cat. Don't give it away. We'll definitely take good care of it."
Josh looked up at him, and after a moment, the smile returned to his eyes, bright and clear, and he said with certainty, "Of course."
[Author's Note]
The release date will be changed in the next two days. It's not fixed, so you can wait for the old time to check back.
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