01. I can't say I like her.
It was 2:30 a.m. in a hotel suite in Toulouse, France.
The space remained quiet, but Mu Jia suddenly woke up.
My mind is foggy, and my lower back is a little sore.
She took a deep breath and, without turning around, could tell that there was no one on the other side of the bed.
The next second, the bedroom balcony door was silently opened and then closed again.
With her eyes closed, Mu Jia couldn't help but recall the utterly terrible "exchange" she had with Chu Chiyi in bed more than two hours ago.
In the final moments before passion erupted, he held her tightly, leaned down and kissed her deeply, as if he wanted to devour her whole.
She was also dazed, half-absent-minded, when she heard herself uttering words intermittently, and blurted out a random question: "Do you like it..."
The question had no object, yet it was clear that the man's movements suddenly paused for a moment.
The next second, he began to kiss her more deeply. At the same time, his kisses penetrated even more deeply both above and below her.
The skillful kiss was still burning hot, and the pleasure in that place still surged like the tide, wave after wave, impossible to resist.
But Mu Jia's blood suddenly went cold. "It hurts, I'm not doing it anymore! Get out."
...
That feeling of discomfort was obviously not the truth. Over the years, they had been sleeping together without telling anyone. Objectively speaking, Chu Chiyi had always been almost perfect in terms of both physical attributes and skills.
Their bodies were inexplicably compatible.
He is meticulous and tireless in everything from foreplay to aftercare, always striving to do his best, just like his academic achievements when they were in school.
Yes, he is Chu Chiyi, what can't he do well?
But if you really want to calculate it, there are actually things you can't do.
For example, this time, he was able to plan his trip carefully, taking advantage of the fact that he was on a business trip from China to Paris and that Mu Jia happened to be in Toulouse from Mexico for training for a short week, so that he could fly over and accompany her for a walk on the riverbank in the early summer of southern France.
On the other hand, even in bed, he couldn't bring himself to say he liked her.
He wouldn't even accept it as a sweet talk during a moment of intense intimacy.
Mu Jia understood him; that was just the kind of person he was—unwilling and disdainful of lying.
The silent opening and closing of the balcony sliding door was repeated once more.
It was about exactly the time it took to finish two cigarettes.
The man stopped by the bed and saw that the woman on the bed had her eyes closed and her long black hair was spread out on the white pillow.
Under the dim light of the bedside lamp, she lay on her side, the skin of her face almost the same color as the bedding beneath her, revealing her right cheek, which appeared slightly wrinkled from tear stains.
His dark eyes lingered for a few seconds, and it was unclear whether his emotions were obvious due to the darkness of his pupils.
A few seconds later, he picked up his coat, turned around, and left the bedroom.
Mu Jia felt a slight tremor in her heart as she heard the soft sound of the outer room door closing completely.
But she was so tired that her eyelids started to droop and eventually closed again, making her feel drowsy.
My penultimate thought before I regained consciousness was of the clusters of flowers along the banks of the South of France.
The last one seems to be, maybe I should wait until I get back to Mexico next week and really agree to Xiao Yu's offer, and give it a try with him?
In the latter half of the night, half asleep and half awake, I vaguely heard the pattering of rain outside the window. It was strange that a country with a Mediterranean climate would also experience rain on a summer night.
Two months later.
As soon as Mu Jia got out of the airport and into the car, her phone rang.
When I picked it up, Lu Siming's name appeared on the screen.
She answered the phone, and before she could say anything, she heard the other person say, "This is the first time you've brought your boyfriend home, and your uncle and aunt aren't here. We're not even going to pick him up from the airport. Won't that make people think we don't value you?"
"No need to pick me up! You forgot about my last trip back to China," she couldn't help but remind me, "Parking is not allowed at the international departure level, and you were stuck in the underground parking lot for two hours. We didn't get back to the city until almost midnight."
“Really, there’s no need.” Mu Jia glanced at the man beside her and said without hesitation, “He’s easily embarrassed, and he’d feel uncomfortable meeting you all beforehand.”
"Oh! You're quite protective of her."
"Alright, that's enough." She pouted. "We can just take a taxi, it'll be quick. I'll text you when we get to the hotel."
She put down the phone and turned to the person next to her to complain, "My brother, he just loves to worry about nothing."
As she spoke, her gaze fell upon Xiao Yu's rather flamboyant Burberry plaid trench coat. After hesitating for a moment, she couldn't help but say, "Isn't this a bit too high-profile?"
"..." Mu Jia glanced at him helplessly, "Let me reiterate, my parents went on vacation these past two days. The people having dinner with us tonight are my aunt and uncle, who are also my cousin Lu Siming's parents."
"Okay, I understand." The young man nodded obediently. "But we can't be rude, can we?"
During this time period, the roads from the airport to the city were not congested, and they arrived earlier than expected.
Jinjiangchun, where we ate, is a long-established restaurant in Pinghai, located in the city center.
The two got out of the car, and Mu Jia sent a message to Lu Siming as agreed.
Knowing that Xiao Yu had never lived in Pinghai for long, she deliberately patted him with a grand gesture: "Never eaten here before? Let me show you the most authentic old Pinghai flavor."
The man raised an eyebrow and smiled. "It seems I'm quite valued."
“Jiajia,” Xiao Yu’s gaze was suddenly drawn to something, and he gently touched her arm, “Is that your brother?”
"Hmm? Where?" Mu Jia turned her head when she heard the voice, but the smile on her face suddenly froze the moment she touched the person.
She truly hadn't expected that after not returning to Pinghai for half a year, the first person she would see upon her return would be him.
But when the other party saw them, they didn't seem surprised at all, and didn't give her a chance to sort out her thoughts. Taking advantage of her distraction, they took a long stride and walked up to them in a few steps.
Seeing that Mu Jia was still in a daze, Xiao Yu hesitated whether to remind her again.
But then the newcomer stopped in front of them, his dark, jade-like eyes fixed on the person beside him, and called her, "Mu Jia."
The man's voice was clear and steady, but when he called her name, it inexplicably carried a hint of familiarity and... certainty?
The air between the three of them was silent for a few seconds.
Perhaps because she had recently gotten used to having Xiao Yu, who could instantly become the center of attention, as a bridge between herself and new friends, Mu Jia momentarily forgot that in this situation, she was the one who was the bridge between two complete strangers.
She snapped out of her daze and casually took on the role of a bridge, linking arms with Xiao Yu and saying naturally, "This is Xiao Yu, my boyfriend."
When it was her turn to introduce the other side to Xiao Yu, she hesitated for some reason.
The result of hesitation was that only three dry words remained.
"Chu Chiyi."
The man opposite him remained calm and nodded slightly to Xiao Yu.
Neither humble nor arrogant, impeccable.
Mu Jia's gaze inevitably fell on him. She saw that he was dressed in a simple and neat white shirt and dark trousers with excellent tailoring. For some reason, the simpler the outfit, the more it accentuated his tall and straight figure and broad shoulders.
It's Friday, and her thoughts started to wander again. Did he used to do this, specifically grabbing his hair, before going to work?
Is he experiencing something lately?
Was the other person a colleague from his law firm?
...
Then, she found her thoughts drifting uncontrollably back to their time in Toulouse two months earlier.
Since that incident, the two of them have not been in contact.
She forced herself to stop thinking about other things and tried to bring her attention back to herself. She saw Xiao Yu smile, extend her hand, and shake hands with him.
He casually draped his trench coat over his arm, revealing an LV sketch-print shirt underneath. Although the style was a bit flashy and unconventional, his broad shoulders and narrow waist made him carry it off well.
Actually, we didn't lose.
Mu Jia suddenly tightened her fingers, which were loosely resting in Xiao Yu's arm.
Xiao Yu saw that the man opposite him still had a calm and composed expression, only his dark eyes seemed to darken almost imperceptibly.
He raised his handsome eyebrows slightly, subtly tightened his grip on Mu Jia's arm, and gently pulled her closer to him.
Lu Siming had reserved a private room on the seventh floor.
The three of them took the elevator up.
Inside the elevator, Mu Jia looked down and caught a glimpse of Xiao Yu's name flashing on her phone screen.
Sure enough, he asked, "Who is this?"
She lowered her head and typed a reply: My brother's good friend.
Afraid that he would ask more questions, she changed the subject: Have you prepared your homework?
Xiao Yu: Of course [winking], why don't you test me?
Mu Jia finally couldn't help but burst out laughing.
Upon hearing this, the two men in the room simultaneously turned their gazes toward her.
The next second, Xiao Yu understood perfectly and smiled knowingly.
Two people are in the same space, yet they still have to chat online in this clandestine way.
This matter is ambiguous in any context.
The underlying reason is either that the two parties involved are too close.
Either they want to unite against outsiders, excluding others in the space from their absolute territory.
Neither of them is really very kind...
Meanwhile, Chu Chiyi had already withdrawn his gaze and was still standing diagonally opposite them, his posture calm and his eyes straight ahead.
Because he was facing away from them, no one could see the man's dark pupils, which were as deep as the night.
The inky darkness of the night vanished the instant the elevator doors opened.
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