bicycle
“I didn’t really plan to go at first.” Deng Yi’s fingertips gently stroked the skin on her chin, and when he noticed that she didn’t resist, his hand slowly slid down to the side of her neck.
Zhou Ji'an grabbed his hand and said in a very low voice, "He didn't actually invite you, did he?"
"Yes." Deng Yi gathered his strength, tightened his grip on her waist, and picked her up again.
Before Zhou Ji'an could react, he snuggled into Deng Yi's arms again.
The cap on the mineral water bottle in her hand was not screwed on, and some of the water inside spilled onto Deng Yi's chest.
“Your sweater is wet.” Zhou Ji’an pressed his palm against the wet spot on his black sweater.
Deng Yi looked up and saw that she was extremely serious. He straightened up slightly and looked down at the dark mark. His eyes flickered, and he said in a deep voice, "It is a bit cold."
Zhou Ji'an looked up: "Hmm?"
Deng Yi grabbed her hand. "Will it dry faster if I put it inside?"
Zhou Ji'an was so shocked by his words that she was speechless, her mind filled with a jumble of words and images.
The next second, he had already shoved her hand under that wet patch.
"I..." Zhou Ji'an was a little out of breath, "I ate too much."
After saying that, her mind was filled with lewd thoughts, and she quickly finished speaking: "I want to go out and get some exercise."
"Really?" Deng Yi casually took her hand and moved it slightly. "How about going for a bike ride?"
"Okay," Zhou Ji'an replied while withdrawing his hand.
Deng Yi did not stop her.
But as she pulled her hand out, it slid past the protrusion on his right side.
His low, hoarse gasps nearly drove Zhou Ji'an insane, almost causing him to bounce off him.
Deng Yi, who had gotten up from the sofa, stared intently at her.
Zhou Ji'an had no time to pay attention to what was on his mind or in his heart. He turned around, drank the water in the bottle in one gulp, tightened the cap, and looked around for a trash can to temporarily escape his burning gaze.
"Can you ride this?" Zhou Ji'an looked at the bicycle that Deng Yi had carried out from a distance. "It looks more like a large ornament."
The bicycle has brown handlebars and seat, and the tires are much thinner than those of a regular bicycle.
Deng Yi: "Go out and give it a try."
Zhou Ji'an thought for a moment, then nodded and said, "Okay."
The villa area has a quiet environment and wide, clean roads, making it a great place for leisurely cycling.
But they only had one vintage bicycle without a back seat.
"You ride," Zhou Ji'an said, standing by the roadside. "I'll go for a run."
"This was originally a gift for you." Deng Yi held the bicycle with one hand and pulled her to his side with the other. "Try it on and see if it suits you."
Zhou Ji'an's birthday is still about a month away, and there are no special holidays like Valentine's Day in the near future. They have been married for less than a year.
I don't know why he would buy her a gift, especially a bicycle.
Zhou Ji'an hadn't ridden a bicycle in a long time, so long that she had forgotten why she stopped.
“I know you want people to think our marriage is normal, but could you please not give me something too expensive?” Zhou Ji’an touched the bicycle seat, hesitated for a moment, and then mustered up his courage to say, “It’s too expensive, I can’t reciprocate.”
“Since you said I gave you the gift to make people think our marriage is normal, then you naturally don’t need to return the favor.” Deng Yi rang the bicycle bell, the sound piercing the winter silence. “This is what I should pay to maintain this marriage.”
He said that just yesterday.
Zhou Ji'an didn't say anything more, got on her bicycle, and despite not having ridden for many years, her muscle memory allowed her to ride with ease.
She rode for about ten meters, then looked back at Deng Yi, who was casually following behind, loudly reminding her, "Watch the road."
After riding for about five or six hundred meters, Zhou Ji'an didn't want to ride anymore.
Because the seat on this bike is very uncomfortable to ride, it's not a good choice.
She stopped by the roadside and waited for Deng Yi to come over.
Zhou Ji'an was riding leisurely, and Deng Yi, with his long legs and feet, wasn't far from her at the moment.
He quickly reached her. "Why aren't you riding anymore?"
Zhou Ji'an was unable to state the actual reason.
She couldn't directly tell him that the seat was uncomfortable, as they didn't seem to be in a relationship where they could casually say such things.
Besides, this was a gift from him to her, and as the recipient, it's basic courtesy not to find fault with it.
"I'll let you ride it for a while," Zhou Ji'an said.
Doing this seems even more heartless...
Deng Yi: "This bike was custom-made for your height. I'm too tall to ride it."
The word "customized" made Zhou Ji'an even more uncomfortable.
This car isn't just possibly expensive, it's definitely going to be very expensive.
"Shall we push it back?" Zhou Ji'an said as he pushed the cart.
"It's too hard on my butt?" Deng Yi touched the seat, feeling its firmness. "It does seem too hard."
Zhou Ji'an kept his eyes fixed ahead and did not respond.
How could he so naturally perform and say all sorts of intimate actions and words?
Seeing that she didn't react, Deng Yi asked again, "Is your butt very uncomfortable?"
Zhou Ji'an awkwardly turned her head and glanced at him, and in that one glance, she found that his gaze was fixed on her buttocks.
She almost covered her buttocks with her hands.
Fortunately, the bicycle handlebars occupied her hands.
"Thank goodness, the ride was relatively short." Zhou Ji'an quickly pushed his bike, trying to get home as soon as possible and put the current scene behind him.
"I'll replace the seat cushion later," Deng Yi said casually, patting the original hard seat cushion.
Two snapping sounds.
Zhou Ji'an's already chaotic thoughts became even more chaotic. He kept his eyes downcast, staring at the road, his fingers gripping the handlebars tightly, and said, "No need, no need, I haven't ridden a bike in many years."
"Why?" Deng Yi's left hand rested on the right handlebar of the bicycle, covering Zhou Ji'an's right hand.
Zhou Ji'an's mind was thrown into turmoil by his question, and some unbearable and tangled memories flashed before his eyes.
"I found it boring and I was too busy with work, so I stopped riding."
Deng Yi tapped Zhou Ji'an's little finger rhythmically with his index finger as he walked, glancing at her profile. "I thought you weren't riding because you disliked Wei Jinglin."
“No.” Zhou Ji’an shook his head. “It has nothing to do with him. I just don’t want to ride anymore.”
"Really?" Deng Yi didn't believe her. "You used to take time off to do things, how can you just say you don't want to do them anymore?"
"I only took that one day off." Zhou Ji'an was slightly embarrassed, his ears burning.
Seeing her ears turn from pink to crimson in an instant, Deng Yi felt his mouth go dry. He cleared his throat, smiled, and said, "We're husband and wife now, not boss and part-time worker. Why are you still so easily embarrassed? You're so easily embarrassed."
Hearing his deep laughter, Zhou Ji'an gripped the handle tightly.
He still didn't know why she suddenly took leave to participate in the cycling club's activity.
It seems he can't always see through her.
Shouts came from afar.
"Deng Yi".
Zhou Ji'an crushed a withered sycamore leaf under his foot.
The news report didn't mention that Yu Xi also lives in this community.
So she must have come to see Deng Yi.
Zhou Ji'an wanted to glance at Deng Yi's expression, but he managed to restrain himself.
She was still afraid that her disguise wasn't good enough and that he would see through her again.
They kept getting closer to Yu Xi.
Deng Yi asked, "Are you here to look at houses with Cheng Li?"
Yu Xi pouted her full red lips and said reproachfully, "Can't I be the one to come and see?"
Zhou Ji'an was still lost in her memories, unable to connect the almost collapsing Yu Xi at her wedding with the Yu Xi who was now poised and slightly coquettish.
"We meet again," Yu Xi said to Zhou Ji'an. "Why didn't I see you yesterday?"
Just as Zhou Ji'an was wondering how to answer, Deng Yi, who was on a bicycle across from her, said, "I already told you yesterday that she's very busy with work."
Fortunately, Deng Yi spoke first, otherwise Zhou Ji'an would have given a different answer.
Yu Xi: "Aren't you busy today? Let's hang out!"
Deng Yi: "She wants to play with me."
The bicycle was moving forward entirely under Deng Yi's power, and Zhou Ji'an's hands were like those of a passenger on the bicycle.
Zhou Ji'an wanted to say that she might not get along with her, but Deng Yi left quickly, so she had to put aside her intention to answer.
“You two are already married. As long as you don’t get divorced, you’ll be together for the rest of your lives. What’s the rush?” Yu Xi turned around and caught up with them, pressing close to Zhou Ji’an. “Have you grown taller? I remember you weren’t this tall before.”
Good actors and good directors both have good observation skills.
Zhou Ji'an replied, "It should be."
Yu Xi affirmed, "Absolutely. When I saw you at Deng Yi's studio before, I always thought you were like a child. When I saw you at the wedding, I almost didn't recognize you."
Does this mean she's gotten old, or matured?
Yu Xi probed indirectly: "But it's all Deng Yi's fault. He didn't introduce you to us before the wedding. Otherwise, I wouldn't have cried so much at your wedding. We thought he was just having a fake marriage with someone because of the pressure to get married."
The words "fake marriage" struck Zhou Ji'an like a rose thorn, piercing her temples. She hurriedly looked at Deng Yi, hoping he could take remedial measures.
Deng Yi immediately looked at her and comforted her with his eyes.
"Now that you've recognized her, you should know that I didn't just marry anyone."
He meant marriage, not a fake one. Zhou Ji'an breathed a sigh of relief, his anxiety gradually subsided, and he slowly got into character, playing along with him. "You're his friends, not mine. I don't know you at all, so why would he introduce me to you?"
Out of politeness, Zhou Ji'an swallowed the words, "I'm not interested in you."
Yu Xi suddenly put her arm around Zhou Ji'an's shoulder and said sadly, "Little Ji'an, what you're saying is a bit too much. What do you mean by not knowing us at all? We met so many times at his studio before, have you forgotten all of that?"
"How could I forget?" Zhou Ji'an thought, shrugging his shoulders.
If it weren't for Yu Xi, she wouldn't have taken leave to participate in the cycling club's activities, and she wouldn't have met Xu Zhiyan because of it.
If it weren't for Xu Zhiyan, Zhou Ji'an wouldn't have discovered that she couldn't fall in love with anyone other than Deng Yi.
If it weren't for these "ifs," she would probably have cycled all over the vast city of Jishi by now.
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