Glancing at the contents of the bag, Jiang Cheng instantly understood.
He teased Jessica: "Looks like you came well-prepared."
Jessica still hadn't shaken off the awkwardness of walking into that store to buy the items.
She kept her gaze averted from Jiang Cheng, cheeks burning.
Still, she couldn't help grumbling, "You're not the one who'll be hurting. Of course I had to get ready."
Taking in her shy expression, Jiang Cheng pinched her chin between thumb and forefinger, turning her face toward him. With a wicked grin he said, "Perform well later—serve me properly and I might be in a good enough mood to tip you extra."
Jessica had wanted to protest that his rough grip was nearly deforming her jaw.
But the moment she heard the word "tip," her eyes lit up; the flush on her cheeks even faded a little as she nodded eagerly.
After all, money was the whole point; if she'd gone this far, more was always better.
Soon the car pulled up at the Rosewood Hotel. Back in the suite with Jessica Alexander, Jiang Cheng didn't spare her a glance and strode straight into the bathroom.
When Jiang Cheng didn't call her, Jessica actually felt relieved.
She glanced around the suite, then without hesitation carried her clothes into the other vacant bathroom.
Ten minutes later Jiang Cheng was already washed and done.
The living room was empty; he walked toward the other bathroom, hearing water running inside.
Shaking his head, he turned to the minibar in the living room.
A man's shower routine has only three steps.
Rinse, lather, rinse—done.
Women, on the other hand, are far more complicated; dozens of steps mean you're stuck for at least half an hour.
He took a bottle of red from the wine cabinet, popped the cork, and poured a glass.
Then he strolled to the small sofa by the window, settled in, and began sipping while gazing at the moon outside.
People online claim the foreign moon looks bigger and rounder, but Jiang Cheng couldn't see any difference.
While he was lost in thought, Jessica Alexander stepped out of the bathroom with languid grace.
Hearing the door, Jiang Cheng instinctively turned his head.
Jessica was dressed head-to-toe in Black Fishnet Lace; the crucial areas peeked through tantalizingly.
Her exquisite figure was on full display before his eyes.
As a rising international star, Jessica already had a perfect body, and this outfit left no man breathing easy.
Jiang Cheng calmed his racing heart and slowly sipped his wine.
Jessica, however, seemed to have shed all the shyness and reserve she'd shown in the car.
With seductive eyes fixed on Jiang Cheng, she straddled him in one fluid motion.
Up close, the fragrance of her skin rushed straight into his senses.
Eyes locked, Jessica offered her lips willingly… The next noon Jiang Cheng woke groggily. Seeing the messy floor and the bottle of oil on the nightstand, everything clicked.
Only then did he recall how thrilling life's third path could be.
Unlike Jiang Cheng's refreshed vigor, Jessica was now soaking in hot water.
She sat despondently, slowly curling up to hug herself tight.
The radiance she'd worn last night had vanished from her delicate face.
Puffy bags and reddened eyes told of heavy tears the night before.
The bathwater was the perfect temperature, yet she didn't dare stretch out; she leaned forward to gently clasp her knees.
This posture wasn't despair—it simply eased the ache in a certain place better than any other.