As Jiang Cheng's hand drifted lower, Su Wan flinched like a startled deer, pressing her long, jade-like legs tightly together as though she could bar the wandering hand.
Blushing scarlet, she protested, "No—what if Sister Xiaoxiao walks in?"
Far from stopping, Jiang Cheng curled his lips in a wicked grin.
Once again he grasped the truth of the saying:
When a Girl insists "no, no," she actually means yes.
If he didn't possess the Mind Perception Skill,
and another Girl had said the same thing, he'd have told her to ease up on the green tea.
You locked the door yourself—stop chanting "no, no."
And you still @ people while we're at it.
With that thought he glanced toward the door and teased, "You rushed in and slammed it shut—did you forget?"
Soon Su Wan's breathing turned involuntarily rapid, her soft exhalations deepening.
"I—I only wanted kisses and cuddles… nothing more…"
Su Wan explained, cheeks aflame, but her flickering eyes and trembling voice betrayed her real desire.
Jiang Cheng ignored the contradiction; she could say whatever she liked.
Under these circumstances, hitting the brakes was impossible.
Tell me: once you've already buckled into zero gear,
would you rather be a beast or be worse than a beast?
Jiang Cheng's answer: he wanted to be both.
Half an hour later Su Wan emerged first from the bathroom.
The instant she stepped out she darted to the door like a nimble fawn.
Balancing on tiptoe, she reached up and quietly pressed the lock button.
Jiang Cheng, following close behind, almost laughed at her flustered, endearing antics and shook his head helplessly.
From Yu Xiaoxiao's reaction when she'd left, it was obvious she'd deliberately left the two of them alone.
So a swift return was highly unlikely.
After stealthily unlocking the door, Su Wan exhaled as though completing a vital mission.
Then she hurried to the living-room sofa and bent to tidy the table.
When Jiang Cheng approached and his gaze landed on the marks on the leather, Su Wan hastily pulled tissues from the box.
"Thank goodness it's leather," she muttered, "or we'd be doomed."
Under her fox-bright, autumn-moist eyes she rolled a playful glance at him.
Seeing Jiang Cheng close his eyes and sprawl back, hands loose, apparently resting,
a flicker of tender concern crossed her delicate face.
She tiptoed aside and gently flicked on the electric kettle.
A soft gurgle rose with the steam.
"Have you been swamped? I heard you just issued a brand-new assignment, and Xingchen Investment has been making move after move, adding projects left and right."
Her voice was soft enough to melt stone.
As if sensing her worry, Jiang Cheng opened his eyes and turned to her.
His fatigue came from three rounds with Yu Xiaoxiao and one with her.
Though the Great Kidney Returns function repaired his body, the mental weariness lingered.
Still, he couldn't blame Su Wan for thinking of work.
Once she'd thought him just another Second-generation rich wastrel, but after joining Xingchen Entertainment she'd changed her mind.
Every time she visited, he was issuing new tasks.
All major artist signings and script investments originated from him.
So, taking the cue, Jiang Cheng rubbed his temples and nodded. "Yeah, it's been hectic."
"Take care of yourself; don't push too hard."
With that, Su Wan stood quietly by.
When the water boiled she lifted the kettle, poured the boiling water into a cup, tempered it with cooler water,
tested the temperature with a sip, and only then handed it to Jiang Cheng.
After making sure everything was perfect, she slowly held the glass out to Jiang Cheng and said softly, "Have some water…"
Seeing how genuinely Su Wan cared, Jiang Cheng's eyelid twitched uncontrollably.
In an instant, an indescribable guilt surged like a tide from the depths of his heart.
As the saying goes, guilt is the emotion best suited to keeping a relationship alive.
It's even the most effective way to bind a man.
Like an invisible rope, it can tightly fasten a man's heartstrings.
Jiang Cheng remembered the last woman who'd made him feel this guilty was Qiao Yinyin… or was it Wang Yuyan?
Or maybe… well, forget it. He was a good man; being emotionally rich was only natural.
It definitely wasn't that there were too many women around and he'd simply felt guilty too many times to keep track.
When Su Wan noticed Jiang Cheng staring straight at her, she coyly complained, "Why are you looking at me like that?"
Jiang Cheng took a sip from the glass and nodded. "The water you poured tastes sweet."
With that, he stretched out an arm, signaling for Su Wan to come closer.
Su Wan obediently stepped over and settled lightly into Jiang Cheng's warm embrace.
Once seated, she couldn't help lifting her head to gaze at the strikingly handsome face that made her heart race.
Jiang Cheng's deep eyes sparkled like stars in the night sky; his straight nose outlined a perfect profile, and his lips curved in a charming smile.
Seeing such beauty, Su Wan's heart rippled.
Yet just as the distance between them shrank and their breaths began to mingle—
Jiang Cheng's phone on the table chimed repeatedly with wechat notifications.
The sudden sound shattered the intimate atmosphere, freezing them both.
Su Wan instinctively turned her eyes to the phone's screen.
With her excellent vision she instantly read the pop-up messages.
Several women had sent flirtatious texts: "I miss you, what are you doing?"—each from a different sender.
Seeing them, Su Wan's shy smile vanished, replaced by an inexpressible sourness.
She bit her lower lip and teased, "Hmm? 'I miss you, what are you doing?'—and quite a few of them, from different little sisters judging by the names?"
Jiang Cheng wasn't the least bit flustered.
After all, his Danger Perception Skill hadn't reacted at all.
Besides, Su Wan had known before they got together that plenty of other women were in his life.
So there was nothing to panic about.
He leaned down and placed a gentle, affectionate kiss on Su Wan's petal-soft cheek.
Then he reached for the phone, unlocked it with practiced ease, and opened WeChat.
With playful amusement he asked, "Jealous?"
Normally, Jiang Cheng wouldn't reply to these Girls right away.
The Girl beside him had just finished getting intimate and was in her most vulnerable state.
Messaging other women now would hurt her feelings.
And if one of them wanted a video call, that would be an even bigger headache.
But today was different.
Su Wan herself was usually part of that constant stream of chats.
If he acted dismissive of the messages now, she might imagine herself in the role of the one being ignored.
Hearing that, Su Wan's already pouty lips lifted even higher.
Her bright eyes slanted toward him as she cooed, "Hmph, you sure replied fast."
Jiang Cheng answered righteously, "Of course. Whenever any of you messages me, no matter how busy or tired I am, I'll answer immediately. I'm not going to leave you waiting."
Sure enough, after those words, although Su Wan still felt a twinge of jealousy, the corners of her mouth curved upward.
Leaving her own position aside, Jiang Cheng truly treated the women around him well.