Jiang Churan unbuckled her seatbelt and casually tossed her hair back to tidy it.
She said, "Shuang Shuang and Yan Yan are already waiting for us in the private room upstairs."
The careless gesture made Jiang Cheng's gaze freeze for a second.
The jet-black ends of her hair curled slightly, tracing a graceful arc against her neck.
The white cashmere coat made her skin look like snow.
Her delicate make-up perfectly highlighted her cool temperament, yet a warm tint at the outer corners of her eyes seemed to hide endless tenderness.
Seeing Jiang Churan release her seatbelt, Jiang Cheng reached over and pulled her closer.
He pointed to his own cheek.
Jiang Churan froze for a moment, then her cool face flushed crimson.
Like winter plum blossoms in full bloom, vivid and alluring.
She bit her lower lip, hesitated, then finally braced herself against the seat.
She leaned in gently and placed a kiss on Jiang Cheng's handsome face.
The butterfly-light kiss made Jiang Cheng's heart feel as though a cat had scratched it.
When he'd held Jiang Churan's silky hand moments ago, plenty of thoughts had already surfaced.
Now this fleeting kiss flipped a switch, and his little brother instantly stirred.
Jiang Cheng pulled Jiang Churan closer.
His lips, hot as flame, settled softly on hers.
At first the kiss was gentle, as if exploring, as if asking.
But soon it turned fervent and urgent, as if to swallow her whole.
As the saying goes, every man's a master of circling—Jiang Cheng was no exception.
Jiang Churan's body tensed, but quickly her hands unconsciously clutched Jiang Cheng's back.
Their breathing became rapid.
Though separated by fabric, Jiang Churan still felt an uncontrollable heat rise within her.
The temperature inside the car soared with their passion.
The fiery kiss was like a storm, sweeping away their reason.
Only when she felt Jiang Cheng pinch her did Jiang Churan jolt awake and push him away.
Her cheeks were crimson, her eyes shy and flustered.
She nervously glanced around; after confirming no one was nearby, she exhaled.
She shot Jiang Cheng a coy glare and whispered, "Pervert, what if someone saw us?"
That reproachful look made Jiang Cheng chuckle.
Round and soft—felt surprisingly nice.
Content, he opened the door and stepped out, then led Jiang Churan toward the elevator.
After riding the elevator upstairs,
the two followed the Waitress down a long corridor to the private-room door.
As the door opened, a faint fragrance greeted them.
Looking in, they saw Xu Yan and Shen Shuang standing by the French windows.
The pair held phones, striking poses for photos.
Xu Yan wore a wine-red dress.
The rich hue was as mellow as red wine.
The cut hugged her figure perfectly, outlining her curves.
Shen Shuang sported a black leather jacket
with skinny jeans and black ankle boots—smart and dashing.
Her sharp short hair added competence and swagger.
When they saw Jiang Cheng leading Jiang Churan in,
Xu Yan and Shen Shuang simultaneously stopped snapping photos.
Xu Yan's eyes lit up and a bright smile blossomed.
She greeted first: "Boss, Happy New Year!"
Shen Shuang also laughed, "Happy New Year!"
Then, seeing Jiang Churan sweetly holding Jiang Cheng's arm,
she clicked her tongue and teased, "Little Ranran, why are you so late?"
Beside her, Xu Yan chimed in.
She batted her lively big eyes and cooed, "Exactly! You said you were in the garage fifteen minutes ago; we've already taken hundreds of photos!"
Under their teasing, Jiang Churan's cheeks flushed faintly red.
She guiltily stole a glance at Jiang Cheng.
Why were they slow? It was because moments ago… Luckily, it had been the underground garage.
Anywhere else, given Jiang Cheng's fierce assault,
she had a feeling he would have devoured her whole.
After all, it had actually felt rather good; she wasn't sure she could have firmly refused when the moment came.
Jiang Churan forced herself to look composed
and casually fibbed, "The elevator was packed; we waited ages."
"Oh, really?" Shen Shuang clearly wasn't buying it; she raised an eyebrow suspiciously.
"When we wandered down there earlier, it was pretty empty."
"Right, there are a dozen lifts—how could you wait so long?" Xu Yan joined in.
Seeing the two women persist, Jiang Churan quickly changed the subject: "Have you ordered?"
"Not yet. You two weren't here, how could we?" Xu Yan shrugged and handed her the menu.
Once seated, the three Girls chattered over the menu.
"Wow, what crab is this—so pricey, 298 each?"
"Seafood platter, 2,988? Looks like clams; I thought it was king crab."
…The clamour gave Jiang Cheng a headache, yet he couldn't look away.
The three heads huddled together, gasps and giggles bursting out.
Youthful energy filled the air, a feast for the eyes.
After much chatter they each picked three dishes—one of them vegetable.
Though Jiang Cheng looked calm, inside he couldn't help roasting them.
If it weren't for his "Sit Like a Divine Bell" skill, he'd have lost his composure long ago.
He sighed in resignation. "Young Ladies, I brought you here for seafood hotpot because it's low-cal—nothing but seafood, order whatever you want, totally guilt-free."
Shen Shuang and Xu Yan already knew Jiang Cheng was loaded.
But this was the first time they were officially dining out with him.
Seeing the eye-watering prices on the menu, they hesitated.
They couldn't bring themselves to go wild with their orders.
'Big shot, you decide—we three are used to starving,' Xu Yan chirped, a flicker of restraint flashing in her eyes.
'Right, we'll just follow the big shot.' Shen Shuang pushed the menu toward Jiang Cheng.
Jiang Cheng's lips curved in a helpless smile at the sight.
He took the menu and started ticking boxes without hesitation.
Just as he handed it back to the Waitress,
the restaurant door swung open and Wang Sheng strode in, red bags dangling from his hands.
'Young Master Jiang, everything you asked for is here.'
Wang Sheng placed the bags carefully on the table with utmost respect.
Jiang Churan eyed the five or six red bags curiously. 'What's this?'
Jiang Cheng separated three bags and handed them to Jiang Churan. 'New-year goodies—these are for your family.'
Jiang Churan rose in surprise, her eyes wide with shock and gratitude. She stared at the three bulging bags, momentarily speechless.
'Whoa, already bringing gifts for the parents? Moving pretty fast…' Shen Shuang gaped, the picture of gossip.
Xu Yan leaned in, teasing, 'Aiya, little Ranran, didn't you say it was just kissing? When did you sneak off and do the deed without telling us?'
Flustered and annoyed, Jiang Churan swatted Xu Yan. 'Stop that nonsense!'
'What's wrong, Ranran? Xu Yan's right—don't tell us you're hiding something,' Shen Shuang cooed, grinning wickedly.
'No! Don't be so filthy.' Jiang Churan's face was scarlet.
'Filthy? I'll show you filthier back at the dorm tonight,' Xu Yan said, arching a brow.
'Exactly—we'll strip you down for inspection,' Shen Shuang chimed in.
Watching the three Girls banter, Jiang Cheng marveled. Northern Girls really are blunt and bold; their jokes far more risqué than their southern counterparts.
Since meeting these Beijing Girls, he'd learned what best friend dirty talk meant.
They were even more uninhibited than southern Girls.
Judging by the filth they spouted in front of him, their private chats must be nuclear.
Seeing the conversation spiral, Jiang Churan quickly called a halt.
'Sis, stop right there—want to come out for big meals again or not?'
When Jiang Churan shot him a silent plea for rescue,
Jiang Cheng slid the remaining two bags across the table. 'Hey, hey, these are yours too.'
The Girls' attention snapped to the bags.
They finally stepped away from Jiang Churan and squealed.
'Wow, seriously?'
Though Xu Yan's eyes had flickered with unease when Jiang Cheng gave gifts to Jiang Churan's family,
she now beamed. 'Wow, Chu Ran, your big shot's so thoughtful!'
Shen Shuang added, 'Really, big shot, you're too kind—treating us to this place and still giving gifts, we're embarrassed.'
Though her words were modest, she whisked her bag to her seat and immediately started rummaging.
Her impatience made all three of them burst into laughter.
Seeing Jiang Cheng prepare gifts not only for her family but also for her two best friends,
Jiang Churan's lips curved in a sweet smile.
The gifts themselves weren't what mattered.
What mattered was that he thought of her family—and even the people closest to her.
Moved by the moment,
Jiang Churan leaned in and planted a quick kiss on Jiang Cheng's cheek.
'Thank you, darling.'
Nice.
Behavior really is trained.
This was the first time Jiang Churan had taken the initiative to kiss him.
Witnessing the public display of affection,
Shen Shuang and Xu Yan instinctively groaned.
'Jealousy distorts the face—must control my expression,' Xu Yan muttered.
'I'm not jealous—who needs romance?' Shen Shuang huffed, though her eyes kept drifting to the couple.
Laughing, Shen Shuang pulled items from her bag and spread them on the table.
With her social smarts she'd have praised even plain nuts and accepted them graciously.
But when she saw what was inside, she had to show everything.
'My god, 80 g of candied fruit—two hundred yuan for this tiny jar?'
Xu Yan leaned over to look.
'Whoa, what kind of beef jerky costs two thousand a box? Eye-opening.'
Shen Shuang glanced at the jerky Xu Yan held.
'That's not ordinary jerky—it's whole-cut, not scraps, supplied to high-end hotels. Limited quantity, premium price.'