"Aren't you supposed to catch a flight? Don't mind me, I'll do it myself..."
"Stop pretending. Do you even know how? Effort is fragile before talent; someone like you just needs to watch and learn more..."
"I won't be here for the next two days, so you're on your own. Watch closely, like this, first on both sides..."
"Push aside, then up and down..."
"Right, when soothing it, you can stay on the upper part a bit longer..."
...More than an hour later, Jiang Cheng was already sitting at the dining table.
Seeing that Xia Li and a few of the aunties had left,
Zhu Yan finally walked out of the room, her legs moving slowly and guiltily, like a thief with a bad conscience.
Seeing Zhu Yan sit down, Jiang Cheng moved the bowl of red date porridge he had prepared to her.
Seeing this, Jiang Cheng silently moved the bowl of red date porridge in front of Zhu Yan.
Then he scooped up a spoonful, blew on it gently, and carefully brought it to her lips.
Looking at her somewhat awkward sitting posture,
He said, "Don't wear high heels for the next couple of days."
Once she put on her clothes, Zhu Yan immediately returned to her state as a private secretary.
This was the advice she gave herself.
Last night's probing had given Zhu Yan a better understanding of Jiang Cheng; she now roughly knew how to get along with him.
When they took off their clothes, they could have an intimate, inseparable relationship.
But at the same time, she had a special identity.
As Jiang Cheng's private secretary, she didn't want the breakthrough in their relationship to affect his trust and confidence in her work.
Zhu Yan took small sips of the porridge, the tips of her ears still tinged with a lingering blush.
"I know... You've said it several times already. Don't worry about going back to handle things; I'll take care of the work here in Kyoto. I'm going to check an invoice today, and if there are no issues, I'll fly back to Shanghai tomorrow."
Jiang Cheng looked at Zhu Yan with a smile, fed her two more spoonfuls of porridge, and then placed the spoon back into the bowl in front of her.
However, just as he was about to withdraw his hand, Zhu Yan suddenly reached out and grabbed it.
Zhu Yan's slender fingers gently scratched Jiang Cheng's palm with a hint of playfulness.
"It's a promise, okay? You have to come to me first after you return to Shanghai." Zhu Yan lowered her long eyelashes, casting a small shadow beneath her eyes, making them look even deeper and more charming.
"Alright, I got it."
Having received another affirmation, Zhu Yan finally began to drink her porridge happily.
Although Zhu Yan knew she had to keep her place.
Although Zhu Yan was very clear about the relationship between her and Jiang Cheng and knew she had to keep her place,
She still couldn't help but ask hesitantly, "I want to ask, who... is in Chengdu right now if you go back?"
Seeing Jiang Cheng look at her, Zhu Yan smiled unnaturally and quickly explained.
"I don't mean to check up on you; I just simply want to know. I know you have many women around you, but I don't know much about them... If it's inconvenient to say, then never mind."
"There's nothing to hide. Only Zhou Ying is in Chengdu right now..."
Hearing Zhou Ying's name, a complex emotion flashed in Zhu Yan's eyes—thirty percent bitterness, seventy percent pride.
After all, five rounds of intimacy last night should be enough to leave Zhou Ying "alone in her empty room," right?
At this thought, her eyes rippled with a hint of satisfaction.
Suddenly, during Jiang Cheng's fifth conquest, there was finally no more resistance or resentment.
As her eyes rippled, they even revealed a hint of the happiness unique to a woman.
"I'm a little curious, out of all the women around you, which one do you love the most?"
Jiang Cheng naturally understood what Zhu Yan meant; the corners of his mouth curled up slightly, revealing a faint smile.
Looking at Zhu Yan with a half-smile, he countered, "Are you hoping to hear from me that the person I love most is you?"
...Zhu Yan's expression instantly became unnatural, and her smile froze.
Having just been immersed in Jiang Cheng's gentle care, she now suddenly felt as if a bucket of ice-cold water had been poured over her head.
Pouting her lips, she pretended to be strong and said, "Hmph, I didn't say that..."
Jiang Cheng continued as a matter of course, "As for the question of love, I made it very clear to you last time we had pickled fish... To me, as long as a girl is worth it, I will love her."
"As for whether I favor one over another, that naturally depends on whether they are worth it."
Zhu Yan's voice was as low as a mosquito's hum, "Actually, I've had a boyfriend before."
At this, Jiang Cheng looked at her curiously.
With a privacy value of 0, he had thought Zhu Yan had never dated.
Zhu Yan continued, "That was back in middle school, but I was still young then. Our way of dating was very simple—passing notes in class and chatting on QQ after school." Her tone was flat, as if she were telling a story that had nothing to do with her.
However, when she mentioned high school, Jiang Cheng noticed her voice lowered slightly. "Later, he went abroad, and our contact gradually dwindled until it finally stopped."
Hearing this, Jiang Cheng's face showed no other expression.
Who hasn't had a crush during puberty? Didn't he have his eye on Zhao Jia back then?
Reaching out to stroke her smooth hair, Jiang Cheng said, "I didn't expect you to be so innocent..."
His teasing carried more of a sense of understanding and tolerance.
Zhu Yan sighed inwardly.
Her competitive spirit, which had just relaxed, rose again.
Anyway, there's still plenty of time; today is only the first day.
She's still young, what is there to fear?
Who knows, one day, the person Jiang Cheng favors most might be her... After finishing the meal, Jiang Cheng drove to his Great-Grandfather's house.
Qiu Yihe had been at the Great-Grandfather's house with Qiu Zheng since early morning.
Seeing Jiang Cheng arrive, the group gave a few instructions, telling her to come to Kyoto during her holidays and such.
Immediately after, they watched the two of them get into a business van and leave.
Looking at the figures receding outside the car window, Qiu Yihe's mood suddenly became a bit downcast.
Jiang Cheng noticed her change and asked softly, "What's wrong? Reluctant to leave?"
Qiu Yihe sighed slightly and replied, "Yeah, I feel like time went by especially fast during this trip to Kyoto. I haven't stayed long enough, and now I have to go."
"If you're reluctant, then why don't you just stay in Kyoto?"
"Sigh, what could I do if I stayed in Kyoto?"
Jiang Cheng said nonchalantly, "Is that something you need to worry about?"
Hearing this, Qiu Yihe gave Jiang Cheng a grateful look, a smile touching her lips. "Your family is really good to me and my father. From childhood until now, besides my grandmother, no one has ever been this good to me. I'm truly grateful."
"Ho, aren't you my girlfriend? Saying such things is being too polite..."
Seeing Jiang Cheng's hand on hers again, Qiu Yihe gave a helpless smile.
After shyly shaking off his hand, Qiu Yihe shot Jiang Cheng a sidelong glance.