The motion of pulling Zhou Ying's leg upward came to a halt.
Jiang Cheng fought down the urge to look utterly dumbfounded.
"Auntie's in Demon City?? When did she arrive??"
Seeing Jiang Cheng's gaze drift toward the door, Zhou Ying realized he'd misunderstood.
The kissing had stopped, but because Jiang Cheng assumed Fang Yuan hadn't entered, his hands were still busy.
Imagining Fang Yuan witnessing her intimate moments with Jiang Cheng,
Zhou Ying burned with shame and couldn't lift her head.
She flicked her eyes toward her phone stand, then quickly covered her cheeks.
In a whisper: "No, I'm on video with my mom—stop touching, she can see you…"
Earlier Jiang Cheng had noticed that Zhou Ying liked to stick to Fang Yuan whenever they were home.
Basically, except for bathing or sleeping, the mother and daughter were glued together.
He hadn't expected that even while practicing dance in Demon City she'd still video-chat with Fang Yuan.
Noticing Zhou Ying's gaze drifting toward a certain spot,
Jiang Cheng followed her line of sight to the phone clipped on the stand beside the mirror.
On the screen was Fang Yuan's all-too-familiar face.
Right now her face was flushed bright red.
Her eyes showed a mix of shock and awkwardness—she'd clearly seen everything.
Uh-oh, awkward… Unlike Zhou Ying's mortification, it wasn't total social death,
but Jiang Cheng still quietly removed the hand that had been helping Zhou Ying hold her split.
Clinging to the creed "if I'm not embarrassed, someone else will be,"
he paused a couple of seconds, then turned casually toward the phone and smiled. "Good evening, Auntie."
On the other end, Fang Yuan seemed caught off guard; she coughed twice before steadying her voice.
"Good evening. Did you come to bring Ying'er the Flash Drive??"
Hearing that, Jiang Cheng realized Fang Yuan was giving him an out.
In truth, she deliberately framed his visit as a simple delivery.
What else could she do??
Play the elder card??
After all, what sort of "elder" was she to Jiang Cheng?
Jiang Cheng took the cue. "Yes, I brought the drive you gave me."
"Thanks. I still have files to finish, so I'll hang up now."
Watching Fang Yuan on the screen, Jiang Cheng suddenly felt he'd been hasty using Chain Consequences on Si Nian and Si Qing.
Why? Probably because genes are just that powerful.
Zhou Ying and Fang Yuan not only looked alike; certain traits had been perfectly inherited.
The ultimate pair for a dumbfounded expression.
Talking to them was unbelievably smooth.
Too bad there's no rewind button.
"All right. Rest early. Good night."
When Jiang Cheng stared straight at her through the phone,
Fang Yuan glanced nervously at Zhou Ying.
She and Jiang Cheng had already tacitly pretended nothing happened, yet her silly daughter was still hiding her face.
Looking at Zhou Ying's innocent look,
Fang Yuan shook her head in resignation.
The child was still too simple.
Collecting herself, she said into the phone, "Good night."
With a beep the call ended, and Fang Yuan's composed mask slipped instantly.
Phone in one hand, the other hand rose unbidden to her cheek.
She'd seen every bit of Jiang Cheng's forceful, borderline-intrusive move on Zhou Ying.
For some reason, picturing his defined eight-pack made her throat go dry and heat rush through her.
Eighteen years of celibacy.
It had been fine when she never let her thoughts wander.
She and Zhou Ying's father had no real affection;
he'd even showered her with verbal abuse.
That humiliation left her with zero expectations for married life.
But now things had changed.
Though Jiang Cheng hadn't breached her final line,
she'd personally tasted what genuine feeling could be—
and discovered how beautiful it was.
While Fang Yuan wrestled with her thoughts, Jiang Cheng—call ended—pulled Zhou Ying back to review their earlier lesson in looking Dumbstruck.
After a while Zhou Ying, shy yet compliant, explained the meaning of "Dizzy Pillars" to him.
The two were diligent students:
one moment Dumbstruck, the next Dizzy Pillars.
Finally, when Jiang Cheng felt her relentless tutoring was pushing him past the brink,
he covered Zhou Ying's mouth. "Stop talking."
He couldn't take any more.
Another word and he'd spray her in earnest.
"Since you're pushing me, it's time for the next lesson."
Zhou Ying gave a shy punch: "Mom saw everything. What must she think? How can I ever chat with her again?"
Jiang Cheng caught her hand,
pulled it above her head and pinned it, holding her fast.