The fruit was so fresh that a lot of red juice even sprayed out.
When she had come across this picture before, she had looked at it repeatedly many times.
Now, she only felt that the picture was very fitting for what was about to happen.
It was no wonder Shen Shuang had mentioned helping Jiang Churan ask for the afternoon off.
If it were true, it might be uncomfortable when doing high leg lifts during dancing.
Although it seemed painful in her imagination, she was still very envious.
Even if Jiang Churan gave up on this stage performance, she would still have made a solid profit.
After all, to put it bluntly, could you even earn thirty million by standing on that stage?
Probably not... Shen An and the others left, laughing and joking.
The sound of the door closing at the entrance soon followed.
In an instant, only Jiang Churan and Jiang Cheng were left in the living room.
The remnants of the recent liveliness still lingered in the air, but a subtle silence slowly began to seep in.
Before Jiang Cheng could make a move, Jiang Churan moved first.
After carefully folding the house purchase contract, she placed it in the cabinet under the living room table.
As the cabinet door closed, the tips of her ears had already quietly turned red.
After taking a deep breath, she turned around to look at Jiang Cheng.
At this moment, there was a smile in the depths of her eyes, and the usual aloofness had faded from her cool features.
It was as if a layer of soft mist covered them, and even her lip line, which was usually pressed straight, had curved into a gentle arc.
Without the slightest hesitation, she stood up and faced Jiang Cheng.
She first placed her hands lightly on his shoulders, then turned her body around.
Immediately after, she lowered herself slightly and sat steadily on his lap.
Her soft waist naturally leaned into his arms, like a vine that had found support.
Before Jiang Cheng could speak, she tilted her head up slightly, her cool fingertips lightly brushing his cheek, and then she proactively leaned in, pressing her lips against his.
The kiss was very light, carrying a bit of a young girl's shyness, yet it was exceptionally serious.
Although her actions seemed bold, at this moment, the crimson blush spread from the tips of her ears to her jawline.
Her long, thick eyelashes were lowered, and she kept her eyes slightly closed, not daring to look into Jiang Cheng's eyes.
The fingers resting on his shoulders quietly tightened a bit.
This sudden closeness made Jiang Cheng's heart soften.
He instantly raised his hand to clasp Jiang Churan's standard A4 waist.
His fingertips felt the slenderness and softness of her waist.
Then he tilted his head slightly and deepened the kiss.
Amidst the intimacy, Jiang Churan let out a muffled groan.
After a few minutes, when she felt she couldn't refuse Jiang Cheng, she pushed his body away.
Looking at her somewhat disheveled clothes, Jiang Churan only felt a surge of heat in her body.
At this moment, she didn't mind contact with Jiang Cheng at all.
On the contrary, she felt ready to give herself to Jiang Cheng immediately.
However, thinking that her stage performance, which she had rehearsed for over a month, was only two days away, she became hesitant.
She looked up, somewhat afraid that Jiang Cheng would be angry.
Even her voice had a soft, nasal quality: "Thank you."
Jiang Cheng's fingertips were still resting on the side of her waist.
Feeling the warmth there, he raised an eyebrow and smiled: "Thank me for what? For buying you a house?"
Having her thoughts exposed, Jiang Churan's face turned even redder.
But even though she was blushing, she didn't push Jiang Cheng's hand away.
"Can you wait for me for two more days? My performance will be over in two days, and then... then we can continue."
Looking at the redness at the corners of her eyes, Jiang Cheng's fingertips gently pinched her cheek.
Before coming here, Jiang Cheng hadn't planned on doing this.
After all, he knew better than anyone how much Jiang Churan desired the stage.
However, while the final result could wait, the Special Gepi Card could be used first.
Everything should follow a step-by-step process, starting from the beginning.
Although they couldn't take the final step now, they could start with the initial stages.
She would get a bit more used to it in two days, right?
Jiang Cheng's voice was full of amusement: "Of course I can. Let alone two days, I can wait as long as it takes. However, to prevent a large fire from starting, you can extinguish the small fire first."
The first half of the sentence had just allowed Jiang Churan's heart to relax, but the second half instantly left her at a loss.
What does that mean??
Jiang Cheng didn't give Jiang Churan a chance to react.
He reached out to hold the back of her neck, leaned down, and kissed her again.
This kiss was deeper than the one before, blocking all the fragmented emotions she hadn't yet spoken.
Jiang Churan's body instantly tensed up.
Didn't you say you could wait?
What are you doing messing with my clothes??
Honestly, she didn't know if Jiang Cheng's words about being willing to wait for her were true.
After all, Jiang Cheng's offensive was even more aggressive than before.
Aside from her shyness, she could only slowly close her eyes.
Although her intention was to delay for two days, if Jiang Cheng really insisted on now, she wouldn't and couldn't refuse.
She could only raise her arms to circle his neck, letting him lead her into the depths of passion.
It wasn't until both their breaths were ragged that Jiang Cheng pulled back slightly, his forehead against hers, his fingertips stroking her reddened lips.
Immediately after, Jiang Cheng began to lie down on the sofa on his own.
Seeing this, Jiang Churan's face began to turn red again... Half an hour later, the car appeared at the entrance of the Dance Academy.
Unlike when they arrived, Jiang Churan was now lowering her head, her face flushed as she rubbed her cheeks with her hands.
While rubbing, she used her right hand to take out a small bottle of mineral water from her bag.
After taking a sip, she said to Jiang Cheng: "I'll just go in by myself. I'm already late. If the instructor sees me with you, I'll definitely be scolded to death."
"Sigh, you're not allowed to say that next time. I couldn't even bring myself to'scold' you just now, so who does he think he is?"
Jiang Churan had rarely seen Jiang Cheng with such a cold face, but now she wasn't really afraid of him anymore.
She didn't know why her mindset had changed like this.
Was it because they had already been honest and open with each other?
After her face turned red, Jiang Churan said coquettishly: "Are you sure you didn't say that wrong??"
Seeing that Jiang Churan was still giving herself a facial massage.
Jiang Cheng reached out and stroked her hair: "If I really wanted to'scold' you, would you still be sitting here perfectly fine right now??"
Although she felt that the distance between her and Jiang Cheng had become infinitely small,
such an embarrassing topic was still too difficult for her.
After some shy humming, she quickly unbuckled her seatbelt, then very naturally leaned over to give Jiang Cheng a kiss before getting out of the car.
Looking at Jiang Churan's flustered figure, Jiang Cheng smiled. He watched her enter the school gate before starting the car.
The car was still heading towards Great-Grandfather's Courtyard House; after all, tomorrow was the Qingming Festival.
The car successfully passed through several checkpoints and arrived at the Courtyard House.
Jiang Cheng casually parked the car to the side of the entrance.
Walking in through the door, he saw Uncle Lin standing under the eaves not far away, holding a slip of paper covered in writing.
"Uncle Lin, what are you busy with?"
His gaze swept over the activity in the courtyard.
This courtyard was usually very quiet, but now several people were gathered together, clearly busy with something.
Jiang Cheng spoke as he walked forward to take a look.
Hearing the voice, Lin Zhen hurriedly folded the paper and tucked it into his pocket.
When he came forward, his tone was particularly attentive: "Young Master is back? We're preparing for tomorrow's Qingming Festival. I just finished checking the list of offerings with the kitchen, and I'm supervising them to organize the incense, candles, and joss paper for the ancestral worship according to the old rules. Even the plain-colored gowns for the old master and you to wear tomorrow have been ironed by the laundry room and hung in the East Wing."
As he spoke, he pointed towards the west.
Jiang Cheng looked over.
He saw two servants carefully wiping a set of blue and white porcelain offering plates.
Their movements were so light, as if they were afraid of damaging the glaze.
Several others were gathered around a stone table, placing trimmed pine and cypress branches into bamboo baskets, with neatly folded plain silk flowers placed nearby.
Uncle Lin added: "I'll go wipe the stone table in the backyard in a moment. After the ancestral worship tomorrow, the old master will surely want to have a talk with you there."
Looking at the busy but orderly scene in the courtyard, Jiang Cheng nodded.
"Uncle Lin has been with Grandmother and Grandfather for decades; leaving these matters of etiquette and propriety to you is certainly the right choice."
Hearing this, Lin Zhen paused slightly, and then a gentle smile of being somewhat overwhelmed by the favor appeared on his face.
His hands unconsciously clenched slightly at his sides and then quickly relaxed, his tone even more attentive than before: "Young Master's words are too kind."
He bowed slightly, his gaze sweeping over the orderly work in the courtyard before returning to Jiang Cheng, his eyes carrying a touch of familiar warmth: "The old master has been very kind to me. Guarding this courtyard and handling the necessary matters is simply my duty."
As he spoke, he gestured towards the main hall. His fingertips and palms had slight calluses from years of handling chores, but his movements were still swift: "By the way, Madam is currently sitting in the hall brewing the Pre-Rain Longjing tea you like. Go inside and rest; I'll keep an eye on things here."
Hearing this, Jiang Cheng was somewhat surprised: "My mother is back?"