Luring Her to Take the Bait - Chapter 8

She knew Susu didn’t like being touched by others; she had only happened to remember how Fu Chi would always embrace her sister first whenever he picked her up from work.

Actually, she wanted to try it too. She wanted to know if she could catch the other person’s exhaustion from the day—to pat her back and make her body feel light in an instant.

Pei Wenjin looked up at Fu Su under the sunset. Her gaze seemed to have a built-in tracking radar, first locking onto that face which resembled fallen snow, now dyed the color of honey. Her emotions seemed suppressed by her long, slightly drooping eyelashes; only those lips maintained their usual cool curve.

She was wearing a black, cinched-waist narrow suit with straight legs, the hem of her trousers covering the tops of her feet.

She was indeed wearing high heels—black leather with pointed toes. The arches of her feet hidden beneath must be snowy white, traced with faint cyan veins, very beautiful.

The asphalt road beneath her feet was scorching. Pei Wenjin could even feel the heat steaming from the ground into her pores, emitting an… arrogant aura.

Yes, arrogant.

Just like the arrogance of her own continuous approach toward Susu.

Who wouldn’t want to get close to her? Who wouldn’t want to hold her?

So charming, so beautiful, so mysterious—Fu Su only had to stand there to be like a glowing treasure chest in a pitch-black cave. She wanted to press closer.

But, never mind. Such a lack of boundaries would be annoying. What if Susu couldn’t stand it and divorced her?

Pei Wenjin, exercise restraint!

Pei Wenjin gave her a sweet smile. “Susu, let’s go home.”

Yet she didn’t stand up. Her palm brushed over the cat’s back again, stroking up to the high-pointing tip of its tail. Her gaze shifted downward, paused, then lifted again, her voice tinged with confusion: “Why are you carrying so many things?”

The topic shifted just like that.

Fu Su’s expression remained cold. It was impossible to tell what she was thinking while Pei Wenjin’s imagination was running wild. She said softly, “I brought them for Mother and the others.”

She pronounced the word “Mother” very quietly, in a low, shy tone; if Pei Wenjin hadn’t been watching her lips, she might not have heard it.

She felt she was rather adorable.

Her pink lips curved slightly. Pei Wenjin gave her a mock-reproachful look, not questioning the change in address, but simply smiling: “When did you prepare all this? I didn’t even know.”

Then, feigning surprise, she wiggled her eyebrows mischievously: “You didn’t skip out on work, did you?”

Fu Su opened her mouth but couldn’t get a word in before Pei Wenjin asked again, “What did you buy?”

Fu Su listed the items one by one.

“Wow, how did you know what Mother and the others like?!” Pei Wenjin’s mouth hung open as she looked at Fu Su in disbelief, her expression as if she were looking at an alien.

“…” Fu Su’s throat moved slightly. Her shoulders relaxed a bit as she said, “You mentioned it last night.”

“I don’t remember that at all?” Pei Wenjin tilted her head.

“…”

She tilted her head left and then right, staring blankly at the small calico cat in front of her. Her brow furrowed occasionally as she puzzled over when she had said those things last night.

Ultimately failing to recall, she sighed, reached up to tug at her collar twice, and said, “Let’s go home. It’s so hot at this temperature; let’s get back to the car and turn on the AC.”

As she spoke, she braced her hands on her knees to stand up. However, before she could straighten her waist, her expression suddenly changed. Her pupils dilated, her face contorted, and she bared her teeth in a grimace.

Oh no, my legs are numb from crouching. I’m going to fall!

In the midst of the chaos, she actually managed to glance at Fu Su. She bit her lip, steeled her heart, and squeezed her eyes shut.

If I can’t see it, it’s not embarrassing!

Fu Su watched as she stumbled a few steps, instinctively protecting herself as she fell forward. Fu Su’s pupils shrank.

In a flash, the gift boxes fell from her hands. She took a large stride with her long legs, extended her arm to wrap around her waist, then circled her again, gripping tightly. She caught her steadily, stepping back a few paces from the momentum.

A warm summer orange blossom crashed into her arms, its fragrance filling her nose.

Pei Wenjin slammed into Fu Su’s chest, her nose bumping against her shoulder. she couldn’t help but whimper in pain.

“Ugh—it hurts…”

“My legs are numb.”

Groaning, she raised her hand to rub her nose, but in the next second, her wrist was caught. Fu Su’s voice was low, husky, and slightly dry, her breath brushing against her ear: “Don’t touch it. It’s dirty.”

Suddenly, a subtle current of electricity surged through her. Pei Wenjin froze, unmoving. She swallowed, her fingertips curling, her brow still furrowed.

At this moment, the two were very close, their curves aligned.

Pei Wenjin’s legs had no strength, so she had to lean against Fu Su. Looking over her shoulder at the heavy traffic on the street, she shifted uncomfortably. Not only the sensation against her chest, but the touch on her waist was becoming increasingly impossible to ignore.

The palm, which still held the lingering chill of the air conditioning, pressed against a bare section of her waist. Pei Wenjin couldn’t help but think of a jade waist chain she had bought not long ago; it was that same stimulating coldness.

Thinking about it, she couldn’t help but shiver.

As she trembled, Fu Su realized the position of her palm was inappropriate and immediately withdrew it. “Sorry.”

“Ah!” Pei Wenjin exclaimed. The wrist being held also began to struggle gently.

“Susu, I can’t stand. Can you… can you support me again? My legs are numb, and you’re just holding my arm. I have no support—hiss—don’t move, don’t move!”

Pei Wenjin gritted her teeth, her tone sour. She turned her head to rest on her shoulder, her fluffy curly hair like seaweed, even rubbing against her.

Meeting those moist eyes, Fu Su instantly looked away, staring at the mess of gift boxes on the ground.

They were likely broken and couldn’t be given as gifts anymore.

She wrapped her arm around that soft waist again, this time with her palm resting over the fabric of the clothes, supporting her. “Rotate your ankles; it can relieve the numbness.”

Fu Su’s movements were very light and polite. Pei Wenjin lifted her eyelids to glance at her fair chin, then followed the instructions, rotating both ankles.

“Ten times clockwise and ten times counter-clockwise.”

Pei Wenjin rotated her ankles ten times in each direction as told.

She was immersed in the scent of ebony and tobacco, narrowing her eyes comfortably. This fragrance was gentle and steady, possessing a sense of hidden aggression—like a “smiling tiger.”

Oh no, a “cold-faced tiger,” hee-hee.

The two were bathed in the afterglow of the sunset. The light was lingering and tender, always feeling like a prelude to intoxication. The honking of cars passing by was like the violin accompaniment in an open-air night venue. Under this heart-swelling scene, Fu Su heard her say: “Your voice sounds a bit dry.”

“No time to drink water?”

Fu Su instinctively thought about when she had last had water today.

It was… after she had finished instructing the interns. She had brewed a new pot of green tea around five in the afternoon. At that time, several interns were frowning, carrying a stack of case files toward the office—the homework she had left them before they got off work.

Fu Su swallowed. Her voice sounded a bit more lubricated than before. “It’s natural.”

“Oh, do you know your voice sounds like those old alleys in the capital covered in moss and vines? Like a hutong where people live—when the sunlight spills down, it’s stable and serene.”

“It’s so grounded. I think it sounds wonderful~”

The ending of her sentence drifted upward. In that floating tone, Fu Su felt as if she could grasp the sun hanging halfway in the sky.

Pei Wenjin’s sixth sense started tingly. She sensed a subtle change in Fu Su’s mood, like bubbles rising, and took the opportunity to ask her final question.

“Susu, you didn’t force yourself when you grabbed me, did you?”

Fu Su glanced at her.

“You don’t like physical contact with others.”

The little princess always spoke directly, which was one of the things Fu Su liked about her.

Fu Su let go of her. Pei Wenjin’s legs weren’t as numb anymore, and she could stand steadily on the ground. Her gaze was sincere. Fu Su just turned to look at the hand she had been holding and said succinctly:

“Stray cats have a lot of bacteria.”

“?”

Then, right under Pei Wenjin’s nose, Fu Su pulled a strap of her backpack off one shoulder and took out two individually wrapped disinfectant wipes.

Pei Wenjin: OoO

“Wipe your hands.”

With a wooden expression, she took them. Fu Su insisted on watching her wipe the front, back, nails, and crevices of her hands clean before those deep eyes finally let her go.

Pei Wenjin: My god, where did this clean freak come from!

She dejectedly went to throw away the trash. When she returned, she came back with a little skip, her skirt brushing against Fu Su’s trouser leg. Her pupils were sparkling as she raised both hands to show them off like a trophy. “Susu, I’ve wiped them clean~”

At this moment, the sun finally sank below the horizon. The brilliant, fiery rays diminished until the very last beam landed on the corner of Fu Su’s mouth, looking like a kiss.

And those thin lips, usually pursed and cold yet sexy, curled up into a tiny angle, also seeming to kiss the setting sun.

Fu Su gave her a brief hug, as if holding a fragile bubble. The gap between their bodies was just enough for a kitten to pass through. Her voice was still as calm as ever.

“I don’t like physical contact.”

“But you are okay.”

Pei Wenjin thought that perhaps it was because they were married.

And because they had known each other for ten years.

Suddenly, a gust of wind blew, making the leaves rustle. Pei Wenjin’s eyes were blurred by the wind. She turned to look at Fu Su; the wind lifted her shoulder-length dark hair, revealing an ear.

The ear cartilage was very thin. Pei Wenjin’s breathing also became very thin at this moment.

The sun had completely dropped, and the streetlights slowly rose, becoming reachable moons. Under this cold white light, Pei Wenjin saw the pink sunset hidden by the dark hair.

It turned out the sunset had fallen from the sky onto Fu Su’s ear.