After A Secret Marriage Agreement With A Rival Omega - Chapter 81

Chapter 81: The Wait for This Kiss Was Far Too Long

The car had been running for a while, and the temperature inside was comfortable. But the moment Sheng Ruxi finished speaking, the atmosphere shifted.

Jian Jixing kept both hands braced at her sides, making no move. However, her tone betrayed her emotions: “Sheng Ruxi.”

Sitting on her lap, Sheng Ruxi was slightly taller. Jian Jixing kissed her chin—a signal that Sheng Ruxi caught instantly—as she reached out to hook her arms around Jian Jixing’s neck.

“Can’t you just hold me?”

Only then did Jian Jixing place her hands on her. She seemed capable of acting only upon Sheng Ruxi’s commands. Having just bared the truth of her heart, she was no longer stubborn; she allowed her inner vulnerability to show.

The agitation triggered by Xie Jinheng’s words found a brief release in this moment. It appeared that she was holding Sheng Ruxi, but in reality, only Jian Jixing knew that she was the one leaning on Sheng Ruxi.

“Now you’ve heard what you wanted,” Jian Jixing murmured, her lips gently brushing Sheng Ruxi’s cheek. “Have you heard enough?”

“Is she special to you?” Sheng Ruxi took two deep breaths. “What exactly happened between you two? What was that unreleased short film about? Why won’t you tell me anything? She was even your female lead.”

“You wouldn’t want to know about the past.” Jian Jixing tried to lean in for a kiss, but Sheng Ruxi pinched her cheeks, halting all movement. Her words came out somewhat muffled: “No matter what you think, there is absolutely nothing between Xie Jinheng and me now…”

At this, Jian Jixing realized how poor she was at explaining things. Her mind felt sluggish. “I’m sorry for making you misunderstand. I did work with her before, but it wasn’t as intimate as you’re imagining—”

Sheng Ruxi increased the pressure of her hands, squeezing Jian Jixing’s cheeks and cutting off her words. She stared intently at Jian Jixing, as if waiting for a satisfactory explanation, or perhaps as if she didn’t care about the explanation at all.

After a moment of silence, Sheng Ruxi asked, “Do you miss me because you actually miss me, or because Xie Jinheng provoked you into thinking of me?”

“It’s…” The answer was on the tip of Jian Jixing’s tongue, but she suddenly paused. She didn’t understand why Sheng Ruxi was fixated on this answer, and she couldn’t quite grasp what Sheng Ruxi truly cared about right now.

“Say it.”

The lights in the underground garage were dim, and no other lights were on inside the car. Jian Jixing tilted her head back slightly, maintaining her gaze while Sheng Ruxi’s shadow loomed over her brow. In that long stare, Jian Jixing sensed Sheng Ruxi’s attempt to test her.

Perhaps the provocation from Xie Jinheng tonight had been too strong, forcing Jian Jixing to remember a heart that had been crushed and trampled upon. She thought she was no longer afraid, but it turned out she still was. Even though she knew Sheng Ruxi and Xie Jinheng were completely different people, the betrayal of a former partner shouldn’t be the reason she feared showing her true heart to Sheng Ruxi now.

But she still hesitated.

Sheng Ruxi released her grip on Jian Jixing’s face. She already had her answer. She wanted to pull her lips into a smile, but found it difficult to even move them.

“What are you waiting for?” Sheng Ruxi faced her. “Kiss me.”

Her tone had turned icy, entirely different from when she first got into the car. This kiss did not feel like one between lovers. Jian Jixing’s heart twinged with a sharp pain, feeling lost in the current situation.

“After we kiss, then what?”

“Weren’t you unable to stand it? Now you can endure it again?” Sheng Ruxi straightened up slightly in Jian Jixing’s arms. Even though it was a small movement, Jian Jixing’s sharp senses caught it. Sheng Ruxi’s eyes held a hint of scrutiny. “How many ‘times’ are left between us? I know you’ve been keeping track.”

This time, Sheng Ruxi took the initiative to kiss her, but Jian Jixing turned away. Her breathing grew heavy—this time from anger.

They had clearly agreed before that once they started, it wouldn’t end easily, and the fixed number of “times” from their initial marriage contract no longer counted. Yet Sheng Ruxi brought it up now; Jian Jixing knew she was doing it on purpose. She was reminding Jian Jixing that this was still just a contract, a marriage agreed upon to be kept secret. They were only together temporarily, even though Jian Jixing had truly lost her heart.

Sheng Ruxi, however, still had the ability to walk away.

Jian Jixing’s gaze suddenly shifted to the back of Sheng Ruxi’s neck. She knew that while their compatibility was high, she hadn’t given Sheng Ruxi a permanent mark. In that moment, she even felt a despicable urge to mark Sheng Ruxi permanently, to trap her by her side forever. To make her behave, to make her listen, to make her love willingly.

Sheng Ruxi’s eyes never left Jian Jixing. She watched closely, hoping to find a clue in her expression or the answer she craved. She leaned in closer again. “Why are you avoiding me?”

“Jian Jixing, why?” Sheng Ruxi approached. Even though Jian Jixing had turned her head away, Sheng Ruxi didn’t move away from her. “Why is it that you’re willing if I want to sleep with you, but you’re unwilling if I’m doing it to ‘complete a task’? Does mentioning the ‘times’ make you that angry?”

Her fingertips poked at Jian Jixing’s chest, one by one, adding a layer of ambiguity.

“Now that you’re in front of me, you know how to feel wronged and unhappy. Earlier, when you were facing Xie Jinheng, why didn’t you give her two slaps if you were unhappy?” Sheng Ruxi let out a dry chuckle. Her well-manicured nails had a slight point to them, making every spot she touched on Jian Jixing’s body itch and tingle. There was some force behind the pokes, but they didn’t hurt.

Jian Jixing tried to steady her breathing but found it impossible. It wasn’t just her breath; her emotions were magnified several times over by the darkness. Indeed, in front of Sheng Ruxi, she easily lost her so-called composure.

Unfortunately, Sheng Ruxi was also someone who would push back when angry. Logic told Jian Jixing that it was better not to speak, but the moment she turned and met Sheng Ruxi’s eyes, the words escaped: “I can’t compartmentalize like you do—wanting and not wanting all in a single instant.”

After saying it, she pursed her lips tightly. Sheng Ruxi’s expression froze, then her brow furrowed, and her face darkened.

“I compartmentalize? When did I say I ‘didn’t want’?” Sheng Ruxi really wanted to slap Jian Jixing, but she held back. She asked, “Do you think my feelings for you are just a game?”

Jian Jixing’s head began to ache. Sheng Ruxi had come here to comfort her, and she had expected their physical intimacy to be a natural progression of their emotions. She hadn’t expected this cold exchange that was dousing every spark of desire.

Ultimately, she still hadn’t made Jian Jixing truly believe in her. But couldn’t Jian Jixing judge for herself whether the feelings were real? Jian Jixing wasn’t an idiot, and neither was she. Sheng Ruxi could clearly realize that Jian Jixing’s insecurity stemmed from being too cowardly to truly take that step forward.

Jian Jixing remained silent. Only her hand, hanging at her side, gripped the hem of her clothes tightly. Sheng Ruxi refused to let her retreat any further. She reached out and firmly turned Jian Jixing’s chin to force her to face her.

“Even if you believe my sincerity is fleeting,” Sheng Ruxi said slowly, each word deliberate and clear, “can’t you be brave for once and seize the sincerity of this moment?”

“I’ve already seized it before.”

“…No, you haven’t!” Sheng Ruxi’s body language and expression showed her anger. Her emotions were laid bare, desperate to break through Jian Jixing’s inner defenses. “Can’t you just live recklessly for yourself for once?”

She recalled the script Xie Jinheng mentioned that Jian Jixing was going to film—about releasing desire. In her eyes, Jian Jixing desperately needed to release her desires, in whatever form.

Unlike herself. Sheng Ruxi had never known what it meant to suppress herself since she was a child; she always got what she wanted. It was only with Jian Jixing that she had hit a wall, yet this obstacle only made her more addicted.

Jian Jixing looked at Sheng Ruxi and answered in a low voice, “In front of you, I have been reckless enough.”

No, you haven’t. If you really trusted me, you would be arguing with me right now. You could even just kiss me. Why won’t you do that? Why can’t you let me be the most special person? Special enough to hold all of your sadness and grievances.

Lights flickered in a nearby lane—perhaps a car or a person—reminding them that this wasn’t a completely private place. Jian Jixing wanted to let go of Sheng Ruxi or move back to the driver’s seat. It was too stifling in the car; she could hardly breathe.

She pressed the button to roll the window down a bit. A sliver of light from outside fell in, catching the corner of Sheng Ruxi’s eye. Sheng Ruxi pinned down Jian Jixing’s hand as she tried to pull away.

“You’re not allowed.”

“What?”

“You’re not allowed to leave, and you’re not allowed to let go of me.” Sheng Ruxi gripped Jian Jixing’s fingers tightly. “I have plenty of sincerity left. You’ve only seized one moment; there’s the next moment, and the moment after that—countless moments.”

Sheng Ruxi continued, “Don’t even think about leaving. Tonight, tomorrow night, the night after, and the night after that… don’t think about leaving.”

Jian Jixing’s heart trembled. She understood exactly what Sheng Ruxi was saying. Her fingers were touching the hard leather of the car, but as Sheng Ruxi whispered in her ear, it felt as though she were touching that soft, beautiful sincerity.

Sheng Ruxi pulled Jian Jixing’s hand back. She used a lot of force, pulling Jian Jixing backward. She turned her body slightly in the cramped space, pinning Jian Jixing against the car door. One long leg braced against the side while she knelt on the seat with the other.

Their eyes met. Without a word, Sheng Ruxi took the lead, leaning down to press her lips against Jian Jixing’s.

The wait for this kiss had been far too long. Their hearts had been in turmoil, having reached their limit of endurance. Now that it finally landed, it was exceptionally heavy and deep.

Jian Jixing held Sheng Ruxi with immense strength, lifting her so she sat fully on her lap. She felt Sheng Ruxi’s high heels—the thin, sharp heels and the angular rhinestones—pressing into her palms. She easily removed them.

Throughout the process, Jian Jixing never let go. They kissed until their bodies seemed to melt together. Sheng Ruxi’s legs tangled around her, while Jian Jixing hooked Sheng Ruxi’s tongue with hers, stealing all her breath. Those long legs were like a serpent, like water, coiling around her and drenching her.

Jian Jixing knew Sheng Ruxi’s reactions all too well. As her hand found the thin zipper on the back of Sheng Ruxi’s dress, she managed to find a brief moment of clarity. She leaned close to Sheng Ruxi’s ear: “Let’s go home now.”