After Entering A Marriage of Convenience With My Omega Rival - Chapter 18

Chapter 18: “She Kissed Me.”

When Sheng Ruxi headed out, she already had her phone ready with the camera app open, waiting to capture the sight of Jian Jixing crying.

It was silent.

Is this woman a silent crier? That’s surprisingly considerate of her, but unnecessary.

The backyard was filled with jagged rockeries, pavilions, and terraces, looking like a set from a historical drama. The difference was that film sets used props, while every piece of landscaping in Jian Jixing’s home was a genuine antique.

Seeing this, the flash of guilt Sheng Ruxi felt about her plan to secretly film Jian Jixing’s ugly crying face dimmed.

She searched along the path and found Jian Jixing sitting quietly by a tea table with her back turned, leaning casually against an ancient tree.

Huh? Is she done crying? Cried until she has no strength left?

Actually…

When an Alpha is excessively sad, an Omega’s pheromones can provide excellent comfort. If Jian Jixing’s attitude improved a bit, letting her have a few sniffs wouldn’t be out of the question.

Sensing her approach, Jian Jixing turned her head. There wasn’t a trace of crying on her face; instead, she looked perfectly composed, squinting at her as she spat out an unknown leaf she had been chewing on.

Seeing the phone in Sheng Ruxi’s hand, how could Jian Jixing not guess her intentions?

She gave the camera a wink.

Sheng Ruxi: “…” She had truly wasted her worry, thinking Jian Jixing would actually be sad.

This shrew! All those expressions earlier must have been an act for me!

Sheng Ruxi’s concern evaporated. She even wondered why she had bothered to help set those gift boxes back up earlier.

“You’re worried about me?” Jian Jixing habitually moved over to make room beside her, gesturing for Sheng Ruxi to sit.

Sheng Ruxi sat opposite Jian Jixing, immediately finding the cushion beneath her a bit hard.

She frowned, which Jian Jixing noticed. The director gave a light chuckle: “The ones on my side are double-layered, Little Mung Bean.”

Great, she’s still joking. It seemed there was nothing wrong with her emotional state at all. Her worry had been for nothing.

“I’m warning you, do not mention ‘Little Mung Bean’ ever again!” Sheng Ruxi bristled easily, but even in her anger, she was still observing Jian Jixing.

She felt that the current Jian Jixing probably didn’t need her to ask: Are you okay?

Sheng Ruxi had a strong premonition that if she did ask, she wouldn’t get a real answer anyway.

Jian Jixing laughed again. She placed a freshly brewed cup of tea in front of Sheng Ruxi; the liquid was a clear, bright orange-red. Sheng Ruxi clicked her tongue and said, “I don’t like tea.”

She liked sweet things. Despite saying that, considering Jian Jixing’s current (supposedly) bad mood, Sheng Ruxi gave her face and took a sip.

Jian Jixing didn’t refill it. She brewed her own tea and drank two cups. Watching her, Sheng Ruxi suddenly felt that Jian Jixing’s mannerisms were sometimes remarkably like an old person’s.

This person was so contradictory—clearly possessing such a steady side, yet still so fond of bickering with her.

Though Jian Jixing looked calm, she was much quieter than usual. What had she been thinking about during her time alone before Sheng Ruxi arrived?

Beating around the bush wasn’t Sheng Ruxi’s style. After another sip of the tea Jian Jixing handed over, she spoke plainly: “If you don’t want to stay here, we don’t have to stay the night.”

“Hmm? You’re not used to it here?” Jian Jixing raised her eyes to ask.

“I’m afraid you…” Sheng Ruxi knitted her brows, confused as to how Jian Jixing could maintain this “nothing happened” facade. If it were her, the whole family coming to coax her wouldn’t be enough to fix things.

Jian Jixing was certain now: Sheng Ruxi was awkwardly caring for her.

This was a rare sight. This proud princess, who usually took pleasure in insulting her, was actually willing to deign to listen to her inner thoughts. Jian Jixing’s emotional regulation was actually very fast; such worry wasn’t necessary.

Yan Huaixi was still young; it was normal to occasionally lose control of pheromones. If it weren’t for Sheng Ruxi’s presence today, Jian Jixing wouldn’t have even gotten angry with a child, much less a birthday girl.

In that situation, Yue Ai couldn’t release pheromones to suppress her own daughter, could she? They would be too reluctant. And Jian Jixing couldn’t let Sheng Ruxi release pheromones first before releasing her own… so she had to be the one to stop Yan Huaixi.

Even though she didn’t have pheromones herself, she felt a very real sense of displeasure at the fact that her Omega was being offended. That’s why her expression had been so grim.

Having been hit by quite a surge of pheromones, Jian Jixing also felt the urge to vomit. Fortunately, her mind remained clear enough to control her strength; otherwise, Yan Huaixi would be lying on the floor right now.

However.

If she acted a bit more heartbroken, would Sheng Ruxi be more well-behaved?

At that thought, Jian Jixing changed her expression. Her tone dropped, sounding somewhat dejected: “It’s fine. It’s been like this for so long, I’ve gotten used to it.”

Sheng Ruxi got goosebumps. She felt Jian Jixing looked a bit strange—was the blow really that big?

Jian Jixing lowered her eyes to the rim of her teacup to keep herself from laughing out loud, then added: “It’s also my own lack of ability… being unable to use pheromones to protect you in a moment like that.”

Wait, don’t be like this—

Sheng Ruxi felt even more awkward. All the retorts she wanted to throw at Jian Jixing were stuck in her throat. Especially since Jian Jixing was keeping her head down—was she hiding wet eyes? She struggled to find words, eventually saying dryly: “It’s okay, it’s not your fault.”

Jian Jixing: “Mm.”

Sheng Ruxi: “And you’re not ‘incapable.’ You just have a bit of Pheromone Lag Syndrome. Didn’t you use it quite well in front of me?”

Jian Jixing’s voice was very soft: “Did I? When you said I was incapable back then, I was sad for a long time.”

“I was joking then…” Sheng Ruxi really didn’t know how to comfort her. She couldn’t exactly go back in time and slap her past self. She was getting anxious; she really wasn’t used to this version of herself.

“Just follow the doctor’s treatment plan, it’ll get better,” Sheng Ruxi finally managed to say.

“But it doesn’t seem to be working right now.”

Seeing that Jian Jixing hadn’t looked up since the topic of pheromones began, Sheng Ruxi couldn’t help but wonder: Did my mockery back then really have such a severe impact on her?

How deep has this child’s inferiority complex become!

As if she had made a firm decision, her jade-like fingers curled into a fist, resting against the table edge: “Jian Jixing, how about I let you have a sniff? It might make you feel better.”

Could such a good thing really happen? Jian Jixing remained outwardly impassive, still not looking up: “Does it count as one of those twelve times?”

Sheng Ruxi: “Why do you think I’m so petty? It’s just a few sniffs, it’s not like we’re doing it.”

“What if I still feel bad after a few sniffs?” Jian Jixing sighed softly.

Sheng Ruxi didn’t think too much of it; she just didn’t want the person in front of her to be so downcast, even if that person was Jian Jixing. She reached out and gave a little tug on the end of Jian Jixing’s hair: “Don’t underestimate my pheromones. If you really want to regain your dignity, just secretly sniff some of my pheromones in the future before you go bully Huaixi.”

Jian Jixing could hardly suppress the upward curl of her lips. She nodded, seemingly reluctant to agree: “Then let’s try it. Sit over here.”

Sheng Ruxi was rarely this obedient.

Just as her backside touched the soft double-layered cushion, the “despondent” Jian Jixing, who was supposedly waiting for Omega comfort, suddenly raised her head. Her dark eyes were like cold stars reflected in a deep pool—deep, shining, and inscrutable.

An arm wrapped around her shoulder, and Jian Jixing’s chin was already near her nape.

“Sheng Ruxi, are you perhaps a bit too trusting of Alphas?”

It wasn’t until that teasing laughter reached her ear that Sheng Ruxi realized she’d been played. She immediately tried to get up in a huff, but was pressed back into the embrace by Jian Jixing.

A faint heat brushed against the delicate, sensitive area behind her ear. Jian Jixing deliberately slowed her pace, her lips nearly brushing Sheng Ruxi’s earlobe as she spoke.

“Don’t be nervous. We agreed on a few sniffs, don’t back out now.”

Even if Sheng Ruxi didn’t release her pheromones intentionally, just being close to her gland allowed one to smell the familiar sweet-and-sour berries mixed with sweet malt.

Like a cat smelling catnip, Jian Jixing lowered her head, sniffing delicately, getting closer and closer.

Sheng Ruxi stiffened but didn’t move. Soon, she felt the cool scent of dried tangerine peel envelop her. The difference this time was that she seemed to detect a hint of sweet aftertaste.

Jian Jixing is in a good mood?

So she was just messing with me earlier!!

As her emotions fluctuated, Jian Jixing whispered in her ear: “It smells even better now.”

Sheng Ruxi: “…”

God damn it, Jian Jixing is flirting with her again.

“As agreed, this doesn’t count toward our deal.” Jian Jixing’s arm rested on her waist. Her gaze naturally fell on Sheng Ruxi’s slightly parted lips, just watching.

When she was talking, it was fine—Jian Jixing’s words were punchable, so Sheng Ruxi would just get angry. But when Jian Jixing stopped talking and just looked at her, the air grew thick with ambiguity, as if her gaze had physical texture, stroking her.

“Now I want to ask, what if I’ve had two sniffs and I still don’t feel better?”

How much better does she need to feel? Why is she looking there… what does she want to do here?

“What exactly do you want?” Sheng Ruxi asked in a low voice, not daring to turn her head because she knew Jian Jixing was inches away. Turning her head would cross the temporary safety threshold.

“I want to try something else,” Jian Jixing said calmly. “Just two sniffs isn’t enough to soothe the soul wounded by being called ‘incapable’.”

She was certainly honest. Sheng Ruxi admired how Jian Jixing could separate personal feelings from personal desires so clearly.

With the hint laid out that plainly, Sheng Ruxi would be a fool not to understand. She steeled herself—it was just a kiss, right? It wasn’t like they hadn’t kissed before.

Once is a first, twice is a habit.

Last time Jian Jixing moved first; now it was her turn.

Sheng Ruxi turned her head and bumped directly into Jian Jixing’s lips. She heard Jian Jixing let out a low laugh—the sound made Sheng Ruxi’s ears go numb.

The hand Jian Jixing had on her nape squeezed twice, making Sheng Ruxi retreat a tiny distance. Sheng Ruxi’s hand rested on Jian Jixing’s chest, subconsciously clutching the open collar of her shirt.

When Jian Jixing’s tongue suddenly brushed against the seam of her lips, Sheng Ruxi’s breathing grew erratic.

The air grew as sweet as the first ripe berry of early summer. Because of Sheng Ruxi’s response, Jian Jixing gently explored inside, tasting the tangible sweet-and-sour flavor.

Their breaths gradually merged. The long kiss was finally ended by Jian Jixing pulling away. Sheng Ruxi went soft in Jian Jixing’s arms. Jian Jixing’s hand moved from her nape down to the curve of her lower back, stroking her rhythmically to soothe her.

Jian Jixing had drunk a few cups of tea earlier; Sheng Ruxi thought it would taste bitter, like the tea she’d had. To her surprise, it wasn’t; she tasted a sweet aftertaste, like the tea, but also like Jian Jixing’s pheromones.

For the first time, she felt that kissing Jian Jixing could actually leave her wanting more.

My brain must be broken—

Seeing Jian Jixing’s smiling eyes, Sheng Ruxi couldn’t help herself: “Are you capable or not?”

The kiss was Jian Jixing’s idea, yet she was the one who ended it.

Jian Jixing slowly let go of her: “If I weren’t capable, would I have let you go?”

She let go while she still had her reason, lest they cause a scene here and end up with this Ancestor throwing a tantrum.

She helped Sheng Ruxi up, letting go only after making sure she could stand steadily. She hadn’t eaten her fill at the dinner table tonight, but she had certainly been “fed” by Sheng Ruxi.

Jian Jixing looked at Sheng Ruxi’s exposed gland. She reached out and pulled Sheng Ruxi’s hair over it, covering it tightly, then released some pheromones onto her to completely mask her own. Only then was she satisfied.

Sheng Ruxi said: “Do you know you look very smug right now?”

“Because kissing you has a much better comforting effect than sniffing you twice,” Jian Jixing said. “Thank you for your selfless contribution.”

Sheng Ruxi wanted to hit her. Jian Jixing laughed and caught her wrist, giving it a little shake. Sheng Ruxi wasn’t as strong as Jian Jixing and couldn’t land a blow. Her mouth felt dry, so she gulped down the rest of the tea from before. The bitterness made her stick out her tongue.

Wasn’t it the same tea? It tasted so sweet in Jian Jixing’s mouth.

She stared at the empty cup in disbelief, then held it out to Jian Jixing. Jian Jixing poured her another cup, only to see Sheng Ruxi take half a sip and frown again in disgust.

“Don’t force it if you don’t like it.”

Sheng Ruxi asked curiously: “But why did it taste sweet in your mouth? Did you secretly switch my tea?”

Jian Jixing directly took the cup she had left over and finished it. Looking at Sheng Ruxi with moist lips, she asked: “Want to try again?”

Sheng Ruxi stood up and walked over to Jian Jixing. She leaned in, but just as their noses were about to touch, she snatched a tissue and pressed it against Jian Jixing’s lips, laughing triumphantly.

“You’re captivated by me, aren’t you?” Sheng Ruxi poked Jian Jixing’s lower lip with her fingertip. “If you want to kiss me, just say so. Don’t use those high-sounding, hypocritical excuses.”

So bold.

To flirt like this right after a kiss—Jian Jixing knew she was no saint.

The tissue, dampened with a bit of moisture, fell and was caught by Jian Jixing. When she stood up, Sheng Ruxi read the dangerous look in her eyes and immediately retreated a long distance.

Jian Jixing gave a huff of laughter: “Now you know to be afraid of me? Do you think I’ll eat you?”

At this, Sheng Ruxi got angry. Her bright, beautiful eyes shimmered, and her face flushed slightly: “Then don’t eat!”

Having just kissed, Sheng Ruxi’s temper fluctuated between sharp and soft, like a flower that opened and closed at will. When she felt like it, she’d show off her beauty, but she could never hide her scent or her sunrise-colored cheeks.

As soon as these words came out, Jian Jixing immediately recalled certain previous scenes and froze.

“…”

She had indeed said the “eat” line before. Faced with Sheng Ruxi’s retort, she couldn’t argue and could only fall silent for a moment.

Jian Jixing pursed her lips, gave Sheng Ruxi a meaningful look, and stopped approaching.

Though Sheng Ruxi was proud of winning a round, how could she not know what was in Jian Jixing’s head? She had naturally thought of that scene as well.

They couldn’t leave the elders alone for too long. Having achieved her goal of “comforting” Jian Jixing and seeing that she was truly okay, she prepared to return to the living room.

After a few steps, she turned back. The breeze blew through her hair. With her bright eyes and white teeth, her face looked even more radiant and gentle than the early summer wind.

“By the way, Jian Jixing.” Sheng Ruxi’s eyes curved as she looked over with a beaming smile. “The celadon lotus-patterned vase you gave my big brother—he uses it all the time. The inkstone you gave my father—he uses it every day when he writes. And my mother uses the incense burner you gave her every day. They all love your gifts very much and asked me to thank you on their behalf.”

Sheng Ruxi named each gift specifically; her family clearly valued them. Whether the giver had put heart into it could be felt upon opening.

The vase her brother wanted was actually something Sheng Ruxi had complained about once when she was annoyed: “Using a vase to keep flowers, why is it so much trouble? It looks so old-fashioned…”

Sheng Ruxi loved fashionable things and wasn’t yet at the age to appreciate antiques. Moreover, that item was rare—even her brother didn’t have one. She didn’t know where Jian Jixing had found it.

Love me, love my dog.

Because her family loved her, they extended that love to Jian Jixing as well. Sheng Ruxi didn’t even want to mention how many times those gifts had been shown off; her mother used to light incense once a day, but now she wanted to use it constantly.

Jian Jixing didn’t say a word. Only after Sheng Ruxi’s figure had vanished did she withdraw her gaze. She suddenly felt a slight ache in her cheeks, and only then realized.

From the moment Sheng Ruxi said those words until now, she had been smiling.

…

Walking slowly back to the living room, Jian Jixing saw Yan Huaixi standing at a distance from Sheng Ruxi with a “guilty” look on her face, her cheeks still flushed deep red.

The pheromones left on Sheng Ruxi’s body made Yan Huaixi’s breathing ragged. Her back felt cold from the intense pressure.

She couldn’t even get close to her sister-in-law.

“Don’t worry, your sister doesn’t blame you.” Sheng Ruxi smiled dismissively, then turned to see Jian Jixing approaching. “Ah, she’s here.”

“Sister!” Yan Huaixi was startled and took two steps back, her flushed face instantly losing its color. Since the two elders weren’t around, Jian Jixing raised an eyebrow: “You’re okay now?”

Yan Huaixi thought to herself: How can I be okay? Every hair on her body was standing up!

She forced herself not to move, but her legs felt weak as Jian Jixing approached. She was almost in tears. Jian Jixing reached out to steady her, and Yan Huaixi blurted out as if reacting to a trigger: “I’m fine! Really fine! Mom said to come find her in the tea room when you have time.”

Jian Jixing let it go. When she was about to leave, Sheng Ruxi followed: “I’ll go with you.”

“Can’t bear to leave me?” Jian Jixing stopped and teased casually. She thought Sheng Ruxi would give up, but to her surprise, Sheng Ruxi actually took her arm and even gave a little squeeze near her armpit.

Sheng Ruxi whispered: “Isn’t Mom just trying to see how our relationship is developing? At a time like this, shouldn’t you beg me to put on a good show with you?”

“I won’t trouble you with that. Acting at work, then acting when you finally have time off—don’t you find it exhausting?” Jian Jixing removed Sheng Ruxi’s mischievous hand from her body. “Unless you admit… you were just worried about me?”

“Don’t be so narcissistic.” Sheng Ruxi immediately gave Jian Jixing a push to distance herself.

They had only kissed twice; saying such things was impolite.

Ignoring Jian Jixing, Sheng Ruxi went upstairs. She went to the bathroom to wash her face and happened to receive a call from Yan Fuzheng.

“What are you up to? No word since you went back from the hospital. Don’t tell me Jian Jixing—” Yan Fuzheng was dying of curiosity. “I’ll never say whether she’s ‘capable’ or not again.”

Jian Jixing’s sudden voice back then had scared Yan Fuzheng half to death; it sounded like a dangerous Alpha warning.

Sheng Ruxi snorted coldly: “Never say she’s incapable? I’m going to say it anyway, and I’m going to say it to Wuwu. That bastard only knows how to bully people, thinking being an Alpha is so great.”

She used an angry tone to hide the stray thoughts that had sprouted since the hospital room incident, not wanting her friend to hear the ripples in her heart.

Yan Fuzheng knew Sheng Ruxi well and eventually sensed something was off: “Who upset you, my lady?”

“Who else could it be!”

“…Aren’t you at Jian Jixing’s house today? She can still upset you? Isn’t she afraid you’ll complain?” Yan Fuzheng laughed.

“She kissed me.”

“Oh, she kissed you… what, WHAT?? WHAT?? She kissed you?!” Yan Fuzheng knew the hostile relationship between Sheng Ruxi and Jian Jixing. It was said that these two could keep their mouths shut tight even during marking—how could they kiss just like that?

And is this Ancestor okay now? Shouldn’t she have already been doing it with her Alpha until the world turned dark?

“Is it fun for her to tease me? I thought she was unhappy, so I magnanimously allowed her two sniffs of my pheromones as a comfort agent. But she said it wasn’t enough. I thought she was really crying from sadness, but it was all an act! A total act!”

“I didn’t want to kiss her, I just didn’t want to lose. If she dared to kiss me first, I’d bite her. I wanted to kiss longer than her… Hey, are you listening?”

Yan Fuzheng was quite shocked, holding her phone like a wooden statue: “I’m listening.”

“Anyway, I won. She was the one who let go first. I really don’t know what she’s thinking. Hmm, Fufu, I won, didn’t I?”

Yan Fuzheng: “Do you want to hear the truth?”

Perhaps because she was getting worked up, Sheng Ruxi felt a bit hot. She closed the bathroom door to take a shower.

“Tell me.” Sheng Ruxi turned on the shower, leaving the phone on speaker.

Yan Fuzheng: “Aside from the embarrassment, your tone is full of aftertaste.”

Sheng Ruxi: “?”

She immediately retorted reflexively: “Don’t say such weird things late at night, I want to get a good sleep. How could I have an aftertaste from kissing Jian Jixing? Not possible.”

Yan Fuzheng was silent. Sheng Ruxi, not knowing if she was talking to the person on the phone or herself, added: “If there’s an aftertaste, it would at least be with Wuwu.”

“Why do you always bring up Professor Chu? What do you even like about her?”

“I think you’re deceiving yourself.” Yan Fuzheng laughed. “It was the same back in school. You suddenly said you wanted to confess to Chu Wu. I don’t even know how you fell for her. Could it be just to spite Jian Jixing?”

“Nonsense. You don’t understand. I won’t talk about this with you anymore.” The heat in the bathroom made Sheng Ruxi’s face flush. She put the phone down, thought for a while, then wiped herself dry and patted her cheeks in front of the mirror.

Soft and hot. Just a simple shower had made her that hot.

Suddenly, the bathroom door was knocked lightly in a playful manner, and Jian Jixing’s voice rang out.

“Done washing? If you don’t come out, I’m afraid tomorrow’s tabloids will say my bathroom eats female stars.”

Sheng Ruxi wrapped a soft bath towel around her head and swung the door open. “I really can’t expect ivory to come out of your mouth.”

Jian Jixing had changed clothes, having already showered downstairs before coming up. Seeing Sheng Ruxi come out, she followed and leaned slowly against the headboard.

Sheng Ruxi sat with her back to her. After blow-drying her hair, she was leisurely applying hair oil when she asked: “What did Mom say to you?”

Jian Jixing: “She said we both looked great at the awards ceremony and showed me ticket stubs from the several times she’s watched my movie recently.”

Sheng Ruxi’s lips curved slightly. She stopped applying the oil and climbed onto the bed on her knees. A beauty reclining by the headboard, her fingers shining under the lamp from the oil, she beckoned to Jian Jixing.

Jian Jixing was puzzled and didn’t move. Sheng Ruxi still had some patience left; she hooked her finger again and gave Jian Jixing a look.

Jian Jixing said: “If your eyelid is cramping, go to sleep early.”

“Bold slave, how can you talk like that?” Sheng Ruxi restrained herself. Having “helped” Jian Jixing earlier, she felt perfectly justified in ordering her around: “Come here and rub my hands for me.”

Jian Jixing was over her tone and wanted to retort, but the scent of Sheng Ruxi’s body wash suddenly wafted over—it was the bottle she kept at home, orange blossom and pomegranate.

The familiar scent silenced Jian Jixing. She suddenly forgave Sheng Ruxi’s pickiness.

She went to the bed and grabbed the hand cream from the tray of bottles on Sheng Ruxi’s nightstand. There was a crisp sound as she opened it, but she didn’t squeeze any out. She snapped it shut again with a “thud.”

“I have principles,” Jian Jixing said slowly. “In principle, I only apply hand cream for my wife.”

“What are you mumbling about? Do I have to kiss you again?” Sheng Ruxi couldn’t stand Jian Jixing’s stalling. She gave a kick toward her, but mid-air she remembered Jian Jixing’s habit of grabbing her ankle and warily pulled back. Only her toes brushed against Jian Jixing’s leg.

It was a negligible amount of force, yet it felt itchy and tingly.

Jian Jixing’s voice dropped: “If you dare try.”

Sheng Ruxi was somewhat smug: “I knew you couldn’t resist my pheromones. Can’t you just say you like me?”

Jian Jixing didn’t argue further. She opened the cap of the hand cream again, squeezed two pumps of the milky white cream into her palm, rubbed it out, and slowly approached Sheng Ruxi.

She pulled Sheng Ruxi’s perfectly maintained hands over. The cream mixed with their body heat. Jian Jixing applied it very carefully—palms, between the fingers, the jade-like fingertips—all were covered. The moisturizing cream made a strange and subtle sound as it was rubbed in, catalyzed by their body heat. Sheng Ruxi suddenly went quiet.

Jian Jixing seemed very focused, but Sheng Ruxi felt the silence was making her uneasy. The person in front of her seemed to be just seriously applying hand cream, while she was the only one with stray thoughts.

There was no ceiling light in the room; the atmosphere light behind Jian Jixing cast a warm, molten glow over her. Because Jian Jixing was looking down to serve her, Sheng Ruxi realized she looked very gentle this way.

Thick eyelashes, slightly upturned eyes, lips that were neither thick nor thin. Jian Jixing didn’t have a prominent philtrum, but there was a natural curve in the middle of her upper lip. It was soft when kissed. Light entered her eyes through the gaps in her lashes, stirring circles of golden ripples.

Sheng Ruxi suddenly remembered Yan Fuzheng’s words—she really was reminiscing about the feeling of kissing Jian Jixing.

Just as Jian Jixing was applying the cream nicely, Sheng Ruxi suddenly pulled her hand back without any lingering. She looked up and said: “What are you unsatisfied with now?”

Not knowing if she was disgusted by the word “you,” Sheng Ruxi actually turned her face away and ignored her, not even caring about the hand cream. Jian Jixing was truly over it—what else could she say? Little Ancestor, my lady, Princess, how on earth can you be satisfied?

Jian Jixing reached over the reclining Sheng Ruxi to put the hand cream back in its place; it landed in the box with a “thud.”

Sheng Ruxi suddenly turned back, pressing both hands against Jian Jixing’s face. Jian Jixing couldn’t move, frozen right above Sheng Ruxi’s body.

In terms of ways to torture people, the bedtime activities Sheng Ruxi came up with every night were among the best. Jian Jixing was utterly helpless. The hand cream hadn’t been fully absorbed; Sheng Ruxi’s palms were hot and moist, leading Jian Jixing to have some unsafe thoughts.

Seeing Jian Jixing like this, Sheng Ruxi’s lips curled into a smile: “Keep being fierce. If you say something I don’t like again, I’ll hit you.”

Jian Jixing raised an eyebrow and naturally blurted out: “Then I’ll thank you for the reward first.”

Sheng Ruxi: “…”

Her hands slid down, resting lightly on the quilt.

The lights went out.

Jian Jixing slept on the other side, keeping her usual distance from Sheng Ruxi. The bed was huge.

Sheng Ruxi suddenly asked: “Do you have anything else to say?”

Jian Jixing spoke immediately: “I just applied hand cream for you. Shouldn’t you thank me?”

This wasn’t the answer Sheng Ruxi wanted. She felt Jian Jixing was doing it on purpose, so she also said stiffly on purpose: “Thank you, Director Jian.”

Jian Jixing gave a sound of acknowledgement and casually pulled up the quilt on the side: “Go to sleep early.”

But as soon as she said this, Sheng Ruxi suddenly threw off the quilt. Jian Jixing was even faster, immediately rolling over to trap Sheng Ruxi between her arms.

As if she could see in the dark, the moment Sheng Ruxi reached out, she caught her wrist with one hand.

“Want to ambush me?”

“I can’t sleep right now.”

Who falls asleep the second they close their eyes? Can this lady have a bit of patience? Jian Jixing took a deep breath, trying to be patient: “What do you want?”

She paused, then added: “What exactly do you want to do?”

This sentence almost choked Sheng Ruxi. All the mental struggle she’d been doing vanished, replaced by anger as she blurted out: “I just want to sleep, so what!”

Jian Jixing’s grip on her hand loosened. Sheng Ruxi immediately pulled it out to push her, but she couldn’t move her at all. She decided to do the opposite—to hide her guilt, she said on purpose: “Since we only lie together for… wanting to sleep with you doesn’t mean anything. It’s just a habitual reaction, you know? Alright—”

Before she could finish, Jian Jixing lowered her head and bit hard into her lips.

—Too much talk.

This method is still the best.