After Flirting with the God-Tier Beautiful Tycoon - Chapter 43

Just as Chen Yi wanted to take another look at that photo, Shen Xiaojiang stood up and reached out a hand toward her.

“Come on up. Doesn’t your legs ache from squatting so long?”

Chen Yi stared blankly at that beautiful hand and, subconsciously, raised her own.

Her hand hovered in mid-air, hesitating to set it down.

Shen Xiaojiang couldn’t tell what she was thinking.

“Is there something wrong with my hand?” Just as she was about to pull it back, Chen Yi shook her head and gave a faint smile.

Two seconds later, she placed her hand in the other’s palm.

With a slight tug, Shen Xiaojiang pulled Chen Yi up.

Compared to Shen Xiaojiang, Chen Yi had indeed been squatting much longer.

Standing up so suddenly made her legs feel a bit weak; her center of gravity faltered, and she swayed unsteadily.

“Shen Xiaojiang, I…” Before she could finish, Chen Yi fell right into Shen Xiaojiang’s arms.

Looking down at the top of Chen Yi’s head, Shen Xiaojiang’s eyes crinkled with laughter. “Senior, are you really that greedy for my body?”

Chen Yi snapped her head up, her cheeks flushing red. “What are you talking about?”

Her hands were wrapped around Shen Xiaojiang’s waist; now, as if in retaliation, she suddenly gave the back of the girl’s waist a sharp pinch.

Almost instantly, Shen Xiaojiang twisted in a strange posture, letting out a peculiar cry.

From Chen Yi’s perspective, the girl looked exactly like a fish flopping on a deck.

For the first time, Chen Yi laughed out loud. “Let’s see if you still dare to tease me!”

“I was wrong, I was wrong!” Shen Xiaojiang repeatedly begged for mercy. Shen Lanxin, having sharp ears, turned to look at the two of them frolicking.

“Xiaojiang’s dad, our little girl seems to have a really good relationship with this classmate. It’s not like when Sun Jiabao used to come over,” Shen Lanxin said, putting the chopped green onions and garlic into a small saucer.

“What’s the difference?” Shen Xiaojiang’s father wasn’t much of a cook; he usually just helped Shen Lanxin with the prep.

However, the fish head soup he stewed was delicious.

Shen Lanxin pondered: “They seem very close, yet there’s also a bit of a distance. This classmate gives off a different vibe than Sun Jiabao very mature. Ah, anyway, I can’t quite put my finger on it.”

“You’re overthinking it.” Her husband focused on the task at hand.

Shen Lanxin shot him a glare. “You big block of wood, what do you know?”

He smiled but said nothing more.

“Alright, alright, I said it wrong, I won’t say it again…”

Shen Xiaojiang kept coaxing her. When it came to Chen Yi, she was always the first to admit fault.

Regardless, Chen Yi was always right.

Shen Xiaojiang wanted to push Chen Yi away because she was ticklish, yet she craved the warmth of that soft embrace.

“You certainly confess quickly. Do you really know what you did wrong?” Chen Yi pressed close to her. Through the thin layers of clothing, their body heat began to rise.

“Really, really.”

“Never going to say it again?” Chen Yi’s nimble fingers continued to poke and tickle.

Shen Xiaojiang’s waist muscles were firm as Chen Yi’s fingers brushed against them, she could clearly feel the strength of the muscles tensing.

The smile on Chen Yi’s face faltered slightly. She slowly shifted her gaze, her fingers tentatively creeping upward.

She stopped when she touched the edge of the undergarment beneath the shirt. Her heart was beating terrifyingly fast.

With the pad of her finger, Chen Yi very carefully traced the edge of the fabric.

It was true she was greedy for her body.

Very, very greedy.

“Shen Xiaojiang, if you tease me again, I’ll unhook your bra with one hand.” After Chen Yi spoke, she rested her forehead against Shen Xiaojiang’s chin, nuzzling slightly.

After a second of stunned silence, Shen Xiaojiang didn’t know whether to laugh or cry.

Chen Yi caught a glimpse of the kitchen’s glass door. Remembering where they were, she quickly pushed Shen Xiaojiang away. “Alright, no more joking.”

Her tone turned a bit cold as she said this.

Shen Xiaojiang pouted. “What’s wrong? You were the one tickling me.”

“If there’s a chance, I’ll let you tickle me back.” Chen Yi walked past her with a smile. A strand of hair brushed against Shen Xiaojiang’s cheek, leaving a faint scent that lingered for a long time.

“Hmph, I want to do it now!” With that, Shen Xiaojiang prepared to start “attacking” to find Chen Yi’s weak spots.

The two followed each other toward the sofa, moving directly into the line of sight of the kitchen door.

Chen Yi frowned slightly, extending her left index finger to press against Shen Xiaojiang’s forehead. “What are you doing?”

Shen Xiaojiang blinked. “Tickling you. Didn’t you promise I could do it ‘next time’?”

Chen Yi’s eyes flickered, the corners of her narrow eyes trembling slightly. It was an unreadable expression.

“‘Next time’ means ‘another day.'”

“Want to watch TV?” Shen Xiaojiang walked over and plopped down on the sofa.

Chen Yi sat down beside her, answering softly, “Sure.”

“Alright then.” Shen Xiaojiang fished a black remote out from the coffee table. After a few clicks, the TV turned on. “What do you want to watch? A drama or a variety show?”

“Anything is fine,” Chen Yi replied.

What they watched didn’t matter.

What mattered was where they were watching, and who she was watching with.

Both sat quite properly, with the distance of one throw pillow between them.

“Imaginary Lover?” Shen Xiaojiang rubbed the tip of her nose. “What is this?”

Chen Yi looked composed. “A dating show, probably.”

Judging by the name, it certainly sounded like one.

The sofa in Shen Xiaojiang’s house was fabric, the filling didn’t feel like anything special, but as she sat there, Chen Yi felt more relaxed than ever before, hugging a cat shaped pillow.

“Doesn’t look like it,” Shen Xiaojiang clicked on Imaginary Lover. “Looks like a movie.”

On the surface, Chen Yi seemed calm, but the moment she heard the word “movie,” her facial muscles twitched unnaturally.

As a modern young woman, there was something she was loath to admit.

She had never watched a single movie from start to finish.

“It really is a movie,” Shen Xiaojiang said, her eyes sparking as she looked at Chen Yi. “So, want to watch?”

Chen Yi’s fingers tightened around the pillow.

She feigned a lack of interest. “Whatever.”

Shen Xiaojiang pouted, thinking Chen Yi didn’t want to watch. She toyed with the remote, looking a bit disappointed.

Seeing this, Chen Yi cleared her throat. “I don’t mind. If you want to watch it, then watch it.”

Hope reignited in Shen Xiaojiang’s eyes. She smiled and pressed play.

The movie began with a vast expanse of white, accompanied by the soothing sound of white noise.

Then, blurred scenes appeared, followed by clear light.

The white noise was gradually replaced by the noisy chirping of cicadas.

In the next second, the camera zoomed in, the light dimmed, and two girls appeared sitting back-to-back, listening to music.

Under the long white headphone cord, two youthful hands were clasped together.

White short-sleeved shirts, red striped bowties, navy blue pleated skirts with water stains and chalk dust on the hems.

“What is your dream?”

“To be a teacher.”

“And you?”

“Me what?”

“What’s your dream?”

“My dream… is to make your dream come true.”

As the line finished, the two girls turned toward each other simultaneously. The wind rose, and their faces were very close.

“Little girl, does your classmate eat spicy food?” Shen Lanxin slid open the kitchen glass door, her face shiny with oil and sweat.

Shen Xiaojiang abruptly turned off the TV. The hand holding the remote trembled slightly, and her expression was incredibly awkward.

“Mom, can’t you knock before you come in?” Shen Xiaojiang’s voice jumped several decibels.

Shen Lanxin froze for a moment.

So did Chen Yi.

Shen Lanxin knitted her brows, half-smiling. “What? I have to knock to enter the living room, a public area?”

She tilted her head, glancing at the now blank TV. “What was that about?”

Chen Yi let out a soft breath, almost like a suppressed laugh.

Only then did Shen Xiaojiang realize what she had said.

The situation was so embarrassing she felt like she could dig out a three bedroom oceanfront villa with her toes.

It felt exactly like being caught by a teacher reading a spicy novel in class;

Or being caught by her mother reading a “questionable” manga under the covers.

Shen Xiaojiang: “…”

Even though she hadn’t actually done those things, she could imagine the feeling perfectly.

She blamed Sun Jiabao for always talking about “colorful” things.

This was terrible.

“Aiyoo, Mom, what did you just say?” Shen Xiaojiang couldn’t come up with a decent excuse, so she tried her best to change the subject.

Shen Lanxin didn’t pay it much mind. “I asked if your classmate eats spicy food.”

“Oh, she doesn’t…”

Chen Yi took over, her eyes curving into a soft, approachable expression. “Auntie, I can eat a little bit of spice.”

Shen Lanxin nodded and returned to the kitchen.

Shen Xiaojiang breathed a sigh of relief and was about to speak.

Then, the glass door slid open again.

“What now?” Shen Xiaojiang looked panicked.

Shen Lanxin rolled her eyes at her and gave a dry laugh. “Dinner is in half an hour.”

“Okaaaaay!”

Shen Xiaojiang dragged out the vowel.

The door closed once more.

“Auntie, I thought you couldn’t eat spicy food?” Shen Xiaojiang asked, confused.

Chen Yi bit her nail and said softly, “Since we’ll be eating together occasionally, I can’t always have you catering to my tastes. I need to make some changes too.”

Shen Xiaojiang’s eyes widened slightly.

Chen Yi wanted to change for her?

Chen Yi looked at Shen Xiaojiang’s profile and stifled a laugh.

“Hey.” She reached out and gave Shen Xiaojiang a gentle poke.

The other girl flinched as if struck by lightning, her ears turning red and her eyes looking startled.

“What’s wrong with you?” Chen Yi withdrew her hand and traced circles on the pillow.

Shen Xiaojiang snapped out of it, rubbing her neck. “Aiyoo, I don’t know how, but I just happened to click on a romance movie.”

“You did it on purpose.” Chen Yi leaned her head on her hand atop the pillow, looking at Shen Xiaojiang with a grin.

Shen Xiaojiang was speechless, but she wasn’t angry.

That’s right, she had done it on purpose.

When she was with Chen Yi, she wanted to watch romance movies.

The very, very romantic kind.

Chen Yi slowly turned her gaze, raising a slender arm to rub Shen Xiaojiang’s earlobe with two fingers. “Little one, your ear is so red.”

Shen Xiaojiang swallowed hard, her shoulder twitching.

She caught Chen Yi’s fingers. “It’s all because of you.”

“Oh? What did I do to you?” Chen Yi found it amusing.

Her face was small, which made her features look prominent a classic “strong featured” beauty.

With her head tilted and her hair scattered around her ears, her smile made her eyes look like a piece of poetry.

“It’s your fault for being too beautiful.”

Shen Xiaojiang’s random answer made the smile in Chen Yi’s eyes deepen.

“You’re not just silly, you’re a bit of a klutz.” She pulled her hand away and poked Shen Xiaojiang’s cheek.

After the poke, she quickly retracted her hand and looked down at the cat pillow.

“This pillow is quite interesting,” she said.

Shen Xiaojiang looked down too. “Oh, this is a real relic. Sun Jiabao gave it to me when she came over for my birthday dinner back in senior year.”

Chen Yi looked up. “Jiabao?”

She remembered that Shen Xiaojiang and Sun Jiabao were high school classmates and had been best friends since then.

If Sun Jiabao could come to Shen Xiaojiang’s house, then Shen Xiaojiang could go to Sun Jiabao’s.

So, was it possible that Shen Xiaojiang had been to Nancheng before university?

No.

The little girl who gave her the lollipop that year was clearly only eight or nine. Back then, Shen Xiaojiang and Sun Jiabao hadn’t even met.

There was no reason for it to be her.

Chen Yi wasn’t sure what she was thinking.

Could it be her?

If not, how could all these coincidences be explained?

And if it wasn’t… was her “light” that little girl, or was it Shen Xiaojiang?

Chen Yi’s thoughts tied themselves into a knot, but the knot soon unraveled.

“Yeah,” Shen Xiaojiang rubbed her chin, thinking for a few seconds. “I remember there was a pair of them.”

“Where’s the other one?” Chen Yi’s voice was lazy.

It seemed rare for anything to truly ruffle her. Her emotional stability was almost frightening.

“If I remember correctly, it should be in my room,” Shen Xiaojiang answered.

Chen Yi’s gaze moved from the pillow to Shen Xiaojiang, then toward the two busy figures behind the kitchen glass, before returning to Shen Xiaojiang’s face. After lingering for a few seconds, her eyes dropped back to the cat pillow.

“Where is your room?” Her voice was intentionally lowered.

Shen Xiaojiang scratched the corner of her mouth and pointed in a certain direction.

Chen Yi looked over.

On the handle of a white maple wood door hung a glass wind chime, very similar to the one at the pet shop entrance, just a different color.

She glanced sideways at Shen Xiaojiang, acting casual, and remained silent.

Shen Xiaojiang leaned in, closing the distance of the throw pillow between them until it was almost gone.

Chen Yi felt the slight breeze caused by Shen Xiaojiang’s movement.

Her fingers tightly gripped the cat ears on the pillow.

Shen Xiaojiang tilted her body, looking directly into her eyes. “What, curious?”

Chen Yi remained expressionless and silent.

“Don’t beat around the bush,” Shen Xiaojiang said.

“What?” Chen Yi asked, puzzled.

Shen Xiaojiang mimicked her earlier gesture, pressing an index finger against Chen Yi’s forehead. She blinked her beautiful, soul stirring eyes.

“Want to go take a look? At my room.”