She Gives Too Much (GL) - Chapter 19

Li Zhi held her umbrella and looked down at Chen Xi. Seeing Chen Xi lower her head, tentatively tap her shoe against Li Zhi’s, and then try to do it again, Li Zhi’s eyelid twitched.

She said mildly, “These shoes are very expensive.”

Chen Xi jerked her head up, as if just snapping out of a daze.

“Young Miss?” Chen Xi stammered, “Aren’t you supposed to… not be back until tomorrow?”

Li Zhi, who was supposed to return tomorrow evening, stood before her in a camel-colored trench coat, one hand casually tucked into her pocket.

She held a large black umbrella, its canopy sheltering both of them and tilting slightly toward Chen Xi’s side.

In her daze, Chen Xi felt as if she were being sheltered beneath the umbrella, the person holding it creating a small haven for her in the autumn night rain.

“Didn’t you say you missed me?”

Li Zhi lowered her gaze to look at her. In the dim light of the rainy night, her expression was obscured, but her voice was soft as she replied, “So I came back early.”

Chen Xi’s eyes flickered, and she couldn’t resist reaching out to hug Li Zhi around the waist, pressing herself into her slightly cool embrace.

The distance between them closed abruptly.

Li Zhi’s grip on the umbrella handle tightened slightly, her lashes fluttering as she lowered her gaze.

The fatigue from driving for hours vanished instantly, her heart settling into a sense of peace, as if Chen Xi had filled it completely.

Chen Xi didn’t even notice the umbrella slipping from her grasp and falling behind them. She tilted her head back, her eyes sparkling as she gazed up at Li Zhi.

“I missed you so much,” she murmured, wrapping her arms around Li Zhi’s slender waist beneath her camel-colored trench coat and white shirt. She inhaled the familiar cool fragrance emanating from Li Zhi, her voice softening into a playful whine.

“I really want you to kiss me.”

Li Zhi awkwardly pulled her hand from her pocket and let it hang at her side, her lashes lowering as she looked down at Chen Xi. The words of refusal caught in her throat.

Chen Xi tilted her head up at her, like a drenched little kitten, reaching out with a wet paw and mewing softly.

“Please? Just one kiss? Please?”

Chen Xi clutched Li Zhi’s shirt, biting the soft flesh of her inner lip. “Just this once, I’ll make an exception.”

She knew Li Zhi wasn’t fond of public displays of affection. They’d even agreed to pretend they didn’t know each other in public.

Chen Xi understood all this. Normally, she’d only tease Li Zhi a little, never actually let her kiss her.

But today felt like rain was falling in her heart, a dampness yearning for a dry refuge.

She wanted to feel cherished, to be indulged in her whims just once.

Li Zhi lowered her gaze to Chen Xi, sighing inwardly with a hint of helplessness.

She cupped Chen Xi’s cheek with one hand, lowering the black umbrella to shield them both. Bending down, she pressed a light kiss to Chen Xi’s lips.

Cool and damp.

Li Zhi’s touch was as fleeting as a dragonfly’s kiss. She was about to pull away when Chen Xi suddenly wrapped her arms around Li Zhi’s neck, deepening the kiss.

In the quiet, deserted campus, under the dim autumn rain—

Within the small world beneath the umbrella, their breaths mingled, igniting a spark.

When their lips parted, Chen Xi licked her slightly numb, still-warm lips, her chest rising and falling heavily. Her eyes burned with the fire she had kindled.

Chen Xi cradled Li Zhi’s elbow in her palm, her thumb tracing suggestive circles on Li Zhi’s arm. “Shall we go to the hotel?”

Li Zhi lowered her gaze, her expression unreadable.

She couldn’t shake the feeling that the wet, pitiful kitten from moments ago had shaken off the water droplets, flicked its tail, and transformed back into the fox who craved her body.

Ah, so this is what she means by “missing me.”

Missing my body.

Still, Chen Xi’s mood visibly brightened.

Seeing Li Zhi nod, she cheerfully twisted around to pick up her own umbrella, folded it, and tucked it under her arm. Then, with a sense of entitlement, she sidled under Li Zhi’s large umbrella, walking shoulder-to-shoulder with her.

As they settled into the car, Chen Xi suddenly remembered something. She pulled out her phone and sent a message to the “Cat Group”:

Brave Cat Isn’t Afraid of Hardships

Qian Qian: Young Miss is back from her business trip! I’m staying out tonight and won’t be back to the dorm. /kiss

Worried about her friends, Chen Xi snapped a photo of Li Zhi’s profile and sent it along.

Li Zhi, who had just fastened her seatbelt, glanced over in confusion. Chen Xi blew her a kiss across the space.

Li Zhi’s fingers, resting on the steering wheel, twitched involuntarily. The soft spot in her heart felt like it had been brushed by a feather’s tip, leaving a ticklish sensation.

“I brought you a gift,” Li Zhi said. “It’s in the back seat.”

Chen Xi put down her phone and twisted around curiously to look.

Li Zhi must have returned in a hurry. The Young Miss, who usually kept everything meticulously organized, had uncharacteristically piled her documents and handbag together today.

Chen Xi wondered what kind of gift Li Zhi had brought her.

The words “sailor uniform” flashed through her mind, but she quickly dismissed the thought.

Given the Young Miss’s personality, she was more likely to bring tea leaves than a sailor uniform.

Chen Xi spotted an exquisite handbag sitting alone on the back seat. The dim lighting made it hard to see clearly.

She leaned over to grab it, and her eyes lit up when she recognized the familiar French letters on the bag.

A handbag!

And it was from Love Dad!

Chen Xi gasped and clutched the bag tightly to her chest, her eyes sparkling as she turned to Li Zhi. “Oh, darling, I absolutely adore you! How do you know me so well?”

Having received two handbags in a single day, Chen Xi felt so happy she might faint.

Li Zhi outwardly remained calm as Chen Xi showered her with rainbow-colored compliments and declarations of love, but inwardly her heart soared.

She feigned casualness. “Open it and see.”

Chen Xi’s eyes curved into crescents as she pulled out the bag—

Then her smile froze on her face.

An Hermès Kelly bag.

Dark green.

“…Emo.”

What a coincidence! I received the same bag this morning and I’m wearing it now.

Li Zhi noticed Chen Xi’s silence after seeing the bag and tilted her head, puzzled. “Don’t you like it?”

Li Zhi had rushed to find someone to buy the bag before coming. She’d heard there were few in the country and she needed it urgently, so it cost her an extra ten or twenty thousand yuan.

Chen Xi suddenly straightened her back, clutching the bag to her chest. “I love it! Who said I don’t? I absolutely adore it!”

She blinked nervously, glancing sideways at the other bag on her lap. “I love it so, so much.”

So much that my eyes are watering with joy. Waaah, if it weren’t the same model, I’d love it even more! QAQ

Chen Xi loved bags, but not to the point of owning one for display and another for use. Especially when both were brand new.

“You’re going to be filming soon, right? This bag is perfect for you.”

Li Zhi subtly protected Chen Xi’s pride, avoiding any mention of how carrying a fake bag to the set would look bad. Instead, she simply said it was perfect for her.

Why perfect? Because the Kelly bag was named after Grace Kelly, the Princess of Monaco and Oscar-winning actress. For Chen Xi, who dreamed of stardom, the bag carried a profound symbolic weight.

Li Zhi had clearly put a lot of thought into this gift.

And precisely because of that thoughtfulness, Chen Xi felt even more guilty.

She hesitated, stroking both bags, then looked up at Li Zhi, wanting to tell the truth but afraid of making her angry.

Chen Xi took a deep breath and made up her mind. “From now on, I’ll only carry the bag the Young Miss gave me when I go out.”

Li Zhi’s gaze swept down to the identical dark green bag on Chen Xi’s lap.

If Chen Xi had bought it herself, she’d claim it was fake. But this one was a gift from Yan Tuo.

Yan Tuo’s intention in giving Chen Xi the bag was likely similar to the Young Miss’s—to encourage her to pursue her passions with the same grace and determination as Grace Kelly.

Chen Xi couldn’t bear to disregard such heartfelt sentiment.

“This one’s from Yan Tuo,” Chen Xi said, clutching both bags like a child caught doing something wrong, unsure which to part with.

Li Zhi hummed softly, her tone indifferent.

Yan Tuo’s just a second-year graduate student. Even if she gave Chen Xi a bag, it’s probably a knockoff, Li Zhi thought, dismissing the matter entirely.

“Just carry the real one. Leave the other at the hotel when we leave tomorrow,” Li Zhi said, concerned that Chen Xi might accidentally carry the fake one, given how convincing knockoffs had become.

Hearing Li Zhi’s suggestion to discard the other bag, Chen Xi blinked twice and mumbled, “The other one’s real too.”

Li Zhi’s hand froze mid-motion. Her expression visibly cooled, as if a layer of frost were slowly spreading across her face.

Yan Tuo radiated a cold, unapproachable aura.

Her face flushed.

Li Zhi remembered their first meeting in the lounge of C University’s administrative building. Yan Tuo had knocked on the door, breathless and worried, asking for Chen Xi.

Their second encounter was in the video from earlier that afternoon, where Yan Tuo had gotten into a fight with someone over Chen Xi.

A roommate who had lived with Chen Xi for six years, who would fight for her and casually gift her bags worth over a hundred thousand yuan…

Li Zhi’s eyelashes lowered.

Perhaps it was the low atmospheric pressure from the rain, but Li Zhi felt the air in the car was thin, her chest tight, and an inexplicable irritation simmered within her.

She glanced at Chen Xi out of the corner of her eye, watching her struggle to choose between the two bags, and a nameless anger flared up.

Li Zhi wouldn’t lash out at Chen Xi for no reason. She simply said, “Then sell the one I gave you today.”

Li Zhi gripped the steering wheel, her eyes fixed on the road ahead. “You only need to keep one real bag.”

Chen Xi turned to look at her, sensing the Young Miss’s detached tone.

“No, I want both of them.” Chen Xi hugged both bags to her chest. “I’m not selling them.”

Li Zhi glared at her, and Chen Xi glared back.

Deliberately, Chen Xi said, “You gave them to me, so I’m going to carry them every day. I’m not selling them.”

Li Zhi stared coldly ahead, ignoring her.

Chen Xi blinked at her, then gently poked Li Zhi’s arm with her free hand, a mischievous glint in her eyes. “Is the Young Miss jealous?” she asked softly.

Li Zhi’s arm stiffened instantly, her gaze darting away unnaturally. Her heart pounded wildly in her chest, its frantic rhythm drumming in her ears.

“You’re imagining things,” she blurted out.

Li Zhi tightened her grip on the steering wheel, her voice deliberately cool. “Luxury goods are only valuable when they’re unique.”

Chen Xi drew out an “Oh,” then shrugged. “Okay then.”

She didn’t care about rarity. “I like both of them.”

They’re both my treasures~

Seeing the crescent-moon smile in Chen Xi’s eyes, Li Zhi’s chest tightened even more. She practically gritted out, “Do as you please.”

Without the National Day holiday rush, booking a hotel room was much easier.

Li Zhi didn’t say another word to Chen Xi until they were inside their room.

Chen Xi strolled leisurely behind her, two bags draped over her wrist, exuding the air of a wealthy socialite.

Li Zhi glanced back, her brow furrowing slightly.

More than once on the way here, she had mentally questioned herself: Am I so busy I’ve lost my mind? Why did I rush back here overnight just because I felt sorry for Chen Xi?

This woman isn’t heartless. She’s just… too fickle!

The door clicked shut. The “fickle” Chen Xi wrapped around Li Zhi like a vine, her arms encircling Li Zhi’s waist from behind, her warm breath ghosting over the nape of Li Zhi’s neck.

“You’re not still mad, are you?”

Chen Xi found the Young Miss especially adorable when she was being stubborn and saying one thing while meaning another.

“I’ll only use the one you gave me, okay?”

Chen Xi pressed herself against Li Zhi’s back, her nose brushing against the base of Li Zhi’s ear as she murmured sweetly, her voice soft and coaxing.

“Let the little kitty think about how to make the Young Miss happy.”

Chen Xi’s eyes curved upward as she gazed at Li Zhi, like a soft, inviting hook. The tip of her index finger traced a line down Li Zhi’s taut waist and abdomen.

Self-questioning, self-answering:

“Would using my mouth make you feel better?”

Li Zhi stood with her back pressed against the wall, her breath tight.

Her eyelashes fluttered down silently as her fingers unconsciously threaded through Chen Xi’s soft, silky hair, gently stroking it. Her gaze was hazy and unfocused.

The ache in her calves intensified, while an itch crawled up her spine like ants nibbling at her back.

The stifled frustration she’d felt earlier gradually dissipated under this onslaught.

The Li Family’s Young Miss, who appeared so aloof, was surprisingly easy to coax.

Chen Xi clearly knew this.

Li Zhi wasn’t sure what she’d been feeling earlier.

Their relationship had been clearly defined in black and white, yet she herself had been the first to feel dissatisfied.

She kept wanting to overstep the boundaries of their contract, to claim exceptions.

Like having Chen Xi move in with her, or making her throw away the bag from Yan Tuo.

She didn’t particularly enjoy forcing others to do things they disliked, yet this was already the second time she’d made a difficult request of Chen Xi.

Li Zhi tilted her head slightly, pressing the palm of her other hand against the cool wallpaper behind her. Her fingertips curled inward, and her eyelids drifted shut.

This feeling of losing control was twofold—physical and emotional.

Since childhood, Li Zhi had lived like a machine, focused solely on studying and work. Anything that might stir her emotions was considered unnecessary.

In her twenty-odd years, this was an unprecedented exception.

She wasn’t sure how much time had passed—perhaps three to five minutes, or an eternity. The aching, tingling sensation gradually built to a peak, breaching her threshold.

It felt like a faint electrical current was coursing through her body, darting through her limbs and bones with the agility of a swimming fish, elusive and intangible.

All she could feel was the tightening of her fingertips and a tingling sensation rippling across her scalp.

Li Zhi’s breath trembled slightly. She tightened her grip on Chen Xi’s shoulder, forcing the words to remain lodged in her throat.

Chen Xi tilted her head back to look at her, the orange glow from the small ceiling lights reflecting in her eyes like flickering flames.

Her already cherry-red lips were moist and luminous as she whispered, “Do you like it?”

Li Zhi paused, her lashes lowering as she gently stroked Chen Xi’s palm-sized, oval face.

Her skin was truly flawless—completely unblemished even without makeup, smoother and fairer than a freshly peeled egg.

From her downward angle, Li Zhi could glimpse the snowy expanse of skin beneath the wide lapels of Chen Xi’s bathrobe.

If only she were a docile little kitten, Li Zhi thought.

“Chen Xi,” Li Zhi said, meeting those beautiful eyes that mirrored her own reflection. As if bewitched, the words slipped out: “Don’t carry bags given to you by others.”

Chen Xi’s eyes curved silently, a gentle ripple of light spreading across their depths like water, the wave reaching Li Zhi’s heart.

“Then who gave you the backpack?”

“I gave it to myself.”

Li Zhi repeated, “Only I gave it to you.”

The Young Miss, now thoroughly appeased, was truly soft, even more stubborn and adorable than usual.

Chen Xi stood up to rinse her mouth, then returned to kiss her.

“Young Miss,” she murmured, “how can you be so utterly adorable?”

Chen Xi reached behind Li Zhi and gently pressed the switch, plunging the room into darkness.

Her warm breath brushed against Li Zhi’s ear. “Now it’s my turn.”

The lights didn’t come back on for another hour.

Chen Xi slumped against the edge of the bed like a salted fish who’d lost all ambition, her sweat-dampened hair pushed back and trailing over the side.

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