Sweet Gardenia - Chapter 12.2

As soon as she finished patting, she realized it might not be the best idea.  Her legs were a bit numb from sitting too long. But before she could suggest an alternative, he had already leaned over and rested his head on her lap.

…Oh well.

The car’s air conditioning was set at a comfortable temperature, and alcohol tended to make people drowsy. Guessing he had probably fallen asleep, Lu Zhi held up her right hand and scrolled through her phone for a while when she suddenly felt a weight on her shoulder.

It was Kuai Dian.  It turned out the little fox had stayed in the car with her, just like she had.

After giving it a bath, the little one was fragrant and snowy white all over. With a nimble leap from her shoulder, it landed on the ground and immediately scurried under the seat.

Lu Zhi’s first instinct was to reach out and grab it.  After all, she had just painstakingly cleaned it and had no desire to go through that ordeal again. She felt like she’d be completely worn out.

But the little fox was agile and elusive, occasionally sticking its fluffy white tail out from under the seat to taunt her. Determined, Lu Zhi decided to lie low, observe, and wait for the perfect moment to strike.

The next second, she lunged forward abruptly. Just as her fingers closed around the fox’s body, she paid a small price.

For instance, her lips brushed against his Adam’s apple.

…Her mind went blank for a moment. There was no time for joy or regret. Holding her breath, she watched his expression. Five seconds passed.  His eyes remained closed.

Thank goodness.

She slowly let out a sigh of relief, but just as she was halfway to sitting up, he opened his eyes.

Lu Zhi: “…”

She cautiously asked, “Are you awake?”

Fu Yanshang: “Hard not to be.”

“…”

Still lying on her lap, he began, “You…”

Before he could finish, Lu Zhi quickly changed the subject: “Is your headache gone? And what about Grandpa? Isn’t it inappropriate for me to be away for so long?”

“It still hurts,” he replied in order. “No, he knows you just finished bathing Hurry Up. He understands.”

Outwardly, she nodded slowly, but inwardly she felt triumphant, marveling at how brilliantly she had diverted the conversation.

“So,” Fu Yanshang sat up and put on his glasses nearby, “why did you suddenly kiss me?”

“…”

Faced with the choice between bathing the fox again or sacrificing her dignity, she chose the latter.

The little creature was now perched primly in the driver’s seat. As long as she could keep up the act, she wouldn’t have to endure the torment a second time.

Lu Zhi straightened up, looked him in the eye, and said, “You were too tempting. I couldn’t help myself.”

“…”

Only a fool would want to bathe a fox twice in one day. Clearly, her excuse was flawless.  It addressed the situation without inviting further questions. Fu Yanshang merely paused for a moment before saying nothing more, opening his laptop and starting to work.

Lu Zhi began to wonder whether he was genuinely busy with work or just killing time.

The glasses she had bought for him seemed to be of good quality. He had been wearing them frequently lately, especially when typing. The chain on the temple would sway gently with his movements, exuding a refined restraint.

Sounds came from outside the window.  It had started raining at some point. Propping her cheek on her hand, she looked out. The banana leaves outside the ancestral home were being battered by the rain, and within minutes, the downpour intensified until a thick mist surged against the car windows.

Raindrops splattered, tracing winding paths on the glass.

She sighed. “Well, it looks like we won’t be going anywhere for a while.”

Turning back, she noticed he was still working. “If your head hurts, maybe you should rest for a bit.”

Fu Yanshang stopped typing and looked over.

What’s with that expression? Lu Zhi immediately defended her innocence: “You can sleep on your side. No need to lie on my lap. I promise I won’t do anything to you this time. Really.”

To prove her resolve, she fastened her seatbelt again. But in her eagerness to make her point, she struggled to clip it in. Gritting her teeth, she applied more force. Though she didn’t hear the click, it finally locked into place.

Lu Zhi met his gaze openly and unflinchingly.

“No need to buckle up,” he said. “You can do whatever you want; I won’t lose out.”

She politely declined, “I suddenly don’t feel interested in that anymore.”

“…”

Lu Zhi turned on an episode of a variety show to watch. Time passed quickly, and by the time she remembered to glance over, Fu Yanshang was already resting against the seatback.

Even while resting, he exuded an aura that kept others at a distance, arms crossed. Today, he was wearing casual clothes, finally free from the constraints of a suit. The pure white base of his shirt was adorned with a cluster of red tie-dye that resembled flames, trailing down into his waistline.

He really did have a thing for dark red. Could his belt be flame-patterned too? She caught a glimpse of the buckle’s edge and couldn’t resist trying to make out more details. The next moment, Fu Yanshang’s phone vibrated.

Under his gaze, she calmly averted her eyes.

He answered the call without wasting words. The call lasted a minute.  The person on the other end spoke for 58 seconds, and he replied with two “Mm-hm”s before hanging up.

She wasn’t sure if it was work-related, so Lu Zhi didn’t ask. But soon, she heard him say, “Boss Fu said lunch is almost ready and told us to hurry.”

She responded with an “Oh,” then said, “Let’s go then.”

Her fingers naturally reached for the seatbelt buckle at her side, but after a couple of tries, she realized the mechanism seemed off.

She struggled with the seatbelt for a few rounds when suddenly, a cool, refreshing scent drew near. Fu Yanshang raised his hand to steady her restless movements, pushing aside a section to inspect it. “It’s stuck.”

She wasn’t sure where it was stuck and turned to look, but her attention was quickly diverted by the sound on the window. All she felt was Fu Yanshang’s hand reaching behind her, working to undo the buckle.

Meanwhile, two small hands slid across the rain-streaked window, peering inside curiously.

Probably a child from somewhere, running around in the rain.

Lu Zhi repeatedly urged, “Hurry back, don’t play in the water.  You’ll catch a cold.”

Likely not expecting someone inside, the child quickly ran off. Lu Zhi watched the retreating figure through the window, checking if they headed home properly.

Once she finished watching, she turned back and sighed in relief. “In such heavy rain, still…”

Her words cut off abruptly as she unexpectedly brushed against the tip of his nose.

He was leaning down, trying to free her seatbelt from wherever it was stuck. He paused for a moment, his gaze shifting from behind her waist to her face, his dark pupils subtly moving as if observing something. “What were you going to say?”

She had almost forgotten entirely.

After struggling to recall for a while, she finally grasped a thread of memory. Lifting her eyes to meet his, she parted her lips but no sound came out.  Her vocal cords seemed to soften in the extreme proximity. Just as she prepared to find her voice a second time, she noticed the person in front of her leaning closer.

The metallic frame of his glasses touched her cheek, icy cold.

Instinctively, she pulled back, her shoulders and neck pressing against the cold glass behind her.

His intention was already clear as he drew near. Sometimes, she wished he would just act directly rather than drawing out such a lengthy prelude. She often didn’t know how to handle it, her fingers sinking into the soft cushion of the seat beneath her as she heard him ask, “Not allowed?”

…

“It’s not that…” She averted her gaze. “Your glasses—they’re poking me.”

His voice lowered. “Wasn’t it you who wanted to buy these?”

“I bought them, but not for you to use at a time like…”

She stopped herself in time, pressing her lips together.

The rain outside the window grew increasingly fierce, making every breath feel ambiguous and drawn-out. After a brief moment of calm, the atmosphere heated up again due to her unintentional remark. The heavy rain did nothing to alleviate the stifling heat. She heard a faint click. The sound of the seatbelt being smoothly unbuckled, and felt a sudden looseness in front of her.

But he didn’t pull away.

The metal chain blurred in her vision, shimmering with fine, dense specks of light.

Their breaths intertwined. In the next moment, the seatbelt in front of her was tossed back into place by him, and her entire lower back settled into his broad palm, the warmth of his skin searing through.

“Alright,” he murmured softly, “help me take it off.”