Sweet Gardenia - Chapter 18.2

His breath ghosted over the most sensitive curve of her ear. Lu Zhi couldn’t help but shift. She wanted to say this wasn’t a viable solution, but when she looked up at his face, so close to hers, she didn’t know what to say and could only turn her head away in frustration.

It was getting stuffy again.

Though the blanket was thin, it trapped their every breath. With their skin pressed together, she quickly began to feel a restless heat. The window, however, remained open, and she had no idea if her grandfather had left or was still there.

And… could they really not be seen?

She had no desire to be his accomplice, but being discovered now would be even more troublesome. She pursed her lips and shuffled further into the corner, causing his body to press even more tightly against hers.

Finally, the sound of retreating footsteps echoed. She let out a sigh of relief, gave Fu Yanshang a push, and rolled over twice before cautiously peeking her head out. There was no one at the window.

Lu Zhi struggled to get out, but the blanket had been rolled over so many times that she had no idea where the opening was now pinned. After fumbling for a long while, Fu Yanshang caught her by the wrist.

“Let me.”

His hand reached out from under the blanket to feel around, but it happened to stop at the delicate small of her back. The spot was ticklish, and she wanted to squirm away but was too embarrassed to say anything. He must have found the opening, because he flipped over halfway, and Lu Zhi was once again on top.

She planted her hands down, but before she could push herself up, she heard him ask, “What is it?”

“I’m… distributing my weight,” she said. “So I don’t crush you.”

A light laugh escaped his lips.

“If you’re worried about crushing me like this, what will you do in the future?”

“What… future?”

“You won’t crush me. Just lie here and relax. Your husband isn’t made of straw.”

…

But lying on him like this, their heartbeats practically shared, she could hardly tell which thud belonged to whom.

The first layer was pulled away, and she was rolled underneath him again. Fu Yanshang’s chin rested against the nape of her neck, his breathing a ticklish sensation. Her senses were already heightened in the morning, and she couldn’t stop herself from shrinking her neck slightly, trying to dodge to the side.

She didn’t know if he was genuinely focused on untangling them or just teasing her again. All Lu Zhi could feel was the on-again, off-again touch on her neck. One moment his breath was near, the next it was distant. The anticipation was the hardest to bear. Finally, she couldn’t take it anymore and asked for confirmation, “You’re not… messing with me, are you?”

The breathing suddenly drew close.

“Messing with you how?” he said. “Like this?”

His teeth grazed her earlobe, his warm breath blanketing it. He kissed her skin with the intimacy of a real kiss, the tip of his tongue tracing the path of her veins. It tickled so much that she reached out to tug at the hem of his shirt. His nose nuzzled the hollow of her neck as he moved lower, suckling at the delicate skin over her collarbone. The window was still open, and to make matters worse, the dim morning light filtered in, casting everything in a hazy, indistinct glow. She had no way to escape; they were trapped in the same cocoon.

“Fu Yanshang…”

“Hm?”

His reply was perfectly proper, the slight nasal tone adding a layer of cultured depth to his voice. But what his tongue was doing was anything but cultured. Lu Zhi could feel herself starting to sweat. His hand slipped under the hem of her shirt, pressing gently against her lower back.

She was pulled even closer.

I should have known that sleeping in would come at a different price, she thought hazily as his fingers made contact with her back. A thin strap was gently hooked by his fingertip. The next second, he curled his fingers, but everything remained as it was.

…

Something vaguely dawned on Lu Zhi.

The bra she had just put on… was a front-clasp.

It couldn’t be undone from the back.

Evidently, he had no experience unhooking bras. Having reached this point, he only paused for a moment as instinct gave way to conscious thought. But after fumbling for a moment, he couldn’t find what was supposed to be there by default.

Lu Zhi couldn’t help but break into laughter. She turned her head away, her body shaking with soft giggles. The next second, he asked, “Is it that funny?”

“Get up,” she said, pushing him. “I promised Grandpa I’d have breakfast with him.”

He replied flatly, “Then who’s going to take care of my breakfast, which has just gone up in smoke?”

Lu Zhi slipped out from under the covers like an eel, a triumphant slyness in her voice.

“Then you’d better do some more homework. Otherwise, you won’t be getting any meals in the future either. How pitiful.”

“…”

The morning’s tasks were to drink tea and help Grandpa pick fruit. It was manual labor. When she returned to her room at noon, Lu Zhi felt dazed for a moment, as if she were back in military training.

It had been just like this during military training: wake up early for drills, have lunch, return to the dorm for a short nap, then suddenly be called to assemble again for goose-stepping in the afternoon and military boxing at night.

With that in mind, she locked the window and, with her back to Fu Yanshang, changed back into her pajamas, planning to get some sleep.

She had more military training to get through in the afternoon.

Knowing she wouldn’t be able to sleep for long before having to go out again, she didn’t bother taking off her bra. The thin white straps dangled from her shoulders, hanging loosely by her arms.

Fu Yanshang glanced over. “You’re guarding against me like I’m a thief.”

“I’m not guarding against you,” she said, the words tumbling out before she could stop them. “It’s not like you can unhook it anyway.”

…

The moment the words left her mouth, she realized her mistake. Her lips pressed into a thin line, and she waved her hands, hastily trying to backtrack. “No, that’s not what I meant.”

But it was too late.

He reached out, grabbed her ankle, and pulled. In an instant, she was dragged from the foot of the bed to right in front of him. The next second, the hem of her nightgown rippled. A sudden coolness spread across her chest, followed by an abrupt release.

In just a few short seconds, the restraint was undone. She stared, dumbfounded, the words she had been speaking cut short. She remained frozen, her lips slightly parted as she looked at him. It took a long moment for her to belatedly realize what had happened, and she instantly fell silent, burying her head to the side.

Through the curtain of her dark hair, the tips of her ears flushed a deep, thorough red. Fu Yanshang leisurely examined her face and neck, which had turned crimson in a second, and asked slowly:

“Weren’t you acting pretty tough just now?”