Sweet Gardenia - Chapter 19.1

The noon was quiet, filled with the faint chirping of insects, the occasional sound of passersby crushing twigs underfoot, and the rustling of leaves in the wind.

The room’s exhaust fan was turned on, but even the floor fan set to its third speed couldn’t dispel the stifling heat indoors. The tightly closed doors and windows let in no trace of cool air, and the hot air rose.

As his tongue slipped in, Lu Zhi thought to herself, I shouldn’t have provoked him earlier.

Her fingers tightened once again on the fabric of his shoulder, a habit she still found hard to break, whether out of nervousness or something else.

Her back pressed firmly against the headboard, she could feel the carved patterns digging into the thin butterfly bones of her shoulders. His tongue moved skillfully inside her mouth, coaxing a response from her limp, pliant tongue. An untimely image surfaced in her mind: his dexterous fingers weren’t just adept at typing. They held her effortlessly, his palm radiating a dry warmth. Beads of sweat formed at the tip of Lu Zhi’s nose, and her breathing grew heavy. Somewhere in her daze, she could feel the texture of his palm, his fingers sinking deep.

The second hand ticked steadily around the clock face, the minute hand having traveled halfway. The kiss was intermittent, leaving her fragmented moments to breathe. The quiet attic did little to muffle the wet sounds of their kissing. Her dry lips were moistened, and she leaned back, trying to adjust the noise, worried if anyone might hear how loud it was… or was it only her who thought it was obvious?

His palm grew increasingly hot.

She was usually quite tolerant of heat, but now it felt entirely different. Finally unable to catch her breath, she tried to call back Fu Yanshang’s reason amidst her panting.

“Forty… forty minutes.”

His fingers paused briefly as he looked at her ears, flushed crimson as if dripping with blood. His Adam’s apple bobbed. “Why are you timing it?”

She pointed behind him. “There’s a clock.”

Pursing her lips, Lu Zhi said, “I only have half an hour left for my nap.”

He hummed in acknowledgment, pulling away, but couldn’t resist pinching the thoroughly reddened spot, his touch mirroring his earlier technique. “Why are your ears so red?”

A certain memory and sensation were triggered once again. With a thud, she lay back down, pulling the covers over the tip of her nose. After a moment, she pushed them aside and mumbled, “…It’s hot.”

The fan by the bed was adjusted. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw him get out of bed and bend over, locking the oscillating fan in a stationary position so it blew a steady stream of cool air toward her.

She asked, “Won’t you be able to feel it then?”

“I’ll lie next to you. I’ll feel it.”

Lu Zhi guarded her precious nap time cautiously, tugging at her skirt. “Then you can’t do anything.”

“Like what?”

“…”

Lu Zhi closed her eyes to sleep, ignoring his question.

In her memory, the nap felt long. Half-asleep, she heard the door open and close, thinking it was time to leave. She marveled at how comfortable the sleep had been. When she groggily opened her eyes, she realized it was already dark outside.

Fu Yanshang was standing by the wall, seemingly measuring something.

Bewildered, she asked, “What time is it?”

“Awake?” He turned to look at her before replying, “Five-thirty.”

“Did Grandpa not call us to go out?”

“He did. I told him you were tired and asked him not to.”

“…”

She let out an “oh” and leaned against the wall to gather her senses, slowly asking, “How many more days do we have to stay here?”

“Three to five days.”

Victory was within reach. She climbed out of bed, about to ask him where they were going tomorrow, when she saw him open a bag beside him, filled with freshly purchased ingredients.

Her words took a sharp turn as she pointed at the steak. “I’ll have this, thanks.”

He hummed in acknowledgment, taking out two steaks to thaw. “How do you want your eggs? Runny or fully cooked?”

Had they already reached the level of customization?

“Runny, runny,” she repeated cheerfully, then gently reminded him, “One is enough. I can’t finish two.”

He lowered his head, shaking black pepper over the steak, his gaze calm as he said, “Consider that you have a husband who also needs to eat.”

“…”

“Oh, you didn’t say you were eating with me,” she replied. “If neither of us goes to dinner, will Grandpa be upset?”

The sound of gloves being put on echoed.

Fu Yanshang pressed his fingertips into the steak. His well-defined fingers, encased in plastic gloves, carried a uniquely restrained allure. “He’d be overjoyed if the two of us had some alone time.”

Alone time? What kind of alone time?

She forcibly reeled her wandering thoughts back in and lowered her head to watch him cook attentively. Mandian trotted over as well, quietly enjoying his canned food on the countertop.

Fu Yanshang noticed her intense focus.

“Want to learn?” he asked. “No need for that.”

Lu Zhi was candid. “No, I’m just afraid you’ll add things I don’t like.”

“…”

“What else could you possibly dislike? Scallions, shredded ginger, onions,” he paused, then added, “and bitter melon.”

Surprised that he remembered these details, she realized she often emphasized them to the housekeeper when eating, and they had shared many meals together. With his good memory, it made sense he’d recall.

It seemed she had never paid attention to his eating habits. Or perhaps he wasn’t picky? Maybe it was because the housekeepers who raised him already knew his preferences inside out, so he never had to voice them.

No wonder she had never heard him mention them at home.

Lu Zhi asked, “Then what don’t you like?”

“I don’t like being interrupted in the middle of a kiss.”

Lu Zhi: ?

Who asked about that?

“But…” Her thoughts were still derailed by this sudden topic. “Kissing… isn’t like breathing. You can’t just kiss from morning till night, right?”

She inquired meticulously, “What counts as ‘in the middle,’ and what counts as ‘finished’?”

She added, “It can’t be that it only ends when you’re satisfied, can it?”

“…”

“Also,” Lu Zhi recalled, her curiosity ultimately overpowering her embarrassment. She was dying to know, “Um, about earlier today… how did you undo it…?”

A slab of butter melted in the pan, spreading a rich, creamy aroma as it formed a thin base.

Fu Yanshang picked up the steak. “You had clothes drying on the balcony. One look was all it took.”

One look, without even practicing, and he managed it perfectly on his first try. Lu Zhi genuinely suspected that typing had unlocked some hidden dexterity in his fingers.

She pouted. “You’re way too quick with your hands.”

“Something this simple won’t stop me,” he offered, as though giving a gentlemanly suggestion. “If you have needs in this area, you might want to think of another method.”

It sounded more like boasting than anything else. Lu Zhi played along, handing him the metaphorical microphone. “Then tell me, how could I stop you?”

“Aside from you saying you don’t want to, nothing else can stop me.”

The steak sizzled slowly in the hot oil, and for a moment, her breath hitched.

She couldn’t explain why.

Lu Zhi lowered her head, fingers brushing her collarbone, and noticed the fully cooked egg on his plate. Her thoughts drifted, and she asked, “Do you like your eggs well-done?”

“No, I got distracted talking to you.”

The atmosphere of the evening shifted imperceptibly. The scented candle at the center of the round table burned quietly, and she found it strange.  So many people yearned to love but couldn’t, while the two of them, who hadn’t even met until this year, were slowly learning how to love each other.

What if they hadn’t met? What would have happened?

Lu Zhi stole a glance at him. In the reflection of the glass, the world seemed condensed into a clear miniature.

She thought, if they hadn’t met, they would have simply missed each other.

–

The next morning brought a new routine. This time, she was awakened by the phone on the bedside table.

She was facing Fu Yanshang, his arm draped around her waist and resting on her back. Patiently, she moved his arm aside and answered her grandfather’s call, saying they would be there soon.

By the time they drove to the beach, Fu Cheng had just set up his luxurious fishing tent, while Fu Yanshang had already unfolded a lounge chair, pulled down his hat, and started sleeping.

Fu Cheng was exasperated. “What were you doing last night? All you do is sleep!”

Lu Zhi guiltily lowered her head.

If she remembered correctly, he had indeed slept poorly the night before. Half-asleep, she kept complaining about the heat, so he lifted the back of her pajamas and fanned her with a document he had nearby, or so she thought, if her memory served her right.

Just as Fu Cheng was about to launch into another lecture, Lu Zhi quickly interjected, “It’s fine, Grandpa. Let him sleep. He didn’t sleep well last night.”

Fu Cheng’s eyes lit up, and he immediately agreed, “Alright, alright, let him sleep. If you’re bored, you can join us.” He nudged Jiang Ming beside him and whispered with a grin, “See? She’s already defending him.”

“Bringing them along was definitely the right move,” Fu Cheng continued in a hushed tone, his smile brimming with childlike delight. “See? Traveling is the perfect way to deepen feelings. Take notes.”

Jiang Ming chuckled. “Yes, yes. This family would fall apart without you.”

Since Fu Yanshang was sleeping, Lu Zhi naturally took the opportunity to laze around as well, dozing off in the chair next to his. She was awakened by the sound of someone boasting loudly, promising to buy his wife an island right across the way.

Fu Yanshang was already awake, his sunglasses set aside, a half-finished cocktail in his hand as he gazed at the sea, lost in thought.

Lu Zhi spoke up, knowing he must have heard it too. “Look at others… they’re buying islands for their wives.”

“If you want one, I can buy one for you too.”

His tone was casual, neither boastful nor joking. The guy who had just passed by turned back, baffled, wondering how someone could pack three layers of pretentiousness into a single sentence.

Lu Zhi licked her lips and said understandingly, “Islands are so expensive. I don’t need an island. Just sign our contract when we get back.”

Resting his head in his hand, his tone as nonchalant as before, he replied, “That contract of yours costs ten times more than an island.”

“…”