The Heroine Pays Me to Fall in Love (Quick Transmigration) - Chapter 36

The tears in her eyes gleamed brightly, reflecting the light in the room.

Su Jin looked at them, swallowing subconsciously before rasping out, “Was it that spicy?”

“Mhm.” Jiang Zhinan nodded, her words coming out haltingly. “Really, really spicy.”

“Such a delicate thing,” Su Jin murmured, lips curving slightly in amusement.

Jiang Zhinan didn’t catch what she said, but judging by that tone, it definitely wasn’t anything nice. She decided to ignore it altogether and picked up the glass of tea Su Jin had poured for her, cradling it in both hands as she drank.

The three of them had been eating for quite a while. The tea that had once been warm was now cold, but it still did a good job of soothing the burn. After finishing the first glass, Jiang Zhinan felt much better and quickly poured herself a second.

By the time she downed a third glass, the spiciness was gone—but now she had the hiccups.

One after another they came, relentless and pitiful.

Su Jin sat back and watched her. The girl’s lips were flushed red, her lashes still glimmering with a few un-wiped tears. She already looked quite pitiful as it was, and now with the hiccups making her twitch every few seconds, it was almost comical.

Honestly.

Su Jin cleared her throat, leaned back a little, and finally couldn’t hold back a laugh.

Jiang Zhinan turned toward her instantly, her round eyes widening in indignation—clearly expressing her deep disapproval.

Normally that look of hers might have been intimidating, but with her hiccupping nonstop, even her glare lost its edge. If anything, it only made her look funnier.

Su Jin didn’t say anything, just kept watching her—silently counting how many times she hiccupped in a minute.

After a moment, she found the rhythm surprisingly fast: fourteen times per minute. Honestly, that had to be exhausting.

“Alright, stop it already,” Su Jin said, still smiling. “Your friend—what’s her name again, Wang Xiran?—should be back any minute.”

“I c-can’t stop!” Jiang Zhinan protested, her voice full of helplessness.

“Is that so?” Su Jin murmured.

Then she suddenly propped her hand on the back of her chair and leaned closer, bending down until her gaze locked with Jiang Zhinan’s.

“I heard kissing works,” she said softly, the corner of her mouth curving into a teasing smile. “If you hiccup again, I’ll just kiss you right here.”

She said it so seriously that it sounded like she really meant it—like she would.

Jiang Zhinan was startled, holding her breath at once, the back of her neck tingling.

Su Jin didn’t say another word but kept leaning in, closer and closer, until their noses were almost touching—

—and just then, the door opened behind them.

“Sorry!” Wang Xiran said as she stepped in, a gust of wind following her. “I took a call outside and got held up a bit. Hope I didn’t keep you waiting too long.”

Su Jin straightened immediately and sat back in her seat, replying evenly, “Not at all.”

“What were you two doing just now?” Wang Xiran laughed as she came over, curiosity clear in her tone. “You looked pretty close to President Zhou a moment ago.”

“She got something in her eye,” Su Jin replied smoothly. “I was helping her blow it out.”

“Oh, I see.” Wang Xiran nodded, turning to Jiang Zhinan. Sure enough, she noticed the faint shimmer of tears on her lashes. “Must’ve hurt, huh?”

“It’s fine.” Jiang Zhinan shook her head quickly, her cheeks still warm. “It’s better now.”

It was better. Ever since Su Jin had startled her like that, her hiccups had miraculously stopped.

She remembered hearing somewhere that a good scare could sometimes cure hiccups.

Apparently, it was true—because that was exactly what had just happened.

Jiang Zhinan poured herself another cup of tea and sipped it quietly, sneaking a glance at Su Jin as she did.

The playful smile from before was gone, replaced by her usual calm indifference—cool and composed, just like always.

“What is it?” Su Jin turned her head slightly, noticing Jiang Zhinan’s stare. Her voice was soft. “Why are you looking at me?”

“N-no reason,” Jiang Zhinan replied quickly, retracting her gaze.

She couldn’t tell if Su Jin had really meant to kiss her just now.

After lunch, Wang Xiran suggested taking Jiang Zhinan to see her studio.

“You said you wanted to take some photos with your friend, right?” she said, her eyes flicking briefly to Su Jin. “Your friend has great presence—she’d look stunning on camera.”

“Photos?” Su Jin looked over at Jiang Zhinan, puzzled. “I didn’t—”

“I told you about it on WeChat yesterday, remember?” Jiang Zhinan said quickly, smiling at Wang Xiran before tugging Su Jin aside. “When I said I wanted to book a shoot, I actually meant I wanted you to be in it. I was planning to ask you properly first, but since we’ve run into her now, it’s kind of perfect timing.”

She looked at Su Jin earnestly. “If you’re up for it, come with me. Wang Xiran’s really good—her shots always turn out amazing.”

“But if you don’t want to, that’s fine too,” Jiang Zhinan added. “I’ll just have Chen Bin take you home.”

“And you?” Su Jin asked. “You’ll go with me?”

“Mm.” Jiang Zhinan nodded. “She’s still a client, after all. We can’t just ignore her.”

Su Jin didn’t respond—just lifted an eyebrow slightly.

Jiang Zhinan’s hand was still resting on her wrist, their skin pressed together. The warmth between them climbed upward, slow and insistent—soft, teasing, and hard to ignore.

Su Jin turned her head slightly, glancing at Wang Xiran standing not far away. The woman was smiling at them, her expression sweet and relaxed.

That smile, paired with her pretty face, made something stir uncomfortably in Su Jin’s chest.

“I don’t have anything planned this afternoon,” she said lightly, eyes flicking away. “I might as well come along.”

“Really?” Jiang Zhinan hadn’t expected her to agree and looked genuinely surprised.

“Mm.” Su Jin nodded again. “Really.”

“Then let’s go.” Jiang Zhinan smiled, gesturing for them to get in the car. The three of them headed toward Wang Xiran’s studio.

Since she was an artist, Wang Xiran had always preferred peace and quiet.

Unlike those offices in bustling downtown areas, she liked finding secluded, tranquil spaces.

Chen Bin pressed on the accelerator, and the car sped forward, eventually turning into a run-down neighborhood.

“A little further—yes, that’s right—left, left.” From the passenger seat, Wang Xiran gave animated directions, sounding quite excited.

Hearing her, Jiang Zhinan turned toward Su Jin—only to find Su Jin already looking at her.

Their eyes met for a long moment before Su Jin leaned closer and murmured softly by her ear, “She might be planning to sell you off.”

Jiang Zhinan: “…”

“President Zhou,” Wang Xiran called before Jiang Zhinan could reply, turning around with a smile. “We’re here.”

“Got it.” Jiang Zhinan nodded calmly, as if completely unbothered by the desolate surroundings.

“Photography relies a lot on inspiration,” Wang Xiran said as they got out of the car. She led them toward the building, explaining, “Busy, flashy places kill the mood. You need somewhere like this instead.”

Jiang Zhinan nodded. “You’re right.”

“Exactly.” Wang Xiran smiled and pushed open the door to her studio.

Her studio was on the fourth floor—the highest in the building. Because her equipment took up so much space, she had rented the entire floor. The two units were connected from the inside, so though the exterior looked modest, the total area came to nearly two hundred square meters.

“What kind of shoot are you thinking of?” she asked as she motioned for the two of them to sit on the sofa. Pulling two bottles of coffee from the fridge, she handed them over. “You’ve got great features—good figure, strong presence, very versatile.”

“Anything’s fine,” Su Jin said, glancing at Jiang Zhinan beside her. “I don’t mind.”

“Then I’ll go with my own vision,” Wang Xiran said with a grin. “You can relax for now. I’ll do your makeup and pick out some clothes in a bit.”

“Alright.” Su Jin nodded, said no more, and after taking a few sips of coffee, stood to follow Wang Xiran into the dressing room.

Jiang Zhinan stayed where she was, idly flipping through a photo album.

Her system’s companion had fallen ill recently and gone home to take care of her, leaving Jiang Zhinan without anyone to chat with. Bored, she could only find other ways to pass the time.

After a while, she finally saw Su Jin step out from the inner room.

“How is it?” Jiang Zhinan looked up—and froze completely, unable to look away.

The casual clothes Su Jin had been wearing were gone, replaced by a black shirt.

The neckline was cut low—not too much, but enough for Jiang Zhinan, even from her seat, to clearly see the pale curve of Su Jin’s neck, the clean lines of her collarbone, and even the tiny beauty mark just below it.

Though Wang Xiran had mentioned doing her makeup, all she’d really done was add a bit of contour and a touch of soft lipstick—nothing more.

Yet those few strokes somehow made Su Jin’s features even more striking—her already delicate, sculpted face now glowing with an understated allure.

Tempered elegance, barely restrained sensuality.

The shirt fit perfectly, showing off every advantage of Su Jin’s figure—the straight back, the graceful shoulder blades, the slender fingers and pale wrists—poised between restraint and provocation.

“President Zhou!” Wang Xiran called from inside, snapping Jiang Zhinan out of her daze. Her ears flushed as she coughed lightly. “What is it?”

“I need your help.” Wang Xiran emerged, smiling, with a color palette in hand. “You can paint, right?”

“More or less,” Jiang Zhinan replied, nodding.

“Perfect.” Wang Xiran smiled and lightly tapped a few spots on Su Jin’s collarbone. “Then could you help me? I’d like you to paint a flower right here—on her chest.”