79: Chapter 79 Can the lights be turned off?

Her voice was very soft, as if she were afraid of disturbing something.

Jiang Chen looked down at her.

The warm orange light shone from the side, casting a shadow over half of her face. Her exposed neck was slender and fair, with blue veins faintly visible beneath the skin.

He was silent for two seconds before slipping his feet out of his shoes.

Su Xiaoxi gently grasped his ankle and slid the slippers on, her movements as tender as if she were handling a fragile piece of art.

Her fingertips were slightly cool; when they touched his skin, both of them paused simultaneously.

"There."

she whispered. As she stood up, her legs felt a bit weak, and her knee brushed against the carpet.

Jiang Chen reached out to steady her.

His hand gripped her forearm; his palm was dry and warm, his grip not forceful but steady.

Su Xiaoxi felt as if the part of her arm he held had been seared; the heat spread from there all the way to the tips of her ears.

"Thank you, Mr. Jiang."

She kept her head down, not daring to look at him.

Jiang Chen let go, walked over to the sofa, sat down, and rubbed the space between his brows.

The alcohol was still fermenting in his blood, making his head feel heavy, though his consciousness remained relatively clear.

Su Xiaoxi stood where she was, watching him. After hesitating for a few seconds, she walked over and went behind the sofa.

"Let me massage your head; it'll make you feel better."

Before Jiang Chen could answer, her fingers were already pressing gently against his temples.

Her fingertips were soft, the pressure was just right, and she possessed a practiced skill.

Jiang Chen leaned back against the sofa and closed his eyes.

The room was quiet, save for the ticking of the wall clock and the faint city noise drifting in from outside.

Su Xiaoxi's fingers slowly traced circles on his head, moving from his temples to the space between his brows, and from there to his hairline, over and over again.

"You've learned this?" Jiang Chen's voice was somewhat slurred.

"I learned it during training," Su Xiaoxi said softly.

Jiang Chen didn't say anything else.

Su Xiaoxi massaged him for about ten minutes until she felt his breathing gradually become more even, then she stopped.

She moved to the front of the sofa and knelt before him, looking up at his face.

"Mr. Jiang, let me help you take off your coat. It won't be comfortable to sleep in."

Jiang Chen opened his eyes and looked at her.

Her kneeling posture caused her skirt to spread out on the carpet like a flower in full bloom.

Her face had a faint pink flush, her eyes were bright, and her lips were slightly pursed—the lower lip a bit fuller than the upper, looking very soft.

"Okay," he said.

Su Xiaoxi stood up and went behind him to help slide the coat off his shoulders.

The coat was a bit tight, so she had to lean forward to pull it down from his arms.

This single movement brought her body flush against his back.

Through the two layers of shirt fabric, she could feel the contours of his back—broad, firm, and possessed of a ruggedness unique to adult men.

At that moment, the softness of her chest pressed against him without reservation, the sensation transmitting through their clothes.

Su Xiaoxi's face instantly turned bright red. She scrambled to back away, but her high heel caught on the carpet, and she lost her balance.

"Ah!"

With a short gasp, she tumbled forward and landed squarely on top of Jiang Chen.

Her face was buried in the crook of his neck, her lips brushed against his earlobe, and her warm breath fanned across his skin.

Her body was pressed tightly against his chest, the sensation of her softness clearly felt through the thin fabric.

Time seemed to stand still.

Lying on top of Jiang Chen, Su Xiaoxi's mind went blank, her heart racing as if it were about to leap out of her chest.

She tried to push herself up, but her arms were weak and lacked the strength.

"S-sorry... Mr. Jiang... I didn't mean to..."

Her voice was small and trembling, tinged with a hint of a sob, and her ears were so red they looked ready to bleed.

Jiang Chen looked down at her.

From this angle, he could see her eyelashes trembling slightly from nerves, the fine beads of sweat on the tip of her nose, and her lips slightly parted as she panted.

Those lips were a pale pink, devoid of lipstick and glowing with a healthy luster.

The alcohol set a fire ablaze in his veins.

He reached out, took her chin in his hand, and gently tilted it up.

Su Xiaoxi was forced to look up and meet his eyes.

In the dim light, those eyes appeared exceptionally deep, her reflection mirrored in pupils that looked like bottomless pools of water.

"Mr. Jiang..."

Her voice sounded as if it were squeezed from her throat, carrying a soft, lingering tone she wasn't even aware of.

Jiang Chen didn't give her a chance to finish.

He leaned down and kissed her.

The moment their lips touched, Su Xiaoxi's body shuddered violently, as if struck by an electric current.

Her eyes flew open, his face reflected in her pupils, so close that his features were a blur.

His lips tasted faintly of alcohol and tobacco—warm and soft, yet possessing an undeniable force.

It was as if countless fireworks exploded in Su Xiaoxi's mind. All her reason and the procedures she'd learned during training shattered in an instant, leaving her mind a total blank.

She didn't know what to do.

Jiang Chen could feel her inexperience.

Her lips were trembling, her teeth brushed lightly against his, and her breathing was rapid and erratic. She was stiff in his arms, like a block of ice suddenly dropped into hot water, melting bit by bit.

He deepened the kiss.

His tongue lightly traced the line of her lips before probing inside, prying open her clenched teeth.

Su Xiaoxi let out a small whimper, sounding both startled and coquettish.

Not knowing where to put her hands, she eventually gripped his shirt collar unconsciously, her knuckles turning white from the strain.

Jiang Chen's hand slid from her chin to the back of her neck, his fingers threading through her hair and tightening slightly.

Her hair was very soft, like fine silk flowing between his fingers.

Su Xiaoxi felt like her brain had completely shut down.

She could only feel his lips, his tongue, his hands, and his scent.

The sensory onslaught rushed over her like a tide, drowning her.

After what seemed like an eternity, Jiang Chen finally released her.

Their foreheads rested against each other, their breaths intermingling, both of them panting.

Su Xiaoxi's eyes were moist as if covered by a layer of mist, and her lips were slightly reddened and glistening from the kiss.

Looking at Jiang Chen so close to her, her mind was still in a state of chaos, and she could only manage a blurred syllable.

"Jiang..."

Jiang Chen didn't let her finish.

With one hand around her waist and the other supporting her hips, he lifted her from the floor.

Su Xiaoxi was as light as a feather, easily gathered into his arms, her legs instinctively wrapping around his waist.

This posture left her hanging onto him, her skirt sliding up to reveal a large portion of her fair thighs.

Jiang Chen carried her toward the bedroom.

Su Xiaoxi buried her face in the crook of his neck, not daring to look up.

She could hear the sound of her own heartbeat.

Thump, thump, thump, thump!

It was like someone was beating a rapid drum right in her ear.

Her body was trembling—not from the cold, but from a mix of nervousness and anticipation she had never experienced before.

Jiang Chen laid her on the bed.

The large bed was as soft as a cloud. As Su Xiaoxi sank into it, her ponytail came undone, and her long black hair spread across the white pillows like an ink wash painting.

She lay on her back, looking up at Jiang Chen as he hovered over her.

From this angle, his shoulders seemed exceptionally broad, looming over her like a mountain.

He looked down at her, his gaze slowly wandering over her face—from her eyes to her nose, from her nose to her lips, and from her lips to her collarbone.

Su Xiaoxi felt her whole body heat up under his gaze. She instinctively wanted to curl up, but his arms, braced on either side of her, were like railings trapping her in the middle.

"Mr. Jiang..." her voice was as faint as a mosquito's hum, "The light... can we turn off the light..."