86: Chapter 86 Last night was pretty good
Jiang Chen stood up and tucked his phone into his pocket, but he didn't head for the door.
He walked to the floor-to-ceiling window, stood looking at the night view for a while, and then turned around.
"I'm going to take a shower."
Leaving those words behind, he walked straight into the bathroom.
Su Xiaoxi sat on the sofa, listening to the sound of running water coming from the bathroom; her heart began to race for no reason.
She lowered her head, her fingers unconsciously twisting the belt of her bathrobe as the same thought circled repeatedly in her mind.
She knew her place.
She was a canary.
He gave her money, a house, and a life she hadn't even dared to dream of before.
And all she could do was make him happy.
Keeping him happy was her top priority.
She didn't know how to do anything else, but this... she could learn.
Su Xiaoxi bit her lip, stood up, and walked to the bedside. She pulled back a corner of the quilt and straightened the pillows.
She glanced toward the bathroom; the sound of water was still going.
Taking a deep breath, she retightened the belt of her bathrobe, then crawled under the covers. She lay down on her side of the bed, facing the bathroom, and waited.
The sound of water stopped.
The bathroom door opened, and steam billowed out.
Jiang Chen walked out wearing a white hotel bathrobe. The belt was loosely tied, and the collar was wide open, revealing his sturdy chest and collarbones.
His hair was still wet, with droplets of water dripping from the ends and landing on his shoulders.
Su Xiaoxi looked at him, her heart beating so fast it felt like it would jump out of her throat, yet she didn't look away.
Jiang Chen casually dried his hair with a towel and walked to the bedside.
He reached out to turn off the light, but just as his finger touched the switch, he paused for a moment.
Because he realized Su Xiaoxi was watching him.
It wasn't the kind of glance where she'd steal a look and then quickly look away; she was watching him truly and openly.
Her face was flushed, her ears were red, and even the base of her neck was tinged pink, but her eyes didn't shy away.
In those eyes, there was nervousness, shyness, and a slight trembling, but besides that, there was something else.
A cautious, clumsy, yet exceptionally firm courage.
Jiang Chen raised an eyebrow.
He turned off the light.
The room plunged into darkness, leaving only the city lights shining through the floor-to-ceiling window to cast a faint glow on the ceiling.
Jiang Chen pulled back the quilt and lay down on the other side of the bed.
He had just settled in and hadn't even had time to turn over when he felt the quilt beside him move.
Su Xiaoxi was coming closer.
Instead of shrinking into the farthest corner like she did last night, she proactively moved toward him, bit by bit.
Her movements were slow, as if she were psyching herself up, stopping after every tiny shift, but she didn't retreat.
In the darkness, Jiang Chen felt a soft hand gently rest on his arm; her fingertips were slightly cool and covered in a thin layer of sweat.
Then her body, through two layers of bathrobe fabric, pressed against his side.
She didn't stop.
Su Xiaoxi propped herself up and slowly, very slowly, approached him in the dark.
Her breathing was light and rapid, brushing warmly against his chin and neck.
Her hand fumbled until she found his shoulder, and her fingers gripped the collar of his bathrobe tightly, as if afraid she would give up halfway.
Then, she buried her face in the crook of his neck.
The moment her lips touched the skin near his collarbone, her entire body trembled.
It wasn't from the cold; it was from nerves.
Her heartbeat thudded against him through their two chests, beat after beat.
"Brother Chen..."
Her voice was very small, almost a whisper, with a hint of a tremble, yet it was exceptionally clear. "I... I will work hard."
Work hard to make you happy.
Work hard not to disappoint you.
Jiang Chen didn't speak.
In the darkness, he remained silent for two seconds.
Then he raised his hand, his palm resting on the back of her head. His fingers slid through her damp hair, and with a slight pressure, he pressed her face into the hollow of his shoulder.
He didn't push her away.
Su Xiaoxi's tense body finally relaxed a little at that moment.
Burying her face in the crook of his neck, she breathed in the fresh scent of his body wash and that familiar, faint smell of tobacco.
Slowly, bit by bit, she tightened her arms around his waist.
Jiang Chen's other hand rested on her waist—not in a polite, distant way, but in a solid, possessive embrace.
He pulled her closer into his arms, resting his chin on top of her head, his warm breath brushing over her hair.
"The lights are off."
He said, his voice deep and sounding like a water-soaked stone in the darkness.
Su Xiaoxi didn't realize what he meant by that.
Was he telling her the lights were off? Or was he saying something else?
She didn't have time to think it through because she felt his hand move from her waist, followed by the sound of a bathrobe belt being untied.
It wasn't hers.
It was his own.
He took off his bathrobe, tossed it toward the foot of the bed, and then pulled her back into his arms.
This time, his chest was directly against her body; even through her bathrobe, she could still feel the burning heat coming from him.
Su Xiaoxi's breathing became completely erratic.
She didn't dodge, nor did she retreat.
Instead, she very proactively met him.
Jiang Chen lowered his head, his lips against her ear, his voice as low as a sigh.
"Tonight, there's no need to sleep so early."
Su Xiaoxi's body trembled, and her ears turned so red they looked ready to bleed, but she didn't shake her head, nor did she say "no."
She simply buried her face deeper into his chest and let out a soft "Mm" in a voice that was almost inaudible.
...
The next morning.
Su Xiaoxi was woken up by the sunlight leaking through the gap in the curtains.
She opened her eyes dizzily and found herself curled up in Jiang Chen's arms, their posture even more intimate than when they fell asleep last night.
His arm was across her waist, her hand was on his chest, their legs were intertwined, and the quilt had been kicked to the foot of the bed.
She tried to move, but her whole body felt sore and weak, as if she had been taken apart and reassembled.
The soreness at the top of her thighs was even more noticeable than the night before, and there were several new marks on her collarbones and shoulders, glowing a faint red in the morning light.
Memories of last night slowly came flooding back.
Her initiative in the dark, her compliance, and the things she had done later—she didn't even know where she'd found the courage.
It was practically redefining her understanding of herself.
Su Xiaoxi's face suddenly burned, from her cheeks to her ears and down to her neck; it felt as if she had been dropped into hot water.
She buried her face in the pillow, wishing she could smother herself in it.
The key was that she didn't feel any aversion to it.
On the contrary...
She didn't dare think about it anymore.
She looked up and found that Jiang Chen was already awake.
He was looking down at her, his gaze carrying the lethargy and satisfaction typical of someone who had just woken up, with a faint, lingering smile on his lips.
Unlike last night, he seemed to be in a very good mood right now.
"Awake?" His voice was incredibly raspy, as if he had a mouthful of gravel.
Su Xiaoxi lowered her head and gave a soft "Mm."
Jiang Chen said nothing, reaching out to give her waist a gentle squeeze. The pressure was neither light nor heavy, as if he were confirming something.
Su Xiaoxi trembled at the squeeze and shrank into his arms, curling up instinctively like a kitten having its belly rubbed.
Jiang Chen let out a low chuckle. The sound resonated from his chest, muffled and carrying a sense of satisfaction that made her blush.
"Last night..." he began, his tone casual as if mentioning it in passing, "was very good. Keep it up."
Su Xiaoxi's ears instantly turned beet red.
She buried her face in his chest, wishing she could hide herself completely inside him, yet her fingers still gripped his arm without letting go.
Jiang Chen didn't tease her anymore.
He reached for his phone on the nightstand, checked the time, then let go of her and sat up. His bare back showed sharp lines in the morning light.
"Get up. We're going to look at houses."