Chapter 8: Swallowing

“What are you doing here?” Rong Si wore a crisp military training uniform, revealing a fair, slender neck. Her hair was a little messy, with fine beads of sweat on her forehead, yet it gave her an especially athletic beauty. Her sweat-dampened face had a dewy, rosy quality.

The most important thing: Rong Si hadn’t gotten tan at all. Her skin was still fair, and compared to her previous pallor, she now had a bit more color.

Seeing Rong Si’s face, Cheng Jinzhi showed a disappointed expression. “Coming to check on you. Want some water?”

“No need.”

“Where’s the drill instructor?”

“In the hospital.”

“Huh?” Only after asking the grade director did she learn: the drill instructor had been extremely strict, showing no mercy even toward the female students, and had literally driven one girl to heatstroke. Someone wanted to take the girl to the infirmary, but the instructor didn’t allow team members to leave without permission and told the heatstricken student to go to the infirmary herself. The two sides deadlocked, the instructor lost his temper, and punished the entire group. During the punishment, reportedly the instructor verbally attacked Rong Si, and Rong Si fought back. That’s right—Rong Si threw hands with a burly man and took him down.

…Cheng Jinzhi was a bit shaken. He hadn’t just verbally attacked Rong Si—she’d genuinely “attacked” him.

Rong Si sat in the cafeteria, her back ramrod straight, practically counting the grains of rice she ate.

“If you only eat this little, you won’t be able to handle the training.”

Rong Si lowered her head to count rice grains and ignored Cheng Jinzhi.

“When did you learn martial arts?” Cheng Jinzhi asked.

“I never learned. That was just a one-move takedown. If it works, it works. If it doesn’t, I lose.” Rong Si’s voice was a little hoarse; she coughed a few times before she could speak clearly. Probably from shouting during training.

After the drill instructor was beaten by Rong Si, he refused to come back no matter what, saying Rong Si should be the substitute drill instructor.

That instructor had long incurred the public wrath of these pampered students. When they heard Rong Si would be their substitute instructor, they were thrilled at first. But once training started, they realized Rong Si’s intensity was about the same as the instructor’s—she just took care of the girls and the physically weaker boys. And what boy was willing to admit weakness in front of a beauty like Rong Si? They all gritted their teeth and endured. Their class had become the model squad of the training ground.

Cheng Jinzhi had never eaten at the cafeteria, but she’d followed Rong Si in to keep her company. She took a slow bite—the taste was actually pretty good. Probably because she’d once known what it was like to not have enough to eat.

Cheng Jinzhi took two more bites, and Rong Si had already finished. During the meal, the training camp had sent each instructor a bottle of mineral water. Rong Si twisted open the cap and handed it to Cheng Jinzhi, then picked up her own canteen and took a slow sip.

Cheng Jinzhi, a grain of rice in her mouth, looked up to watch Rong Si drink. The slender neck, the visible motion of swallowing. “I don’t want that. I want to drink yours.”

Rong Si didn’t say anything. She picked up a disposable plastic cup, poured half a cup for Cheng Jinzhi.

Cheng Jinzhi held the plastic cup and took a sip. Huh… it was salty. “Light salt water?”

Not tasty. But when she watched Rong Si drink it, she really wanted to try.

After eating, Rong Si was going back for her afternoon nap. Cheng Jinzhi tossed a spray into Rong Si’s hand. “Watermelon flavor.”

“Mm.”

At the cafeteria, Cheng Jinzhi had grabbed a throat-soothing spray for Rong Si on a whim. She’d just caught a glimpse and bought it on a whim.

When Friday came, Cheng Jinzhi went home for dinner. Since her rebirth, she hadn’t had a proper meal with her family—either her mother was busy, or her father was busy. Or both were busy.

“Dad, Mom, I’m home.”

“Welcome back.” Her father set down a dish. “I was busy with business these past few days and didn’t get to chat with you properly.”

Her mother was on the phone on the sofa. Seeing Cheng Jinzhi return, she hung up. “Jinzhi, come here, let Mom look at you.”

“You’ve lost weight. Even thinner than in the videos.” Her mother had some makeup on, as if she’d just come from a meeting.

“I haven’t lost weight.”

“Darling, Jinzhi, come eat.”

The servant set the table. Cheng Jinzhi called over a servant and had her chair moved next to her mother’s. “Mom, I want to sit with you.”

“Oh? Weren’t you complaining just a couple days ago that your mom nags too much?” Her father chuckled. “Quick, tell Dad quietly—did you get into trouble outside again?”

“No, I didn’t.”

“Old Cheng, what are you saying? You’re just hoping your child gets into trouble, aren’t you?” Her mother ladled Cheng Jinzhi a bowl of soup. “Sitting next to Mom is good. Mom will ladle you soup.”

“Mom’s soup, I’ll drink every drop.” Cheng Jinzhi took the bowl and said in a coy voice.

“Good girl.” Mother Cheng also ladled a bowl for Father Cheng. “Old Cheng, you should nourish yourself too. Your assistant said you’ve been low on energy lately.”

These past few days, Father Cheng had been out having fun, so he could only give an awkward laugh. “Right, Jinzhi, what were you going to film again?”

Cheng Jinzhi hurriedly swallowed the soup in her mouth. “《Girls’ Fortress》, an art film.”

“Who’s directing?”

“Yi Yi.”

“Yi Yi, huh. A fairly new director.” Father Cheng said. “Has the investment come through? If you’re short, go to the company and take…”

“The company isn’t a money printer.” Mother Cheng shot Father Cheng a look.

“Isn’t this just spending money on the kid…”

“I’m happy to spend any amount on our child. I’m just afraid some people use public funds for private gain.” Mother Cheng said. “Jinzhi, have someone draw up the accounts for this production and give me a number. I’ll allocate the funds.”

“Mm-hm, I’ll go check out the company in a couple days too.”

“Good. You’re old enough now—it’s time you got familiar with the company.”

When Cheng Jinzhi was just past twenty, her parents were only in their forties, and they fought constantly. When her father was young, he’d kept a mistress outside, almost had a child with her. And this period was when her parents clashed the hardest—her father’s true nature was exposed, and her mother…

“Mm, I want to come to the company and help you both. I don’t want you two working too hard.” Cheng Jinzhi said.

The moment she said it, both parents froze. Her father’s chopsticks stopped mid-air, then quickly came back down. “Jinzhi, did you really get into trouble?”

“How big is it? Has it been suppressed? Why hasn’t anyone told us?” Her mother also asked urgently. When it came to Cheng Jinzhi’s matters, her parents were especially “in sync.”

…How much trouble had she used to cause? Cheng Jinzhi set down her chopsticks and sincerely pressed her palms together. “Really, I just want to come to the company to help you both, share the burden. I haven’t gotten into any trouble. If you don’t believe me, ask DC.”

“If anything happens, you have to tell the family. That kid—old Fu’s family—their youngest son beat someone up outside, and they only found out from the news.”

“Mom, don’t compare me to that little bastard.” That little bastard had copped a feel of Xia You at Ah Hui’s birthday party.

“Eh? Weren’t you two close as kids…” Her father asked curiously.

“It’s good that you’re not. I never liked that Little Fu much anyway.” Mother Cheng said with satisfaction. “You’ve grown up. You can tell good from bad now.”

“Alas, business isn’t about good and bad.” Father Cheng said. “Little Fu may be useless, but Big Fu is decent. She’s got a clear head.”

Big Fu was the eldest miss of the Fu family, but unfortunately she was crippled. She’d been kidnapped as a child and injured her leg.

“Let’s drop it. A couple days ago I told your grandmother, and she said it was fine, said she missed you too. Let’s go up the mountain soon.”

“Great, let’s go up tomorrow then.”

The mountain road was steep, and halfway up they couldn’t drive anymore. On foot, stopping and starting, they didn’t reach the temple at the summit until four or five in the afternoon. The temple was gray and drab—a place for individual cultivation, rarely visited by anyone.

“Grandma, I’m here…”

Grandma was lying in a recliner with a silk facial mask on her face. Hearing Cheng Jinzhi’s voice, she waved her over. “Come, let Grandma hug you… Hey, hey, don’t mess up Grandma’s mask. It was expensive…”

Grandma had already passed away several years ago. Cheng Jinzhi hadn’t expected to see her doting grandmother again. She covered her eyes. “I’ve missed you so much…”

“Eh? Did your parents bully you?” Grandma immediately tore off her mask. “Come on, no more mask. I’m going to go ask them…”

“Mom and Dad treat me very well.”

“Then why are you crying like this…”

Cheng Jinzhi was still a little choked up. She tilted her head back and fanned herself. “My makeup’s going to run…”

“You really have grown up—you’ve learned to miss your elders.” Grandma ruffled Cheng Jinzhi’s head and had someone bring over another recliner, then pulled open the wooden door in front.

Beyond the door was a lush bamboo forest and a lotus pond.

“Come, keep Grandma company and listen to the birds.”

Grandma had once been a pillar of the art troupe, mentoring many juniors, and had always been called a veteran artist of both moral and artistic excellence. When Cheng Jinzhi first debuted, having Grandma was a huge boost for her. Unfortunately, she’d played a winning hand terribly.

“Teacher Wu Yi told me you’ve been working hard lately…”

“Mm-hm, I’m planning to report to the drama society next week.”

“Those are all your senior schoolmates. Keep that temper of yours in check.” Grandma knew Cheng Jinzhi’s temper well.

“I will, Grandma.”

“You’ve become much calmer lately.” After a pause, Grandma said. “In the past, when I asked you to lie with me a while, you’d play on your phone, and sometimes you’d giggle to yourself when you were happy.”

Cheng Jinzhi stuck out her tongue. “My bad. I’ll work on it.”

“Actually, Grandma really liked hearing you laugh. When you laugh, it makes Grandma happy too.” Grandma said. “Now that you’re sensible, even better.”

“Mm-hm, why don’t I just stay with you?”

“No. It’s not like I’m sick in the hospital needing a nurse.” Grandma said. “Keep some distance. That way, you won’t find me too old, and I won’t find you too noisy.”

After chatting with Grandma, she went back to her room. The room was made of wood and especially cool. When she opened her phone, she saw that DC had sent her a group QR code. The group was full of the production crew from 《Girls’ Fortress》.

The group chat was buzzing. They were discussing the theme song for 《Girls’ Fortress》, which would be sung by Rong Si and her together. The song needed to include many blush-inducing breaths and moans.

The arranger demonstrated and asked Rong Si to try it so he could adjust the tuning.

“The last sip of wine at your throat, after I drink it, the poison that pierces my heart…” Rong Si’s voice was a little husky, with a perfect vocal transition, as if a seductive little demon lived in her throat. The nasal hum and breath after she finished singing made Cheng Jinzhi’s face unconsciously flush.

“Your skin is a curse I can’t quit, letting me…” Here Rong Si made a licking sound.

Inexplicably, Cheng Jinzhi tightened her legs. What surfaced in her mind was that day in the cafeteria—Rong Si’s throat moving as she swallowed water.