Chapter 25

Her meek, submissive act of admitting her mistake instantly doused the flames of Jun Jianqing’s anger.

And yet, strangely, this compliant effect wasn’t what Jun Jianqing actually wanted.

It was at this moment that the food arrived.

Jun Jianqing picked up her chopsticks and said coolly, “Eat.”

“Okay.”

Cheng Yan’s brows and eyes drooped. No sharp edges, no smile. Her reply was like that of a wooden puppet.

Jun Jianqing felt irritated.

But sometimes, the reason for irritation was precisely not knowing why one was irritated.

Cheng Yan adhered to the principle of not speaking during meals. Throughout the entire dinner, the two of them had no conversation whatsoever.

Naturally, there was no eye contact either.

But from Jun Jianqing’s perspective, those overly clean, trimmed nails kept swaying before her eyes, shaking her concentration and making the food tasteless.

Finally, the meal ended. The two of them got into the car, and the entire journey was quiet, right up until they arrived at the villa.

Once inside the bedroom, Jun Jianqing finally spoke.

“Go take a shower.”

Grasping the meaning behind her words, Cheng Yan said, “Oh.”

She then picked up the pajamas the servant had prepared earlier and slipped into the bathroom.

After showering and washing her hair, Cheng Yan came out in her pajamas. Jun Jianqing did not look at her; she silently took her own clothes and went into the bathroom.

During this interval, Cheng Yan dried her hair and applied her skincare lotion. A while later, the bathroom door opened. Jun Jianqing came out wrapped in a bathrobe, her hair wet. She looked up at Cheng Yan, put the towel in her hand aside, and said, “Come here. Dry my hair.”

Cheng Yan clicked her tongue inwardly, but still walked behind Jun Jianqing and picked up the hairdryer.

They used the same body wash and shampoo, so their scents were identical.

Standing together, the scent one smelled was indistinguishable as belonging to either one.

Or rather, their scents had already intertwined in the air.

Cheng Yan lifted a section of hair, and the hairdryer hummed to life. She had never dried anyone else’s hair before, so her touch was a bit clumsy. She was extremely careful with her strength, terrified of pulling Jun Jianqing’s hair and hurting her.

But inevitably, she did tug at it a few times.

The first time, Cheng Yan didn’t notice; she was completely focused on the hair right under her nose.

It was only later, when she looked up at the mirror, that she saw the person sitting in front of her reflected there, brows furrowed and expression forbearing.

The silent, enduring look told Cheng Yan this clearly wasn’t the first time it had happened.

Her motion paused. Cheng Yan turned off the hairdryer, her eyes filled with guilt. “Perhaps I should let a servant do this. I’m all thumbs.”

The furrow in Jun Jianqing’s brow had smoothed the moment Cheng Yan stopped. She looked into the mirror, meeting the eyes of the person behind her. “Continue.”

Cheng Yan refused. “Forget it. I’m not good at this; it hurts you.”

“Who says it hurts me?” Jun Jianqing said calmly. “I didn’t say anything, so it’s fine.”

“…”

You can actually tolerate this?

If it were me, I would have snatched my hair back and dried it myself ages ago.

Cheng Yan was privately bewildered for a moment. She thought about it: tonight, President Jun had just told her not to disobey. Okay. She lifted Jun Jianqing’s hair again and said softly, “I’ll be more careful.”

The hair-drying continued.

Because she wanted to be careful not to pull Jun Jianqing’s hair again, Cheng Yan was even more focused for the remainder of the time.

She concentrated intently on the movements of her hands. Therefore, she didn’t see that the person sitting before the mirror was watching her.

Jun Jianqing’s gaze, reflected in the mirror, settled on the serious-looking Cheng Yan.

She watched, unknowingly lost in thought, and only snapped back to reality when the drone of the hairdryer ceased.

Cheng Yan hadn’t noticed Jun Jianqing’s distraction. The hair beneath her palm, previously damp, had lost its moisture and become dry. She was quite satisfied.

She reached for the bottle of hair oil on the table. Jun Jianqing saw her and said, “I’ll do this myself.”

After all the preparations were done, the two of them moved from the bathroom to the bedside.

While Jun Jianqing wasn’t looking, Cheng Yan quietly took the item she had stashed in her bag that afternoon and placed it near the bed, in an easy-to-reach spot.

Late at night, sharing a room, once everything fell silent, one could sense the subtle shift in the atmosphere.

That ambiguous atmosphere had thickened at some unknown point.

It seemed to have started with a single sentence, two words.

“Kiss me.”

As if bewitched, Cheng Yan stepped forward in her slippers, stood before the woman sitting on the edge of the bed, cupped her face, and pressed her lips to hers.

Holding her face in both hands, she sucked on her tongue. After a long moment, Cheng Yan pulled her head back slightly, giving them both room to breathe.

But her hands didn’t loosen. They still held Jun Jianqing’s face, keeping it turned towards her.

On Jun Jianqing’s usually calm and composed face, spring colors bloomed. Her normally indifferent eyes were stirred into ripples.

Looking down at her from this height, Cheng Yan felt as if she could see the fleeting infatuation on her face.

It was practically an affirmation of her skills.

A little smugness rose in Cheng Yan’s heart. My kissing technique really is much better than Jun Jianqing’s.

She kissed her again.

It was too aggressive, too lingering, sucking until the base of Jun Jianqing’s tongue felt numb.

Her mouth was blocked, with no way to make a sound. Jun Jianqing pushed against her twice.

Sensing her resistance, Cheng Yan felt a flicker of dissatisfaction. She grabbed Jun Jianqing’s wrists, and using the momentum, pressed her down. The two of them tumbled onto the soft bed together.

Jun Jianqing tilted her head slightly and bit down gently on Cheng Yan’s tongue. Stung by the pain, Cheng Yan finally withdrew.

Cheng Yan looked at her red, swollen lips, got up from the bed, lowered her head, and said, “I’m sorry. I was out of line.”

“…”

Jun Jianqing panted lightly and sat up from the bed.

Her bathrobe was already in disarray; the tie had come loose during their kiss.

Gathering her bathrobe, Jun Jianqing spoke in a hoarse voice, “It’s alright.”

Cheng Yan glanced at her, as if making a promise. “I won’t do it again.”

Jun Jianqing didn’t want to discuss this right now. She picked up a glass of water from the bedside table, took a sip to moisten her throat, and then said, “Turn off the light.”

This seemed to be a signal.

Bidden, Cheng Yan pressed the switch.

The two returned to the battlefield of moments before, entangled once more.

But this time, Cheng Yan’s movements were extremely restrained, truly doing as she had said: not acting out of line.

Yet Jun Jianqing, pressed closest against her, could feel the skill in her movements, no longer clumsy and reckless like the first night.

And it was precisely this increasingly practiced skill, paired with restrained movements, that was the most torturous.

Jun Jianqing found it somewhat unbearable. She said hoarsely, “Don’t be like this.”

Cheng Yan, who had been utterly restrained the entire time, stopped and asked, “Like what?”

“Don’t hold back.”

Thinking of the person who, in the restaurant, had instructed her to know her place, Cheng Yan mischievously feigned ignorance, playing dumb as she asked innocently, “What do you mean?”

“I permit you to be reckless tonight,” Jun Jianqing said with forbearance.

Secretly laughing inside, Cheng Yan’s face showed cautious confirmation. “Really?”

“Really.”

Having received permission, Cheng Yan put in a little more effort, trying to recall her studies over the past few days and striving to gain real knowledge from this practice.

As she worked hard, her attention was drawn to the rising and falling scene of passion before her.

Lifting her eyes to glance at President Jun, who was drowning in pleasure, Cheng Yan slightly lowered her head.

The sudden sensation on her chest made Jun Jianqing’s body instantly tense. An unfamiliar, alien feeling swept through her, making her tremble. She asked, “What are you doing?”

Cheng Yan released the vivid red bud from her mouth and asked, her voice muffled, “Is it not allowed?”

The pitiful tolerance in her eyes softened Jun Jianqing’s heart for a moment. She closed her eyes, turned her head away, and said in a low voice, “Suit yourself.”

A happy smile bloomed on Cheng Yan’s face. What she gave in return was her increasingly refined skill.

—

The next day, Cheng Yan woke up first.

The heavy curtains blocked out the light, leaving the room dim—perfect for sleeping.

She reached out a hand, intending to grab her clothes and put them on, when she suddenly touched a small wrapper. Bringing it before her eyes, the vague outline reminded her of what it was.

Ah, it’s the finger cot I brought yesterday afternoon. I was planning to try it out last night, like they suggested online, but then I forgot.

Well, no matter. I can try it later.

Cheng Yan put the item back in its original place and slightly turned her head, looking at Jun Jianqing, who was sleeping soundly beside her.

Got to say, sex… it really is quite enjoyable.

Suddenly, Cheng Yan remembered something. She looked at the sleeping Jun Jianqing and tried to recall last night. I shouldn’t have been reckless again, right?

So that place… shouldn’t be swollen to the point where President Jun needs medicine again, right?

If she still needs medicine, it really means I’m bad at this.

Cheng Yan pondered this as she slipped her hand back under the covers, following the terrain until her hand touched there.

Unfortunately, she couldn’t feel anything definitive.

Cheng Yan shifted her body towards the foot of the bed, lifted the quilt, and stuck her head inside.

When Jun Jianqing woke up, she felt something strange.

She sat up in bed and looked at the lump under the quilt at the foot of the bed, feeling the odd sensation in her lower body. Her expression was complicated, her voice restrained. “Cheng Yan, what are you doing?”

Under the quilt, Cheng Yan froze. She slowly withdrew her inspecting hand and then crawled out from under the covers, lifting her head to meet Jun Jianqing’s inquiring gaze.

It had been a caring gesture, but now, face-to-face, an abrupt awkwardness washed over her.

“I wanted to check on it…” she explained.

Jun Jianqing frowned, then understood. She looked at the woman kneeling at the foot of the bed. Suppressing her complicated thoughts, she asked calmly, “Did you find anything?”

Rubbing her fingers together, she felt a slight dampness. Cheng Yan said, “No.”

And then it dawned on her: she couldn’t feel anything, and even sticking her head under the quilt, she couldn’t see anything.

How awkward.

Jun Jianqing broke the silence and awkwardness. “I’m fine.”

“Oh, good.”

Wonderful! My technique wasn’t learned in vain!

I’m no longer a rookie!

Cheng Yan’s mood instantly soared.

I am indeed quite clever.