Chapter 64

Xia Zhuxi’s kisses fell like a gentle spring drizzle, soft and unending. She nuzzled into the crook of Shen Jingsong’s neck, teasing with light touches here and there. A soft, delicate moan escaped Shen Jingsong’s lips, drawing Xia Zhuxi’s gaze upward to those slightly parted lips, flushed and tempting.

Hope shimmered in Shen Jingsong’s eyes, but the deep, passionate kiss she yearned for never came.

Xia Zhuxi was doing this on purpose—a tender punishment for Shen Jingsong.

“Not going to tell me?” Xia Zhuxi slid her hand to the small of Shen Jingsong’s back. If she didn’t spill soon, it wouldn’t just end with being pinned in the corner without a proper kiss.

“So fierce?” Shen Jingsong looped her arms around Xia Zhuxi’s neck and tugged her closer.

Xia Zhuxi brushed her nose against Shen Jingsong’s. “I don’t want you going to other people’s houses. I don’t want you having little secrets with anyone else. You can’t just leave me hanging all by myself, or I’ll throw a little fit.”

Shen Jingsong nodded and stroked the top of her head. “Lu Guanlan came to me because of Shang Mingrong. It involves their private matters, so I can’t tell you.” She pressed a kiss to the corner of Xia Zhuxi’s mouth. “Don’t worry, okay?”

Xia Zhuxi’s expression eased slightly. The hand wrapped around Shen Jingsong’s waist stilled its playful wandering. “Did Lulu’s dad finally turn up? Is Shang Mingrong taking the kid and leaving?” She let out a sigh. “Lu Guanlan’s got it rough, really.”

On one hand, the Lu Family trailed after the Chu Family like loyal hounds; on the other, they chafed at being under the Chu Family’s thumb. Lu Guanlan’s Fairy brand stood independent from the Chu Family’s ecosystem, a precarious tightrope walk. As a major clan, the Lu Family was riddled with internal factional infighting, saddling Lu Guanlan with a heap of troubles both in-house and out.

And beyond that, Lu Guanlan had poured her heart and soul into caring for Shang Mingrong and her daughter, only for it to…

Maybe all come to nothing in the end, like scooping water with a bamboo basket.

Shen Jingsong replied, “She never mentioned any of that to me. No gossiping behind backs—we can only lend a hand when we’re able, offer what little help we can.”

“Mm.”

Xia Zhuxi released Shen Jingsong from the corner. As they walked, Shen Jingsong reached back to touch her spine—the zipper had been tugged halfway down by Xia Zhuxi, letting the breeze slip in and exposing delicate lace ties, the taut allure of her shoulder blades, and the deep curve of her spine vanishing into the skirt’s hemline.

Xia Zhuxi chuckled and zipped it back up for her. Shen Jingsong shot her a playful glare.

“Jingjing,” Xia Zhuxi asked, “on your way back from the set, any paparazzi tailing you?”

Shen Jingsong shook her head. “Nothing out of the ordinary. Could be ones after you, though? It’s not just actors who draw them—athletes like you in the racing scene get plenty of spotlight too.”

Xia Zhuxi mulled it over. It wasn’t out of the question. She was one of the most popular drivers on the Car Team, arguably the top among domestic racers, with solid name recognition abroad as well. Jian Ge was always reminding her to guard her privacy.

And her biggest secret was her marriage to Shen Jingsong.

The last time they’d returned from Melbourne, Jian Ge had brought it up—Xia Zhuxi and Shen Jingsong’s relationship wasn’t out in the open.

Shen Jingsong had never pushed for secrecy, nor hidden it from close friends and family. It had been Xia Zhuxi, back when their relationship felt shaky, who worried it might hurt Shen Jingsong’s career and chose to keep it under wraps.

Things were different now.

Xia Zhuxi extended a tentative little claw. “Jingjing, what if—what I mean is, hypothetically—if the paparazzi blow our marriage wide open? What then?”

Shen Jingsong furrowed her brow, pulling a troubled face. “What to do, hmm…”

Xia Zhuxi snuck a sidelong glance. Shen Jingsong looked genuinely vexed. Rising stars in entertainment all clung to that single-and-eligible image; Xia Zhuxi got it, she understood, but a hollow ache settled in her chest anyway.

Then came Shen Jingsong’s bright, melodic laugh. “Then we’ll just turn uncooked rice into cooked rice!”

Huh?

Xia Zhuxi whipped around in surprise, and Shen Jingsong—eyes curved in delight—lunged forward, wrapping her in a tight embrace as their lips met.

Shen Jingsong kissed her deeply, demanding without restraint.

Who asked Xia Zhuxi to hold out on her back there in the corner?

~~~

Just before the Dragon Boat Festival, Xia Zhuxi’s company messaging system pinged with a note from Xia Jie. Could they meet up over the holiday? Mom had learned to wrap her favorite egg yolk and pork zongzi.

She was her birth mother, after all, and it was a family holiday. Xia Jie had laid low this past year. Shen Jingsong saw the message but stayed quiet.

Xia Zhuxi had no interest in meeting. She figured having the company cafeteria whip up extra dishes and sending holiday care packages to the employee dorms would be plenty thoughtful.

Then more messages rolled in from Xia Jie.

Xia Jie: Xiao Xi, it’s been nearly a year. Have you heard from your sister?

Xia Jie: Yingying never knew hardship growing up—how’s she managing out there on her own?

Xia Jie: I heard she’s pregnant—is it true? No idea if it’s a boy or girl. I’ve knitted some soft silk baby clothes. If you track her down, could you pass them along from Mom?

“……” Xia Zhuxi instructed HR to boot Xia Jie’s contact from the company directory.

Shen Jingsong remarked, “Last time you saw Pei Ziying was January or February?”

Xia Zhuxi said, “Mm. Her belly looks like it’s three or four months along.”

Shen Jingsong replied, “So she’s about to give birth.”

If the man Pei Ziying had hooked up with was really some sleazy client Wu Jia had introduced her to, he was definitely bad news. Rich and powerful, a regular at hostess clubs, mingling with the criminal underworld—what consequences would come from bearing a child for a man like that?

Most tragic of all, even at this stage, Pei Ziying was still lost in her daydreams, and Xia Jie still didn’t see anything wrong with her precious daughter, continuing to spoil her without any limits.

Shen Jingsong asked, “How did we spend last Dragon Boat Festival?”

Xia Zhuxi said, “We weren’t married yet last year. I made a zongzi bouquet, but it turned out kind of ugly, so I was too embarrassed to give it to you.”

Shen Jingsong: “A zongzi bouquet?”

Xia Zhuxi explained, “It’s just various flavors of zongzi stuck on wooden sticks and packaged like a bouquet, same principle as a cotton candy bouquet.”

Shen Jingsong pictured it and covered her mouth with a light laugh. “Let’s make one together this year.”

Xia Zhuxi: “Hm?”

Shen Jingsong said, “A zongzi bouquet.”

Zongzi came in more and more flavors these days, with dessert shops jumping into the market too. As long as it was shaped like a zongzi, they could stuff any ingredient inside.

Shen Jingsong and Xia Zhuxi wrapped zongzi at home, using the classic fillings: plain zongzi, red dates, and salted egg yolk with pork.

They made the zongzi small. Shen Jingsong’s family had been poor growing up, so she was used to plain ones.

Xia Zhuxi, on the other hand, liked to dig out the filling from the glutinous rice and eat that first; if she couldn’t finish the rice afterward, she’d just toss it.

Xia Zhuxi scooped out the salted egg yolk and pork for Shen Jingsong.

Shen Jingsong frowned. “Such a waste.” She stuffed the filling back into the rice. “Eat it together.”

Xia Zhuxi obediently did.

They also bought salted duck eggs. Xia Zhuxi dug out the custard yolk for Shen Jingsong.

Shen Jingsong said, “You’re giving me all your favorites—what are you going to eat?”

Xia Zhuxi replied, “I like you. Giving you what I like makes me twice as happy.”

Shen Jingsong smiled and fed her a sweet jujube.

Ever since Shen Jingsong came into her life, Xia Zhuxi had finally understood: Ah, so this is what holidays feel like!

Simple food, everyday chores—even if they repeated year after year, day after day, they always brought a profound sense of security and fulfillment.

A holiday only feels like one when you have a home.

It was Shen Jingsong who had given Xia Zhuxi a home.

Who had given her this ordinary happiness.

The car team handed out lots of fragrant sachets and moxibustion packs, and they even invited everyone to a dragon boat race. Chu Yun never did things by the book—she wouldn’t send zongzi or duck eggs. In her words, “Who hasn’t gotten dozens of boxes of zongzi that just sit around until they expire? I’m not wasting my time on that.”

The dragon boat race was held at a resort owned by Xuanyuan. There were four boats on the river, and the company folks divided into four teams: red, yellow, blue, and white. The winning team got a prize.

Shen Jingsong went to the site to cheer Xia Zhuxi on, but there were lots of mosquitoes by the water, and she got several bites.

Xia Zhuxi’s dragon boat team came in second, just barely losing to the blue team. The champions got a paid week off—the whole team, with a seven-day trip to Southeast Asia.

Xia Zhuxi applied ointment to Shen Jingsong’s mosquito bites. Chu Yun strolled over leisurely. “Ace isn’t so hot at rowing, huh.”

Xia Zhuxi didn’t bother looking up. “As long as the cars are fast, that’s fine.” She wasn’t superhuman!

Chu Yun leaned in a bit. “A paid seven-day trip—miss this chance, and who knows when the next one comes.”

Xia Zhuxi said, “If you give me time off, do I even have a window to travel? I’ve got four races next month.”

Chu Yun: “There’s only one in August. Besides, I can get your wife some time off too—it’s just a word to the film crew.”

Xia Zhuxi: “……”

Shen Jingsong: “……”

Before they knew it, the happy couple had both become employees under Chu Yun.

Xia Zhuxi asked the Boss, “What other chances?”

Chu Yun sent her an invitation. “Frankfurt Auto Show. They’re short on guests, and the association wants you there. Ace, how about giving us the honor?”

Shen Jingsong leaned in for a look. It was an international luxury car show, the venue gleaming with gold—very high-class. A quick search showed it was one of the world’s top auto shows, open only to top-ranked members of major sports car clubs.

Xia Zhuxi rarely did commercial events; she’d shot the occasional poster or ad, but nothing this social.

The Frankfurt Auto Show was a gathering of elites—regular drivers dreamed of getting in, but couldn’t. With Chu Yun both inviting her and dangling rewards, Xia Zhuxi wasn’t just tempted; she was floored.

Jokingly, she asked Chu Yun, “Has this lady from the cold palace finally warmed up again?”

Chu Yun chuckled. “I treat all my employees fairly.”

Xia Zhuxi: “Oh? Weren’t you holed up with the esports team playing 《Dragon Flame》 even during Chinese New Year? Things were heating up just fine.”

Chu Yun didn’t keep bantering. She tapped the invitation. “Mark the date. This year’s Frankfurt is in Shengjing. You can bring one companion.” She nodded at Shen Jingsong. “If you’ve got time, take your wife to pick out a haute couture gown you like—put it on my tab.”

“Sigh, you don’t need to worry about the haute couture—” Xia Zhuxi turned her head, but Chu Yun was already walking away.

Shen Jingsong checked the date for the auto show. “June 24th.”

Xia Zhuxi asked, “Do you have time?”

“Yes,” Shen Jingsong replied. “The crew just notified us that the Dragon Boat Festival holiday has been extended by two days.”

They reasonably suspected the Boss had arranged it all.

~~~

The Frankfurt Auto Show was held at the Xuanyuan International Exhibition Center over two days.

By tradition, there was a masquerade ball the evening before the official opening.

Xia Zhuxi wore a beige suit that gave her a warm and approachable air, while Shen Jingsong was dressed in a silk-satin off-the-shoulder sheath gown, lightly holding onto Xia Zhuxi’s arm.

The greeter at the red carpet bowed to them. “Please sign in, ladies.”

Xia Zhuxi wrote her name and passed the pen to Shen Jingsong. Two white men approached from ahead, greeting Xia Zhuxi enthusiastically in a foreign language.

Xia Zhuxi quietly introduced them to Shen Jingsong. “These two are councilors from the Frankfurt Motor Show Association and an F1 race commissioner.”

Shen Jingsong nodded slightly, offering a polite smile.

The two men smiled and complimented Shen Jingsong on her beauty.

Xia Zhuxi chatted with them briefly before turning to Shen Jingsong. “Jingjing, if you don’t like these kinds of events, you can go rest at the seats over there first. Our nameplates are right next to each other.”

She pointed to a group of people waving at her from beside the booth. “I’ll just go say hello and come right back.”

Shen Jingsong nodded. “Okay.”

The banquet area featured booths displaying new models from all the major brands.

The auto show chairman raised his champagne flute to toast Xia Zhuxi. Others crowded around, and several reporters snapped photos of them all at once.

Xia Zhuxi exchanged pleasantries with the group. Then a long-legged beauty in a bikini stepped down from the booth and whispered something to the chairman. He nodded and beckoned to those behind him.

Xia Zhuxi looked over curiously. The car models from the row of booths behind came down one after another, heading excitedly in their direction.

The chairman was a foreigner with white stubble on his chin. In halting Chinese, he said, “Xia, these car models are all your fans. Would you be willing to take a photo with them?”

Xia Zhuxi glanced around at the car models who had unknowingly surrounded her. They had skin tones of every shade, hailed from different countries, and were all dressed in sexy outfits that showed off their stunning figures.

The chairman added, “I told them it’s no problem on my end, but it all depends on whether you agree.”

The beautiful car models cast expectant gazes her way.

“……”

Xia Zhuxi frowned and instinctively turned back for a glance from afar.

Shen Jingsong sat in the VIP section, elegantly chatting with the gentleman beside her.

Suddenly, she lifted her gaze, peering over the crowd. Her lively eyes swept across the car models encircling Xia Zhuxi.

Their eyes met. Shen Jingsong’s lips curved into a slight smile, her gaze deepening as one eyebrow arched lightly upward.

Xia Zhuxi turned decisively to the chairman. “I do not agree!”