Chapter 224: She Cares, She's Jealous |
On the way back to the hotel, Jiang Linyuan and Lin Yilin walked hand-in-hand, fingers linked, down the brightly lit commercial street.
They could feel each other's pinky temperature, tacitly hooking back with force, as if making a pinky swear.
This way of holding hands made it harder to let go. Even if one wanted to pull away and the other didn't want to release, they'd be tightly locked together.
Speaking of Xiao Yilin's fingers, they were impossible not to love—smooth, fair, long, yet full of flesh. A gentle hook felt like touching delicate pastry.
If the pressure was a bit too heavy, you'd fear crushing her hands, but if it was a little too light, you couldn't fully appreciate that soft touch.
Better to have no meat in meals than to have no hands to hold.
"Senior, do you think I'm really bad?"
Lin Yilin suddenly turned her head and asked.
"Why would you think that?"
The worst one was himself.
After walking a few steps, she spoke again:
"Then is Senior Su really bad?"
"Why the sudden question?"
"I'm just curious! Hurry and answer me!"
Lin Yilin shook the hooked fingers between them, urging him.
"The answer is the same."
Jiang Linyuan looked at her:
"Why would you think that?"
"Senior Su isn't here right now. If you secretly bad-mouthed her, I'd be happy, you know."
Lin Yilin lifted her eyes and stared at him.
"Alright then."
Jiang Linyuan sighed and said:
"Xiao Su may be clever and mischievous, but she doesn't have Xiao Yilin's innocent romance."
"Xiao Su's captivating smile draws my gaze and makes me sink, but Xiao Yilin's gentle voice drifts against the wind into my ears."
"Xiao Su would say: 'The person I love, I want to occupy their entire life. Before meeting me, they had no past, only a blank space waiting for me.'"
"But Xiao Yilin would say: 'I like you, so I hope you're surrounded and embraced. I hope you walk through blooming flowers and bustling crowds.'"
Lin Yilin turned her face away, the hooked fingers gently swaying:
"You've said all the nice things, Senior."
"They're the truth."
Lin Yilin swung her arm with force, bringing Jiang Linyuan's hand along for the ride, back and forth like a child sulking at their parents during an outing.
Excitement mixed with a bit of frustration.
"Hmph, I'll let you off the hook this time. If you had actually bad-mouthed Senior Su just now, I'd definitely expose you to her!"
"Don't worry, I'll say bad things about Xiao Su right to her face."
Jiang Linyuan said.
Lin Yilin kept grumbling, swinging her arm even more.
The evening wind blew, roadside branches gently swayed, and the pure lamplight shone on the street, stretching their shadows long.
They arrived at the hotel.
Lin Yilin pulled out a room card and handed it to him:
"Senior, you're sleeping here today. You're not allowed to go find Senior Su! She's sharing a room with me!"
Jiang Linyuan took it.
Xiao Yilin actually got jealous very easily, much more obviously than Xiao Su.
He returned to the room, empty.
Xiao Yilin had gone to challenge Xiao Su. Who knew what those two would chat about tonight.
He took a shower and lay down on the bed.
Jiang Linyuan's phone buzzed with a message from Crazy Little's mom, Auntie Paranoid Zhang Zhu.
"One of my friends wants your contact info."
Jiang Linyuan rolled over and typed back:
"Who?"
"The one I told you about before. Her daughter's surname is Shen."
Oh, Future Mother-in-Law.
Wait, Future Mother-in-Law? Why would she want my contact info? Did the Department Head secretly bad-mouth me?
"Sure."
Jiang Linyuan had no reason to refuse.
Future Mother-in-Law was a good person! Just like me, she cares about the Department Head! We're on the same side.
But speaking of Future Mother-in-Law...
[Shen Wanyu's mother died of illness.]
Sigh, I'll remind Future Father-in-Law later. Let him worry about that himself.
Late at night, Jiang Linyuan couldn't sleep, thinking about his future with Xiao Yilin.
His phone buzzed again with a message. He glanced at it.
Xiao Su's, simple and direct command:
"Open the door."
Jiang Linyuan got up and opened it.
"I'm so cold, so cold."
Su Muzhi said with a grin, reaching out to hug Jiang Linyuan, rubbing her face against his like a fluffy cat:
"Warm me up."
Jiang Linyuan held her, closed the door, and walked over to sit on the bed.
"Not sleeping so late?"
"Hehe, weren't you awake too?"
Su Muzhi smiled, sitting on his lap.
"What about Xiao Yilin?"
"Sleeping like a little pig. I'm not used to sharing a bed with someone, so I came to find you."
Su Muzhi sat in Jiang Linyuan's arms, tilted her head, and deliberately bumped his face:
"Did you kiss Xiao Yilin?"
"Didn't you ask her?"
"I did. The moment I brought it up, she started yelling things like 'How could that be!' 'It's too soon!' 'What are you saying, Senior Su!'"
"No, we just held hands."
"I don't believe you."
Jiang Linyuan wrapped his arms around her from behind, like a big, soft net trapping her.
"Then what would make you believe me, Xiao Su?"
"Hehe..."
Su Muzhi gently kissed his lips, again and again.
"Now I believe you."
Her face flushed slightly, her words carrying a hint of breathlessness, warm air hitting Jiang Linyuan's face.
"But... I need to verify other places too."
She said, her palm resting on his chest, giving a gentle push, and they both fell onto the bed.
Su Muzhi kissed his lips while reaching out randomly.
After a while, her hair became disheveled, her forehead and neck warm, nearly sweating.
"Right now, spring is coming, a new semester is about to start, but I have to go to the hospital."
She propped herself up on the bed, looking down at Jiang Linyuan.
They both panted, staring quietly at each other.
"Satisfy me, okay?"
She asked.
Jiang Linyuan held her tight, tighter than before, his warm breath teasing her ear:
"You know I can't refuse you."
Su Muzhi buried her face in his chest, listening to his heartbeat:
"You're so annoying."
Then she kissed him again:
"You're so lovable."
Then, Xiao Su made him watch a 3D movie, trying to turn the 2D into something one-dimensional.
Unfortunately, she failed.
"Xiao Su, get a good night's sleep."
Jiang Linyuan kissed Su Muzhi, who was nestled in his arms.
"You always have so much energy."
Su Muzhi curled up, enjoying his kisses.
Sweat had formed, a strand of hair stuck to her face like a black line painted by a brush.
Her brows were soft, her cheeks flushed, her whole body radiating happiness.
Jiang Linyuan looked at her and held her even tighter.
Su Muzhi leaned on his shoulder, feeling the warmth of his skin, her tone lazy:
"Rest a bit, then continue."
"You planning to lie around all day tomorrow?"
"I'm going to lie down, and so are you."
Su Muzhi wrapped her arms around his neck, pressing her forehead against his:
"Continue."
This version of Xiao Su had a unique charm, stirring the heart.
The next morning, it rained in Southern Fujian.
No one left the hotel. They all stayed in their rooms.
Su Muzhi slept, Lin Yilin puffed her cheeks in a sulk, Zhang Juntang hugged her camera in a daze, and Lin Zhu and Lin Lan argued nonstop about some unknown matter.
And so, at the tail end of February, Jiang Linyuan barely grasped a bit of the future.
