Jennifer, Ashley, Mochakat9 – Thanks for your support, guys! ? It keeps me going ? Happy reading! ??

Chapter 34: Fresh And Exciting First Encounter

The night breeze blew gently, in the vicinity of the deck’s western restaurant, the waiter was awake on one side, Ji Zhen Tang sat in the warm indoor air, draped in his suit. She had touched up her lipstick, but only lightly outlined it, not too deep, then cautiously watched the man opposite her.

“Giving you a kiss is fine, but giving you my heart isn’t.”

— This answer, which was not quite suitable as a reply, was spoken just now in the ballroom, slightly bringing the situation to a balanced state, allowing her vitality to recover a bit.

A kiss could tell whether one was a worthy opponent.

In a situation where they were evenly matched, she, who had thought the wrestling was difficult to distinguish between victory and defeat, was immediately caught and fell heavily into the opponent’s net as soon as she stepped onto the stage. All his restraint and composure were just to tease the little cat.

But when she mentioned that her heart wasn’t available, Zhong Yu Bai wasn’t surprised either, just smiled calmly and let her go. He wanted to say something, but hesitated, then said, “Let’s have dinner.”

So they came here.

Ji Zhen Tang thought that she should learn from him this skill of being adept at controlling oneself, and people who were sparing with their words seemed to be better at handling a conversation.

She held a glass of water in her hand, took a sip of lemon tea that was as tasteless as water, and at the same time, looked at the red wine in the wine decanter.

Zhong Yu Bai’s shirt sleeves were rolled up neatly, falling tidily on his wrists. He didn’t like wearing anything on his wrist bones, such as watches or jewelry; it was a rare sight. Instead, his clean and sharp bone structure was exposed, slender, white, yet powerful as he held the wine jug and poured her a glass of red wine.

“Poetry and wine seize the moment,” Zhong Yu Bai encouraged her to try the alcohol.

The dull lemon tea was set aside by him.

The last rays of the setting sun fell upon the rim of her glass.

Ji Zhen Tang liked this line of poetry and intended to follow it up with another line, “Love should also seize the moment.”

But being economical with words, emulating his reticence, mentioning love would seem too eager on her part. So, she kept her thoughts to herself, raising her glass to touch his and playfully saying, “Cheers.”

After the clink of glasses, Zhong Yu Bai took out a small jewelry box.

Inside the box was a Kashmir sapphire ring, with exquisite velvet-textured cornflowers, sourced from the now depleted mines of the Kashmir region. It was a rare gem, difficult to find. He had it airlifted from France by charter plane, meticulously delivered to him several days ago.

He said, “I originally wanted you to choose it yourself, but I was afraid of spoiling the surprise. So, I decided on this one for you to try on.”

Ji Zhen Tang gazed entranced at the sapphire, which seemed to dominate the sunlight with its blue hue, scattering the warm yellow light.

“I’ve only seen it in books; you make me feel terrified,” she said, only daring to lightly touch it with her fingertips, showing no intention of wearing it.

He remained silent, taking her hand and helping her put it on.

“Ah, it’s heavy. I feel like I’m being pressed down,” Ji Zhen Tang pretended, lying on the table as if burdened, acting as if it were true.

Zhong Yu Bai chuckled and called her over, calmly saying, “Let me see how heavy it is.”

Ji Zhen Tang moved to his side, but there were no extra chairs. He had calculated every step and had no intention of moving chairs for her. Patting his own leg, as she sat down, he pulled her close to his waist.

Their noses brushed against each other, causing her heart to tremble. She avoided his direct gaze, turning her eyes away.

He didn’t hold her tightly, but she felt constrained, as if her hands and feet were bound, unable to move.

“The dress suits you, red looks good on you,” he said.

She pursed her lips, feeling the muscles brush against each other through the thin fabric, their contact subtle. Ji Zhen Tang softly said, “My aunt made it for me,” as she lifted her hand. Zhong Yu Bai’s hand circled her waist, the position coincidentally being at the top of the skirt’s zipper. The light red zipper head grazed his middle finger bone.

The small object swayed, causing his joints to itch.

Using the fingertip of his middle finger, he gently slid along the zipper’s teeth, as if quietly exploring.

His gaze also sank, observing the residue of wine at the corner of her mouth.

Ji Zhen Tang’s back muscles tensed, her pelvic bone twisting and turning, as if enduring the crawl of a small insect.

She wrapped her arms around the man’s neck, but her body unconsciously leaned backward, as if avoiding this warm, frog-in-boiling-water style of attack.

Zhong Yu Bai retracted his movements, holding her back to prevent her from falling.

With his strong embrace, Ji Zhen Tang involuntarily sank into his arms, her lips lightly brushing against the man’s Adam’s apple, leaving a faint pink mark despite retracting instantly.

“If my aunt knew I wore the dance dress she made for me to go out gallivanting, she would definitely scold me,” she said.

Zhong Yu Bai laughed, “Is going out with me considered gallivanting?”

Ji Zhen Tang tilted her head and smiled, “Yes, is this considered a date? I can’t tell if you’re seducing me or if you like me,” she added in a somewhat aggrieved tone. “I’ve told you, you deceived me.”

The word “deceived” made him laugh again, somewhat hurmored.

“I am very happy,” Zhong Yu Bai admitted softly in her unfocused gaze, “and I like you very much.”

She continued stubbornly, “Just saying that with your mouth, how can I tell?”

Zhong Yu Bai touched the diamond on her hand, “Isn’t this enough?”

Ji Zhen Tang shook her head, “Giving a diamond so coldly, it’s like pacifying a child.” She raised her hand, “Moreover, for you, a piece of jewelry should be nothing special.”

Zhong Yu Bai pondered for a moment, then pressed her neck slightly, lowered his head, and gently sucked her lower lip, tasting its jelly-like color and texture with increasing intensity.

With a precedent in mind, Ji Zhen Tang leaned back to defend herself. She showed some restraint and pride, but deep down, she struggled to maintain a stable heart rate with each of his moves.

Her lips were warm and moist, as if all the blood vessels in her body were opening up, her senses alert, everything focused on this hot spot, ready to sink into it.

“Open your mouth,” he ordered, unable to pry it open, giving the command.

Ji Zhen Tang resisted fiercely for a while, but under the relentless assault, she eventually surrendered weakly.

As if held hostage by lips and tongues, they entangled for half a minute, with Zhong Yu Bai holding back a smile, then pulled away from her, asking, “Did you feel it? My irresistible affection.”

“…”

She ambiguously murmured, “Mmm.”

He stared at her with a determined look, asking, “Or do you think, how can it be demonstrated? Through strength or duration?”

She felt both shy and annoyed, gritting her teeth and whispering, “You only know how to kiss, don’t you?”

Zhong Yu Bai said, “I know a few other things.”

If she didn’t misinterpret those words, there would still be room for a reply. But in this subtle atmosphere, she couldn’t think of anything else beyond kissing.

Ji Zhen Tang scanned the surroundings, looking left and right, her gaze scattered everywhere except his face.

“That’s enough,” she called out, shaking her dizzy head, “I can’t anymore.”

He wouldn’t relent, intentionally teasing her, asking why she couldn’t, what was wrong.

Ji Zhen Tang tried to get up, but she was held down, his wrist exerting force, pressing her back down.

“Close your eyes and let me kiss you,” she demanded to regain control.

Zhong Yu Bai listened to her and complied.

She kissed him everywhere, without any pattern or rules, leaving his lips marked with traces in no time.

Looking at her handiwork, Ji Zhen Tang smiled proudly as if he had achieved something.

“It’s kissed!” Zhong Yu Bai opened his eyes.

“Thank you for your kindness, but I hope that one day when I have money, I can buy it myself,” he said.

She took off the ring.

The diamond went back into the box.

Zhong Yu Bai watched her put it back without saying anything. He didn’t like the idea of giving and receiving gifts forcefully. If he knew someone didn’t like it and still forced it upon them, it felt too bureaucratic. Naturally, he couldn’t do that to her.

But he said, “Leave it there; after all, it’s yours.”

Zhong Yu Bai took a clean handkerchief and tried to wipe away the red marks from the corners of his mouth.

Feeling a bit aggrieved by her tantrum, “Can’t you stay a little longer? I’ve been kissing you for ages.”

He smiled indulgently and said, “Okay, I’ll stay a little longer.”

They stayed until nightfall, and he escorted her back to her aunt’s place. Ji Zhen Tang helped him wipe away the now less noticeable marks and said, “Seriously, you shouldn’t rely too much on me.”

Zhong Yu Bai leaned against the car window, massaging his temples with a hint of a smile on his lips.

Feeling a bit unreasonable, she smiled awkwardly and said softly, “What I mean is, I like it when you kiss me forcefully, passionately.”

Ji Zhen Tang thought for a moment and continued to describe it to him in detail, “When you do that, my heart tightens, then relaxes, tightens again, and then relaxes. It feels amazing.”

“Got it,” he said, leaning in suddenly and slipping his hand into her partially open coat. In the moment her heart tightened, he fixed the side zipper of her dress that had somehow come undone, and finally, gazing into her eyes with a smirk, he said, “To stimulate.”

“Um!” Ji Zhen Tang loosened the seat belt and got out of the car. “I’m leaving.”

She took a few steps but heard the door close behind her. Turning around, she saw Zhong Yu Bai standing in the cold air. He had put on a coat over his suit, standing tall and graceful under the tree. He had a good figure and a handsome face, bringing life to the withered tree and the season. When she looked back, and his eyes held a deep meaning, he raised an eyebrow as if asking what’s wrong.

Ji Zhen Tang walked back to him.

“Can you hug me?” she asked.

Zhong Yu Bai didn’t hesitate to offer warmth, reaching out to embrace her.

Ji Zhen Tang buried her head in his chest, feeling the pleasure brought by the long and quiet embrace, even if it was fragile and could be blown away by a gust of wind. She closed her eyes to savor the moment.

“So comfortable.”

Although the weather was cold, the embrace was warm. When she was happy, her lips unconsciously curved up.

“The last time you gave me roses, my aunt saw them. She guessed the progress between us and said something. She didn’t criticize me; it was more like warning me to consider the consequences. I told her that adults have adult thoughts and asked her not to judge for me, but I couldn’t think straight sometimes when I thought of you.”

“Zhong Yu Bai, I find that I can’t hide anything from you.”

“Feelings can’t be hidden, nor can weaknesses. I don’t care what they say or what the consequences are. I just want to be with you.” She said all this in one breath, then asked somewhat frustratedly, “Am I crazy?”

Zhong Yu Bai smiled, gently stroking the back of her head. “What consequences could there be?”

She didn’t say anything.

“Don’t overthink,” he told her. “You’re not Jiang Xibao, nor are you Wang Jia Zi. I’ve said it before; I won’t start things in that way. I’m not a completely good person, but at least I can keep my basic integrity.”

Ji Zhen Tang looked up at him pitifully.

He said, “If your aunt is bothering you, it’s not a joke. Let her come to me.”

“Can you persuade her?” She looked even more pitiful and somewhat helpless.

Zhong Yu Bai shook his head. “If I were younger, still at your age, maybe I could love freely, ignoring everything, being passionate and reckless. But now I can’t. Every decision I make regarding you, even buying you a gem, requires careful consideration.”

He said, “I may not be able to persuade her, but I need to show her how seriously I think about you.”

Unable to discern his sincerity, Ji Zhen Tang felt touched and a little sour at the same time, her nose tingling. She laughed sarcastically and said, “Why don’t you let me see?”

Zhong Yu Bai seemed eager, his eyes saying, “What can I do?” as he looked at her.

She grinned but quickly fell into sadness again. “No, I’m just too insecure.”

He avoided the topic and asked her, “How was today?”

“Unforgettable.”

“Since it’s an exciting first time, it should be memorable, should be touching.” Zhong Yu Bai smiled lightly, feeling relieved, “I’m lucky to make you unforgettable.”

You can’t start things vaguely with an ambiguous identity, so you have to contribute to creating a memorable sense of ceremony.

The dusk ballroom, the rocking cabin, the vast deck filled with the setting sun, the hot red dance dress, and the kisses that left marks on his lips still burning till now.

Ji Zhen Tang quietly stuck to him, listening to him talk, replaying these scenes when she closed her eyes. Her dependence on him, like this embrace, had become so tight that no air could pass through.

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