Chapter 37: Under The Willow Shade

She had only slept for a short while; the movie hadn’t even reached its halfway point yet. It was rare for her to grind her teeth in such a light sleep. Ji Zhen Tang thought for a moment, then suddenly sat up, “I might have dreamed of Zhao Siqi. He’s so annoying, it made me feel itchy teeth.”

Zhong Yu Bai lightly held her cheek and soothingly said, “Since it’s in the past, don’t dwell on it. Let’s not talk about ugly things today.”

Then he added, “The aunt has prepared the food, let’s go eat.”

Ji Zhen Tang covered her hungry stomach. The aroma of several home-cooked dishes in the dining room attracted her, and she happily went over.

Zhong Yu Bai sat down at the long table, and logically, it would be more convenient for her to sit opposite him.

But Ji Zhen Tang didn’t follow the rules; she insisted on sitting beside him, complaining that the distance was too far. She scooted her stool closer, wanting to be crowded, which made it feel more intimate.

“Where was I just now? Oh yes, I was talking about my dad.” Ji Zhen Tang’s desire to confide hadn’t disappeared; she still wanted to chat with him about Ji Huan.

“The aquarium,” he reminded her.

“Watching sharks in the aquarium is very shocking. When I was little, I used to write essays about it every time.”

She finished this part without interruption. He let her continue, talking about her father.

The meals cooked by the professional chef were very good, but they didn’t attract her. Ji Zhen Tang hardly picked up her chopsticks; as she spoke, she moved closer, and her hand unconsciously rested on his waist.

“It’s your turn,” she said when she finished.

“To do what?” Zhong Yu Bai asked.

“To exchange stories about you and your dad,” she said seriously, waiting earnestly.

At that moment, Zhong Yu Bai was holding a small bowl and a spoon, serving chicken soup for her.

Upon hearing this, he glanced down at her hand resting on his waist.

It was just lightly resting there, not exactly an embrace, but it added a bit of weight to him, which was a bit ticklish.

Zhong Yu Bai noticed one of her little habits, she liked to rub against people. Like the behavior of a feline, using this method to mark her territory.

Touching his ankle and then inadvertently leaning against his knee was one thing, but now she was going too far, directly putting her hand on him.

“Your hand,” he calmly remarked.

Ji Zhen Tang grinned, “I won’t eat you, can’t I touch you a little?”

As she spoke, before Zhong Yu Bai could tease her, she urgently stopped herself, her face quietly blushing.

Every time she made bold statements and put on a threatening posture, she would quickly reveal a naive shyness, as if saying, “It’s my first time flirting, so forgive me.”

He placed the chicken soup in front of her, “When it’s mealtime, focus on eating.”

Ji Zhen Tang held a rebellious expression for a few seconds, but soon, unable to resist the delicious smell of the chicken soup, she relented. While drinking the soup, she didn’t forget to bring the conversation back, “It’s your turn, about your dad.” She reminded him again and again.

Zhong Yu Bai succinctly said, “I don’t have a deep relationship with him, he wouldn’t appear in my essays.”

He said he had no desire for paternal love.

After finishing, seeing her look puzzled, not knowing how to respond, he asked, “Is there anything else you want to know?”

This man seemed to be very good at using a sufficiently bland narrative to weaken others’ curiosity about him.

There was still a bit of curiosity, but with him saying that, she really didn’t know what else to talk about.

After dinner, Zhong Yu Bai dealt with some business in the study. When she quietly approached him, he was on the phone with Shen Shu, the owner of the teahouse she had seen before, who had once ventured into someone else’s territory in search of him.

From the conversation on the phone, it seemed that Shen Shu was inviting him for tea, with just a few casual words, nothing deep.

Zhong Yu Bai hung up the phone and turned his chair around.

Ji Zhen Tang was examining the furnishings in his study, while Zhong Yu Bai sat watching her.

Behind him hung a half-wall of green blinds, in the corner of the wall, there was a statue of a compassionate-looking Guanyin, smaller than the one in Zhong’s house, and behind a pot of Guanyin bamboo, the Bodhisattva’s compassionate face was faintly visible. Looking up, there was a retro-style wooden ceiling fan gently swaying at an extremely slow speed.

The overall tone of the room, the green paint on the walls, the dense green of ferns, coupled with the bookcase and desk, gave off an accumulation of oak color. Simple yet heavy.

Ji Zhen Tang recalled some facilities in the Chen Mansion in Xingzhou before, and the sudden familiarity made her feel a little dazed.

Zhong Yu Bai sat quietly in his office chair, watching her elongated swan-like neck as she looked up.

Being young and fair, her skin showed a hint of shy blush very distinct.

Ji Zhen Tang studied the non-working fan for a moment with her eyes, then withdrew her gaze, went to the Guanyin, and bowed.

“Dear Bodhisattva, please bless me to get rich today!”

As she fervently made her offering, Zhong Yu Bai opened a drawer of his desk and took out an envelope.

It was Zhao Siqi’s apology letter.

He handed it to Ji Zhen Tang.

She glanced at it, surprised.

Zhong Yu Bai said, “There’s quite a lot written here, open it up and take a look.”

Ji Zhen Tang held the letter, looking at the name Zhao Siqi, then glanced at Zhong Yu Bai.

He remained calm, using a steady gaze to indicate she could read the letter now.

Who would have thought that arrogant person would write something like this? She didn’t even need to guess.

She could tell that Zhong Yu Bai genuinely hoped this matter could be resolved properly. Besides Zhao Siqi being punished, she, as the victim, should also receive the respect she deserved.

She didn’t know what he did behind the scenes, whether he held a gun to Zhao’s back, but whatever means he used to make someone write this, Zhong Yu Bai was determined to get her an apology.

Ji Zhen Tang didn’t bother to read the letter; she tore it along with the envelope and threw it into the trash.

Clapping her hands as if nothing had happened, she stepped over Zhong Yu Bai’s long legs and stood between them, in front of the chair he was sitting on.

“I’ve been to the place where Zhong Heng raises white rabbits. Behind his laboratory, there’s a memorial where they burn all the experimental animals they’ve killed and pray for them collectively.”

She pointed to the statue of Guanyin and smiled, asking, “Doesn’t that reflect your mentality when you do something wrong?”

Zhong Yu Bai raised an eyebrow, looking at her silhouette against the light.

The only pendant lamp in the study cast a shadow on his face, outlined by the light against her figure.

Quite cleverly, her slender silhouette obscured half of his face.

“Now that the matter is dealt with,” Ji Zhen Tang said, with a gesture of cutting her neck, “let’s not bring the blood from the slaughter into a peaceful home; it doesn’t suit your style, Mr. Zhong.”

The blood splattered from the slaughter naturally referred to the letter.

Zhong Yu Bai lowered his gaze slightly, looking at her kneeling knee between the chair.

With such a graceful posture, she seemed to have imprisoned him within a controllable range.

Ji Zhen Tang leaned forward slightly, hands resting on the armrests of the chair.

“We agreed not to talk about violence today.”

After a while, Zhong Yu Bai smiled faintly, “You understand me better than I do.”

He raised his hand, holding her slender waist, and replied, “Today, let’s not talk about violence, let’s talk about Zhong Heng.”

Ji Zhen Tang hesitated, feeling at a disadvantage. It was easy to tell that his words were far from his gentle smile; they carried a hint of anger.

He brought up Zhong Heng for her, as a provocative hint, telling her that if he was displeased, she had succeeded.

Through the crevices of the blinds, a faint haze could be seen outside.

“What’s there to say about Zhong Heng?” She calmed down a bit.

His expression was calm, making it hard to read his emotions. He looked up at her. “It seems like you have a lot to say.”

When Ji Zhen Tang couldn’t handle Zhong Yu Bai’s dominance, at the most crucial moment, she wanted to escape. She retracted her knee and resumed her standing position, saying, “What’s there to say? Just mentioning him makes me angry.”

Then she casually pointed outside and asked, “What’s in your backyard?”

“A vineyard,” he replied, not looking outside but into her eyes.

“So luxurious? I want to take a look.” She smiled.

As his hand slid down her waist, he held onto her hip and pressed down slightly. Ji Zhen Tang was taken aback as she was captured into his embrace, even though she was on top, she couldn’t move under his grip.

“Another day,” Zhong Yu Bai said lightly, wrapping his arm around her waist effortlessly, “stay with me.”

Ji Zhen Tang knelt back on the soft cushion of the chair again, this time to create distance. She propped herself up on the armrest and got up from him.

His “stay with me” sounded like a plea, yet his eyes didn’t reveal any begging.

Ji Zhen Tang, rebellious as ever, said, “If I insisted on seeing it today, would you still refuse?”

Zhong Yu Bai smiled faintly and nodded, “Yes.”

“Then…” She suddenly lost her momentum and couldn’t understand him.

“But, according to your previous actions,” Zhong Yu Bai’s eyes were still clear, looking at her with a faint hint of displeasure, seeming to complain, “even Uncle’s angry, you don’t know how to comfort him.”

“…,” she blushed instantly.

Their hearts overlapped, hiding any sign of sincerity from Guanyin.

Only seeing the shade of willows, mandarin ducks, and butterflies under the flowers. In the misty haze, it’s hard to separate the romance.

Outside, there seemed to be distant thunder. Ji Zhen Tang lightly touched his chin, leaning in to deliver good news, “My kissing skills have improved.”

Zhong Yu Bai pressed his hand against the nape of her neck and pushed it down slightly, bringing her lips to the corner of his mouth.

“Let me see how much they’ve improved?”

Lowering her head, just a light touch, she moved away as if scalded, lifting her chin, “Don’t, you’re too aggressive.”

She continued to be rebellious, looking back at him with eyes that seemed to say, “Why should I do what you say?” portraying a sense of aloofness.

Zhong Yu Bai chuckled softly, “Is that so.”

He always maintained his calm and composed demeanor, never bothering to argue with her.

However, just as she was about to leave in a dignified manner, his possessiveness seemed to erupt suddenly. In an instant, he grabbed her wrist tightly. In a split second, the situation reversed, and Ji Zhen Tang fell into the chair that was already infused with his warmth.

It was like surrendering, for a moment she felt weightless, then regained her balance, enveloped entirely by his masculine scent.

Zhong Yu Bai raised his hand, covering her eyes, forcing her to tilt her head back.

She almost screamed but felt as if her breath was being choked off. She could only forcefully inhale, her body heaving heavily.

He didn’t let up, not giving her a chance to breathe. Lowering his head, he planted delicate kisses on her neck.

The collar of her shirt was pulled aside by his lips, and he bit down on her straight collarbone.

Ji Zhen Tang leaned back on the chair’s backrest, gradually adapting to this sudden surge of heat from him, from nervousness to gradual acceptance.

She didn’t show any signs, just now in the restaurant, she hadn’t fully experienced the texture of a man’s abdominal muscles.

Thinking that she couldn’t let it end here, she easily lifted the hem of his shirt, lifting it up to his waist.

When Ji Zhen Tang lowered her head, she noticed a faint mole on the lower abdomen of the person, barely visible without light due to the tight line of the belt. It seemed like discovering a treasure to Ji Zhen Tang. She touched it with her fingertip, feeling a tingling sensation as if her throat turned dry, like a riverbed in urgent need of watering.

Daringly, she asked, “Can I kiss here?”

Thus, another place was marked and occupied by her.

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