Chapter 161: Bathing Together
Their palms pressed together, Lian Li clearly felt Jin Shi Yue’s warmth.
Her body’s memory recalled a sensation from not long ago, an extremely scorching feeling, as if drowning in a heatwave.
Lian Li was quick to think rationally, but her experience of feelings was always a beat behind. She had acted wildly on instinct before, and now she felt belated shame.
A rainy night, the manor’s lounge, two people impeccably dressed.
Beneath his noble and elegant attire, his strength was exceptionally wild.
Jin Shi Yue glanced sideways, seeing the fair skin of Lian Li’s earlobes gradually flush red.
He waited with refined amusement, waiting for her to ripen and blush, then spoke as if she were ready to be picked: “Junior Sister, what are you thinking about?”
Lian Li gathered her thoughts, feigning composure: “I’m thinking about the mission Professor Lu assigned.”
Jin Shi Yue held her hand, then raised his other hand, his fingertip pinching her earlobe: “In psychology, there’s a phenomenon called unconditioned reflex. A connection is established between two stimuli, causing one stimulus to elicit a response related to the other.”
He was rarely so serious, his voice with a cool timbre speaking at an unhurried pace, entering her ears like some ancient and mysterious force pulling her in.
Lian Li turned her head, looking up at him. The man’s eyelids were lazily lowered, his deep dark eyes hidden beneath eyelashes like raven feathers, making it impossible to discern his emotions.
“Before your heart is even aware, your body has already made a decision for you,” Jin Shi Yue said casually, pinching her soft earlobe.
Lian Li was stunned by his words, and before she could fully grasp their meaning, with a ‘ding,’ the elevator arrived at the ninth floor and opened.
Jin Shi Yue led her by the hand, walking leisurely out of the elevator and towards their home.
Lian Li’s mind raced, noticing his use of the term ‘unconditioned reflex,’ not ‘conditioned reflex.’
The former was innate and permanent; the latter was acquired and temporary.
One stimulus, innately and permanently, eliciting a response related to another stimulus.
Just like the subtle magnetic fields between people, invisibly drawing each other, even unconsciously, they still sparked an inextinguishable fire.
As they walked, Lian Li’s skirt brushed against her fair legs, sweeping past the man’s sharp suit pants beside her, creating waves of lingering, ambiguous ripples in the air.
Ling Yu, squatting by the front door like a guard dog, was the first to see this scene. His gaze then moved up, seeing their hands intimately clasped, and he immediately felt he wouldn’t need a late-night snack tonight.
Enough dog food.
Ling Yu stood up and greeted them.
As Lian Li entered the password to open the door, Jin Shi Yue waved his hand, telling Ling Yu to go find a cool place to hang out.
Ling Yu, receiving the order, immediately slipped away.
His actions were swift, without a shred of redundancy.
Lian Li found it peculiar and turned to look at Ling Yu’s retreating back.
Seeing this, Jin Shi Yue’s well-defined knuckles pinched the back of her neck, turning her face back: “You’re not looking at your boyfriend beside you, but glancing so far away, are you getting old?”
“You’re the one getting old,” Lian Li retracted her gaze and walked into the house.
They changed their shoes at the entrance. After Lian Li put on her shoes, she glanced at Jin Shi Yue’s footwear and blinked thoughtfully.
How to put it.
They hadn’t seen each other for a month, and it was considered a breakup by default. Yet, she hadn’t thrown away anything of his. Men’s clothing still hung in the wardrobe, visible every time she opened it.
Jin Shi Yue naturally noticed this too, a smile tugging at his lips. He wrapped an arm around her waist and hoisted her onto his shoulder.
Lian Li cried out in surprise, her head spinning, and before she could fully regain her senses, she was carried into the bathroom.
“What are you doing?”
The shower turned on, and warm water sprayed out, instantly filling the enclosed space with steam. Jin Shi Yue unbuttoned his shirt with one hand and said with feigned innocence, “Taking a bath.”
“You wash yourself.”
Her clothes became soaked, clinging to her skin. Lian Li stepped forward to leave, but as soon as she took a step, the man’s strong, powerful arm circled her slender waist from behind, pulling her back forcefully.
It turned out that half an hour in the manor wasn’t enough for Jin Shi Yue.
Moreover, Lian Li realized he was always pushing her limits.
… A long time later.
Lian Li was too exhausted to resist as Jin Shi Yue cleaned her and carried her out of the bathroom.
A moment later, the sound of a hairdryer echoed in the silent room.
Jin Shi Yue sat on a chair in front of the dressing table, with Lian Li straddling his lap, facing him. The hot air blew through her hair, and she comfortably squinted, resting against him.
Jin Shi Yue’s long fingers lifted her hair. His action of blow-drying her hair was neither clumsy nor particularly skillful.
Lian Li understood that it was a rare occurrence for the Second Young Master Jin to blow-dry someone’s hair. She didn’t rush him, burying her head in his shoulder, enjoying the aftercare.
The room temperature was comfortable. Jin Shi Yue was bare-chested. Without his clothes, Lian Li could clearly hear his strong, powerful heartbeat, pounding like a drum, its presence extremely palpable.
She vaguely heard him ask in her ear, “Are you hungry?”
“Not hungry,” Lian Li said drowsily, without opening her eyes. “The birthday noodles you cooked were too awful.”
Jin Shi Yue chuckled, gently rubbing her waist with his palm: “Not everyone is worthy of me cooking for them.”
“Oh,” Lian Li said indifferently, as if she hadn’t heard him clearly.
She murmured to herself: “When my dad was alive, he used to cook me birthday noodles every year. Back then, I didn’t like eating noodles, but I was afraid of disappointing him, so I’d secretly pour them into the trash can. He never found out.”
“Later, when I wanted to eat his birthday noodles again, there was no longer an opportunity.”
The girl, lying on his shoulder, her voice becoming muffled due to sleepiness, was heard perfectly by Jin Shi Yue.
He stopped blow-drying her hair and spoke in a low, deep voice by her ear: “From now on, I’ll cook you birthday noodles every year.”
“No,” Lian Li refused. “They’re awful.”
“You have to eat them even if they’re awful. No picky eating,” Jin Shi Yue raised an eyebrow and said righteously, “Understand?”
For others, cooking costs money; for the Eldest Young Master, cooking costs a life.
Lian Li didn’t answer, rubbing her cheek against his shoulder. She turned her head, letting him blow-dry the other side of her wet hair.
Lian Li’s hair was black and thick, taking time to dry. By the time it was completely dry, she had already fallen into a deep sleep in Jin Shi Yue’s arms.
Although Lian Li and exercise were incompatible, she was full of energy.
If it were just the banquet, she could still be full of vitality. But Jin Shi Yue’s intense demands were like a typhoon, sweeping away all her energy.
The next day, as the sky turned the color of fish belly, a faint white light shone into the bedroom through a gap.
Lian Li opened her eyes and woke up, her waist and legs sore. She rolled her eyes, regaining some clarity, and her gaze moved down to Jin Shi Yue’s hand. His fingers were distinct, the veins on the back of his cold white hand were prominent, exuding a potent charm.
Lian Li remembered holding hands last night, her long eyelashes fluttering slightly.
After a moment, she slowly reached out her hand. When she was a few centimeters away from Jin Shi Yue’s hand, she paused for several seconds.
Their hands were close, both slender and beautiful, but of different sizes.
For the first time, Lian Li realized his hand was significantly larger than hers, which explained why lifting her buttocks was so effortless.
A smile spread across Lian Li’s face. She moved her hand, her fingers silently slipping into Jin Shi Yue’s, and with a slight squeeze, they were intertwined.
