Dawn and Dusk
Rong Ci was completely stunned by the look in Xie Xunzhao’s eyes.
The long, resonant Buddhist chant drifted past her ears, one note after another; even the traces of wind stirring the sal trees outside the window seemed to take on a tangible shape.
She was extremely perceptive, especially when it came to reading Xie Xunzhao’s emotions.
She knew exactly when she could act spoiled and get away with anything with him, and she also knew when she could not refuse him.
The very next second after their eyes met—
The girl sitting high above the statue, like a glowing blue butterfly, dove straight into his arms. Xie Xunzhao caught her easily, taking her completely into his embrace. The movement was practiced and natural, as though they had done it countless times before.
“What am I to you?” Xie Xunzhao asked. His tone was neither light nor heavy, with not even a trace of warmth in it, yet Rong Ci sensed immense threat.
“Keep your voice down!” Rong Ci whispered into his ear.
Terrified of being overheard and coming across as henpecked, which really would damage her image.
So, like a little koala, she clung to his neck and didn’t get down right away, continuing to murmur in his ear. “There are so many of my colleagues here. Out in public, you have to give me some face.”
She had not forgotten the bold declaration she had just made.
Xie Xunzhao gave her a faintly amused look. “The master of the family?”
Rong Ci slid down from his arms and emphasized one last time, “Don’t put a question mark at the end.”
Everyone gathered around, including the painted-sculpture restorer. He was especially nosy, particularly when it came to the daughter of his idol. “Are you two siblings or husband and wife?”
Rong Ci thought for a few seconds before answering seriously, “Both siblings and husband and wife.”
Everyone instantly misunderstood. “What?!”
Wait—what?!
Are young people this open these days?
Their gazes traveled back and forth between the two of them. The only person in the entire group who knew the truth, Ms. Shen Yu, said nothing and simply watched the fun.
Xie Xunzhao naturally slipped an arm around Rong Ci’s shoulders and made the situation perfectly clear. “We’re husband and wife. My wife is young and likes to joke around.”
“Hello, everyone. I’m Rong Ci’s husband, Xie Xunzhao.”
“Xun as in xun xun mi mi—searching far and wide. Zhao as in zhao ran ruo jie—so obvious.”
Xunxunmimi—searching far and wide. Zhaoranruojie—so obvious that it needs no explanation.
Rong Ci could not shake the feeling that his choice of those two phrases carried some other meaning. Still, this was the first time her Big Brother had ever spoken so openly, directly, and unabashedly about their relationship in front of outsiders.
Rong Ci found the feeling strangely unsettling, as she had just swallowed a whole handful of popping candy.
Under everyone’s teasing gazes, she opened her mouth, wanting to explain, but there was no way to explain it. They really were husband and wife.
Someone curiously asked Rong Ci, “Why do you call your husband ‘Big Brother’?”
Rong Ci’s thoughts were a little scrambled, so she answered offhandedly, “It’s just a little game between childhood sweethearts.”
Then she looked up at Xie Xunzhao. “Right, Big Bro…”
She had not even finished the second “bro” when Xie Xunzhao lowered his eyes and smiled. “What did you call me?”
The entire hall was quiet except for the light filtering in through the distant diamond-patterned window. His lowered gaze made his eyes appear especially deep.
Rong Ci suddenly felt uncertain, but she understood the message.
Do you still want your dignity? If you’ve already lost the inside, at least save face.
Rong Ci’s voice weakened. “Husband.”
For some reason, Big Brother seemed a little different today.
Chu Chengji sighed. “With looks like yours, both of you are unusually good-looking. I really thought you were siblings.”
Xie Xunzhao replied mildly, “Thank you for the compliment. It seems we have the look of a married couple.”
Shen Yu’s team was staying at a famous guesthouse in the old city. The proprietress was a clean freak, and the level of cleanliness was practically comparable to a five-star hotel. As an intern, Rong Ci’s room was spacious as well.
After all, Xie Group was an investor. There was no shortage of funding, and there certainly wouldn’t be any shortage of food, lodging, or necessities for the president’s wife.
The moment Rong Ci entered the room, she headed straight for the bathroom. She had gotten quite a bit of dust on herself while restoring the statue, and she was mildly allergic to dust as well.
Xie Xunzhao sat in a chair by the floor-to-ceiling window, making a phone call. Behind him stretched a sea of lush green dotted with all kinds of flowers, like Monet’s garden. From there, he could see mist-shrouded mountains and the simple, ancient architecture below.
“Dad.” Xie Xunzhao called out calmly.
At the same time, in Beicheng, the largest office on the top floor of Xie Group had finally opened its doors. Secretary Su did not even dare to breathe too loudly. He only dared sneak a glance at the side profile of the man seated behind the desk.
The first thing that caught his eye was the man’s long, pale knuckles. Faint blue prayer beads hung loosely from his wrist, casually resting on the desk, yet even that alone gave him an imposing presence far beyond the reach of ordinary people, thoroughly oppressive.
Xie Yanli said coldly, “Calling me Dad won’t help.”
“Come back to work. I’m very busy.”
Was sleeping in with his wife uncomfortable, or was holidaying with his wife unenjoyable?
Why come back just to suffer through work?
“You’re not busy.” As Xie Xunzhao spoke, he calmly sent his mother a WeChat message.
Xie Yanli’s phone vibrated.
Baby Fairy Wife: [Help our son.]
Just three simple words.
“Twenty-something and still tattling to your mother. Xie Xunzhao, have you no shame?”
Xie Xunzhao remained completely expressionless. “Dad.”
Xie Yanli showed no expression either. “This is the last time.”
The call ended.
Xie Xunzhao stood up. First, he picked up the discarded drafts Rong Ci had left scattered around and put them away, slipped the purple jade plaque back into its matching little pouch, and placed it beneath her pillow. Then he folded the clothes she had thrown onto the sofa, put the worn ones into the washing machine, and hung the unworn ones in the wardrobe. While he was at it, he reorganized the clothes in the wardrobe that had not been arranged by category. Throughout the whole process, his expression didn’t change once.
Rong Ci disliked having other people touch her clothes, but she was hopeless at organizing them herself.
Xie Xunzhao then went to the kitchen and brewed a pot of pomegranate-red date tea.
She was always slow when she showered. Today, she was especially slow.
Xie Xunzhao returned to the window and sat down again, propping his chin on one hand as he leisurely flipped through Rong Ci’s sketchbook from the past few days.
Rong Ci loved sketching, especially architecture.
So, before they came here, when Xie Xunzhao packed her luggage for her, he had made sure to put her sketchbook inside.
Sure enough. In just a few days, she had already filled nearly half of it.
Another half hour passed. Only then did Rong Ci push the door open and come out, bringing a wave of rich gardenia scent with her.
She was wrapped in a white bathrobe. The loungewear she had taken into the bathroom had accidentally fallen onto the wet floor while she was changing.
Fortunately, she had at least dried her hair today. It was soft and smooth, falling over her shoulders, with a few strands slipping through the wide neckline and disappearing inside.
Perhaps from being steamed in the bathroom so long, under the hazy lamplight, her usually rather pale little face had taken on some color, and even her pale lips were a moist, bright red.
The moment she looked up, her eyes met Xie Xunzhao’s. The intensity in his gaze was completely undisguised.
Being looked at like that made Rong Ci a bit flustered. Her damp lashes trembled once, and she pretended to remain calm as she looked away. Several days passed, but how had Big Brother’s “illness” been getting worse and worse?
All her fault.
Xie Xunzhao slowly closed the sketchbook. “Weren’t you missing me? What are you doing all the way over there?”
Rong Ci instinctively bowed, her expression earnest and remorseful. “Big Brother, I’m sorry.”
Rong Ci’s thought process had always been different from ordinary people’s. Even Xie Xunzhao, who understood her better than anyone, sometimes had no idea what strange thought would pop into her little head the next second.
His thin lips released a single questioning sound. “Hmm?”
Rong Ci bowed again. “I’m really sorry.”
This time, she bent a full ninety degrees.
What pleased Xie Xunzhao was that Rong Ci had finally developed a little of the wariness a woman should have toward a man. Only a little, though, not much.
The “little” part: when she bowed, she covered her chest.
The “not much” part: if she was going to come out wearing a bathrobe, she should have tied the sash into a firm knot instead of the pretty little bow that would come undone with the slightest tug.
Xie Xunzhao said, “Good.”
Now it was Rong Ci’s turn to be confused. The standard answer to “I’m sorry” should be “It’s okay.” What did “Good” even mean?
Rong Ci thought about it, then decided to throw caution to the wind. “Big Brother, why don’t you just beat me up?”
“Come here.” Xie Xunzhao did not seem bothered at all. He merely beckoned her over with an easy, unhurried gesture.
But Rong Ci’s animal instincts were warning her. Against the black-and-white carpet and the lush green backdrop, the man’s handsome face looked even more unfathomable. He sat leisurely in the armchair, his long legs stretched out with an almost overwhelming presence.
A subtle sense of danger rose inside her. So, Rong Ci shuffled two steps in place and moved forward by a mere couple of centimeters. “I’m here.”
Xie Xunzhao set the sketchbook on the side table and said mildly, “Why are you feeling guilty?”
“Did you do something bad?”
“No!”
His reverse psychology worked on Rong Ci. She moved two more steps forward.
Then Xie Xunzhao suddenly reached out, wrapped his hand around her slender wrist, and pulled her onto his lap. “Sit still.”
Even with several layers of clothing between them, Rong Ci was suddenly restless. “I haven’t changed yet—”
Xie Xunzhao unwrapped a piece of amber candy and fed it into her mouth.
Before Rong Ci could even taste the sweetness, she heard him say, “Not in a hurry.”
Rong Ci gave a pitiful little cry. “Big Brother, let me down.” Her voice was rather pitiful.
Xie Xunzhao’s tone was gentle. “Weren’t you always happiest sitting on Big Brother’s lap?”
Rong Ci could practically be said to have grown up on Xie Xunzhao, either carried her or held her on his back. Even when she sat down normally, she wanted to sit on his lap, with his arms around her.
That continued until Xie Xunzhao became an adult. No matter how much she pouted or wheedled, he refused to let her sit on his lap anymore. Fortunately, he would still hold her hand.
After he entered university, his vacations became longer, and he would take her to school and pick her up afterward. Only then did Rong Ci gradually get used to it.
But now, the person who had once firmly refused to let her sit on his lap, who had taught her that men and women were different and that she should maintain proper boundaries around the opposite sex…
Took the initiative! Insistently!
Pinned her on his lap.
Rong Ci’s mind had once been completely innocent. Sitting in his arms, she would never have thought about the image of Xie Xunzhao’s thigh muscles going taut beneath her, leaning against his chest; she had never thought about how firm his chest was. Bracing her hand against his abdomen, she had certainly never deliberately noticed the feel of his eight-pack abs beneath her palm.
Ahhhhhhh!
Rong Ci’s brain crashed.
Seeing that she had finally gone obediently still, Xie Xunzhao opened the allergy ointment he regularly used.
The instant his fingertip touched the side of her neck, Rong Ci jolted as though an electric current had run through her, like a startled rabbit with every hair standing on end. Even her ears seemed to perk up. “Big Brother!”
Xie Xunzhao held her still. “You’re having an allergic reaction. I’m putting some medicine on it.”
“I can do it myself.”
“You can’t reach the back of your neck.” Xie Xunzhao calmly pulled the loose collar of her bathrobe down a few inches. “How has the inspection been going these past few days?”
His tone suddenly became completely businesslike.
Rong Ci froze for a few seconds before answering. “It’s… it’s been okay.”
“Hmm. Have you not been eating well? Your face has gotten smaller.”
“There are always some complicated dishes where I can’t tell whether they contain allergens, so I’ve been eating plainly.” Once Rong Ci started talking about that, she had plenty to say. “Yesterday we went out for a group meal. There was this clay-pot fish that looked incredibly delicious, but it had so many different ingredients in it that I didn’t dare eat it.”
An allergic reaction to something she ate could send her straight to the ICU. Rong Ci was very careful about that. Going to the ICU would cost her a great deal of time, and that would interfere with her plans for her dreams.
Perhaps because Xie Xunzhao’s expression was so calm and open, he was simply helping her apply ointment out of concern; Rong Ci’s guard slowly lowered under his clear, flowing voice and the familiar warmth of his fingertips. Even when her bathrobe slipped down to her collarbones, she did not think anything of it.
Rong Ci kept talking and did not need Xie Xunzhao to respond at all. She could carry on a conversation by herself for ages. As she talked, her previously rigid body gradually softened, and she even habitually shifted around in Xie Xunzhao’s arms to find a comfortable position.
A dependence formed over many years could not be changed overnight.
The fruit tea in the transparent pot came to a boil, the rolling water tumbling ruby-like pomegranate seeds, red dates and rose petals, white steam curling up, spilling a wave of sweet fragrance.
“All done.”
The tea was ready. The medicine was applied too.
Xie Xunzhao took a wet wipe and cleaned his fingertips, then pulled the bathrobe collar back up from where it had nearly slipped to her elbows and retied the loosened bow. Only then did he say, “Go change your clothes.”
Perhaps because he had not spoken for a while, his usually clear voice was somewhat low.
“Huh?” Rong Ci hadn’t finished talking and looked at Xie Xunzhao leaning back against the chair. “Are you okay?”
How does applying medicine tire you out this much?
As she said it, she unconsciously shuffled a little closer, wanting to get a better look at him.
Her long black hair spilled down in front of her. Her bright eyes, delicate features, and the unguarded clarity in her expression were almost dreamlike, like clean lake water.
Xie Xunzhao’s expression darkened slightly. He reached out, lifted her down from his lap, and walked straight toward the bathroom. “I’m going to take a shower.”
Rong Ci poured herself a cup of flower tea. Steaming hot.
She took small sips. Holding the mug, she looked around the room, and Miss Rong was extremely satisfied. The room had become so tidy.
Rong Ci opened the wardrobe. Originally, it had held only her own clothes. Now Xie Xunzhao’s frequently worn clothes hung inside as well. The two sides were clearly separated, yet somehow intimately connected.
Actually, that was still fine.
Until Rong Ci saw that all her underwear had been folded neatly and individually sealed in clean bags, making it convenient to take out a fresh set each day.
Her wrist trembled slightly, and tea sloshed out of the cup; a single drop hung on the head of the hand-drawn kitten on the mug, looking almost like a tiny bead of sweat.
Help!
Big Brother had never touched these personal things of hers before!
He really was treating her like his wife now.
Rong Ci crouched down by the wardrobe door and turned into a little mushroom.
“Mumu.”
The bathroom door opened.
Xie Xunzhao’s low, husky voice, thick with steam, drifted out, changed entirely from his earlier clear voice. Far too enticing.
The quality of his voice made her ears tingle involuntarily.
Rong Ci rubbed one ear, then rubbed it again, actually rubbing her fair skin red. Even the lotus-shaped mark on her left earlobe, normally hidden beneath her hair, seemed to have caught fire.
“What is it?” Rong Ci shot to her feet. Her head spun, and she quickly caught herself against the wardrobe door.
Xie Xunzhao’s tone was calm. “I need your help with something.”
Completely unsuspecting, Rong Ci walked toward the bathroom. “Coming.”
The bathroom was very close to the wardrobe. She only had to turn the corner.
The next moment, Rong Ci froze.
The water-rippled glass wall was fogged with steam, and if one looked closely, one could even glimpse the outline of that perfect, striking body.
And Rong Ci’s imagination filled in the rest effortlessly:
His narrow, strong waist.
His evenly built muscles.
His long, straight, smoothly lined legs.
His feet against the damp floor with water droplets running down his chest…
Ahhh! Don’t look! Don’t think about it!
But she really could not help herself.
Without realizing it, she knew Xie Xunzhao’s body far too well.
Beside her, a pot of lush jasmine hung from a plaster column, its hanging strings of little flowers like white wind chimes setting off ripples in Rong Ci’s heart.
Why is Big Brother getting less and less careful about this, ahh ahh ahh?!
She’d assumed he’d already dressed before calling her over.
She immediately turned around, stammering, “Big Brother, what did you need me to help with?”
“Did you forget to bring your clothes?”
“Where did you put your suitcase?”
She had completely forgotten that she had just inspected the wardrobe herself.
Xie Xunzhao said, “Talk to me.”
Rong Ci said weakly, “Big Brother…”
For once, the little chatterbox was completely out of words. Her mind was blank, filled with nothing but the hazy silhouette behind the steam.
Xie Xunzhao leaned lazily against the tiled wall and spoke in a tone that brooked no argument. “Don’t call me Big Brother.”
Through the misted glass, he could clearly see her crouching down where she stood. He did not even need to look to know that her ears must be bright red, and that she must look pitiful again.
But this time, Xie Xunzhao did not soften. “Mumu, I’m not your brother.”
Rong Ci refused to face him. She covered her face with both hands and shook her head, regardless of whether he could see her.
Xie Xunzhao could not see it clearly, but he could guess, and his previously forceful tone suddenly shifted. “Mumu, Big Brother is very uncomfortable.”
He had just said he wasn’t her brother, and now he was calling himself Big Brother again.
He’d left her nothing to say!!!
Xie Xunzhao didn’t press too hard, switching unhurriedly into question mode. “Do you know Brother’s name?”
Sure enough.
After several seconds, Rong Ci answered in a tiny voice. “Xie… Xie Xunzhao.”
“Mm. Drop the surname.”
“Xunzhao.”
“Said very well, baby.”
It had been so, so, so many years since Xie Xunzhao had called her “baby.”
Hearing that childhood nickname in a situation like this made Rong Ci feel as though her heart was about to leap out of her chest.
Why did it have to be a time like this! And him, when he was—
The sound of running water began again inside the bathroom. The previously clear glass door gradually blurred with the heat.
Even Rong Ci’s mind blurred along with it. But at this moment, she understood one thing with perfect clarity.
Xie Xunzhao’s desire for her—dangerous and surging with desire.
~~
Rong Ci could no longer face Xie Xunzhao the way she used to, pretending they were still just brother and sister. She couldn’t keep up the act anymore.
She knew very well that Xie Xunzhao had run out of patience, which was why he had resorted to this method to force her to finally acknowledge the true nature of their relationship. In truth, Xie Xunzhao had always been decisive and ruthless when it came to getting things done.
But now, Rong Ci found it difficult to keep calling him “Big Brother”. The word “Big Brother” was too pure a term to be sullied by associating it with him.
Once again, Rong Ci found herself unable to sleep in the middle of the night, but unlike every other night, she didn’t climb onto Xie Xunzhao’s chest and wake him up.
Thank goodness, she still had another brother.
She sneaked a glance at the man sleeping beside her.
Don’t look closely. Don’t look too closely.
She now had PTSD that turned her ears red automatically at the sight of Xie Xunzhao.
Turning her back to him, Rong Ci took out her phone under the covers. There was Wi-Fi here.
Evil Calico Cat: [Zeus peeking out.jpg]
[Big Brother, I can’t sleep.]
[Big Brother]
[Big Brother]
[Big Brother]
[Big Brother]
…
Rong Qingtiao was woken by a string of buzzes and assumed it was Xie Xunzhao again, already planning to block him, when he saw his own sister’s avatar—a dignified Zeus, chin held high, wearing an emerald-studded collar.
That enormous cat face popped right up on his screen.
Seeing the string of “Big Brother” Rong Qingtiao’s lips curved slightly, and he casually took a screenshot.
Black-Bellied Sesame Ball: [Sent this to the wrong person? Aren’t I your brother?]
As always, his reply was dripping with sarcasm.
Evil Calico Cat: [I choose to forgive you generously. From today onward, you’re my only real brother.]
Black-Bellied Sesame Ball: [No. I’m just a toy you two remember exists in the middle of the night.]
Evil Calico Cat: [Zeus sighing.jpg]
Black-Bellied Sesame Ball: [Why can’t you sleep?]
Evil Calico Cat: [I’m pondering a philosophical question about life. What is love?]
Had their little princess finally come around?
Rong Qingtiao put aside his earlier nonchalance. Even though he wanted to assassinate Xie Xunzhao, he had no intention of deliberately misleading his little sister.
Black-Bellied Sesame Ball: [Love is what Mom and Dad have. They always want to be together, every moment of every day.]
[Take the other day, for example. Mom was held up in her studio, painstakingly restoring an ancient painting. Dad knew perfectly well how deeply she concentrated on her work, yet he still waited outside every day just to steal a few precious moments with her.]
[Or back when Dad used to return home from business trips. No matter how late it was, Mom would always wait up for him.]
Enduring love was often found in the smallest details of everyday life. Rong Ci couldn’t help thinking of herself and Xie Xunzhao.
If it were her and Xie Xunzhao, would he wait several hours just to spend a few fleeting moments with her? If Xie Xunzhao returned home from a business trip, would she be willing to stay up and wait for him?
In the dark, silent night, Rong Ci found herself recalling every important milestone in her life.
The first time she learned to sit up.
The first time she stood.
The first time she walked.
The first time she spoke.
Her first day of school.
Her first graduation.
Her first architectural design competition.
The first time…
“Playing with your phone behind my back?” Mm. The first time she’d been caught sneaking a look at her phone.
He had been there for all of it.
“You’re sleepwalking!” Rong Ci immediately stuffed her phone under the pillow, nearly knocking against the purple jade pendant.
She felt for the pendant and held it in her palm—the familiar carving, the cool, smooth jade—and her mood gradually settled.
“Fine. I’m sleepwalking.” Through the quilt, Xie Xunzhao locked her into his arms.
Just as Rong Ci was about to struggle free, he murmured leisurely into her ear, “You shouldn’t disturb someone who’s sleepwalking. Otherwise, something bad might happen.”
His words sounded like a demon whispering in her ear.
Rong Ci clutched her jade pendant tighter.
Demons and monsters, begone!!!
Xie Xunzhao held her in a full embrace, his arms wrapped all the way around her.
His arms were long and strong enough to lock her securely against his chest. It used to be Rong Ci’s favorite way to be held. Now, it was the very position she feared most.
~~
Rong Ci hadn’t slept well last night. She’d dreamed of a greedy, covetous evil dragon that had coiled itself tightly around her, clutching her as though she were a priceless treasure it had hoarded for ten thousand years.
Breakfast was self-served buffet-style.
It wasn’t until Xie Xunzhao placed a plate in front of her that Rong Ci finally looked down.
!!!
So lavish!!
Who would have thought there were so many things here she could actually eat?
For the past few days, she’d had only a glass of milk and a slice of toasted bread for breakfast—without even spreading anything on it—followed by a few cherries. What had that been about?
Xie Xunzhao took his seat across from her. “What are you spacing out about?”
The moment Rong Ci saw him, her ears seemed to switch into automatic tracking mode, and a suspicious flush immediately crept over them. “Thinking about work. Don’t disturb me.”
She lowered her head, with her hair falling forward, covering her ears.
The whole series of movements completed in an instant.
Why has he stopped talking now?
After a few seconds of awkward silence, Rong Ci took a bite of taro cake. In the end, she couldn’t resist lifting her head to sneak another glance at him. Her gaze met Xie Xunzhao’s smiling eyes.
Unlike the shameless abandon of the previous night, today he was impeccably dressed, exuding an air of cool restraint and abstinence.
Xie Xunzhao wore a black thin-silk shirt, relaxed and distinguished, with only a seemingly understated silver watch fastened at his wrist, a small blue-diamond shrike set at the twelve o’clock position of the dial. But that watch had been her birthday gift to him last year. Rong Ci had personally drawn the design before having it custom-made for him. He rarely wore it.
“Xiao Ci, your husband is handsome and considerate. Who would’ve thought you’d be so good at training him at such a young age?” A female colleague passing by teased her.
Rong Ci felt the ears hidden in her long hair heat up again, but to preserve the dignity of her position as the “master of the household,” she nodded with as much composure as she could muster. “He’s all right. He’s pretty well-behaved.”
Where they couldn’t see, Rong Ci frantically shot Xie Xunzhao warning glances.
Don’t you dare expose me.
Xie Xunzhao caught her signal, amusement spreading through his eyes. “That’s right. In our family, Rong Ci has the final say.”
Her dignity was intact!
Rong Ci breathed a sigh of relief.
Once the colleague had left, Xie Xunzhao looked at her with a faint, knowing smile. “Pretty well-behaved?”
“Oh, come on, out in public, give me some face.” Rong Ci waited until she was certain her colleagues couldn’t hear them before pressing her palms together in a pleading gesture. “Pleeeease?”
Xie Xunzhao raised an eyebrow. “What do I get in return?”
Rong Ci pretended not to hear him.
Why does a capitalist want something out of everything? Not an ounce of kindness!
There were simply too many choices at breakfast.
Rong Ci had eaten barely half of what was on her plate before she was full.
Xie Xunzhao finally spoke. “Full?”
“Mm. There’s still so much left.”
Rong Ci glanced at the other guests. Everyone else had taken only as much as they could eat.
Why had Xie Xunzhao piled so much food onto her plate?
“Mm.”
Xie Xunzhao handed her a glass of corn juice, then brought her plate over to his side of the table.
The meaning was obvious.
He had never eaten her leftovers before. He had always maintained clear boundaries between men and women.
Rong Ci watched as he picked up the piece of taro cake she had already bitten into and, following the mark of her teeth, he took a bite from the very same spot, as naturally as could be…
!!!
The heat had spread from Rong Ci’s ears all the way to her cheeks. Once again, she was forced to acknowledge that things really were different now.
The next second, she heard another colleague teasing them with a laugh.
“You two are practically sharing saliva already. How come Xiao Ci still blushes so easily?”
W-Who shared saliva with him?!
The earth-shattering remark startled Rong Ci so badly that she immediately turned to Xie Xunzhao, silently begging him to rescue her.
After finishing his bite of taro cake, Xie Xunzhao replied with perfect composure, “Perhaps she hasn’t gotten used to it yet.”
Author’s Note:
Rong Mumu: Have we shared saliva? But why does he make it sound so convincing?