Chapter 16 – Wanting to Kiss You Again

Just a light peck, and Jiang Ruo was about to retreat, but a large hand wrapped around his waist, pulling him closer, deepening the kiss.

Unlike his usual cold demeanor, Xi Yufeng seemed to shed his icy exterior during these intimate moments. Every move, every breath exuded an assertive dominance that brooked no refusal.

Jiang Ruo turned into a kite held in his palm, floating aimlessly, unable to fly far, and with just a moment’s distraction, he would plummet down.

Unconsciously, his arms encircled Xi Yufeng’s shoulders, tightening their embrace, drawing them closer until their lips and teeth were filled with each other’s taste, almost melding into one.

Suddenly, the mix of cedarwood fragrance and tobacco didn’t seem so detestable anymore.

When they parted, Jiang Ruo’s eyes were hazy, his mind wandering somewhere far away. Following his instincts, he reached for those thin lips again, but Xi Yufeng turned his head to avoid the advance.

His expression wasn’t good, but it clearly wasn’t due to discomfort.

“Don’t squirm around,” he said hoarsely.

Both men, Jiang Ruo instantly understood the reason behind the restraint in his voice.

“Us dancers never squirm around randomly,” Jiang Ruo curled the corner of his lip, his eyes holding a dazed smile. “But your rich folks, don’t you have beds at home?”

“Or are you saying… Xi Yufeng, do you want to take me right here?”

The two tangled together until the moon hung high in the sky.

Quite some time after they finished, Jiang Ruo finally had the strength to reach out and grab his phone from the bedside table. It was half past ten in the evening.

During the time they were absorbed in their activities, they hadn’t spared a thought for anything else. Now, in the quietness, he realized his stomach was empty, hunger gnawing at him.

There was no one beside him; perhaps they had gone to take a shower. Jiang Ruo, suffering from all-over aches, struggled to sit up. He had intended to put on his clothes, but when he felt the pants on the floor, they were still wet, so he gave up.

Xi Yufeng returned to the room to find Jiang Ruo standing by the bed, clad only in a white bath towel that barely covered his waist, revealing long legs and red marks left by his fingers on various soft parts of his body.

Jiang Ruo turned his head, paying no attention to Xi Yufeng’s darkened gaze, sincerely pleading, “Give me something to eat, I don’t want to be the first person in the world to starve to death from excessive lust.”

Xi Yufeng: “…”

He tossed a new bathrobe from the closet to Jiang Ruo and headed toward the kitchen.

Jiang Ruo quickly followed. When he saw several glass bowls packed to the brim in the open refrigerator, he was overjoyed. “Isn’t this much faster than ordering takeout?”

With permission, Jiang Ruo took out the glass bowls one by one, choosing three dishes with a balanced meat and vegetable mix to heat up in the microwave, then started cooking rice.

Using a pressure cooker, it was ready in less than twenty minutes. As Jiang Ruo served the rice into exquisite bone china bowls, he muttered, “You don’t look like someone who eats at home often, yet you have a complete set of pots and pans.”

The house was decorated in a European style popular from earlier years. To show grandeur, the dining table was a long solid wood board, requiring several steps to walk from one end to the other.

Jiang Ruo found eating like this too exhausting. With just three dishes, did he have to run back and forth? So, he placed all the dishes at one corner of the table. Xi Yufeng sat at one end of the long table, while Jiang Ruo took a seat closest to him on the side.

Starved for too long, Jiang Ruo unleashed his appetite as soon as he sat down. It wasn’t that he completely disregarded his image, after all, he was in someone else’s house.

His restraint was looking at the person beside him after a few bites, only to find that Xi Yufeng hardly ate.

Recalling carefully, this man didn’t like to touch his food even during banquets. At the time, Jiang Ruo assumed he was picky and didn’t like the taste of outside food.

“Didn’t your aunt make these dishes?” Jiang Ruo asked.

Xi Yufeng hummed in agreement.

“So you’re not eating?”

“Not hungry.”

“…Are you dieting or something?”

Xi Yufeng glanced over.

Jiang Ruo shivered under the unemotional gaze, almost raising his hands in surrender. “Alright, alright, I won’t ask anymore.”

After a while, he couldn’t help but size up Xi Yufeng, as if savoring something. “But with your figure, there’s no need for dieting.”

Xi Yufeng once again responded with a “…”

After the meal, Jiang Ruo washed the dishes himself, then returned to the master bedroom, clutching the pillow he had used.

“I’m going to sleep in another room,” he explained to Xi Yufeng. “You probably aren’t used to sharing a bed with someone else. Last time, you didn’t sleep well the whole night.”

Xi Yufeng was taken aback, seemingly surprised that Jiang Ruo had noticed.

When he couldn’t sleep, he merely lay there motionless.

“It’s not because of you,” Xi Yufeng said. “I’ve always had poor sleep.”

Jiang Ruo didn’t know how far back his “always” extended. He wanted to ask, but felt it might be prying into personal matters.

He could say countless flirtatious jokes without concern, but when it came to serious matters, he didn’t have the right to ask even a single question more.

He couldn’t overstep boundaries, it was the rule.

So Jiang Ruo forced a disinterested smile. “You say that, I’d think you want to keep me here to sleep with you.”

Xi Yufeng pressed his lips tight, his brows creasing ever so slightly.

That night, the two didn’t end up sleeping together.

Jiang Ruo chose the room closest to the master bedroom, lying on the bed fully dressed, feeling a hint of chill.

Unable to fall asleep for a long time with his eyes closed, Jiang Ruo sighed, wondering if insomnia was contagious.

He didn’t know whether Xi Yufeng was asleep on the other side of the wall.

In truth, Jiang Ruo had already realized that the reason for his turmoil was that tonight’s experience was enjoyable. There were no condescending commands or thoughtless demands, everything fell into place naturally.

Perhaps the term “equality” was more fitting. They should have been in a relationship with clear hierarchies, but excessive equality made him uneasy.

It was a mixture of feelings, joy and fear, akin to being both delighted and overwhelmed.

The next morning, when Xi Yufeng got up, Jiang Ruo was already busy in the kitchen.

Hearing footsteps, he turned to meet a probing gaze. Jiang Ruo smiled. “I’m not very good at cooking, don’t expect too much.”

He was making sandwiches, layering eggs, lettuce, and two slices of tomato between toasted bread, the flavor was average.

Unexpectedly, though, Xi Yufeng actually enjoyed this not-so-refined breakfast.

Seeing the empty plate in front of him, Jiang Ruo suddenly understood. “I get it, you like simple flavors.”

Xi Yufeng dabbed at the corners of his mouth with a napkin, adopting an indifferent attitude that amounted to tacit acknowledgment.

Jiang Ruo thought to himself that it was fortunate he had been lazy earlier, not frying the eggs. By accident, he had suited his taste.

After eating, the two sat at the table, discussing serious matters.

Xi Yufeng mentioned the lawsuit regarding the contract termination. The defendant had appealed the first-instance verdict, but it was likely to be upheld, assuring Jiang Ruo not to worry.

He also mentioned that Xiao Shen was just a personal assistant, and he had arranged for a manager for him, who would start work next week.

His professionalism made Jiang Ruo suspect that Xi Yufeng might have been a sponsor in his previous life, someone who passed a professional level test and operated with a license.

After deliberating his words carefully, Jiang Ruo asked, “Do you really not lose money doing business like this?”

He was referring to the financial-sexual transaction between them. Jiang Ruo knew himself well, even if he sold himself skin and bones, he wouldn’t be worth that much.

Xi Yufeng didn’t raise his eyes. “Investment is for returns, promoting you is the same.”

In other words, it wasn’t promotion for the sake of promotion, but rather, the two went hand in hand. As a newcomer to the film industry, relying solely on intuition for investments was uncertain. It was better to promote someone and get involved to test the waters, gaining experience along the way. Even if it wasn’t Jiang Ruo, there would be Wang Ruo, Li Ruo, or Zhang Ruo standing in this position now.

A typical businessman’s approach, it sent a chill through Jiang Ruo’s heart while simultaneously relieving him of a burden.

Finally, Xi Yufeng asked, “Is there anything else you want?”

Jiang Ruo was completely lost. “What else could I ask for?”

Xi Yufeng said, “If you think of anything, tell me anytime.”

Weekend mornings were always short.

Xi Yufeng went to the study to handle work, while Jiang Ruo, having nothing to do, returned to his room for a nap.

When he woke up, the sun was already tilting westward. Jiang Ruo stretched languidly, slipped on slippers, and walked to the door of the adjacent room, where he saw Xi Yufeng changing clothes.

Broad shoulders, narrow waist, a body of taut muscles with smooth lines. Even though Jiang Ruo had caressed them closely last night, seeing them again made him want to whistle.

Turning at the sound, Xi Yufeng saw Jiang Ruo leaning against the door frame, his eyes half-closed as if he hadn’t woken up properly, his expression seemed to relax a bit.

Jiang Ruo yawned, asking, “You’re going out?”

“Mm.”

“Business dinner?”

On the weekend, and not dressed formally, it was likely he was going to one of those unavoidable “team-building” events.

Xi Yufeng acknowledged again, returning to his slightly impatient demeanor.

Jiang Ruo sensed it. “Don’t want to go?”

Xi Yufeng didn’t answer, putting on his trousers and walking out.

At the door, Jiang Ruo’s outstretched arm blocked his path.

“Take me with you.” Winking, Jiang Ruo said, “When you’re bored, I can be your source of amusement.”

The idea came spontaneously, driven by professionalism.

After all, Xi Yufeng looked so miserable. Taking so many favors from him without helping to alleviate his troubles was unjustifiable.

He began to regret it on the way, and when led by the waiter to the private room, Jiang Ruo subconsciously held his breath, feeling the panic of being thrown into a world without oxygen.

Fortunately, he wasn’t alone. From the moment he entered, Xi Yufeng activated his “keep out” mode. Although he wore a smile on his face, a chilling aura continuously emanated from him, causing those around him to dare not get too close.

At the gathering of the young and wealthy, there was inevitably smoking, drinking, and playing cards. Beside each person sat one or two girls, offering cigarettes, pouring drinks, smiling coyly.

To say it wasn’t awkward would be a lie. Jiang Ruo felt like sitting on pins and needles, holding a cup of beverage in his hands, drinking most of it within minutes.

He heard someone talking loudly, “By the way, what has Meng Chao been up to lately? Haven’t seen him around for days.”

“Don’t you know, he’s infatuated with a little boy, keeping him outside.”

“What kind of little boy must it be to enchant him so much.”

“Never seen him, don’t know.” A gaze fell on Jiang Ruo, “He must be on par with our Young Master Xi’s, right?”

Jiang Ruo didn’t miss the teasing tone, but pretended not to understand, maintaining a smile on his face.

They simply shifted the topic to Jiang Ruo, asking how old he was, what movies he had starred in. Jiang Ruo said he hadn’t acted in any movies, and the group laughed, telling him to work hard so that Young Master Xi would invest in a movie and make him the lead actor, it would be a done deal in no time.

As for where to work hard, everyone knew.

These were specific jokes for such occasions, not meant to be taken seriously, but Jiang Ruo couldn’t help clenching his back molars.

Hearing Xi Yufeng say “don’t mess with him” from over there didn’t ease the situation. Jiang Ruo put down his drink and abruptly stood up. “Which table is one short? Count me in.”

For the entire afternoon, Jiang Ruo wreaked havoc, perfectly showcasing the results of three months of training in the “Orioles” crew on the poker table.

Almost all the young masters present were beaten by him, to the point they suspected he was cheating.

The more he won, the higher his morale soared. Later on, Jiang Ruo’s movements of drawing and discarding cards carried a sense of strategy. His eyebrows arched, his round eyes slightly curved, and the people at the table knew it was time to pay up.

In total, he won a five-digit sum. Although the rich young masters didn’t care about this amount of money, losing all afternoon inevitably dampened their spirits.

When escorting the two out, Jiang Ruo walked ahead, while the organizer walked side by side with Xi Yufeng, laughing, “Others keep comforting little sweethearts, but Young Master Xi has invited a god of fortune back.”

Another person interjected, “I see him as an ancestor, playing cards so aggressively, he’s going to burn us all to the ground.”

Xi Yufeng merely smiled, saying nothing.

Arriving at the parking lot, Jiang Ruo, who had been walking briskly ahead, suddenly turned around, looking at the person a few steps away from him.

Xi Yufeng also stopped, meeting his gaze.

His expression changed repeatedly, and the arrogance from the poker table was somewhat reined in. Jiang Ruo lowered his eyes. “Sorry, I caused you trouble.”

Knowing that this was a social gathering, intended for the people in their circle to build relationships and exchange information, he had disrupted it due to a momentary impulse. Later, Xi Yufeng specially asked the waiters to open a few bottles of fine wine to appease those who lost money. The winnings probably weren’t enough to cover the compensation.

This wasn’t being an amusement, more like a headache.

But Xi Yufeng said, “No trouble.”

An utterly calm tone.

Even if Jiang Ruo felt guilty, he didn’t believe he was entirely wrong. He had merely taught them a lesson in a different way, telling them to watch their mouths and mind their own business.

Thinking this, Jiang Ruo declared boldly, “Let me be clear, if there’s a next time, I’ll…”

The latter half of the sentence faded away. Jiang Ruo saw Xi Yufeng take two steps forward, stopping in front of him, lifting his hand, gently stroking the hair by his ear, brushing his cheek.

He heard Xi Yufeng say, “There won’t be a next time.”

In the sultry night of late spring and early summer, the sudden acceleration of his heartbeat was attributed by Jiang Ruo to an unexpected reaction to comfort.

Normal yet abnormal, natural but not quite right.

From Xi Yufeng’s perspective, he could see Jiang Ruo’s lowered eyelashes fluttering. When they suddenly lifted, his reflection intruded into his eyes, as if freshly fished out, but then suddenly fell back into that shimmering lake.

After a sigh, Jiang Ruo murmured, “What to do…”

Xi Yufeng didn’t hear clearly. “Mm?”

Jiang Ruo tilted his head slightly upward, staring at the person in front of him, saying helplessly, “What to do, I want to kiss you again.”