Chapter 94

Chapter 94

“Jiang Baichuan. His track record checks out.”

Xia Wanzhi held up her paintbrush and made a few strokes in the air. “Unfortunately, his whole team got wiped out.”

Yun Li scratched her cheek. “I wouldn’t say the whole team got wiped out. I still really like Zhaozhao and Mumu. Besides, I said I’d think about it.”

She still wasn’t mentally prepared. She needed some time to calm down.

And Liang Jing’s matter hadn’t been completely dealt with yet.

Jiang Baichuan might not care.

But she wanted to walk toward him with everything clean and settled.

“Ah, so you’re admitting you have feelings for President Jiang?” Xia Wanzhi smiled, poked her hair with the end of her brush, then turned back to keep painting.

Yun Li smiled without answering.

Zhuzi still hadn’t come back from her trip, so Yun Li had closed up for the day and come to Xia Wanzhi’s place to kill time.

After late autumn arrived, night fell very quickly. October slipped by in the blink of an eye.

In a month’s time, sixteen paintings had piled up in front of the floor-to-ceiling window.

Yun Li came over with a cup of coffee and studied the neatly arranged paintings. There was a clear difference in appearance between the first portrait and the one Xia Wanzhi was painting now. Yun Li exclaimed, “With skills like this, you could work as a sketch artist at the police station, couldn’t you?”

Xia Wanzhi focused on outlining the lines. Only after a while did she answer, “If I had that kind of skill, would I need to paint them one by one?”

She let out a deep sigh. “If only I were that amazing.”

Yun Li patted her shoulder. “Don’t rush it. Take your time. Even someone as capable as Xie Qiyan hasn’t found a way yet, so you don’t need to put so much pressure on yourself. But then again-”

Her tone shifted, carrying a hint of excitement. Xia Wanzhi’s ears practically perked up.

“Xie Qiyan’s mother is really beautiful,” Yun Li said with endless admiration.

Xia Wanzhi: “…”

“With genes as superior as yours and Xie Qiyan’s, you two have to have a daughter someday just for the fun of it.” Yun Li clicked her tongue in awe.

Xia Wanzhi didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. She bumped Yun Li with her shoulder. “We’re nowhere near that point.”

“What do you mean, nowhere near? You two are glued together every day, sprinkling dog food all over the world. What, you still haven’t sealed the deal?” Gossip between best friends was always about the same few things. As long as the topic wasn’t themselves, their skin was forever thick.

Xia Wanzhi immediately understood what “deal” she meant.

She gave a light cough. “There’s no rush.”

Yun Li held back a laugh and pretended to be shocked. “That can’t be right. At your speed, shouldn’t you two be launching a rocket by now?”

Xia Wanzhi was so embarrassed she could die. “Stop prying into a young couple’s business!”

Yun Li laughed so hard she could barely stand it. She stayed with Xia Wanzhi for most of the day, and just as she was about to leave in the evening, the door to Xia Wanzhi’s place opened from the outside.

Xie Qiyan made a grand entrance with a suit jacket draped over his arm.

He clocked in at Xia Wanzhi’s place the moment he got off work. At this point, these two were no different from living together.

The apartment across the hall was basically just for show.

Then again, maybe it was one of Xie Qiyan’s little push-and-pull tricks. Or perhaps it was some private game between the young couple.

Yun Li didn’t understand it. She smiled and called into the living room, “Wanzi, your boyfriend’s off work.”

Xia Wanzhi was still focused on painting. She heard her, but didn’t respond.

“Staying for dinner?” Xie Qiyan asked politely, his tone that of the man of the house.

Yun Li waved him off. “I’ll accept the dog food in spirit. I won’t disturb you two lovebirds from getting all clingy.”

Once she was gone, Xie Qiyan went to wash his hands. As he walked toward Xia Wanzhi, he loosened his tie. By the time he stopped behind her, two buttons of his shirt were already undone, revealing that sexy collarbone. He looked every bit like he was trying to seduce someone with his good looks.

Xia Wanzhi had clearly sensed him coming over, but he still startled her. She complained sweetly, “What are you doing?”

Without a word, Xie Qiyan took the paintbrush from her hand. Then he wrapped the tie in his hand around her wrist, caught her other hand, brought both hands behind her back, and wound it around them together.

Then he tied them up.

Xia Wanzhi went blank for a moment.

Xie Qiyan slowly and methodically tied a dead knot.

Only after Xia Wanzhi struggled and realized she couldn’t break free did it dawn on her that Xie Qiyan was seriously playing at bondage.

“W-what, what, what are you doing-”

Her mouth was forcibly closed.

Xie Qiyan pinched her lips and gave them a loud, smacking kiss.

Xia Wanzhi: “…”

Xie Qiyan lowered his eyes. In his pupils, a springlike shimmer rippled, mixed with thick resentment. “Xia Wanzhi, if you don’t love me anymore, just say so.”
“I do.” Who cared what wire had gotten crossed in his head? Coax him first.

“You do?” Xie Qiyan’s Adam’s apple bobbed slightly as his thumb brushed over her lips. “Then why did you ignore me just now?”

Xie Qiyan went in for round two. “You didn’t reply to my messages for three whole hours, Teacher Xia. I felt, very deeply, how coldly you’ve been treating me.”

Just now, Yun Li had told her he was back.

Xia Wanzhi hadn’t even heard it.

Xie Qiyan felt wronged.

Xia Wanzhi rolled her eyes inwardly. “…”

With acting skills like that, he could consider breaking into film and television.

He could switch from big bad wolfdog to soft little puppy in a single second.

“Be good. I was drawing.” Xia Wanzhi rose slightly onto her toes and lifted her chin to nuzzle his lips.

It was November, and the temperature had dropped. Xie Qiyan had just come in from outside, so his lips were cool, yet they were so soft they felt exactly like springy jelly.

Xia Wanzhi licked them.

A strong hand pressed down on the back of her head, and Xia Wanzhi was forced to exchange breath with him in a heated French kiss.

Her throat was a little dry, but her lips gleamed with moisture.

Xia Wanzhi let out a muffled whimper. “Don’t…”

“Don’t what? Turn me down one more time and you’re dead.” Xie Qiyan scooped her up by the waist and strode straight toward the sofa.

He kept kissing her as he held her.

Xia Wanzhi: “…”

Wet, teasing sounds filled the living room.

The air turned intimate, the lingering echoes seeming to circle the room.

Ten minutes later, Xie Qiyan worked hard to steady his breathing.

Xia Wanzhi’s lips were parted slightly as she panted. Her hands were still tied, and her whole body was sprawled across Xie Qiyan.

“Well?” Xie Qiyan had meant to ask if she still dared to do it again.

“Ah. Soft.” Xia Wanzhi deliberately misunderstood him and gave a stubborn assessment. “When you’re not talking, your mouth is really soft.”

“There are places that aren’t soft too.” Xie Qiyan reached behind her and untied the necktie.

Xia Wanzhi: “…”

Stop talking. She had felt it.

“Don’t move. Give me a second.” Xie Qiyan wrapped his arms around her waist.

Lately, aside from pouring all her energy into drawing, she also had to keep an eye on Yun Li’s situation.

He was a man. He simply could not understand how women could chat for an entire day and night without stopping.

Xie Qiyan’s greatest love rival was Yun Li.

He wished that bastard Jiang Baichuan would hurry up and win Yun Li over already.

For that, he had even gone out of his way to give Jiang Baichuan advice.

But it did not seem to be working very well.

“In a few days, it’s my grandfather’s birthday…” Xia Wanzhi brought up the serious matter.

Xie Qiyan still had a taut string pulled tight in his head and had not recovered yet, so his brain was a little slow to respond. “What did you just say?”

His voice was hoarse. He was clearly having a hard time holding back.

Xia Wanzhi blushed a little. “…”

“I said, my grandfather’s birthday is in a few days. I have to go abroad.” Xia Wanzhi felt uncomfortable with the way his thigh was pressing into her, so she braced her hands against his shoulders and shifted to adjust her position.

The response she got was a muffled groan. Xie Qiyan couldn’t take it, and in a moment of lost control, he gripped her waist hard to stop her from moving again.

“That hurts!” Xia Wanzhi frowned, letting out a delicate huff as she grabbed his hand and pried his fingers open with all her strength.

Xie Qiyan rubbed the spot with an exasperated look. “We haven’t even done anything yet and you’re already saying it hurts.”

Xia Wanzhi glared at him fiercely.

Xie Qiyan apologized at once. “I’m sorry. Pinch me back.”

Xia Wanzhi didn’t pinch him. She did her best to ignore that poking sensation and said seriously, “Did you hear me? I said I’m going abroad. It’ll take at least a week before I come back.”

Xie Qiyan remarked, “Your grandparents’ birthdays are pretty close together.”

Then he promptly veered off topic. “Just like the two of us.”

Xia Wanzhi burst out laughing. “You and I are more than half a year apart, okay?”

“I’m on Start of Winter, you’re on Start of Summer. Perfect match.” The affection in Xie Qiyan’s eyes spilled out in plain sight.

Xia Wanzhi: “…”

This man was never going to stop flirting.

“I’m talking to you about something serious…”

“I heard you. What day are you leaving? I’ll clear my schedule in advance.” A smile curved Xie Qiyan’s lips, and while Xia Wanzhi was still stunned, he stole another kiss.

He could never get enough of kissing her. Not even close.

He even wanted more.

But he had to be reserved.

Reserved.

Otherwise, Xia Wanzhi would scold him for being filthy and call him a hooligan.

The princess at home held a rather high status. The princess could be filthy and act like a hooligan.

But he could not.