Jiang Mu sat down with the chicken wings, and after Jin Chao exchanged a few words with Zhang Guangyu, he turned and sat beside her. His movement from across the table to her side seemed entirely natural, with no one noticing the change in position.
Jiang Mu hadn’t felt drunk earlier, but now her heart was racing and her thoughts were hazy, truly feeling the effects of intoxication. Especially with Jin Chao sitting beside her, even with her head bowed low, she could still feel his overwhelming presence. The intense nervousness made even her wrists tremble, particularly unsettling with so many people around.
Pan Kai and the others brought over a plate of freshly grilled skewers. The aroma of barbecued meat, the clinking of glasses, and the sounds of laughter filled the rooftop, but none of it could drown out Jiang Mu’s heartbeat. She felt even more lightheaded than when Jin Fengzi had given her all those drinks last time.
Later, San Lai suggested they all go hiking in July once everyone had finished their current tasks. He specifically mentioned finding a mountain with a cable car, though it wasn’t clear why he emphasized “hiking.”
Jin Fengzi said if they were going, they should go to Mount Tai, the foremost of the Five Great Mountains. Zhang Guangyu countered with the saying “After seeing Huangshan, you won’t care to see other mountains,” suggesting they go to Huangshan instead, since he worked in Anhui and it would be closer.
Everyone discussed enthusiastically. Jin Chao held his drink with a faint smile, occasionally adding a few words, appearing completely at ease. However, Jiang Mu’s composure wasn’t nearly as good. She kept her head down, continuously eating skewers even though she was already full. Simply sitting there doing nothing seemed awkward. Throughout this time, her elbow occasionally brushed against Jin Chao’s – normally an unremarkable occurrence, but now these slight touches felt magnified, creating a subtle intimacy known only to them.
Seeing her eat non-stop, Pan Kai asked in surprise, “Jiang Jiang, you must be really hungry today?”
Only then did Jiang Mu realize she truly couldn’t eat anymore, but with everyone in high spirits drinking, she could only keep them company. She secretly glanced at Jin Chao from the corner of her eye – his right hand rested on the table edge, while his left hand hung by the chair, close to her.
Jiang Mu couldn’t help but look down at his hanging left hand, with its long, strong fingers and visible veins. She rarely noticed such details about others. When she had fevers and needed IVs, nurses always said her veins were hard to find, and if she was unlucky enough to get an inexperienced nurse, she’d inevitably endure extra needle pricks. Looking at Jin Chao’s slightly protruding veins, she found them fascinating and reached out to poke the blue lines on the back of his hand.
Jin Chao slightly turned his head, his gaze sliding almost imperceptibly toward her. Jiang Mu, not satisfied with one poke – finding the springy feeling of pressing on veins quite interesting – reached out to poke again. But before she could make contact, Jin Chao flipped his palm and caught her small hand. Jiang Mu instantly looked up at him, but he had already turned away, casually listening to San Lai’s chatter about the monkeys on Mount Emei, his grip never loosening as he gently stroked her rounded fingertips.
This wasn’t the first time Jin Chao had held Jiang Mu’s hand. Whether during their act while racing or when facing Boss Wan, he had indeed held her hand before. However, those times were when she was extremely anxious, and he had used it to calm her emotions – just holding, nothing more.
But tonight, in such a relaxed environment, each of his touches carried an electrifying current that stirred her heart. Jiang Mu didn’t dare look at anyone else, though she knew no one was paying attention to the heat rising from her chest to her cheeks, turning them crimson. She could no longer hear what others were saying.
After some time, Zhang Guangyu’s girlfriend asked her, “Have you had too much to drink?”
Jiang Mu guiltily withdrew her hand and nodded along, “Maybe.”
So everyone agreed it was time to call it a night.
On the way back, San Lai called a car, and he and Jin Chao took Jiang Mu home to Jin Qiang’s place first. San Lai became quite talkative after drinking, and from the moment they got in the car, he sat in the front passenger seat chatting with the driver about his pet shop. His grand way of talking made it sound like he ran some massive pet trading market. As luck would have it, the driver had two dogs at home, and once they started talking, there was no stopping them.
Jin Chao and Jiang Mu sat in the back seat with considerable distance between them. With the noise from the front, they couldn’t exchange a word. Jiang Mu occasionally stole glances at Jin Chao, and when he sensed her gaze and turned, she would quickly look away.
By the time they reached the community entrance, San Lai had successfully marketed himself as a new VIP customer, leaving Jiang Mu thoroughly impressed.
San Lai turned back with a grin, telling her, “Now you can get a good night’s sleep, college student.”
Jiang Mu smiled back, then hastily glanced at Jin Chao.
Sensing her look, Jin Chao told San Lai, “I’ll walk Mu Mu in.”
Then he told the driver, “Please wait, I’ll pay when I return.”
Jiang Mu opened the door, and Jin Chao got out too, while San Lai continued chatting with the driver about cats and dogs.
After they turned into the community and the taxi was out of sight, the old neighborhood’s streetlights, covered in thick dust, cast dim light. Jiang Mu reached for Jin Chao’s sleeve, but before she could touch it, he had already taken her hand. He didn’t look at her, everything happening with unspoken synchronicity.
Walking through the quiet nighttime community, Jin Chao led Jiang Mu back to the old building. Opening the entrance door, she said in an alcohol-softened voice, “Brother, I can’t climb.”
Jin Chao smiled silently, and though he knew she was deliberately being lazy, he still bent down to let her climb onto his back and then carried her up. Jin Chao didn’t climb quickly. Jiang Mu crossed her arms in front of him, resting her face against his broad shoulder. Her sweet breath, mixed with a slight hint of alcohol, brushed against his neck, making his usually steady breathing grow increasingly hot.
In the dim stairwell, motion-sensor lights illuminated with Jin Chao’s footsteps. On the fifth floor, he set her down and turned to face her, his gaze dark and intense. Jiang Mu swayed slightly, and Jin Chao worried she might lose balance, moved a step toward the stairwell to steady her. His gaze swept over her soft lips, lingering for several seconds before the sensor light suddenly went out. In the darkness, their proximity became dangerous as Jin Chao leaned down toward her, and the closer he got, the more uncontrollably Jiang Mu trembled.
Jin Chao gave a soft laugh and straightened up, telling her, “You’ve been drinking today. Let’s talk when you’re sober.”
Jiang Mu raised her liquid eyes – her dark pupils were large, and when drunk, she always looked particularly vulnerable. She asked softly, “Are you leaving?”
Jin Chao reminded her, “San Lai is still waiting in the taxi.”
Jiang Mu lowered her head again. When she stood before Jin Chao with her head down, she always looked very small. Neither spoke as Jiang Mu shuffled slightly forward, resting her forehead against his chest.
Jin Chao looked down at her, his eyes flowing with intoxicated light, though his voice was low as he said “Troublemaker.” As the words fell, he had already raised his arms to draw her into his embrace.
This was the first time Jiang Mu had been held by Jin Chao like this, feeling as if she was melting into his body. She had never known that Jin Chao’s embrace could envelop her so completely. Whether it was the warmth of his breath, his captivating scent, or his solid chest – if he wanted to, he could completely dissolve her in his arms, leaving her nowhere to hide.
When Jin Chao returned to the taxi twenty minutes later, San Lai asked in surprise, “Why did that take so long?”
Jin Chao silently stared at him for a moment, then turned to the driver and said, “Let’s go.”
…
Jiang Mu wasn’t quite sure how she had gotten home. It seemed Jin Chao had opened the door for her, but he hadn’t come in – he had just lifted her by the waist, placed her inside, said “goodnight” and closed the door. Afterward, Jiang Mu remained in a daze, feeling as if she might still be sleepwalking even after lying down in bed.
She was usually a good sleeper, getting sound rest most nights, but tonight she remained in a state of light sleep. Her soul felt as if it was floating, with Jin Chao’s features, his pleasant voice, and enticing lips appearing intermittently in her mind. Even the air around her seemed filled with his presence – that unique fresh mint scent mixed with subtle tobacco, creating an addictively attractive fragrance.
This wasn’t the first time Jiang Mu had dreamed of Jin Chao. In her hazy consciousness, she couldn’t tell what was a dream and what was reality. Excitement, nervousness, shyness, and even emotions she could hardly believe kept stimulating her until she finally fell into deep sleep near dawn.
Zhao Meijuan believed that Jiang Mu had been under too much mental pressure preparing for the college entrance exam, and now that she could relax, her body would naturally enter a recovery state. So she didn’t wake her for meals, letting her sleep as long as she needed.
Jiang Mu didn’t disappoint, sleeping until two in the afternoon. When she first opened her eyes, she was even disoriented about where she was. For about ten minutes, her mind was blank, and she acted normally.
But after those ten minutes, fragments of last night gradually returned. She began to realize she might have done something incredibly bold. Sitting at the dining table, she suddenly stood up, face pale, startling Zhao Meijuan, who asked what was wrong.
Jiang Mu returned to her room wordlessly, locked the door, and buried her face in her pillow. He hadn’t just pecked her – he had kissed her.
It was Jiang Mu’s first kiss, and before this, she had never known that kissing someone could be so intimate. She could still vaguely remember how Jin Chao had thoroughly entangled with her, making her feel as if she was under a spell – unable to move, weak all over, yet unable to resist.
Just thinking about that scene made Jiang Mu’s whole body burn. Following last night’s memories, she recalled that before they parted in the stairwell, he had said something about her being drunk and talking when she was sober.
Jiang Mu now seriously suspected that Jin Chao thought her bold move was just a drunk impulse. While it had been impulsive, it wasn’t unconscious.
As for how to face Jin Chao now that she was sober, Jiang Mu didn’t know. She lifted her face from the pillow and saw that her phone had no messages from him. She wanted to call him but felt too nervous.
After much deliberation, she sent him a message with just three words: “I’m awake.”
Jin Chao didn’t keep her waiting long, replying shortly: “Still busy, wait for me at the garage.”
Upon receiving this message, Jiang Mu instantly felt revitalized. She grabbed her backpack, dumped out all the pens, workbooks, English vocabulary notebooks, meal cards, and other miscellaneous items, and then packed some necessities before heading out. Zhao Meijuan assumed she was going out with classmates and didn’t ask questions.
Jiang Mu made a special trip to the supermarket, buying loads of snacks to take to the garage. Iron Rooster was with Jin Chao, and only Xiao Yang was in the garage. Business wasn’t very busy, so she shared some snacks with him, then carried the rest to Jin Chao’s room, covering his neat bedside table with snacks and drinks, as if preparing for an all-night chat.
However, in the evening, Jin Chao sent another message telling her he might be late, as Master Ren and the others were there and he couldn’t leave.
Jiang Mu told him not to worry and went next door to hang out with San Lai. The business had been slow lately, so San Lai had been gaming since the afternoon. Jiang Mu sat on a small stool beside him watching. They ordered takeout together for dinner, and afterward, San Lai simply pulled her into gaming too.
When Jin Chao returned, he saw through the glass door Jiang Mu intensely gripping the controller, her body swaying with the directional buttons, looking adorably silly.
He didn’t go in, just knocked twice on the door. Jiang Mu turned to look, immediately dropped the controller, and stood up, while Lightning had already trotted to the door.
San Lai pursed his lips and said lazily, “Heartless girl and dog.”
Jin Chao turned back toward the garage with Jiang Mu and Lightning following. He walked straight to his room, telling Jiang Mu, “Close the door.”
Jiang Mu wasn’t as tall as Jin Chao and couldn’t reach the roller door, but she knew exactly where to find the long hook in the corner, using it to pull the door down and lock it before returning the hook.
When she entered the room, Jin Chao was already in the shower, and she suddenly felt at a loss.
Soon after, Jin Chao emerged from the bathroom wearing a loose T-shirt. Jiang Mu sat quietly at the foot of the bed like a shy new bride. He glanced at the snack-covered bedside table before his gaze returned to her, his lips curving up: “Sobered up?”
Just three ordinary words, but Jiang Mu’s face instantly burned hot. She nodded obediently, not daring to look at him, like a child who had done something wrong but wasn’t sorry about it.
After saying this, Jin Chao didn’t ask anything more. He dried his hair, put his dirty clothes in the washing machine, added detergent, turned the dial, and pressed “start.” Throughout this, his gaze occasionally swept over her, making Jiang Mu even more nervous. She had never felt so tense being alone with Jin Chao before.
Only after the washing machine started running did Jin Chao walk back to stand before her, leaning against the wardrobe and watching her for a moment before saying, “Anything you want to tell me?”
Jiang Mu’s eyes darted around for a while before she looked up and shook her head.
Jin Chao’s lips held a hint of suppressed amusement, though his expression remained serious: “If you think you were too hasty last night, it’s not too late to regret it.”
Jiang Mu shook her head vigorously: “I don’t regret it. It was hasty, yes, and everything was a blur so I didn’t really get to feel it properly.”
As soon as the words left her mouth, she realized – oh no, she’d spoken her true thoughts out loud.
Jiang Mu frantically glanced up at Jin Chao, who raised his eyebrows with undisguised amusement in his eyes. Jiang Mu only wished there was a hole in the ground she could crawl into.