Before heading home after work, Cen Jin made a special trip to a nearby vintage goods store, picking out a pair of couples’ mugs as a reward for her college student’s small step forward in academics.
But as soon as she opened the door before she could show them to him, she became the reward herself.
Not just unwrapped like paper, she was practically dismembered. She could only wrap tightly around his waist, using incoherent moans to praise his burgeoning vitality, one after another.
Afterward, Cen Jin lay exhausted yet satisfied on the bed, thinking she could skip removing her makeup since her face had already been licked clean.
Meanwhile, Li Wu had gone to the kitchen to cook dinner for her. As the aroma permeated the room, Cen Jin turned to her side, burying her face in the pillow and smiling.
She loved this kind of aggressiveness and explosive power.
Perhaps because her ex-husband’s personality was relatively refined, cautious, and lukewarm, even in these matters, Li Wu’s sudden attacks felt fresh and exciting by comparison.
Especially when he pressed her into the mattress in the unlit bedroom – the dark environment made everything seem wild and dangerous, while the young man was a powerful, agile male leopard, pouncing, biting, dragging her until completely possessed her. His unrestrained aggression and heavy breathing made her lose her senses, willingly becoming weak prey, crying for help yet sinking deeper.
Ah.
Cen Jin couldn’t help wanting to share with her close friend that she had taken her not-yet-twenty-year-old boyfriend’s virginity.
Chun Chang excitedly howled like a monkey: “What did it feel like?”
After long consideration, Cen Jin summarized it precisely in four characters: “Corpus luteum rupture.”
Chun Chang: “What? Really?”
Cen Jin: “Just exaggerating, of course.”
Chun Chang had nothing to say except that she was dying of envy.
…
After a quick shower, Cen Jin changed into comfortable loungewear, tied up her hair, and went to find Li Wu in the kitchen.
He was frying pork cutlets, glancing back at her with a smile.
Cen Jin stepped forward to wrap her arms around his lean waist, quietly pressing against his back. After a while, her hands grew restless, slipping under his shirt to warm up relations with his abs.
Li Wu’s Adam’s apple bobbed as he coughed lightly: “Jiejie…”
Cen Jin withdrew her hands and released him, bringing over the couples’ mugs from the coffee table, unwrapping them, and arranging them on the table. After some thought, she pushed Li Wu to the opposite side.
When Li Wu returned with two plates of pork cutlet rice that could rival any Japanese restaurant’s presentation, he noticed the mug.
All white, with Einstein’s black and white line drawing sticking out his tongue, the pattern raised with some texture, and formulas on the back.
He examined it all around, clearly delighted, smiling down at the woman: “For me?”
Cen Jin propped up her chin, nodding slightly: “Yes, little physicist, for you to use at school. It’s getting cold, remember to drink more hot water, stay healthy, and may everything go well.”
Li Wu’s smile didn’t diminish: “Okay,” then looked at hers: “Who’s on your mug?”
Cen Jin held hers up: “Archimedes. This set only has physicist designs, I’ll make do to match my boyfriend.”
Li Wu was extremely happy, immediately washing and sterilizing both mugs before bringing them back filled with sweet sparkling water.
They sat facing each other, chatting while eating, and before she knew it, Cen Jin’s bowl was empty.
Perhaps it was Li Wu’s extraordinary cooking skills, the crispy outside and tender inside that couldn’t be stopped once started, or maybe she was truly hungry and tired, needing high-calorie food to replenish her energy.
Li Wu asked if she wanted more, saying there was still some rice and seafood tofu soup in the pot.
Cen Jin shook her head.
Li Wu then scraped all the rice and soup together, lowering his head to concentrate on finishing it.
Cen Jin watched him eat, resting her chin on her palm, her smiling eyes curved like two crescents. She truly had consistently enjoyed watching his real-life eating broadcasts for three years.
Seeing her gaze fixed on him, Li Wu became somewhat uncomfortable, asking again: “Jiejie, are you sure you don’t want more?”
“No, I’m very full,” Cen Jin placed both hands on her stomach: “Li Wu, don’t call me Jiejie anymore.”
His brush-like eyelashes lifted as his bright eyes looked at her: “What should I call you?”
Cen Jin lowered her hands, folding them on the table: “My name, full name.”
“Oh…” he responded softly, lowering his eyes to continue eating.
“Go on, say it.” Cen Jin urged.
Li Wu raised an eyebrow: “Now?”
“When else?”
He held his chopsticks, his ears turning red, and rubbed his neck a few times, but still couldn’t say it.
Cen Jin tilted her head in confusion: “Is it that difficult? You were so confident yesterday.”
Li Wu put down his chopsticks: “That was because emotions were running high, it just came out.”
“And now you can’t say it?”
Li Wu fell silent, gathering his emotions before speaking extremely quickly: “Cen Jin.”
Cen Jin said sternly: “I couldn’t even hear clearly. Look at me and say it properly.”
The young man’s face also reddened, licking his lips before pressing them together, seeming to steel himself before looking directly at her: “Cen Jin.”
His voice was clear and crisp, each syllable distinct, making even an ordinary name seem wrapped in affection.
Their eyes met, and Cen Jin’s heart skipped a beat before she smiled and hummed in acknowledgment: “Mm,” agreeing: “Remember, call me this from now on.”
Li Wu still smiled shyly: “Mm.”
Cen Jin’s foot slipped out of her slipper, stretching out to attack his knee under the table: “What are you being shy about!”
“I’ll tell you later.” Li Wu continued eating with his head down.
A few minutes later, when Cen Jin was weightlessly lifted from her chair and clinging to his body, she finally understood.
She buried herself in his shoulder, mumbling: “It’s just changing what you call me, is such a big reaction necessary?”
…
―
Li Wu adapted quickly. By bedtime, he could kiss the woman’s forehead without changing expression and say “Cen Jin, good night.”
Cen Jin also found it quite satisfying, as if she had handed over a key, making him an equal master of the house.
The term “Jiejie,” besides being like a cheat code, easily made her feel superior. She needed a more direct form of address to warn herself, to maintain the fairness and balance of their relationship.
Lying against Li Wu’s chest playing with her phone for a while, Cen Jin heard his steady breathing.
Her boy had fallen asleep.
Cen Jin pushed herself up slightly, looking at Li Wu’s sleeping face up close. His eyelashes were so long, and they fell straight down, like reeds in the night covering a clear spring.
Afraid of waking him, Cen Jin held back from touching them, moving on to admire his lips. When awake, they were always taut, pressed together, showing restraint under various emotions, like a guarded door, but now their outline was slightly raised, opened into a lazy, vulnerable gap.
Cen Jin stared motionlessly, suddenly confused again.
She undoubtedly loved him, but this love still felt like a cocktail of unclear ingredients yet alluring color, mixed with pity, desire, and indulgence, never quite logical, only to be taken one sip at a time.
She very lightly kissed the corner of Li Wu’s mouth.
The young man’s brows furrowed slightly, his lips curving more definitively as he murmured in his dream: “Jiejie…”
Cen Jin corrected him in the same soft volume: “Cen Jin.”
Li Wu made no further movement.
Cen Jin curved her lips slightly, turning back to open WeChat.
Her eyes lifted as she discovered her friend request to the KOL had been accepted, though he hadn’t sent any message.
Cen Jin furrowed her brow, taking the initiative to politely greet him while introducing herself: “Hello, Mr. Zhou. I’m Cen Jin, the account manager from Aoxing. I apologize for disturbing you so late regarding yesterday’s video copyright issue. I’d first like to extend my sincere apologies, then hear your opinions and requests to see how we can resolve this in a way most acceptable to you. Would that be alright?”
After sending it, Cen Jin planned to quickly scan his Moments to identify his interests for a better approach. Unfortunately, Professor Zhou only had three days visible, and they were blank. His profile picture and background were both landscapes, quite middle-aged in style. Cen Jin was already considering whether to buy some health supplements tomorrow morning.
Zhou Sui An didn’t completely ignore her, but his response wasn’t much different from cold treatment, even slightly sarcastic: “Don’t worry about it. I’ll repost my blog, you post your videos.”
Cen Jin: “…”
She thought for a moment before expressing her intent directly: “But the copyright infringement is real and has occurred. We don’t want to ignore it. This incident was indeed our oversight and our mistake. If possible, we’d like to purchase the copyright for this clip from you, trying to minimize the harm and loss we’ve caused you.”
Zhou Sui An replied: “You want me to quote a price now?”
Cen Jin exhaled: “If it’s convenient for you, the sooner the better, given your significant influence on Weibo. But if it’s not convenient now or you need more time to consider thoroughly, we’ll wait patiently.”
Zhou Sui An said: “Then wait.”
Cen Jin was speechless.
Difficult.
These two words flashed through Cen Jin’s mind. She clenched her fist for a moment, but still responded politely with a smile emoji: “Alright, looking forward to your reply.”
Putting down her phone, all those tender feelings in Cen Jin’s heart vanished. She turned over, pressing close to Li Wu to recharge herself.
Li Wu stirred, pulling her closer, holding her tighter against himself with no gap between them.
His body was large, almost able to encompass all of her.
Cen Jin curled up inside his embrace, spontaneously feeling a fragile dependence on being protected and contained. She became slightly dazed, softly calling out: “Husband…”
“Mm.”
The young man’s nasal sound was drowsy, responding like sleep-talking.
Cen Jin instantly woke from her dream, slapping his solid back.
Li Wu also woke immediately, his large eyes quickly finding her face: “What’s wrong?”
“What did you do?”
“I didn’t do anything.”
Cen Jin pretended ignorance, scratching his chin like petting a cat: “What were you ‘mm-ing’ about just now, hm?”
Li Wu smiled mysteriously: “I think I dreamed you called me…”
“What?” she probed carefully, afraid he was pretending to sleep, which would destroy her dignity.
The young man said nothing, his smile floating with triumph as if he’d just emerged from the most wonderful dream in the universe.
He dared not say it directly – it seemed he thought it was a dream. Cen Jin relaxed, hugging him and saying softly: “Good night.”
―
The next morning, Cen Jin got up early with Li Wu, planning to go to F University with him to meet Professor Zhou in person.
Waiting idly was the worst industry practice, watching the product’s reputation deteriorate day by day would only make clients doubt their emergency response capabilities.
At F University, they kissed goodbye in the car. Li Wu wished her good luck, then shouldered his backpack and headed to class in the teaching building, looking back every few steps.
The morning air was clear and fresh. Cen Jin wandered around campus until she contacted an old classmate who stayed to teach at the university. She explained her intention and asked how she could meet Professor Zhou.
Fortunately, her classmate happened to know him personally and helped arrange a three-person morning tea.
The meeting place was a café Cen Jin knew well.
The day after confirming her relationship with Li Wu during summer vacation, she worked here while waiting for him all afternoon.
Cen Jin arrived first, choosing a booth with the best lighting and waiting patiently.
Half an hour later, her old classmate Chai Si Ming called to say they were almost there.
Just after hanging up, someone knocked on the window beside her.
Cen Jin looked over to see two men standing behind the clear glass.
Although Chai Si Ming was closer and she recognized him at first glance, her gaze involuntarily drifted to the person beside him.
Cen Jin was somewhat surprised.
Because this Professor Zhou’s appearance exceeded expectations, not at all the gentle academic type she had imagined based on his name.
He was taller than Chai Si Ming, wearing a camel-colored coat. His features couldn’t be called handsome, but his overall presence was eye-catching.
Cen Jin couldn’t immediately gauge his exact age, as his complexion and bearing seemed rather youthful. His back wasn’t particularly straight; he looked thin, casual, and relaxed, with an air like that of a troublemaker who sat in the last row during student days. But the look in his eyes behind his glasses was composed – the kind of composure that couldn’t be built in a day, requiring years of accumulation.
His hair was slightly curled, tousled by the wind. His pale fingers held a cigarette he was smoking. After glancing at Cen Jin, he lowered it, curving his lips in a faint smile.
Cen Jin came back to herself, hurriedly putting on her best smile template – perfected since changing careers – to welcome them.
The cigarette had been extinguished or discarded before entering; in any case, when the three sat down together, Zhou Sui An’s hands were empty.
Cen Jin, who had wanted to confirm the cigarette brand up close, could only give up.
She introduced herself again, changing her form of address according to the situation: “Professor Zhou, hello, I’m the Aoxing account manager who contacted you last night…”
Zhou Sui An looked at her: “Cen Jin.”
Cen Jin paused, then smiled: “Yes.”
“In such a hurry for a price quote?” After the server came to take their orders, Zhou Sui An was even more direct than her.
Whether natural or from smoking, the man’s voice was slightly hoarse, as if there was sand in his vocal cords.
Cen Jin didn’t beat around the bush either, stating her purpose directly: “Mainly in a hurry to have you delete the Weibo post.”
“Alright,” Zhou Sui An casually agreed, then took out his phone from his pocket, lips slightly raised: “Miss Cen, how about treating me to lunch alone?”