Seeing the scars from Jin Chao’s old injury had dealt quite a blow to Jiang Mu’s heart. What should have been a difficult moment to bear was easily transformed by Jin Chao’s approach, making her thoughts and eyes fill with only him, temporarily setting aside the deep pain. From childhood, she had always felt Jin Chao was more mature than her. Most times, he maintained a calm demeanor in front of her, and she had never seen his impulsive side. Now his eyes held an intoxicating crimson warmth that could melt someone into water.

How it began was hazy to Jiang Mu, and by the end, her consciousness was still clouded. She wrapped herself in the blanket, too shy to emerge, feeling an unusual bashfulness, especially when recalling Jin Chao’s tender gaze from earlier, making her whole body burn intensely. Although they could legally marry right then and there, they had grown up together – she had seen his mischievous younger self, and he had seen her naive, foolish childhood self. They had once maintained a pure sibling-like relationship, and though their feelings had changed somewhat later, now that they had done it, Jiang Mu still felt a tiny bit of shame.

Jin Chao’s feelings differed slightly from hers. After all, he had watched Jiang Mu since birth, when she was just a tiny thing with delicate arms and hands that looked pitiful. He had once doubted whether this girl could survive. When she was small, even slightly gripping her wrist would leave red marks, making him, no matter how wild and unruly he was outside, extremely gentle with her at home, afraid his roughness might hurt her during play.

He had made her cry before, often teasing her deliberately when she was young, finding it amusing when she cried in frustration. But he had never made her cry like this. Seeing Jiang Mu curled up into a small ball under the covers, guilt welled up inside him. He pulled her into his arms tenderly and stroked her back, asking, “Are you still hurting?”

Jiang Mu was too embarrassed to look at him, burying her face in his chest. Her body still trembled slightly as she spoke incoherently, “Just… a little, it’s okay, I don’t know…”

She nuzzled his chest, inhaling his pleasant masculine pheromones – an indescribable scent that was utterly addictive. She asked softly, “Are you tired?”

Jin Chao remained silent for a while before responding, “Are you tired after winning a long-distance race?”

Jiang Mu nodded against his chest, “Yes.”

“Are you still tired after getting first place?”

She understood his meaning – only excitement and elation remained. Jiang Mu buried her face even deeper.

Jin Chao lowered his head and asked, “Why are you hiding?”

Jiang Mu mumbled, “Let me hide for a while.”

Jin Chao’s smile reached his eyebrows: “You’ve given yourself to me, yet you’re too shy to look at me?”

His teasing only made Jiang Mu more mortified. Jin Chao knew she couldn’t immediately adjust to their intimate relationship – it would take time. His fingertips caressed her smooth back, making Jiang Mu’s heart tingle with numbness. She willingly gave herself completely to him because she knew that in this world, only this man would never betray her, allowing her to trust him wholeheartedly without hesitation.

Later, Jiang Mu fell silent, not moving for a long while. When Jin Chao moved to look at her again, her long eyelashes were closed, and she had fallen asleep quietly and obediently against his chest, not even worried about breathing difficulties. Her rosy lips still glistened, and he couldn’t resist leaning down to kiss them. Jiang Mu unconsciously made two soft sounds. Her soft long hair spread across the pillow against him, reminding him of that year’s merged flower crown outside the hospital – soft and fluffy, making his heart melt. But she seemed very tired, so he had to let her be. He quietly admired her body once more, his eyes filled with ink-thick affection, before tucking the blanket snugly around her and turning off the lights.

Jiang Mu slept well, dreamlessly and sweetly. When she woke, she felt as if she had climbed two mountains, her legs sore and weak. Finding herself in a spacious, soft bed, she initially thought she was in a hotel on a business trip, and comfortably rolled over. But something felt wrong immediately – she wasn’t wearing clothes.

Jiang Mu’s eyes snapped open, and it took a while to remember that Jin Chao had brought her home. Scenes from the previous night flooded her mind, still catching her off guard in retrospect. Embarrassed, she slid back under the covers, face burning, and took a while to peek out again. Jin Chao wasn’t in the room, but his pleasant scent still lingered on the pillow.

Jiang Mu wasn’t particularly sensitive to smells, but somehow Jin Chao’s scent was unforgettable – whether it was his youthful sunshine-and-sweat smell or his later mature, enticing masculine scent. At every stage of her life, it had been an irresistible attraction.

She rolled over to his side of the bed. Strangely, though she usually got up immediately when living alone, rarely staying in bed, on just her first day back with Jin Chao, that lazy feeling emerged again. She found it amazing and decisively threw back the covers to get up.

As soon as she got out of bed, Jiang Mu saw her clothes from yesterday neatly folded on the bedside table. She picked them up, noticing they smelled fresh and clean. She didn’t know when Jin Chao had gotten up, but he had already washed and dried her clothes.

In the bathroom, toiletries were arranged on the clean countertop. Looking in the mirror, Jiang Mu noticed a slight redness below her collarbone, becoming more obvious as she pulled her collar down. Last night had been chaotic – her first time completely giving herself to Jin Chao, her mind foggy. Now she remembered how he had kissed and caressed her, making her blush to her ears, her eyes filled with lingering shyness and her heart sweetened like honey.

After dawdling for a while, Jiang Mu went out to find Jin Chao absent from the living room. He had left breakfast on the table – milk, fried eggs, millet porridge, and a plate of freshly peeled pomelo.

Jiang Mu’s heart overflowed with indescribable happiness, but she also felt guilty. She should have gotten up earlier to make breakfast, not have Jin Chao taking care of her. She decided this couldn’t continue.

She thought Jin Chao had taken the dog out, but Lightning, seemingly hearing her movements, came wagging his tail from the study. She carried her milk to the study door and opened it to find Jin Chao doing back stretches on exercise equipment.

He wore form-fitting black workout clothes and faced away from her. With each stretch, his back muscles displayed a perfect inverted triangle, his waist, and abdomen showing just the right tautness, making his upper body look powerful. Jiang Mu leaned against the doorframe, sipping her milk while appreciating the view, a slight smile on her lips.

Jin Chao didn’t turn around but seemed to sense her presence. He stopped, turned, and walked toward her. He had worked up a light sweat, and as he approached, that intense masculine scent overwhelmed her. Jiang Mu thought she must be enchanted – even his sweat smelled irresistibly attractive.

She held her milk in one hand, looking up at him with a smile. He came close, pressing her against the doorframe, towering over her and capturing her feminine pose, his breath hot and rapid: “The little temptress is awake?”

Jiang Mu grew shy again. Being smaller and experiencing this for the first time, she was uncomfortable in many ways. Her nervousness made her more constrained. Jin Chao had been gentle last night, unwilling to use too much force out of concern for her. The whole process had been torturous for him too, especially when she had asked him to stop, nearly driving him to combustion.

Seeing her lost in thought, Jin Chao captured her milk-scented lips, greedily entangling her tongue with loving attention. Early in the morning, his kiss left Jiang Mu’s eyelashes damp and her heart turbulent, barely able to stand.

Jin Chao was sweaty and didn’t touch her, just looming over her as he asked with burning breath, “Do you want to rest at home today, or move your things over?”

Jiang Mu’s eyes were warm as she said, “My lease hasn’t expired yet – more than two months left. I don’t want to sublease. I’ll move when it’s up, or should I just go get some clothes first?”

Jin Chao clicked his tongue and took out his phone. Jiang Mu heard the payment notification sound and checked her phone to see he had transferred money equivalent to half a year’s salary. She looked up at him bewildered: “Why are you sending me money?”

He put away his phone and looked down: “Consider those two months transferred to me. Can you move now?”

Jiang Mu suppressed a smile. Jin Chao told her, “Go eat your breakfast. Reheat it if it’s cold. I’m going to shower.”

After finishing breakfast, Jiang Mu took the dishes to the kitchen. Jin Chao came out from his shower and entered the living room, glancing at her small figure bustling in the kitchen. He paused for a few seconds – having been used to solitude, having a woman in the kitchen suddenly gave the home a lived-in warmth.

He smiled and walked toward her. There weren’t many dishes, and Jiang Mu decided to wash them quickly. A pair of arms encircled her from behind, taking the bowl from her hands to rinse it.

Jiang Mu, enclosed in front of him, watched his long fingers washing the dishes. That long-lost feeling of being cherished made her eyes crinkle with happiness. His breath fell as he asked, “What made you decide to get a driver’s license?”

Jiang Mu hesitated briefly. To protect Jin Chao’s pride, she couldn’t say it was to make it convenient to drive him around. He wouldn’t even let her wash dishes – such a small task – and she feared saying that would make him overthink.

So she casually said, “It’s convenient to have, adds another skill.”

Jin Chao said nothing. Jiang Mu turned in his arms to hug him. He finished washing the bowl, dried it, and put it on the rack. Jiang Mu clung to him like a koala. When his hands were free, he lifted her off the ground and walked to the living room. Jiang Mu, hanging onto his shoulders, said, “Put me down, don’t tire yourself.”

Jin Chao replied nonchalantly, “Your little weight is like nothing to lift.”

Just then his phone rang, and after answering, he said he’d be right down.

Jiang Mu asked curiously who he was meeting. Jin Chao put on a jacket, took her hand, and led her out, saying, “Someone to help you move.”

Downstairs, a commercial van was already waiting. Jiang Mu saw a clean-cut young man around twenty-something standing beside it. Seeing Jin Chao bring Jiang Mu down, he joked, “Boss, do we get overtime pay for weekends?”

Jin Chao laughed readily, “Yes.”

Seeing Jin Chao in such a good mood, the young man curiously studied Jiang Mu’s face, feeling it looked familiar. After a moment of recognition, his pupils dilated in shock: “Isn’t this…”

Jin Chao silenced him with a look, cutting him off directly: “Shut up. Get in the car.”

The young man immediately turned to open the door for them, and Jin Chao stepped aside to let Jiang Mu enter first.