After getting in the car, the young man in the driver’s seat fastened his seatbelt and turned to introduce himself to Jiang Mu: “I’m Wen Ke, just call me Xiao Wen.”
Jiang Mu asked, “Are you his colleague?”
Xiao Wen was quite cheerful and replied, “I’m Engineer Jin’s assistant and driver.”
Jiang Mu glanced at Jin Chao, feeling her upcoming driver’s license was already obsolete.
Though Jiang Mu’s rented apartment was only about a minute’s walk from Jin Chao’s place, considering they needed to move things, he had called Xiao Wen to drive the car directly into the complex and park below her building.
The decision to move to Jin Chao’s was rather sudden, and Jiang Mu hadn’t packed. Since it wouldn’t be appropriate for Xiao Wen to go up to her room, Jin Chao told him to wait in the car until they had everything ready to move.
As soon as they entered the stairwell, Jiang Mu couldn’t help asking: “You have a driver? Why does he call you Engineer Jin? Didn’t Gu Tao say you weren’t working for any company? What do you do on all these business trips?”
Jin Chao pulled her into the elevator. At this morning’s hour, the elevator was empty. He wrapped an arm around her waist and lowered his head to pinch her cheek: “So many questions.”
Jiang Mu buried her face in his chest: “Of course, I need to ask! I can’t be with you without knowing your situation, right?”
Jin Chao’s eyes held a playful light: “You didn’t ask for these details before getting into my bed yesterday, did you?”
Jiang Mu was speechless. In yesterday’s situation, had she had any chance to ask? He had left her completely dazed.
The elevator doors opened, and Old Zhao from next door was heading out to buy a roast duck. Seeing the usually quiet and conservative young lady embracing a man, he was so startled his dentures nearly popped out. Jiang Mu also jumped in surprise, quickly letting go of Jin Chao and calling out, “Grandpa Zhao, going downstairs?”
Grandpa Zhao’s small eyes kept darting over Jin Chao. Jiang Mu hurriedly pulled Jin Chao out, then heaved a sigh of relief: “Good thing I’m moving out.”
Jin Chao stood beside her, watching her with a smile. Jiang Mu took her keys from her bag to open the door, and Jin Chao’s gaze fell on the keychain.
Just as the door opened, they saw Jiang Mu’s roommate putting on shoes to go out. Both parties froze in surprise – Jiang Mu because she remembered her roommate having chestnut-colored hair a few days ago, but now sported fashionable caramel orange hair and wore a mustard yellow casual suit with slightly flared pants, giving off somewhat of an effeminate vibe.
The roommate’s surprise wasn’t because of Jiang Mu, but because of Jin Chao behind her. Since the door opened, his gaze hadn’t left Jin Chao, giving Jin Chao an uncomfortable feeling. While still staring at Jin Chao, he asked Jiang Mu, “You didn’t come back last night, right?”
Jiang Mu laughed awkwardly: “I’m here to pack, I’m moving out.”
The man showed an understanding expression, but being in a hurry to meet friends, he just politely told Jiang Mu they should have a meal together sometime, then left. Near the elevator, he turned back to look at Jin Chao again.
Jin Chao was dressed casually today in a short jacket and straight dark jeans. Standing there with his long proportions, others wouldn’t notice anything unusual. The male roommate had been fixated on Jin Chao’s well-formed figure.
Jin Chao turned his head and swept an icy gaze over, and though his expression didn’t change, that coldness made the roommate shiver internally. Before he could look away, Jin Chao unceremoniously closed the door and turned to give Jiang Mu a meaningful look: “Your roommate…”
Jiang Mu walked straight to her room, commenting: “His style is a bit flashy, probably works at nightclubs, but he’s nice. Last time when the drain was clogged, I was going to call the landlord, but he called a friend who fixed it quickly.”
Jin Chao gave a cool “hmph” and said meaningfully: “And then that friend stayed overnight?”
Jiang Mu turned back with a startled expression: “How did you know?”
“…Just guessing. For my safety, you’d better move quickly.”
“???”
The room wasn’t large, but compared to Jin Chao’s empty house, Jiang Mu’s bedroom was much cozier, with illustrations on the walls, small potted plants on the windowsill, and colorful sticky notes everywhere. There were just too many things, making it somewhat cluttered.
Jiang Mu pulled out her suitcase and took all her clothes from the closet to put on the bed. Soon the already small room looked like a battlefield, leaving even her at a loss where to begin.
Packing for a move was what Jiang Mu dreaded most. For her, it was always a massive project. Though the actual work wasn’t difficult, just seeing the pile of things would give her a headache for half a day.
While she stood with hands on hips trying to get into the right mindset, Jin Chao had already pulled up a chair and was systematically helping her sort the mountain of clothes into categories before folding and organizing them. To Jiang Mu’s surprise, Jin Chao was incredibly fast at folding clothes. Finding the diagonal, with one lift and shake, he had the clothes perfectly folded. She sat on the carpet by the bed, putting the folded clothes into the suitcase one by one.
She chatted casually: “I hate packing. When I was studying in Canberra, I’d go back to Melbourne every month, right? Sometimes I’d always forget one or two things. The worst time was when I realized after landing that I’d left my laptop at my mom’s house. All my end-of-term summaries and reports were in it. I was so panicked I bought another ticket back before even leaving the airport. By midnight there were no tickets back to Canberra, I’ll never forget that.”
Jin Chao raised his eyes: “When was this?”
Jiang Mu gradually lowered her gaze. It was when she had just lost contact with Jin Chao for a few months. After returning to China and still being unable to contact him, she was completely distracted when she went back to Australia, unable to focus on anything.
That time when she left her laptop in Melbourne, she retrieved it at night and ran to the airport to wait for tickets. In the three to four-degree weather, she had curled up at the airport and broken down crying helplessly, thinking only of him. The feeling of missing him to the point of madness while being unable to contact him had completely crushed her.
Eventually, an airport staff member noticed her crying so miserably and helped resolve her ticket issue, allowing her to return to Canberra smoothly.
Even now, whenever she recalls that night’s experience, Jiang Mu’s heart still aches.
Seeing her fall silent, her shoulders drooping, Jin Chao caught her hand and pulled her to sit on his right leg. Jiang Mu wrapped her arms around him and buried her face in the crook of his neck, only feeling better when holding him so solidly.
Though she hadn’t mentioned how miserable she had been afterward, Jin Chao seemed to sense her emotions. His large hand stroked her back repeatedly as he asked, “Did you cry from panic?”
Jiang Mu sniffled: “But there was a good side. After that time, I learned my lesson. Now I check everything repeatedly when packing. People need some lessons to learn.”
Jin Chao’s eyes darkened. He had experienced more setbacks than others to reach where he was today and understood that life couldn’t always be smooth sailing. But when things happened to Jiang Mu, it hurt his heart to hear about them. He slowly caressed her back as if trying to erase her unpleasant memories.
But Jiang Mu quickly smiled, raising her head from his embrace with brightening eyes: “Why do I find myself being so sentimental around you?”
Something from so many years ago could still inexplicably make her melancholic.
Jin Chao showed a mysterious smile of understanding: “It’s normal. After all, when you were little, you’d want to highlight even a small scratch with a pen, waiting for me to comfort you. How did I comfort you again?”
Jin Chao seriously mimicked his childhood comforting posture, bouncing his leg while chanting: “Mu Mu, be good, you’re the bravest baby in Weijia Lane Kindergarten.”
“…”
Jiang Mu gave him a sidelong glance, decisively jumped off his leg, chose to forget that memory, and then threw all her remaining clothes at him to fold.
She asked while at it: “Do you pack your things when you travel?”
Jin Chao unhurriedly folded the sweater in front of him and replied: “What else?”
“Does Xiao Wen usually accompany you?”
Jin Chao told her: “A few years ago, Guangyu introduced me to a place in Changchun. After making a name there, I went to the Automotive Engineering Research Institute in Anhui, doing engineering design work with them. I also wanted to take on some other small projects to earn money and open a coffee shop, so I maintained independent status, participating in collaborations as a consultant. I go there about twice a month when it’s slow, every week when busy. Considering my physical condition, they assigned me an assistant two years ago – that’s Xiao Wen – mainly to help with work during business trips.”
This was the first time Jin Chao had properly told Jiang Mu about his current situation. Though just a few sentences, they gave her a general understanding of his work experience these past few years.
By calculation, he had entered the industry at 17, accumulating over a decade of experience now. His undergraduate degree was in Mechanical Design, Manufacturing, and Automation, and his master’s in Thermal Energy and Power Engineering. Ultimately, he continued to deepen his expertise in this field, not wasting his many years of previous experience. Though he no longer held the steering wheel, he had continued forward in another form.
At around thirty, being able to start a coffee shop in Nanjing from scratch and settle down – life never reveals whether yesterday’s hardships might transform into tomorrow’s rewards. It seemed all experiences complemented each other. At least Jiang Mu found some comfort in knowing his past years hadn’t completely held him back, but had some use.
Later, Jin Chao’s movements gradually stopped. Jiang Mu looked up to see him holding her white lace underwear, contemplating how to fold it. She rushed over to snatch the box away, saying, “I’ll handle this myself.”
Jin Chao’s lashes shadowed his dark eyes as he smiled: “I’ll see it eventually anyway, why be shy with me?”
His meaning of “see” clearly referred to seeing her wearing them, and Jiang Mu immediately visualized it. The room’s temperature seemed to rise, and she fanned her face: “I’m going to get water.”
Soon Jiang Mu returned with two glasses of water. Jin Chao said to her: “Are all the scarves packed?”
Jiang Mu handed him a glass: “Yes.”
Jin Chao took the glass with one hand and handed her a black strip of fabric with the other: “Found another one.”
Jiang Mu glanced at it and broke into a grin: “This isn’t a scarf, it’s a dress.”
Jin Chao held the fabric up to look at it again – it looked like a scarf of uniform width. He raised an eyebrow: “Are you teasing me? Where are the sleeves?”
Jiang Mu put down her glass, took the black fabric, and demonstrated by holding it against herself: “It doesn’t need sleeves, it’s a tube dress, worn like this.”
Jin Chao leaned back in his chair and took a sip of water, his lips gleaming with moisture, his gaze subtle yet heated, though his voice was light: “Can’t imagine it, try it on.”
“Huh?” Jiang Mu froze: “Now?”
Jin Chao nodded matter-of-factly: “How else will I know it’s not a scarf?”
Feeling quite helpless, but to prove it wasn’t a scarf, Jiang Mu took the black fabric and went out. Jin Chao watched her leave with a curved smile.
A few minutes later, Jiang Mu peeked her head in, her body still hidden behind the door. Jin Chao stood by the window with his water glass, turning at the sound. He raised his eyes: “Come in, let me see.”
Jiang Mu’s face was slightly flushed: “It’s just… a bit embarrassing.”
“What are you afraid of? There’s no one else here.”
So Jiang Mu gently opened the door and entered, then pressed herself against it. When she fully appeared before Jin Chao, his breath caught.
It was a very elastic black fitted tube dress. Jiang Mu’s long hair fell over her shoulders, her delicate collarbones and slender arms completely exposed. She nervously pulled up the fabric at her chest, but pulling it up made it shorter below, showing her proportionate, smooth leg lines.
Her alluring figure was completely revealed, yet her face remained pure and beautiful, creating a strong visual contrast. That mix of innocence and allure was extremely sensual.
Jin Chao’s lips moved slightly as he spoke: “May I ask… what occasion requires wearing this?”
Jiang Mu awkwardly tugged at the hem: “During university, I attended a local classmate’s costume birthday party. I bought a Catwoman-themed set online, with stockings, headbands, and lots of accessories as a set. Originally there were stockings to wear below so it wouldn’t be too revealing, but somehow when worn it felt a bit sultry, so I never wore it.”
When she pulled the dress down, the full curves of her upper body became more visible through the fabric. Jin Chao’s gaze wandered there lightly, not telling her that what she probably bought wasn’t a costume but lingerie.
He only asked: “So what did you wear instead?”
Jiang Mu uncomfortably covered herself and said: “I bought a Pikachu hoodie instead.”
“…”
Jin Chao lowered his eyes and smiled: “Come here, I want to ask you something.”
Jiang Mu walked barefoot through the mess on the floor to Jin Chao, still covering herself. Jin Chao gripped her wrists, holding her hands to her sides and pulling her to his chest. He lowered his head, his voice magnetic and filled with undisguised desire: “Are you still sore there?”
The unexpected question made Jiang Mu’s face immediately flush. She stammered: “No… don’t feel anything now…”
Jin Chao lifted her by the waist and turned to press her against the dressing table, reaching up to close the curtains. Jiang Mu was so nervous she couldn’t move, pointing downstairs: “Xiao Wen is still waiting below.”
Jin Chao’s burning palm caressed her smooth leg as he took out his phone and called Xiao Wen: “This will take a while, go rest at the coffee shop first.”