The elevator was deliberately stopped on a certain floor. Five minutes later, it slowly descended to the first floor.
“Ding dong,” the doors opened.
Tang Yang and Jiang Shiyan emerged one after the other. Tang Yang walked out with her head slightly lowered, fixing her hair. Jiang Shiyan first held the sensor with his hand, waiting for Tang Yang to exit before putting his hand back in his pocket and stepping out.
Employees about to enter the elevator greeted them both. They nodded in response. The employees noticed Tang Yang’s flushed cheeks and that both she and Jiang Shiyan’s lips were the same color, feeling something was amiss.
But upon closer inspection, Jiang Shiyan was naturally good-looking, with fine features and thin lips. A faint blush on them only added to his elegant and handsome appearance, so perhaps nothing was out of the ordinary after all.
Tang Yang’s feet were slightly sore from wearing high heels all day. On the way to the parking lot, she walked with her toes pointed outward for a few steps to ease the pain. Jiang Shiyan noticed but said nothing. After helping her into the car, he said, “I’m going to the supermarket.”
Tang Yang thought he was going to buy water: “Get me an iced cola.”
Jiang Shiyan snorted in amusement, expressing his disagreement. Then, asserting his authority, he bought his little girlfriend a room-temperature juice and a pair of thin-soled slippers.
The juice was sweet, the slippers soft, and Tang Yang didn’t argue with him.
Jiang Shiyan moved to take off her shoes, and Tang Yang obediently extended her feet.
However, the van door wasn’t closed, and occasionally one or two people passing by could see Jiang Shiyan crouching down to change Tang Yang’s shoes.
As their gazes fell upon them, Tang Yang knew they could only see Jiang Shiyan’s back and not her face, but her ears still reddened unconsciously.
“Get up,” Tang Yang lightly tapped Jiang Shiyan’s arm, “I can take them off and change myself, it’ll be quick.”
Even though her high heels had straps.
Jiang Shiyan remained unmoved.
Tang Yang feared running into more familiar colleagues. It was a small matter if they saw her, but what would they think seeing Jiang Shiyan crouching at her feet?
“Stand up first, it’s not good if others see,” Tang Yang nervously glanced outside the car, tugging at his arm and whispering, “What if someone from the Credit Review Department passes by…”
Jiang Shiyan directly knelt on one knee beside her foot.
With a “thud”, it was an outrageously flamboyant gesture.
Tang Yang’s little face burned red, her delicate hands pushing at his shoulders: “Don’t you care about your image…”
Jiang Shiyan finished putting on her slippers, his calm voice rising from behind: “I care about you.”
The driver was still in front.
Tang Yang wanted to hit him out of embarrassment but couldn’t bring herself to do it. After Jiang Shiyan finished changing her shoes, he got out to throw away the slipper packaging, then got back in and closed the car door. He smiled at the driver and said, “Let’s go.”
Does this man not care about his face?
Tang Yang muttered “Stay away from you,” but when Jiang Shiyan lazily put his arm around her shoulders, she still obediently leaned into his embrace, her small hand slowly moving from his waist to his back.
As Tang Yang kept touching, her brows furrowed, and her small mouth pouted slightly, showing some displeasure.
Her Jiang, why had he gotten thinner?
————
When they arrived home, the takeout had just been delivered to the door.
They sat on the same stool, eating and cuddling. Jiang Shiyan talked about what he did on his business trip and complained about London’s terrible weather, and Tang Yang mentioned how Jiang’s mother thought she was pregnant, but she explained it was just a stomach problem. They had agreed earlier at Hui Shang to go see a movie tomorrow, so while eating, they planned their itinerary and even bought movie tickets for tomorrow morning…
The meal lasted nearly two hours.
As they made their way to the bedroom with staggered steps, both were breathing a bit heavily.
It had been a while since they’d been intimate, and Jiang Shiyan’s movements were somewhat rough. Tang Yang felt some pain at first but didn’t scratch him. Jiang Shiyan’s eyes were dark with desire as he called her full name while moving, his words becoming increasingly sensual. But for lovers in the throes of passion, any sound can be arousing.
Including the “rustle” of night wind through the curtains, the “whisper” of frost melting into the soil at the treetops, and the faint cries of some small animal under someone’s eaves.
Those cries were sometimes soft, sometimes intense, at times lucidly calling out full names, at others whimpering and sobbing, breaking into the night’s flowing mists, long and soulful.
————
Jiang Shiyan and Tang Yang woke up at noon.
According to their plan, they should have gotten up early to watch a movie, tried a newly opened restaurant for lunch, gone shopping and bought groceries in the afternoon, had some snacks along the way, and returned home in the evening to prepare a slightly late but exquisite and sumptuous candlelit dinner.
In the spirit of fairness, Jiang Shiyan was responsible for paying, carrying things home, cooking, and plating, while Tang Yang was to compliment Jiang Shiyan three times, and then give him a hug or kiss. Perfect and romantic.
In reality, when they opened their eyes, Tang Yang let out a sharp “Ah!” Jiang Shiyan looked at the movie end time of “11:45” and then at the “12:13” at the top of his phone. He rubbed his sleepy eyes and got out of bed: “Do you want noodles or porridge for breakfast?”
There were no noodles left, and porridge would take too long.
Tang Yang scrolled through unread messages on her phone and yawned, “Just heat the leftovers from last night… Oh, and remember to wake me up when the alarm goes off tomorrow morning.”
Jiang Shiyan asked while getting dressed, “You have something on Sunday?”
“Mm-hmm.” Tang Yang’s fair foot pushed against Jiang Shiyan’s leg. “Tanxin Tong’s first pilot issuance is collaborating with the 762 Unit. The person in charge is arriving tomorrow afternoon. Zhou Zisheng asked me to pick them up at the airport, so I need to go to the office in the morning to arrange the follow-up.”
Jiang Shiyan felt that 762 sounded familiar, but he couldn’t remember where he’d heard it before.
Tang Yang’s two slender eyebrows knotted together: “Should I wear the formal attire issued by Hui Shang to pick them up at the airport tomorrow? It’s official business, so I should wear it, but it’s Sunday, and wearing formal attire might look stupid, especially that set from Hui Shang, it’s so rigid and lifeless…”
Jiang Shiyan pinched her soft little mouth: “Wear it!”
Tang Yang blinked: “But it’s really ugly.”
Jiang Shiyan said seriously: “You look good in anything. Besides, you’re representing Hui Shang’s branch, and if I were the bank president, I’d want to see you wearing Hui Shang’s formal attire, displaying the Hui Shang logo for others to see…”
Tang Yang thought he had a point.
Jiang Shiyan kissed her and then left the room.
Inside, Tang Yang couldn’t help but praise Jiang. Though he could be rough around the edges, he had a clear understanding of work matters.
Outside, Jiang Shiyan secretly breathed a sigh of relief: Of course, he knew how ugly Hui Shang’s formal attire was, but Tang Yang’s designer outfits were light and pretty. Those military men were all muscles and masculine vigor. Whenever Yi Xiu had related posts, female netizens couldn’t stay calm. Jiang Shiyan was confident in his appearance, but let his wife dress attractively for other men to drool over.
Heh, he wasn’t out of his mind.
Jiang Shiyan finished cooking just as Tang Yang sat down at the dining table.
She wore a beautiful floral print dress with a matching big red headband, but was shouting: “I’m so hungry, I’m so hungry, I’m about to faint from hunger.”
Jiang Shiyan wiped his hands on the pink apron, smiling as he took the steamed eggs out of the pot: “Let me see you faint then.”
Tang Yang actually got up, twirled her dress, and then leaned her head on his shoulder.
“Hot, hot!” Jiang Shiyan laughed, raising the plate high. The midday sun cut through the balcony, floor-to-ceiling windows, and the dish, falling on Tang Yang’s fair and delicate profile.
Jiang Shiyan lowered his head to kiss her, but Tang Yang had applied ombre lipstick and feared it would be kissed off. She opened her eyes wide, cleverly, and carefully extending her tongue to lick Jiang Shiyan’s lips. Her eyelashes were long and thick, fluttering like fans.
Jiang Shiyan felt a tickle in his heart, his Adam’s apple bobbing.
He thought as the weather was getting better, maybe he should pick a good time to try the beauty of marriage with his Tang Yang.
In the future, when she made him angry, he wouldn’t call her “Tang Yang.” Instead, he would call out each character: “Jiang! Tai! Tai!” (Mrs. Jiang)
Listen, listen, three characters, bearing his surname.
How powerful and magnificent!
The weekend cinema was a battlefield.
Jiang Shiyan and Tang Yang had dressed up and left home, but with five minutes to go before 2 PM, all showings of the monster movie were sold out.
However, both had easy-going personalities. Tang Yang casually bought tickets for a less crowded domestic horror film, while Jiang Shiyan purchased popcorn and cola.
Other couples were arguing: “I told you we’d hit traffic on weekends, we should have left earlier,” “If you hadn’t spent an hour on makeup, we wouldn’t have missed our tickets due to traffic,” “I put on makeup, but who told you to go to the bathroom again?”
Tang Yang and Jiang Shiyan, fingers intertwined, happily had their tickets checked and entered the theater.
It was good, very good, not too crowded.
The seats were a bit hard, but that’s fine, good for the spine. The lights were slightly bright, but that’s okay, it meant the power supply was sufficient. Even the noisy bickering of the couple in front of them sounded lively and vibrant to Tang Yang and Jiang Shiyan.
They were both usually busy. Having time like this was particularly precious.
Soon, the theater darkened, and the movie began.
On the widescreen, the 18-year-old female protagonist entered her grandmother’s eerie country cottage.
Tang Yang rarely watched horror movies and was genuinely drawn in by this opening.
Jiang Shiyan, who owned marketing accounts for movie reviews and watched many films himself, could tell after a few shots which foreign classics this director was copying, and which famous film this sound effect was borrowed from. He thought it better to watch Tang Yang instead. She was focused intently on the screen, her lips slightly parted. The dim light from the emergency exit mixed with the darkness, her face half-lit at the boundary. Jiang Shiyan’s Adam’s apple bobbed, and he found it hard to look away.
Their first time going to the movies together was in their first year of high school, and Song Jing had also come along.
The reason was simple—
At that time, Tang Yang was following the trend of liking Song Jing.
During a break, Tang Yang went to the office to fetch homework and encountered a girl from another class who also liked Song Jing. The girl blocked her way and said acidly, “You say it’s not convenient to pass love letters, but who doesn’t know you sit right in front of Song Jing? You go running with Jiang Shiyan on the track every day to lose weight, isn’t that also because you like Song Jing? But look at how cowardly you are. I guess you’re pitiful too. You like Song Jing, but Song Jing probably doesn’t even want to talk to you, after all, his deskmate is Chang Xinyi.”
Tang Yang didn’t want to engage with this girl.
Jiang Shiyan came out of the bathroom and witnessed this scene. He immediately puffed up like an angry ball: “Say that again, I dare you!”
The girl wasn’t intimidated: “I said Tang Yang likes Song Jing, but Song Jing ignores her.”
Jiang Shiyan smiled: “I don’t know about ignoring, but I do know that if Tang Yang wants, Song Jing will go to the movies alone with her this week!”
The girl’s face turned pale.
Jiang Shiyan tilted his head, particularly smug as he repeated: “Alone! Got it?”
The girl stomped her foot hard and left with her friend.
Tang Yang was both angry and amused: “Would Song Jing go out to watch a movie with a girl? Fatty, don’t you need to make your lies more believable?”
“If you want him to, he will.” Jiang Shiyan completely lost the protective air from earlier. In front of Tang Yang, he was like a soft white steamed bun, his hand awkwardly touching the tip of his nose, but his eyes were darting around.
Song Jing wasn’t good at socializing. Jiang Shiyan had been his classmate for three years in middle school and was his only friend.
On the weekend, when Jiang Shiyan invited Song Jing, of course, he had to come. When Jiang Shiyan invited Tang Yang, of course, she came too.
So, Tang Yang and Song Jing went to the cinema alone, except there was a blushing and pretending-not-to-be-guilty fatty squeezed between their seats.
That time, they watched a youth film.
Song Jing was fifteen then, with a clear and refreshing aura. He loved wearing white T-shirts and jeans, with an old red string bracelet adorned with a small golden lock on his fair, well-groomed wrist.
On the screen, the male protagonist was also fifteen, wearing a white shirt, pushing a bicycle, and walking slowly backlit under a tree. Objectively speaking, the male lead’s appearance couldn’t compare to Song Jing’s.
Tang Yang started criticizing the plot with Jiang Shiyan, saying the female lead stopped caring about homework after getting together with the male lead, always causing trouble for him. Song Jing remained calm throughout, not speaking. Sometimes he would smile, the curve of his lips very slight.
Tang Yang would glance at Song Jing from time to time.
Later, when the male and female leads reunited after a long separation, Tang Yang fell asleep, her head unknowingly resting on Jiang Shiyan’s shoulder.
The breath of the fifteen-year-old girl was like a feather. Jiang Shiyan’s neck itched terribly, but he was afraid of waking up Tang Yang. He didn’t dare move, only furrowing his brow as he glanced at her.
He could see her smooth forehead, her long, fine eyelashes, her small nose and lips. She had baby fat on her chin, and her ear was soft against him.
Jiang Shiyan fixed his gaze slightly, his eyes catching the fine down on her other ear, then quickly looking away. Then, he turned his head and kept drinking his beverage.
Tang Yang was tired and leaned on him for a while. Was that wrong? No!
But inexplicably, he wanted to… kiss her.
This thought was too outrageous, against the code of brotherhood. At the time, Jiang Shiyan attributed the reason to the strange lighting in the cinema.
Thinking back now, he probably really did want to kiss her then.
But it’s good that Tang Yang is by his side now.
Thinking this, Jiang Shiyan leaned over and lightly kissed the corner of Tang Yang’s lips.
“My lipstick, my lipstick!” Tang Yang almost jumped out of her seat when he kissed her. She warned him in a hushed voice while playfully punching his chest with soft fists.
Knowing his little girlfriend had put on beautiful makeup today, Jiang Shiyan stopped teasing her. He chuckled and raised the armrest between their seats.
As the horror movie entered its middle section, Tang Yang had guessed seven or eight-tenths of the plot and seemed to lose interest.
But the special effects were shocking and screams of “Ah!” occasionally rang out from the audience in front.
One girl: “Ah— So scary!” Then she burrowed into her boyfriend’s arms.
Another girl: “Oh my god— So frightening!” Then she also dived into her boyfriend’s embrace.
Tang Yang had finished her popcorn, the bucket placed on the ground.
Jiang Shiyan imitated the girls in front, letting out an exaggeratedly soft and affected “Ah!” His body slid down, and then he turned and burrowed into Tang Yang’s arms.
The girls in front became weak and quiet when they fell into their boyfriends’ arms.
At this moment, Jiang Shiyan was different from them. Not only was he restless, but he also kept nuzzling against Tang Yang’s chest.
This level of taking advantage, if it were in ancient times, he’d have to marry her.
Tang Yang felt ticklish all over from his fluffy hair, her ear tips turning slightly red. She patted his back, laughing softly: “Only little girls act like this, aren’t you embarrassed…”
“I am embarrassed,” Jiang Shiyan, the coquettish wife, said in a wronged voice. As he spoke, he pulled Tang Yang’s hand to his face, making her touch his cheek. “I’m embarrassed, so embarrassed, my face is red with embarrassment. Don’t you believe me, Tang Yang? Feel it, feel my face.”
The movie’s sound effects were loud, and other couples were doing their things.
Jiang Shiyan’s voice was flirtatious and coy.
Tang Yang’s hand was held by him, her palm touching his eyebrows, eyes, lips, nose, cheeks, and the stubble on his chin. His head was still nuzzling against her. Tang Yang giggled, “Stop it, stop it, Jiang Shiyan, stop it.”
“Won’t you touch me?” Jiang Shiyan suddenly stopped moving and looked up at her.
Tang Yang waved her hand, blushing and catching her breath: “No touching, no touching, I refuse, I refuse.”
“It’s okay,” Jiang Shiyan said in a tone that was both compromising and magnanimous, “Then I’ll touch you instead.”
The cinema lights were dim, and the surveillance camera was broken, with no flashing indicator light. Tang Yang and Jiang Shiyan were the only ones in the last row.
By the time Tang Yang realized that someone had undone the hidden clasp of her bra, with one hand pressing her collar to protect her modesty, while the other hand was boldly caressing her front through her loose bra…
Tang Yang’s face flushed red enough to drip blood. She pushed at his hand, hissing, “Jiang Shiyan, what are you doing—”