Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios
“Zi-Ziming…”
Pei Ge felt her heart skip a thump the moment she spoke his name. Her cheeks also involuntarily heated up.
She had never known that simply saying someone’s name could make one this nervous and shy.
This feeling was something she had never experienced even when she was with Zhou Zhuoyang.
After calling the man’s name, she immediately lowered her head, afraid to meet his eyes.
Ji Ziming himself was in no better state.
While his cheeks did not heat up like hers did, his ears turned a light pink shade and were threatening to turn redder.
His mind drifted a little as he stared at the sofa opposite him and at the woman, who had her head lowered in embarrassment, occupying it.
An unexplainable gentleness and blankness surfaced in his eyes that he himself did not notice.
“…” There was a pregnant pause before he hummed in acknowledgement, “Mhm…”
He maintained his blazing eyes on her. “Say it again.”
She, who was still feeling a little embarrassed, zoned out a little at his calm order.
“Huh?” Dazed, she raised her head and looked at him blankly.
What does this annoying fellow mean?
“You’re still not accustomed to saying my first name.” Ji Ziming peered at her and leaned lazily against the sofa. From his laid-back manner, one would think that he did not care much about this matter.
She blinked at him and appeared to be struggling.
“I don’t want anyone to see through our lie,” he said solemnly.
“… Oh.” Pursing her lips, she focused her eyes on the wood carvings at one side and softly called out, “Ziming…”
Her mellow pronunciation of his name was more pleasing to the ear than her previous attempt at calling him.
“Mhm,” he lightly hummed again.
At his acknowledgment, she merely pressed her lips firmly together as her heart thumped fast.
Although his words were not any whispers of love, his acknowledgement still made her feel sweetness in her heart.
“Look at me,” he ordered upon noticing that she was avoiding his gaze.
She slowly turned her head to face the man opposite her.
His solemn expression made her involuntarily gulp.
Isn’t it just addressing him? Why so serious?
“Look at me and call my name ten times,” he ordered sternly.
“…” His nonsensical order stunned her.
“Start,” he coldly prompted.
For some reason, when she faced the man opposite her, she felt as if she were taking an exam.
“Cough!” she lightly coughed while awkwardly peeking at him.
However, upon remembering their current relationship, she quelled this feeling of awkwardness.
She took a deep breath and looked straight at him.
“Ziming…
“Ziming…
“Ziming…”
…
She enunciated the same syllables, and with every repeat of his name, her voice grew gentler.
Once, twice, thrice… She had unknowingly accomplished the task of saying his name ten times. However, the two did not notice this as they stared directly into each other’s eyes.
“Ziming.” The woman, who had repeated his name for an indefinite number of times, gradually felt her voice growing hoarse.
Vaguely, she thought that she had already called him more than ten times.
However, when the man from across the seat raptly looked at her and did not stop her, she merely continued calling him.
As the other party involved, he had also lost track of the number of times she uttered his name.
Nonetheless, inexplicably, he did not want to make her stop.
“Ziming, I am thirsty.” Feeling the dryness of her throat, she subconsciously spoke her thought aloud.
This intimate way of addressing him came out naturally.
In fact, it made the speaker and the listener stunned.
She belatedly realized what she had just said, and her face furiously blushed from extreme shyness.
He was also taken aback by the redness of her cheeks. When he returned to his senses, he realized that he seemed to have been smiling.
“Cough, cough!” He coughed to hide the awkwardness he felt, forcing his sight away from her.
“Okay, you’ve got the hang of it now,” he coolly evaluated.
At his apathetic remark, she, whose heart had been pounding crazily from utter shyness of saying such a line, also returned to her senses. It was as if someone had poured a bucket of cold water on her head.
Pei Ge, what are you being shy for?! Your relationship is fake. Your only reason for calling him this intimately is that it is a work requirement! Be calm! Don’t throw your face away!
Thinking of this, she felt her heart subside from her cheeks.
“Mhm.” She nodded. “I’m more used to it now.”
Immediately after saying this, she recalled that, since she already had an intimate way of calling him, he should have a pet name for her, right?
She was suddenly really curious.
“Since I’m going to address you this way from now on, what about you? What will you call me from now on?”
The man froze.
What will I call her…
Noticing his sudden dazedness, she grew more curious of what term of endearment he would address her.
If we are pretending to be intimate, this annoying fellow should call me ‘Ge Ge’, right?
“Pei Ge, Pei Ge,” he uttered twice. “I’ll just call you Pei Ge.”
“Huh? ‘Pei Ge’? That is so not couple-like. You should at least call me ‘Ge Ge’!” She accidentally spoke her real thoughts out.
