Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
“Then don’t send me.” Qi Chengyue retracted her hand, much to Cheng Dongge’s dismay. That cozy feeling on his forehead was gone. “Go back home and rest. It was a rushed flight this morning followed by a whole afternoon stuck in a meeting. We even spent so much time visiting the site in the evening. Plus, you had drinks again tonight. I’m sure you’re feeling much more uncomfortable than usual.”
Cheng Dongge neither moved nor spoke. He just looked at Qi Chengyue with those eyes that darkened along with the night. His eyes were like a star hidden inside the darkness, twinkling in the night without the need for light to shine on it.
Qi Chengyue sighed and said, “Let’s go back. I guess I’ll have to trouble your parents tonight.”
Cheng Dongge’s gaze softened immediately and his eyes seemed to reveal his delight. He pulled the door open and allowed Qi Chengyue to go in first.
Qi Chengyue stared coyly at Cheng Zhaohui and Sun Shaoyun, who were both standing by the wide-open door. Still blushing, Qi Chengyue went into the house and said, “Uncle, Auntie, sorry to bother you tonight.”
“It’s fine, it’s fine,” Sun Shaoyun reassured. She smiled, then went to tidy up the guest room.
Cheng Dongge’s parents owned a two-bathroom apartment that had bathrooms in both the master bedroom and the other bedroom. Since Cheng Dongge stayed behind at B City after graduating from university, his parents converted the study into a guest room.
For Qi Chengyue’s convenience, Cheng Dongge let Qi Chengyue stay in his bedroom while he stayed in the guest room.
Qi Chengyue was at a complete loss when she sat inside Cheng Dongge’s room. Though he went home infrequently and only during the holidays, his strong scent still lingered in his room.
Looking at the large bed in front of her, his grey sheets had a masculine vibe. She was a bit reluctant to sit down on it because it felt very intimate to her.
She did not need to purposely lean over and take a deep breath, but she knew that everything—the sheets, the bed, the pillow—would be imbued with Cheng Dongge’s scent.
The unease she felt from standing there led her to think impulsively. She wanted to take the opportunity to leave the place as soon as everyone slept since she could not guarantee that she could have a good night’s sleep there.
A knock on the door caused her to jump up in a fright, and her heart thumped like mad.
She opened the door to see Cheng Dongge standing there with some clothes in hand. “This is my T-shirt and short pants. Your nightwear is in the hotel, so just use these for now.”
“Okay. Thank you,” Qi Chengyue took the clothes from him and looked down, but what came next was a gentle chuckle that resounded from the top of her head.
She looked up incongruously and saw Cheng Dongge’s curled-up lips, which were accompanied by his genial-looking facial features.
“What is it?” Qi Chengyue asked anxiously.
“Nothing. I’m just not used to you being so nice to me.” Cheng Dongge smiled.
Red-faced, she glared at him angrily and slammed the door on him without a word. The door nearly hit him in the face.
Cheng Dongge had a big smile as he stood in front of the door. With the door separating them, he asked, “Is there anything else you need?”
“No!” Qi Chengyue replied angrily because he seemed to be implying that she was fierce toward him in the past.
Alone in the room, she felt thoroughly uneasy. Falling asleep seemed impossible even though she had a tiring day, so she decided to tidy up the notes that she took earlier in the day.
With no table in the room, she sat cross-legged on the floor, placed all her notes on the bed, and began to sort them out.
Being so close to his bed meant that she could smell the entirety of Cheng Dongge’s scent. Her mind began to lose focus, and she could not properly digest the documents.
Her gaze floated to the clothes she placed on the bed. They were the same clothes that Cheng Dongge sent over. She grabbed the clothes and blushed immediately.
She smelled them apprehensively and noticed that it was simply the clean smell of detergent.
Qi Chengyue took the clothes into the bathroom, then took a bath. She blow-dried her hair to about half-dry, as she did not have the patience to wait until it was completely dry.
She then opened up Cheng Dongge’s T-shirt. It was a white cotton tee, reaching her thighs when she wore it. Cheng Dongge wore it as a short-sleeve, but on her, the sleeves were elbow-length.
The shoulder seam was at her arm and the sleeves hung baggily on her. The collar was fairly large as well, and it would slide easily and expose her fragile, fair-skinned shoulders.
Since it was only for her to sleep in, she did not mind it too much. She was going to bury herself inside the blanket anyway, and because the tee was worn as a dress, she did not wear the shorts that Cheng Dongge gave her. The waist of his shorts was too big and it would be too loose for her.
Grabbing the bath towel from the rack, she lowered her head and dried her hair with it. She stepped out exactly in that manner and walked toward the bed. Her eyes were glued to the floor, but she suddenly noticed a pair of bare, but slipper-clad, feet. One look and she knew it belonged to a man. The toes were much longer than most people and the nails were clipped neatly and shortly. A few fine hairs were present on the big toes, and his instep was beautifully fair-skinned.
She looked up in shock and saw Cheng Dongge, who was also looking rather startled.
It was the first time she saw Cheng Dongge wearing such a casual outfit—he was wearing a grey-and-white striped cotton tee from a brand she did not know, as well as a pair of cream-colored, straight-cut trousers. It was vastly different from his usual crisp-cut suit. Like a big boy, he looked very comfortable in his house clothes.
Qi Chengyue wondered if Huang Ziyue saw him like this for the longest time.
Cheng Dongge did not expect to see what he saw too. She was only wearing the tee that he gave her, with the collar sliding to the side to reveal her shoulder. Her fair skin and sharp collarbone were exposed, and even her breast was slightly exposed.
He could see that she was not wearing anything underneath, causing two little points to form on the shirt. It may not be obvious, but it was obvious enough that the eyes could see.
Her long and half-dried hair, in particular, made the tee slightly wet, thus rendering the front portion of her shirt more see-through. She had no idea that the colors of her body were becoming more and more visible.
Cheng Dongge gawked embarrassedly at her breasts and shifted his gaze down immediately. He then noticed her fair and butter-like thighs. Her bare feet were in direct contact with the floor, and his tee was so big that it reached her thigh. It was roughly the same length as a normal short dress.
In fact, Qi Chengyue wore short dresses frequently. Those Western-dresses that she wore during various functions exposed more of her body than if she wore his tee like that. There was nothing too titillating about wearing those dresses under normal circumstances, but it was different when it was his clothes that she wore, knowing that nothing else was worn underneath it. Cheng Dongge felt his body temperature rise, and his blood had almost reached boiling point.
A surge of heat came rushing up to his nose, making him feel as though a nosebleed was imminent.
Her exposed shoulder revealed a skin so smooth that the simplest of jabs could unleash a stream of water. Having just completed her bath, the warm steam left a pinkish glow on her skin.
Other than the smell of the shower gel that was commonly used in his home, another distinct fragrance was in the air. It was something he never smelled before in his home bathroom, something that seemed like it was his fragrance.
Qi Chengyue’s hands were placed on top of the towel that covered her head. With her mouth agape and her tongue in a twist, she needed some time to recollect herself, after which she mumbled, “You… Why are you…”
Cheng Dongge looked away awkwardly and said, “I wanted to talk about the things that were discussed in the meeting earlier. I came in and noticed that you weren’t in, but I knew you were here because the bathroom light was open. I decided to wait here.”
As he said that, his eyes moved to the bed and he looked at the documents as well as Qi Chengyue’s notes.
Qi Chengyue felt very uncomfortable at that juncture, and with nothing else on her except for the tee-shirt, she walked over stiffly and followed the direction of his gaze. She explained, “I was just preparing to tidy up the notes for today.”
Cheng Dongge nodded and placed all of his attention on work. Qi Chengyue felt much relieved because of that, and her nervousness had reduced tremendously.
As she was mulling over whether to go back into the bathroom to wear that pair of shorts, Cheng Dongge immediately sat on the floor and flipped through her notes.
She thought further and decided that the shorts were going to fall off her anyway, so she took the towel off her head and wrapped herself from the waist down. She tucked the tee-shirt into the towel and made sure the shirt collar would not slide down. In an instant, the towel was fashioned into a long dress that reached her knees. That way, she felt much more at ease.
She sat down beside him with her thighs pressed together, then proceeded to discuss work matters with him.
“Regarding these few circled areas, I didn’t think they were suitable when it was brought up in the meeting this morning, but I didn’t voice out immediately. I wanted to get everything in order before talking about it with my big brother and getting his opinion.” Qi Chengyue saw Cheng Dongge looking at the notes she made, so she leaned over, pointed at the annotated area, then explained it to him.
Cheng Dongge nodded and turned to her intending to respond to her. All of a sudden though, he was left stunned.
To see the notes clearer, Qi Chengyue unwittingly leaned closer to him.
Turning his head without warning led to their two faces leaning close to each other. They could breathe in and feel each other’s breaths.
He had just finished his shower too, and Qi Chengyue managed to discern that he used the same shower gel and shampoo that she used.
Qi Chengyue got so nervous that she completely forgot how to breathe. Her eyes were no longer within her control, as they involuntarily shifted over to his soft and warm lips.
Her face was spotless and completely devoid of makeup. It was crystal clear, and even when he leaned in, there was not a single pore that he noticed. Cheng Dongge was practically gawking at her.
Qi Chengyue was beginning to feel flustered when his rough hand cupped her by the cheek.
Assuming that he was going to kiss her, the first thing she heard was, “The interview I gave the other day, are you always under the impression that I did it as a stop-gap measure to help you shed off your own awkward situation?”
Her breathing relaxed for a moment before it turned haywire yet again.
Indeed, those were her exact thoughts, at least until that night. Once she heard what he told Sun Shaoyun in the kitchen, she understood the truth of it.
Cheng Dongge neither looked like he was waiting for her to answer nor cared what her eventual answer would be. Just as Qi Chengyue thought he was going to continue his sentence, he leaned forward and kissed her.
His lips had a minty freshness to them. They were warm and soft to the naked eye, and when he kissed her, those lips were indeed so soft that it melted her heart.
With one hand on her face, the other crept up to her hindbrain and pressed on it. She could taste the strong, lingering taste of alcohol on his tongue, coupled with the masculine odor emanating from his body.
His body moved forward unconsciously, and he pulled her within his embrace before carrying her to the bed.
His warm and muscular chest gave her a sense of being well-protected by him. Her hands were shaking as they lost control and grabbed his shirt, causing wrinkles to form on the fabric.
The towel around her waist loosened at some point in time and hung on her waist. Following her action of bending her legs by the knees, the towel bunched up and revealed her fair-skinned thighs.
Cheng Dongge squeezed one leg in between her. Her knees were pressed against her T-shirt, causing her abdomen to retract within her.
Slowly he began releasing his kiss on her. It felt like unfinished business, and he could not bear to part with her. It was impossible for him to control himself from using his lips to rub and caress hers, kissing and pecking her incessantly.
Her wide-open eyes looked below, and he could feel her eyelashes fluttering against his face.
His lips were sticking against her own as he spoke in a husky voice. “I told you before. I’m not a saint and I won’t go all out to help anyone. Everything that I said to those reporters were my genuine confession to you. I not only want you to get out of that situation, but I also didn’t have the heart to see you suffer either. Those words were the truth and nothing but the truth, and they came from my heart.”
Qi Chengyue stopped blinking and opened her eyes wide. There was a dense mistiness in those beautiful eyes.
After a while, she shook her head. “Cheng Dongge, we’re incompatible.”
Cheng Dongge was taken aback. He moved away from her slightly, but his hands remained on her face. The tips of his fingers were constantly in contact with her silky-smooth skin.
He narrowed his eyes and asked, “You’re afraid that I’ll take advantage of you like Jian Yi?”
“No, I know I have nothing for you to take advantage of.” Qi Chengyue was worried that he might misunderstand her words. She was particularly mindful of his impression of her, and she unconsciously grabbed tight on his shirt. “You have the capability to achieve everything that he wanted.”
“You still have feelings for him?” Cheng Dongge’s voice deepened considerably.
“NO!” Qi Chengyue shook her head forcefully.
“You think I’m not good enough for you? Do you want to look for someone who’s on the same level as you after what happened with Jian Yi?”
“NO, stop it with all that nonsense! I’m the one who’s not good enough for you, Cheng Dongge. It’s me that’s not good enough!” Qi Chengyue lowered her head and released her grip from his clothes. She grabbed the towel and covered her thighs, then curled up and trembled.
Cheng Dongge let go of her and sat on the floor. He noticed that her tears were dripping onto her towel-covered knees.
Heart-wrenched, he stretched his hand to wipe her tears, but she flinched. “Don’t. Cheng Dongge. If you touch me like that, I’m afraid I…”‘…won’t be able to control myself.’
“Cheng Dongge, I’m a divorcee who’s been with someone like Jian Yi. Don’t you understand? I’ve been married before. Jian Yi touched me before. If I was with any other guy, I wouldn’t think much of it, but with you, I feel like I’m tarnished. You shouldn’t be with a defiled woman. Cheng Dongge, don’t you get it? You deserve better. You deserve someone who can belong to you completely, whether it’s internally or externally. Not someone like me.” Qi Chengyue lowered her voice and said. Her tears were streaming down uncontrollably.
“Qi Chengyue, what kind of nonsense are you talking about now!” Cheng Dongge gnashed his teeth and exclaimed. He wished he could just end Jian Yi’s life and erase that b*stard from the face of the earth.
Jian Yi hurt Qi Chengyue so much that she devalued herself and felt impure simply because he touched her.
“The only difference is that you’ll have two marriage certificates. Other than that, there’s nothing different at all. Will you still think of yourself as impure if it’s a relationship breakup instead of a divorce? I’m not the type who subscribes to the nonsensical notion that the woman I’m supposed to be in a relationship must be a virgin. I’m not. I was in a relationship with Huang Ziyue for three years. We lived together for two-and-a-half and finally got engaged. Do you think we spent all that time in the room like innocent roommates? I’m not a virgin and I had other women before. You’re not the only one who touched me, others have touched me too. Are you implying that I’m impure as well?
“When Huang Ziyue was with me, it wasn’t her first time as well. What right would I have to insist that you be a virgin? Qi Chengyue, I like you as a person. Divorcing is no different from having a relationship and breaking up.”
“It’s different! It’s completely different!” Qi Chengzhi buried her face in her palms and uttered in a muffled voice, “Why can’t you understand! Yourself aside, which family is willing to let their son get married to a divorcee? Say what you will about how times have changed, but your parents’ viewpoints are not the same. And if you get together with me, what will others think of you? What do you think they’ll say when you chose me instead of all those other women you can choose from? They’ll say that all you want is the Qi family’s status and money. They’ll call you the second Jian Yi. Cheng Dongge, you’re a good person. I can’t let you bring this burden upon yourself.”
“Are you done?” Cheng Dongge asked icily.
His breakup with Huang Ziyue was the only other time Qi Chengyue heard him talk so frigidly. That was when he lashed out undeservedly at her, but that night marked the first time Cheng Dongge spoke to her with such a stone-cold tone.
Thoroughly heartbroken, Qi Chengyue shuddered and kept quiet.
“Without thinking about what others are going to say, tell me, do you like me? Do you have feelings for me?” Cheng Dongge asked in a deep voice.
Qi Chengyue felt his hand cup her face once again. His every touch made her entire person calm down, and the one thing she wanted was to sink deep into him.
However, she was vastly different from the stubborn girl who, in the past, did not give a damn about anything at all. She knew that marriage was both something that involved only oneself or two people. Family was involved as well.
If they decided to be in a relationship without considering the far future, what if a time came when Cheng Dongge realized that she was not worth having to bear all that burden and slander?
By then she would be in too deep, and even before all that, she knew that she would love him with an affection much deeper than how she loved Jian Yi. She knew that if another blow was delivered to her heart, she would surely be unable to bear the pressure.
Qi Chengyue kept silent and lowered her head. She knew all too well that denying it was the most efficient course of action, but could not bring herself to do that against her will.
Cheng Dongge’s expression softened. Qi Chengyue did not see it because her head was lowered, and at that moment, Cheng Dongge’s face was full of pity.
He retracted his hand and said softly, “Think long and hard about this. Can you still fall for another man if you like me, knowing that I’m single and I feel the same? Or do you want to simply find another man who’s on the same level as you and just live out the rest of your days like that? You’ll get married and watch as I get together with a different girl, and from then onward we’ll live our own lives without crossing paths again.”
Once he completed his sentence, he said goodnight to her and left. Qi Chengyue heard the door close, and after a while, she looked up and saw an empty room, as though he had never entered the place before.
The quietness of the room sent waves of dread within her.
She tried her best to smell and breathe in his scent, but it was not as strong as when she first came in.
Qi Chengyue stood up, put away the documents, then buried herself in the blanket and wrapped herself in a way that made her feel like Cheng Dongge was hugging her.
She could not fall asleep, however, as her mind was constantly thinking of Cheng Dongge’s words.
Dawn came a few hours later, and she got up, wore the clothes she wore the day before, and packed up before grabbing her bag and opening her room door quietly.
“Where are you going?” A voice rang from behind Qi Chengyue, nearly making her jump up in fright.
She turned around guiltily and greeted, “Auntie.”
Sun Shaoyun looked at Qi Chengyue from head to toe and noticed the bag that the latter was carrying. “You’re leaving so early?”
