Chapter 64

Chapter 64: Were You Just Being Coy? (New) Chu Tang's face flushed bright red. She turned her head away and tried to argue, "You... what are you talking about? I would never say something like that..." The corner of Jiang Shixu's mouth curved upward. "Is that so?" "Th-then of course! How could I possibly say those things in front of so many people..." Chu Tang's voice grew softer and softer. Damn it. She thought she might be remembering something. Last night, it seemed... probably... maybe... she really had said those things? "I was talking nonsense!" The faint light of dawn streamed through the glass window, illuminating the girl's crimson face. Chu Tang bit her lip, looking embarrassed. "You know I was drunk and talking nonsense. You're not going to hold something against someone who was drunk, are you?" Even as she said this, she didn't sound very confident. The girl muttered quietly, "When I'm drunk, I can't fully control or recognize my actions. In legal terms, that makes me a person with limited capacity for civil conduct..." Jiang Shixu laughed softly, his shoulders trembling slightly. "Oh? Giving me a legal lesson now?" In reality, drunk people aren't called "persons with limited capacity for civil conduct" in the law at all—Chu Tang was just making excuses. Knowing she wasn't in the right, Chu Tang let out a "hmph" and struggled to escape from Jiang Shixu's embrace. Jiang Shixu's arms were still wrapped around her waist. "Trying to run? Forgot how you teased me last night? Tease and run?" He smelled faintly of body wash—Chu Tang recognized it as the one she usually used. Jiang Shixu leaned in and kissed her first, his slender, well-defined fingers threading through her hair. Their kiss was urgent and passionate, like a summer storm, like the howling north wind of winter—fierce and impossible to avoid. "Tangtang, may I?" The faint morning light gradually grew brighter, and even the air itself felt scorching hot. Chu Tang knew what was about to happen. She trembled with nervousness, yet she was also filled with anticipation. She loved Jiang Shixu. She longed to take their relationship further, to be intimate with him. Outside the window, birds sang sweet and crisp melodies. Everything was so beautiful. It was a romantic morning. Just as they reached the final step, a phone ringtone suddenly sounded. In the quiet space, it was especially jarring. A flicker of displeasure passed through Jiang Shixu's eyes. He wanted to ignore the ringtone and continue, but Chu Tang was startled back to her senses by the sound. Blushing, she broke free from his embrace and stepped back a few paces. The girl stammered, "Th-that... your phone is ringing." Jiang Shixu's gaze was deep and dark, his voice tinged with desire, low and slightly hoarse. "Why run so fast? It's not like I'm going to eat you." "You... you should answer the phone first..." Jiang Shixu picked up his phone, the haze of desire fading from his eyes as they returned to their usual clarity and coolness. The caller ID showed Xu Jingxuan. Why would she call at this hour instead of sleeping in? Jiang Shixu suddenly found his sister a bit annoying, and even his tone when answering the phone became somewhat impatient. "What is it?" Xu Jingxuan said excitedly, "Brother, I saw on the weather forecast that there's going to be a meteor shower tomorrow night! Want to go watch it together? The best viewing spot is at the top of Beiyu Shan. Let's go hiking there tomorrow!" The man held the phone to his ear, his gaze falling on Chu Tang standing nearby, a hint of tenderness surfacing in his eyes. A meteor shower? A girl like Tangtang would probably love watching a meteor shower, right? She'd been working hard these past few days, and tomorrow happened to be the weekend. He could take her out to relax. Jiang Shixu replied flatly, "Okay." With that little interruption, the earlier ambiguous atmosphere vanished without a trace. Chu Tang's wildly pounding heart gradually calmed, and the flush on her face faded. She coughed a couple of times as a tactical move and pretended to be calm. "Um, I'm a bit hungry. How about we order some breakfast?" Jiang Shixu's eyes held a smile. "Weren't you going to test whether I have any problems in that department?" Chu Tang shook her head like a rattle drum, quickly begging for mercy. "I was wrong, I was really wrong. Brother Shixu, I was talking nonsense. You definitely don't have any problems!" Jiang Shixu's voice was slightly husky and seductive. "How do you know without trying?" The girl bit her lip, lowered her head, and stared at her toes, looking like she was obediently admitting her mistake. "Anyway, I know I was wrong..." Jiang Shixu laughed helplessly. His Tangtang had thin skin. Fine, he wouldn't tease her anymore. Jiang Shixu stopped giving the girl a hard time and honestly ordered breakfast. After the meal, Jiang Shixu told Chu Tang about going to Beiyu Shan to watch the meteor shower the next day. Just as he had expected, Chu Tang's eyes lit up the moment she heard about the meteor shower. She said enthusiastically, "I've never seen a meteor shower before! Yes! Of course I want to go! I'm also going to invite Yuanyuan and Xueluo." Jiang Shixu smiled and said okay. Heaven knows he was only thinking about having some time alone with her. But there was nothing he could do—Tangtang liked having people around and being lively. The first thing she thought of when it came to the meteor shower was her two best friends. Remembering the unpleasant experience Xu Jingxuan had with Chu Tang at the horse ranch last time, Jiang Shixu felt it was necessary to tell Chu Tang that Xu Jingxuan would also be coming this time. Xu Jingxuan was, after all, his sister, and once Chu Tang married into the family, she would become her sister-in-law as well. It wouldn't do to have Chu Tang cut off all contact with Xu Jingxuan over one unpleasant incident. "Tangtang, my sister will be joining us for the hike tomorrow. Do you mind?" Chu Tang paused. "Xu Jingxuan?" Jiang Shixu gave a slight nod. "Mm." Remembering what had happened at the stables last time, Chu Tang lowered her gaze, her excitement suddenly deflating. Her voice lost its earlier enthusiasm. "Oh, sure, that's fine. I don't mind." Jiang Shixu patted Chu Tang's head. "Good." He knew his Tangtang wasn't the type to hold grudges. For the rest of the morning, the two of them curled up on the sofa together. Chu Tang was in charge of looking up tips on her phone, while Jiang Shixu was in charge of causing trouble—stealing a kiss here, demanding a hug there, and deliberately breathing warm air behind her ear to tease her. Chu Tang turned her head, feigning annoyance. "Jiang Shixu, can you behave yourself?" Jiang Shixu lowered his head, his warm lips brushing against Chu Tang's collarbone, lingering there. "Stop it." Chu Tang leaned back, raising one hand to press against his chest. "I'm looking up tips. If you make me miss the meteor shower tomorrow, I'm not talking to you." Jiang Shixu's shoulders trembled slightly as he let out a low chuckle. "Oh? That serious?" "It's not every day there's a meteor shower. I definitely want to see it." Jiang Shixu took her hand away from his chest and leaned in again to kiss her pale neck, his warm breath fanning against the hollow of her throat, tickling her. Chu Tang shrank back with a laugh, using her hand to push against his face. He caught her hand and pressed a kiss to her palm. "Leave the tips and shopping to my assistant. It's finally the weekend—spend some time with me." His tone was nothing like his usual cold aloofness. Soft and gentle, it almost carried a hint of coaxing. Chu Tang looked at him as if she'd discovered something new. "Were you just... acting cute?" Jiang Shixu didn't answer. He leaned in and kissed her again. A flurry of tender kisses landed on Chu Tang's neck, sending a tingling shiver through her.