In the eyes of everyone, this was the first time that Xu Ruobing had ever expressed her affection for someone so directly and boldly. There had never been such a situation before; in the entertainment industry, Xu Ruobing was always alone, without anyone accompanying her, not even in private.
Xu Ruobing was like a dazzling sun, shining with her own radiance all by herself. But at this moment, after the live broadcast ended, Xu Ruobing was no longer alone. Now, Jiang Lai was at her side.
Xu Ruobing held tightly to Jiang Lai’s slender waist beside her. If not for the fact that everything was being live-streamed, Xu Ruobing wouldn’t have stopped at just a hug.
No matter how much she wanted to touch Jiang Lai, she could only hold her tightly in her arms, wanting to embrace this enchanting person, and let the world know she existed.
At this moment, it was as if Xu Ruobing was announcing to everyone that Jiang Lai was hers, at most allowing others to look, but never to have her.
Jiang Lai felt Xu Ruobing’s burning embrace. In that instant, she thought of all those embarrassing things Xu Ruobing had done to her in the dressing room. She could even feel Xu Ruobing’s breath growing heavy.
“It’s still being broadcast…”
Jiang Lai gently gripped Xu Ruobing’s wrist, carefully tugging her to remind her that they were still live. If Jiang Lai lost control on camera, it wasn’t a big deal; after all, she was just a complete nobody.
No matter what happened, it wouldn’t really affect her, but Xu Ruobing had a lot more at stake.
Xu Ruobing understood very well that she couldn’t do as she pleased right now, but her heart still craved the warmth from Jiang Lai. But who said a livestream couldn’t be sweet and loving?
Xu Ruobing narrowed her eyes slightly, pursed her lips, hiding a smile at the corners of her mouth, and stealthily placed her hand on Jiang Lai’s thigh. If hugging was forbidden, was touching also not allowed?
When Jiang Lai felt the hand on her thigh, she glanced sidelong at Xu Ruobing, who acted as if nothing had happened. She really was both shameless and forceful, yet she managed to mix in tenderness and purity, never contradictory, making her irresistible.
This livestream—let her do as she pleased!
After the broadcast ended, Xu Ruobing pulled Jiang Lai into her car. Although there had been some small bumps during the livestream, overall, everything had gone as expected. Before Xu Ruobing dragged her away, Jiang Lai overheard the others at the studio planning where to go for a celebratory dinner tonight.
Was Xu Ruobing not going with them?
“I can go home by myself. Aren’t you going with them?”
Inside the still-stationary car, Jiang Lai’s voice was very soft. After hearing it, Xu Ruobing chuckled, leaning toward Jiang Lai. If she hadn’t just fastened her seatbelt, Xu Ruobing would probably be pressing herself right up against Jiang Lai.
“They’ll be happier without me anyway. Besides, haven’t we two still not celebrated together?”
“You really worked hard today. I bet you’ve never talked so much all at once, right? Two whole hours without even a sip of water—that won’t do.” Xu Ruobing finished, picked up her water bottle from the car, took a sip herself, and with her other hand hooked Jiang Lai closer.
Jiang Lai thought of Xu Ruobing’s imported water just now. Now she was being drawn over—was she planning to feed it to her?
Such imported water—if it was from Xu Ruobing, Jiang Lai wouldn’t mind at all. But in this situation, it wasn’t about whether the water was imported or whose it was, was it?
Looking at Xu Ruobing’s moist red lips, Jiang Lai couldn’t help but think of the time she fed her sister-in-law medicine.
Jiang Lai blinked, her lashes fluttering like butterfly wings, gazing into Xu Ruobing’s eyes. Those eyes shone like two brilliant stars, their glow all given to her.
“I can drink it myself.”
After Jiang Lai said this, the two stared at each other for a long while. Xu Ruobing suddenly smiled, her expression relaxing. She held Jiang Jiang’s wrist and handed the water cup to her. “I never said I’d feed you with my mouth. I just wanted you to reach out your hand so I could pass you the cup. Jiang Jiang, and you say you don’t have any thoughts. Otherwise, why would you think of something like that?”
Xu Ruobing reached out and undid her seatbelt, leaning her whole body toward Jiang Lai, gently stroking her long hair, her tone doting to the extreme. “So my Jiang Jiang’s mind is full of these thoughts? If you want me to kiss you, just say it. I can satisfy you.”
“I wasn’t thinking that. I just… I just thought you might say something like that to me.”
“But I didn’t, did I?”
“Of course you did. I could feel your thoughts in your eyes and your movements.”
To prove she had no such dirty thoughts, Jiang Lai stiffened up quite a bit, but as soon as the words left her lips, she bit them, tilting her head, looking a little timid.
“It’s just a hunch… Who told you to do those things to me in the dressing room?”
Xu Ruobing pinched a lock of Jiang Lai’s hair and played with it gently. Her smile was intoxicating, and Jiang Lai stared at her unblinking. Jiang Jiang’s fierce yet timid look at this moment made Xu Ruobing burst out laughing.
“Jiang Jiang, you’ve wronged me.”
“But since you think that way, why not skip your hunch and put your hand on my chest to feel my heart?”
Xu Ruobing gently tapped Jiang Lai’s nose, feeling helpless. Even if she gave permission, Jiang Lai would never take the initiative to ask for anything from her. Just how could she turn Jiang Lai into a mischievous Jiang Jiang who liked to take advantage of her?
“Oh well, I know you won’t do that. Let’s just go to my place later and have a little celebration, just the two of us.”
“Okay.”
Jiang Lai, when it came to a simple meal, didn’t refuse or hesitate at all, and nodded her agreement.
Whether today’s livestream was a success or what might happen next, Xu Ruobing didn’t really care. She was much more focused on the celebration after the broadcast.
She had been thinking about all the details for tonight’s celebration for several days, even while busy with other things. Everything had already been booked a couple of days ago. All that was left was to bring Jiang Lai to her cozy home.
When they arrived at Xu Ruobing’s place and Jiang Lai opened the door, she was about to turn on the entryway light when she saw the flickering candlelight coming from the dining room.
“A Candlelight Dinner?”
Jiang Lai had thought the celebration would be more lively, but between the two of them, the only thing she could think of was a Candlelight Dinner.
Although the atmosphere was entirely Western, apart from the wine glasses and red wine, all the dishes on the table were things Jiang Lai had either enjoyed in front of Xu Ruobing before or explicitly said she liked.
“When did you prepare all this?”
As Jiang Lai walked closer, she could smell the aroma wafting from the dishes, obviously just out of the kitchen. Apart from the red wine, which had been breathing for a while, everything else seemed to have appeared out of thin air.
“This is a secret. Jiang Jiang, just think of me as a magician—I conjured up all these delicacies right before you walked in.”
Xu Ruobing gracefully pulled out Jiang Lai’s chair for her and then sat down herself. The feast before them was all thanks to her financial prowess.
To make sure Jiang Jiang could eat a hot meal after the broadcast, Xu Ruobing had discussed with the chef at length.
“I still have to drive later, so I can’t drink. Jiang Jiang, can you help me out?”
Xu Ruobing elegantly lifted her glass and brought it to Jiang Lai’s lips, the cool rim pressing against them.
Jiang Lai meant to reach for the glass, but Xu Ruobing shook her head sadly. “Jiang Jiang, at least let me participate a little. Let me feed you, okay?”
Xu Ruobing’s eyes stayed fixed on Jiang Lai’s lips as she slowly raised the glass, feeding the wine to Jiang Lai, little by little.
The wine Xu Ruobing had prepared was delicious. For a moment, Jiang Lai couldn’t help but want to finish the whole glass. If Xu Ruobing hadn’t quickly lifted the cup away, there wouldn’t have been a drop of red wine left.
“Silly Jiang Jiang, who told you to drink it all?” Xu Ruobing finally got the cup back, and Jiang Lai licked the red wine from her lips, looking incredibly tempting.
Jiang Lai’s body couldn’t handle alcohol well. Just one glass of imported red wine and she was already a little tipsy, her cheeks tinged a delicate pink, her lips vivid and red, making her look adorable and naïve.
Seeing this, Xu Ruobing, who had planned to pour a second glass, silently set the cup aside. But there was no way Jiang Lai would pass up such a delicious wine. When she saw Xu Ruobing not pouring her any more, she shakily got up, scooting her chair closer to Xu Ruobing.
What was supposed to be a face-to-face Candlelight Dinner became one where they leaned into each other.
Jiang Lai leaned against Xu Ruobing’s shoulder. Since she couldn’t have more of the tasty red wine, she pressed herself close and pouted, “Ruobing, can I have just one more sip?”
Xu Ruobing looked down and smiled, not expecting her Jiang Jiang to be such a little wine lover. But since she could only handle two glasses before passing out, she didn’t really count as a wine lover—just an adorable lightweight.
For this period of time, rehearsing for the gala performance had kept Xu Ruobing tightly wound. Even though it wasn’t hard for her, the daily rehearsals still piled up plenty of pressure and fatigue.
Xu Ruobing refilled her own glass, but instead of handing it to Jiang Lai, she tasted it first from Jiang Lai’s cup, then held some wine in her mouth, leaning over to kiss Jiang Lai.
Tonight, she didn’t want to send Jiang Lai home…