Xu Ruobing’s face, buried in the crook of Jiang Lai’s neck, suddenly felt ticklish from the delicate skin. She instinctively shrank back, but Jiang Lai pulled her even tighter into her arms.
“Jiang Lai…”
Her voice was muffled in the fabric, thick with a damp nasal tone.
“Let me go first. If we keep going like this… I’m afraid I’ll change my mind.”
Jiang Lai loosened her arms but didn’t let go completely. She only pulled back a little, her fingertips still gently hooking onto the hem of Xu Ruobing’s clothes.
The car’s interior light fell on Xu Ruobing’s reddened eyes. Whether that redness was from the cold outside or from Jiang Lai making her cry, it was hard to tell.
Jiang Lai raised a hand to tidy the stray strands of hair blown by the wind. When her fingertips brushed over Xu Ruobing’s flushed cheek, her movements were as gentle as if she were afraid of breaking porcelain.
“Don’t rush. I’ll wait until you think it through.”
“But Ruobing, don’t let yourself dwell on it for too long either. If you really think about it for too long, just give up on me. Maybe that would be easier. I don’t want you to be too conflicted.”
“Jiang Lai…”
Xu Ruobing’s voice was muffled, with a barely noticeable tremble.
“Now that we’re together, will you let Chi Yingyu know about this in the future?”
Jiang Lai’s body stiffened almost imperceptibly. Her fingers gently stroked Xu Ruobing’s back, as if to soothe her, or perhaps to hide her own panic.
“I plan to tell her…”
Her voice dropped, the tone becoming more complicated.
“I haven’t found the right opportunity to tell her yet. I don’t want to hurt her too much. After all… we can hardly say it was easy to get together. And there’s one thing that hasn’t been resolved yet. Until that matter is resolved, I probably won’t say anything.”
Xu Ruobing’s heart suddenly sank. Her fingers instinctively tightened on the hem of Jiang Lai’s clothes.
In the past, without knowing much about the situation, she had thought she could compare with Chi Yingyu, or even surpass her. She had to admit that she had imagined things far too simply back then.
Although she didn’t know exactly how many marks Chi Yingyu had left in Jiang Lai’s life, it was definitely not something she could compare to. She didn’t dare think about it.
But then she thought, Jiang Lai was willing to face Chi Yingyu for her sake. That courage made a hint of pride quietly emerge in her heart.
She knew she was contradictory—guilty about ruining someone else’s relationship, yet unable to resist craving Jiang Lai’s favor. This tug-of-war made her both pained and addicted.
This sense of morality didn’t last long. It was soon drowned out by the fact that “she too was a bad woman.”
Since she was a bad woman, she might as well be bad all the way. No need to keep lying to herself.
“Then when do you plan to tell her?”
Xu Ruobing lifted her head, her eyes still slightly red but carrying a hint of urgency. She wanted to know Jiang Lai’s determination. As long as Jiang Lai could make up her mind, she would face it together with her.
Jiang Lai saw the expectation and anxiety in her eyes. She reached out and gently wiped away the remaining tears at the corners of her eyes. The warmth of her fingertips made Xu Ruobing’s heart skip a beat.
“After I finish solving the problems here, I’ll tell her, okay?”
Jiang Lai’s tone was serious, and there was no evasiveness in her eyes.
“I’m waiting for you to make a decision. I don’t want you to keep living in this uncertainty, and at the same time, I don’t want to keep lying to her.”
She wanted to be as open and honest as possible. If she kept covering things up, when everything was exposed, it would be a disaster for everyone. It was better to take all the matters onto herself. Even though it was very scumbag-like, at least it showed some sense of responsibility.
Jiang Lai’s fingertips were still at the corner of Xu Ruobing’s eye. Seeing that she didn’t flinch, her fingertips slid down gently, brushing over her flushed cheek, and finally landed on her chin, lifting it slightly.
Xu Ruobing lifted her head with the pressure, meeting Jiang Lai’s eyes. In them was the familiar tenderness, mixed with a hint of barely concealed heartache, making the grievance she had just suppressed well up again.
She didn’t speak, just shrank further into Jiang Lai’s arms, her nose brushing against the collar of Jiang Lai’s clothes.
Feeling Ruobing’s closeness, Jiang Lai immediately tightened her arms, holding her more steadily. Her other hand gently patted her back, like soothing a child, the movements very slow.
Xu Ruobing’s fingers were still clutching the hem of Jiang Lai’s clothes. Now she grew bolder, subtly slipping her fingertips a little deeper into the fabric. When they touched warm skin, she panicked first, and her fingers curled up abruptly.
Jiang Lai, however, seemed not to notice. When she lowered her head, her hair tips brushed Xu Ruobing’s forehead, and her voice dropped even lower.
“Still anxious? Any unease now?”
Xu Ruobing shook her head, her voice still muffled.
“Not anxious anymore.”
Though she said that, her body softened further as she leaned in, her cheek pressed against Jiang Lai’s chest.
She could clearly hear the other’s heartbeat, colliding with her own, both chaotic.
Jiang Lai looked down at her, seeing her eyelashes lowered and trembling slightly. She couldn’t help but lean down, her lips gently brushing the top of her head.
Xu Ruobing’s body stiffened momentarily, then relaxed again. She even actively moved closer to Jiang Lai’s neck, her breath spreading on the side of Jiang Lai’s neck, carrying a warm tickle.
Jiang Lai’s fingers slowly moved into her hair, gently rubbing the ends, her movements so light she was afraid of hurting her.
“This time you came, how many days can you stay with me?”
“Only two days, is that okay? Because that’s how many days I initially planned.”
‘Two days.’
‘There’s really so little time.’
Even though she thought that, Xu Ruobing didn’t say anything. She just burrowed deeper into her arms, burying her face further, even lightening her breath, only daring to take small sips of the scent on her.
Jiang Lai felt her dependence and tightened her arms further, resting her chin on the top of her head.
“As for filming, don’t rush too much. Don’t tire yourself out, okay?”
“Okay…”
Xu Ruobing nodded almost without thinking. Because the only reason she wanted to finish filming quickly was to see Jiang Lai. Now that Jiang Lai was right beside her, if she still rushed to film, wouldn’t that be putting the cart before the horse?
Although it was only two days, truly very little, she would cherish it well.
Xu Ruobing buried her face in the hollow of Jiang Lai’s neck, rubbing against her with a muffled sound.
“Two days may be very little, but it’s enough. As long as I’m with you, it’s fine.”
As soon as she finished speaking, her fingertips quietly wound around the hem of Jiang Lai’s clothes again, as if afraid she might run away.
She raised her hand to tuck the stray hair behind Jiang Lai’s ear, deliberately brushing her fingertip against Jiang Lai’s reddened earlobe.
“Just stay in the car and don’t move. I’ll go talk to the director about my arrangements in a bit. After I finish, you’ll come back with me to the hotel I’m staying at now, okay?”
Jiang Lai’s earlobe burned from her fingertips. Her Adam’s apple bobbed slightly. She reached out and covered the hand Xu Ruobing had used to tuck her hair, her fingers interlocking with the other’s palm.
“Okay, I’ll wait for you here. Take your time when you talk to him, don’t rush. I’ll wait obediently in the car and won’t leave.”