That motion was so natural that Lin Jianqing didn’t react at first. It wasn’t until the second time he noticed the dish had been pushed closer again that he looked up at her.
“What are you doing?”
“Afraid you can’t reach.”
“My arms aren’t that short.”
“Mm, your arms are pretty long though. I remember you said you wanted to bite me earlier. Want to try now?”
Lin Jianqing nearly choked on his soup. How could she jump topics like that?
Was she just saying whatever came to mind?
“Shen Huaixue!”
“Mm, I’m here.”
“Why did you suddenly say that?”
“Nothing, I just think you’re pretty interesting. Wanting to bite me… are you a puppy?”
“No…”
“Then what?”
Lin Jianqing was stuck for a moment.
No matter how he answered this, it wouldn’t be right. Lin Jianqing finally understood—she’d kept him here for dinner purely to amuse herself at his expense.
He bit down on his chopsticks and finally forced out: “If you keep talking, I won’t eat anymore.”
Fine.
Shen Huaixue watched his puffed-up expression and how he was using not eating as a threat. Her smile deepened, but she didn’t chase those two words any further.
After dinner, it was already late. Lin Jianqing glanced at the time and immediately stood up.
“I should be going.”
Shen Huaixue didn’t stop him. She just got up, put the women’s clothes he’d changed out of into a garment bag, and handed him the jacket of the men’s outfit.
Lin Jianqing had just let out a sigh of relief when Shen Huaixue suddenly reached out, her fingertips brushing the hair at the nape of his neck.
Lin Jianqing’s body stiffened, and he immediately turned around.
“What are you doing?”
“I only just noticed—your hair is pretty long.”
“It’s always been a bit long.” Lin Jianqing frowned, rescuing his hair from her hand. “I didn’t have money for haircuts before, so keeping it longer meant fewer trips to the barbershop.”
He said it casually, but thinking about it, Lin Jianqing’s family had gone through bankruptcy once.
As for who was the culprit behind the bankruptcy… who knows?
Shen Huaixue, however, looked at him for a few seconds. Lin Jianqing felt uncomfortable under her gaze.
“What do you want now?”
“Don’t cut your hair from now on.”
“What?”
“Your hair.” Shen Huaixue’s tone was flat. “Keep growing it out.”
Lin Jianqing’s brows furrowed immediately.
“Why?”
Shen Huaixue looked at him as if the question needed no explanation.
“It suits you. And wearing a wig every day is no fun.”
“Ha!? What are you saying?”
“Pretty much what you’re thinking. But I’ll specially design a hairstyle for you—something androgynous. I guarantee it’ll appeal to everyone.”
Lin Jianqing took a deep breath, holding back the urge to argue with her on the spot.
“Shen Huaixue…” If it were just about growing his hair out, he wouldn’t really mind. But looking at that damn smile on Shen Huaixue’s face, he wished he could just bite her.
“The right of final interpretation belongs to me, and I remember it’s in the contract too. I didn’t expect you to be so considerate, growing your hair out in advance.”
“Dream on.”
Shen Huaixue smiled and reached out to measure the current length of his hair with her hand.
“A bit longer, and we can do a lot of styles. Really, I swear it’ll look great.”
Lin Jianqing looked at her warily.
“What style?”
“That’s a secret for now. You have to grow it out first.”
“Shen Huaixue, are you sick or something!”
Shen Huaixue seemed to have been waiting for exactly this reaction. The corner of her lips lifted slightly.
“It’s just a hairstyle. Why are you so worked up? As your financial backer, don’t I have that much authority?”
“Just a hairstyle?” Lin Jianqing couldn’t believe how lightly she could say that.
“You’re already controlling what I wear and what gets painted on my face, and now you’re controlling my hair too. What’s next? Do my walking posture, speaking voice, and daily meals all have to follow your preferences as well?”
Shen Huaixue looked at him, the amusement in her eyes fading slightly, but her tone remained light.
“That doesn’t sound impossible, actually. Would you be willing?”
Lin Jianqing: …
He shouldn’t have said anything. This woman really knew how to push her luck.
“I’m done talking to you.”
Lin Jianqing grabbed his jacket and headed for the door, putting on his shoes faster than usual. Shen Huaixue stood in place, watching his retreating back with ears red from anger, and lazily added one more line.
“Safe travels. Don’t cut your hair.”
Lin Jianqing pulled the door open, turned back, and glared at her.
“I’m getting it cut short tomorrow.”
Shen Huaixue raised an eyebrow.
“Oh? Really?”
Lin Jianqing originally wanted to be tough and say what was there to be afraid of, but the moment he remembered that if Shen Huaixue found out he went to the barbershop, she really might drag him back from the entrance—the words caught in his throat.
Too humiliating.
Even cutting his hair now required considering Shen Huaixue’s reaction.
Lin Jianqing got even angrier.
“Joking. Screw off!”
The door closed behind him. The sound wasn’t particularly loud, but it was enough to convey his attitude.
The living room fell quiet again.
Shen Huaixue stood by the door, not moving right away. After a long moment, she slowly withdrew her gaze and looked down at the fingers that had touched Lin Jianqing’s hair.
The strands had slipped through her fingertips—soft, a little messy, carrying a trace of moisture from just having washed his face. It was just an ordinary texture, but she hadn’t been able to resist touching it.
Shen Huaixue frowned slightly.
She actually never quite understood why things had turned out this way.
At first, she’d only thought Lin Jianqing’s face resembled someone—someone she’d never been able to have and shouldn’t keep thinking about.
So she kept him, using contracts, money, and all those absurd reasons. Before that, she’d even subjectively influenced Lin Jianqing’s choices.
Made him wear clothes she picked, sit beside her, eat with her, get teased until the tips of his ears turned red.
All of that could still be explained.
A substitute, a toy… or a whim?
Any of those words would do. Shen Huaixue had told herself that before.
But now something was off. She cared whether Lin Jianqing ate.
She remembered he couldn’t handle spicy food. She found it amusing when he was flustered by the roommate group chat, but then wanted to shield him from it.
Even just now, when he said “didn’t have money for haircuts before,” it felt like something had gently scraped across her heart.
What was more annoying was that she clearly hated men.
Since she was young, she’d never had any interest in men. Even when her family made a scene over it, she never felt she needed to change.
But Lin Jianqing was different, and he was a man.
That fact stood there, clear as day. Sometimes even Shen Huaixue herself found it absurd.
But she wanted to touch him, wanted to see him ruffle up, wanted to keep him somewhere she could see him.
She wanted to make Lin Jianqing get used to her, wanted him to come back and sit beside her even after being scared, wanted him to add “but you’re annoying” after mentioning “scared.”
What was this?
Shen Huaixue leaned back onto the sofa, raised a hand to press her brow, then after a long moment, suddenly let out a low laugh.
“How troublesome… really troublesome.”
She’d always hated trouble, but Lin Jianqing—this particular trouble—she didn’t seem to want to throw away at all.