“Don’t push yourself so hard. It was me who took your first kiss. If you’re angry, you can scold me or hit me—I deserve it.”
“What’s wrong? What’s so funny? Song Qiuyu, I’m seriously talking to you.”
“No, I just…”
Song Qiuyu shook her head, stifling a laugh. She said, “I was just thinking, tomorrow we’re starting to shoot the short video. Hitting or scolding you now doesn’t really help—it only makes things worse.”
“If that’s the case, you’d be better off focusing on making the short video better and earning more money for me!”
With that, her gaze hardened, and the smile on her face faded.
Jiang Xiao blinked slightly, caught off guard.
“All right, all right, so are you going to massage my legs or not?”
Song Qiuyu suddenly realized she might have been a bit too blatant about her desire for money, so she quickly changed the subject.
“Of course I will.”
Jiang Xiao nodded, took a shallow breath, lowered his eyes to the white silk-clad legs right in front of him, and clenched his palm.
Then, cautiously, he leaned closer and gave them a gentle tap, careful not to be too forceful.
This time, the white silk legs didn’t move away, but their owner started to show some displeasure.
“Jiang Xiao, your strength is so weak. Put some more power into it!”
As she spoke, Song Qiuyu took out her phone from her backpack, opened the digital script, glanced at him with a bit of disdain, and pursed her lips.
“Mm.”
Jiang Xiao nodded lightly and applied a bit more force.
“Mm… that strength is better. Don’t just tap one spot.”
Feeling the pleasant sensation from the massage, Song Qiuyu bit her lip and let out a soft moan that sent a shiver down his spine.
“What are you doing?”
Busy with his work, Jiang Xiao glanced at her constantly editing text on the phone screen.
“Editing the script.”
Song Qiuyu said as she shifted comfortably on her seat. That subtle movement accidentally made him sense a particularly wet area, causing his heart to skip a beat.
“Editing?”
Jiang Xiao lowered his eyes and moved his tapping hand to her thigh.
“Hmm, this feels so good.”
It was as if a magician had cast a fire spell—the skin he tapped grew warmer and warmer, but none of the spots he’d hit earlier felt as good as this one!
Song Qiuyu couldn’t help but speak up.
“Hm?”
Jiang Xiao froze.
When he stopped, Song Qiuyu bit her lip, feeling unsatisfied.
She emphasized, “Tap here a few more times! Because it feels really good!!”
“All right.”
Jiang Xiao was taken aback for a moment, somewhat surprised by her bluntness.
He gave that spot extra attention for quite a while.
“This edited part is the line you added before, ‘Happy?’ I think it’s pretty good and want to include it.”
Song Qiuyu finished editing the script and put down her phone.
“Oh.”
Jiang Xiao’s heart rate sped up, unconsciously happy to fulfill her needs, and unable to stop himself from wanting her to need him even more.
“Well, what about the other line? Are you not adding it?”
“Which one?”
“You know what it feels like to kiss, right?”
〃
Song Qiuyu stared at Jiang Xiao blankly, recalling for a moment—so that was the line Haki Xiao said back then.
But… it actually might work?
She added the line while seriously editing the script:
“Since we’re on this topic, and it’s still early, how about we practice some more? I’m still a bit worried about your condition.”
“Ever since we connected the two characters, they’ve been becoming more and more alike.”
Song Qiuyu wasn’t sure what Jiang Xiao was thinking, but considering what had just happened, she grew cautious.
If Jiang Xiao got too deep into the role again, could she stop him in time?
She had already hammered his back so many times, yet Jiang Xiao looked as if nothing had happened—
That was impossible!
“Practice is definitely necessary, but…”
Looking at Song Qiuyu’s still-flushed cheeks, Jiang Xiao easily saw through her worries and said,
“But?”
Song Qiuyu paused.
“But this time, just use your voice to cooperate with me. I’ll try my best to keep myself from getting too into the role.”
Jiang Xiao smiled faintly.
“Okay!”
Song Qiuyu felt this method might be worth trying.
After all, her problem was being too aggressive in seduction, while Jiang Xiao’s problem was getting too immersed in the role. Separating the two might be more effective.
They practiced like this in the opera house until nine in the evening.
When they left, the night rain was still falling heavily, shrouding all of Nanxi in thick moisture.
They each held umbrellas and stepped into the rain. Soon, the warmth they had carried from inside was whisked away by the cold air.
Winter rain at night was bone-chilling.
After walking a while, Song Qiuyu stuffed her hands into her pockets, warmed by the fabric pressed close to her skin.
Along the way, under the glowing street lamps, several cute girls were doing the same.
Some first rubbed their hands together, breathed warm air onto their palms, then hid their hands in their sleeves before finally tucking them into their pockets.
More steps, but definitely warmer.
Seeing this, Song Qiuyu, never ashamed to learn, copied the method herself.
Jiang Xiao watched quietly, but unexpectedly, after she finished, she turned to recommend the method to him.
“They say girls are like blocks of ice in winter, but they really know how to stay warm!”
Song Qiuyu’s face was flushed with a comfortable smile from the warmth in her hands. “Jiang Xiao, you should learn this too.”
Jiang Xiao hesitated, hummed, and followed suit.
Walking side by side, Jiang Xiao didn’t deliberately keep distance between them.
Soon, he noticed that whenever he accidentally got closer to Song Qiuyu, she would shift a bit away.
But then, she would actively move closer again.
Jiang Xiao sighed softly.
And pretended to casually step aside.
Song Qiuyu froze for two seconds before intentionally closing the gap again.
Seeing this, Jiang Xiao played dumb, not exposing her little game. He felt both happy and troubled by her careful maintenance of their relationship and distance.
Happy because she really cared about his feelings—so much so he suspected she might have a giving personality.
Troubled because she cared so much about his feelings that she neglected her own.
Their current state wasn’t quite right, was it?
Xie Zhuran and Lin An returned to the dorm earlier than them and had already finished washing up.
When they opened the door, Jiang Xiao and Song Qiuyu were still rehearsing together.
Their progress wasn’t going smoothly, much like their own.
One pair kept breaking into laughter; the other was struggling with even more complicated issues.
“I think this is fine. Since finals week has started and we don’t have classes all morning tomorrow, we can film the non-seduction parts first.”
Song Qiuyu sat in her chair after careful consideration and asked, “What do you guys think?”
“Agreed!”
Xie Zhuran nodded eagerly.
Then he tried to save face, “But I’m still thinking about one thing. Before, when we filmed short videos, we didn’t wear much makeup. For these two catgirls, don’t we need makeup?”
Song Qiuyu immediately understood her roommate’s unspoken meaning. Even a big guy like Lin An might be less prone to laughing if the makeup was appropriate.
But the problem was, that meant she had to wear makeup too!
Recalling the humiliating memories of bowing her head for money at the scenic spot and enduring the makeup artist’s casual handling of her face, Song Qiuyu hesitated.
“Then let’s try makeup.”
Haki Xiao quickly responded!
“That’s called the makeup artist not being you, so you won’t feel itchy, right?”
Song Qiuyu gritted her teeth.
“What’s that?” Xie Zhuran looked confused.
“Lao Lin, what do you say?”
Song Qiuyu looked at the other catgirl who would share the hardship with her. “Let me warn you—the makeup process is torturous!”
“But it’s all for filming a good short video, so I’m willing.”
Lin An adjusted his glasses and smiled.
Song Qiuyu was silent.
She suspected Lin An was trying to drag her into trouble, but his words made her waver.
This was all for the Second Bucket of Gold!
Jiang Xiao went to shower first. Song Qiuyu wanted to jump up and beat him to it but thought better of it and sat back down, letting him enter the bathroom.
For some reason, that little spot was still sticky…
This was the first time she had been forced to endure this long.
Sitting on the chair, she twisted her body uncomfortably, careful not to move too violently lest the other two roommates notice something was wrong.
She really wanted to take a shower soon.
Inside the bathroom, Jiang Xiao undressed and glanced at the camera, then looked at his solid back.
There were a few scattered, shallow marks left by tapping that hadn’t faded yet.
Those were the marks Song Qiuyu had left.
They throbbed faintly.
He lowered his eyes and silently recalled the moment.
After Jiang Xiao finished showering, Song Qiuyu grabbed her change of clothes and rushed into the bathroom without looking up.
Everyone could tell she was anxious.
So anxious that she didn’t even bother to take off her coat and pants outside.
After setting down her clothes, she quickly removed her coat and pants, placing them with her change of clothes.
When she started to pull down the black skirt, just the briefest glance at that wet patch made her face flush bright red and made it hard to breathe.