When Jiang Lai’s arm wrapped around Shen Ruxue’s shoulders, her palm first touched the cool fabric of her shirt, then felt the subtle warmth hidden in her body.
Shen Ruxue’s back stiffened almost imperceptibly. Her fingertips paused over the keyboard for half a second before she slowly withdrew her hand and gently placed it over Jiang Lai’s hand, which was clasped in front of her stomach.
“How come so sudden? Hugging me out of nowhere, you scared me…”
Shen Ruxue’s voice carried a hint of surprise. She could feel the heat radiating from the person behind her—whether it was because Jiang Lai had just crawled out from under the covers or because she naturally ran hot.
Wrapped in that warmth, Shen Ruxue felt like a cotton silk flower soaked in warm water, so soft it made her heart tremble.
She turned her head, her hair brushing against Jiang Lai’s cheek, carrying a faint scent like grass after rain. Jiang Lai couldn’t help nuzzling into the hollow of her neck, her nose against Shen Ruxue’s collarbone, her voice muffled in the fabric.
“It’s warmer this way. Your shoulders were really cold and stiff just now—aren’t you feeling it? You don’t even turn on the AC in this room, and you don’t wrap yourself in a blanket. It’s still cold at night, you know?”
Hearing Jiang Lai’s concern, Shen Ruxue let out a low laugh. The vibration of her chest traveled through her back into Jiang Lai’s arms, like pebbles dropping into a lake, rippling into soft circles.
She raised her hand, her fingertips lightly tracing the back of Jiang Lai’s hand, sliding from knuckles to wrist and back to her palm, moving as slowly as if she were tracing a precious treasure.
“I know, but I’m really not cold. I just want to finish this quickly and come back to you.”
“Then you have to take care of yourself…”
Jiang Lai gently bit her collar, her tone carrying a playful seriousness.
“Even now that I’m here, you’re still neglecting yourself. Before you had me… how did you get by?”
As she spoke, she tightened her arms slightly, pressing her warmth closer to Shen Ruxue.
“Holding you like this, do you feel warmer? Do you feel more motivated?”
Shen Ruxue didn’t argue anymore. She just nodded gently, resting her chin on Jiang Lai’s arm, and closed her eyes for a while.
Being held tightly in Jiang Lai’s arms made her happy. All her fatigue vanished, and even a thought arose that shouldn’t exist in this situation.
But if she abandoned her work and indulged herself with Jiang Lai now, it would delay some things…
Shen Ruxue loved Jiang Lai very much, but in this situation, she really couldn’t do as she pleased and focus on her own matters.
The cold light of the screen was still on, and the dense text of the document remained on the screen in front of her, but Shen Ruxue had lost all interest in looking at the files.
It seemed she shouldn’t push herself too hard on this front. She should take it slow for now.
After a while, Jiang Lai felt Shen Ruxue’s breathing slow down, and she asked softly:
“Do you want to lean back for a bit? Can you read these files tomorrow? If you can, let’s rest for today, okay?”
Shen Ruxue slowly opened her eyes, turned her head to look at her, a layer of lingering fatigue still in her eyes.
She raised her hand, her fingertips lightly brushing the strands of Jiang Lai’s hair that hung over her chest, tucking that mischievous lock behind her ear. Her fingertips accidentally brushed Jiang Lai’s earlobe.
“These documents are quite important, I need to finish them right away. Mainly, I’m afraid that if I actively lean into you, I won’t want to get up, and then I might delay some things…”
Shen Ruxue’s fingertips paused on Jiang Lai’s earlobe, gently pinching it, her tone incredibly soft.
“Go to sleep quickly. When I’m done with this, I’ll come back to keep you company, okay?”
She was afraid Jiang Lai would worry, so she added:
“It’ll be really quick, I’m not lying. I’ll come back to you once I finish reading.”
Jiang Lai shook her head, instead nuzzling deeper into her arms like a clingy kitten, pressing her face into the hollow of her neck, her voice soft and sticky.
“Then can I stay here with you? I just want to hold you and wait. You do your work, I won’t bother you.”
As she spoke, she gently adjusted her position so Shen Ruxue could lean more comfortably into her arms, and pushed the warm water on the table closer to her hand.
“If you’re thirsty, drink some water. I can hold it for you too. About the company, I don’t know how to help you, but at least in daily life, I hope you can trust me. I want to be with you, to do my part, so you know you have me by your side—you’re not alone.”
Shen Ruxue looked at her earnest expression, her heart soaking in warm water, melting into a mess.
Shen Ruxue’s fingertips lingered on Jiang Lai’s earlobe for a long time, until the skin there grew a little warm. Only then did she slowly withdraw her hand and place it back on the keyboard.
But this time, when her fingertips touched the cold keys, they lacked their earlier crispness, carrying instead a hint of hesitation.
Jiang Lai’s breath fell on her neck, warm and a little sweet, curling around her like vines, scattering all her attention.
“Okay…”
She finally relented, her voice as soft as the moonlight outside the window.
“Then you hold me obediently, don’t move, and I’ll finish as quickly as I can.”
Jiang Lai immediately curved her lips, burying her face deeper into her neck, her nose brushing against the buttons of her shirt collar, her voice muffled.
“I won’t move. I’ll be like a little body pillow.”
After a little while, Jiang Lai suddenly realized something. She pulled away from behind Shen Ruxue and walked out of the study, as if looking for something.
When Jiang Lai came back, she had a very soft blanket draped over herself.
Before Shen Ruxue could say anything, Jiang Lai opened the blanket and wrapped it entirely around Shen Ruxue from behind.
The action was like opening a big mouth from behind and swallowing Shen Ruxue whole.
“This way it’s warmer…”
As she spoke, she also gently adjusted her arm position so Shen Ruxue’s back could rest more solidly against her chest, her palm unconsciously stroking the curve of her waist under her shirt.
The study grew quiet again, leaving only the soft “tap-tap” of the keyboard and the intertwining breaths of the two.
Jiang Lai didn’t speak again. She just kept her eyes open, watching Shen Ruxue, watching her every move, quietly keeping her company.
When Shen Ruxue wanted to reach for the cup to drink, Jiang Lai was quicker. She quickly picked it up and brought it to Shen Ruxue’s lips.
As the warm water slid into Shen Ruxue’s mouth along the rim of the cup, she could clearly feel that Jiang Lai’s hand supporting the bottom of the cup was steady.
She sipped in small sips, her gaze passing over the rim of the cup to look at the person behind her.
Jiang Lai was looking down, her eyelashes gently trembling, focused on the cup, afraid that water might spill and splash onto Shen Ruxue.
But although Jiang Lai’s hands were steady, Shen Ruxue was drinking with absolute inattention, because her mind was entirely on Jiang Lai.
It even got to the point where she forgot to swallow, letting water flow out from the corner of her mouth and even drip down to her chin.
“I’m sorry, I didn’t feed you well.”
Jiang Lai’s voice was soft. Seeing Shen Ruxue with water all over her mouth, she started looking for a tissue, but found that there wasn’t one on the table.
Thinking of going out to get one, but seeing the water about to drip from the corner of Shen Ruxue’s mouth, she directly brought her mouth over and licked the water droplets spilling from Shen Ruxue’s lips into her own mouth.
No tissue? Then I’ll just lick it clean!
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