Cotton soaked in water, so soft it aches.
She raised her hand and slid it down along Xu Ruobing’s jet-black hair strands. Jiang Lai heard Xu Ruobing’s careful request, and her heart felt as if it had been gently brushed by a warm fingertip.
The delicate skin behind her ear tingled with a slight itching sensation. Her voice softened to something gentler than the morning light.
“I’ll obediently wait for you to come back…”
The person in her arms seemed soothed by these words. Her tense back slowly relaxed, and her breathing became calmer.
However, her arms around Jiang Lai’s waist didn’t loosen. Instead, they tightened further, as if afraid that if she let go, the warmth before her would drift away.
Jiang Lai could feel Xu Ruobing’s cheek pressed against her neck hollow. The fine, soft hair strands tickled her skin. She couldn’t help but let out a soft laugh.
Lowering her head, she pressed a kiss as light as a feather on the crown of Xu Ruobing’s head.
“Don’t be afraid. As long as you still think of me, as long as you want me by your side, I’ll always be by your side.”
“That’s exactly what I’m afraid of.”
Xu Ruobing’s voice was muffled, carrying a sleepy nasal tone and an unconcealable dependence.
“You have Chi Yingyu by your side. She can be with you every day.”
“But I can only talk to you through a phone. Sometimes I can’t even message you every day.”
These words made Jiang Lai’s nose tingle with emotion.
She raised her hands to cup Xu Ruobing’s face. Her fingertips gently brushed over the faint dark circles under her eyes. Those had been earned from days of filming, but part of the reason was also from going to bed so late yesterday.
She was so exhausted her eyes were red, yet here she was acting spoiled with her, afraid of being taken away by someone else.
Jiang Lai’s thumb gently traced circles under Xu Ruobing’s eyes. Her voice carried a coaxing tone.
“Don’t be afraid. I’ll be right here with you.”
She sighed and gently patted her back, as if coaxing a child to sleep.
“Now close your eyes and rest for a bit, okay? Just sleep for half an hour.”
“I’ll be right here with you. I won’t move, and I won’t run away.”
Xu Ruobing hesitated for a moment before nodding. She buried her face even deeper, her voice muffled.
“Then you can’t get up either. You have to stay right here with me.”
“I won’t get up. I’ll wait until you wake up, and then we’ll get up together.”
Jiang Lai responded softly. Her fingertips continued to glide gently along her back.
Xu Ruobing truly had been exhausted from yesterday. Before long, her breathing became long and deep, clearly sound asleep.
Jiang Lai lowered her head to look at her peaceful sleeping face. Her heart felt both soft and aching.
She was a celebrity who shone brilliantly in front of the camera, yet in front of her, she was as obedient as a little kitten. She needed to hold her even in sleep to feel secure.
She lay completely still, letting Xu Ruobing hold her. Her gaze fell on the morning light filtering through the gap in the curtains. She silently planned what to do in a little while.
After getting up, she’d take a shower first. Hopefully, they could massage each other’s waists.
Yesterday had been too intense. Jiang Lai could feel her body, especially her waist, was sore. It was all the result of Xu Ruobing’s doing.
Even though she hadn’t been as rough herself, Xu Ruobing must be tired too. When the time came, they could massage each other.
The afternoon flight was at 4:30. They needed to arrive at the airport two hours early, so they had to leave before 1:30.
But it was still early. Jiang Lai checked the time and saw there were still several hours left. She closed her eyes to rest as well.
After who knows how long, Xu Ruobing’s breathing shifted slightly. Her long eyelashes trembled, and she slowly opened her eyes.
She looked at Jiang Lai’s face, so close to hers, and froze for a few seconds before realizing she had accidentally fallen asleep.
Xu Ruobing had originally planned to just rest a little in Jiang Lai’s embrace and then get up. However, she hadn’t expected Jiang Lai’s embrace to be so comfortable that she couldn’t help falling asleep.
And Jiang Lai seemed to have drifted off into a dreamland as well.
Xu Ruobing looked at Jiang Lai’s sleeping profile. Her fingertips couldn’t help but lightly touch her eyelashes. The movement was as gentle as if afraid of disturbing a fragile dream.
Jiang Lai was awakened by the faint touch. Her eyelashes fluttered. When she opened her eyes, she met Xu Ruobing’s smiling gaze.
“You’re awake?”
Jiang Lai’s voice was still thick with sleep. She raised her hand and rubbed her eyes.
“Did you sleep enough? I saw you were sleeping pretty deeply just now.”
Xu Ruobing didn’t speak. She just leaned in and held her tighter, rubbing her chin against the crown of her head.
“I slept enough. With you by my side, I slept especially well.”
She paused, her voice lowering a little.
“It’s just that waking up and seeing you’re still here, this psychological satisfaction is even more comfortable.”
Jiang Lai’s heart felt as if it had been soaked in warm water, soft beyond measure.
She raised her arms to hug Xu Ruobing back. Her fingertips gently traced the skin of her back.
“Of course I’ll be by your side. Didn’t I say I’d wait for you to wake up and we’d get up together? How could I leave?”
She turned her head to look at the dark circles still obvious under Xu Ruobing’s eyes. She couldn’t help but sigh.
“Come on, let’s go wash up. In a bit, I’ll massage your waist, and you’ll massage mine too.”
“You were too intense yesterday. My waist is still sore.”
Xu Ruobing’s expression didn’t change at all. She even looked a little smug. However, there was a hint of shyness in her words as she nuzzled into Jiang Lai’s neck hollow.
“I’m sorry. I couldn’t control myself yesterday…”
“I’ll definitely massage you well in a bit. I promise I’ll make you feel good.”
The two of them dawdled as they got up and walked into the bathroom together.
Warm water flowed over their bodies. Jiang Lai leaned against the tiles, letting Xu Ruobing massage her waist.
Xu Ruobing’s pressure was very light. Her fingertips carried warmth, slowly easing the soreness in her muscles.
Jiang Lai let out a comfortable sigh. She reached back to wrap her arms around Xu Ruobing’s waist and pressed her face against her chest.
“Ruobing, once you finish filming, if you don’t have anything else going on or any other plans for Lunar New Year, do you want to spend it together with us?”
“Okay, whatever you say.”
Xu Ruobing smiled, lowered her head, and kissed her on the chin.
“By then, will your little home be able to fit that many people?”
“I think it should be able to fit that many.”
The two of them lingered affectionately in the bathroom for quite a while before coming out wrapped in bathrobes.
Jiang Lai handed the hair dryer to Xu Ruobing and asked her to blow-dry her hair.
Warm air swept over her hair strands. Xu Ruobing’s fingertips gently combed through her long hair, her movements tender.
Jiang Lai closed her eyes, listening to the hum of the hair dryer. Her heart was filled with a sense of security.
After her hair was done, they swapped positions.
When the blow-drying was finished, the two sat on the edge of the bed and began massaging each other’s waists.
Xu Ruobing’s palm pressed against Jiang Lai’s waist and abdomen, slowly kneading. She occasionally asked:
“Is it still sore here?”
“Is the pressure enough?”
Jiang Lai kept nodding in response, while her fingertips also gently traced circles on Xu Ruobing’s waist.
It was clearly meant to be a mutual massage. However, with such light movements, it felt more like they were unconsciously stirring up a reaction from each other.
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