Xiang Di was close to tears.
In those idol dramas, the female lead sits behind the male lead on his motorcycle, the breeze gently lifting her elegant hair and the hem of her skirt, tree shadows stretching softly, time itself seeming peaceful.
Why was her reality so miserable by comparison?
Luckily, Bo Jiangxin couldn’t see her expression now, or else he’d definitely be repulsed by her twisted grimace.
[In those erotic novels, the heroines who like getting spanked must have iron-bottomed butts, right?]
[Mom, I can’t take it anymore, my butt’s about to bounce right out! No, Xiang Di! You have to hold on! Or your entire life will be completely over!]
If it really came to that, she didn’t even want to take the college entrance exam.
She might as well just commit suicide right there in front of Bo Jiangxin.
If she couldn’t be his Goddess of White Moonlight for life, then she’d at least be his Shadow forever.
As she was darkly scheming how to make him remember her forever, the electric scooter braked sharply and came to a sudden stop.
Her butt finally got a brief moment of relief.
Like a survivor after a disaster, Xiang Di let out a grateful sigh and looked at the back of his head.
“What’s wrong?”
Bo Jiangxin said, “I need to use the restroom.”
“Huh?” Xiang Di looked around.
This small path was lined with old courtyards; she didn’t see any public restrooms. “Want me to check the map for nearby public restrooms?”
“Mm.”
Bo Jiangxin was already searching for a nearby restroom on his phone when Xiang Di suddenly remembered something. “By the way, do you mind using a public restroom?”
He hummed in response, and in his indifferent tone there was a kind of calm acceptance, as if he’d long since made peace with life and death: “If you were me, would you rather hold it in and die, or use the public restroom?”
It seemed he must have experienced this before.
Today, Xiang Di suddenly saw the very human side of Bo Jiangxin.
He really was suited to playing the deadpan black humor role.
Fortunately, the nearest public restroom was close, located on the main road.
They had to leave the small path first, which made Xiang Di secretly happy—great, now her poor butt could get some relief too.
When they arrived at the restroom entrance, Bo Jiangxin tried to lock the scooter, but Xiang Di said right away, “I’ll watch the scooter, you go ahead.”
Bo Jiangxin frowned instantly. “You’re not coming in?”
“Nope.”
Bo Jiangxin’s lips twitched. He was totally defeated.
If she wasn’t going to come in, why had she been screaming about wanting to die earlier? She nearly scared him to death.
So he hurried to find a restroom.
Now that they’d found one, she still refused to go in.
At this point, Bo Jiangxin had no choice but to steel himself and enter alone.
Actually, public restrooms nowadays were getting better and better. Inside was very clean, with the smell of disinfectant nearly as strong as a hospital’s.
Still, Bo Jiangxin wrinkled his nose in disgust and only barely used the sink to wash his hands.
While drying them, he glanced at himself in the mirror, his expression complicated.
Thanks to someone, he could now even bring himself to enter a public restroom. What else was impossible?
Not just the restroom—there were so many things. In the past, Bo Jiangxin wouldn’t have even entertained the thought of something like this. Just take the clumsy excuse she’d given to ask him to take her to the bookstore. Before, he wouldn’t have agreed, not even with a glance.
If it were the old Bo Jiangxin, he wouldn’t have left the house for those few cream puffs today.
But he wanted to hear all the silly little things she fussed about in her mind—though crude, they were oddly endearing in their blunt honesty.
Maybe his life had been too quiet and dull before.
Bo Jiangxin recalled his immature antics that made her laugh like a little elementary school boy, and his lips involuntarily curved upward at the memory.
Facing the mirror, Bo Jiangxin quickly noticed the smile tugging at his lips.
His brow twitched unnaturally; he cleared his throat and forced it down.
He washed his hands again and finally came out of the restroom.
Xiang Di and the scooter were still where they’d left them, waiting obediently.
The weather was nice today, and the wind hadn’t stopped. Xiang Di took off her helmet for a moment, and her long hair was lifted by the breeze. At school, she usually tied her hair up, exposing a perfectly rounded head, so Bo Jiangxin had never realized just how long her hair really was.
Xiang Di hadn’t noticed he had returned.
Standing next to his scooter, she lowered her head, fiddling with something—sometimes touching the handlebars, sometimes adjusting the rearview mirror, occasionally flipping her hair in the mirror.
All these little actions were quietly registered by Bo Jiangxin. He took a few steps closer but then stopped, silently watching her.
Until Xiang Di, tempting fate, pressed the seat, and the scooter blared an ear-piercing alarm.
She jumped, her whole body jolting, and then saw Bo Jiangxin stepping out of the restroom.
He came over and turned off the alarm. Watching her nervous laugh, he asked calmly, “Had enough fun with my scooter?”
Xiang Di whispered, “Enough.”
“Enough? Then let’s go,” Bo Jiangxin said. “Get on.”
Xiang Di put her helmet back on, bracing herself for the continued torment of her backside. But after sitting down, Bo Jiangxin didn’t take the small path back.
She exclaimed, “You’re not taking the small path?”
“Nope.”
Bo Jiangxin said, “The main road is easier.”
Awesome! Xiang Di fought the urge to cheer, pretending to be calm: “I think so too.”
But she quickly grew conflicted again—now that they were on the main road, should she still cling to him?
Before she could decide, Bo Jiangxin took the initiative. “Just lean on me.”
Xiang Di’s eyes widened. He added, “You kept bumping into me earlier, it hurt a bit.”
So it was just that he didn’t want to be knocked like a bell. She almost misread the situation.
Xiang Di gave an awkward smile. “It’s fine. The main road isn’t that steep; I won’t bump into you again.”
“Not necessarily,” Bo Jiangxin said in an unyielding tone. “If a rock suddenly pops up, I’ll have to take you to the hospital. Hold on tight, lean on me.”
Riding a scooter and suddenly pulling the domineering CEO routine.
If it were anyone else, Xiang Di would probably make a snarky comment. But since it was Bo Jiangxin, she liked it very much.
She obediently leaned against him.
Feeling a soft body carefully press against his back, Bo Jiangxin suddenly felt a powerless relief wash over him.
If only they’d done this earlier, how much suffering could they have avoided? He wouldn’t have to listen to her thoughts in poor signal anymore.
Being able to press against Bo Jiangxin like this—and on a smooth main road—made Xiang Di’s aching butt feel much better. Her heartbeat quickened with excitement, but along with happiness came new worries.
Her mind was never at rest. She grumbled inside.
[Ah, I forgot to put on that perfume for attracting men. What a miscalculation—really bad.]
Bo Jiangxin:
Perfume for attracting men?
Was she trying to seduce him with perfume?
And if she hadn’t sprayed any, then what was the sweet scent she was wearing?
[Forgetting perfume is one thing, but if I’d known we’d be riding on my husband’s scooter and getting this close, I should’ve dressed lighter. Wearing all these layers, my chest’s completely hidden—and it’s not even that big to begin with…]
[Now he definitely can’t feel my chest. How unfair! I’m missing out on another great chance to make his heart flutter!]
If she hadn’t thought about it this way, Bo Jiangxin wouldn’t have noticed. But since she did, he couldn’t help but feel the soft warmth pressing against his rigid spine.
His back was pressed against two soft mounds, the pressure clearly perceptible.
Bo Jiangxin didn’t have time to ponder whether it was uncomfortable for her; he just felt awkward.
His throat itched, and he subconsciously gripped the handlebars a little tighter.
The scooter, which had been going straight down the lane, suddenly swerved slightly. Luckily, Xiang Di was holding onto him and didn’t wobble.
But her body still leaned to one side due to inertia. To avoid affecting Bo Jiangxin, she hurriedly shifted back to the center to keep the scooter balanced.
Those two soft mounds brushed along his back again, then settled back into place.
Bo Jiangxin’s hand tensed again.
Damn it.
The culprit was completely unaware, clueless about how provocative her action had been. She was still blankly wondering how to make Bo Jiangxin notice her feminine charm.
After thinking for a long time, Xiang Di realized for this high and cold Bo Jiangxin—this flower on a distant mountain peak—no matter what she did, he probably wouldn’t react. Even if she stripped naked in front of him, he’d likely just call the police to report an exhibitionist.
[Forget it. If he’s not interested in you, no matter how little you wear, it won’t matter.]
[Xiang Di, get a grip. Even if you’d woken up at seven this morning, showered, put on light makeup, oiled every strand of hair, and had Little Aunt help you pick out this outfit last night hoping to impress him, his gaze today is no different from looking at a telephone pole by the roadside.]
Thinking that all her efforts had earned no positive recognition, Xiang Di grew angry again—angry at Bo Jiangxin’s aloofness, at his failure to appreciate her beauty.
She cared about him so much.
For him, she even wore expensive Day-use Contact Lenses today—day-use! Very costly!—just to see him once!
[Bo Jiangxin, you clueless straight man.]
[Since you don’t appreciate it, I won’t bother studying makeup and fashion for you anymore.]
“…”
Bo Jiangxin spoke up. “Xiang Di.”
Xiang Di replied with an innocent, clueless tone, “Huh?”
“…Where did you buy that skirt?”
“Huh? Skirt?” Xiang Di looked down. “I bought it online.”
Bo Jiangxin said, “It looks nice.”
Now she should feel reassured that she wasn’t just a telephone pole to him. After all, telephone poles didn’t wear skirts.
But Bo Jiangxin still underestimated Xiang Di’s extraordinary thought process.
[Why did he suddenly ask about my skirt?]
[Oh my god, could he be some kind of cross-dressing enthusiast?! Did he want to ask me for the link to buy the skirt so he could wear it himself?!]
[What do I do? Although my husband’s face does look good whether male or female, I really can’t accept this.]
Bo Jiangxin:
I shouldn’t have complimented.
He’d never compliment her again. Never.
Coming to the bookstore to buy books was just a casual excuse Xiang Di made to spend a little more time with Bo Jiangxin.
At the bookstore, Bo Jiangxin asked what she wanted to buy, and she stammered naturally.
“Um… what’s that book called? I suddenly forgot. Let me think about it carefully…”
To maintain the image of a book-loving, serious reader, Xiang Di randomly picked a mythology novel she had no intention of reading.
And she bought it at full price.
The book was thick, a special anniversary hardcover edition, with luxurious binding and page design. Naturally, it was expensive too.
At checkout, Xiang Di’s heart ached.
Since she’d bought it, she had no choice but to bite the bullet and pretend she’d gotten the book she liked.
On the way back, leaning on Bo Jiangxin’s back, she was still thinking about the book.
With that money, she could have bought a discounted copy online, or just picked any novel she could actually read.
If lucky, she might even find one with the author’s autograph.
A hundred-some yuan could feed her at the School Cafeteria for a whole week.
She was just full and bored, trying to impress Bo Jiangxin.
[The worst part is that I tried to act all cultured but failed, and he didn’t even look at me differently because I bought a fancy book. Hmph, I thought we could have an intellectual debate or something…]
Her tone was part grievance, part disappointment—resentful of wasting money, blaming him for not understanding her sincere efforts.
Bo Jiangxin didn’t know if she’d ever heard the saying “A clever housewife can’t cook without rice.” She’d bought a book she hadn’t even read. How was he supposed to discuss it with her?
Bo Jiangxin had finally figured out what kind of person this groundhog really was.
She was definitely flirtatious, but all show and no courage. She was clever but foolish at heart.
Seeing her complaints grow louder inside, Bo Jiangxin said, “Have you ever read Cthulhu?”
“Huh?”
Xiang Di’s tone instantly brightened. “Of course I have! I’ve always been interested in that kind of thing.”
[…Cthulhu is what?]
Bo Jiangxin: “You really like Cthulhu?”
“Yeah. Cthulhu’s writing style is pretty good, very deep.”
[Hehe, what a clever answer.]
That silly girl actually thought Cthulhu was a person.
Bo Jiangxin calmly asked, “Which books of Cthulhu have you read?”
Xiang Di: “Many. Maybe because I read so many of his novels, I don’t even know which one to name first.”
Books?
[Stand up everyone! Applaud me!]
If the conversation went any further, she’d slip up. Bo Jiangxin changed the subject: “Besides Cthulhu, what else do you like to read?”
“A lot,” Xiang Di rattled off some highbrow titles, mostly extracurricular reading assigned by her Chinese teacher.
Of course, she was uninterested in those books herself.
Bo Jiangxin said calmly, “So you like these types of books?”
“Yeah, I like books with some depth.”
And she silently added: [Exactly, I love books where the male lead deeply penetrates the female lead during sex—books with deep do.]
Xiang Di then said proactively, “I also like some art books.”
Bo Jiangxin:
The Art of Love-making, right?
As expected, the next moment she thought silently: [Like the Art of Love-making.]
Bo Jiangxin: “…”
Habits are truly frightening. By now, he could predict her thoughts.
Finally dropping off this yellow intellectual at her home, Bo Jiangxin said, “You’re home.”
“Oh, okay.”
Xiang Di thought she’d played the intellectual persona well.
After getting off the scooter, she even took the initiative: “If you have any books you like, you can recommend them to me.”
Seeing her so serious about asking for book recommendations, Bo Jiangxin suddenly smirked.
Sometimes he really wondered when she’d finally have the courage to say what she truly thought.
“What kind of books do you want me to recommend?”
Before Xiang Di could answer, he added, “Deep books?”
Just as she nodded, he asked, “How deep?”
Leaning his arm casually on the scooter’s front, Bo Jiangxin propped his chin and stared at her with cold, indifferent black eyes.
He asked softly, “Deep enough to the stomach—is that deep enough?”
Uh?
Xiang Di blinked.
Bo Jiangxin watched her silently, as if waiting for her to reply. Her heart raced.
She felt that being teased by someone you like was completely different from being teased by someone you didn’t.
Now she was really moved, but afraid it was just wishful thinking.
Had all those erotic novels finally messed up her brain?
Impossible.
Absolutely impossible.
Even if the universe exploded and humanity was wiped out, her pure jasmine flower in her heart—Bo Jiangxin—would never be dirty-minded.
Yeah, definitely not! She wanted to believe in Bo Jiangxin’s integrity!
So she gave him an innocent, upright look and said, “Of course, the deeper the better. Deep enough to the stomach is fine by me.”
Bo Jiangxin’s face froze, then he coughed heavily.
And he just couldn’t stop coughing, his ears turning red.
Xiang Di looked concerned, asking if he’d caught a cold, while secretly wondering if this delicate, beautiful husband could ever be good in bed.