Chapter 39: Who wouldn

Su Manyao's eyes widened; her delicate body, acting on self‑protective instinct, froze.

After a few seconds, Su Manyao, having reacted, grabbed and pushed wildly with both hands.

She grabbed and pushed, really using her little fists.

She played until she was exhausted and then fell silent.

Her busy hands finally settled, slowly encircling.

Gradually, her long fingernails pressed into Jiang Cheng's neck and shoulder, sinking the skin in.

After an unknown time, Jiang Cheng suddenly rose and gasped for breath.

He almost suffocated.

He looked up at the older sister; her cheeks were flushed, her expression calm.

Her icy‑beautiful eyes, like mist rising on a lake after rain, remained hazy yet cold as she gazed at Jiang Cheng and said calmly, "Again."

Jiang Cheng, who had already suffered a loss and was about to retreat, wiped his mouth and instantly felt indignant! Bring it on! Who's afraid of whom?

Five minutes later, when the hand that had climbed the peak gripped the steep surface and gradually increased its force, only to be seized by the other hand, Jiang Cheng then used a little trick and escaped completely.

This time the older sister didn't say "again"; another two minutes passed.

"Can this be medicated?" Jiang Cheng asked, looking at the older sister's slightly swollen lips.

The older sister stared at him with wide eyes.

Jiang Cheng pressed his lips, feeling guilty and dare not speak.

He didn't know Su Manyao was so delicate and tender, as if a breath could break her.

But others also said she was that fragile.

He hadn't blown or bitten her; he had only sucked a few times and nibbled a few times.

How did it get swollen?

Su Manyao withdrew her gaze, continuing to look at the makeup mirror in her hand; the aloof older sister now wore a look of grievance.

She extended a slender finger, lightly touching the swollen lips, and furrowed her brows as she drew in a cool breath.

Jiang Cheng, sitting beside her, twitched.

Yet what surprised Jiang Cheng was that the older sister, who had suddenly become as aloof as an un‑erupted volcano, did not erupt—she did not lose her temper at him.

She merely put the mirror away, stared blankly for two minutes, then turned to Jiang Cheng and said, "Go buy me a bottle of ice water."

Jiang Cheng stood frozen, not reacting at once—why did the older sister suddenly want ice water?

Shouldn't we be discussing the swelling issue now?

The older sister extended her foot, stepped on his chest and pushed, saying, "Hurry up and go!"

"If the icing is delayed, it'll get worse—I'll make you regret it!"

After saying that, the older sister felt the words were wrong.

"Having been eaten by him isn't enough, and now you want me to let you get away with it? No way!"

But the words were already spoken; the older sister's eyes merely flickered, then returned to their sword‑sharp coldness.

Jiang Cheng finally understood—it was about icing!

"All right, wait a moment—I'll be right back," Jiang Cheng said.

As he turned, Su Manyao said, "Wait a moment—don't get smug; wait until I'm better, then come again!"

Her voice was calm yet icy; combined with her unique older‑sister tone, it was like Daji angry but composed, calmly delivering harsh words to someone.

Jiang Cheng found it hard to respond; he just wiped his mouth and turned to leave.

Seeing Jiang Cheng's silhouette disappear into the room and the door shut, the formerly composed older sister suddenly clenched her fists into tiny ones, crying, "I'm dead, I'm dead."

Then she covered her face with both hands, burying her head in her knees, wondering what she was thinking.

Jiang Cheng went downstairs and, as soon as he reached the bottom, ran into Su Peng wearing slippers and sleep pants.

"Hey? Old Jiang, why are you coming out of the dorm, and what's making you smile so happily?" Su Peng pulled Jiang Cheng aside.

Then he seriously examined Jiang Cheng's mouth and said, "You little rascal, you've already got some?"

"Am I happy?"

"No words—you can tell from my face? Maybe I really am happy." Jiang Cheng waved his hand, keeping a low profile.

Then Su Peng suddenly thought of something, stared wide‑eyed in disbelief, and said, "You wouldn't have sneaked into a girl's room here, would you?"

Jiang Cheng replied, "No, I just came back to get something."

After saying that, as he brushed past Su Peng, he patted Su Peng's shoulder and gave him a calming pill.

"It's not easy to get out together—let's try not to come back tonight." Su Peng, holding a newly bought ice cream, said while watching Jiang Cheng's back.

Jiang Cheng didn't turn back; he raised his hand and made an OK sign.

"OJBK, deceiving my brother—Jiang Cheng has confidence!"

At the store entrance, he saw again the young woman who had bought floral water earlier; she held the floral water, one side outside the store not far away, the other side being bitten by mosquitoes as she applied it.

Seeing Jiang Cheng approach, the young woman's eyes lit up.

Seeing Jiang Cheng this time alone, without Lijianmin beside him, the young woman called out, "Handsome guy, I got bitten on the back of my thigh and can't reach it—can you help me?"

"Sorry, I can't apply it." Jiang Cheng waved his hand and walked straight past the young woman toward the store.

He remembered this young woman—just a moment ago she had been scolding Lijianming, crying like a street kid.

"I don't play with rude people!" Jiang Cheng walked into the store with an unconscious smile on his lips.

…

The next morning, early at 8:30, someone knocked hard on Jiang Cheng and his roommates' door—bang bang bang!

It only took a few knocks to wake the four people inside the room!

"Hurry up, wake up, get up!"

"Everyone's up, eat breakfast!"

Outside the door was a noisy clamor, not knowing who was shouting, the voice was truly harsh and grating! Jiang Cheng thought, if the kid shouting outside were made to do wake‑up service, that kid could make a name for himself and return home in glory!

After Jiang Cheng got up, outside there were no shortage of mournful wails filling the road, and all kinds of friendly greetings! But amazingly, everyone ended up present, having breakfast together in the mountain villa's dining hall.

They were eating rice noodles, one bowl each, even the slim young ladies were devouring it with gusto! Perhaps this is the effect of the atmosphere.

At nine o'clock they set off and boarded the ship; two white sightseeing passenger boats, each three decks and not very large, were prepared.

Sightseeing the lake!

The passenger ship set off; on a round trip, it actually passed through a small mountain gorge.

The scenery was fine, but Jiang Cheng had no interest, because it couldn't compare to that slightly swollen delicate beauty, nor to the lofty peak he had climbed! He merely stood by the railing chatting with the Music Department girls, gazing at the outside mountain scenery; Su Manyao, from boarding to disembarking, kept her gaze as if deliberately avoiding Jiang Cheng; even when Jiang Cheng walked up to her, she would glance aside.

The more this happened, the more Jiang Cheng acted calm and composed!

As for Yujie's personality, he had finally figured some of it out; he wanted Yujie to act like an ordinary girl—when unhappy, act cute; when happy, be playful and mischievous—but that was basically impossible.

Moreover, getting along with Yujie offered a kind of fun that ordinary people don't have; it was a game of subtle give‑and‑take.

For example, last night.

After the fact, Jiang Cheng thought it over and dared to swear: when he first entered Yujie's room, if her sitting posture wasn't intentional, he'd dare make Su Peng eat shit! But why did he only realize it later? At the time, who wouldn't be dazed by that? (End of chapter)