CA | Chapter 10

◎Light Smoke.◎

“So you ran out because you were afraid of getting a tooth pulled?”

Zhou Yuyaun stared at Ning Jia, who was covering half her face, and suddenly realized that even someone as rational and clearheaded as her could be afraid of something.

Ning Jia was terribly afraid of tooth extractions. Besides, after one, she wouldn’t be able to eat anything and would only be able to drink soup. Just thinking about it scared her.

Zhou Yuyaun reminded her, “As far as I know, they can’t pull it while it’s swollen. You have to wait until the swelling goes down.”

Ning Jia finally reacted too, and said in annoyance, “I actually forgot about that.”

So Shen Yicheng had just been scaring her. That was way too cruel. She had not even dared to eat breakfast before running out, and now she had already been sitting in the dessert shop until noon.

She did not know whether Shen Yicheng was still asleep. He messaged her: 【Come back for lunch】

Zhou Yuyaun nudged her with an elbow. “Hey, the Shen family is one of those low-key old aristocratic families. Is your uncle really rich? Will he support you a lot?”

Compared with Zhou Yuyaun, who opened her mouth and food came to her, Shen Yicheng was clearly much more suited to sheltering a spoiled little thing like Ning Jia.

Ning Jia said, “I’ve never seen how much money he has, and I’ve never seen what he looks like when he’s working.”

“Does Second Young Master Shen even need to work? I heard my dad say he’s the kind of rich second generation everyone envies, the idle prince type, who can still get money without doing anything.”

Ning Jia certainly knew his position. Back then, Grandma nearly lost her life giving birth to him. He had been the apple of the entire family’s eye, but precisely because he was the second son, with his perfect older brother holding up the whole family like some six-sided all-round ace, he could only remain carefree and idle. The Shen family was not some vast and towering clan, so they only needed one person to hold down the fundamentals. The hidden assets had long since been transferred into other names, with more powerful executives handling them. There was no need for the Shen family to show up at all. Which emperor would personally inspect a county magistrate’s work?

In Ning Jia’s impression, Shen Yicheng was all about eating, drinking, and having fun, especially when it came to jade, which he took very seriously. Second Young Master Shen had always been seen by everyone as a suave and idle man, so Ning Jia had thought the same. After spending time with him, she realized he was more than idle enough, but not nearly suave enough. Of course, Shen Yicheng lied through his teeth, so who knew whether he had really never tangled with women? Ning Jia was not worthy of knowing those things anyway.

If she had not still been feeling awful last night, it would have been nice to go see how he worked. That way, she would not spend every evening being curious about where he went, and when he did not come home at night, worrying herself into sleeplessness.

Just as Ning Jia was thinking about him, someone knocked on the window.

Both of them turned to look. It was Shen Yicheng, wearing a shirt.

Zhou Yuyaun immediately looked at Ning Jia. Ning Jia stood up, set down her drink, and hurriedly said goodbye to Zhou Yuyaun. As she was leaving and their shoulders brushed past each other, Zhou Yuyaun said with obvious excitement, “He’s so handsome!”

“You little fangirl,” Ning Jia scolded her. When she walked over to Shen Yicheng and was enveloped by the scent of sandalwood around him, she still inevitably and mundanely fell into his eyes.

His pupils looked as clear as amber under the sun. He was truly breathtaking.

“I just happened to pass by and saw you,” Shen Yicheng said, glancing at Zhou Yuyaun. “Your friend, come along?”

Ning Jia was surprised. “Come along where?”

“Home for lunch.”

What was interesting was that Ning Jia was Shen Second Young Master’s guest, and a guest bringing another guest, how could that be called going home? At that moment, Ning Jia felt as if her whole body had been scorched by the sun. Her eyes brightened. “Really?”

“Yes.”

Of course Zhou Yuyaun would not go. After she declined, her driver picked her up and left. Ning Jia was very happy, and when Shen Yicheng passed Tiffany and bought her a rose-gold *smile* bracelet, she was even happier.

She put it on her wrist, even though she already owned several classic pieces like this one.

Only after they got in the car did Shen Yicheng laugh at her. “You didn’t want a tooth pulled, so you ran to the mall to hide? What were you thinking?”

Ning Jia did not want to talk. She fiddled with her new bracelet. Shen Yicheng said, “We’ll pull it in two weeks.”

“I’m fine with the extraction. I just don’t want to go by myself.”

“Your friend couldn’t go with you?”

Ning Jia said, “She faints at the sight of blood.”

“It’s not her getting the tooth pulled.” Shen Yicheng glanced at her. “You have to have me keep you company? What about Auntie Zhang?”

“If you don’t keep me company, then I won’t get it pulled.”

“It sounds like I’m the one hurting you,” Shen Yicheng said lightly. “Too clingy.”

Ning Jia asked him, “You don’t like clingy people?”

Red light.

He stopped the car and looked at her, then opened the window and lit a cigarette. The white smoke was dragged away by the air outside the car. Ning Jia heard him say, “I like obedient ones.”

Ning Jia shot back, “Aren’t I obedient enough?”

“You only know how to get on people’s nerves.”

His profile carried an untouchable kind of sanctity, and even the white cigarette between his lips did not seem out of place. Ning Jia opened her mouth, not knowing how to argue back. After a moment of silence, she said, “Keep me company, okay?”

They had only been here a short while, and she was already becoming spoiled. Shen Yicheng pinched out the cigarette halfway through. Ning Jia looked at the house drawing closer. When he stopped the car, she got out of the passenger seat, and as she opened the door, Shen Yicheng said, “I’m not eating at home.”

No wonder he had been wandering around outside and buying her gifts. So he could not eat with her at home.

“Then you should have brought me back,” Ning Jia said unhappily, standing by the car door and holding the edge. “I could have spent the whole day playing with Yuanyuan.”

“Don’t eat something bad outside. Auntie Zhang already made your food.”

Ning Jia deflated. She could not refuse Auntie Zhang’s kindness, but she did not want to give Shen Yicheng any face anymore. She shut the car door, did not even say goodbye, and went inside.

After hearing that she had a toothache, Auntie Zhang made her everything soft and easy to digest. Ning Jia thanked her, ate her fill, and went upstairs to sleep. By the time Shen Yicheng came back, it was already eleven o’clock. He was still carrying the smell of alcohol all over him. Ning Jia thought he was probably a reincarnation of Li Bai, needing wine to liven things up and being unable to function without it.

He sat watching a movie. Ning Jia had slept in the afternoon and was no longer sleepy at night. Add the toothache to that, and she went downstairs to watch him, sitting by his leg like a cat he kept.

Shen Yicheng patted the top of her head. Ning Jia rested her head on his leg and asked what he was watching.

He liked old movies, mostly artistic and even obscure ones. Shen Yicheng liked to light a cigarette at times like this, sipping a small glass of wine and occasionally drifting off on the sofa. Now that Ning Jia had come, he no longer treated himself as alone. He put away the cigarettes and wine and answered her question.

His palm slipped downward, and Ning Jia nestled into his hand, rubbing her swollen, painful cheek against it. Shen Yicheng stroked her face and chin, and Ning Jia placed his hand against her lips.

At first he could still tolerate it. In the end, he could not stand it anymore and tapped her swollen tooth with his fingertip. Ning Jia sucked in a breath of cold air and looked at him with grievance.

He urged her, “Go to sleep.”

Ning Jia leaned against him, clearly not wanting to sleep.

Then she suddenly asked, “Have you been nice to me lately because I don’t feel well?”

Shen Yicheng was silent, taking that as an admission.

“Then I want to be sick every day.”

“Then it wouldn’t be special,” Shen Yicheng said. “Only things that happen occasionally are special.”

His answer was watertight.

Ning Jia accepted that explanation. She raised her hand, wanting him to carry her, but Shen Yicheng used his foot to nudge her calf and urged her to leave quickly. Ning Jia was not happy. By the time she had steadied herself, he was already impatiently taking out a cigarette.

Ning Jia was starting to get angry, but this was Shen Yicheng’s house. Who was she to manage whether Second Young Master smoked?

She glanced at him. Shen Yicheng felt the resentment packed into her obsidian-black eyes, so he took the slightly damp cigarette out of his mouth. Ning Jia snatched it away and went straight upstairs.

She locked the door from the inside, found a lighter on the bedside table, then sat on the balcony and bit the cigarette between her lips. As the flame passed over it, the faint smell of tobacco rose. Only then did Ning Jia understand why this person could smoke and drink without restraint and still keep that sandalwood scent all over him.

The smoke was very light. Ning Jia thought it tasted a bit like the fruit-flavored cigarettes she usually smoked. Shen Yicheng probably smoked this kind of cigarette too, just to have something to hold in his mouth, not for the pleasure tobacco brought.

She spread out a book, one she had bought while traveling abroad. Ning Jia only had one hobby when she traveled, buying books locally as souvenirs. And she happened to have a gift for languages, so she could understand all of Shen Yicheng’s obscene movies.

She read with full concentration. The cigarette seemed to ease the pain in her tooth somewhat, and she did not notice Shen Yicheng downstairs at all.

He went out to lock the gate and looked up, only to see Ning Jia wearing a white silk slip dress, her legs propped on the footstool, leaning in the rocking chair as she smoked and read. She looked exactly like a wealthy matron from the Republican era.

Shen Yicheng locked the gate and went back inside to shower. When he came out and was about to pour himself a glass of water, he unconsciously took a few steps toward her.

Ning Jia had not closed the door. Neither had the balcony.

That night, a light rain had fallen, and the air was cool. She was sleeping soundly on the bed, the breeze brushing her forehead. Shen Yicheng knew she hated the heat, so he did not dare turn on the air conditioner, but if she kept sleeping with the windows open like this, she would catch a cold tomorrow.

So he closed the window. Ning Jia woke instantly. She tried hard to make out who it was, and Shen Yicheng said, “It’s me. Sleep.”

Ning Jia relaxed, hugged a pillow, and looked at him sleepily. Before leaving, Shen Yicheng reached out to touch her hair. Ning Jia caught his thumb, and Shen Yicheng sat down on the edge of the bed. She was living quite freely now. The room was filled with the rose incense she liked, and on the bedside table sat her usual skincare products and perfume, including that German book that was a little bigger than a palm.

Ning Jia pressed against the back of his hand. This time, she did not open her hand with such righteous confidence. Shen Yicheng had been in contact with plenty of women, but there were none who could get close to him like Ning Jia did. So when he sensed the subtle meanings in her body language and gaze, he still felt surprised.

She wanted him to hold her.

Hold her, stay close to her, and do the thing she liked most, letting her suck and toy with his fingers. The kind of intimacy little girls liked, which was less like mature affection and more like Ning Jia was asking something from family.

Shen Yicheng bent down. The resentment Ning Jia had just been holding in immediately vanished. She wrapped her arms around his neck, and Shen Yicheng came down beside her. The swollen pain on Ning Jia’s cheek made it clear this was not a dream.

She leaned against his shoulder, held his wrist, and chose one finger she liked to put in her mouth.

Shen Yicheng patted her in reassurance. His movements were gentle, and Ning Jia quickly fell into a dream.