CA | Chapter 16

◎Warming It Up.◎

The city they were headed to was hosting one of the world’s most important jewelry exhibitions. Ning Jia had only ever been to Venice as a tourist, and she had never attended an exhibition there, either. That had been when she was little, and she had long since forgotten it. Shen Yicheng had gone to graduate school in the UK and studied finance, which had nothing to do with the work he did now. When Ning Jia packed and saw the dazzling array of awards hanging in his study, she asked him about it. Shen Yicheng said his craft had not been taught at school, but learned from a shifu[[1]].

The Shen family had a century of heritage behind it. Although the main branch had never personally carved anything, they had been handling jade for years, and naturally knew countless old masters. As the second young master, Shen Yicheng did not need to inherit the family business, and since he was interested in jade carving, learning a skill from a shifu was only natural, effortless.

Ning Jia looked at the pieces he had carved and asked, “How much can one sell for? I heard President Shen’s works are priceless.”

Shen Yicheng smiled faintly. “Trash. People only buy it because my surname is Shen.”

Ning Jia was a little surprised. After a quiet moment, she said, “But Uncle carves really well. I’m guessing it’s still because you’re too young. By the time you’re seventy, your jade carvings will be treated like peerless treasures.”

That made him laugh for a long time.

Ning Jia had a sweet mouth and knew exactly how to please people. Shen Yicheng was wooed into a daze by her. Even when he held her at night, he would ask, “Who taught you all this?”

At such a young age, she was already so adept at dealing with people. He had thought she would grow up a little more domineering, but she was domineering in just the right way, impossible to dislike. Shen Yicheng had long since thought he could withstand her sugar-coated bullets, but only when she really started whispering in his ear did he realize he probably could not.

Not to mention the joy spilling from her eyes, which for some reason gave him a sense of satisfaction. He liked “giving.” Once he invested in something, whether or not there was any return, what he had put out there would leave him feeling light all over. Whether people who did good deeds all had the same filthy thoughts as he did, Shen Yicheng did not know. In any case, he liked it.

He even… liked the way she looked when she was happy.

A few little trinkets, one trip, and she could be made to beam with delight. That was not extravagant at all, not even deliberate.

He toyed with Ning Jia’s hair and brought it to his nose, inhaling softly. It still smelled like pink roses.

Ning Jia squinted and muttered, “Sleep, sleep. Tomorrow you won’t be able to get up again, and we still have to catch a flight.”

Like a little adult.

Shen Yicheng replied, “Got it.” Then Ning Jia curved her brows into the shape of a newborn crescent moon.

Shen Yicheng slept heavily, so he had no idea how Ning Jia slept. She got up early, and today she was still shaken awake by her. Shen Yicheng’s suit was laid out on top of him, with his watch, ring, tie, and the rest already prepared. Ning Jia dashed back to her own room to do her makeup and get ready, then rushed back to find him still asleep. Using both hands, she shook his shoulders. “Uncle, get up!”

Shen Yicheng lifted his eyelids and heard her mutter, “Didn’t they say old people need less sleep?”

He instantly woke up most of the way, got out of bed with a dark expression, and gave her butt a swat with his hand.

Ning Jia covered her backside, unable to speak for a long time. Her face red, she ran off.

*

The flight departed at seven in the morning, first class, with VIP seating in the waiting lounge. Ning Jia ate a simple breakfast. Once she boarded, there was another row of expensive Western dishes, caviar, roasted steak, and things she could not even name.

She was the classic kind of person with a Chinese stomach. Halfway through the meal, she already felt chilled inside. Shen Yicheng was sitting beside her, the two of them separated by a not-quite-narrow aisle. He noticed her gaze and turned his head to look over. Only then did Ning Jia squeeze over to his side. Seeing that she had only eaten a little, Shen Yicheng asked, “Does it make you feel bad?”

“A lot of it is raw…”

So Shen Yicheng had the chef make a bowl of beef noodle soup. Luckily, the cook was from their home country and battle-tested, someone who had heard every outrageous request imaginable. A steaming bowl of beef noodle soup was quickly delivered to the seat. After Ning Jia ate a bowl, she curled up comfortably. The airplane seats were spacious. When the flight attendant came to pour wine and saw President Shen holding someone in his arms, she only paused for a moment before calmly asking what they would like to drink.

Shen Yicheng ordered champagne. Ning Jia said, “I want soy milk.”

A while later, a glass of red bean soy milk was placed on the table. Ning Jia held it and drank, then closed her eyes and fell asleep.

Shen Yicheng was the sort of person who could not get up in the morning, but by daytime he was full of energy. With Ning Jia asleep here, he had nothing to do but fiddle with a little stone he had recently taken a liking to. Waiting on a plane was mostly boring. Shen Yicheng even hoped Ning Jia would wake up sooner and keep him company.

Ning Jia slept for three hours. When she woke, she saw Shen Yicheng staring at the screen in front of him, faint sounds leaking from his Bluetooth earphones. He lowered his head and saw that she was awake, so he took off the earphones and lifted her into his arms. Ning Jia rubbed her eyes while he warmed her hands in his. He asked why she was so sleepy, whether she had not slept well last night.

Ning Jia said, “I had a nightmare at night.”

Shen Yicheng asked, “What nightmare?”

Ning Jia said nothing, only looked at him deeply. Shen Yicheng soothed her, “Don’t be afraid, Uncle is here.”

Ning Jia said lazily, “Uncle is here today, but not tomorrow.”

He asked with a smile, “Then where do you think I’m going?”

“To a home full of big-haired, tall beauties.”

Shen Yicheng rested his chin on one hand and used his fingers to tease her chin and cheek. Ning Jia turned her head away and refused to look at him.

“You’re still jealous.”

Ning Jia said how would she dare be jealous, sounding sarcastic as hell.

It had been so many days, and she still remembered it that clearly. Shen Yicheng pulled her close and said in her ear, “Uncle isn’t going. Isn’t it me right here with you?”

The warm breath against Ning Jia’s ear made it heat up at once. She could not escape, wrapped up by his breath, with the scent of sandalwood filling her nose and brushing her side profile. So even if he pretended to be a pure, innocent young man, when he flirted he could still make people’s bones go soft. Ning Jia was almost unable to take it. She turned her face to look at him. Shen Yicheng was smiling, pinching her cheek and shaking it lightly, then slipping his fingers into her soft mouth.

Ning Jia narrowed her eyes and looked down at what he was doing. Her tongue brushed the veins on the back of his hand. After she finished kissing him, she wrapped her lips around one of his fingers and went quiet for a moment. Shen Yicheng looked down, only to find that she had fallen asleep again.

“Ning Jia.”

He only got a couple of sleepy hums in response.

Shen Yicheng sighed and went back to the movie he had not finished watching. Ning Jia woke up around dinner time, ate and drank a bit, walked around the plane once, then returned to the old spot and buried herself in sleep again.

The journey was long, and Ning Jia spent most of it dozing off. By the time they arrived at the hotel, it was still a blur. When she woke in the morning, everything outside was a deep green, lush and expansive, with a bay visible in the distance.

The hotel was old, and many of the things inside were antiques. Two people followed behind Shen Yicheng, one the usual assistant, the other someone Ning Jia had never seen before. Only when Shen Yicheng spoke to the locals did she understand that the woman was a translator.

The hotel owner half-held his shoulder and led him away. The assistant stayed behind to unpack their luggage. Two suitcases, both Ning Jia’s.

Shen Yicheng’s personal items and travel preparations were all planned by this assistant. Ning Jia did not know that, so she had packed him a whole suitcase of things he might need. Her own suitcase was also full of miscellaneous items, everything and anything.

There were only two people in the room. Most of his subordinates were like mutes and did not speak much. Out of politeness, Ning Jia asked, “Hello, may I ask what your surname is?”

The assistant paused for a moment and replied, “Li.”

Ning Jia nodded. “Assistant Li.”

Then there was only the dull sound of luggage being unpacked, and Ning Jia could not even help.

The suite Shen Yicheng had booked had a second bedroom and a master bedroom. The sitting room faced the lawn and the sea. Without a sound, the assistant put both of their things into the master bedroom. Ning Jia stopped him. “Mine should go in the other room.”

Assistant Li apologized first, then did as she said.

Seeing that she could not really help with anything, Ning Jia went out to the balcony to look at the scenery around them. Down below, there were several tourists on holiday, enthusiastically greeting her.

Ning Jia smiled and answered in Italian.

Her pronunciation was immature, but not wrong.

There were women among the people downstairs, along with a few men. They leaned on the railing and chatted with her. The other side also spoke English, so they could manage to communicate with a mixture of languages.

Ning Jia was mistaken for a middle school student. Before she could even object, Shen Yicheng appeared behind her. “What are you talking about?”

He rested a hand on Ning Jia’s shoulder. Everyone’s expressions turned subtle. To prevent Shen Yicheng from being treated like a pervert, Ning Jia explained her age and referred to Shen Yicheng as her “amore,” meaning her beloved, drawing applause from a few people, some teasing, some blessing them warmly.

Shen Yicheng turned his head to look at the translator not far away, then said to her, “We might as well hire you instead. That would save us one expense.”

Ning Jia said, “Then forget it. I only know a couple of lines.”

Back in the room, Assistant Li had already finished arranging everything. Ning Jia looked at the two people chatting outside, clearly much more relaxed than they had been in front of their employer. When they saw Ning Jia come over, they stopped talking again. Ning Jia asked, “Where are we staying?”

Assistant Li replied, “The hotel has already made arrangements.”

Ning Jia nodded. After they left, she asked Shen Yicheng, “They seem really afraid of you.”

“Why?”

“Everyone turns into a mute around you, afraid to talk. They don’t even make a sound when they walk.”

Shen Yicheng gave a faint laugh. “Is that so?”

Ning Jia said again, “Then should I learn from them too, so I won’t make trouble in front of you anymore?”

Shen Yicheng lit a cigarette. The smoke drifted along the crack in the window and dissolved into nothingness. After a long, wandering drift, his indifferent voice came through. “You don’t count.”

Ning Jia sat on the soft carpet and leaned her head near his knee. Shen Yicheng scooped her up. Ning Jia lost her balance and wrapped both arms around his neck at once. Meeting his brown eyes, her heartbeat went wrong, and her gaze locked onto him.

Shen Yicheng brought the cigarette to her lips. Ning Jia closed her lips around it, but then Shen Yicheng lightly pinched the flesh of her thigh and scolded, “Who taught you to smoke?”

Did this man even make sense? He was the one who put the cigarette in her mouth. This was entrapment, wasn’t it?

Ning Jia shoved the cigarette back between his lips. “If you smoke every day, careful your lungs turn black.”

Shen Yicheng smiled, exhaled a puff of smoke, and tossed the half-finished cigarette into the ashtray. Then he started kneading her. It was a habit he had only recently developed. Ning Jia felt like a cat or a dog being stroked and kneaded by him. Her whole body was ticklish. She endured it for a long time, but in the end she could not take it, and in his arms she kept dodging while laughing.

He lowered his head to her neck and shoulder. Ning Jia let her laughter subside, burying herself in his soft black hair, which carried a faint bitterness and the scent of plants and wood.

She looked at the smoke rising alone and suddenly felt how lonely Shen Yicheng was. Whether it was the bustling social world of wine, sex, and pleasure, or the dead silence of a cold exhibition hall, he seemed to drift through the world on his own. Ning Jia rubbed against his hair, and only then did she finally understand that day, when she had toyed with the warm, cool jade in his arms. Only a person’s body heat could make it burn hot.