Chapter 24: First Makeup Like You (2)
She liked wearing collared cotton dresses that didn’t reveal too much.
Zhou Shengchen hooked his finger and tugged the neckline down slightly, exposing a bit of the skin on her back. He continued kissing her, the unfamiliar sensation making her uneasy, causing her to shift slightly.
“Don’t turn it up too high—you’ll sweat soon,” he murmured.
Shi Yi gave a soft “Mm,” squeezing her eyes shut.
He remained behind her, lingering at her neck and back, calling her name in a low voice, making no effort to hide the changes in his own body as he pulled her against him, pressing her tightly to his front.
Shi Yi could tell that this time, he truly wanted her.
She grew even more nervous.
She wanted to give herself to him, yet she was afraid.
Now that the moment was here, she suddenly began to fear—fear that he would be disappointed with her body, fear that her inexperience would make it dull for him… The more she thought about it, the more afraid she became, until even Zhou Shengchen noticed. “Is it inconvenient?”
She whispered, “No…”
“Or do you not like this?”
“It’s not that…”
“Are you scared?”
She wanted to say yes, but then she remembered—back in Bremen, the two of them had already been completely bare in the same room, and it had been her who initiated it. So why was she suddenly afraid now? She didn’t know.
Zhou Shengchen gathered the hem of her dress with both hands and pulled it up, sliding it off over her head before tossing it lightly onto the desk.
“The ancients used the character for ‘lotus’ to represent the ‘love’ in ‘cherish,’” he said quietly. “The lotus is love.”
“When I was young, I memorized the Lüshi Chunqiu . The elders in my family would say, ‘Lovely faces and fair teeth, the music of Zheng and Wei—all are but means for self-indulgence.’” Zhou Shengchen’s voice was slightly rough, as if worn by thirst. “Beautiful women and indulgent music—one must not lose oneself in either. Have you heard that saying?”
Biting her lip, she murmured, “Mm.”
“I dismissed it, believing neither was worth losing oneself over. Now, I don’t think that way anymore.”
This was the beginning of everything in her memory.
Countless recollections—whether from past lives or this one—surged over her in layers. There were scenes of flying sand and rolling stones, of beacon fires rising on all sides, of him sitting alone in the study, of him taking her galloping through Chang’an on horseback… If, on that day, the two of them hadn’t reined in their horses and stopped…
Zhou Shengchen was patient, asking her softly over and over, “Are you all right?”
At first, she responded, but soon her answers dissolved into intermittent, breathy murmurs as she clutched the sheets beneath her. Her hands tightened, then loosened, the chaotic thoughts in her mind fading away. The person here with her now—this real, tangible man—was him, and yet not him. Shi Yi’s palms were damp with sweat as she reached up to touch his face. “Zhou… Zhou Shengchen.”
He answered with a low hum.
“I love you,” she told him, her voice hoarse.
Another quiet “Mm” in response.
Her fingers traced his face, both of them slick with sweat, their bodies pressed into the sheets, damp and feverish.
In the end, he gathered her into his arms, rolling them over so she could rest atop him, then pulled a thin quilt over them both. Shi Yi was too exhausted to open her eyes, her cheek pressed to his chest as she listened to his heartbeat.
A long stretch of silence followed, so quiet she nearly fell asleep.
But her fingers still couldn’t resist tracing the skin at his waist. “Before… have you ever been with someone else…?”
Eyes still closed, he chuckled. “No.”
Shi Yi smiled too, drowsily murmuring, “You can’t in the future, either.”
“Yes, I won’t in the future either.” His hand slid gently over her back."If I die first, you'll have to endure for a while, and I'll make it up to you in our next life." Shi Yi felt she was being overly sentimental, yet couldn't help saying it. Only at moments like this did she dare speak such words to this great scientist.
He smiled and gave a faint "Mm" in response.
Satisfied, Shi Yi lifted her head to gently kiss his lips before continuing to softly stroke the skin at his waist. Her breathing gradually steadied as she truly fell asleep, peacefully lying atop him.
When she awoke, she felt him lightly caressing her back.
There was nothing sensual about it—it was more like holding a cat, just an instinctive soothing motion. Shi Yi opened her eyes briefly before quietly closing them again.
Zhou Shengchen, I love you.
She felt that she and he weren’t just connected in their past life, but even the one before that—bound together through lifetimes.
So when had it all begun? How many things had happened?
Life after life, devotion after devotion.
Yes, it was exactly that—life after life, devotion after devotion.
She mused lazily, and after a while, the corners of her lips curled slightly as she smiled soundlessly.
He noticed and asked softly, "Awake?"
"Mm."
"We'll stay here tonight and return to Shanghai tomorrow, alright?"
"Mm."
"After that... for quite some time, I'll need to live in Zhenjiang."
"Go back to live there?"
"Go back to live there."
Shi Yi thought for a moment. "Should I quit my job and go back with you?"
Zhou Shengchen didn’t answer immediately, as if weighing the options. She guessed his hesitation was about his family, but she didn’t want to live apart from him after he returned to the country.
"You should stay in Shanghai. Zhenjiang isn’t far—I can come back every other day. Or, you could spend weekends with me in Zhenjiang," he suggested.
Shi Yi didn’t argue further. "That works. If you’re coming back every other day, stay at my place. Yours is too big—if you’re not there, I won’t feel comfortable living there alone."
She trusted that whatever decision he made would be best for both of them.
"Alright."
In the evening, they went out for dinner.
Unlike Xiao Ren, Zhou Shengchen wasn’t particular about arrangements and simply suggested eating somewhere nearby. Shi Yi immediately felt more at ease—it seemed that, aside from when he was in Zhenjiang with his family, the man she knew always maintained his own way of living.
Simple, yet never careless.
His clothes were clean and well-kept, his belongings minimal. He disliked socializing and especially disliked time-wasting things like phones. Fixed times, fixed places, doing things with regularity. Eating and drinking were necessities—the rest... Shi Yi held his arm, trying hard to think of something, then laughed.
Zhou Shengchen glanced at her.
She explained, "I was trying to think of things you have in common with other men, but I couldn’t come up with much. For example, you also watch mindless TV shows—maybe even rewatch A Step into the Past seventy-nine times... That’s really..."
He chuckled. "It’s true. I watch it to pass the time. I don’t want to spend energy looking for other shows, so I just rewatch it. When you reach a scene and can immediately picture the next one and its dialogue, it’s quite amusing."
She laughed and clung to him like a child.
Shi Yi called Hong Xiaoyu and invited her to join them for dinner.The two of them arrived at a small restaurant and chatted for a while before Hong Xiaoyu and Du Feng joined them. These small eateries in water-town scenic areas mostly served local home-style dishes or regional specialties, with only a few standout items on the menu.
When a plate of braised lamb was served, Zhou Shengchen was about to take a bite when Shi Yi quietly remarked that eating lamb in summer could cause internal heat, among other concerns. Zhou Shengchen nodded and turned to the steamed whitefish instead, avoiding the lamb altogether.
Witnessing this, Hong Xiaoyu sighed dramatically, "You didn’t say anything when I ordered, but now that it’s served, you’re telling your husband not to eat it, worried about internal heat… Truly, a married-off daughter is like spilled water—your eyes have no room for me anymore."
Shi Yi laughed. "Wherever you go, you always crave local specialties. I knew I couldn’t stop you, so I didn’t bother wasting my breath."
The two women, childhood friends, could go on endlessly once they started bickering. Neither could outdo the other, but their banter amused the two men watching.
Du Feng poured some wine and slid a glass toward Zhou Shengchen.
With a smile, Zhou Shengchen declined, "Sorry, I don’t drink."
Du Feng waved it off. "Just a sip, for the sake of it."
Hong Xiaoyu chimed in, "Men usually drink a little when they meet."
Zhou Shengchen hesitated briefly before picking up the glass—only for Shi Yi to immediately take it from him.
She shot Hong Xiaoyu a look. "Don’t force him to drink."
"Huh? Who’s forcing?" Hong Xiaoyu was torn between laughter and exasperation. "I only suggested it once, just once, my dear lady."
Shi Yi lifted the glass and sniffed it. "The alcohol content isn’t low."
Her implication was unmistakable. Hong Xiaoyu was half-amused, half-annoyed by her protectiveness and lightly tapped Shi Yi’s glass with her chopsticks. "Now you’re just being unreasonable—"
Du Feng chuckled. "Fine, we’ll spare your husband, but…"
Before he could finish, Shi Yi, worried they might pressure Zhou Shengchen further, took a large gulp herself.
No one expected it, so no one stopped her.
Setting the glass down, she declared, "There, I drank for him. No more demands."
Hong Xiaoyu, knowing Shi Yi never touched alcohol, realized she was serious and didn’t dare push further. She patted her chest in mock surrender. "Now that’s true love. Compared to you, I’m nowhere close."
Shi Yi smiled. "First meeting, it’s fine."
She knew she was being a bit harsh on her friend in her eagerness to shield Zhou Shengchen.
But she couldn’t bear to see him even slightly uncomfortable—whether it was a frown or a moment of hesitation.
Shi Yi sipped tea to wash down the unpleasant burn of alcohol.
Then, she felt warmth envelop her hand resting on the chair’s edge. Zhou Shengchen had taken it in his. She turned to him, sensing how he was gently tightening his grip.
He wasn’t one to openly display affection in front of others.
So Shi Yi simply smiled faintly, silently assuring him that she understood—she knew everything he wanted to say.
His gaze held a mix of reproach and guilt, likely upset that she’d drunk so suddenly and he hadn’t stopped her in time. His expression was stern. Shi Yi lowered her head with a quiet laugh, then turned away, suddenly wondering if this was the same look Zhou Shengchen wore when something went wrong in the lab.
Shi Yi truly had zero tolerance for alcohol.When they left the small building of the hotel, her cheeks were already slightly flushed, and she couldn’t stop smiling. Perhaps this was why people liked to drink a few glasses when celebrating happy occasions? She took him to listen to Pingtan storytelling. Since the competition staff, participants, and media had all left in the afternoon, there were only a few scattered guests who had been given free admission to the scenic area for various reasons.
The rhythmic sounds of Pingtan filled the stage, while the rows of long benches below were almost entirely empty.
They sat in the northwest corner. At first, she leaned against his shoulder, then, emboldened by the alcohol, she gradually slid down and lay with her head on his lap. She gazed up at him, unable to get enough of the sight.
After a while, Zhou Shengchen rested his arm on the back of the seat in front of them, lowering his forehead onto his arm as he looked down at her.
Or rather, to let her look at him more freely and to her heart’s content.
He wore a plain black collared short-sleeved shirt, his face clean-shaven—exceptionally clean.
Perhaps due to his simple, research-focused life in the lab, he didn’t look like a man in his thirties at all. At most, he resembled a graduate student in his twenties.
Shi Yi reached out and touched his chin. "This morning, there was still a bit... well, some stubble here."
Zhou Shengchen chuckled softly. "Did I scratch you this morning?"
His question was casual, but her mind raced with implications, her face growing even redder. She mumbled, "I’m not talking about this with you."
The intoxication amplified every ripple of emotion in her heart.
Her hand gently caressed his face as she whispered, "I remember a line from a book that was beautifully written."
"What was it?"
"‘All my life, I have longed to be well kept—cherished, carefully placed, and preserved. To be spared from fear, from suffering, from wandering without a home, from having no one to rely on.’"
He hummed in acknowledgment. This kind of delicate, feminine sentiment—he understood it, though he didn’t necessarily agree with it.
But at this moment, he felt that Shi Yi, lying on the bench with her head on his lap, was perfectly suited to be treated this way.
She looked at him and suddenly laughed. "You’ve got it all wrong, Zhou Shengchen. You’ve misunderstood me."
"Have I?" He smiled.
"What I meant was, once you’ve finished everything you want to accomplish, all you’ll need to do is study your Venus every day. Leave the rest to me. I’ll cook for you, brew your tea, and take good care of you—spare you from exhaustion, from hardship, from running around, from having no one to lean on."
Her eyes sparkled as she gazed at him with longing, as if looking at her most treasured possession.
He was her most precious thing.
Zhou Shengchen met her gaze and fell silent for a moment.
Then, he brushed the back of his hand against her cheek. "Your face is very red."
"Really?" Shi Yi immediately covered her face with both hands, feeling the warmth in her cheeks. "I can’t handle alcohol—just a little makes me drunk—"
"But this shade of red looks very pretty on you."
Shi Yi stared at him in disbelief.
He smiled. "It’s true."
Perhaps because of the alcohol, she found it hard to control her emotions. Her nose tingled, and tears threatened to spill. She quickly turned her face away, wrapping her arms around his waist and burying her face against his thigh.
"What’s wrong?" Zhou Shengchen’s voice asked gently.
"My head feels a little dizzy..." Her voice was muffled.
"If you’re feeling unwell, we can go back to the room?"
"No... just let me hold you for a while. Moving now would make me even dizzier."She pressed her face against the fabric of his trousers, answering softly with moist eyes, yet feeling inexplicably happy inside.
Zhou Shengchen didn't notice her unusual state, gently patting her back as if soothing her to sleep.
As the pingtan performance ended, the entire theater fell silent. The performers on stage, seeing the sparse audience, seemed to be discussing whether to end early. But those matters had long since become irrelevant here.
(End of Chapter)
OpenNovel