Due to the heavy rain, Li Wu hadn't gone home. Cen Jin wanted to find him for some soul-cleansing in person but couldn't manage it, so she had to settle for video-calling him while lounging on the sofa.
Seeing her call, Li Wu temporarily set aside his homework and devoted himself entirely to chatting with her.
The boy was only wearing a thin T-shirt. Cen Jin lifted her cup and asked, "Aren't you cold?"
Li Wu also held up his Einstein mug to the camera: "Got hot water, not cold."
Seeing this, Cen Jin beamed brightly: "Move it away, it's blocking my view of the handsome guy."
The white obstruction was swiftly removed, replaced once more by the young man's handsome face. Did his front camera have some specialized beauty filter? Why were Li Wu's eyes bigger and brighter? Staring at them a little longer felt like being wrapped in a liquid crystal ball, transforming into the snowflakes or glitter inside—light, clear, and shimmering.
Cen Jin gazed at him repeatedly, her eyes gradually narrowing into slits, then fiercely squinting as she supervised like a homeroom teacher: "Do your homework."
Li Wu raised an eyebrow: "What about you?"
Cen Jin said: "I'll watch you do it."
Li Wu smiled and asked: "Won't you get bored?"
Cen Jin shook her head: "No, I really enjoy watching my little treasure study seriously."
Li Wu moved the phone further away, probably propping it against something—changing the angle of his straight-on shot slightly, but not diminishing his good looks in the slightest.
The boy's distinctly jointed fingers twirled a pen: "Shall I start then?"
"Just get on with it." Cen Jin flicked the camera with a light, playful tap.
"Ouch—" Li Wu played along, rubbing his temple: "That hurts."
Cen Jin feigned sympathy, blowing gently: "Blow it away, blow the pain away."
The two laughed while looking at each other, their gazes sticking to each other's faces like beeswax.
It wasn't until they faintly heard Li Wu's roommate cursing and groaning in envy that Cen Jin stopped teasing him. She also tilted her phone in front of her cup, planning to fetch her laptop from her room so they could both focus on their tasks.
Just as she settled on the sofa, Cen Jin noticed the video call had disconnected. When she checked, she saw their director had called.
Cen Jin quickly called back and was immediately bombarded with instructions: "I can't reach Yi Hao anymore. He said he doesn't want to work and needs to clear his head, then turned off his phone. The client has an urgent matter and can't find him. Can you cover for him temporarily?"
Thanks to her strong capabilities, Cen Jin had always maintained a firm attitude at work: "What does his strike have to do with me?"
The director said: "The client he's handling this time is particularly annoying. I think it drove him over the edge."
Cen Jin sneered: "How long has he been doing this? Back when I was still in creative, I always remembered more details than him, the Account Manager. What kind of super invincible project is this that pushed him to this point? Is he giving up his salary?"
The director sighed helplessly: "Don't even ask. He's completely vanished. Asking you to cover is a last resort. Yuan Zhen's father is in poor health and hospitalized these past few days—otherwise, would I dare bother you? It's the deadline, what else can I do? I'm out of options."
Cen Jin rubbed her forehead, resigned: "Fine, I'll handle the aftermath. But make sure I get extra performance bonuses—don't let it end up credited to Yi Hao."
The director said: "No problem, I'll apply with the boss tomorrow, definitely."
Cen Jin finally relented: "Which project is it?"The Pina Christmas lipstick preheating campaign." I'll send you her WeChat and phone number."
Cen Jin was incredulous: "A lipstick caused all this?""Yi Hao at least used to get by on his looks, but this female client isn't buying it. Her demands are high and his usual approach just won't work," the director said urgently. "I've got to go, you need to handle this quickly."
Cen Jin switched back to WeChat, hastily added the contact recommended by the director, then went to explain the situation to Li Wu.
The young man only asked: Why did it cut off?
Cen Jin replied: Sorry, there's an urgent work matter I need to handle.
Li Wu: It's fine, you go ahead. I'll work on my homework in the meantime.
Cen Jin: Okay, I'll come find you when I'm done.
Li Wu: Mm.
Exiting the chat window, the client with the username "Ci" had already accepted her friend request.
Cen Jin gave a brief self-introduction.
The response was even more concise: pina, Song Ci.
Cen Jin said: Your name is very nice.
Song Ci said: Can we get to the point?
Cen Jin stopped with the pleasantries: Of course, please tell me what the issue is this time.
...
Cen Jin chatted with her until nearly 1 AM. This was her first time taking over a mid-stream project - no clear beginning or end, like being abruptly dragged into a battlefield as a standard-bearer amid the smoke of war. Charging at the front yet completely clueless, she could only feel her way forward based on the temporary materials and progress updates from her superiors.
To her surprise, even this muddled state of fishing in troubled waters gradually improved Song Ci's attitude. In the end, she even began thanking Cen Jin, expressing gratitude that Aoxing had finally found a reliable and clear-headed contact person. This clearly showed how abysmal Yi Hao's previous work performance had been.
Better late than never.
Cen Jin substantially revised Yi Hao's original brief and gathered the previous creative planners to form a new team group chat, not wanting to parachute into the old group and embarrass Yi Hao.
Everyone had been burned pretty badly. After venting their frustrations together, they could only work through the night, encouraging each other as they finally made all the required changes to PINA Cosmetics' Christmas lipstick set launch until Song Ci was basically satisfied.
After finalizing everything, Cen Jin checked the time - it was already past 4 AM.
Advertising dogs were truly supernatural beings. Cen Jin felt her temples throbbing twice as she collapsed onto the sofa with a sigh to the heavens. Finally having a moment to spare, she checked her boyfriend's WeChat.
Their conversation still ended at his "Mm" from earlier.
Assuming Li Wu must be long asleep by now, Cen Jin sent a "Good night" to make up for neglecting the young man due to work, then prepared to wash up and rest.
Her phone vibrated slightly. Cen Jin quickly brought it to her eyes - it was actually a reply from Li Wu.
Cen Jin was surprised: You're still awake? Li Wu replied: You said you'd come find me when you were done. What if I wasn't here?
How sweet—Cen Jin felt slightly teary: But it's been so long. Don't stay up this late waiting for me next time, okay? I'd feel bad.
Li Wu: It's fine. I don't feel tired while waiting for you.
Cen Jin's heart melted into soft candy: Don't you have class tomorrow morning? I think you do.
She had seen his class schedule before.
Li Wu sent a smiling emoji: Yeah, I do.
Cen Jin: Then why are you smiling?
Li Wu: Because you remembered.
Cen Jin chuckled: Cheeky.
Then urged him: Good boy, go to sleep.
Li Wu replied: Good sister, go to sleep.
Copycat. Cen Jin wrinkled her nose: Didn't I tell you to stop calling me sister?
Li Wu changed his tune, pushing his luck: Oh, good Jinjin, go to sleep.
Cen Jin sent a fist emoji as warning.
Li Wu, thoroughly familiar with her chat patterns, immediately played along by "lying down ready to be punched."
After more playful banter, the two reluctantly bid each other goodnight.
―The next day, Cen Jin slept until nearly ten o'clock before getting up. Her first instinct was to check the group chats and email, confirming that both clients and the company were calm before she felt at ease to wash her face and brush her teeth. She ordered takeout and sat listlessly in the living room waiting.
She figured Li Wu hadn't sent any messages all morning, probably afraid of waking her.
Worried he might still be focused on his lectures, Cen Jin didn't disturb him rashly.
Perhaps due to getting caught in the rain and staying up all night, Cen Jin felt a bit dizzy and groggy. She got up and went to her room to dig out an ear thermometer to check her temperature.
Fortunately, she didn't have a fever and wouldn't miss work. Cen Jin returned to the living room, lay on the sofa scrolling through Weibo for a while, then her work addiction kicked in. She opened her photo album, pulled up the final version of last night's lipstick poster, zoomed in, and examined it carefully.
As she flipped through the images one by one, she accidentally clicked on a screenshot of Li Wu from a video call.
She had saved it casually last night.
In the picture, the boy's bangs were longer than before, slightly covering his brows and eyes, but his gaze remained clear and bright, filled with endless affection as he looked toward her.
He was still wearing earphones, the white cord noticeably pressed into an abrupt curve by his collarbone, winding its way downward.
It was like a slender pipe, and Cen Jin's heart uncontrollably leaped into it, rolling like a bead as it followed the line downward, sliding toward areas no longer visible in the photo.
Cen Jin's mouth went dry, her thoughts growing slightly feverish.
She drank some warm water, but the feeling wasn't diluted; instead, it burned even more fiercely, as if fuel had been added to the fire.
She missed Li Wu.
She missed everything about him.
She decided to open WeChat, planning to tease him with words to ease her sudden surge of emotion: In class?
Li Wu replied: Yeah.
Cen Jin asked again: Guess where I am?
Li Wu replied: At the company?
Cen Jin denied it: No, at home, on the sofa at home.
Li Wu asked: Did you sleep well yesterday?
Cen Jin didn't answer and continued: Do you know what I'm thinking about right now?
Li Wu, ever the enthusiastic responder, replied: Yeah, what?
Cen Jin smirked as she typed: Thinking about fooling around with my little brother on the sofa.
There was no response from the other end.
Cen Jin wondered if she had scared the innocent boy, especially since he was still seriously attending his lecture. But she had succeeded in teasing him, and even her dizziness seemed to lessen.
Whatever. Cen Jin laughed to herself for a moment before springing up energetically.
Just past ten o'clock, a client contacted her, urgently demanding revisions. Cen Jin patiently communicated for a while, appeasing the demanding client, then went to the creative team to offer guidance before finally settling all the feedback.
Just as she breathed a sigh of relief, the doorbell rang.
Cen Jin answered—it was her takeout.
She had just taken the order and hadn't even had time to open the bag when the door was knocked on again.
Thinking the delivery person might have forgotten something, Cen Jin blinked, quickly turned back, and opened the door.
As soon as she opened it a 45-degree angle, a tall figure swiftly barged in. Before Cen Jin could react, she was pinned against the wall.
With a bang, the door was shut one-handed by the figure's owner.
Before she could even scream, Cen Jin's lips were sealed.
The boy's warm, wet tongue plunged in deeply, his familiar masculine hormones overwhelming her senses.
He kissed her fiercely and urgently, his hands moving just as recklessly, stirring a fire beneath her clothes.Cen Jin was nearly pressed into the wall by him, trapped between him and the cold surface. Her skin and bones ached from the pressure, and she instinctively pushed back, only to be met with an even fiercer assault. Her neck stung from his biting kisses, and her pliant body, caught in a half-hearted struggle, was largely exposed to the air. Unable to resist, she pressed herself against his scorching, rigid frame. Without hesitation, the young man lifted her with one hand while the other slipped from behind, unlocking her already dampened gates.
Overwhelmed with desire, Cen Jin let out a series of breathy protests, each laced with endearments and reproaches that dripped like peach nectar—sweet, thick, and intoxicating.
Li Wu carried her toward the sofa, the beige lounge pants that had been dangling from one foot now discarded on the floor.
Clutching his shoulders, her toes like two strands of white fruit digging desperately into his back, she gasped, "Don’t you have class this morning?"
Burrowing into the curve of her neck, his hot breath washing over her, he replied, "I do." "Skipping... class?" Cen Jin, unsure whether she was straddling his waist or cradled in his grasp, flushed crimson and surrendered to her own overflow, her words fragmented: "Are you crazy?"
His response was just one syllable: "Mm."
The leather sofa creaked as he laid her down. A chill seeped into her skin, and Cen Jin shrank back, leaving a glistening trail in her wake.
Li Wu’s eyes darkened intensely. He immediately leaned over, seized her thighs, and dragged her back beneath him. Before her startled cry could escape, Cen Jin found herself blocked above and below, breathless, her limbs clamping around him like spasms. Only when her mouth found a moment’s freedom did she manage to force out broken words amid the violent rocking: "Next time... ah... don’t... mm... like this..."
...
In the blinding flash of climax, only one thought pierced the haze in Cen Jin’s mind: I want this again next time.
I want this again next time.
...
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