After getting in the car, the young man sat in the driver's seat, fastened his seatbelt, and turned to introduce himself to Jiang Mu: "My name is Wen Ke, just call me Xiao Wen."
Jiang Mu asked, "Are you his colleague?"
Xiao Wen, who had a cheerful personality, replied, "I'm Engineer Jin's assistant and driver."
Jiang Mu raised her eyes to look at Jin Chao, feeling like she was already out of a job before even getting her driver's license.
The apartment Jiang Mu rented was only a ten-minute walk from Jin Chao's place, but considering the inconvenience of moving things back and forth, he had called Xiao Wen to drive the car directly into the residential area and park it downstairs of Jiang Mu's rental unit.
The decision to move in with Jin Chao was rather sudden. Jiang Mu hadn't packed her things yet, and it wasn't convenient for Xiao Wen to go up to her room. Jin Chao asked him to wait in the car and call him up to help move the things once they were packed.
As soon as they entered the building's hallway, Jiang Mu couldn't help but ask, "You even have a driver now? Why does he call you Engineer Jin? Didn't Gu Tao say you don't work for any company? What do you do on your frequent business trips?"
Jin Chao pulled her into the elevator. At this time in the morning, there weren't many people in the elevator. He wrapped his arm around her waist, lowered his head, and pinched her cheek. "So many questions."
Jiang Mu buried her face in his chest. "Of course I have to ask. I can't be with you without knowing what you're up to now, can I?"
A playful glint appeared in Jin Chao's eyes. "Why didn't you ask all these questions clearly before hopping into my bed so recklessly yesterday?"
Jiang Mu was speechless. Given the situation yesterday, did she even have a chance to ask? He had already muddled her mind.
The elevator doors opened, and Grandpa Zhao, who lived next door to Jiang Mu, happened to be heading downstairs to buy roast duck. Seeing the usually quiet, reserved, and conservative girl hugging a man, he was so shocked his dentures nearly popped out. Jiang Mu was also startled and quickly let go of Jin Chao, greeting, "Grandpa Zhao, heading downstairs?"
Grandpa Zhao's narrow eyes kept darting over Jin Chao. Jiang Mu hurriedly pulled Jin Chao out of the elevator and let out a long sigh. "Good thing we're moving out soon."
Jin Chao stood beside her, watching her with a smile. Jiang Mu took out her keys from her bag and opened the door, while Jin Chao's gaze fell on the keychain.
However, as soon as the door opened, they saw Jiang Mu's roommate putting on his shoes, ready to go out. The two of them froze face-to-face. Jiang Mu was stunned because she remembered that just a few days ago, this roommate had chestnut-brown hair, but today he was stepping out with a trendy caramel-orange hairstyle. He was also wearing a set of ginger-yellow casual suit pants, with slightly flared trouser legs, giving off a somewhat effeminate vibe.
The roommate, however, wasn't stunned because of Jiang Mu but because of Jin Chao standing behind her. From the moment the door opened, his eyes hadn't left Jin Chao, giving Jin Chao an extremely uncomfortable feeling. While sneaking glances at Jin Chao, he asked Jiang Mu, "You didn't come back last night, did you?"
Jiang Mu smiled awkwardly. "I'm packing up to move out."
The man showed an understanding expression but, as he was in a hurry to meet friends, politely said to Jiang Mu that they should have a meal together sometime before leaving. As he neared the elevator, he turned back to stare at Jin Chao again.
Jin Chao was dressed casually today—a short jacket and straight-leg dark jeans. Standing there, his proportions were tall and slender, and nothing seemed amiss to outsiders, but the male roommate kept staring at Jin Chao's rather perky buttocks.Jin Chao turned his head with an icy gaze that swept over them. Though his expression remained neutral, the chill in his air made the young roommate shudder inwardly. Before the roommate could look away, Jin Chao unceremoniously shut the door and turned to Jiang Mu with a meaningful glance. "Your roommate..."
Jiang Mu walked straight toward her room, casually replying, "His style is a bit flashy—probably a nightclub regular—but he's a decent guy. Last time the drain clogged, I was about to call the landlord, but he got a friend over who fixed it in minutes."
Jin Chao let out a cool, meaningful "Heh" and remarked, "Then had the friend stay overnight?"
Jiang Mu paused in surprise and turned back. "How did you know?"
"...Guessed. For my personal safety, you should move out ASAP."
"???"
The room wasn’t large, but compared to Jin Chao’s sparsely furnished apartment, Jiang Mu’s bedroom felt much cozier. Illustrated posters on the walls, small potted plants on the windowsill, colorful sticky notes everywhere—though with so many belongings, it was inevitably a bit cluttered.
Jiang Mu pulled out her suitcase and emptied her entire wardrobe onto the bed. Soon, the already cramped room looked as chaotic as a battlefield, leaving even her feeling overwhelmed.
Packing for a move was always Jiang Mu’s least favorite task—an enormous project in her eyes. The actual work wasn’t difficult, but the sight of all her belongings piled up always gave her a headache before she even started.
While she stood hands on hips, still psyching herself up, Jin Chao had already pulled over a chair and begun systematically sorting the mountain of clothes into categories before folding and organizing them. To Jiang Mu’s surprise, Jin Chao worked with remarkable speed—grabbing garments by their corners, giving them a shake, and neatly folding them into submission. She sat on the rug by the bed, placing each piece he folded into her suitcase.
She chatted idly, "I hate packing the most. When I was studying in Canberra, I’d go back to Melbourne every month, right? Sometimes I’d leave one or two things behind. The worst time, I didn’t realize I’d forgotten my laptop at my mom’s until I was off the plane. My semester summaries and reports were all on it. I was so frantic I bought another ticket back right at the airport without even leaving. Ended up stuck until midnight with no ticket back to Canberra. I’ll never forget that."
Jin Chao glanced up. "When was that?"
Jiang Mu’s gaze gradually lowered. It was during those months after she’d lost contact with Jin Chao. Even returning to China hadn’t helped her reach him, and when she went back to Australia, she was so distraught she could hardly function.
That time she left her laptop in Melbourne, she retrieved it late at night and rushed to the airport to wait for a ticket. Huddled in the freezing three-to-four-degree weather, she broke down in helpless sobs, her thoughts completely consumed by him. The agony of missing him desperately yet being unable to contact him shattered her completely.
Eventually, an airport staff member noticed her distress and helped sort out her ticket, enabling her to return to Canberra.
Even now, remembering that night made her heart ache sharply.
Noticing her silence and slumped shoulders, Jin Chao took her hand and pulled her onto his right knee. Jiang Mu wrapped her arms around him, burying her face in the crook of his neck. Holding him like this, solid and real, made her feel a little better.Though she hadn't described how miserable she'd been afterward, Jin Chao seemed to sense her emotions. His large hand stroked her back in soothing motions as he asked, "Did you cry from anxiety?"
Jiang Mu sniffled. "But there was a silver lining. Since that incident, I've learned my lesson. I always double-check when packing now. Sometimes people need a hard lesson to remember things properly."
Jin Chao's eyes darkened. The lessons he'd learned to get where he was today outnumbered others' stumbles. He understood life couldn't always be smooth sailing, but hearing about Jiang Mu's struggles pained him. His slow caresses on her back seemed to try erasing her unpleasant memories.
Yet Jiang Mu soon laughed, lifting her head from his embrace with crescents forming in her eyes. "Why do I become so melodramatic around you?"
How could something from so many years ago still inexplicably make her sentimental?
Jin Chao responded with an enigmatic smile of understanding. "That's normal. After all, when you were little, even a scraped knee warranted highlighting with a ballpoint pen while waiting for me to comfort you. How did I used to comfort you again?"
He seriously imitated his childhood comforting posture, bouncing his leg while murmuring, "Good Mu Mu, you're the bravest little treasure in Weijia Lane Kindergarten."
"..."
Jiang Mu shot him a sidelong glance, decisively jumped off his lap, selectively forgot the memory, and tossed all the clothes in front of her for him to fold.
She casually asked, "Do you pack your own things when you travel for work?"
Jin Chao leisurely folded the sweater before him. "Why wouldn't I?"
"Does Xiao Wen usually accompany you?"
Jin Chao explained, "A few years back, Guangyu referred him to Changchun. After making a name for himself there, he went to the Automotive Engineering Research Institute in Anhui, working on engineering design with them. He wants to take on other small projects for extra income and also opened a coffee shop, so he maintains freelance status, collaborating as a consultant. He goes there at least twice a month, sometimes weekly during busy periods. Considering my health condition, they assigned me an assistant two years ago - Xiao Wen - mainly to assist with work during business trips."
This was the first time Jin Chao had formally mentioned his current situation to Jiang Mu. Though brief, she could roughly understand his career trajectory over recent years.
Counting from when he entered the industry at seventeen, he now had over a decade of experience. His undergraduate degree was in Mechanical Design, Manufacturing and Automation, followed by a graduate degree in Thermal Energy and Power Engineering. Essentially, he'd been deepening his expertise in this field all along. All those years of experience hadn't gone to waste - though he no longer touched steering wheels, he continued moving forward in another form.
Reaching his thirties, he'd managed to start a coffee shop from scratch in Nanjing and settle down. Life was unpredictable - yesterday's hardships might transform into tomorrow's harvests. All accumulated experiences seemed to complement each other. At least Jiang Mu found some comfort knowing his past struggles hadn't completely held him back and had proven somewhat useful.
Later, Jin Chao gradually stopped his movements. When Jiang Mu looked up, she found him holding her white lace-edged underwear, pondering how to pack it. She pounced over, snatching the item away. "I'll handle this myself."Jin Chao's lashes cast shadows over his ink-black pupils, a smile playing at his lips. "I'll see it sooner or later anyway, why be shy with me?"
Of course, he meant seeing how it looked on her. Jiang Mu immediately visualized the scene he described, the room temperature seeming to rise. She fanned her face with her hand. "I'll go get some water."
Soon Jiang Mu returned with two glasses of water. Jin Chao asked her, "Did you put all the scarves away?"
Jiang Mu handed him a glass. "Yes."
Jin Chao took the glass with one hand while offering her a long black strip of fabric with the other. "Found another one."
Jiang Mu glanced at it and immediately broke into a grin. "This isn't a scarf, it's a dress."
Jin Chao brought the fabric closer to examine it - it clearly appeared to be a scarf of uniform width from top to bottom. He raised an eyebrow skeptically. "Trying to fool me? Where are the sleeves?"
Jiang Mu set down her own glass, took the black strip, and demonstrated by holding it against herself. "It doesn't need sleeves. This is a tube dress, you wear it like this."
Jin Chao leaned back in his chair, took a sip of water, his lips glistening moistly. His gaze held subtle warmth as he said lightly, "Can't picture it. Put it on and show me."
"Huh?" Jiang Mu was taken aback. "Now?"
Jin Chao nodded as if it were the most natural request. "How else will I know it's not a scarf?"
Extremely exasperated, Jiang Mu took the black fabric and went out to prove it really wasn't a scarf. Jin Chao watched her retreating back, the corners of his mouth curling upward.
A few minutes later, Jiang Mu peeked her head through the doorway, her body still hidden behind the door. Jin Chao stood by the window holding his water glass. Hearing the movement, he turned and lifted his eyes. "Come in and let me see."
Jiang Mu's face was slightly flushed. "It's... kind of embarrassing."
"What are you afraid of? There's no one else here."
So Jiang Mu gently pulled the door open and entered the room, keeping her body pressed close to the door. When she stood fully revealed before Jin Chao, his breath caught slightly.
It was a stretchy black bodycon dress that hugged her curves. Jiang Mu's long hair cascaded over her shoulders, her delicate collarbones and slender arms completely exposed. She nervously tugged the fabric upward over her chest, but as she pulled it up, the hem rode higher, revealing her shapely, smooth legs in a tantalizing line.
Her fiery figure was displayed without reservation, yet her face maintained a pure, delicate beauty, creating a striking visual contrast - that irresistible blend of innocence and allure was profoundly sexy.
Jin Chao's lips moved as he spoke. "May I ask... what occasion would require you to wear this?"
Jiang Mu awkwardly tugged at the hem. "In college, I attended a local classmate's costume birthday party. I bought a Catwoman-themed set online, complete with stockings, hair ties, and lots of accessories. Originally this came with stockings underneath so it wasn't so exposed, but for some reason it looked kind of risqué when I put it on, so I never wore it."
As she pulled the dress downward, the full curves of her upper body became subtly visible through the stretched fabric. Jin Chao's gaze drifted over that area, though he didn't tell her that what she'd likely bought wasn't a costume at all, but lingerie.
He simply asked, "So what did you end up wearing?"
Jiang Mu covered herself uncomfortably. "I bought a Pikachu hoodie instead."
"..."
Jin Chao lowered his eyes with a smile. "Come here, I want to ask you something."Jiang Mu walked barefoot through the mess to stand before Jin Chao, her hands still raised defensively. Jin Chao grasped her wrists, pinned them to her sides, and pulled her flush against his chest. Lowering his head, his magnetic voice brimmed with unconcealed desire: "Does it still hurt there?"
The sudden question made Jiang Mu's face flush crimson. She stammered, "N-no, it doesn't hurt anymore..."
Jin Chao lifted her by the waist and spun around, pressing her against the dressing table. As he drew the curtains shut with one hand, Jiang Mu grew so tense she couldn't move. Pointing downward, she whispered, "Xiao Wen is still waiting downstairs."
Jin Chao's burning palm stroked her smooth thigh while he dialed Xiao Wen's number. Into the phone, he said, "This will take a while longer. Go wait at the café first."
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