Although Jiang Mu had heard plenty of wild stories during her studies abroad, she remained rather conservative at heart. Being in broad daylight inevitably made her nervous and uneasy, yet with the curtains drawn, the room took on a disorienting, day-for-night atmosphere.
After hanging up the phone, Jin Chao tossed it behind him and leaned over her, his tall frame enveloping hers. Seeing the guilt written all over Jiang Mu’s face, he smiled faintly and said, “Xiao Wen wouldn’t overthink it.”
He caught her chin, lifting it gently. His lips brushed against hers, light as a whisper, sending electric tingles straight to the pit of her stomach. “Why?” she murmured.
Her voice sounded irresistibly soft and seductive to Jin Chao. His eyes sparkled with unrestrained mischief, though his words were anything but: “In Xiao Wen’s eyes, I’m a decent guy.”
Jiang Mu turned her head away, her eyes glinting with playful skepticism. “You’re no decent guy. You were already going to clubs and holding girls in your early twenties. Tell me the truth—how many women have you actually been with?”
Jin Chao pushed her back against the vanity and tugged her skirt down. Jiang Mu gasped softly as he lifted her leg, his voice low and magnetic. “Too many to count.”
Jiang Mu immediately struggled, protesting, “I knew it—you’re so skilled, you must have plenty of experience.”
Before she could slip off the vanity, Jin Chao easily pressed her back down. His heated breath washed over her once more as he murmured, “Countless women have wanted to get into my bed, but I’ve only ever let one little troublemaker named Jiang Mumu in.”
All the while, his “decent” hands never stopped moving. Jiang Mu didn’t even realize when her clothes had disappeared—her thoughts had melted into a hazy fog. Dizzy from his kisses, she only registered the sound of his zipper and the sensation of her body yielding to his.
Eventually, as if the vanity were too low for comfort, Jin Chao lifted her and turned her around. Seeing her own flushed, wanton reflection in the mirror sent such a shock through Jiang Mu that Jin Chao nearly lost his composure.
Finally, he pinned her against the windowsill. The storm of their passion seemed endless—she drowned in his gaze, aware of nothing but the ceaseless sway of the curtains.
Jiang Mu, still relatively inexperienced, trembled like a leaf under his intensity. As soon as it was over, she curled up among the discarded clothes, eyes closed, covered in red marks and utterly drained.
When Jin Chao returned from the shower and saw her like that, he couldn’t bring himself to pull her up. Instead, he gently moved the clothes aside, fetched a blanket, and draped it over her.
Jiang Mu wasn’t actually asleep—just boneless and unwilling to move or open her eyes. She could hear Jin Chao tidying up nearby, but her mind drifted in a daze.
Soon, the sounds stopped. Jiang Mu cracked her eyes open and saw him standing by the window, holding her keychain. It had been used so long that the leather had oxidized and worn down; the words “Yearning” engraved on it were now barely legible. Jin Chao stood there, head bowed, staring at it.
Jiang Mu blinked and closed her eyes again. Only after Jin Chao had packed everything into the suitcase did he pull her from the blanket into his arms. Without a word, he found her clothes and began dressing her.
It was his first time putting a bra on a woman, and he took a moment to figure out the clasp. Once he succeeded, he unfastened it again and toyed with it awhile. Jiang Mu, hypersensitive from his touch, decided not to pretend to be asleep any longer—afraid that if she kept playing dead, she might not leave the bed at all that day.The two of them kept at it until past noon. Xiao Wen had already joined them for lunch at the coffee shop, and when he received Jin Chao’s call, he assumed they must have a lot of stuff to pack after all that time. So, on his way over, he specifically asked Gu Tao to come along, worried that he wouldn’t be able to handle moving everything alone.
But when Gu Tao and Xiao Wen went upstairs, they found only two suitcases sitting by the door. Xiao Wen could easily carry one in each hand and run off—there was absolutely no need to have dragged Gu Tao along.
Jin Chao also asked in surprise, “Why are you both here?”
Xiao Wen explained, “I thought you’d have a lot of stuff since you took so long packing.”
He didn’t mean anything by it, but Jiang Mu, hearing his words, blushed and lowered her head, stepping back to hide behind Jin Chao. Jin Chao, however, replied in a perfectly calm tone, “Yeah, we were just being thorough.”
Then he took Jiang Mu’s hand and pulled her to his side. She glanced sideways at his composed expression, wondering how he could lie so shamelessly without even blushing.
After dropping off the luggage at Jin Chao’s place, Xiao Wen left. In the afternoon, Jin Chao had work to attend to, while Jiang Mu needed to go back to driving school to continue struggling with her Subject Two.
When she returned that evening, Jin Chao had already unpacked her luggage and put everything in its place. He asked if she had eaten.
Jiang Mu honestly told him she had eaten out. Noticing her dejected expression, he asked if her practice hadn’t gone well.
Jiang Mu hesitated for a long time, swallowing her words, but just before bed, she couldn’t resist asking, “Don’t you think reverse parking is really hard?”
Jin Chao was momentarily stumped. To him, as long as you had eyes, it shouldn’t be difficult. After all, even before he got his license, he could reverse smoothly. He had taken the test early, back when the requirements in Tonggang were lax, and since everyone knew each other, it was basically just a matter of paying the fee and going through the motions.
Seeing him silent, Jiang Mu grumbled, “The instructor said today that I must be an undercover agent sent by a rival driving school to mess with him.”
“...”
Jin Chao burst out laughing. No wonder Jiang Mu had held back from saying anything earlier—asking a former racer about reverse parking made her feel utterly incompetent.
Muttering to herself, she turned over and pressed herself against the edge of the bed, feeling as if the whole world misunderstood her. Jin Chao turned off the light, pulled her back into his arms, and with his large hand stroking her waist under her pajamas, said, “It’s okay if you’re not good at driving yet. You’ll get better with more practice.”
“...” Jiang Mu suspected his idea of “driving” wasn’t exactly headed toward the driving school.
On Sunday, Jiang Mu made a point of waking up early to make breakfast for Jin Chao, only to find that he was already up before her. He had a habit of morning workouts—his self-discipline was intimidating.
Over the past couple of days, Jiang Mu had noticed that although Jin Chao’s physique wasn’t as bulky as before and his muscles weren’t as prominent, his well-defined lines were still captivating. Now she realized that no one could maintain peak physical condition effortlessly—he had to put in extra effort to preserve his health and fitness.
Jiang Mu still had to spend the day at driving school. Before heading out, she poked her head in and asked, “Will you be home?”
Jin Chao told her, “I’ll be going to the school in a bit.”
Jiang Mu asked, “Shall we buy groceries and cook together tonight?”
Jin Chao turned back to her, slightly out of breath, and said, “Aren’t you tired after a whole day of practice? Let me take you out for a nice meal.”"No, save it." With those words, her figure drifted past the doorway, only to hear Jin Chao say to her: "Hope you successfully transfer from the neighboring driving school today."
"..."
Jiang Mu had been in a good mood when she first stepped out, but it vanished completely once she boarded the subway. The thought of facing that bald instructor again made her feel immense pressure. She deeply suspected that before entering this profession, the instructor had been involved in shady dealings—his entire demeanor radiated a "cross me and I'll end you" vibe.
When she enrolled, Gu Zhijie had specifically put in a good word, requesting a better instructor for Jiang Mu. The staff assured him this instructor was top-notch, with most of his students passing on their first try.
He was so formidable that everyone called him Baldy Qiang. Whenever he sat beside Jiang Mu, even his heavy breathing made her feel like he was about to pull out a knife.
The driving school was packed on weekends. Mornings were short, and Jiang Mu barely got two turns. During lunch in the cafeteria with fellow trainees, they discussed how many attempts it took to pass Subject One. Some needed three tries, others even five. Jiang Mu, however, aced it on her first try with a perfect score, strutting out of the exam hall as the first to finish—drawing plenty of envious glances.
But that was just theoretical knowledge. She could handle pen and paper, memorizing texts, but behind the wheel—especially with other trainees watching and the instructor's double pressure—she fell apart. Even before her turn, her palms were sweating from nerves.
At first, Baldy Qiang sat in the passenger seat, pointing out markers and steering directions. Later, he’d yank the door open and shout from outside. His yelling made Jiang Mu even more tense, her mind going blank as the system repeatedly announced failures.
Timidly, she peeked out and asked, "Am I off track?"
Baldy Qiang was so furious his nose hairs seemed to flutter: "You're not off—the lines on the ground are crooked."
The row of trainees on the long bench burst into laughter. Jiang Mu glanced over irritably but spotted a familiar figure standing at the edge of the crowd, also smiling. Her cheeks flushed—she had no idea Jin Chao would show up, let alone witness such a humiliating moment.
Baldy Qiang shouted at her, "Practice on your own."
With that, he stepped aside. When Jiang Mu checked the rearview mirror, she saw Jin Chao had somehow approached Baldy Qiang and struck up a conversation, even offering him a cigarette. The two chatted while critiquing her driving skills, making Jiang Mu wish she could hide under the chassis. She attempted reversing twice more—the first time she stopped midway, the second was even worse, her car's rear end jutting into the next lane, baffling the woman practicing there.
In despair, she looked toward Jin Chao, wishing he could possess her skills, only to find him and Baldy Qiang staring at her and laughing. Jiang Mu felt utterly defeated—she’d never struggled this hard learning anything in her life.
Later, when Baldy Qiang went to fetch tea, Jin Chao quickly followed. As Jiang Mu got out of the car to find him, she saw him slip something to Baldy Qiang, who hesitated briefly before pocketing it.
On their way back, Baldy Qiang told Jiang Mu, "Stick around later. I'll give you some solo practice."
Jiang Mu nodded obediently. "Thank you, Instructor."
She then rushed over to Jin Chao and asked, "What did you give my instructor?"
Jin Chao replied nonchalantly, "Nothing much.""I saw it. Did you bribe him?"
Jin Chao glanced sideways with a laugh. "How can this be called a bribe? It's clearly comforting him for taking on a disciple like you."
"...I'm just not great at reverse parking. The rest isn't bad."
Jin Chao lowered his head, chuckling. "Yeah, not bad. After watching for so long, you're definitely the most outstanding one."
"..." Jiang Mu puffed her cheeks and turned her head away, putting a step's distance between them. As if sensing it, Jin Chao pulled her back into his embrace.
Jiang Mu looked up and asked him, "So what did you give him?"
Jin Chao said casually, "Two packs of cigarettes."
Jiang Mu couldn't help asking, "Did you smoke just now? Why do I rarely see you smoking these days?"
"Couldn't smoke during the hospital stay, and later there was no reason to, so I stopped."
Only then did she recall that since running into him again after returning to China, she had indeed never seen him smoke. It seemed there weren't even cigarettes at his home. If not for smoothing things over with the instructor for her sake, he probably wouldn't have smoked, right?
Jiang Mu's anger instantly vanished. She linked her arm with his, smiling brightly as she looked at him and asked, "Is there still hope for me?"
Jin Chao gazed at her indulgently. "With your enlightenment teacher right here, how could I let you fail at driving?""
Later, Jin Chao took Jiang Mu to sit by the field, teaching her how to observe the radius circle and the timing for turning the steering wheel, analyzing the key points where each trainee made mistakes. Under Jin Chao's guidance, Jiang Mu gradually formed a clear concept in her mind. As the sun set and fewer people remained, Guang Touqiang had her get in the car.
This time, Guang Touqiang didn't bombard her with theoretical points. Instead, he simply and directly taught her a few exclusive tricks and didn't tease her anymore. Jiang Mu suspected that what Jin Chao had given him wasn't just two packs of cigarettes—it must have been the effect of two gold bars.
Before leaving, she successfully reversed into the parking space twice in a row. Overjoyed, she turned her head and grinned at Jin Chao. He stood by the field with his arms crossed, bathed in the glow of the sunset, and gave her a thumbs-up.
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