Chapter 60: Sixtieth Day as a Salted Fish
Zhou Shaoli reached out and pulled her into his arms, bringing their bodies close together. Water droplets glided down his damp hair. Slightly breathless, she leaned against his chest, catching the crisp, clean scent clinging to his skin.
His body fragrance was genuinely delightful, reminiscent of a clear, cold snow-capped pine forest; Qin Jiaojiao tilted her head up and kissed his Adam’s apple.
An electric current surged upward from Zhou Shaoli’s tailbone, delivering an intense thrill. His muscles instantly stiffened, and he lowered his eyes to look at the little fire-starter in his arms. His gaze darkened as he lowered his head.
When their lips met, Qin Jiaojiao parted her lips slightly, allowing him to explore deeper. Their tongues entwined, drinking in each other’s breath.
The temperature inside the bathroom seemed to skyrocket. Jiaojiao felt her breathing grow ragged and hot; his hand rested burning hot against her waist, sending waves of numbness through her.
Her entire body flushed warm, Jiaojiao wanted to change locations, no longer wishing to be enveloped by the warm water. Her fingers dug slightly into Zhou Shaoli’s shoulders; uncontrollably, he pressed an inch deeper.
Qin Jiaojiao gripped his shoulders tightly, unable to endure any more. She turned her head, her chest heaving violently, her arms sliding down to his waist.
Zhou Shaoli looked lean in clothes, but possessed broad shoulders, a narrow waist, and firm, smooth abdominal muscles. Extremely aesthetic, his perfectly sculpted muscles contained immense power, bursting with explosive strength.
She tilted her head to look at his handsome face. Zhou Shaoli, having lost his usual calm and detached composure, possessed deep, intense eyes like a dark whirlpool—unfathomably deep, gleaming with wild, untamed desire.
Under the bright lights, the fine hair on his forehead was damp with light sweat. Grasping her waist firmly, he lowered his head to seek a kiss; Qin Jiaojiao lifted her face to meet him, engaging in another deep kiss. His thin lips were warm as he licked at her slightly swollen lips. After an intimate moment, his voice rasped softly: “How does it feel?”
Qin Jiaojiao suddenly remembered that hazy, chaotic dream again. He had been just as domineering, forcing her to answer questions. She turned her head, too embarrassed to speak.
Seeing her lack of response, Zhou Shaoli kissed her ear, his magnetic voice low and deep: “Jiaojiao, tell me…”
This voice was simply a foul!
A wave of delicate weakness rushed through Qin Jiaojiao’s ear; she bit her lip tightly, wrapping her arms around his waist like a drowning person clutching a lifeline, terrified of sinking too deep.
The water rippled, drowning out all sound. Qin Jiaojiao’s faint, soft whimpers were barely audible. Her limbs turned weak and limpid; had he not been holding her up, she would have slid back into the water.
The overhead lights swayed. The faint red flush at the corners of her eyes and her pitiable, delicate posture were captivating beyond words. Zhou Shaoli lowered his head to kiss the tears welling at the corners of her eyes, scooped her up with his strong, powerful arms, and carried her to the bathroom vanity. Spreading a bath towel over the counter, he set her down to sit.
Qin Jiaojiao rested both hands on his shoulders, an enchanting crimson flush coating her face. Her dazed expression carried a hint of fluster—was this place really going to work?
Zhou Shaoli pulled her tightly into his embrace, inhaling her sweat mixed with her natural body scent as he slowly sank in. Wrapping one arm around her waist and clasping her neck with the other, he lowered his head to kiss the tip of her nose, then moved to her lips.
“Jiaojiao, Jiaojiao…” He murmured her name, wanting to give her everything, refusing to let her escape.
Afraid of falling off, Qin Jiaojiao held him tight.
Who knew when it finally ended. She lay limply against Zhou Shaoli’s shoulder, letting him wash her, dress her in a nightgown, carry her back to the bed, and pull her into his arms.
Qin Jiaojiao was thoroughly exhausted, falling asleep almost instantly. Zhou Shaoli’s spirits remained high; had he not been mindful of her body, he would have wanted to explore even more novel places with her.
He kissed her soft, fair cheek, holding her for a long while before finally falling asleep.
The next day.
After waking up, Qin Jiaojiao lay in bed, feeling a bit dazed. She suddenly understood why moderation was necessary—sleeping soundly yet waking up early. When she woke up, Zhou Shaoli had already returned from his morning run, taken a shower, and walked out looking refreshed.
Dammit!
He was clearly the one who put in all the physical labor, so why did she feel like her energy had been drained dry? This went against all logic!
Didn’t they say a man’s performance dropped sharply after twenty-five? How could Zhou Shaoli be so terrifyingly unnatural?
Wu wu wu wu wu, she really needed to set some rules with him about resting, otherwise she felt like she’d end up getting fried to death in bed.
Sensing her aggrieved gaze, Zhou Shaoli buttoned his cufflinks, walked over to the bedside, and leaned down to kiss her forehead. “I’m heading to work now. Get some good rest at home.”
Qin Jiaojiao let out a lazy yawn and said, “I made plans with Tongtong to look at storefronts today.”
Zhou Shaoli said gently, “I had Han Xiao investigate the foot traffic yesterday and selected a few extra storefronts for you near the location you liked. I’ll send them to your phone.”
Qin Jiaojiao hummed an assent, her eyes half-lidded, looking like she wanted to go back to sleep.
Knowing he had exhausted her last night, Zhou Shaoli felt a faint pang of guilt. Not wanting to disturb her any further, he gently closed the door and left.
The summer sun was dazzling, heating up the bed by noon. Qin Jiaojiao turned the air conditioning down, got out of bed to wash up, and did her skincare routine in the bathroom.
Her fair, soft face was gorgeous, though her expression carried a trace of fatigue.
Qin Jiaojiao widened her eyes, leaning closer to inspect the mirror. Seeing the faint shadows under her eyes, she secretly gritted her teeth—when Zhou Shaoli came home tonight, she was going to lay down some ground rules.
Once a week—or at most twice a month! Too frequent wasn’t good; young people needed to cherish their bodies.
Although she enjoyed it quite a bit too, living an indulgent life was bad for one’s health—she couldn’t be greedy for pleasure.
Applying a generous layer of moisturizing lotion, she headed to the walk-in closet to change clothes, put on light makeup, and dialed Yang Yutong.
“Up yet?”
Yang Yutong’s voice sounded exhausted: “Not yet.”
Qin Jiaojiao didn’t rush her: “Then sleep a bit longer. Once you’re up, I’ll come pick you up.”
Yang Yutong let out a yawn: “No need to sleep, I’ll get up right away. Let me pick you up instead; we have a free driver.”
Qin Jiaojiao asked in confusion: “What free driver?”
“Do you remember Zhou Shaoli’s buddy, Xiao Rui?” Yang Yutong said, “He heard you were looking for storefronts and said since he had nothing to do, he’d be our free driver. Said he could help give input and negotiate rent.”
Assuming Zhou Shaoli had arranged it, Qin Jiaojiao didn’t think much of it. Xiao Rui was a business owner himself, after all; if Young Master Xiao was willing to act as a free chauffeur, what could she say?
“Alright then, give me a call when you guys get here.”
Yang Yutong: “Jiaojiao baby, wait for me, I’ll be there soon.”
After hanging up, Qin Jiaojiao fell into deep thought. Haven’t Xiao Rui and Yang Yutong only met once? Since when did they get so familiar with each other?
About an hour later, Xiao Rui drove his Maybach to the garden villa. Yang Yutong stepped out of the passenger seat and greeted Qin Jiaojiao.
“Jiaojiao.” Yang Yutong trotted over and gave Qin Jiaojiao a hug. “How come you look a bit different after not seeing you for a few days?”
Qin Jiaojiao felt a prick of guilt: “Different how? Aren’t I the same as usual?”
Yang Yutong pulled her around to inspect her up and down, saying, “You’ve become more feminine.”
A blush crept onto Qin Jiaojiao’s face, and she urged her: “Alright, stop looking. Xiao Rui is still waiting.”
Xiao Rui stepped out and chivalrously opened the car door for the two ladies. Qin Jiaojiao climbed in, and Yang Yutong followed closely behind into the back seat. Watching Yang Yutong enter without giving him a single glance, Xiao Rui thought to himself: She really is treating me like a driver.
Xiao Rui returned to the driver’s seat and started the engine: “Sister-in-law, where are we heading first?”
Qin Jiaojiao gave him an address for a street near the garden villa: “Let’s check out this place first.”
She chose this location primarily because it was close to home.
Xiao Rui opened the navigation app and drove toward the destination.
Qin Jiaojiao and Yang Yutong chatted about the flower shop in the back, while Xiao Rui, driving up front, occasionally glanced through the rearview mirror.
The three of them arrived first at the street near the garden villa. Foot traffic here was light, consisting mostly of wealthy wives shopping. They usually went to specialized shops for custom floral arrangements, so opening a flower shop here wouldn’t work out.
Qin Jiaojiao gave Xiao Rui another address, heading toward a commercial district packed with office workers. As noon approached, the streets were bustling with heavy foot traffic and vehicles. Xiao Rui found a place to park.
“He Juanbai’s wife owns a restaurant nearby. Sister-in-law, Eldest Miss Yang, how about I treat you two to Chinese food first?”
Since they hadn’t planned on returning home for lunch anyway, and with Xiao Rui offering to cover the bill, they happily agreed.
“Let’s go then.”
The three went to the restaurant owned by He Juanbai’s wife, Jiang Baizhi. Jiang Baizhi happened to be at the restaurant; having met Qin Jiaojiao once before and seen Xiao Rui a few times, she arranged a quiet private booth for them.
Over lunch, Qin Jiaojiao finally noticed something off. How could Xiao Rui and Yang Yutong—two people who normally wouldn’t cross paths—talk to each other in such a familiar tone?
Xiao Rui poured tea, passed dishes, and couldn’t stop shooting glances at Yang Yutong, while Yang Yutong appeared somewhat impatient, her facial expressions and body language brimming with subtle disdain.
Could this be…
Qin Jiaojiao pondered inwardly: Did something happen between Xiao Rui and Yang Yutong that I don’t know about?
Terrified that Qin Jiaojiao might catch on, Yang Yutong shot Xiao Rui a sharp glare, signaling him to cut it out.
Xiao Rui sat up straight awkwardly. That night, he hadn’t put up a fight, accepting the beauty’s favor. The girl hadn’t been in her right mind, insisting on climbing onto his lap to kiss and feel him up.
He had simply chosen not to resist, helping her get her way when she wanted to take things further, then bringing her home to clean her up and hold her while they slept. The next morning, while still asleep, he was abruptly slapped across the face.
His head had been ringing. Once he regained his composure, he offered to take responsibility, but she claimed she didn’t need him to take responsibility, demanding they pretend it never happened.
Everyone in his circle said he played around a lot, but he had merely been in a few relationships, and he took full responsibility for every ex-girlfriend—gifting cars and houses upon breakup, acting as an absolute stand-up guy.
It was the very first time a woman had told him she didn’t need him to take responsibility, which felt quite novel.
Since Eldest Miss Yang wanted to pretend it never happened, then fine, it never happened. As a full-grown man, he wasn’t the one taking a loss anyway. Yet right before leaving, she had actually stuffed a hundred-yuan bill into his hand.
When he asked what that was for, she said it was payment for his services.
An absolute, utter humiliation!
What did she take him for?
Xiao Rui felt he might possess a bit of a glutton-for-punishment trait. Upon learning that Yang Yutong had been kicked out of the Yang Family Public Residence, he felt an inexplicable wave of heartache for her.
At least he had a mother who doted on him; getting thrown out of the house by her own parents was truly pitiable.
That night, she had been set up while trying to negotiate a partnership and happened to run into him; otherwise, the consequences would have been unthinkable.
Hearing that she was accompanying Qin Jiaojiao to scout storefronts to rent, he automatically volunteered to be their free driver to save the two ladies from getting scammed.
Knowing Yang Yutong didn’t want Qin Jiaojiao to see her involvement with him, Xiao Rui quickly turned to Qin Jiaojiao and offered, “Sister-in-law, this dish is pretty good, eat a bit more.”
Qin Jiaojiao decided to ask Yang Yutong privately when they got back, taking a token bite of the food.
After the three finished eating, the server cleared the table, leaving only tea so the guests could rest and chat.
After resting for a bit, they left the restaurant to inspect nearby shopfronts. Spending the whole afternoon browsing around, Xiao Rui stayed busy buying water and calling store owners to make inquiries.
After walking two streets in the commercial district, they finally selected an available rental shopfront near a subway station. Xiao Rui was a natural at business negotiations, helping them slash the rent by a third.
Because the shop was in a prosperous location, rent was over thirty thousand yuan a month. A one-year lease required around three hundred thousand yuan, and factoring in renovation costs, opening a flower shop would take over five hundred thousand yuan.
It would take at least two years of profits to recoup the initial investment.
In a place like Beijing where every inch of land was worth its weight in gold, five hundred thousand yuan to open a shop was genuinely a great deal. Qin Jiaojiao happened to have the funds in her account; too lazy to make multiple trips, and with Xiao Rui right there, she met directly with the landlord to print the contract and sign.
Holding the contract, Qin Jiaojiao felt a sensation of unreality—she possessed her very own shop now! Though it was just a tiny flower shop, not even worth as much as one of her luxury handbags, it was a little business that truly belonged to her!
Qin Jiaojiao happily returned to the garden villa with the contract. When Zhou Shaoli returned home from work, she couldn’t wait to show it to him.
“I’ve already rented the shopfront.”
Zhou Shaoli took the contract, his eyes under his gold-rimmed glasses narrowing slightly as he carefully inspected the contract terms.
Qin Jiaojiao leaned beside him and asked, “Xiao Rui looked over the contract for me, and I only signed it after he said there were no problems. Is there something wrong with it?”
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