Chapter 29: Twenty-Ninth Day as a Salted Fish
Just as Qin Jiaojiao turned to leave, her feet refused to budge. Looking down, she realized why she had almost tripped—her high heel was jammed tightly into a gap in the pavement.
Wearing a formal gown made it quite inconvenient to bend or squat down to untangle her shoe.
Supporting her, Zhou Shaoli noticed she hadn’t moved and lowered his head to whisper in her ear, “What’s wrong?”
“My heel is stuck…” A blush of embarrassment washed over Qin Jiaojiao’s face.
The Starlight Gala wasn’t just packed with stars and photographers; even more fans were gathered outside, held back just a short distance away by the crowd-control barrier.
Hearing this, Zhou Shaoli crouched down in front of Qin Jiaojiao. He placed her hand on his shoulder for support so she wouldn’t lose her balance, then carefully lifted the hem of her gown and grasped her shoe.
“Hold steady,” he reminded softly.
Qin Jiaojiao let out a small “Mhm.”
Applying a bit of force, Zhou Shaoli pulled her shoe out from the gap in the pavement, then stood up and said, “All set.”
Qin Jiaojiao felt a gentle heat rise to her cheeks. “Thank you,” she said, feeling a touch sheepish.
The two walked together toward the luxury car parked by the curb. Qin Jiaojiao hadn’t eaten much at the banquet and had downed a few extra glasses of wine. Now in a mildly tipsy state, her steps were a bit unsteady, making her lean toward Zhou Shaoli as she linked her arm through his.
Zhou Shaoli glanced at her, led her to the rear door of the car, pulled it open to usher her inside, and then walked around to the other side to get in.
Qin Jiaojiao had long formed the habit of buckling up whenever she got into a car. The moment she sat down, she grabbed the seatbelt and tried to click it into the buckle beside her, but no matter how hard she tried, it wouldn’t go in.
Seeing this, Zhou Shaoli reached over, took the seatbelt from her hand, and clicked it securely into place for her.
“Thank you,” Qin Jiaojiao offered him a smile.
She had already said thank you twice today. Hearing those two expressions of gratitude made Zhou Shaoli feel somewhat uncomfortable; for these simple things well within his capability, she didn’t need to say thank you to him at all.
Inside the vehicle, the subtle scent of ebony agarwood wafting from the man beside her made Qin Jiaojiao feel quite drowsy. Afraid of falling asleep in the car, she pulled out her phone to browse entertainment gossip, attempting to perk herself up—at least enough to take a shower after getting home before heading to bed.
Tonight’s Starlight Gala had caused quite a commotion online, showcasing a dazzling array of beauties. Male and female stars alike leveraged the eye-catching charity event to climb the trending search rankings. Opening Weibo’s hot search list, dozens of the top one hundred topics were related to celebrities at the Starlight Gala.
Within the top ten, Qin Jiaojiao spotted hot searches featuring herself and Yang Yutong. Tapping inside, she saw marketing accounts wildly praising the two of them for visually dominating the entire venue, claiming even top-tier actresses paled in comparison to their breathtaking, soul-stirring beauty.
Qin Jiaojiao and Yang Yutong both hailed from wealthy backgrounds with excellent natural facial features. Dressed in stunning haute couture gowns and enhanced with refined makeup, they did indeed achieve a crowd-slaying effect when contrasted with older celebrities or those wearing less flattering dresses.
Netizens and fans who frequently followed Weibo showered them with extravagant praise in the comment section.
【OMG, so gorgeous! Qin Jiaojiao and Yang Yutong totally won tonight!】
【The aura of these two beauties is simply unmatched, totally captivating.】
【Both fairies are so beautiful!!!】
【I declare them the gods of the red carpet! How can anyone be this gorgeous? I just want to lick my screen.】
【Both babes look stunning—so beautiful they don’t even look real, like drop-dead gorgeous beauties straight out of a comic book!】
【Now THIS is true haute couture, utterly destroying everything else!】
Who doesn’t love seeing gorgeous photos of themselves? Qin Jiaojiao saved the pictures posted by the entertainment marketing accounts, a pleased curve lifting the corners of her lips.
While Qin Jiaojiao was admiring her pretty photos, Zhou Shaoli was quietly observing her. Seeing her happy expression without a hint of reluctance, the weight in his chest eased slightly.
When he came to pick Qin Jiaojiao up to take her home, he had been slightly worried that she might be unwilling to return and would prefer to stay at her bestie’s place longer.
The car drove very smoothly. The entire way back, Qin Jiaojiao played on her phone without speaking to Zhou Shaoli. Upon returning to the courtyard villa, the two walked into the living room one after the other.
Instead of heading upstairs, Qin Jiaojiao sat down on the sofa. Feeling somewhat hyped up, she called out to stop Zhou Shaoli just as he was about to head upstairs. “Are you hungry?”
Zhou Shaoli paused in his tracks, turned around, and walked toward her. “Are you hungry?”
It was nearly eleven at night, and both the housekeeper and the villa’s servants had already gone to bed. If Qin Jiaojiao wanted something to eat, she would either have to wake up the servants to cook or head out to eat.
Qin Jiaojiao nodded. “I didn’t eat dinner tonight, only drank a little wine at the charity banquet. Now my stomach is super empty and I want some late-night snacks. Do you want to join?”
Zhou Shaoli was exceptionally self-disciplined and usually ate very light dinners; he had no habit of eating midnight snacks. Yet, seeing her expectant face, he asked, “Should we go out to eat, or…?”
“I’ll order takeout,” Qin Jiaojiao waved her phone. “What do you want to eat? Crayfish? Barbecue? Hotpot?”
Over the past two days, she had been indulging in endless food and drinks at Yang Yutong’s place. The two of them had ordered all kinds of delicious food every single night, which trained her to crave snacks at this hour. Coupled with her empty stomach right now, to exaggerate a bit, she felt so famished she could devour the entire world.
Zhou Shaoli sat down beside her. “Anything is fine. Order whatever you feel like eating.”
“Let’s get barbecue then.” Qin Jiaojiao tapped open a nearby store with stellar reviews and placed an order for a portion of marbled beef, spicy beef, crispy chicken cartilage, and seven or eight other meat items meant for grilling.
Passing her phone to Zhou Shaoli, Qin Jiaojiao said, “Take a look and see if there’s anything you can’t eat, or if you want to add more dishes.”
Zhou Shaoli scanned the screen—grilled fish, grilled shrimp, grilled sweet potatoes… He had no dietary restrictions. “I can eat anything.”
“Then I’ll just add a portion of iron-plate glass noodles with clams and hit place order,” Qin Jiaojiao said with a smile.
“Okay.” Zhou Shaoli took off his suit jacket and set it aside.
Qin Jiaojiao glanced down at the haute couture gown she was wearing. Since they were about to eat barbecue, it would be difficult to deal with any accidental stains on the dress; it was better to head upstairs first to change into a casual set of clothes.
“I’m going upstairs to change.”
Paddling along in her slippers, the trailing skirt was a bit too long, causing her to step on it and almost trip. Holding up her skirt hem with both hands, she headed into the elevator. Zhou Shaoli followed her right inside.
Having returned from a commercial banquet earlier, his clothes had picked up a faint smell of tobacco, so he needed to shower and change into fresh clothes as well.
Zhou Shaoli retrieved a set of loungewear from the walk-in closet and said, “I’ll go take a shower next door. Call me if you need anything.”
Qin Jiaojiao let out a small “Mhm.” The gown on her was simply too stunning for her to bear taking it off just yet. Today’s styling made her look like the most gorgeous, proud black swan, and she wanted to snap a few more photos.
Standing inside the walk-in closet, she held up her phone to strike poses, snapping photos furiously. The more she took, the more reluctant she felt to change out of it. Why not just keep it on? At worst, she could just put on an apron while eating barbecue and be extra careful.
Zhou Shaoli showered very quickly. Returning to the bedroom, he found Qin Jiaojiao still standing in the walk-in closet, still clad in that gorgeous black haute couture gown from the banquet.
Qin Jiaojiao was striking poses in front of the full-length mirror, her every movement playfully adorable like a night elf. Seeing her looking so vivid and lively, Zhou Shaoli didn’t make a sound to disturb her, quietly standing at the closet entrance to watch.
It wasn’t until Qin Jiaojiao caught sight of the freshly showered Zhou Shaoli standing by the door through the mirror’s reflection that her movements stiffened, and she turned her head to look at him.
The man was dressed in dark loungewear, his handsome face sporting fine gold-rimmed glasses. Standing tall and slender, his mere presence radiated an untouchable, cool, and ascetic vibe.
“You’re done showering?” she asked in embarrassment.
Zhou Shaoli gave a slight nod. “Aren’t you going to shower?”
In the quiet bedroom, their quick exchange carried an inexplicable trace of ambiguity, almost as if the two were getting ready for some intimate marital activities right after showering.
Having consumed some alcohol at the banquet, Qin Jiaojiao’s brain was operating a bit slower than usual. “I want to eat the barbecue first before showering,” she said.
Zhou Shaoli hadn’t bothered to consider whether wearing a haute couture gown to eat barbecue would get it dirty. To wealthy, prominent families, expensive haute couture gowns were merely single-use items for attending banquets.
If anyone ever wore a previously worn haute couture gown a second time to attend a banquet, it would be tantamount to declaring to everyone that her life was in dire straits and she couldn’t even afford a new gown.
Putting away her phone, Qin Jiaojiao asked Zhou Shaoli, “Do you know how to mix drinks?”
Over the past two days, she had drunk quite a bit of alcohol over at Yang Yutong’s place and learned a little mixology from her. Since they were just waiting for takeout with nothing else to do, she wanted to show off a little of her drink-mixing skills to Zhou Shaoli.
“A little,” Zhou Shaoli replied.
The courtyard villa featured a dedicated room for entertaining guests and drinking. Qin Jiaojiao walked over briskly and said, “Come on, I’ll mix a few drinks for you to try.”
Zhou Shaoli followed Qin Jiaojiao over to the bar counter by the wine cabinet.
Opening the glass display cabinet, Qin Jiaojiao pulled out various brands of liquor, fetched the mixology tools, and then dashed off energetically to get a generous amount of ice cubes from the refrigerator.
Behind the bar counter, Qin Jiaojiao sat atop a tall barstool. Opening the caps of various bottles, she pondered over how to mix them, while Zhou Shaoli sat quietly outside the bar counter watching her.
Unfamiliarly, Qin Jiaojiao mixed a glass of Iceland Blue and pushed it toward him. “Give it a try.”
Zhou Shaoli reached out and picked up the glass. Supporting her chin with both hands, Qin Jiaojiao stared at him unblinkingly with her watery, beautiful eyes.
He took a light sip.
Unable to wait, Qin Jiaojiao asked, “How is it? Is it tasty?”
The Iceland Blue cocktail was as pure and beautiful as a blue sapphire, tasting rich and refreshing with a romantic, fresh flavor profile—though it was a bit sweet for his taste.
Under her expectant gaze, Zhou Shaoli gave a faint smile and said, “Very delicious.”
“I knew you’d like it,” Qin Jiaojiao said proudly. “I’ve mixed this Iceland Blue several times already; there’s absolute zero chance of messing it up.”
She mixed a glass for herself as well, lifting it to take a big gulp. The rich, refreshing sweetness tasted just like eating a coconut dessert—absolutely delicious.
“So tasty,” Qin Jiaojiao took another big gulp.
Not expecting her to drink alcohol like it was juice, Zhou Shaoli said, “Don’t get drunk.”
Qin Jiaojiao glanced up at him. “How could I possibly get drunk off this little bit of alcohol? You think I’m like you?”
Zhou Shaoli: “…”
He could already feel that she was tipsy; otherwise, she wouldn’t be speaking to him in such an unrestrained, reckless tone.
“I’ll mix a few more for you.” Qin Jiaojiao felt an unprecedented rush of excitement. Picking up the liquor bottles on the bar counter, she continued mixing. The overhead light cascaded down, enveloping her in a hazy, soft glow.
Zhou Shaoli’s gaze fixed unmovingly on Qin Jiaojiao. So this was what she looked like when she was drunk—a light flush painting her face, utterly alluring and captivating.
After mixing a few different drinks, Qin Jiaojiao pushed them in front of him and said, “Hurry up and try this one to see if it tastes good!”
Unable to refuse her expectant eyes, Zhou Shaoli reached out and picked up the mixed drinks she had prepared, tasting every single glass. Sweet, sour, smoky—all kinds of flavors swept across his taste buds.
Right now, she was just like a little kid causing mischief after getting drunk, while he indulged her unconditionally, willing to do whatever she asked.
Qin Jiaojiao’s eyes curved into crescent moons, her face filled with joy. Her clouded judgment led her to pick up one of the drinks he had just tasted and take a sip.
“So harsh!” Qin Jiaojiao knit her delicate brows and stuck out her tongue. “This one tastes terrible.”
Afraid that drinking too much would give her a headache, Zhou Shaoli coaxed her in a gentle tone: “Then let me suggest not drinking anymore.”
“No, I want to try them all.” Qin Jiaojiao picked up another glass and took a sip, letting out a drunken hiccup. She hurriedly covered her mouth with her hand, her bright, beautiful eyes widening in a touch of embarrassment.
She was drunk, but she still retained a sense of shame.
Zhou Shaoli grasped her fair, slender wrist, took the glass out of her hand, and coaxed her in a low, deep voice, “If you keep drinking, you won’t be able to eat your midnight snacks.”
Qin Jiaojiao said blankly, “Oh right, where are my midnight snacks?”
Her phone was clearly sitting right on top of the bar counter, yet she lowered her head to search all over her body. “Where did my phone go?”
Zhou Shaoli released her delicate wrist, picked up the phone, and handed it to her. “It’s right here.”
Unlocking her phone, Qin Jiaojiao groggily located the barbecue order. The delivery rider was still en route, only a few hundred meters away from the courtyard villa—it should arrive in a few minutes.
Qin Jiaojiao rounded her way out from behind the bar counter. Her foot wobbled, and Zhou Shaoli instinctively reached out to wrap an arm around her waist, causing her body to slump softly and limply against him.
Holding her soft frame, Zhou Shaoli lowered his gaze to look at her, asking, “Can you stand steady?”
Qin Jiaojiao was actually drunk, but she put on a front of being completely sober. “I can.” She reached out to push Zhou Shaoli away, walking outward with wobbly, crooked steps.
Helplessly following behind her, Zhou Shaoli pondered whether he should go mix a glass of honey water for her.
Qin Jiaojiao stepped on her skirt hem and pitched forward—
“Careful!” Zhou Shaoli stepped up briskly, his strong, powerful arm catching her waist to pull her firmly into his embrace.
Leaning against his chest, Qin Jiaojiao closed her eyes slightly. Smelling the faint fragrance radiating from him, she stayed completely still. The man’s low, deep voice echoed beside her ear: “Are you alright?”
“Not alright,” Qin Jiaojiao sniffled her nose, acting coquettish with a trace of aggrieved pouting. “Something tripped me.”
Listening to her soft, delicate voice, Zhou Shaoli’s Adam’s apple bobbed up and down, his voice turning somewhat raspy. “I’ll carry you.”
He reached out to scoop Qin Jiaojiao up in a princess carry, intending to take her back to the room to rest.
Resting against his chest, Qin Jiaojiao held her arms around his neck. She was drunk, but not entirely gone. Seeing that he was about to carry her upstairs, she immediately threw a fit. “Want to eat barbecue.”
Zhou Shaoli turned around, set her down to lean against the sofa, and picked up her ringing phone to answer the call. “Yes, just leave it at the gate.”
Bending down, he stared at her and said, “I’m going to grab the barbecue. Sit here nicely and don’t wander off.”
Qin Jiaojiao nodded like an obedient little baby.
Restraining the urge to reach out and rub her head, Zhou Shaoli turned around and walked out of the villa.
Who knew Qin Jiaojiao could be this needy and demanding when drunk? It seemed best to keep her away from alcohol as much as possible in the future. Zhou Shaoli had never imagined that one day he would be stepping outside his villa at 11:30 at night to retrieve a takeout delivery.
Out of concern for Qin Jiaojiao inside the villa, Zhou Shaoli walked at a very fast pace with his long legs. Returning to the villa’s living room within a few minutes, he found the sofa empty. Just as he set the barbecue down on the table to go search for her, his back suddenly grew heavy.
His vision abruptly went pitch black as a pair of hands covered his eyes, her body pressing against his back so that he had to bend down to support her weight.
“Guess who I am?” Qin Jiaojiao’s playful voice sounded.
Zhou Shaoli’s voice remained steady: “Qin Jiaojiao.”
“Congratulations, you guessed right!” Qin Jiaojiao released her hands, leaning against him tipsily. “How are you so smart? Spot on with just one try—did you cheat?”
Zhou Shaoli reached out, took her arms, and led her over to sit on the sofa. “Because there’s only you and me here.”
Qin Jiaojiao nodded her head. “Oh, right.”
Bending over, Zhou Shaoli set up the portable barbecue heating rack and unpacked the meat from the store. Fortunately, the meat had been delivered freshly grilled, needing only a quick warm-up on the heating rack.
Having lived as a wealthy noble young master since childhood, when had Zhou Shaoli ever worked with his hands to serve anyone? This was his very first time doing manual labor to wait on someone. He picked up pieces of grilled meat with chopsticks and placed them into Qin Jiaojiao’s bowl.
After taking a few bites, Qin Jiaojiao found it a bit greasy. “I want to drink something.”
“What do you want to drink?” Zhou Shaoli asked.
Qin Jiaojiao said, “…Co-sprite.”
Coke? Sprite?
Zhou Shaoli stood up and went to the snack pantry, bringing back a bottle of Coke, Sprite, and orange juice—one of each.
Qin Jiaojiao pointed at the Coke. He twisted open the cap and poured a glass for her.
Throughout this entire late-night meal, Zhou Shaoli barely picked up his chopsticks, constantly preparing grilled meat for Qin Jiaojiao until she was fully fed and satisfied, her face beaming with content.
Having eaten only a third of the barbecue, Qin Jiaojiao was already full, letting out a lazy yawn with a look of wanting to sleep.
The huge mess on the table couldn’t just sit there waiting for the servants to wake up and clear it, nor had Qin Jiaojiao removed her makeup or showered yet. Sleeping in that formal gown would be deeply uncomfortable. Zhou Shaoli was spinning like a top, feeling even more exhausted than fighting a commercial business war.
After tidying up the living room, he gently nudged the drowsy Qin Jiaojiao on the sofa to wake her up.
“What are you doing?” Qin Jiaojiao complained impatiently. “I want to sleep.”
Bending down, Zhou Shaoli picked her up, carried her upstairs, and set her down on the bedroom sofa. Bending over, he said, “Shower first before sleeping.”
Qin Jiaojiao lifted her eyes to gaze at the handsome face in front of her, momentarily thinking she was dreaming as she murmured, “Why are you here…”
Unable to understand what she was mumbling, Zhou Shaoli said in a gentle voice, “Get up and go to the walk-in closet to change your clothes, take a shower, and sleep comfortably.”
Qin Jiaojiao blinked her eyes and remembered—after eating late-night snacks, she needed to shower and sleep. Wobbling slightly, she stood up and walked toward the closet.
Letting out a breath of relief, Zhou Shaoli sat on the sofa to wait for her.
Before long, Qin Jiaojiao’s voice drifted out from the walk-in closet: “Zhou Shaoli.” Her voice was crisp, carrying a touch of spoiled demand. “Hurry up and come in.”
Zhou Shaoli pushed open the closet door. “What’s wrong?”
Qin Jiaojiao turned her back to him. The zipper of her haute couture gown was stuck right in the middle, exposing her stunningly fair, slender back. A flush—whether from drunkenness or anxiety—painted her face as she urged, “Hurry up and help me unzip this.”
Had Qin Jiaojiao been sober and in control of her mind, she certainly wouldn’t have naturally called Zhou Shaoli into the closet, let alone asked him to help her handle a zipper.
Zhou Shaoli gazed at her, slowly walking up behind her.
“Hurry up and help me get it undone,” Qin Jiaojiao commanded in a soft, pampered tone.
Zhou Shaoli silently lowered his eyes, reaching out to pull down the zipper on the back of her gown. What was difficult for her to reach backward moved as smoothly as flowing water under his hand, pulling down completely.
In that moment, the spacious walk-in closet felt like an intimately narrow space, filled with a heavy, seductive atmosphere that made breathing feel thick.
Qin Jiaojiao remained blissfully unaware of what a temptation this was to Zhou Shaoli, who had been enduring all night long. Her snow-white, delicate back was fully exposed, radiating a heart-stirring allure.
Stepping back slightly, Qin Jiaojiao bumped right into Zhou Shaoli’s embrace. He reached out from behind to wrap an arm around her waist.
Every single second in the closet dragged out endlessly. Zhou Shaoli felt as though he too was drunk tonight; the formidable self-control he usually possessed completely collapsed like a broken dam at this moment.
Embracing her soft body, he buried his head into her shoulder, breathing deeply.
Held so tightly by him that she couldn’t move, Qin Jiaojiao squirmed uncomfortably. “Is it unzipped?”
“Mm,” his voice carried a raspy edge.
“Then let go of me,” Qin Jiaojiao wanted to take off the dress.
Unable to resist, Zhou Shaoli planted a warm kiss on her shoulder. His kiss was so gentle that Qin Jiaojiao didn’t even notice—a cool, restrained, yet desire-filled kiss left upon her skin.
Sensing that the hand around her waist felt exceptionally warm, Qin Jiaojiao turned her head to look at him when he didn’t release her. “What’s wrong with you?”
Zhou Shaoli stared at her rose-petal-like lips for a few seconds before with difficulty shifting his eyes away. Releasing his grip, he turned and left the walk-in closet; he couldn’t take advantage of her tipsy, unsober state to do anything out of line.
Qin Jiaojiao changed her clothes and went into the bathroom to shower. Zhou Shaoli desperately wanted to take a cold shower himself, but worried that the drunk Qin Jiaojiao might slip inside the bathroom, he had no choice but to stay in the bedroom.
Listening to the pitter-patter of water echoing from the bathroom, Zhou Shaoli pulled out his phone to review work documents, attempting to restore his usual calm and composed state.
Tonight was an absolute torture for him.
However, he had no idea that his wife’s clinginess was far from over. Emerging from the bathroom, Qin Jiaojiao acted as though she were no longer drunk, sitting down in front of the vanity table with a hairdryer. Without plugging it in, she held it backward to blow at her hair.
Pinching the bridge of his nose, Zhou Shaoli felt a deep sense of helplessness. Standing up, he walked over to plug it in for her, then took the hairdryer from her hands to dry her hair himself.
Having someone help blow-dry her hair, Qin Jiaojiao enjoyed it as a matter of course. The man’s movements were somewhat clumsy—clearly having never blow-dried anyone else’s hair before—and he accidentally tugged on her hair a bit.
“Be gentler,” she pouted softly.
Zhou Shaoli said in a low voice, “Sorry.”
Zhou Shaoli’s movements became even lighter. Inserting his well-defined fingers into her soft tresses, he blew her hair for a long time. By the time he finished drying it, it was already 12:30 AM. Looking down at the drowsy Qin Jiaojiao, Zhou Shaoli set down the hairdryer and said, “Go back to bed and sleep.”
Extremely tired, Qin Jiaojiao walked quickly over to the bed, slipping under the comfortable, soft duvet. Zhou Shaoli went into the bathroom to take a cold shower, coming out to see Qin Jiaojiao lying obediently in the covers, a faint smile glinting in his eyes.
Uncovering the blanket to get into bed, Zhou Shaoli was just about to sleep when a figure snuggled over from beside him, a soft voice whispering, “Goodnight.”
Zhou Shaoli looked down at her. Seeing her sleeping with her eyes closed, peaceful and obedient, he let out a breath of relief.
She was finally asleep.
Zhou Shaoli closed his eyes to sleep, but her breathing echoed beside him, surrounded by the subtle fragrance of her bath soap while her soft frame nestled right up against him.
In the dark, the moment he closed his eyes, his mind filled with her snow-white back and soft, petal-like lips.
Even sleeping beside him, she wasn’t staying still, clingily squeezing into his embrace to nuzzle against his chest, her shallow breath puffing against his chest to send a wave of tingling sensations through him.
That cold shower had been taken completely in vain; no matter what, sleep remained elusive.
It wasn’t until the late hours of the night that Zhou Shaoli finally managed to catch a bit of sleep, waking up thirty minutes later than usual the next morning.
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