Gao Hai let out a sound of acknowledgnt and followed Jie Jingchen into the kitchen.
Qin i was pouring the ready-to-eat food into bowls, placing the roast duck into a larger enal one. When she saw Jie Jingchen walk into the kitchen, her eyes twinkled, and she broke into a smile. "How are you ho from work so early today?"
Jie Jingchen didn’t answer. He stepped into the kitchen, walked over to the sink to wash his hands, then ca to Qin i’s side. "Let ."
"It’s fine. You go start cooking. I can handle little things like this." Qin i nudged Jie Jingchen with her elbow.
"What happened to your shirt?" Jie Jingchen asked, raising an eyebrow. The front of Qin i’s white shirt was covered in strange stains, and she slled faintly of milk—a scent he didn’t care for.
Qin i glanced down at her shirt. "Milk stains."
"Milk stains?" Jie Jingchen’s expression hardened. It wasn’t the scent of baby formula, but of actual milk.
"Not formula. Breast milk." Qin i crumpled up the kraft paper and tossed it into a nearby bucket. It was a decent bucket, one she had bought specifically for trash; she couldn’t stand throwing garbage on the floor.
"Breast milk?" Jie Jingchen grew even more bewildered.
Seeing the disdain in his eyes, Qin i just smiled. "Breast milk doesn’t sll as nice as formula."
"That’s not necessarily true. It depends on whose milk it is," Jie Jingchen said suggestively, his deep gaze turning gentle and intimate as he fixed it on Qin i.
Qin i froze, her expression turning to one of indignant embarrassnt. She was once again reminded of Jie Jingchen’s wicked streak. As she looked up and t the heat in his eyes, a blush spread across her fair cheeks.
"Get your mind out of the gutter! Your comrade is still here." Qin i shot Jie Jingchen a flustered glare.
"I’m not here." Gao Hai stopped in his tracks. Ever the perceptive one, he turned and left.
"So what happened?" Jie Jingchen asked, pointing to the stains on Qin i’s shirt.
Qin i didn’t intend to hide it, so she told him straight. "You know Second Auntie’s older sister, right?"
Jie Jingchen raised an eyebrow slightly and grunted, signaling for Qin i to go on.
Qin i continued, "Her granddaughter-in-law just had a baby, but the little one had no milk to drink. So I took Jing Qi over to their place and gave the new mother a massage to help with her milk flow."
Jie Jingchen looked slightly surprised, his eyes studying her. "And then?"
"The baby has milk to drink now." Seeing Jie Jingchen just standing there, Qin i pushed him toward the stove. "Go on, start the fire. I’ll tend to it while you cook. That comrade of yours is waiting to have a few drinks with you."
Pushed to the stove by Qin i, Jie Jingchen stared at her, his gaze full of profound aning. "So you have that skill too?" he asked pointedly.
"I have plenty of skills. They’re just waiting for you to discover them," Qin i said, not bothering with modesty.
Jie Jingchen’s expression faltered for a second, his gaze turning fiery as he stared at her. A faint smile touched his lips. "Good. We have plenty of ti. I can take it slow as I discover all your skills."
A sweet warmth spread through Qin i’s heart. She lifted her chin proudly. "You’d better be ntally prepared. Don’t let your jaw drop when the ti cos."
"I’m looking forward to it." A roguish smile played on Jie Jingchen’s lips. He reached out and gently took Qin i’s chin, tilting her head up to face him.
"What are you doing?" Qin i’s eyes widened. She wasn’t at all used to him holding her chin like this.
Jie Jingchen lowered his head and pressed his lips to her soft, red ones. Qin i went rigid, her eyes wide as she stared at the face so close to hers. ’He really is gorgeous,’ she thought. ’Utterly captivating.’
Rembering what Gao Hai had said, a wave of jealousy washed over her. Instead of pushing him away in anger, Qin i wrapped her arms around Jie Jingchen’s neck and kissed him back. Her kiss was fiercely possessive, a frustrated release, as if she were declaring her sovereignty over him to all potential rivals.
’This man is mine. I won’t let any of them covet him.’
Jie Jingchen keenly sensed that there was more to her kiss than simple passion; it was an emotional outburst. He grasped her shoulders, intending to pull her away, but Qin i refused to let go, clinging tightly to his neck. Instead of using force, Jie Jingchen bit her lip.
"Ow!" Qin i cried out in pain, letting go of Jie Jingchen. She covered her mouth and glared at him. "Jie Jingchen, are you a dog or sothing?"
"That’s right, I’m a dog. I was bitten by a rabid one as a kid, and I think it just flared up," Jie Jingchen replied.
Qin i froze. ’Why do those words sound so familiar?’ It was what she had snapped at him back at the guesthouse when their kiss had been more like a series of bites.
"Hmph!" Qin i huffed, still glaring at him. "You really know how to hold a grudge."
A faint look of resignation crossed Jie Jingchen’s bewitching face. He licked his lips. Qin i’s pupils constricted. ’Is he teasing on purpose?’ But as it turned out, she was overthinking things. Jie Jingchen had simply licked his lips before sitting down to start the fire.
Qin i was still letting her imagination run wild when Jie Jingchen’s deep voice cut through her thoughts. "Did Second Auntie introduce you two?"
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