CH 11.3

Chapter 11.3 — An Uncontainable Arousing of the Heart (3)

She swore, he must have seen it…

He wouldn’t be thinking that she purposely left it open, would he?

If it was because of that that he… then this honestly was a huge price to pay!

But such a tender, loving kiss that showed such longing, she ultimately was unable to resist and could only toss down all defenses in surrender.

She liked him; she liked his gentle tenderness, liked the reasonless good that he gave her. Was it enough? Was it enough for them to continue on together to the end? She felt somewhat short of oxygen and gradually transitioned into a state of being unable to think. Push him away? Or yield to him? This was a struggle that had no answer at all. Until that warmth glided from her lips to her face, her neck, and finally came to a stop by her ear.

“You don’t often write love scenes?”

Huh?

The rhythm of this was moving a bit too quickly, wasn’t it?

She gave a very miserable “mm-hmm.”

… Who would constantly write love scenes for no reason?

“Sometimes, you don’t need to have too much dialogue.” By her ear he spoke in low tones, his voice tinged with hints of huskiness. “If you love someone, you will be unable to control yourself and want to be close to her. To touch her hand. To kiss her face. To see her flustered and not knowing what she should do with her hands and feet. Repeatedly touching her is just so that you can repeatedly confirm, repeatedly prove that ‘We really are together,’ that ‘She really is mine.’ That’s why the best love scene should begin with very slight physical contact and then slowly build up the atmosphere from there.”

These words sounded very proper.

But still, there was no need to do a live demonstration, you know…

On the glass of the window, their two shadows overlaid, one upon the other. The glow of the city lights was too brilliant, actually overwhelming the starlight, dimming it.

“It’s like right now. I can’t help paying attention to you. Every subtle little detail, I want to have a closer look at. It is not simply for getting to that final step.” His five fingers slid between hers and very lightly caressed her. “When you’re nervous, all five of your fingers will half-close and curl into a little ball. I will always think, how can I help them to unfold so I can hold them in my hand and look at them closely?” His gaze fell onto her hand. “Your fingernails are really small and trimmed very neatly. Very slender, your fingers, and very long.”

His hands were gorgeous. The first time she saw them at the press conference, she had already sighed feelingly about them.

But now, here, he was carefully studying her hand, setting it on his palm.

Her eyes unconsciously followed his gaze to land on her own hand. Because she was thin, the joints appeared a little obtrusive and the veins were very prominent, too… It was obviously really ugly. She felt weak. Disquieted, she tried to pull her hand back.

Then, she very perceptively discovered that she was a little anxious and her fingers were indeed maintaining a half-closed position.

They were both very hot. The air conditioning clearly was on, but a layer of perspiration already covered their bodies. On the glass, she could see his silhouette and also the room behind them. Jia He watched as he brought his face down again. Instantanly, her nerves grew taut. The warmth on the back of her neck was like a fuse, setting alight all of her blood. In her chest, something was ready to burst forth. With each inch that they drew closer to one another, she only felt that it was still not close enough…

Without warning, her phone began ringing again.

She started, nearly crashing through the glass and flying out.

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Feeling limp, she pulled out her mobile phone. It was—once again—Qiao Qiao.

“This is no good. I can’t sleep. I need to vent.” It was apparent the person on the other end did not know what role she had just played, still pouting plaintively.

“Wait a sec.” Jia He’s eyes welled with warm tears, for the first time discovering that this breakup of hers had occurred at a very opportune time. Covering up her mobile phone, she turned to Yi Wenze and feigned a look of resignation. “It’s still Qiao Qiao.”

Yi Wenze gave a resigned smile as well and kissed the tip of her nose. “Tell her, there’s no next time. From now on, ten o’clock onwards is the period when all phone calls will be rejected.

Her chest hammered and the corners of her lips turned up into a stiff smile. “You go to bed first. I’ll go back to my room to talk on the phone.”

He helped her pack up her computer and handed it to her. “Rest earlier.”

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When she was back in her room, she pressed her back against the door, hugging her computer and calming herself.

“Did I interrupt some sort of exciting scene? Screenwriter?” Qiao Qiao at last was being sensitive.

“A certain Mr. Yi said that you’re not to call me after ten o’clock.” Jia He repeated every part of his instructions and then threw herself belly-down onto the bed.

“Ohhh.” Qiao Qiao gave a meaningful sigh. “That’s too early. Your bedroom ‘activity’ starts too early. You guys sure are able ‘get down’ to things.”

She suddenly discovered that everybody around her very much had a natural talent for writing dialogue, except her.

“Start talking. Didn’t you want to pour out your heart?”

“I just wanted to tell you… in this last half an hour, everyone in the entire country has sent me a congratulatory message, congratulating me on my breakup.”

“And so you’re just missing this one congratulatory message from Tianjin?”

Qiao Qiao sniggered. “Honestly, how’s the relationship between you two developing? You’ve done the deed already?”

“Hold it right there.” Flipping over, Jia He stared up at the ceiling and mumbled, “It just feels unreal.” Then she began rattling on about the many various, complicated things of this past little while.

At the very end, Qiao Qiao summarized it all into one sentence: “So what you’re saying is, you’re taking a boyfriend whose one of the most-coveted guys out there, treating him like some sort of scandal that people can’t know about, and hiding him away underground?”

“What are you talking about? …”only

Jia He did some self-reflection. This is still okay, right? Don’t those people who win five million in a lottery all wear face masks and sunglasses, for fear that others will know that good luck dropped from the sky and smacked them in the head? This feeling should be about the same, right?

“Actually, I get what you’re feeling.” The person on the other end of the line began very dutifully counselling her and trying to talk her around, evidently having forgotten her original intent in making this phone call. “When you’re in a relationship with such a person, you can’t do any of the stuff that normal people can. It sounds like this great fantasy, but you’re actually quite stifled when you’re living it. Right now you guys are just starting out. In the future, once he starts filming, there’ll be months at a time where you won’t see him. And then at every turn, there are going to be rumoured romances and scandals flying about. If you have any headaches or fevers, he can’t even give you the most basic thing of being there by your side—”

“Hold it right there.” Jia He’s mind was a little preoccupied. “Talk about your stuff. I don’t need your counsel.”

Afterwards, regardless of what words were said on that end, she would only give responses of “mm-hmm, mm-hmm” and “uh-huh, uh-huh.” In fact, all people who are recovering from a broken heart just need a listening ear. Giving counsel and consolation or not will not help the matter, for grieving will still occur for things that should be grieved over and anything you say will not have the slightest effect.

And plus… her whole mind was awash with Yi Wenze’s words from earlier.

“Tune of Yong’an’s press conference has been set for next week in Beijing. Will you still be around then?”

“I should be. The next drama’s work is about done. It’s just the original author who’s a little harder to deal with.” As Jia He thought about this, she began to worry and feel uptight. “I actually didn’t want to accept this type of drama adaptation project. Supposedly, the author is a pretty girl whose books haven’t really sold well but temper is pretty bad.”

Qiao Qiao chortled at her misfortune. “I told you a long time ago, if the adaptation goes well, all the credit goes to the author; if the adaptation is no good, the screenwriter is the one who takes all the heat.”

Jia He was a little dispirited. “How is it the screenwriter’s fault? If the one holding the purse strings is some overbearing, high-handed person, the screenwriter is just a typing machine who has no control whatsoever over the plot.”

Since getting the book in her hands, there had been a feeling in her that this drama would not go peacefully and smoothly.

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This one phone call lasted until the first hazy glimmers of daybreak appeared in the sky, and hence Jia He had no choice but to tote along dark circles beneath her eyes to have breakfast with Yi Wenze. While she was eating, she even thought, it actually wasn’t that bad. See? A normal boyfriend definitely would not be able to handle her routine and sleep schedule. If she really did find herself a guy who sat in an office or something like that and every day, when he woke up there was no breakfast and when he went to bed it was empty beside him, likely within half a year there would be a mutiny in the household…

She held her chopsticks, staring blankly, lost in her own thoughts.

“Didn’t sleep well last night?”

“Mm-hmm.” Jia He at last put the fish that she had been holding with her chopsticks into her mouth. As she chewed, she ladled out some soup for him, a small, white porcelain bowl clasped in her hand. As it was hot, her fingerstips unwittingly curled in slightly, and swiftly she set the bowl down in front of him. “Whew, that was hot!”

Pinching her earlobes with her fingers, she watched as he drank the soup spoonful by spoonful.

In the hustle and bustle of this city, irrespective of whether your face is recognizable to any random passerby, we all live the same type of life as everyone else. We need to eat, and we get sick, too. See? It’s so real!

While her heart was stirring as she reflected on this, she abruptly felt something hot in her nose. She swiped her hand at it—and her hand became covered in blood.

A jolt of shock hit her. Yi Wenze had already set down his bowl, and swiftly he pulled her into the bathroom. Cupping water in his palm, he used it to help her wash her nose clean. “Why did you suddenly get a nosebleed?”

Jia He stared into the mirror in misery. Yi Wenze was already pinching the bridge of her nose. Such a funny-looking action. “I don’t know. Probably because the air is too dry.”

Spring dryness. Oh darn, the dry spring weather. Luckily it wasn’t last night that she had the nosebleed…

“Wash your hands clean yourself,” he reminded her.

With an “oh,” Jia He hastily turned on the faucet again and washed her hands quickly.

He pinched her nose like this for two minutes, before the bleeding finally stopped, and then he took out some complimentary cotton balls provided by the hotel. When he was about to stuff one into her nostril, though, Jia He’s gaze landed on those soft-pink cotton balls and, sheer mortification sweeping over her, she refused over her dead body to let him.

To have her walk around to and fro in front of him with a pink cotton ball stuffed in her nose?

So hideous!

Smiling, Yi Wenze bent down and very carefully helped her put the cotton ball in. “It looks very nice. Suits you well.”

Jia He’s eyes were about to spurt fire. “Who looks good with a cotton ball stuffed up the nostril?”

“My girlfriend,” he answered naturally.

Jia He wanted to lift a hand to yank it out, but he had already caught it in his palm before she could do anything. “Jia He, I need to very seriously say some words to you.” From the corner of his mouth to the look in his eyes, an absolutely stern expression had been drawn onto his face, one that showed he was not to be challenged.

She gawked at him, dumbfounded. No way! Just for a cotton ball, we need to get so serious?

One second. Two seconds. She was so tense another nosebleed was going to burst forth from her.

But then, to her surprise, he suddenly gave a chuckle and gently tweaked the end of her nose. “You will get sick in the future, and at that time your face will definitely be all pale and your hair will be a mess. You’ll look even worse than you do now. Does that mean you won’t see me then?” Jia He became a mute. But as she thought about it, she realized he was right. Only now did he lead her over to the couch to take a seat. “One day in the future, if you’re pregnant, you’re going to lose your figure and your legs will swell. Does that mean you won’t see me for the entire ten months?”

Boom! Something exploded in her mind. She was burning up now and feeling cooked through and through.

From her face to the very top of her head, it was as if steam was rising out of her. Yet, that person who had done the talking was even smiling as he looked her.

Nibbling on the corner of her lip, Jia He willed herself, Keep calm, keep calm.

But this topic was just too inciting! From just a single cotton ball, it had rapidly upgraded to her being pregnant…

She swore, Yi Wenze was absolutely a master of romance.

Why hadn’t she discovered this earlier?

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Since the “cotton ball incident,” there was a persistent feeling in Jia He that something had changed between the two of them. It was as if he had stepped down from the big screen and was no longer playing the role of the prince who kissed the princess awake. He gave her not only hugs and kisses, movies and popcorn, but also cotton balls… Ugh, why did she always manage to think about cotton balls?

She had only ever had two or three nosebleeds in her entire lifetime, and he just had to see one of them.

Biting on some chocolate, Jia He glanced wordlessly at that person who was standing by the window, talking on the phone. She felt something hot in her nose… She swiped at it with her hand. And then immediately, as blackness flashed before her eyes, she sprinted into the bathroom.