Chapter 326: In Front of Her Husband, With Me...
Through the phone, a young man’s low, magnetic voice spoke slowly:
"Baby, I bought you something new. The package will arrive tomorrow. Remember to have Housekeeper Qin sign for it and put it in your room."
"You can wait for me to open it together, or you can open it by yourself."
The moment she heard his voice, Jiang Qingli felt Xie Youchen press his chin onto her shoulder from behind, the arm around her waist tightening slightly.
The young man tilted his head, his dark eyes silently staring at her profile.
The intimate nature of the call made Jiang Qingli feel a pang of guilt. She mumbled an "mhm, mhm," saying, "I know, I’ll get it when I get back."
’It’s probably more clothes,’ she thought. ’I hope I can play it off. I can’t let Xie Youchen find out I often have Baili Jing wear all sorts of revealing outfits made of flimsy fabrics, straps, and chains.’
But Baili Jing, who was usually more discreet, chuckled, his tone shy. "Baby, it’s the outfit the guy was wearing in that video you shared with me. I don’t think I’ll look any worse than him..."
Jiang Qingli instantly remembered what had happened.
Because Lin Xiyue often shared risqué videos with her, the algorithm had started recommending them to her as well.
In the Empire, males far outnumbered females. As a result, many men would do anything to attract a woman’s attention, and plenty were willing to throw their reputations to the wind. The content available was, therefore, quite rich and varied.
As for those males on the Star Network... well, if you know, you know. When they created their thirst traps, they went all out, completely lost in the moment. There were all sorts of unexpected angles and outfits.
Yesterday, a thirst trap video of a guy in an exotic outfit popped up on her feed. Jiang Qingli thought it was pretty good, and since it seemed like Lin Xiyue’s type, she excitedly went to share it. But she wasn’t paying attention and hit the "One-Click Share to Recent Contacts" button...
And just like that, with a slip of the thumb, she sent the video straight to Baili Jing...
Jiang Qingli had wanted to unsend it and pretend nothing had happened. But to her surprise, Baili Jing, who was supposed to be on set, read it within seconds. He sent a sticker of a slyly smiling fox spinning in a circle. [So this is what my baby is into lately. It’s certainly... fresh. ^^]
’This is bad,’ she had thought at the time.
But Baili Jing didn’t mention it for the next few days, so she forgot all about it. Who knew he was actually preparing this kind of surprise?
’Jiang Qingli had to admit, Baili Jing was a smooth operator. She loved it and was completely susceptible to his charms. She felt an unreserved urge to praise him.’
—Assuming, of course, that Xie Youchen wasn’t currently leaning on her shoulder, hearing every single word.
Still sitting on Xie Youchen’s lap, Jiang Qingli reined in her thoughts and said in a serious tone, "Okay, I understand."
She deliberately tried to act as if they were discussing normal clothes, but Baili Jing wasn’t finished. "I’m free this weekend, how about we go out? I know a seaside hotel that uses special technology. You can lie on the surface of the sea, separated by a transparent membrane..."
"Baby, whatever you like, your husband can try it with you. We’re the ones who know each other best, right?"
The young man’s voice was gentle and lingering, with an intimate, seductive undertone. Jiang Qingli’s ear, closer to the phone, tingled and grew hot, while her other side felt a chill from Xie Youchen’s breath.
His dark eyes watched her in silence, as if asking, ’You’re the ones who know each other best? Then what about me?’
On one side was her first love; on the other, her childhood friend.
The three of them had grown up together, separated, and then reunited around the same time. They were both people she loved dearly.
So no matter how she answered, she would hurt one of them.
How could Jiang Qingli bear to let that happen?
She pursed her lips, about to give a carefully neutral answer, when his long, slender fingers came around from the other side. He grasped her chin, applying gentle pressure to pull her closer.
Then he lowered his eyes, his thin lips pressing against the corner of her mouth.
Outside the window, shadows of people flickered by. Jiang Qingli turned her head to dodge, but Xie Youchen gave her no chance, lowering his head to capture her crimson lips, savoring the warmth of her breath.
The back seat was spacious, but Jiang Qingli was trapped between the man’s arms and the car window, a space so narrow that she could feel his every subtle change with immense clarity.
The call was still ongoing, the timer ticking away second by second.
However, on the other end of the line, Baili Jing remained silent after asking his question.
He seemed to be waiting for her answer, but it also felt like he was listening intently for any sounds from her side.
The quieter it was, the more obvious the sounds of breathing and heartbeats became.
As she took Xie Youchen’s kiss, the hand holding her terminal tightened, her knuckles turning white as she gripped his shirt.
She didn’t dare make a sound, afraid Baili Jing would hear. But Xie Youchen seemed to be deliberately provoking her, kissing her until her scalp tingled.
Then, his calloused fingertips slid down from her waist, moving under the hem of her dress.
’Don’t...’
Jiang Qingli shook her head, her lips parting slightly, about to refuse without a second thought.
But the moment before she could make a sound, Xie Youchen raised his hand and covered her lips, suppressing her feeble attempt to stop him.
The scent of agarwood enveloped Jiang Qingli’s senses. She lifted her glistening eyes, looking at him in a daze.
At this moment, Xie Youchen had already regained his composure.
He didn’t move any closer. Instead, he helped her sit up straight, methodically smoothed out her skirt, and gestured with his eyes for her to continue talking.
He looked so calm and considerate, as if he wasn’t the one who had just kissed Jiang Qingli until her fingertips went weak.
Jiang Qingli was dazed for a few seconds before she came to her senses.
Her fingers were limp, and her head was spinning. She didn’t know what she said in the end—maybe she just mumbled a few "mhms," or maybe she uttered a few nonsensical sentences as if in a dream.
After painstakingly ending the conversation, Xie Youchen took the terminal from her hand and decisively hung up.
"Should we continue?" Xie Youchen asked, looking down at the girl in his arms, his Adam’s apple bobbing slightly.
Jiang Qingli just nodded lightly, and he lowered his head, tilted his face, and kissed her again.
This time, with no pesky third party on the line, Xie Youchen no longer held back.
The car sped through the night, the shadows of neon lights falling upon them, crushing reason into blurry points of light.
There was no stopping it, only the desire to sink deeper.
She didn’t know how much time had passed before she felt his grip finally loosen. Air rushed back into her lungs, and she gasped for breath.
A voice sounded from above her.
He asked softly, "Was that fun?"
Jiang Qingli, nestled in his arms, murmured weakly, "What..."
Xie Youchen gently wiped the moisture from her lips with the pad of his thumb. A fiery passion surged in the depths of his eyes, and his voice was laced with a certain hoarseness.
"Kissing me in front of your husband."
-
The air seemed to fall silent for a moment.
If everything that had just happened were tiny sparks, then this sentence was a bomb, dropped without any warning.
Jiang Qingli’s eyes widened, unable to believe those words had come from Xie Youchen’s mouth.
She opened her mouth, but before she could make a sound, her face and neck flushed completely red, and even her fingertips took on an unnatural pink hue.
"You, you, you..." Jiang Qingli covered his lips, stammering, "Who are you, really? How could you say something... something like that..."
「The car slid silently into the Jiang Family’s garage, and the lights flickered on.」
Just as Xie Youchen saw the beautiful, crimson face of the girl in his arms, she also saw his calm expression.
And... his bright red ears.
’Jiang Qingli had thought Xie Youchen was completely shameless when he said that, but now she could see he was embarrassed too.’
’He must have been... really provoked by that "husband" remark. Thinking of his own status as her "secret lover," he must have just blurted it out without thinking.’
Jiang Qingli couldn’t help but want to laugh.
’Suddenly, the ever-so-stuffy Xie Youchen seemed to have a cute side.’
’Besides, now they were both as red as beets. They were even.’
Jiang Qingli felt her sense of equilibrium return.
’Considering Xie Youchen had really stepped out of his comfort zone, she decided to be kind and not call him out on it.’ Smiling, she cupped his face to kiss him.
The hand on her waist tightened. Jiang Qingli was a little confused, but then she saw him turn his head to look out the window.
Following his gaze, Jiang Qingli’s entire body went stiff—
Outside the car window, a white-haired young man stood with his brow furrowed, his icy gaze fixed like an arrow on the disheveled Xie Youchen.
Behind him, Yi Nuo was walking over, holding a glass of warm water.