Chapter 121 - 98: Please Respect My First Kiss
Xiao Wanqing: [A video call is a bad idea. I’ll just leave it at the door, and he can get it himself.]
Aina, munching on watermelon, barked like a brute: [Xiao Wanqing, why are you acting all prim and proper? You scrubbed Su Ran’s back in a maid outfit at the hotel and even sat on him to give him a massage. You weren’t shy then, so are you putting on a damn act for me now?]
Xiao Wanqing shot back: [I am a maiden still. What need have I to feign?]
Aina: [Did you hear that, Liu Jinyu? She hasn’t slept with Su Ran.]
Liu Jinyu: [Sigh...]
’I’m so damn tired of this... Am I the one dating Su Ran, or are all five of us in a relationship together?’
Aina, her leg bouncing, ordered: [Xiao Wanqing, what are you standing there for? Are you going to disobey your master’s command? Get in there and give it to him!]
Xiao Wanqing: [Get lost. You’re gross. Hey, Liu Jinyu, what do you think?]
Liu Jinyu: [It’s fine. I don’t mind. (smile)]
Aina: [You might not need it, but Su Ran does.]
Xiao Wanqing burst out laughing. Liu Jinyu instantly flew into a rage, her Chongqing dialect flaring: [Aina, I swear to God! You think just because you’re back home, I can’t whup your ass, you little shit? That’s why you’re acting all high and mighty again, huh?]
Aina stuck her tongue out, going "Nyah, nyah, nyah." The peanut gallery is never afraid to stir the pot.
Meanwhile, in the bathroom, Su Ran rested his hands on the sides of the tub, his head buzzing. Listening to the incessant chattering outside, Su Ran swore that living with them would take years off his life.
KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK.
"Su Ran, your two precious sisters are worried I have ulterior motives, so they’re making me bring you the body wash with the video call still running. Should I open the door and come in, or should I leave it outside?"
One woman alone acted respectable. But three women together were a theatrical troupe of shamelessness. It was as if they’d each given the others nerves of steel, daring to provoke a drunk, virile man soaking in a tub. Weren’t they afraid of getting stabbed and seeing the blade come out bloody?
"Bring it in."
Su Ran was past caring.
’Guys really need to protect themselves out there. Never get too familiar with girls, especially a group of best friends.’
CREAK~
The door slowly opened. A light steam filled the air as Xiao Wanqing stepped inside on her long legs. She walked to the tub, crouched down, and propped up her phone at a 45-degree angle, perfectly capturing Su Ran resting with his eyes closed.
A blinding light suddenly flared. Su Ran opened his eyes, shielding them with his hand. By the tub, Xiao Wanqing had set up a selfie stick and a fill light, both aimed at him. She looked like some amateur porn star directing her own scene as she fiddled with the equipment.
Su Ran was exasperated. ’I really want to get up and strangle this ’little cutie’.’
"Do you really have to be so professional? We’re not shooting a film here."
"Why blame me? This wasn’t my idea. The other two said they couldn’t see clearly and wanted the fill light."
"It’s this big and they still can’t see?"
Xiao Wanqing’s gaze drifted down, glancing at the Calvin Klein waistband visible in the tub.
"Should I take this stuff out then?"
"Forget it, forget it. I give up. You all win. Go on, take your time and watch. Just consider it a National Day bonus."
Pfft~
’Who’d be interested in that scrawny body of yours, anyway?’ the three women scoffed in unison.
"I think the alcohol’s really starting to hit me. Just give me the body wash. The sooner I’m clean, the sooner I can get to bed."
"Forget it. You’re already drunk. I’ll wash you."
Bath Attendant Xiao Wanqing was back on duty. Squeezing some body wash onto a loofah, she asked, "Jinyu, you don’t mind, do you?"
Liu Jinyu: [Oh, thank you SO much for washing my boyfriend.]
Aina: [Hurry, hurry! I want to see the bubbles!]
’It wasn’t so bad, having a world-class beauty for a bath attendant.’ Su Ran closed his eyes, enjoying his imperial status in the family.
For Xiao Wanqing to be willing to do this, she must have already accepted this man in her heart.
As for Liu Jinyu and Aina, they didn’t find the scene odd at all. They just teased Xiao Wanqing with lines like, "You’re blushing again! I’m gonna kill you, you little hussy! Stop having naughty thoughts about my man..." and other such banter.
Air conditioning disrupted the seasons; money disrupted morality.
These were their most private moments, not meant for outsiders. People could call them messy, cheap, or shameless, but so what? Could words change the dynamic between the five of them? At least they were all there of their own free will, unconcerned with others’ opinions. As the saying goes, the player is lost in the game while the spectator sees it clearly. Outsiders would never be in their shoes. They were the ones living this life, and that was all that mattered.
Aina: [Xiao Wanqing, you’re so good at this. Your future boyfriend is going to be one lucky guy.]
Liu Jinyu: [That’s right. And he’ll have my boyfriend to thank for giving you this internship.]
"I think her future boyfriend would probably want to kill me, don’t you think, Wanqing?" Su Ran turned his head to look at the blushing, beautiful face just inches from his.
Xiao Wanqing pinched his back. She lifted her gorgeous eyes to meet his and said, "It’s not like they’re easy to find... I’m not even planning on getting a boyfriend."
’Those words came from the heart. With Su Ran already occupying her thoughts, she’d considered fighting fire with fire by finding her own boyfriend. But it was as if all the good men in the world had disappeared. Was there truly no one out there as good as Su Ran? They were either handsome with no depth, or had depth but weren’t handsome. The ones who were both handsome and deep lacked talent. And the rare few who were handsome, talented, *and* deep... well, they weren’t into women.’
Sigh...
’Then she’d think about all of Su Ran’s good points: he was gentle and considerate. He was rich enough to just throw money at women, but he insisted on being devoted. He was so good at taking care of people. He was the complete package. What girl could possibly resist that? Once a girl fell for him, how could she ever look at another man? When picking a boyfriend, what girl wouldn’t compare him to Su Ran? And after that comparison, everyone else just seemed so... bland. In the end, there was only Su Ran.’