Chapter 288: She Really Does Love Him
When Shi Lan emerged from the Treatment Pod, she saw Jiang Xia leaning against it, his face flushed and his breathing erratic.
She asked, puzzled, "Jiang Xia, your color... doesn’t look right."
Jiang Xia had been lost in that strange sensation. Even without Lanlan’s help, his imagination had seemingly transported him back to the blissful moments of the previous night.
His body grew weak again, and he slumped against the Treatment Pod, his unfocused eyes staring at the ceiling. He hadn’t even noticed the sound of the pod door opening.
It wasn’t until he heard Shi Lan’s voice that he nervously hugged his knees. Blushing, he tilted his head back, his glistening eyes looking up at her. "Lanlan, I-I’m fine..."
He was still panting, his breath hot, and his words came out haltingly.
Shi Lan stepped out of the Treatment Pod and touched his face. His skin was usually cooler than hers, but right now, it was burning up.
"You’re not running a fever, are you?"
’But I heard males have strong constitutions. They don’t get fevers.’
’Then again, Jiang Xia’s health used to be poor, so his constitution is bound to be a bit weaker.’
You couldn’t use the Treatment Pod for a fever. Shi Lan’s expression grew serious. "Come on, we’re going to see a doctor."
"N-No need."
Jiang Xia’s warm fingers clutched Shi Lan’s bare arm, and a soft whimper he couldn’t suppress escaped his throat.
Seeing the persistent worry in Shi Lan’s eyes, he blushed, intertwined his fingers with hers, and pressed himself against her. He whispered hoarsely in her ear, "Wife~ can we continue what we were doing last night?"
"Y-You don’t have to worry. I understand this time. I won’t make it so hard for you on top."
Hearing that, Shi Lan finally understood the reason for his state.
’He was so clueless last night, how could he have figured it out so quickly? Don’t tell me he was watching... something... and got himself all worked up...’
As it turned out, Shi Lan had guessed the truth.
Fresh and invigorated from the Treatment Pod, she had long forgotten her fatigue from the night before. She looked at his alluring, flushed face with great interest. She was curious to see what he had learned.
So, she indulged him. "Alright."
At her words, Jiang Xia almost lost it right then and there. Shi Lan frowned slightly. "The floor’s too hard. Let’s go back to the room..."
Although Jiang Xia’s legs still felt weak, he had her in his arms and didn’t dare risk dropping her. Eager to show off what he’d learned and avoid being rejected, he summoned all his willpower to carry her to the bed.
The moment they were on the bed, he began to imitate what he had seen, his fingers gently sliding under the hem of Shi Lan’s clothes.
A few minutes later, his voice was choked with sobs. "Lanlan, I... my body’s gone limp..."
He simply couldn’t control it. The moment he kissed her or their skin touched for more than a second, he lost all his strength.
Shi Lan was at her wit’s end with him. But he had also managed to stir her own desires, so in the end, she was the one doing all the work again.
There was one silver lining, though: it took a little longer for Jiang Xia’s legs to give out. It was a slight improvement over last night.
An hour later, Shi Lan felt like she needed a cigarette.
She lay on the bed, gazing at the beautiful light fixture on the ceiling. Despite a slight weariness, she felt utterly content, both in body and mind.
Beside her, Jiang Xia looked like a bashful newlywed. He pressed his plump, glistening lips together, his eyes red-rimmed, and gently tugged at Shi Lan’s disheveled clothes. "Lanlan, do you think I’m too useless...?"
"I still have to rely on you for this kind of thing..."
Shi Lan knew he was overthinking again. She turned and held him, comforting him. "Not at all. Don’t worry, I actually find this quite fun."
’I’m in complete control of the pace, and hearing Jiang Xia’s sounds always makes me feel like my efforts are appreciated. It’s very encouraging.’
So, Shi Lan genuinely enjoyed it.
"Mhm, as long as Lanlan doesn’t mind, I’ll be okay. I’ll try harder. I won’t let myself get so weak so easily in the future..."
"A-At least... I made a little progress today..."
Blushing, Jiang Xia fidgeted with the blanket. His silver hair spilled behind him like moonlight on water. The young man’s features were beautiful and flawless, making him look like an innocent spirit who was nonetheless unconsciously bewitching.
Shi Lan looked at his face and nodded agreeably. "Yes, I could feel it. You were great, Jiang Jiang."
"And since you were so great, should I give you another reward?"
Jiang Xia’s eyes sparkled as he gazed at her, a surprised smile revealing his canines. "Th-There’s another reward?"
"Of course!"
With that, Shi Lan pounced on him again.
After another two hours of fun with Jiang Xia, the two belatedly remembered the snowman-building activity planned for the day and changed venues.
This time, Shi Lan was fully equipped for the cold, even wearing the scarf Jiang Xia had given her the night before.
Jiang Xia kept glancing at her neck, unable to hide the smile playing on his lips.
The two entered the ice room. Inside, the snow was still falling, with large, feathery flakes piling up into a layer nearly ten centimeters deep on the ground.
Seeing this, Shi Lan realized she hadn’t changed her shoes. She quickly swapped them for a pair of tall boots, then, filled with excitement, ran inside and immediately fell back into the snow near the entrance to make a snow angel.
Jiang Xia, unafraid of the cold and still in a thin t-shirt and shorts, watched Shi Lan and decided to copy her. He made his own snow angel, deliberately positioning it so one of his "hands" touched one of Shi Lan’s. That way, the two snow angels looked like they were holding hands.
He happily snapped a photo to commemorate the moment.
The two hugged the wall as they walked deeper inside, careful to avoid their hand-holding impressions by the entrance. The snowflakes were huge, and it wasn’t long before Shi Lan’s hair was dusted white. "Lanlan, your hair’s turned white!" Jiang Xia exclaimed in surprise.
Shi Lan used her chip’s camera function to check her reflection. It was true. The unmelted snowflakes piled up in her hair, crystalline and clear, making it look as though it had turned white.
Jiang Xia leaned in to get into the frame of Shi Lan’s selfie. Looking at the top of his own head in the image, he got excited too. "Wow, my hair is white, too!"
"Hehe, Lanlan and I have the same hair color now! This makes us look even more like a family!!"
At that, Jiang Xia seized the chance to snap another selfie, capturing the tops of their two heads close together.
Seeing the photo, a phrase instantly surfaced in Shi Lan’s mind: ’To be caught in the same snowfall is to grow old together.’
She quickly shook the thought away, though.
’The sentiment is a bit cliché,’ she thought.
For the rest of the time, Shi Lan and Jiang Xia set about building a snowman.
Shi Lan focused on rolling a snowball. Jiang Xia, having never built a snowman, simply copied whatever she did. He was ecstatic, butt in the air as he knelt on the ground, leaving not just the trail of a rolled snowball, but also two deeper impressions from his knees.
Seeing him like that, Shi Lan let out a "PFFT" of laughter, dislodging the snowflakes that had settled on her eyelashes.
"Haha, Jiang Xia, you’re so adorable~"
She couldn’t stop herself from giving him another heartfelt compliment. In the icy landscape, Jiang Xia’s pale, almost translucent face instantly flushed red. He started picking at the little snowball he’d made, which was only about the size of two fists.
’Lanlan praised me again.’
’It’s just like she said. Even when I’m so useless, she still compliments me.’
’She must really like me!’
With that thought, he tried to poke two holes into his snowball, but the little ball he had just painstakingly rolled into a round shape collapsed.