Indulgence - Chapter 44
Chapter 44
Their eyes met. Jiang Nian held back for a moment, but still wanted to lean in and press her lips closer. She had been restraining herself a lot lately, but when they were alone like this, she couldn't help but want to tease and entice the woman before her.
With just one look, Yao Ran naturally understood the mischief in Jiang Nian's eyes.
"Mmm—"
"Ahh—"
The soundproofing in this hotel was rather poor. Embarrassing sounds could be faintly heard, coming in waves.
Both Jiang Nian and Yao Ran heard it and froze.
It must be coming from a nearby room. It couldn't be Ruan Xin's room next door, could it? The thought popped into Jiang Nian's head. She looked at Yao Ran but said nothing; it would be strange to ask directly.
Yao Ran, however, didn't think of Ruan Xin. She just found it awkward to hear such noises in a hotel, especially while she was with Jiang Nian.
It hadn't stopped: "Mmm, ahhh~~~"
Jiang Nian: "..."
What are they getting up to, making sounds like that?
Yao Ran was embarrassed too. She suddenly remembered that Jiang Nian could also be quite loud...
Hearing this all of a sudden, the two exchanged a silent, mutually awkward glance.
Fortunately, the overly passionate sounds only ran wild for a short while before it became quiet again. The other party probably realized they were being too loud and reined it in.
"You should get some rest. We have to wake up early tomorrow," Yao Ran said to Jiang Nian then, not letting her continue the massage.
Jiang Nian wanted to say something more, but Yao Ran had already stood up, putting distance between them. Feeling a sense of loss, she could only nod obediently.
They each lay down on their own beds and turned off the lights.
In the darkness, neither of them could fall asleep right away.
Jiang Nian closed her eyes, her mind once again filled with images of the two of them lost in a passionate embrace. She loved it so much. She had already been aroused just now, and it was difficult to suppress the feeling. In the pitch-black room, she turned her head to look in Yao Ran's direction, wanting to ask if she was asleep, but she calmed herself and held her tongue.
Yao Ran also lay with her eyes closed, feigning nonchalance, but her heart was restless. Her body was truly overly sensitive to Jiang Nian's touch. If they had never been together, she thought she probably wouldn't be this sensitive. Once you've tried something, it's like getting a taste of something and craving more.
After spending two days at East Lake and the small water town, Jiang Nian and Yao Ran returned to their respective busy lives.
"Jiang, if you dare go out on a weekend again, I'm seriously going to kill you." Qiu Lan gritted her teeth when she saw Jiang Nian after her trip. "Just look at the appointment book. You can forget about gallivanting around for the next week."
Weekends were often the studio's busiest time. Every time Jiang Nian squeezed out a weekend to have fun, it meant another hectic period would follow, with appointments piling up.
Jiang Nian's head ached. She said to Qiu Lan, "Let's hire two more tattoo artists."
Qiu Lan also felt it was time to expand. "Actually, opening a branch wouldn't be a bad idea."
"No way. I want a bit of peace and quiet. It's busy enough as it is." Jiang Nian wasn't particularly interested in making money. She just wanted to live comfortably at her own pace.
Yao Ran was busy too.
After returning from their trip, the two didn't see each other again, only exchanging a few messages on WeChat occasionally.
After two or three days of intense work, Jiang Nian saw a movie poster at a shopping mall on her way home from the studio. She casually snapped a picture and sent it to Yao Ran.
Yao Ran was in the airport lounge when she received the message.
【Jiang Nian】This movie looks pretty good.
Yao Ran immediately understood what the message was implying. She instinctively pictured Jiang Nian's cautiously probing expression and couldn't help but smile.
Jiang Nian quickly received a reply.
【Yao Ran】I have to go on a business trip.
Jiang Nian hesitated for a few seconds before trying a voice call. After a moment, the other end picked up. She quickly asked, "Where are you going? When do you leave?"
Yao Ran was never in the habit of reporting her schedule to others, so she paused for a second when she heard Jiang Nian's question. "Haicheng. I'm leaving tonight. I'm at the airport now."
She was already at the airport. Jiang Nian had wanted to suggest they meet before her trip, since they hadn't seen each other in days... She couldn't help but mutter, "Why didn't you tell me?"
After asking, Jiang Nian felt her question was too forward. Their relationship was far from the point where they needed to report their whereabouts to each other. But unlike a text message, spoken words couldn't be retracted.
Yao Ran detected a hint of grievance in her voice. She said softly, "It was a last-minute thing. I'm telling you now."
Her soft, gentle voice over the phone was so tender, like she was coaxing a girlfriend... A grin spread across Jiang Nian's face, and she was so happy she almost forgot to speak. She continued walking Si Mao and asked, "How long will you be gone? When are you coming back?"
"About two or three days." Yao Ran paused, then added, "We can see the movie when I get back."
Hmm? Jiang Nian caught the key phrase, her voice tinged with a smile. "You want to see a movie with me?"
Yao Ran heard the smugness in her laughter. She was silent for half a second. "Weren't you the one asking me to go?"
Jiang Nian grew even more smug and played dumb. "I didn't say that."
Yao Ran frowned slightly, then lowered her head and said lightly, "Oh. Then never mind." After her faint remark, she waited quietly for the other person's reaction.
"Hey, I meant what you said..." Jiang Nian immediately grew anxious and rushed to say, "I want to go with you. Will you go with me?"
A faint smile appeared as Yao Ran's brow smoothed out. Jiang Nian's reaction was just as she'd expected, making her want to laugh.
The assistant beside her saw Director Yao laughing and chatting on the phone—a rare sight—and felt too awkward to interrupt. After glancing at Yao Ran several times, she finally reminded her softly, "Director Yao, it's time to board."
Yao Ran turned and nodded, finally ending the call.
The assistant was a little dazed. Director Yao's smile was actually a little sweet.
While Yao Ran was away, Jiang Nian consciously made sure to only contact her at night.
After work, Yao Ran had grown increasingly accustomed to checking for messages from Jiang Nian. Her business trip was no exception. After a busy day, she would return to her hotel room and subconsciously pick up her phone to open WeChat. Sometimes there would be photos and videos of Si Mao, other times a simple "good night."
That afternoon, the moment Jiang Nian walked into the studio, Qiu Lan was struck by her friend's flirtatious air. She'd noticed that the show-off had been acting more and more unusual lately, her face beaming with happiness.
When no one was around, Qiu Lan pulled Jiang Nian aside to whisper, "Did you hook up with her again last night?"
"What are you talking about?" Jiang Nian glanced at Qiu Lan and explained with a smile, "I'm properly pursuing her now."
Qiu Lan clicked her tongue. "Starting to take the innocent route?"
Jiang Nian thought about it. She could understand what Yao Ran meant by needing to calm down. At least now, she was more certain of her own feelings, more aware that her affection wasn't just a whim.
When you truly like someone, you don't have to do anything; your heart will flutter just by seeing them. When Qiu Lan had said that before, Jiang Nian had scoffed at her for being overly sentimental. Now, she found herself becoming just like Qiu Lan, hopelessly innocent.
Seeing Jiang Nian so persistent for so long, Qiu Lan wondered, Is the flirt going to be faithful for once?
There were no clients in the studio that afternoon, so Qiu Lan roped Jiang Nian into a photoshoot, saying it would be a waste not to take more pictures when she was dressed so beautifully. The studio needed her good looks to attract traffic.
This time, Jiang Nian was quite cooperative, though not for the sake of the studio's traffic.
Seeing Si Mao wander over, Jiang Nian picked him up to use as a prop. "Take some pictures of Si Mao," she told Qiu Lan.
"OK." Qiu Lan raised her camera and started snapping away.
After a while, Jiang Nian went to look at the photos, only to find they were all close-ups of Si Mao. She nudged Qiu Lan with her elbow. "Get me in the shot too."
"Damn, you should have been clearer," Qiu Lan said, exasperated. She gave Jiang Nian a disdainful look. "Are we taking pictures of the dog or of you?"
"The kind of effect where it looks like you're taking a picture of the dog, but you're actually taking a picture of me," Jiang Nian said, winking at Qiu Lan with an enthusiastic smile. "You know what I mean, right?"
???
Qiu Lan was speechless.
"Make sure my figure looks good," Jiang Nian didn't forget to add.
"Sis—, if your figure gets any better, it's going to explode..." Qiu Lan drew out her words in complaint. As she found her angles and took photos, she asked, "Trying to seduce someone with these pictures?"
Jiang Nian was brazen and without a hint of modesty. "Yup."
Qiu Lan was even more speechless. She gave Jiang Nian a deadpan thumbs-up. Jiang Nian's current demeanor—both innocent and flirty—was truly hard to resist. It was only because the person Jiang Nian was pursuing was a difficult catch; anyone else would have probably given in in minutes.
...
Yao Ran worked late that day, not getting back to her hotel until after ten. She sat down on the sofa and habitually checked her phone.
But there were no messages from Jiang Nian.
She's probably busy today, Yao Ran thought, twisting open a bottle of water and taking a sip.
After resting on the sofa for a moment, Yao Ran got up and went to the bathroom to shower. When she came out in her pajamas, she checked her phone again. Still no messages.
After some thought, she took the initiative and sent Jiang Nian a WeChat message. Jiang Nian had been sending her messages every day, so the silence today made her a little worried.
Jiang Nian had worked later than expected and only realized the time when she checked. Her phone was dead. After plugging it in and turning it on, the first message that popped up was from Yao Ran:
Busy today?
Jiang Nian almost thought she was seeing things. She's actually contacting me on her own? She quickly replied: Had a lot of clients tonight, just finished. My phone died.
When Yao Ran saw the message, she sent a simple reply: Okay.
【Jiang Nian】You're still awake?
Yao Ran was about to reply that she had also just finished work when she saw another message from Jiang Nian: Were you waiting for my message?
Yao Ran: "..."
Even through the screen, Jiang Nian could feel the silence. She quickly tried to smooth things over by sending a Si Mao sticker.
Seeing the sticker, which looked like an admission of guilt, Yao Ran couldn't hold back a smile. It felt like business trips weren't so boring after all. She used to resist letting other people into her life because it would disrupt her rhythm and she found it troublesome.
But for some inexplicable reason, Jiang Nian's intrusion didn't make her feel uncomfortable at all. On the contrary, a sense of attachment had begun to grow.
She replied to Jiang Nian: I just finished work too.
Jiang Nian raised an eyebrow, feeling delighted. Really?
Yao Ran sent another message: You should get some rest.
The conversation ended after just a few exchanges. Jiang Nian felt a bit helpless. She took Si Mao home from work, took a shower, and changed into a light camisole, feeling much more comfortable.
It was already late.
Yao Ran had been about to go to sleep, but then she saw that Jiang Nian had sent a bunch of photos—
【Jiang Nian】Took some more pictures of Si Mao this afternoon.
After getting home, Jiang Nian couldn't resist sending the photos to Yao Ran. Unlike last time, she sent many, specifically choosing the ones that would be most seductive.
Yao Ran's fingertip swiped across the screen, looking at the photos one by one. With every picture, her gaze ultimately landed on Jiang Nian. Every single one was taken...
【Jiang Nian】Do they look good?
Could her little scheme be any more obvious? Yao Ran felt second-hand embarrassment for her, but she didn't let it show, still replying: Yes.
Guessing that she was still awake, Jiang Nian, who was currently cuddling Si Mao, simply turned on her phone's front camera and recorded a short video.
When Yao Ran saw the video, her already calm heart rate quickened. In the video, a fair, slender hand was petting the dog. But more eye-catching than Si Mao's affectionate behavior was the person behind him, wearing only a flimsy camisole. Her face wasn't visible, only her beautiful, porcelain-white collarbones, shoulders, and neck. It looked like she had just gotten out of the shower.
She lowered her eyes and replied to Jiang Nian: It's very late. Go to sleep.
A new message popped up.
【Jiang Nian】Si Mao misses you. Do you miss Si Mao?
The next second, a video call came through. Yao Ran stared at it, the unease in her eyes deepening...
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