That was no surprise. After all, that post was trending.
“Moyan, there’s something…” Zheng Yuntong spoke hesitatingly, trying to minimize the damage somehow.
Xu Moyan put down her phone and smiled at her. “I saw the news.”
“What… what news?” Zheng Yuntong was still trying to feign ignorance.
“You know, that one…” It was too hard for her to say it out loud. Xu Moyan felt the sourness rise in her throat, making it difficult for her to say anything. It took all her strength to not break down crying.
Zheng Yuntong rushed over and hugged her. “You don’t have to say it! I know, I know, you don’t have to say anything.”
Xu Moyan closed her eyes, willing away the scalding hot tears in her eyes.
She heard Zheng Yuntong say, “Actually… I’m not saying this just to comfort you, but I really don’t believe this. If the boss felt anything at all for Liang Wenyin, he wouldn’t have been so brusque to her back then, right? And it wasn’t just once, either. That was barely any time ago, so how could they suddenly be together now? For all you know, Liang Wenyin had thrown herself at him. We don’t know anything about what’s going on between them. So don’t overthink it, okay? No matter what, let’s ask him properly first. There’s gossip floating around everywhere now, with a new scoop every day, but who knows how much of it is actually true?”
“Still, what right do I have to ask?” Xu Moyan said weakly. She turned her head to look into the pitch-black night and saw that it had begun to rain at some point.
The white snow was like coarse salt falling from the sky, raining down urgently amidst the raging winds. Although the snowflakes were not huge, they fell so quickly that they were still a fearsome sight to behold. Before long, the ground was already covered in white.
Xu Moyan stood up and went to the kitchen, taking the chocolate cake out of the fridge. After that, she grabbed a pair of forks and returned to the bedroom, asking Zheng Yuntong, “Do you still have the appetite to eat this?”
Zheng Yuntong’s mouth fell open in shock, and she could not say anything for a long while. When she saw Xu Moyan put the cake onto the table, she finally asked, “Do you… really want to eat this? Weren’t you… going to give it to the boss?”
“I’m guessing he probably won’t be coming back today, so I won’t be able to give him the cake. In that case, we might as well eat it,” Xu Moyan said.
“Um… Let’s not. You never asked, so how would you know? Let’s keep it until 12, at the very least, okay?” Zheng Yuntong thought about it and took out her phone, so anxious that she began to stutter. “Why don’t… Why don’t I call Shen Zongyi and ask him what’s going on?”
Zheng Yuntong slapped her forehead abruptly, “Wait, why didn’t I think of that earlier? I should’ve called Shen Zongyi and asked him about it ages ago. You say you don’t have the right to ask Boss, but Shen Zongyi was with Boss the whole time, so he’s bound to know if anything happened! I’ll ask him! That’s fine, right?”
Xu Moyan did not stop her. To be honest, she wanted to know too, holding on that tiny ray of tragic hope left in her heart.
However, Zheng Yuntong soon put down her phone, her face creased in a frown. “His phone is off. The call won’t go through.”
As soon as she said that, Xu Moyan did not hesitate to stab her fork into the cake, taking out a piece.
“Oh, no!” Zheng Yuntong cried out in frustrated and pity. “Are you really eating it? You went to all that trouble to make it, all so you could give it to him. How could you eat it now without even waiting for his reply?”
Xu Moyan looked at Zheng Yuntong, turning circles in her exasperation, and smiled. “Are you eating this, or not?”
Zheng Yuntong looked at the cake, conflicted, and then at the fork lying on the plate. Weakly, she said, “Well… Either way, you already ate it, so I guess I should eat it with you.”
Xu Moyan laughed and stuffed another big piece into her mouth.
They said eating sweets when you were upset would make you feel better, but she did not feel any better at all. Instead, she regretted that she had not added much sugar it all, highlighting the bitterness of the dark chocolate instead. When she ate a bite. The bitterness spread through her mouth, reflecting her feelings right now.
Every bite was full of her love. When she made the cake earlier in the day, she had been subconsciously thinking of Wei Zilin the entire time.
He said he liked the food she made, but she had only ever cooked Chinese homemade cuisine for him. He had never tasted her Western desserts, so she did not know if he would like them. She figured he would be the type to be especially averse to sweets, so she had purposely added less sugar and highlighted the bitterness, all so he would like it.
Now, she seemed to be shattering her sweet dreams with every bite.
After a while, she grew a bit tired of the taste. Her bad mood affected her appetite, too, so she gave up and took a picture with her phone.
Zheng Yuntong ate quite a bit of the other half of the cake, so there was only a small bit left.
Xu Moyan posted the picture to Weibo, with the caption, “I didn’t get to give him the cake after all, so I ate it with my roommate. I guess this Valentine’s Day was over before it even started.”
As soon as she posted that, the comments came even faster than before.
“Goodness, did your confession fail, goddess?”
“Were you rejected, goddess?”
“There, there, don’t cry. There are plenty of fish in the sea. He rejected you cuz he has no taste.”
“You knew this would happen, right, goddess? The last Weibo post was already kinda sad.”
Xu Moyan turned off her Weibo and could not help but turn on her WeChat instead. Aside from a few subscription posts, however, she did not have a single message.
She had pinned Wei Zilin at the top of her messages, so he would always be first, but their conversation was still frozen at the time before his business trip.
Zheng Yuntong sighed and put down her fork, picking up the empty cake platter. “I’ll go clean up. You should rest early.”
Xu Moyan was in no mood to argue, so she nodded and went to the washroom for a shower.
When she came out, Zheng Yuntong’s phone was ringing.
Zheng Yuntong was about to pick up, but when she saw Xu Moyan emerge from the shower, she said, “It’s from Shen Zongyi. I’ll ask him what’s up for you.”
“Don’t.” Xu Moyan stopped her in a hurry. “Don’t bring it up anymore. Think of it as… saving face for me.”
Shen Zongyi was not tattler, so he would not tell Wei Zilin anything. Still, she did not want anyone so close to Wei Zilin knowing about this.
“Alright.” Zheng Yuntong respected her wishes and picked up the call. “Right now? I—”
Zheng Yuntong glanced at Xu Moyan. She did not want to leave Xu Moyan alone at home, so she was about to decline Shen Zongyi when Xu Moyan stopped her.
“He just came back, and he immediately called you out without even taking a rest first. If you don’t go, won’t he be devastated? Xu Moyan said with a laugh. She wanted to say that she was fine.
After all, this was coming sooner or later, right?
“But—” Zheng Yuntong was still worried.
Xu Moyan smiled even brighter. She did not want her friend to worry. “Really, you don’t have to worry, I’m fine. If you don’t meet Shen Zongyi because of me, I’ll end up feeling really guilty and uneasy. You shouldn’t stay here and keep me feeling uneasy, alright?”
When she saw that Zheng Yuntong was still hesitating, Xu Moyan went ahead and said, “Go on. Give me a chance to calm down, okay?”
Zheng Yuntong knew that Xu Moyan just wanted her to meet Shen Zongyi, so of course she did not talk that at face value. Nevertheless, that was what Xu Moyan said, so Zheng Yuntong finally told Shen Zongyi to wait for her over the phone.
Since she did not go out today, Zheng Yuntong had not done any make-up. She hurriedly went and put on a thin layer, only using some foundation, drawing her brows slightly, and adding a faint lipstick the color of red beans. She did not do anything to her eyes at all, and just like that, she put on her coat and left in a hurry.
Shen Zongyi was already waiting downstairs, and Zheng Yuntong saw his car with its headlights on as soon as she walked in. She got into the car, bringing in the cool winter air with her.
Before she could even say a word to Shen Zongyi, just as she turned around and was opening her mouth to speak, she was pinned against the car window by Shen Zongyi.
He made sure to control his force so he did not hurt her. Even so, he was pinning her down tightly and steadily, and she felt his firm strength, making her feel safe and secure.
Her whole body was trapped in his embrace, and her back was pressed against the car door, so there was nowhere she could run. Zheng Yuntong parted her lips slightly in nervousness, and although Shen Zongyi had not kissed her yet, she could still feel his closeness and warmth. Her heart raced.
To tell the truth, Shen Zongyi had only been away for a few days. Although they had to work overtime before this, the fact remained that they worked in the same company, so they could see each other every day. That was why these few days made Zheng Yuntong feel like she had been away from him forever. She missed him dearly.
After her initial surprise, she took the initiative to throw her arms around his neck. That showed just how much she missed and liked him.
Shen Zongyi pressed his lips against hers fiercely, wanting nothing more than to melt her into his arms. He wanted to cut his chest open and stuff her inside.
He knew he liked her, but he did not know that this affection had already become so deep and intense. He had only been away for a few days, but he missed her every day.
As soon as he came back, before he even took his luggage out of the trunk, he had driven over to her place without even going home first.
It was not only because today was Valentine’s Day. Even if it was any other day, he would react just like this– because he missed her, oh so much.
Although he thought of her every day, even when they met daily, the fact that they could see each other every day meant he did not feel it so strongly. After that short absence, his feelings for her intensified.
“Did you miss me?” Shen Zongyi slowly softened the kiss, pecking her again and again as he asked.
Zheng Yuntong lay in his arms quietly and obediently. She was wearing a woolen coat, and the hat she wore aside from the coat had a soft faux fur lining too. Her soft hair fell across her shoulders, so her whole body felt soft and fuzzy. She was very comfortable to hug.
She rubbed Shen Zongyi’s face like a kitten. It was getting late now; it was almost ten. After a whole day, the area around Shen Zongyi’s lips and his chin were covered in black stubble, poking out slightly. It was not too obvious, but when their faces were touching like this, she could feel it clearly.
“I missed you. I really did,” Zheng Yuntong said honestly. She did not try to lie to save face.
“When you’re away, I’m not motivated to do anything every day. I have no idea how I used to live, but I’m sure I used to be fine alone. Not anymore, though. I didn’t even want to leave the house today, that’s how much I missed you.” Zheng Yuntong rubbed against his face, her voice soft and gentle as she flirted with him.
Her words melted Shen Zongyi’s heart into putty, and he wrapped his arms around her, holding her tight. His hands pressed against her back, embedding her into his embrace.
The two of them stayed like that for a long time. Shen Zongyi lowered his head and his gaze to look at her, nestled sweetly in his arms. Because he was hugging her too tightly, her face was squished against his chest.
However, Zheng Yuntong did not utter a word of protest. Her lashes were slightly lowered, and she was completely at ease and safe in his arms, so she stayed perfectly still and content.
The two of them stayed like this for a while, without saying a single word.
“Kiss me.” Shen Zongyi’s voice was a little hoarse. He leaned down, his scorching hot lips brushing against the corners of her eyes. He kept raining soft kisses around that area, heating up the corners of her eyes.
Zheng Yuntong’s face was frightfully red, but she still raised her head to look at him obediently. The lights were on in the car, and the lighting was somewhat dim and yellowish in hue. When it shone on Zheng Yuntong’s face, a warm filter was splashed onto her fair skin, and he could even see the shadows of her lashes on her orbits.
When she looked at him, wide-eyed, she was perfectly focused, and he could clearly see himself reflected in those black eyes.
“How about it?” Shen Zongyi pinched her waist lightly, urging her forth.
Zheng Yuntong stretched her neck and kissed his chin. After that, she circled his neck and pulled him down, having him lower his head so they were closer together. Her soft lips, with the faint aroma of bitter chocolate still lingering on them, pressed against his lips. His kisses had sparked the desire in her as well, and she parted his lips of her own accord.
Shen Zongyi licked his lips, satisfied, leaving a thin layer of moisture over them. In this sweet night, the atmosphere became all the more seductive, filled with a sinful aura of temptation.
“You had chocolates tonight?” Shen Zongyi raised an eyebrow.
It was Valentine’s Day, so she should be giving him chocolates.
That was no surprise. After all, that post was trending.
“Moyan, there’s something…” Zheng Yuntong spoke hesitatingly, trying to minimize the damage somehow.
Xu Moyan put down her phone and smiled at her. “I saw the news.”
“What… what news?” Zheng Yuntong was still trying to feign ignorance.
“You know, that one…” It was too hard for her to say it out loud. Xu Moyan felt the sourness rise in her throat, making it difficult for her to say anything. It took all her strength to not break down crying.
Zheng Yuntong rushed over and hugged her. “You don’t have to say it! I know, I know, you don’t have to say anything.”
Xu Moyan closed her eyes, willing away the scalding hot tears in her eyes.
She heard Zheng Yuntong say, “Actually… I’m not saying this just to comfort you, but I really don’t believe this. If the boss felt anything at all for Liang Wenyin, he wouldn’t have been so brusque to her back then, right? And it wasn’t just once, either. That was barely any time ago, so how could they suddenly be together now? For all you know, Liang Wenyin had thrown herself at him. We don’t know anything about what’s going on between them. So don’t overthink it, okay? No matter what, let’s ask him properly first. There’s gossip floating around everywhere now, with a new scoop every day, but who knows how much of it is actually true?”
“Still, what right do I have to ask?” Xu Moyan said weakly. She turned her head to look into the pitch-black night and saw that it had begun to rain at some point.
The white snow was like coarse salt falling from the sky, raining down urgently amidst the raging winds. Although the snowflakes were not huge, they fell so quickly that they were still a fearsome sight to behold. Before long, the ground was already covered in white.
Xu Moyan stood up and went to the kitchen, taking the chocolate cake out of the fridge. After that, she grabbed a pair of forks and returned to the bedroom, asking Zheng Yuntong, “Do you still have the appetite to eat this?”
Zheng Yuntong’s mouth fell open in shock, and she could not say anything for a long while. When she saw Xu Moyan put the cake onto the table, she finally asked, “Do you… really want to eat this? Weren’t you… going to give it to the boss?”
“I’m guessing he probably won’t be coming back today, so I won’t be able to give him the cake. In that case, we might as well eat it,” Xu Moyan said.
“Um… Let’s not. You never asked, so how would you know? Let’s keep it until 12, at the very least, okay?” Zheng Yuntong thought about it and took out her phone, so anxious that she began to stutter. “Why don’t… Why don’t I call Shen Zongyi and ask him what’s going on?”
Zheng Yuntong slapped her forehead abruptly, “Wait, why didn’t I think of that earlier? I should’ve called Shen Zongyi and asked him about it ages ago. You say you don’t have the right to ask Boss, but Shen Zongyi was with Boss the whole time, so he’s bound to know if anything happened! I’ll ask him! That’s fine, right?”
Xu Moyan did not stop her. To be honest, she wanted to know too, holding on that tiny ray of tragic hope left in her heart.
However, Zheng Yuntong soon put down her phone, her face creased in a frown. “His phone is off. The call won’t go through.”
As soon as she said that, Xu Moyan did not hesitate to stab her fork into the cake, taking out a piece.
“Oh, no!” Zheng Yuntong cried out in frustrated and pity. “Are you really eating it? You went to all that trouble to make it, all so you could give it to him. How could you eat it now without even waiting for his reply?”
Xu Moyan looked at Zheng Yuntong, turning circles in her exasperation, and smiled. “Are you eating this, or not?”
Zheng Yuntong looked at the cake, conflicted, and then at the fork lying on the plate. Weakly, she said, “Well… Either way, you already ate it, so I guess I should eat it with you.”
Xu Moyan laughed and stuffed another big piece into her mouth.
They said eating sweets when you were upset would make you feel better, but she did not feel any better at all. Instead, she regretted that she had not added much sugar it all, highlighting the bitterness of the dark chocolate instead. When she ate a bite. The bitterness spread through her mouth, reflecting her feelings right now.
Every bite was full of her love. When she made the cake earlier in the day, she had been subconsciously thinking of Wei Zilin the entire time.
He said he liked the food she made, but she had only ever cooked Chinese homemade cuisine for him. He had never tasted her Western desserts, so she did not know if he would like them. She figured he would be the type to be especially averse to sweets, so she had purposely added less sugar and highlighted the bitterness, all so he would like it.
Now, she seemed to be shattering her sweet dreams with every bite.
After a while, she grew a bit tired of the taste. Her bad mood affected her appetite, too, so she gave up and took a picture with her phone.
Zheng Yuntong ate quite a bit of the other half of the cake, so there was only a small bit left.
Xu Moyan posted the picture to Weibo, with the caption, “I didn’t get to give him the cake after all, so I ate it with my roommate. I guess this Valentine’s Day was over before it even started.”
As soon as she posted that, the comments came even faster than before.
“Goodness, did your confession fail, goddess?”
“Were you rejected, goddess?”
“There, there, don’t cry. There are plenty of fish in the sea. He rejected you cuz he has no taste.”
“You knew this would happen, right, goddess? The last Weibo post was already kinda sad.”
Xu Moyan turned off her Weibo and could not help but turn on her WeChat instead. Aside from a few subscription posts, however, she did not have a single message.
She had pinned Wei Zilin at the top of her messages, so he would always be first, but their conversation was still frozen at the time before his business trip.
Zheng Yuntong sighed and put down her fork, picking up the empty cake platter. “I’ll go clean up. You should rest early.”
Xu Moyan was in no mood to argue, so she nodded and went to the washroom for a shower.
When she came out, Zheng Yuntong’s phone was ringing.
Zheng Yuntong was about to pick up, but when she saw Xu Moyan emerge from the shower, she said, “It’s from Shen Zongyi. I’ll ask him what’s up for you.”
“Don’t.” Xu Moyan stopped her in a hurry. “Don’t bring it up anymore. Think of it as… saving face for me.”
Shen Zongyi was not tattler, so he would not tell Wei Zilin anything. Still, she did not want anyone so close to Wei Zilin knowing about this.
“Alright.” Zheng Yuntong respected her wishes and picked up the call. “Right now? I—”
Zheng Yuntong glanced at Xu Moyan. She did not want to leave Xu Moyan alone at home, so she was about to decline Shen Zongyi when Xu Moyan stopped her.
“He just came back, and he immediately called you out without even taking a rest first. If you don’t go, won’t he be devastated? Xu Moyan said with a laugh. She wanted to say that she was fine.
After all, this was coming sooner or later, right?
“But—” Zheng Yuntong was still worried.
Xu Moyan smiled even brighter. She did not want her friend to worry. “Really, you don’t have to worry, I’m fine. If you don’t meet Shen Zongyi because of me, I’ll end up feeling really guilty and uneasy. You shouldn’t stay here and keep me feeling uneasy, alright?”
When she saw that Zheng Yuntong was still hesitating, Xu Moyan went ahead and said, “Go on. Give me a chance to calm down, okay?”
Zheng Yuntong knew that Xu Moyan just wanted her to meet Shen Zongyi, so of course she did not talk that at face value. Nevertheless, that was what Xu Moyan said, so Zheng Yuntong finally told Shen Zongyi to wait for her over the phone.
Since she did not go out today, Zheng Yuntong had not done any make-up. She hurriedly went and put on a thin layer, only using some foundation, drawing her brows slightly, and adding a faint lipstick the color of red beans. She did not do anything to her eyes at all, and just like that, she put on her coat and left in a hurry.
Shen Zongyi was already waiting downstairs, and Zheng Yuntong saw his car with its headlights on as soon as she walked in. She got into the car, bringing in the cool winter air with her.
Before she could even say a word to Shen Zongyi, just as she turned around and was opening her mouth to speak, she was pinned against the car window by Shen Zongyi.
He made sure to control his force so he did not hurt her. Even so, he was pinning her down tightly and steadily, and she felt his firm strength, making her feel safe and secure.
Her whole body was trapped in his embrace, and her back was pressed against the car door, so there was nowhere she could run. Zheng Yuntong parted her lips slightly in nervousness, and although Shen Zongyi had not kissed her yet, she could still feel his closeness and warmth. Her heart raced.
To tell the truth, Shen Zongyi had only been away for a few days. Although they had to work overtime before this, the fact remained that they worked in the same company, so they could see each other every day. That was why these few days made Zheng Yuntong feel like she had been away from him forever. She missed him dearly.
After her initial surprise, she took the initiative to throw her arms around his neck. That showed just how much she missed and liked him.
Shen Zongyi pressed his lips against hers fiercely, wanting nothing more than to melt her into his arms. He wanted to cut his chest open and stuff her inside.
He knew he liked her, but he did not know that this affection had already become so deep and intense. He had only been away for a few days, but he missed her every day.
As soon as he came back, before he even took his luggage out of the trunk, he had driven over to her place without even going home first.
It was not only because today was Valentine’s Day. Even if it was any other day, he would react just like this– because he missed her, oh so much.
Although he thought of her every day, even when they met daily, the fact that they could see each other every day meant he did not feel it so strongly. After that short absence, his feelings for her intensified.
“Did you miss me?” Shen Zongyi slowly softened the kiss, pecking her again and again as he asked.
Zheng Yuntong lay in his arms quietly and obediently. She was wearing a woolen coat, and the hat she wore aside from the coat had a soft faux fur lining too. Her soft hair fell across her shoulders, so her whole body felt soft and fuzzy. She was very comfortable to hug.
She rubbed Shen Zongyi’s face like a kitten. It was getting late now; it was almost ten. After a whole day, the area around Shen Zongyi’s lips and his chin were covered in black stubble, poking out slightly. It was not too obvious, but when their faces were touching like this, she could feel it clearly.
“I missed you. I really did,” Zheng Yuntong said honestly. She did not try to lie to save face.
“When you’re away, I’m not motivated to do anything every day. I have no idea how I used to live, but I’m sure I used to be fine alone. Not anymore, though. I didn’t even want to leave the house today, that’s how much I missed you.” Zheng Yuntong rubbed against his face, her voice soft and gentle as she flirted with him.
Her words melted Shen Zongyi’s heart into putty, and he wrapped his arms around her, holding her tight. His hands pressed against her back, embedding her into his embrace.
The two of them stayed like that for a long time. Shen Zongyi lowered his head and his gaze to look at her, nestled sweetly in his arms. Because he was hugging her too tightly, her face was squished against his chest.
However, Zheng Yuntong did not utter a word of protest. Her lashes were slightly lowered, and she was completely at ease and safe in his arms, so she stayed perfectly still and content.
The two of them stayed like this for a while, without saying a single word.
“Kiss me.” Shen Zongyi’s voice was a little hoarse. He leaned down, his scorching hot lips brushing against the corners of her eyes. He kept raining soft kisses around that area, heating up the corners of her eyes.
Zheng Yuntong’s face was frightfully red, but she still raised her head to look at him obediently. The lights were on in the car, and the lighting was somewhat dim and yellowish in hue. When it shone on Zheng Yuntong’s face, a warm filter was splashed onto her fair skin, and he could even see the shadows of her lashes on her orbits.
When she looked at him, wide-eyed, she was perfectly focused, and he could clearly see himself reflected in those black eyes.
“How about it?” Shen Zongyi pinched her waist lightly, urging her forth.
Zheng Yuntong stretched her neck and kissed his chin. After that, she circled his neck and pulled him down, having him lower his head so they were closer together. Her soft lips, with the faint aroma of bitter chocolate still lingering on them, pressed against his lips. His kisses had sparked the desire in her as well, and she parted his lips of her own accord.
Shen Zongyi licked his lips, satisfied, leaving a thin layer of moisture over them. In this sweet night, the atmosphere became all the more seductive, filled with a sinful aura of temptation.
“You had chocolates tonight?” Shen Zongyi raised an eyebrow.
It was Valentine’s Day, so she should be giving him chocolates.
