◎ The Consequences of Asking for Trouble ◎
Xie Zhiyan's voice was low, asking a question he already knew the answer to: "Help with what?"
Ning Yuxuan could see the view in the mirror just by turning her head.
Her cheeks felt warm, and she hadn't yet decided whether to ask the man to help her zip the dress up or simply take it off.
So, when she answered, she actually stammered a bit: "The z-zip is stuck. Help me with it."
Xie Zhiyan stepped forward, coming to stand behind her.
Ning Yuxuan instinctively looked back at the mirror.
She was tall for a woman, and not too thin.
But the man's figure was tall and straight, with broad shoulders and a narrow waist. Once he approached, he almost completely blocked her reflection in the mirror.
Xie Zhiyan lowered his gaze, his fingers touching the fabric of her dress on her back.
He wasn't in a hurry to fix the zipper. Instead, he asked leisurely, "What were you doing home alone? Why did you suddenly decide to change your dress?"
Ning Yuxuan complained quietly, "So many questions just to help. Can't I just feel like changing?"
As soon as the words left her mouth, the man's fingers unexpectedly touched her bare back.
In the cool air-conditioned room, Ning Yuxuan trembled as if scalded.
She then heard the man's low chuckle.
Ning Yuxuan was almost furious with embarrassment: "Xie Zhiyan, what are you doing?"
The voice behind her remained unhurried and composed: "Didn't you ask for my help?"
Ning Yuxuan: "I asked you to fix the zipper, not to touch me..."
"Sorry." Xie Zhiyan smoothly apologized first, then calmly added, "The dress is too fitted. It's hard to avoid touching. Don't mind it."
Ning Yuxuan's breath hitched slightly, unsure what to say.
She knew there was some truth to what Xie Zhiyan said. The dress was a tight-fitting style; once on, the fabric should be completely flush with her back. Zipping it up would naturally involve touching her back.
But she also felt it wasn't entirely that simple, because the man's movements were really...
not like he was simply helping her.
Once, after an intimate moment when Ning Yuxuan surprisingly had some energy left, she took the chance to carefully observe Xie Zhiyan's hands.
Perhaps because taller people have larger hands, Xie Zhiyan's fingers were exceptionally long and slender, with distinct knuckles. The metacarpal bones on the back of his hands were also very clear.
Coupled with his cool, pale complexion and smoothly trimmed, neat nails...
Ning Yuxuan had always been confident in her own appearance, but she had to admit Xie Zhiyan's hands were more "beautiful" than hers.
Right now, these attractive hands were behind her. One hand held her waist through the thin dress fabric, while the knuckles of the other pressed against her spine.
And the zipper that had caused Ning Yuxuan so much trouble finally seemed to be behaving in the man's hands.
As Xie Zhiyan began to move, the zipper loosened.
The knuckles pressed against her back also began to move slowly, from bottom to top, creating a tingling, ticklish sensation.
Tormented by this feeling that was hard to define as unpleasant or something else, Ning Yuxuan couldn't help but shift slightly.
The next moment, the hand on her waist gave a gentle squeeze, and the man's low, husky voice sounded by her ear: "Don't move. It's almost done."
Ning Yuxuan's body trembled lightly again. She wanted to speak but held back.
It wasn't her moving; it was clearly his hands causing trouble on her body.
She didn't voice this thought, not wanting to seem too easily flustered, unable to handle him touching her back.
So, she pressed her lips tightly together to avoid making any untoward sounds, thinking it was just zipping a dress—it should be over soon.
But the man behind her was the complete opposite, in no hurry at all. His movements were gentle and slow, as if polishing a piece of art.
After what felt like an eternity, Xie Zhiyan finally spoke in a deep voice: "Done."
Ning Yuxuan breathed a sigh of relief, exhaling slowly.
She turned around to face the mirror.
Xie Zhiyan consciously took half a step back, allowing her to see her full reflection.
Ning Yuxuan hadn't worn such a form-fitting mini dress in a long time.
During her student years and just after graduating from university, she used to love buying dresses that accentuated her figure.
Tao You had once joked with her, sighing, "Xuanxuan, every time you dress like this, I feel like all eyes on the street, men and women alike, are drawn to you."
Of course, back then, Ning Yuxuan didn't care at all. She had been used to being the center of attention since childhood.
However, her style of dress had changed somewhat recently. While she still cared about aesthetics, she also paid more attention to comfort.
This summer, she hadn't worn such a tight-fitting dress yet.
Now, seeing her reflection in the mirror, her waist and hip curves clearly outlined by the fabric, she actually felt uncomfortable.
Ning Yuxuan stared at the mirror, feeling like the dress seemed shorter than she remembered, barely covering the top of her thighs.
She recalled Tao You casually asking her recently if she had grown taller again.
Was it possible, Ning Yuxuan wondered, that she could have grown a few centimeters even in her twenties?
She reached down to smooth the dress fabric, tugging at the hem to see if it wasn't straightened properly, making it appear shorter.
After just a couple of tugs, she met Xie Zhiyan's gaze in the mirror.
Only then did Ning Yuxuan realize that after helping her with the zipper, the man hadn't spoken again.
"...What are you looking at?" she asked.
Xie Zhiyan met her eyes in the mirror: "Wondering when you bought this dress. I haven't seen it before."
Ning Yuxuan: "I have lots of clothes. It's normal you haven't seen them all. Besides, I've worn so many dresses; even ones you've seen, you might not remember."
Xie Zhiyan replied meaningfully: "No, I would. If you had worn this dress when we met, I would definitely remember."
"Because it's not quite my usual style?" Ning Yuxuan said. "I bought it the year I graduated from university. I just felt like trying it on today on a whim."
Xie Zhiyan fell silent, wordlessly watching her reflection.
Ning Yuxuan could bear his gaze calmly at first, but gradually began to feel uneasy.
"It's just a shorter dress. Do you have to stare so much—"
Her last few words remained unfinished.
Xie Zhiyan embraced her from behind, his warm breath falling on the skin at the nape of her neck.
The tips of Ning Yuxuan's ears instantly turned red.
Instinctively, she wanted to struggle. After moving a couple of times, she stopped as if remembering something.
This posture was too intimate. The man's body was pressed tightly against hers.
Through the thin summer fabric, their curves were nearly molded together, the physical sensation extremely pronounced.
Yet, despite this, Xie Zhiyan didn't seem intent on taking things further just yet. He simply held her quietly.
Ning Yuxuan couldn't figure out his thoughts. Her voice was slightly unsteady: "Xie Zhiyan, you..."
She was still facing the mirror. She could see the man's deep eyes and his lips almost touching her earlobe.
Suddenly, Xie Zhiyan spoke hoarsely by her ear: "I suddenly feel a bit jealous."
Ning Yuxuan was slightly taken aback: "...Of what?"
Xie Zhiyan: "Jealous of everyone who has ever seen you like this before."
Ning Yuxuan was stunned.
It was truly unbelievable that the word "jealousy" would actually come from the lips of a man like Xie Zhiyan.
At the same time, she felt a certain smug satisfaction.
The thought that she had managed to "pull such a man down from his pedestal" gave her an inexplicable sense of achievement.
Perhaps being too pleased with oneself leads to recklessness. Ning Yuxuan didn't think much before speaking up: "Well, there's one thing that might make you feel a bit better if you heard it."
Xie Zhiyan's gaze deepened, his brow lifting slightly, urging her to continue.
Ning Yuxuan swallowed, suddenly feeling too afraid to say it.
But having already started, she couldn't just brush it off.
Steeling her heart, Ning Yuxuan said: "The person you hate the most has never seen me wearing this dress."
She ultimately didn't utter those three words explicitly, but she knew she didn't need to spell it out; Xie Zhiyan would surely know who she meant.
After speaking, Ning Yuxuan held her breath, her heart pounding so hard it felt like it might leap from her chest.
She admitted she was being a bit reckless, and there was also a deliberate, inexplicable urge behind it.
Ning Yuxuan had long stopped caring about the person referred to as her "ex-boyfriend." Neither love nor hate remained; occasionally hearing others mention that name stirred no ripples in her heart.
She also knew that mentioning an ex in front of a current partner was absolutely unwise, commonly known as "stirring up trouble."
But at this very moment, she suddenly, desperately wanted to test Xie Zhiyan's reaction.
Perhaps it was because he was always so composed and unflappable, forever in control of everything, that she couldn't help but want to see him reveal a different emotion.
After speaking, Ning Yuxuan's eyelashes fluttered as she observed the man's expression.
Xie Zhiyan's brow twitched slightly, his expression inscrutable.
Ning Yuxuan: "...Xie Zhiyan?"
The man lifted his eyes.
In their profound depths, emotions she couldn't decipher seemed to swirl.
The anticipated storm did not arrive. Xie Zhiyan said nothing, only remained silent.
Ning Yuxuan's heart skipped several beats, and she unconsciously pressed her lips together.
Was Xie Zhiyan... angry?
Ning Yuxuan suddenly realized she had never truly seen the man angry before.
Those descriptions of Xie Zhiyan being decisive, ruthless, and formidable existed only in the rumors she had heard.
So much so that even now, Ning Yuxuan felt nervous and guilty, but not the slightest bit of fear or terror.
She blinked, wondering if she should say something conciliatory or act coquettishly.
After all, she had promised Xie Zhiyan before that she wouldn't mention that person in front of him again.
Just as Ning Yuxuan was about to speak, suddenly, the man's hands grasped her shoulders and waist simultaneously.
Her body fell backward uncontrollably, and she found herself leaning back into Xie Zhiyan's embrace, her back pressed tightly against his chest.
The next second, a scorching palm slid up her thigh.
Her dress was too short, and she wasn't wearing safety shorts, so the man's hand continued upward unimpeded.
Ning Yuxuan's body instantly turned to jelly, leaving her no room to struggle.
...
The zipper was pulled down again, but the dress wasn't completely removed, merely hanging loosely on her frame.
With a single glance upward, she could see their reflections in the mirror.
Ning Yuxuan, cheeks flushed crimson, didn't want to look, but Xie Zhiyan wouldn't let her off.
She whimpered, asking him to carry her to the bed, but he refused.
She bit her lip, unwilling to make a sound, so he made her cry out until she couldn't hold back.
Ning Yuxuan finally understood the consequences of stirring up trouble.
Xie Zhiyan was already far too familiar with her body, knowing every single one of her sensitive spots with perfect clarity.
A storm of kisses fell upon every part of her body, his fingers igniting a wildfire across every inch of her skin.
In moments of extreme pleasure, the body's reactions can resemble those of pain.
Ning Yuxuan saw, in the mirror, a tear tracing a path from the corner of her eye.
(I've done my best. Writing scenes like this always takes me several hours and over a dozen revisions to get past review. Please bear with me, everyone.)
