Ning Yuxuan had already developed a conditioned reflex. As soon as a man picked her up, her arms would instinctively wrap around his shoulders and neck.
Only after holding on tight did she realize something was off.
Just moments ago, she had been thinking about how to exploit Xie Zhiyan’s weaknesses, but with just one hug, she had already surrendered—how embarrassing.
But if she didn’t hold onto his neck tightly, she was afraid she might fall.
So she could only cling to him while gritting her teeth and accusing, “Xie Zhiyan, you’re bullying me!”
The man chuckled softly. “Didn’t you start it?”
Ning Yuxuan: “What did I do to you?”
Xie Zhiyan replied unhurriedly, “You were the one who started it.”
Ning Yuxuan was speechless for a moment. “But you laughed at me first!”
Xie Zhiyan calmly defended himself. “I only laughed once. I wasn’t laughing at you.”
Ning Yuxuan glared at him. How had she never noticed before that this man loved arguing with her so much?
“First of all, you laughed more than once,” she said indignantly. “Secondly, you were definitely laughing at me! It was when Ning Shiyue asked if I’d been bitten by a mosquito!”
As they spoke, Xie Zhiyan continued walking, steadily carrying her to the bedroom.
Ning Yuxuan was placed on the bed.
The man leaned over, his fingers gently touching her neck.
Xie Zhiyan’s body temperature was usually higher than hers, but this time, perhaps because he had just been in the kitchen and gotten his hands wet, his fingertips felt slightly cool.
When his fingers brushed her neck, Ning Yuxuan shivered slightly.
Another soft chuckle sounded by her ear.
Ning Yuxuan grew even angrier, but her words came out sounding somewhat pitiful. “What are you doing now?”
Xie Zhiyan’s tone was gentle, tinged with a hint of amusement. “Checking the mosquito bite on your neck.”
Ning Yuxuan said resentfully, “It’s not a mosquito bite. It’s a dog bite.”
Xie Zhiyan couldn’t help but laugh.
Ning Yuxuan: “You’re still laughing!”
The man’s thumb gently rubbed the mark a couple of times before he said in a low voice, “My fault.”
Ning Yuxuan’s heart fluttered, but she immediately scolded herself.
This habit of softening as soon as he apologized—she had to change it!
Ning Yuxuan snorted lightly. “Thank goodness it’s the weekend tomorrow and the day after. Otherwise, if I had to go to the office with this mark, I’d never forgive you.”
Xie Zhiyan: “Mm, I’ll be more careful next time. I won’t leave it in such a visible place.”
Ning Yuxuan: “That’s more like it… Wait, what?”
Xie Zhiyan’s thumb slowly slid downward, sending a faint tingling sensation through her, finally stopping an inch below her collarbone.
“Here…” He looked up at her. “It shouldn’t be visible here, right?”
Ning Yuxuan grabbed the pillow beside her and smacked his shoulder with it. “Don’t push your luck!”
Xie Zhiyan pretended not to understand. “What’s wrong?”
“Is this about whether the mark is visible or not?” Ning Yuxuan said. “We managed to fool Ning Shiyue this time, but if he ever figures it out, I’ll be mortified.”
Xie Zhiyan said calmly, “Sooner or later, he’ll figure out what it is.”
Ning Yuxuan: “…”
Just imagining the possibility of Ning Shiyue suddenly realizing what it was made her feel even more awkward.
Ning Yuxuan glared at the culprit. “Can’t you be gentler in the future?”
Xie Zhiyan countered, “Don’t you like it too?”
Ning Yuxuan was momentarily speechless. “I…”
Xie Zhiyan’s lips curled slightly. “You didn’t deny it right away, so you must really like it.”
Ning Yuxuan: “…”
She grabbed the pillow again and tried to hit him once more.
This time, the man easily blocked it.
Xie Zhiyan tossed the pillow aside and leaned over again.
Watching his face gradually loom closer and feeling his presence envelop her, Ning Yuxuan panicked.
Her waist still hurt, and her legs weren’t completely healed either.
“Wh-what are you doing? No!” she blurted out, searching for excuses. “You shouldn’t engage in vigorous exercise right after eating. It’s bad for your health—you could get appendicitis!”
Ning Yuxuan tried to move away from him, but there was nowhere to go. In her haste, she nearly bumped her head against the headboard.
Fortunately, the man’s hand cushioned the back of her head just in time, preventing any potential pain.
Xie Zhiyan held her head with one hand, stopping just inches away from her.
Ning Yuxuan had almost forgotten to breathe. Seeing that he wasn’t getting any closer, she finally let out a sigh of relief.
But before she could fully relax, the corner of her lips grew warm.
Xie Zhiyan gave her a light, fleeting kiss on the lips.
“Didn’t you say your waist hurts?” he said. “I’ll go get some essential oil to massage it for you. Wait for me, okay?”
Ning Yuxuan was still a bit dazed. “…Mm.”
Xie Zhiyan looked at her expression, a hint of amusement flashing in his eyes, then straightened up.
Ning Yuxuan turned her head to watch Xie Zhiyan’s retreating figure. After a moment, she pressed her lips together tightly.
He did that on purpose!
Xie Zhiyan probably never intended to do anything to her in the first place. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have had that look in his eyes just now, and he wouldn’t have given up so easily after just a few words from her.
He had leaned in so suddenly just to see her flustered and at a loss.
And she had let him succeed. The thought alone made her angry.
Ning Yuxuan made up her mind to find an opportunity to get back at him later.
Less than two minutes later, Xie Zhiyan returned, holding a bottle of grapefruit-scented essential oil.
Ning Yuxuan, sitting on the bed, met his gaze and suddenly felt like backing out.
“Maybe…” she blinked, “maybe we should forget it. It’s just a little red, after all. It probably isn’t serious. And now that I’ve eaten, it doesn’t… hurt as much anymore.”
Xie Zhiyan: “It might not look bad now, but there could be bruising tomorrow or the day after. Isn’t that what you said yourself?”
Ning Yuxuan: “…”
Of course, he remembered her words clearly at a time like this.
It wasn’t that she didn’t want a massage, but her waist was ticklish. She was worried that Xie Zhiyan’s hands might wander during the massage, making it unbearable for her.
“Well…” Ning Yuxuan hesitated, “a massage would be fine. But you can’t move around too much or use too much force. And if I tell you to stop, you have to stop immediately.”
Xie Zhiyan: “Okay.”
He watched her quietly, as if waiting for her to get into position.
Ning Yuxuan took a deep breath, turned over on the bed, and lay down with her back to him.
She said resolutely, “Go ahead.”
Lying face down on the bed, Ning Yuxuan couldn’t see what the man was doing, which made her nervous. Her heart was beating fast.
She heard rustling sounds nearby, and after a moment, a large hand rested on her lower back.
Thankfully, it was through the cotton fabric of her pajamas, which made it less likely to tickle her. Ning Yuxuan managed to stay still.
Then, the hand gently patted her lower back.
The sudden touch nearly made Ning Yuxuan cry out and ask him what he was doing.
Xie Zhiyan’s calm and gentle voice reached her ears. “Relax a little. How can I massage you if you’re so tense?”
Ning Yuxuan swallowed the complaint that had been on the tip of her tongue.
She thought to herself, It’s not that easy.
The thought of the man about to knead her most ticklish area made it hard for her to stay calm.
Ning Yuxuan muttered, “How is this my fault? It’s because I don’t trust you enough that I can’t relax.”
Xie Zhiyan seemed to chuckle softly at that but didn’t press her further.
“I promise,” the man reassured her patiently, “I’ll just massage your waist. I won’t do anything else during the massage, okay?”
Ning Yuxuan: “Not during, but what about after?”
As soon as she asked, she regretted it.
It sounded as if she was expecting something.
“Forget it, forget it,” Ning Yuxuan mumbled into the pillow she was resting her head on, sounding resigned. “Go ahead. I’ll try… to cooperate.”
With that, she took another deep breath and repeatedly told herself, Just pretend you’re a lump of clay, lying motionless on the bed.
It was a method she’d read online for dealing with insomnia, and it seemed to work.
As she repeated this to herself, Ning Yuxuan’s body gradually relaxed. Then, she felt Xie Zhiyan’s hand return to her waist.
Her pajama top was rolled up slightly. With the air conditioner on in the bedroom, her waist felt a little cold.
But soon, the man’s warm palm covered the area.
Ning Yuxuan couldn’t help but let out a contented sigh.
Unlike his slightly cool fingertips from earlier, his palm was warm now, just the right temperature to feel comfortable.
This helped Ning Yuxuan truly begin to relax.
Xie Zhiyan’s hands started moving.
Ning Yuxuan was surprised to find that his technique wasn’t clumsy at all. It felt as if he had been trained.
She asked, “Have you massaged someone else before?”
Xie Zhiyan: “Yes.”
Ning Yuxuan replied, “Oh.”
A few seconds later, she asked again, “Male or female?”
She hadn’t intended to ask, but she couldn’t help herself.
Xie Zhiyan seemed to chuckle before answering, “Female.”
Ning Yuxuan fell silent.
Xie Zhiyan: “Aren’t you going to ask who?”
Ning Yuxuan stubbornly said, “I’m not curious.”
As soon as she said it, she heard clearly this time—Xie Zhiyan really laughed.
“It was my mom,” he said. “Her shoulders and neck often bother her. When the physiotherapist isn’t around, I sometimes massage them for her, so I picked up a few techniques.”
After a pause, Xie Zhiyan added, “But this is the first time I’ve massaged someone’s waist. If it feels uncomfortable, let me know.”
Ning Yuxuan buried her face in the pillow and mumbled another “Oh.” “Got it.”
After another two seconds, she spoke again. “I really didn’t want to ask who it was.”
Xie Zhiyan couldn’t help but laugh.
“Mm, I know you didn’t want to ask,” he said. “I was just making conversation.”
“Is this pressure okay?” he asked again.
Ning Yuxuan hummed in response.
Aside from the earlier… activity, she had been sitting at her desk a lot over the past month, which sometimes made her waist uncomfortable.
Xie Zhiyan’s technique and pressure were just right, helping to ease her discomfort.
Ning Yuxuan enjoyed his ministrations so much that she nearly fell asleep.
Only the thought that she still needed to brush her teeth and wash up kept her from dozing off completely. Instead, she drifted in a drowsy, half-awake state.
After what felt like a long time, when the man stopped, she asked groggily, “Done?”
Xie Zhiyan: “I should be asking you. Do you feel better?”
Ning Yuxuan turned over and was helped up by the man.
Once she was on her feet, she felt much more awake.
She moved from side to side, her eyes lighting up. “It’s amazing. It really doesn’t hurt much anymore.”
Xie Zhiyan smiled faintly. “Mm.”
Ning Yuxuan: “I never knew you had this skill. Is it hard to learn?”
Xie Zhiyan: “Do you want to try?”
Ning Yuxuan blinked. “Yes.”
Her gaze swept over the man from head to toe, slowly stopping at one spot. “If you ever… have back pain in the future, I can massage it for you too.”
Xie Zhiyan’s eyebrow twitched slightly.
Ning Yuxuan boldly added, “Given how much exercise we get, I think you’re more likely to have back problems than I am.”
Xie Zhiyan: “…”
