Men’s belts were slightly different from women’s, but the principle was similar. She didn’t even have to exert much effort before it came undone with ease.
Just as Cheng Fangqiu was about to withdraw her hand, he spoke again—his voice noticeably lower, laced with a gentle coaxing tone.
“Qiuqiu, there’s still the button and the zipper.”
Her fingertips hesitated. Her ears turned red as she continued, but the moment she touched the zipper—she chickened out.
“You haven’t eaten in so long, you must be starving. I made food for you in the kitchen, I should go—” Cheng Fangqiu retracted her hand, avoiding his gaze, blurting out a string of words in a panic. As she spoke, she tried to slip off the bed.
But how could Zhou Yinghuai possibly let go of the delicacy already at his lips?
He hooked his arm around the back of her knee, dragging her toward him. Instantly, their bodies were pressed together seamlessly. His work jacket slipped off in the process, hanging loosely around his elbows, exposing his well-defined chest and abs—a sensual, tantalizing display of something half-concealed yet visible enough to drive one’s imagination wild.
“We’ll eat after.”
His long fingers hooked onto the corner of the delicate floral fabric. Before Cheng Fangqiu could react, a cool breeze swept across her lower body—soon replaced by the warmth of his fingertips.
The abrupt invasion made her delicate brows furrow tightly. She instinctively reached out to push him away, but the next second, her wrists were pinned against the headboard by his free hand.
His explorations deepened inch by inch, his touch growing bolder, and Cheng Fangqiu’s breath grew increasingly erratic. A faint, helpless moan escaped from her lips before she could stop it.
The overhead light made everything even more dazzling, leaving her mind hazy and disoriented.
Her legs curled up unconsciously in response to his movements, her fair, flushed knees rubbing against his waist in a feeble attempt to resist his increasingly audacious actions. But just as she tried to block him, he seized her ankle and lifted her leg.
In the moment her leg was draped over his shoulder, the light laid everything bare.
“N-No, stop—”
Cheng Fangqiu twisted her waist in sheer humiliation. Zhou Yinghuai, you bastard!
But to him, her feeble struggle was nothing more than a meaningless protest. If anything, it only made the flush at the corners of his eyes more intoxicating. His grip instinctively tightened around her waist, preventing her from moving any further.
However, with her hands finally free, how could she let him have his way so easily? She grabbed a nearby pillow and flung it at him.
Zhou Yinghuai caught the pillow effortlessly, but the glistening moisture on his fingers left undeniable marks on the gray pillowcase—deep, telltale stains.
“Qiuqiu,” he murmured, frowning slightly. He thought perhaps he had been too rough, that he had hurt her. He was just about to apologize when—
She pushed against his chest and shoved him down onto the edge of the bed.
In an instant, their positions were reversed.
Cheng Fangqiu’s quick fingers deftly undid the buttons and zipper that she had hesitated with earlier, exposing the black shorts underneath. Then, she patted his thigh and commanded:
“Lift your legs higher.”
Zhou Yinghuai blinked in confusion but obediently complied. The next moment, he watched her strip his pants off.
…She wanted to take control?
The thought alone sent a complicated emotion flickering through his gaze. His breath hitched slightly, and he looked up at the woman before him, anticipation gleaming in his dark eyes. The overhead light was a little too bright, and he squinted to adjust.
Then, he finally saw her expression.
It wasn’t the shyness or nervousness he had expected—
It was pure, unfiltered smugness.
“Beg me, and I’ll turn off the light.”
Cheng Fangqiu looked down at him from above, her jet-black hair still damp, droplets of water dripping from the ends and seeping into the white shirt she wore. The fabric, now partially wet, clung to her body, outlining every seductive curve in breathtaking detail.
She exuded an irresistible, distinctly feminine allure.
And yet, at this moment, she was in control.
Her peach blossom eyes lifted slightly, brimming with the smug satisfaction of having gotten her way.
At her words, Zhou Yinghuai immediately understood everything. A faint smile surfaced in his dark eyes, though his expression remained unreadable. He feigned embarrassment, using a pillow to half-cover the evidence of his arousal, and slowly pleaded for mercy.
“Qiuqiu, I beg you.”
Cheng Fangqiu huffed lightly in satisfaction, nodding approvingly. She moved to turn off the light, but the moment she tried to stand, her legs gave out, and she nearly tumbled off the bed.
Seeing her struggle for so long without actually turning off the light, Zhou Yinghuai lost patience. He let out a barely audible sigh, swiftly got up, and flicked off the light switch. Then, in the darkness, he found her with uncanny accuracy, wrapped his arms around her waist, and kissed her deeply.
Both of them had just finished washing up, their mouths tinged with the same fresh scent. As their lips tangled, that delicate fragrance deepened, spreading throughout the room, making the air feel thick and intoxicating. Even breathing became difficult.
Zhou Yinghuai held her against him, kissing her with a rough intensity. The moment she grew dazed from the kisses, he took advantage of the moment, sneaking in a little further.
But it wasn’t long before she realized what he was doing.
Her face flushed, and she tried to back away, but he gripped her waist tightly, preventing her from escaping.
“Just like this, okay?”
His voice carried an upward lilt, like aged tea steeped in warmth, low and hoarse, tinged with a lazy yet roguish charm. The words drifted into her ear, making her heart tighten instinctively.
Before she could react, he nibbled on her ear, his hands caressing sensitive spots, sending wave after wave of tingling sensations through her. With such an onslaught of tactics, she quickly lost her bearings, no longer knowing which way was north or south.
Her arms instinctively wrapped around his head, her fair face flushed a mesmerizing shade of red. She gave a messy nod of agreement.
The moment she did, Zhou Yinghuai leaned back, allowing her to take control.
Cheng Fangqiu frowned slightly, feeling that this situation was somehow even more embarrassing than when the lights had been on earlier.
Zhou Yinghuai lazily twirled a strand of her hair between his fingers, looking completely at ease, but the way the veins in his neck bulged slightly betrayed his true emotions.
She moved slowly, her head lowering slightly, causing her black hair to slip free from his fingers. The strands grazed against his abs, leaving behind a featherlight tickle that sent a shiver through him.
The room was dead silent. Neither of them spoke—only the uneven rhythms of their breaths could be heard.
By the end, both of them were drenched in sweat. But the satisfaction in their eyes was undeniable.
Cheng Fangqiu exhaled deeply, as if she had finally completed a daunting task. Seeing that she had stopped moving altogether, Zhou Yinghuai rubbed the dip of her waist lightly, his throat feeling unbearably dry.
He coaxed in a husky voice, “Move a little.”
Then, as if suddenly remembering something, he curled his lips and added:
“Try out the new bed.”
Cheng Fangqiu’s heart thumped erratically.
She hesitated for two seconds, then lifted her hips slightly.
The moment she moved, she heard his breathing falter for just a fraction of a second.
…Did he like it that much?
In the darkness, she could feel his unwavering gaze fixed on her. Nervously, her nails dug into his abs, leaving faint crescent-shaped marks. That spot was already incredibly sensitive, and Zhou Yinghuai hissed softly before grabbing her hand, fingers interlocking with hers.
With his other hand, he gripped her waist, guiding her.
This was different from last night.
For Cheng Fangqiu, this position brought a strange new sensation.
For him, it must have felt just as different.
Their bodies grew hotter.
Her delicate waist rose and fell in the air, like a fallen rose petal drifting with no place to land.
“Qiuqiu.”
Zhou Yinghuai always knew exactly how to pull her into the abyss. His lips parted, calling her name over and over, each syllable slipping into her ears like molten honey.
Cheng Fangqiu’s eyes grew misty, her body trembling from exhaustion. She rubbed her sore waist, then collapsed forward, burying her face in his neck. Her voice soft and delicate, she whimpered:
“No more strength…”
Her warm breath spilled across his collarbone, carrying the faintest trace of sweetness.
Zhou Yinghuai turned his head slightly, pressing a kiss against her cheek.
Then, flipping their positions once more, his voice deepened as he murmured against her ear—
“Wife, lift your waist a little higher.”
At this moment, she was obedient to the point of having no temper at all, letting him stuff a pillow under her waist without complaint.
But she had to admit—it was a lot more comfortable.
Clothes were scattered across the floor, half the bedsheet dangled to the ground, yet neither of them cared. He was only focused on wrapping himself around her, thoroughly testing their newly bought bed.
The quality was indeed impressive—no matter how much they rocked and swayed, it didn’t make a single awkward creaking sound.
After fooling around for half the night, he finally carried her into the kitchen. Cheng Fangqiu, utterly exhausted, clung to him like a sleepy cat, mumbling complaints under her breath. It took a long while, and quite a bit of coaxing from him, before she mustered the patience to direct him in cooking the tomato sour soup noodles.
When the steaming bowl of noodles was finally ready, the fragrant aroma filled the air. Cheng Fangqiu, despite herself, swallowed instinctively, her sleepiness dissipating slightly.
Zhou Yinghuai chuckled, carrying her to the dining table and feeding her one bite at a time.
“Qiuqiu, thank you.”
The warmth of being cared for seeped into his heart, spreading like a gentle current. He leaned close and whispered near her ear, his heated breath grazing against her sensitive skin, making her shiver involuntarily. She dodged to the side, throwing him a playful glare before retorting sarcastically:
“I don’t think you were hungry at all.”
After an entire day of work, after starving for half the day, he still had the energy to drag her into that kind of nonsense for so long.
What kind of stamina was that? What kind of endurance was that?
Was he even human?!
“How could I not be hungry?” Zhou Yinghuai raised an eyebrow, taking another bite before adding, “It’s just that when I came home, the first meal I saw was even more tempting, so I decided to… satisfy that craving first.”
And only then did I feed my stomach.
Cheng Fangqiu didn’t catch his double meaning and, now that she was full, turned her head away to avoid another mouthful of noodles. Instead, her gaze landed on the roses sitting on the table. There were quite a lot of them—enough to fill nearly half their balcony.
She examined them closely and noticed that two camellia saplings were mixed in.
“…Did you wipe out someone’s entire garden?”
Zhou Yinghuai was still eating. After swallowing his mouthful of noodles, he replied, “No. My colleague’s newlywed wife doesn’t like flowers, so he let me take them all.”
“If she doesn’t like them, then why were there so many at their house?” Cheng Fangqiu immediately sensed something off.
Zhou Yinghuai didn’t know too much about his colleague’s private affairs, but he had casually asked a few things when taking the plants, so he explained:
“They were planted by his ex-wife. His new wife doesn’t like them and has been insisting he throw them all away. My colleague felt reluctant, and when he heard I wanted some, he figured he’d rather give them to me than dump them.”
Cheng Fangqiu’s mouth twitched.
Suddenly, all these beautiful roses felt like a scorching-hot burden.
“…We should just buy new flowers to plant instead.”
Although it was a pity, after hearing the backstory, Cheng Fangqiu felt strange about keeping them. These were someone else’s ‘thorn in the eye,’ and now they were planted in their home—what was that supposed to mean?
Hearing her words, Zhou Yinghuai also realized it wasn’t ideal.
“I didn’t know beforehand,” he frowned. If he had, he wouldn’t have taken them in the first place.
Neither of them wanted to get involved in someone else’s messy love affairs, especially those of a colleague.
“So… what do we do with the flowers?”
They looked at each other, both feeling a headache coming on.
Luckily, by the next day, someone else solved the problem for them.
While they were having lunch at noon, there was a sudden knock on the door.
Zhou Yinghuai got up to open it. When he saw the person standing outside, he looked somewhat surprised but still greeted politely, “Sister-in-law.”
“Sorry to disturb you. I came to take back those flowers,” a woman’s voice slowly sounded, carrying a hint of exhaustion.
Cheng Fangqiu followed the voice and looked over. The moment she saw the woman’s face, her pupils slightly dilated.