Indulgence - Chapter 15
Chapter 15
Yao Ran was at a loss for words. That was something Ruan Xin would do. She could almost imagine how Ruan Xin had explained it to Jiang Nian, probably saying she'd been in a bad mood lately and asking Jiang Nian to take extra care of her.
The sudden ringing of a phone interrupted their quiet conversation.
Yao Ran picked up her phone first. It was a call from her company. She walked over to the French window. "Hello, what is it?"
Jiang Nian didn't leave, simply waiting by her side.
Yao Ran listened as the person on the other end rushed through a long explanation, her brow gradually furrowing. The call lasted a long time, and after it ended, she immediately dialed someone else.
Jiang Nian could roughly gather that some collaboration at the company had run into a problem, creating a tense situation.
Once she was busy with work, Yao Ran tried her best to sound composed, but Jiang Nian looked at her face and saw that she was clearly exhausted.
After finishing her calls, Yao Ran stood by the window and pressed a hand to her forehead. It seemed to be getting hotter. When she turned back around, she found that Jiang Nian still hadn't left.
Seeing her weakness, Jiang Nian said, "Sit down and rest for a bit."
Yao Ran sat on the sofa first, letting herself recover. The discomfort from her high body temperature was becoming more and more pronounced.
Jiang Nian went to get a cup of warm water, returned to the sofa, and handed the paper cup to her.
Yao Ran took a small sip, unable to stop herself from coughing a few times.
Jiang Nian also sat down beside the sofa, quietly keeping her company. Yao Ran looked even worse now.
"You should go back to your room. I want to rest," Yao Ran said in a muffled voice, turning to look at the person beside her. She hadn't planned on having Jiang Nian stay and accompany her tonight…
Jiang Nian stared at her face, worried. "You look terrible."
"It's nothing," Yao Ran insisted.
Seeing that she was clearly forcing herself, Jiang Nian didn't overthink it and reached out to touch her forehead again. This time, it wasn't a light touch with the back of her hand, but her entire palm resting against it.
Yao Ran straightened her back. This wasn't the first time she had seen this somewhat unreasonable, impulsive side of her.
Her palm felt like it was being scorched, even more so than before. Jiang Nian said bluntly, "What do you mean it's nothing? You're burning up."
Yao Ran couldn't refute it. She could feel it herself now; it was more than just a low-grade fever. It was becoming draining.
Seeing the way Yao Ran always suppressed her emotions, Jiang Nian couldn't help but murmur, "Why do you always hold everything in?"
Imperceptibly, Yao Ran's cheeks grew warm, not from the fever, but from something else.
Jiang Nian quickly shut her mouth, realizing she had misspoken… Last time, Yao Ran had "ordered" her not to mention that night.
The two of them fell silent for two seconds in unspoken agreement.
"I promised Sister Ruan I'd take care of you. I won't just leave you," Jiang Nian continued. She took out her phone to check a digital map. Thankfully, there was a pharmacy nearby. "I'm going downstairs to buy some fever medicine. I'll be back soon."
Before Yao Ran could say anything else, Jiang Nian had already hurried out.
Twenty minutes later, the hotel room door swiped open.
Hearing the door, Yao Ran turned her head to see Jiang Nian returning with a bag of medicine, pulling a small suitcase with her right hand.
They looked at each other for a moment.
"I think it's better if I stay here tonight," Jiang Nian explained, not giving Yao Ran time to refuse before continuing, "You should take your temperature first."
Yao Ran felt awful from the dizziness and simply pursed her lips without saying anything.
Jiang Nian closed the door and changed into a pair of disposable slippers. She placed two plastic bags on the coffee table, found the thermometer she had just bought, and after unwrapping it, placed it in Yao Ran's hand.
Yao Ran held the thermometer, motionless.
Understanding what was happening, Jiang Nian tactfully looked away and turned to unpack her suitcase.
Yao Ran lowered her gaze, finally unbuttoning two buttons of her shirt to take her temperature under her arm.
Jiang Nian didn't ask which bed she should sleep in. Since neither bed had been touched, she just picked the one closer to her.
A few minutes later, Yao Ran finished taking her temperature. A glance confirmed it was a high fever.
"What is it?" Jiang Nian asked from the side.
"39," Yao Ran said, her voice weak. She rummaged through the medicine bag, found a box of ibuprofen, and started opening the package.
"Eat the sandwich before you take the medicine," Jiang Nian said, walking to the coffee table and bending down to get a sandwich. "You didn't eat anything tonight. It's not good to take medicine on an empty stomach."
Yao Ran was taken aback.
Wasn't this a little too considerate?
Jiang Nian went ahead and unwrapped the sandwich for her, holding it out. When Yao Ran didn't take it, she smiled. "Why are you like a child? Do you need to be coaxed to eat?"
Yao Ran silently stared at her. "..."
Jiang Nian adopted a coaxing tone, just like she was talking to a child. "Just have a little bite, Director Yao—" She was an expert at wheedling people.
Yao Ran frowned at the sound of it, then suddenly felt like laughing. Who was the real child here? So old yet so immature, like a little girl. Still, she took the sandwich. It was practically at her lips. If she hadn't been reminded, she would have almost forgotten that she hadn't eaten dinner.
"I'll transfer you the money for the medicine and the sandwich."
"No need. If we're going to be like that, are you going to charge me for the ride I hitched?" Jiang Nian raised an eyebrow, saying with mock seriousness, "Because I have no intention of paying you…"
Yao Ran chewed a bite of the sandwich. This time, she couldn't hold back a very soft chuckle. "I wasn't planning on charging you."
"Then that settles it. I'm not planning on charging you either."
And just like that, the matter was dropped. Yao Ran quietly ate her sandwich. She didn't really have an appetite, but it was better to have something in her stomach before taking the medicine, or else she'd upset it.
Jiang Nian took out her sketchbook and pencil and began to draw again. She sat in the lounge chair by the French window, occasionally glancing at the night scenery outside.
The two exchanged a few words now and then, their interaction as natural as could be, as if nothing had happened.
Half an hour after taking the fever reducer, Yao Ran started to feel drowsy. She wanted to take a shower before resting.
Jiang Nian glanced over, the movement of her pencil slowing. She asked casually, "Is it okay to shower now?"
"I'm feeling better," Yao Ran replied. After being out all day, she felt travel-worn and uncomfortable without a wash.
"Mm," Jiang Nian said, lowering her head again. A moment later, when sounds started coming from the bathroom, the lines she was drawing became a little messy…
Yao Ran didn't stay in the bathroom for too long. Although she felt relatively better, she was still running a fever. The hot steam filling the bathroom made her chest feel tight.
When Jiang Nian looked up again, she saw Yao Ran walk out wrapped in a long, silk robe. It was another one of her understated and ascetic styles. Although it covered her figure completely, Jiang Nian knew she would probably never forget how alluring the body beneath that robe was.
Yao Ran met Jiang Nian's gaze.
Jiang Nian's eyes flickered. She stood up from the lounge chair distractedly. "I'm going to wash up."
Grabbing the nightdress she was going to change into, Jiang Nian headed for the bathroom.
Yao Ran, meanwhile, got into bed. She leaned against the headboard and opened her email on her phone, checking the work messages she had received that day.
Far from the city's clamor, the night in the forest was quiet. So quiet that she could clearly hear every little sound from the bathroom—the rush of water, which then suddenly stopped. The person inside must be lathering up with shower gel.
Yao Ran closed her eyes. Was it a side effect of the fever medicine? She couldn't concentrate, especially with the sound of water coming from the bathroom. Gradually, certain unspeakable images flashed through her mind.
Drowsy from the medicine, Yao Ran had no energy to reply to those emails for the time being. She put her phone down and lay down on the bed, closing her eyes to sleep. But with her eyes closed, lying on the familiar white sheets and pillow, the images continued to swirl in her mind, and her heart grew even more restless:
That night, after they came out of the bathroom, they had tumbled into the bedding together. Then her wrists were pinned above her head, and a fervent kiss landed on her lips, never stopping.
It went on for a long time.
"Why do you always hold back? If it feels good, just let it out, okay?"
…
Yao Ran drifted in a drowsy, half-dreaming sleep for a while before she was woken by the heat. The fever reducer must have started working, causing her to break out in a cold sweat.
Jiang Nian had just finished her shower and came out. Seeing Yao Ran's flushed cheeks and dry lips, she asked, "Do you want some water?"
Yao Ran's throat and tongue were parched. "Yes."
Jiang Nian promptly poured her a glass of water.
The moment Jiang Nian got close, Yao Ran's heart immediately started to race. The person by the bed was wearing only a slip dress, its slim fit putting her exceptional figure on full display.
Yao Ran took a sip of water.
Jiang Nian asked in a low voice, "Is the fever back?"
"No."
Seeing the sweat on her, Jiang Nian pulled a tissue from the side and wiped her forehead. Noticing sweat on her neck as well, she wiped it away too.
As her neck was touched, Yao Ran's heart beat uncontrollably faster. She had never thought her own body could be so sensitive. If last time was due to the influence of alcohol, then what about this time? She was only just discovering that she wasn't cold at all…
Jiang Nian's mind was also racing. Some things, once they happen, make you long for a second time. What had happened between them had happened. How could they possibly interact as if nothing was wrong?
At such a close distance, their eyes met quietly, and both of their breaths grew ragged without them realizing it. The atmosphere of feigned calmness they had maintained all evening changed—
Yao Ran could even imagine Jiang Nian kissing her, her hands surely misbehaving, slipping under the covers to pull off her robe amidst urgent, deep kisses.
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