Indulgence - Chapter 6
Chapter 6
Seeing Jiang Nian's face change in an instant as she readily agreed, Xiao Chen was speechless. As expected, her boss had no principles when it came to beautiful women.
Jiang Nian glanced at Yao Ran again. Was such a coincidence a sign that they were fated to be entangled?
Yao Ran feigned looking around at the surroundings, avoiding her gaze.
"It's upstairs. Follow me," Jiang Nian said, turning around.
Yao Ran froze on the spot. Her expression was surprisingly calm, but her entire body felt ill at ease.
"What's wrong?" Ruan Xin asked, seeing Yao Ran dazed and out of it. "Let's go."
Pulled along by Ruan Xin, Yao Ran found herself going up to the second floor.
The entire studio had a strong sense of design, looking less like a tattoo shop and more like an art gallery. Both its aesthetic and personality were on point.
Yao Ran had some knowledge of the fine arts and could sense that the owner of this studio had excellent taste. No wonder Ruan Xin had been so insistent on coming here.
Jiang Nian spoke with the girl inside, who agreed readily. After all, it wasn't a private area. The girl was even more pleased when she saw that the two women who entered were both mature, beautiful, older-sister types, and her face was wreathed in smiles.
Jiang Nian pointed to a long sofa at the side. "Sit wherever you like."
Ruan Xin smiled. "Okay, you go ahead and work."
Jiang Nian continued with her task.
Before long, someone brought them lemonade and fruit. Yao Ran murmured her thanks. Lifting her head slightly, her angle allowed her to catch a glimpse of Jiang Nian at work.
Her head was lowered, her expression focused.
It was a different impression from the last two times. Today, she was dressed casually, her nearly waist-length curly hair tied up with a few strands left hanging down, giving off a very relaxed vibe. The mask she wore covered most of her face, revealing only her eyes and brows, and the elegantly sloped bridge of her nose.
Yao Ran was surprised. She was a tattoo artist. Yet there wasn't a single tattoo on her entire body.
For a time, no one spoke. The room was quiet, filled only with the buzzing sound of the tattoo machine.
A few minutes later, the girl, who had been enduring the pain well, couldn't help but cry out, "It hurts."
"Does it hurt a lot?" Jiang Nian chuckled softly. Getting the coloring done right after the linework was indeed doubly painful; it was impressive she had lasted this long. "I'll be gentler. Try taking a deep breath."
Her pair of peach-blossom eyes curved slightly, a rather alluring smile. Yao Ran remembered that smile clearly, except the one she had seen was far more unrestrained and passionate.
Her mind had wandered again without her realizing. Yao Ran lowered her head. If she had known they would meet again like this, she never would have agreed to accompany Ruan Xin that day.
Ruan Xin was eating fruit. She leaned over to Yao Ran's side, her voice neither loud nor soft. "What do you think? Isn't she gorgeous?"
Startled from her thoughts, Yao Ran's hand accidentally knocked over the glass on the side table. Most of the lemonade spilled out, soaking a patch of the surface.
"Sorry."
Hearing this, Jiang Nian immediately turned her head. She looked at Yao Ran and said softly, "It's fine. Don't worry about it. Someone will come clean it up."
Ruan Xin handed Yao Ran a tissue and joked, "What's with you today? Didn't you sleep well again last night?"
Didn't sleep well again… The phrase struck a sensitive chord with Jiang Nian, who was quietly working. Last night, did she go find someone else to vent with?
That night, Jiang Nian had felt that the other woman was venting—more like a release after long-term suppression than a whim brought on by drunkenness.
"I just got back, and there's a lot of work to hand over at the company…" Yao Ran explained quietly to Ruan Xin.
Jiang Nian vaguely overheard. She continued applying color to the skin, thinking that perhaps she was being too sensitive. For someone so reserved and self-controlled, that one explosive night with her was probably her absolute limit.
Half an hour later, the tattoo was finished. Jiang Nian wrapped the area in protective film and gave the girl some aftercare instructions.
After she was done with the girl, Jiang Nian didn't take a break. She led Ruan Xin to another workstation where all the tools and disinfectants had been prepared in advance.
Ruan Xin pulled her shirt up, lay down on her stomach, and exposed the skin on her lower back where the tattoo would be. Her heart pounded with nervousness. "Be gentle with me, beautiful. I'm scared of pain."
"Okay, I will," Jiang Nian replied with a smile, first wiping the area on her lower back clean.
Yao Ran stood by Ruan Xin's side, and her gaze couldn't help but drift to the person next to her. Today's events had left her feeling anything but calm.
Ruan Xin was truly afraid of pain. As soon as she heard the sound of the machine, she quickly shut her eyes and began to hum. "Mmm—"
Yao Ran watched, nearly at her wit's end. She could see the needle vibrating at high speed, but it hadn't even touched Ruan Xin's skin yet.
Jiang Nian also said helplessly, "I haven't started yet."
Ruan Xin let out an "Oh." "Then continue."
The moment the needle made contact, just as expected, the entire room was filled with Ruan Xin's cries and the other two's silent, mortified embarrassment.
Pain was pain, and Ruan Xin wasn't about to feel embarrassed at her age. She cried out directly, "Ah~ It hurts this much? It's more painful than I imagined."
Jiang Nian focused on her work, saying, "It is a bit painful. Just hang in there."
Ruan Xin continued to yelp and cry out, unable to bear even a moment of the pain.
Yao Ran couldn't watch anymore and couldn't help but remind her, "Try to bear it for a bit. If you move around, it'll be hard for her to work."
Jiang Nian's hands slowed slightly. Such a gentle and pleasant voice, and so considerate.
Ruan Xin was one to take advice. She began to bite her lip and endure it. And then, the not-so-spacious room was filled with: "Mmm~ Mmm~~~"
Wave after wave of low moans filled the air.
Yao Ran was expressionless. "…"
Jiang Nian's scalp tingled. She had seen plenty of clients, but this was the first time she had encountered such a dramatic reaction. She turned to Yao Ran and said, "Why don't you chat with her? It might distract her."
"Forget it, she's so boring," Ruan Xin complained, then turned back to ask Jiang Nian, "Can you talk to me instead?"
It was common to chat with clients to distract them from the pain. Jiang Nian was usually quite talkative, but she tended to be quiet and focused when she worked. However, it was probably more appropriate for her to talk to the woman before her.
Jiang Nian wasn't reserved. "Sure."
Ruan Xin was a chatterbox, and saying a few things now and then helped her quiet down a lot. Since they were both easy-going, they started chatting freely after just a few sentences.
Through their conversation, Jiang Nian learned that the bar across the street was co-owned by Ruan Xin and Yao Ran. It had been open for nearly two years, about the same as her studio.
Ruan Xin said, "If you come over, I'll give you a discount on reservations and drinks."
Hearing this, a subtle glint appeared in Jiang Nian's eyes. "Can I ask for you directly?"
Ruan Xin was always straightforward with people she got along with. "Of course. I'm not kidding."
Beneath her mask, Jiang Nian couldn't help but lift the corners of her mouth. "Okay."
Seeing the two of them hitting it off, the quiet Yao Ran only felt more awkward. She really wished Ruan Xin would say a few less words…
They took a ten-minute break, then continued.
As they became more familiar, Ruan Xin's topics grew bolder. "What do you think of my waist? Is it beautiful?"
Jiang Nian had been asked all sorts of questions by clients and was quite experienced. She gave a practiced, formulaic compliment, "Yes, it's very beautiful."
Yao Ran heard the familiar praise and thought back to their time at the bar… She really knows how to flirt.
Jiang Nian had a very likable personality. She was a bit cool, but the way she spoke made people feel comfortable, and she never let the atmosphere become stiff.
Ruan Xin was no exception. She smiled happily and pressed on with interest, "So, among all the women you've seen, do I rank first?"
Jiang Nian paused noticeably.
Yao Ran also paused. She still remembered that the place she had been caressed the most that night was her waist and abdomen…
"You'd rank second."
After a moment, Jiang Nian lowered her head and answered Ruan Xin softly.
Yao Ran's thoughts flashed back, and her eyelid twitched involuntarily.
Ruan Xin said, "Second? You're that strict?"
Jiang Nian smiled without answering. A strand of hair came loose by her ear, partially blocking her vision. Her assistant was busy downstairs, and it was inconvenient for her to fix it while she was working. She tilted her head to shake it away, but the strand quickly fell back.
After a few tries, it was becoming a nuisance.
Yao Ran noticed.
It was truly inconvenient. After a moment, Jiang Nian stopped what she was doing, looked at Yao Ran who was sitting idly on the lounge chair, and asked, "Could I trouble you for a moment?"
Yao Ran looked up.
Jiang Nian added, "My hair."
Yao Ran understood immediately. She sat there hesitating for a moment before finally putting down the art magazine she was flipping through and standing up.
Jiang Nian watched her walk over, but noted that she maintained a certain, slightly deliberate, distance.
Yao Ran used her fingertips to hook the strand of hair blocking Jiang Nian's face and tucked it behind her ear. Her fingers grazed the base of the ear, brushed against the outer rim, and unintentionally touched the small, round earlobe. The slight contact made her fingertips feel strange.
It tickled. Jiang Nian had a subtle, unexpected reaction. She rarely got distracted while working, but now she lowered her eyes, her breathing quickening slightly.
After securing the hair, Yao Ran quickly withdrew her hand, as if a great weight had been lifted.
Jiang Nian raised her head and said a formal, "Thank you."
Yao Ran, for her part, maintained her proper decorum and politeness. "You're welcome."
They acted like complete strangers meeting for the first time, and their performance was so convincing that even the astute Ruan Xin didn't notice a single clue.
After that, Jiang Nian continued with the tattoo, and Yao Ran went back to her magazine. There was no further interaction between them.
Things didn't go according to Jiang Nian's plan. The tattoo couldn't be finished in one session. They had to stop several times just during the linework, which took up a lot of time. When it came time for the shading, Ruan Xin absolutely refused to continue, saying she had never suffered like this in her entire life.
Jiang Nian said, "You can come back for the coloring tomorrow."
Ruan Xin said, "Let's wait a few more days. It's really too painful, I can't take it."
"That won't work. In a few days, the wound will scab over, and we can't work on it." Jiang Nian thought for a moment. "If you're not in a hurry, you can come back for the coloring after the wound has healed. It won't hurt as much then."
Ruan Xin agreed and postponed the coloring session.
Jiang Nian didn't take any other clients. Tattooing was delicate work, and one's state of mind was crucial. She couldn't work like a machine on a continuous loop; she needed to rest.
Ruan Xin went to the restroom.
In the hallway outside, Jiang Nian happened to run into Yao Ran. They looked at each other silently for a second.
This was the first time since that night that the two of them had seen each other from such a close distance. The light was bright enough to see every detail of each other's faces.
Seeing the distance between them shrink, Yao Ran felt she couldn't stay put and wanted to head downstairs to leave.
But Jiang Nian took a step closer and whispered to her, "Wait, don't go yet."
The private, soft whisper, a low voice only the two of them could hear, instantly reignited the ambiguous connection between them.
Yao Ran's heart tightened. As Jiang Nian approached, she once again caught the scent of that alluring perfume. Although it was different from that night, it was just as…
…suited for ambiguous flirtation.
Comments
Post a Comment