Chapter 24 Jealousy: “Kiss Me”

Zhao Jichuan saw Han Rao’s expression change and was suddenly overwhelmed by a strange feeling. When she was angry, she would stare at you intently, her lips slightly puckered, looking a bit silly, which somehow made him find her adorable.

Zhao Jichuan raised an eyebrow, waiting for her next reaction, but she remained silent, her shoulders tense, chin slightly raised, once again displaying that proud, aloof demeanor.

He knew that was her symbol of resistance.

“What is it?” After a few seconds, the man finally spoke.

He spoke first not to give her a way out, or to ease the tension between them. He was simply curious about her reaction—a woman who, upon their first meeting, had pointed at his nose and scolded him, yet could still obediently endure his reprimand. He liked this feeling of conquering her, but he also wanted to keep pressing down on her, forcing her to soften even more.

But Han Rao is still Han Rao; if she easily gave in, she wouldn’t be Han Rao anymore.

Han Rao curled the corner of her lips and glared at him fiercely. “Since President Zhao despises me, I won’t be an eyesore in front of you anymore.”

After speaking, she bent down to pick up the bag that had fallen to the ground due to his overly intense actions just now, then turned and walked away.

Zhao Jichuan saw the hem of her dress flutter slightly, and along with it, the scent of alcohol on her gradually faded.

He saw that she didn’t even forget to close the door.

Zhao Jichuan stared intently at the woman’s movements, letting out a light sneer. She did have some backbone after all; back when she got into his bed, she certainly didn’t show this kind of spirit.

It’s just a pity that her strength was too weak; she put on a lot of force, but the door only swung shut lightly, not even fully closed, let alone making any real noise.

Zhao Jichuan took a step forward and grabbed the door handle, trying to close the door.

The next second, he felt a force pushing back against him.

Zhao Jichuan hadn’t yet gone out to check when the woman who had just stormed off angrily and slammed the door appeared right in front of him again.

The displeasure on her face had completely vanished, as if her expression had changed in an instant, now smiling brightly.

Her eyebrows and eyes curved gracefully, exuding a delicate charm, especially beautiful.

Zhao Jichuan tugged at the corner of his mouth, too lazy to pay her any mind. He was all bluff, actually a man without backbone.

But before he could speak, Han Rao pounced like a little wolf. She was very strong, and he was unprepared, stepping back two steps before steadying himself and catching her.

Han Rao wrapped her hands firmly around his waist. The height difference between them was quite significant. She blinked her bright, sparkling eyes and looked up at him, standing on tiptoe to kiss his lips, her eyes filled with indescribable affection.

Zhao Jichuan immediately turned his head away to avoid it, but she was relentless, raising the corners of her eyebrows and pouting, insisting on kissing him. “Zhao Jichuan, kiss me once.”

“Let go.” He commanded in a deep voice.

She said, “I won’t let go.”

The next second, her lips brushed past his Adam’s apple, the scent of alcohol growing stronger, and his heart skipped a beat.

“Had a few drinks? Feeling braver now?” Zhao Jichuan lifted her by the waist, bent down, and their noses brushed against each other.

He felt that she was often bullied when drinking at social gatherings, so whenever he took her out, he never let her drink. But she was easygoing and, on the other hand, went out with friends late at night and drank quite a bit.

It’s just a pity that he didn’t know whether it was a male friend or a female friend.

Han Rao smiled gently and said very calmly, “Two bottles of beer.”

As she spoke, her hand was still restless, slipping under the hem of his turtleneck sweater to poke at his abs with her fingertips.

Zhao Jichuan restrained her struggling hands and was amused by her shameless stubbornness; he had never seen a woman so brazen and bold as she was.

If it were someone else, a single glare from him would probably have scared them away long ago.

The man suddenly realized that she never intended to leave. Even after he gave her a cold look and said a few harsh words, she still didn’t plan to go. She had perfectly timed his temper and was deliberately playing the game of seeming to resist but not really wanting to leave.

But he had to admit, Han Rao was exactly his type in every way, perfectly matching his aesthetic and his preferences; in other words, he was completely hooked on her.

In his contemplation, the corners of the man’s lips gently curled up, subtle and unnoticeable, perhaps even unnoticed by himself.

The slight change was caught by Han Rao.

She tightened her hold around his waist and said, “I don’t think I have any scent on me. Take another deep sniff, then kiss me.”

While speaking, she moved closer to him.

Zhao Jichuan’s eyes darkened; he knew he wouldn’t let her go tonight, but he truly couldn’t accept the smell of grilled fish on her. He had a mild obsession with cleanliness and was especially repelled by that strange odor.

He raised his hand and gently pushed her back, wrinkling his nose as he turned his head away.

At this moment, Han Rao deliberately acted annoyingly, like a child who had received a rare toy and insisted on turning it over and over again.

So, the more Zhao Jichuan tried to avoid her, the closer she got, saying, “That grilled fish place tonight was my favorite back in college. Their lychee-flavored grilled fish is absolutely amazing. The owner is really nice too, always giving us two side dishes for free.”

Not sure if it was his imagination, but Zhao Jichuan vaguely caught a scent of lychee, carrying a faint and delicate fragrance.

But Han Rao seemed not to have achieved her goal yet; standing on tiptoe, she leaned closer to him, the smell of alcohol instantly overpowering the fragrance of lychee.

Zhao Jichuan, unable to bear it any longer, lifted her up at the waist, hoisted her onto his shoulder, and stepped up the stairs one step at a time.

This move was completely outside of Han Rao’s calculations. She only felt dizzy and disoriented; the moment she was suspended in the air, her head dropped, and she experienced a sensation of insufficient blood flow to the brain, leaving her dazed and confused.

When a person is uncomfortable, they instinctively and habitually resist.

Han Rao’s jet-black hair cascaded like a waterfall. She grabbed Zhao Jichuan’s clothes with one hand and pounded his back hard with the other. “Zhao Jichuan, I’m dizzy, nauseous, and feel like vomiting.”

As they spoke, those two legs started causing trouble, accidentally kicking his arm.

Zhao Jichuan prided himself on not being the type to speak kindly and gently to others. He lowered his eyes to look at the footprints left on the black coat, then raised his hand and slapped her butt.

Han Rao was wearing light blue high-waisted jeans. From this angle, her hips looked especially full, the curves perfectly highlighted by the tight pants.

Zhao Jichuan’s gaze darkened. He recalled when they made love, she knelt on the edge of the bed, her back turned to him.

At a glance, he could clearly see the rise and fall of her back, her shoulder blades fluttering like butterflies. Her waist-to-hip ratio was even more perfect; with one hand, he could clamp her waist, rendering her immobile. He especially liked holding her waist firmly with one hand, his body leaning forward, while his other hand caressed the softness in front of her.

He only needed to nudge her gently, and she was like a music box in a display case being wound up—the delicate doll inside immediately began to sing, tilting her head back and dancing gracefully, pleasing to the eye and sweet to the ear.

Zhao Jichuan truly felt he was somewhat perverse; his possessiveness far exceeded that of ordinary people.

He even wished she were like that exquisite doll, confined by his boundaries, trapped in a cage of his making, becoming his sole possession.

Han Rao could never have guessed his extremely perverse thoughts. Her mind had just started to clear, barely adjusting to the sudden rush of dizziness, when she was slapped.

She immediately became obedient, because just like him, her mind began flashing with many explicit fragmented images, and she unconsciously clenched her legs.

Of course, neither of them was ready yet to honestly reveal their true thoughts to each other.

It was only much later, when their relationship underwent a fundamental change, that Zhao Jichuan took the initiative to expose his desires for her. Han Rao cursed silently, thinking, “Damn it,” because in this regard, they were truly a match made in heaven.

Zhao Jichuan took three steps in two strides, kicked open the bathroom door, and threw her into the bathtub, saying in a deep voice, “Wash yourself clean.”

Han Rao was wearing a black jacket, creating a sharp contrast against the porcelain white of the bathtub.

She struggled to sit up, grabbing his arm firmly and refusing stubbornly, “No, I’m cold.”

With the flirting having reached this point, if Zhao Jichuan didn’t say the words “I’ll help you,” it would mean he was just too clueless about romance.

But before the man could speak, the ringing of the phone shattered the tension and calm between them.

The two immediately fell silent.

Han Rao was stunned for two seconds before belatedly realizing it was her phone ringing. The call was persistent, ringing again and again, as if it wouldn’t stop until someone answered.

Han Rao had no choice; she blindly reached into her pocket and pulled out her phone. Looking down, it was Qin Yunqian.

She glanced at Zhao Jichuan, silently hung up the phone, smiled and said it wasn’t important, then reached out to hug him again.

The next second, the disconnected phone rang again.

Zhao Jichuan slowly took off his coat and tossed it aside, lowering his head to unbutton his cuffs. He said, “Answer it.”

The tone revealed no emotion.

Han Rao suddenly felt her heart skip a beat for some reason.

She bit her lip lightly and answered the call.

“Han Rao, are you home yet? I sent you a WeChat message and you didn’t reply, and you didn’t answer my calls either.”

Qin Yunqian’s gentle yet penetrating voice drifted through the phone into Han Rao’s ear, and she could tell that he seemed a bit anxious.

Han Rao almost reflexively glanced up at Zhao Jichuan and said calmly, “I was busy just now and didn’t check my phone. Don’t worry, I’ve already arrived home safely.”

Han Rao remembered that when they were about to part, Qin Yunqian specifically reminded her to send a message after she got home; he needed to make sure she arrived safely before he could rest easy.

But she was so focused on dealing with Zhao Jichuan that she completely forgot about sending the safety confirmation message.

Qin Yunqian was just such a gentleman. He acted this way not because he was entangled in romantic feelings, but because his inherent upbringing compelled him to ensure the girl’s safety.

A few years ago, when he was just starting to gain some popularity, many female fans would specially fly to the cities where he had events to see him. At that time, it was late in the evening, and he was worried about the girls’ safety taking taxis, so he paid out of his own pocket to rent a bus to take the fans home.

“Sigh, as long as you get home safely, that’s what matters. Then you should rest early. Good night.”

Han Rao’s lips gently curved upward, but before she could say the two words “Good night,” they were completely swallowed by Zhao Jichuan’s throat.

He grabbed her chin with one hand and snatched her phone with the other, glared at the contact name, then hung up without a word and threw the phone to the ground.

He thought Han Rao was sometimes really not very bright. It was one thing to stand him up at night for dinner with a certain man named “Qin Yunqian,” but to recklessly fuss over him like this right in front of him was another matter entirely.

Did she really think he was dead?

Still think that after getting out of bed, the two can go their separate ways?

Heartless and carefree person!

The more Zhao Jichuan thought about it, the angrier he became, and he decided to settle the score with her for leaving without a word on the eve of the New Year as well.

All of these things transformed into this strong and domineering kiss.

Han Rao was pushed back repeatedly by his invasion; her back hit one end of the bathtub, with nowhere left to retreat, so she had no choice but to reach out and hook her hand around his neck.

She wasn’t stupid, nor was she slow when it came to feelings. Of course, she knew the reason behind Zhao Jichuan’s sudden behavior—it was simply because he was angry.

Whether it was because he was upset that she and Qin Yunqian went out for dinner and ignored him, or because she had just exchanged a few polite words with Qin Yunqian, in any case, Zhao Jichuan was angry.

As for the reason behind his anger—whether it was more jealousy or his possessiveness acting up—Han Rao had no way of knowing.

However, that wasn’t important.

Han Rao felt that what mattered was that today, this calm and composed man before her had lost control of his emotions because of her.

She liked this feeling; it made her feel charming and vaguely gave her a sense of pleasure—the pleasure of conquering Zhao Jichuan.

After all, just downstairs, he had looked at her with disdain, unwilling to let her kiss him, complaining about the smell on her.

Now, he took the initiative to kiss her instead.

Han Rao took advantage of Zhao Jichuan’s mindset, gently flicking out the tip of her tongue in response to his kiss. She clenched his deep blue striped tie in her hand, wrapped it around her palm once, and pulled down hard.

She just wanted to be closer to him, even closer.

Zhao Jichuan seemed to realize that he had been outmaneuvered by her. He pried her hand open and twisted it behind her back. With just one hand, he could firmly control her, while the other unbuttoned her pants, peeled away the layers of obstruction, and slipped inside.

Han Rao immediately felt all her strength drain away, her whole body going limp, allowing him to do as he pleased.

She remembered the bathtub was cold, and Zhao Jichuan’s fingertips were warm.

She furrowed her beautiful brows, staring intently at the man. His face was dark and distinct, split evenly by the light, giving off an unsettling vibe.

Han Rao pulled her arm closer, then cautiously lifted her eyes again, realizing he truly despised the smell of alcohol on her, wrinkling his nose and remaining silent.

Han Rao’s breathing grew heavier as she broke free from the restraints to grasp his wrist. Her eyes were misty with tears, her delicate face flushed, like a lotus emerging from the water.

Zhao Jichuan grasped the moment, watching her gently exhale the foul breath, her eyes growing darker and darker.

The man chuckled softly, withdrew his hand, and casually turned on the bathtub faucet. He repeated his initial request, “Clean it thoroughly.”

The water flowed swiftly, and Han Rao’s legs were quickly submerged in the warm water, appearing even whiter under the light.

Her eyes were as seductive as silk, and she slowly took off her top, cursing him as a “bastard” where he couldn’t see, leaving her feeling stuck and frustrated, unable to move forward or back, without giving her any satisfaction.

Zhao Jichuan still seemed angry, or perhaps he was too tired of dealing with her after tormenting her half to death, so he brushed off his sleeves and left.

Han Rao looked at his solitary back and cursed him in her heart. A few days ago, she shouldn’t have kindly taken care of him; it would have been better if he had burned to death.

The water in the bathtub was about to overflow, so Han Rao raised her hand to turn off the water and soaked for a while.

Suddenly, the phone that had been thrown on the floor rang again. Han Rao got up to pick it up and realized that Zhao Jichuan was really too much—he had tossed it carelessly and actually shattered her screen, the top left corner cracked like a spider web.

She answered the call; it was Vivi, who asked for her ID number, saying she needed to book the flight to the film crew in advance.

Han Rao told her the ID number, hung up the phone, and thought with satisfaction that having an assistant was indeed nice; from now on, she wouldn’t have to worry about these small matters herself.

After Han Rao finished showering, she wrapped herself in a towel and went to find Zhao Jichuan, who was downstairs watching those few fish.

Han Rao tiptoed closer to him and hugged him from behind. “Please don’t be angry, okay? I apologize. I shouldn’t have gone back to Suzhou for the New Year without saying a word, and I shouldn’t have deliberately sulked with you just now.”

Zhao Jichuan glanced back at her suspiciously, picked up the fish food, and gently tossed a handful into the fish tank.

Han Rao saw that the six fish, upon seeing the fish food, swam faster than ever before. In just a few moments, before the food even sank to the bottom, it was all snatched up.

“I had a hard time coming over tonight, can’t you stop giving me the cold shoulder?” she said deliberately.

Zhao Jichuan wiped his hands and turned to look at her. “If you have something to say, say it all at once.”

When things go against the norm, there must be something fishy.

Han Rao could speak to him so calmly and peacefully only because she had something to ask of him.

Sure enough, she said, “In a few days, I’m going to the film crew to shoot. You promised me you wouldn’t come looking for me if nothing was wrong.”

Zhao Jichuan: “In a few days?”

“Four days.”

“How long will the shoot last?”

“More than eighty days, I guess.”

The man bent down and bit her earlobe, “Hmm, then don’t leave these next few days.”