Chapter 88: I’ll Just Go Inside and Take a Look
Chapter 88: Chapter 88: I’ll Just Go Inside and Take a Look
Xiaoyan took off her shoes in a slight panic, quickly putting some distance between herself and Zhang Yan to feel a bit safer.
"Honey, do you want a tour of our shared apartment?"
Zhang Yan was noncommittal. He slipped off his shoes. Not seeing any suitable slippers and noticing the floor was reasonably clean, he walked in barefoot. This was an apartment shared by four girls. It wasn’t exactly a place where any of their boyfriends could comfortably hang out, so there were naturally no supplies for male guests.
He scanned the place. It was a four-bedroom, two-living-room, two-bathroom apartment with one kitchen, and it was kept fairly tidy. Three of the bedroom doors were tightly shut, leaving only one wide open. Unsurprisingly, that had to be Xiaoyan’s room. Not particularly interested in the apartment’s layout or decor, Zhang Yan headed straight for it.
Seeing that he wasn’t answering, Xiaoyan could only follow behind him anxiously. But as they got closer and closer to her bedroom, her heart beat faster and faster. She wondered, "If he tries something in a moment... what should I do?"
Pushing the door open, Zhang Yan noted that this marked the third time he had entered a girl’s bedroom. Compared to the last one he had visited—his junior Chi Xinyue’s room back in her hometown—Xiaoyan’s space looked much more mature and had a stronger lived-in feel.
At first glance, the room was cramped and cluttered. It seemed Xiaoyan wasn’t exactly the domestic type. There were no traces of the passage of time here, nor any nostalgic keepsakes from her childhood. Instead, his eyes were met with a sea of cosmetics, bags, various accessories, and scattered items of clothing and underwear.
Following closely behind, Xiaoyan clearly realized her room was a mess. She frantically began tidying up. "I only forgot to clean up today because I was rushing to make it to our date on time! I’m normally never like this!"
Zhang Yan smiled as he watched her scurry about, not saying much. He wasn’t living with her, so whether her room was messy or not was none of his concern. He simply turned around and closed the bedroom door.
CLICK.
Xiaoyan’s body stiffened once again. She stopped her frantic cleaning, shifting uneasily. Turning to watch Zhang Yan slowly walk toward her, she backed into a corner, looking exactly like a startled little rabbit.
"W-What do you want?"
He really wanted to give a wicked smirk and say, "You." But seeing how nervous she was, he decided not to push it. Halfway there, Zhang Yan pivoted and sat directly on her bed, patting the empty space beside him. "Sit here. Let’s chat."
Xiaoyan breathed a sigh of relief. She didn’t feel ready to take things further just yet. If Zhang Yan had kept advancing, she really wouldn’t have known what to do. Seeing that he only wanted to talk, she lowered her guard and joined him on the edge of the bed.
"Why sit so far away? Do you hate me?"
"I do not."
They sat shoulder-to-shoulder on the edge of the bed, the ambiguous atmosphere between them gradually heating up. A bed was a highly symbolic piece of furniture. Simply sitting on it together would continuously and subtly influence their mindset. Naturally, Zhang Yan had chosen this spot on purpose.
"Come to think of it, I don’t really know that much about you."
"Honey, what do you want to know? I’m a very simple person. It feels like there isn’t much to tell."
"Everything about you."
Xiaoyan thought for a moment before she began telling her story. Just as she said, she was a very simple person. She was born into a well-off family. While they weren’t filthy rich, she had never lacked for anything growing up. She was the textbook definition of a girl raised in luxury. Due to her parents’ social circles, she often rubbed elbows with true middle-class elites. As a result, she learned early on what the "good life" truly looked like. She deeply yearned for that kind of lifestyle. She dreamed of the day when the lives of those successful aunts and uncles would no longer be just stories, but a reality she could call her own.
Unlike Chi Xinyue, Xiaoyan had been dressed to the nines by her family since elementary school. She was surrounded by admirers, hailed as the Little Princess of her class. She received her first love letter at the tender age of eight. According to her, she was the undisputed school beauty in both middle and high school, yet had absolutely no romantic experience. Girls often matured faster than boys, and with the added bonuses of being pampered and having "seen the world," she claimed that she only found boys her age to be childish and mediocre.
"So, honey, I’ve never actually dated anyone. You’re my first love!"
Seeing Xiaoyan feign shyness, Zhang Yan agreed with her out loud, but in reality, he didn’t believe a word of it! He figured the story of her upbringing was probably mostly true. Given how busty and brainless she was, she couldn’t possibly make up such elaborate details. However, her claim about never having dated before? That might fool some naive virgin boy. Her everyday words and actions clearly showed she had some experience—she was just a bit of a novice at it, that was all.
Zhang Yan deduced that she simply hadn’t encountered any high-level players. Her experience might indeed be limited, and combined with her natural lack of intelligence, it resulted in her current half-baked amateur skills. But when it came to physical intimacy, she was most likely genuinely inexperienced. Zhang Yan could feel that from the feedback of her body every time he touched her. As for whether she was just acting? Again, someone as busty and brainless as Xiaoyan obviously couldn’t pull off an act like that.
Of course, Zhang Yan’s motive for coaxing her into telling her story wasn’t purely to get to know her better. As she gradually relaxed, Zhang Yan’s hands began to wander. Mid-story, Xiaoyan felt a sudden warmth on her waist.
"Honey, didn’t you say we were just going to chat...?"
"I’m just holding your waist. Didn’t I hold you like this for ages on the street?"
"T-Then you can only hold my waist."
"Mhm."
...
"Honey, didn’t you say you’d only hold my waist?"
"It’s not like I haven’t touched you before. Do you hate me now? I just wanted to feel for a second."
"Then... just for one more second."
"Mhm."
...
"Honey, didn’t you say just one second?"
"I didn’t say how long a second is. I’m just touching you once—it’s just not over yet."
"Then you can only touch here! Nowhere else!"
"Mhm."
...
"Honey..."
By the time Xiaoyan snapped out of her daze, Zhang Yan had her completely pinned against her own bed. Held tightly in his embrace, she had nowhere left to run. Looking up at Zhang Yan, who was looming over her with a smirk on his lips, she averted her gaze. "Don’t... I’m not ready yet..."
Her resistance was as faint as a mosquito’s buzz. Paired with her weak hands pushing limply against his chest, it looked less like a genuine rejection and more like she was playing hard to get. Having reached this point, Zhang Yan was no longer in a hurry. He took a moment to admire Xiaoyan’s flushed state with great interest, letting her emotions steep for just a bit longer.
"I don’t force girls to do anything. Before my lips touch yours, you can push me away at any time. I will turn around and leave, and I will never bother you again."
Rather than giving Xiaoyan a choice, it sounded more like a threat laced with coercion. Zhang Yan slowly, inch by inch, lowered his head. As the distance between them closed, Xiaoyan’s heart raced faster and faster, her breathing growing increasingly shallow.