Chapter 95: Almost Misfired
Zhang Yan woke up from his sleep.
“Damn it. I think I had a really exciting dream, but I don’t remember a single thing!”
After washing up and spending a long time styling his hair in front of the mirror, Zhang Yan finally put on a T-shirt and shorts, ready to go for a morning run near Xia Xiqing’s home.
After all, they had known each other for quite some time now. As Xia Xiqing’s only running partner, Zhang Yan had more or less figured out her usual workout schedule. However, just knowing what time she showed up wasn’t enough. She ran every morning as if she were hiding from something, changing her route every single time. It made her incredibly unpredictable.
If Zhang Yan hadn’t accidentally discovered “Daju” as her final destination, it would have been truly difficult to reliably “bump into” her. As for the option of actively inviting her to run together every morning, Zhang Yan would never choose it. He was going to wait for her to bring it up first.
Fortunately, he now had a very reliable method of running into her.
[Xia Xiqing departed from the west gate of Cuiquan Spring Community at 6:52 AM and began her morning run along Quanxi Road.]
Zhang Yan memorized the information and locked his phone.
“Oh, what a coincidence.”
Just as she turned the corner of an intersection, Xia Xiqing nearly bumped into a man. She instinctively backed away, but upon hearing that familiar voice, she stopped in her tracks. After a moment of hesitation, she moved closer to him again, and they began running side by side.
Their rising and falling rhythms matched perfectly, and their beautiful and handsome figures complemented each other. In the morning light, the pair of silhouettes on the small path looked incredibly well-matched.
Knowing Xia Xiqing’s habits, Zhang Yan hadn’t expected a response after greeting her. However, her initiative to move closer to him was better than any verbal reply. Zhang Yan, who had been deliberately observing her expression, accurately caught the fleeting moment of small surprise in her eyes when she realized she had “bumped into” him.
A gentle breeze blew from Xia Xiqing’s direction and brushed against Zhang Yan’s face, intoxicating him as he breathed it in. It seemed that her open pores and secreting sweat glands made the scent—which held a genetic-level attraction for Zhang Yan—even stronger. The attraction was so fatal that before Zhang Yan’s conscious mind could react, his body had already quietly leaned closer to her on its own.
Their shoulders and elbows brushed against each other.
Xia Xiqing turned to glance at him. Seeing Zhang Yan staring straight ahead with a perfectly righteous expression, she slightly shifted to the side. Zhang Yan swore he had no intention of deliberately sticking to her like this, but his body simply wasn’t listening to him!
Brush, shift, brush, shift.
Xia Xiqing had been forced to the edge of the path; if she shifted any further, she would be running on the grass. She turned her head again and gave him a slightly indignant look.
Her delicate brows were slightly furrowed, and her small mouth was in a slight pout. The charm of that single glance not only failed to make Zhang Yan restrain himself, but it also made his heart flutter. He gently bumped into her again, squeezing her onto the grass.
“Is this going a bit too far?” he wondered, but just as he started to worry, Zhang Yan realized he had overthought things.
Xia Xiqing wasn’t angry at all; instead, she turned back and bumped right into him. Even though she didn’t have much strength and her body was very light, Zhang Yan generously did her the honor of being “sent flying” quite a distance away.
“My turn again!” Zhang Yan quickly doubled back and lightly bumped her shoulder. Before long, Xia Xiqing bumped him back.
Just like that, the two of them played bumper cars on the small path, like a pair of dancing butterflies. Zhang Yan never expected that Xia Xiqing, who always maintained a cold and aloof demeanor, could have such a cute side.
Even though she still kept a cold, expressionless face, her slightly more cheerful footsteps and the tireless, playful look in her eyes proved that deep down, she longed for someone to interact with her like this. It was just unknown why it seemed no one in her life had ever walked by her side before.
Xia Xiqing’s usual morning runs were much more reserved, so she always tied her shoelaces quite loosely. With all this roughhousing, they had unwittingly come undone.
Zhang Yan bumped Xia Xiqing away once more, but this time, she stepped on her own shoelace. She suddenly lost her balance and pitched forward. If she took a solid fall now, those tender little hands of hers would definitely be scraped raw.
“Careful!”
However, even while messing around, Zhang Yan had been constantly on guard for accidents. The exact moment she lost her center of gravity, he rushed forward and wrapped an arm around her chest to catch her.
Because of the violent jolt, the baseball cap Xia Xiqing was wearing flew off, and her loose, long hair splashed across Zhang Yan’s face. Soft, silky, and ticklish, carrying the faint fragrance of lavender shampoo.
The inner side of his arm could clearly feel that softness, along with her somewhat rapid heartbeat. Zhang Yan couldn’t help but focus all his attention there to carefully savor the sensation.
“It should be a B cup,” he thought.
This was the second time the two of them had engaged in “intimate contact.”
Unlike the first time, when she had been full of defensiveness and resistance, this time Xia Xiqing tightly gripped Zhang Yan’s arm and slowly steadied herself. She wasn’t in a rush to push him away or flee immediately. Zhang Yan’s arm was slightly coated in a thin layer of sweat from the run, but she didn’t show any signs of disgust or aversion. It seemed he had been completely accepted by her as one of her own.
“Thank you,” Xia Xiqing whispered softly, still panting from the shock, before finally pulling away from their overly close proximity.
She rolled her ankle a bit, and seeing that she wasn’t injured, naturally crouched down to retie her undone shoelaces. However, she had clearly forgotten that standing right in front of her was her “good friend,” who was feeling rather aroused after being stimulated by her pheromones.
The top of her head lightly brushed against something. Perhaps she didn’t feel anything special herself, but it made things incredibly uncomfortable for Zhang Yan.
“This underwear is too tight. I need to buy a softer, more comfortable pair when I have the time,” he thought.
Using the excuse of helping her pick up her hat, Zhang Yan took the opportunity to adjust his “holster.”
Xia Xiqing stood back up and took the dusted-off baseball cap Zhang Yan handed her. Tucking her scattered, loose hair behind her ear, she put the hat back on. Although it was just a slight shake of her head followed by a tuck of her hair, combined with her godly beauty and temperament, it became a soul-stirring moment.
(Author’s note: I’m useless and can’t find a real-life reference picture for this.)
Standing at a close distance, Zhang Yan silently admired the sight. He never grew tired of anything about Xia Xiqing. That so-called genetic attraction probably wasn’t just empty words; he felt that as long as he stayed by her side, he would become very easily satisfied.
This put Zhang Yan on high alert. He forcefully severed that feeling of being completely mesmerized and dragged his gaze away from her vortex-like beauty.
“It really would be a pity not to leave a few hickeys on this swan neck. This slightly raised plain is small but very cute, and embracing that graceful waistline would definitely feel amazing. Also, if these legs that are longer than my life span were to… Damn it, how is every single part of her body a treasure…” he thought.
Not only did Zhang Yan fail to completely shake off that fatal attraction, but he also showed signs of sinking deeper and deeper into it. However, all of this paused when he saw Xia Xiqing’s newly tied shoelaces—
PFFT! Zhang Yan involuntarily burst out laughing.
Xia Xiqing’s ears and then her cheeks flushed red. Losing her usual aloof tone, she spoke with a hint of shyness and coquettishness.
“Don’t laugh!”