Chapter 11
Do You Have Desires Too?
Xu Jiaojiao stopped and turned to look at Qi Shenbai. He unbuttoned his suit jacket, took it off, and draped it over her.
The black suit wrapped around her body. It was warm and smelled faintly of something woody. Xu Jiaojiao blinked. “I’m not cold…”
Qi Shenbai’s eyes were dark and cold. His voice carried a hint of command. “Don’t go to bars dressed like this in the future.”
“Why not?” Xu Jiaojiao lowered her head and looked at her clothes. When she went shopping with Su Luo in the afternoon, Su Luo had specially chosen a black strapless dress for her. The dress was above her knees and revealed her straight and slender calves. It looked very beautiful. Therefore, she did not understand why she could not go to a bar dressed like this.
Qi Shenbai furrowed his brows. He did not know if Xu Jiaojiao really did not understand or if she was acting dumb. However, Xu Jiaojiao simply turned to him with her big bright eyes. She looked innocent and pure, her face filled with confusion.
Qi Shenbai’s Adam’s apple bobbed as he slowly lowered his head and leaned close to Xu Jiaojiao’s ear. His voice was low and gentle as he said, “Because your dressing like this will arouse a man’s deepest desires.”
Qi Shenbai’s voice was already pleasant to hear, and now that he deliberately lowered his voice, it made her scalp tingle. Xu Jiaojiao felt as if her heart had been scalded. She turned her head to look at Qi Shenbai’s handsome and flawless side profile, blurting out, “Do you have desires too?”
Qi Shenbai was speechless. “…”
Late that night, Xu Jiaojiao lay on the soft bed and stared at the ceiling in a daze. From time to time, she would sigh. Her mind kept replaying the scene of her getting into the car at the entrance of the bar. After she asked that question, Qi Shenbai closed his eyes and rested all the way. He did not say another word. He did not even look at her when he got out of the car, going straight upstairs instead.
“Sigh…” Xu Jiaojiao sighed again. What kind of person was Qi Shenbai? He must have seen all sorts of women in his time. Why would he have desires for her? He must have said that because he wanted to give her some advice on her brother’s behalf. How could she make a stupid mistake and suggest such a thing to him?!
Even after tossing and turning in bed for several hours, Xu Jiaojiao could not fall asleep. She gave up struggling and quietly went downstairs to the kitchen. She had a habit of going to the kitchen if she could not sleep. Cooking allowed her to focus and get rid of all the distracting thoughts.
Outside the window, the darkness of the night gradually faded away. Xu Jiaojiao, who was immersed in the kitchen, was completely oblivious and continued to busy herself.
“What are you doing?” Qi Shenbai’s voice suddenly came from behind her. Xu Jiaojiao jumped in fright and turned around to see Qi Shenbai standing at the kitchen door. He was wearing black tracksuit and seemed to have just taken a shower. His hair was still wet and dripping with water. Compared to his usual serious and cold look when in formal attire, he looked more casual and carefree now.
Xu Jiaojiao composed herself and greeted him politely, “Hello, Mr. Qi.”
Qi Shenbai nodded slightly. His gaze landed on the kitchen counter, and he asked, “You didn’t sleep at all the entire night?”
The small bowl in front of Xu Jiaojiao was filled with crab roe. Beside it was a plate of crab meat that had been picked out. Further down, the trash can was filled with crab carcasses. The amount of work required was not something that could be completed in a short period of time.
“Yeah, I couldn’t sleep.” Xu Jiaojiao was a bad sleeper, and she often suffered from insomnia. She was already used to it by now.
“I’m making crab roe buns. If you’re not in a hurry to go to work, would you like to try some?” Afraid that Qi Shenbai would ask too many questions, Xu Jiaojiao decisively changed the topic.
Seeing that Xu Jiaojiao did not want to talk about it, Qi Shenbai did not probe further. “I’m going for a morning run.”
Xu Jiaojiao responded with an ‘oh’. She felt that this was a tactful rejection, but it was a pity that she had no one else to share her delicious crab roe buns with.
“It’ll take a while for you to finish up. I should be back by then,” Qi Shenbai added.
Xu Jiaojiao’s downcast gaze shot back up. When she looked at Qi Shenbai, starlight flickered in her eyes. She nodded with a smile. “Sure, of course.”
Qi Shenbai glanced at her and went out for her morning run.
In an instant, Xu Jiaojiao’s body seemed to be filled with energy despite her lack of sleep. Forty minutes later, Qi Shenbai returned from his jog. He first went upstairs to take a shower, changed out of his sportswear, and sat at the dining table in a white shirt.
Xu Jiaojiao opened the steamer. Each of the fist-sized crab roe buns was steaming hot, and the fresh fragrance filled the dining room. She also scooped a bowl of millet porridge and placed it in front of Qi Shenbai. “Mr. Qi, this is the millet porridge that I’ve been cooking for three hours. Try it.”