The rain outside gradually weakened.
The thunder and fierce wind faded, leaving only the dense, continuous patter of rain.
The leather office chair was spacious. Wen Ci knelt astride Zhou Wu’s lap with her legs apart, lowering her head and obediently kissing him.
Zhou Wu held her waist with one hand. The loose T-shirt was pressed against her body, outlining her slender waist, while his other hand supported her hips.
This was only the second time they had kissed deeply without having s*x.
When sober, Wen Ci did not dare behave too boldly.
Her hands rested awkwardly on Zhou Wu’s shoulders. She silently opened her mouth, silently followed his lead and silently swallowed.
She wore Zhou Wu’s clothes and had used Zhou Wu’s shower gel. Every breath was filled with his scent, as though her entire body were surrounded by him.
Zhou Wu always seemed naturally skilled at everything, whether it was studying, working or other matters.
He patiently sucked on her lips before tangling with the tip of her tongue, teasing and stirring it as dense kissing sounds filled the room.
It did not take long before Wen Ci was panting repeatedly, her hands and feet weak.
If Zhou Wu had not been supporting her, she suspected she might have slid straight onto the floor.
As though sensing Wen Ci’s concern, Zhou Wu pulled her farther into his arms.
Her centre of gravity settled, and Wen Ci sat steadily again.
She had only just sighed in relief when her entire body suddenly tensed.
The hand at her waist released her and slipped beneath the hem of the T-shirt.
…
Zhou Wu’s hand was large, and his thumb was rough.
Wen Ci’s cheeks burned. A flush spread across her face, neck, ears and collarbones.
She did not know how much time passed before the kiss finally ended.
Zhou Wu released her.
Seeing the unfocused haze in Wen Ci’s eyes, he reached out and wiped her slightly reddened lips. His voice carried a subtle hoarseness.
“Can I kiss you?”
Wen Ci did not understand.
They had only just finished kissing. Why was he asking again?
She nodded.
Then she quickly understood why.
Wen Ci closed her eyes in embarrassment.
Her toes curled tightly, her mind became completely blank, and her breathing turned hot and prolonged.
Unable to think properly, she began having scattered thoughts—
Fortunately, the T-shirt was loose enough.
Otherwise, Zhou Wu would definitely stretch it out of shape.
After thoroughly enjoying himself, Zhou Wu withdrew from beneath the shirt and apologised without the slightest sincerity.
“I might have left marks again.”
Wen Ci’s face was completely flushed.
She did not understand why, even though they had not actually had s*x, she had already felt far too good.
Meeting Zhou Wu’s eyes only intensified everything.
Her heartbeat rose into her throat.
She tried hard to calm herself, but when she spoke, her voice was still soft and weak.
“Zhou Wu, let me help you.”
She was sitting on his lap, so what she felt was obvious.
Zhou Wu gave a careless hum.
“Do you know how?”
“…I’ll try.”
Wen Ci’s fingers were slender.
Zhou Wu lowered his gaze and watched for a while, struggling not to laugh.
Every so often, he offered a few instructions.
Wen Ci’s hand trembled, and she nodded as though attending a lesson.
After a while, Wen Ci apologised dejectedly.
“Sorry. I don’t think I’m very good at this.”
Zhou Wu expressed understanding.
“It doesn’t matter…”
“Should we try another way?”
Wen Ci asked him quietly, “What if I use my mouth?”
That single sentence stunned Zhou Wu into silence.
His gaze moved towards Wen Ci’s lips.
They were small.
He knew what the inside of her mouth felt like—hot and sweet.
“Forget it. I can’t bear to.”
Zhou Wu sighed.
“I like Ms Wen’s hands too. I have another use for your mouth.”
He raised his chin and continued kissing her.
…
Afterwards, Zhou Wu went to shower.
Wen Ci lay face-down on the bed, listening to her heart pound endlessly.
Even after climbing off Zhou Wu’s lap, it continued beating just as quickly, showing no sign of calming down.
It was over.
She was finished.
At first, Wen Ci had thought that perhaps she did not like Zhou Wu as much after graduation.
Maybe what she felt for him had only been the fluttering emotions of adolescence.
Perhaps Zhou Wu’s unintentional help had created an illusion, one that would soon disappear with time.
Several years after graduating, Wen Ci realised that was not the case.
So she did the bravest thing she had ever done in her life—
She took the initiative to sleep with Zhou Wu and became his friend with benefits.
If others knew, they might say she had no self-respect or believe she was the one losing out.
Yet Wen Ci considered herself fortunate.
She had obtained the man she had secretly loved for years.
And he was gentle and considerate, giving her the greatest possible pleasure whenever they were together.
At the time, she thought that obtaining him was enough.
Even if Zhou Wu found a girlfriend one day and they ended their arrangement, she would have no regrets.
Wasn’t there a popular saying?
What you cannot obtain will always remain restless in your heart.
Perhaps after spending enough time with him, she would stop loving him so deeply and thinking about him constantly.
Now Wen Ci realised that it would not work.
It would never work.
The more she came into contact with Zhou Wu, the more she liked him.
A phone ringtone interrupted Wen Ci’s thoughts.
She raised her head and looked towards the two phones on the bedside table.
Zhou Wu’s phone was lit up.
An unsaved number appeared on the screen.
Wen Ci’s legs were still weak.
She slowly walked to the bathroom door and called quietly, “Zhou Wu, you have a call.”
“Who is it?” Zhou Wu asked.
“An unknown number.”
“Decline it.”
Wen Ci did as instructed.
The caller quickly rang again.
After she declined it three times, Zhou Wu heard the repeated ringing.
“You answer. Tell them I’m busy.”
His muffled voice came from the bathroom.
Wen Ci cleared her throat before answering, attempting to sound like Zhou Wu’s secretary.
“Hello, President Zhou is currently show—”
“Zhou Wu! Why haven’t you replied to my messages? And why are you rejecting my calls? You and Qin Yun have both completely disappeared today! I’m genuinely getting angry—”
The person on the other end spoke even faster.
Then, after hearing Wen Ci’s voice, she paused and blurted out, “Who are you?”
Wen Ci’s shoulders stiffened.
All her scattered thoughts instantly disappeared.
It was Duan Wei’s voice.
Wen Ci did not know how to answer and was afraid Duan Wei would recognise her voice.
Duan Wei asked several more questions, but Wen Ci remained silent.
She did not feel comfortable ending the call without permission, so she even softened her breathing.
The bathroom door opened.
Zhou Wu stepped out.
Wen Ci instinctively held the phone up to his ear.
She was half a head shorter than Zhou Wu and looked panicked as she held the phone for him.
The sight was so adorably ridiculous that Zhou Wu lowered his eyes towards her and could not resist laughing.
Perhaps Duan Wei heard his laughter, because she said something else on the phone.
Wen Ci stood too far away to hear clearly.
Zhou Wu dried his hair without taking the phone from her and spoke directly to Duan Wei.
“Who was the woman just now? You didn’t recognise her?”
Wen Ci’s back stiffened slightly.
“If you didn’t recognise her, forget it,” Zhou Wu said lazily.
“What is her relationship with me? What do you think?”
“At this hour, we’re together. What relationship do you think we have?”
Duan Wei said something on the other end.
Zhou Wu lowered his gaze and slightly curved his lips.
“Mm. I’m hanging up.”
Based on Zhou Wu’s reply, Wen Ci guessed that Duan Wei had probably said “friend with benefits” or “lover.”
“The call has ended, Ms Wen,” Zhou Wu reminded her.
Wen Ci returned to her senses and slowly lowered her arm.
“Oh.”
Zhou Wu’s body still carried damp heat from the shower.
He reached out and pressed his hand against Wen Ci’s lower abdomen through the T-shirt.
“Does your period hurt? Should I ask someone to bring up a hot-water bottle?”
Wen Ci shook her head.
“No. I usually don’t feel much, which is why… I didn’t know it would start early. It was originally supposed to come in three days.”
Zhou Wu nodded.
At that moment, the doorbell rang.
The dinner he had ordered had arrived.
The living-room table was soon covered in food.
It was unsuitable for office work, but just about adequate for eating.
Zhou Wu casually selected a recently well-reviewed mystery film.
“I didn’t know you were on your period. Otherwise, I would have ordered an extra soup.”
Wen Ci had been thinking about something else.
She returned to her senses.
“There’s no need. This is already far too much.”
The film Zhou Wu selected was a mystery thriller that had received strong reviews recently.
Wen Ci usually enjoyed mystery films as well, but today she could not focus.
A question circled repeatedly at the edge of her lips.
She wanted to ask, yet did not know whether it was appropriate.
Zhou Wu noticed that she had barely touched any of the dishes and was preparing to order something else.
“Zhou Wu, I want to ask you something,” Wen Ci finally said.
“If it’s inconvenient to answer… you don’t have to.”
Zhou Wu put down his phone.
“Ask.”
“How many friends with benefits do you have?”
“…”
Wen Ci waited, but received no answer.
She slowly calmed herself.
“I understand. It’s fine if you don’t want to say—”
“How many does Ms Wen have?” Zhou Wu asked in return.
“Only you,” Wen Ci answered.
“Mm. I only have you as well.”
A faint smile rested at Zhou Wu’s lips.
“From the beginning until now.”
Wen Ci looked into his eyes, and her heartbeat began accelerating again.
A phone suddenly rang, interrupting the conversation.
This time, it was Wen Ci’s.
She glanced at the caller ID.
“It’s Yiqing. I’ll answer.”
The moment she accepted the call, a heart-rending rendition of *Love Even If I Die* exploded from the other end.
The singer was not Dou Yiqing.
It was Qin Yun.
Zhou Wu clearly heard it too and turned his face away in speechless irritation.
“Wen Ci!”
Dou Yiqing was also holding a microphone and sounded as though she had drunk quite a lot.
She proudly announced, “I just beat him at the drinking game! Qin Yun said he’ll take us on an island holiday during the summer! He’s such a loser, hahahahaha!”
“I’m f*cking paying for the trip, and you still call me a loser?”
Qin Yun shouted, “Dou Yiqing, don’t go too far!”
“You lost it to me! You aren’t treating me! Please understand the difference!”
“Heh. I lost deliberately.”
“Heh. A sore-loser loser.”
The two drunk people cursed at each other through their microphones.
Wen Ci could not insert a single word.
The next moment, Zhou Wu’s phone also began ringing.
The caller was Qin Yun.
Zhou Wu heartlessly declined it.
After several rejected calls, Qin Yun could only send him a WeChat voice message.
Zhou Wu did not even need to play it.
He could hear Qin Yun speaking through Wen Ci’s phone.
“Brother, seriously? You’re rejecting my calls in front of Dou Yiqing. Don’t I need to save face?”
“No. You have to compensate us. Next month, take me and Dou Yiqing on an island holiday!”
“And Wen Ci!” Dou Yiqing shouted.
Qin Yun sent another message.
“And Wen Ci!”
Dou Yiqing held the phone and frowned.
“Wen Ci, why do I keep hearing WeChat notification sounds from your side?”
“No, you’re hearing things.”
Wen Ci replied vaguely, “Yiqing, I still have something to do. We’ll talk tomorrow.”
After ending the call, Wen Ci and Zhou Wu looked at each other for several seconds.
Then both began laughing.
After laughing, Wen Ci became worried again.
“Yiqing sounds very drunk. Will she be all right?”
“She’ll be fine. Qin Yun is reliable.”
Zhou Wu rested his chin on one hand.
“What about the island? Do you want to go?”
Wen Ci froze at the question.
She had treated the remark as nothing more than Yiqing’s drunken nonsense.
Once Yiqing sobered up, she might no longer want to travel with Qin Yun.
Wen Ci herself also had no idea how she would persuade her family to allow her to travel without them—
“Let’s go together.”
Zhou Wu smiled at her.
“I’ll take you diving.”
“All right.”
Without even one second of consideration, Wen Ci agreed.
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