Inextricable

Chapter 18

Xu Xingxing’s heart skipped a beat when she heard Huai Jing’s words, and she could not look into his eyes anymore. “Stop joking,” she said after looking away.

“Okay, then I’ll tell the truth.” Huai Jing’s voice floated into the air.

 Xu Xingxing raised her head again to meet the man’s eyes. Huai Jing’s current expression was serious, and even his frivolous eyes had turned more solemn, though they were still as deep as deep as a lake. 

“Actually, it was Mimi who called me. It said it was hungry and asked me to pick you up

And then feed it.” 

When this last sentence was uttered, the depth in Huai Jing’s eyes was covered by the smile that had floated onto his lips. One corner of his lips was raised slightly as he watched the woman’s reaction. He thought she would be blushing out of anger, and would look at him with annoyance in her eyes… Thinking of this scene, the man felt as if his heart had been scratched by a kitten’s paw, it was very itchy.

However, Xu Xingxing did not show the appearance he had expected, and her expression was not as vivid as he thought it would be, but rather dull. She looked blankly at the smiling man in front of her, shook her head resolutely, and said, “You’re lying.”

The smile in Huai Jing’s eyes froze.

As the coldness of the stone that Xu Xingxing was sitting had begun to transmit to her body, Xu Xingxing stood up slowly and finally looked up at the man, replying very seriously, “Mimi won’t call you, she hates puppies who bite.”

The title ‘puppies who bite’ made Huai Jing’s smile grow deeper, and he gazed into Xu Xingxing’s eyes without blinking.  He seemed to be satisfied with this title.

Huai Jing then ran his fingers along the woman’s warm cheeks, before pinching her chin. He exerted a little force with his fingers, and raised his voice for a final word, “Really?”

It was only when Xu Xingxing felt a slight pain in her chin did she realise what she had just said, and she felt her ears become hot. Ashamed, she struggled to free her chin from Huai Jing’s grip, but before she could succeed, her mouth was covered with Huai Jing’s lips.

When Huai Jing kissed her, the woman in his arms stopped struggling. He raised the corner of his right lip, opened his mouth slightly, and bit the woman’s soft lips using his teeth. The woman’s eyes moved, and her eyes turned red in an instant. With wide eyes, she watched him move away from her with a smirk, then  licked her lips with the tip of her tongue, feeling the tooth marks left behind.

Huai Jing watched as the tip of her soft tongue retracted into her mouth, and his Adam’s apple moved slightly as his gaze fell at the teeth marks on the corner of her lips. He leaned close to the woman’s ear, and when she subconsciously tried to run away, he put his hands on her waist and pulled her into his arms.

Watching Xu Xingxing touch the tooth mark with the tip of her tongue had gotten Huai Jing more excited, to the extent that he put his mouth near her ear and whispered, “This puppy will bite you first.”

…………………………..

Xu Xingxing finally understood what “bite first” meant after they went to Huai Jing’s house. Xu Xingxing fully sobered up only after being made to do it several times by the man on the bed. During the act, he had bitten her body countless times, as if in revenge. When Xu Xingxing went to the bathroom to take a shower the next day, she almost collapsed in shame on seeing the tooth marks on her body.

He had even bitten the back of her hand twice, and though the tooth marks were very shallow, they had still bruised over a little, making them look like the remnant of a deep kiss, one which the sleeves of her clothes couldn’t cover. After Xu Xingxing took a shower, she put on her clothes and went out.

When she entered the bedroom, she saw that Huai Jing had already washed up and was buttoning his cuffs by the window. Though Xu Xingxing was not a hand-con,  she could not help but look at Huai Jing’s hand. It was only after he finished buttoning his cuffs, tilted his head slightly, and looked at her with one corner of his lips raised that Xu Xingxing came back to her senses and remembered what she wanted to say.

“Don’t bite me in the future.” Although she was the one who complained, after Xu Xingxing said this, and then saw the man’s eyes raise slightly, she found herself unable to bear it anymore, and her voice became even more quiet as she justified her reason, “I… It can’t be covered.”

Huai Jing took his time in tying his tie while looking at the woman opposite him, and then smiled as he said, “You let me bite you.”

Xu Xingxing’s eyelids twitched and her blood welled up. Looking at the man’s smile, she felt that her ability to stop herself from spitting out blood was getting better and better. She frowned, shook her head and denied, “I didn’t.”

With a slight tug on the tie, Huai Jing picked up his coat and walked towards Xu Xingxing.

""

“Who said I was a puppy last night? Huh?” He stood in front of Xu Xingxing, bent to meet her at eye level, stared deeply into her eyes and asked.

Although Xu Xingxing had been a little dazed from drinking last night, she still had an impression of what had happened yesterday. Her earlobes gradually turned red, and she was unable to refute it.

Seeing that she hadn’t said anything for a long time, Huai Jing smiled and stood upright. The moment he started walking away from her, the woman muttered something softly—

“Then you can’t say that you are a puppy and bite people anymore.” 

The man smiled, lowered his head slightly, and asked, “What did you just say?”

“It’s nothing.” Xu Xingxing shook her head, looked up at him and changed the subject. “I won’t be here tonight. I’m going on a business trip tomorrow, so I have to go home and pack my luggage.”

With his eyes lowered, Huai Jing asked, “Where are you going?”

“Wencheng,” Xu Xingxing replied.

Huai Jing asked, “For how many days?” 

Xu Xingxing smiled, she looked up at Huai Jing and said, “Three days.”

Huai Jing tilted his head to look at Xu Xingxing, frowned and asked, “Are you happy about this trip?”

Xu Xingxing didn’t hide it, she nodded and said, “Well, I can learn a lot by going with Sister Jialin. And…”

Huai Jing: “Huh?”

Xu Xingxing lowered her head, and her voice suddenly became softer.

“And, I can take care of the wound you left by biting in these next two days…”

By the time Xu Xingxing finished speaking, her face had already turned quite red. She hurried to get her coat to go to work, but her arm was grabbed by the man.

Huai Jing looked down at her with a gloomy expression.

“…I heard it.”

Xu Xingxing: “…” 

……………………………………

Xu Xingxing and Yan Jialin were sent to Wencheng by the car assigned by the company. Wencheng was in the south of Xiacheng, they would reach there within four hours by car. It was already noon by the time they arrived in Wencheng. In order to not delay their work, they arrived in advance, even though the formal work negotiation meeting only started in the afternoon.

Maobai Hot Spring Resort, which was situated on Maobai Mountain, located in Wencheng’s outer suburbs, was well-known in the city of Wencheng. In this season, Maobai Mountain was still lush and green, and the slopes and plains were covered in beautiful bamboo forests. The mountain also contained natural springs. As the spring water rushed down the depression in the middle, pure white water sprayed everywhere. 

When Xu Xingxing stood at the foot of the mountain, her heart gradually calmed down.

The decor of the Maobai Hot Spring Resort still followed the characteristics of Wencheng, its style and charm reminiscent of the ancient times, with a pleasant atmosphere. After entering the lobby and going through the check-in procedures, Yan Jialin handed the room card in her hand to Xu Xingxing.

“You will live next door to me. At four o’clock in the afternoon, Minister Yang from the Business Department will take Felix from the TIE Group Business Department to visit the Wencheng Tea Art House. I will be the interpreter and you will be responsible for recording there.”

Taking the room card, Xu Xingxing nodded and answered, “Understood, Sister Jialin.”

The room Xu Xingxing got was an ordinary double bed room, the interior decor of the room followed that of the outside, exuding a peaceful and quiet atmosphere. There was no bed frame in the room, because the hot springs were rich in geothermal resources, it was more enjoyable for people to sleep directly on the floor. There was a clean and tidy quilt spread out on the wooden floor. Xu Xingxing took off her shoes and stepped on the floor, and warmth penetrated into her body through the soles of her feet.

Apart from the bedding, the furnishing of the room was also very simple. There was a knee-high cabinet beside the bed, on which lay a tea set and a creamy white vase. 

It was only one o’clock in the afternoon, and the sunlight slanted in through the wooden window, casting a regular square of light on the laid out quilt.

Xu Xingxing took out the documents necessary for this afternoon’s meeting and looked at them for a while, but the sunlight made her feel a little lazy. After a while, she closed her eyes and fell asleep.

Xu Xingxing woke up at 3.30 pm, freshened up, took her things and left her room, only to meet Yan Jialin at the door. 

“Let’s go,” Yan Jialin said.

Wencheng Tea Art House was a famous teahouse. Yan Jialin took Xu Xingxing to the tea room at the end of the corridor first. As soon as she arrived at the entrance of the tea room, Xu Xingxing smelled the fresh fragrance of tea. Maobai Mountain was rich in green tea bushes, so coupled with the ancient cultural heritage that pervaded the city, their tea art culture was also very grand.

Taking off their shoes and putting on the shoe covers, the two walked through the hallway and arrived at the tea ceremony room. The tea master was a handsome man in his thirties. He was sitting in front of an ancient wooden table, with a whole tea set neatly placed in front of him. The tea set looked very delicate, it should be an antique set.

Only Yan Jialin and Xu Xingxing were present at the moment, so Yan Jialin sat cross-legged and talked with the tea master, while Xu Xingxing stepped aside and picked up the brochure on tea art culture to read.

After talking with the tea master for a while, Yan Jialin got up and went out. Only Xu Xingxing and the tea master were left in the room. She held the brochure in her hand, walked to the tea master, and squatted down.

""

“Hello, my name is Xu Xingxing, and I’m the assistant to Manager Yan,” Xu Xingxing introduced herself first, then opened the brochure, and asked, “Do you want to perform the ceremony and introduce this content later, including all this?”

“My name is Lin Zhi.” The tea master first introduced himself with a smile, then glanced at the brochure and said, “Part of the ceremony is the content mentioned in this brochure.”

Xu Xingxing looked up at him, smiled, and said, “Okay.”

As she said that, she glanced at Lin Zhi’s hands. He was elegant, and his hands were also very beautiful. His fingers were thin but not stumpy, long but not blunt, and he had well-defined joints. It should be because of touching tea all the time, his fingertips were a little dark green.

“Have you been doing this for many years?”

“Yeah.” Lin Zhi nodded, and chatted with Xu Xingxing. “I started doing this after graduating from university. Are you from Xiacheng?”

Yan Jialin often came to the Maolin Hot Spring Resort, so Lin Zhi should recognize her well. Xu Xingxing nodded and smiled, and said, “Yeah.”

“I studied at a university in Xiacheng.” Lin Zhi chatted with Xu Xingxing with great interest. “Xia University.”

Hearing the word Xia University, Xu Xingxing raised her eyes to look at Lin Zhi, and said with a smile, “I am also from Xia University.”

Unexpectedly, they both had met an alumnus, which left them surprised. They then looked at each other and smiled.

While Xu Xingxing and Lin Zhi were chatting, voices came from the outside. They were very low, but Xu Xingxing could still hear the pure German pronunciation. It should be that the customer from Germany had arrived. But at the same time, she felt that the voice was familiar.

The door of the room opened suddenly, revealing a familiar figure, and when Xu Xingxing met the eyes of the man by the door, she abruptly stood up from beside Lin Zhi.

Huai Jing was talking to the German man next to him. When he first entered the door, he glanced at Xu Xingxing and saw her talking to the tea master. The corners of his smiling lips pressed slightly. When Xu Xingxing got up, he turned his eyes back towards his companion, as if he didn’t notice her at all.

Yan Jialin walked in and shook hands with the several members of the TIE Group to welcome them. She was just about to start translating when Huai Jing, who was standing by the side, suddenly said, “Let her do it.”

Xu Xingxing, who was called out, froze in her spot, the brochure still in her hands.

Yan Jialin looked at the two of them, and after a moment’s pause, followed Huai Jing’s arrangement by telling Xu Xingxing, “Xingxing, you can translate.”

“Okay,” Xu Xingxing replied.

The man who was standing behind Huai Jing casually glanced at her and asked in a deep voice, “New here?”

She pursed her lips and nodded. “Yes.” 

Huai Jing slightly lowered his eyelids and said lightly, “Just give a brief introduction, don’t be nervous.”

“Okay,” Xu Xingxing said.

Xu Xingxing tried her best to be neither humble nor overbearing.

Although Xu Xingxing’s introduction was short, it was all rather dry. During the demonstration by the tea master however, the Germans couldn’t hide the admiration in their eyes.

Yan Jialin replaced Xu Xingxing when she started looking almost overwhelmed, and also because it was now time to ask questions. At this point, Huai Jing also stepped back and stood by the window of the tea room. His body was straight and slender, and his profile was exquisite and deep. The sunlight hit his face just right, making his light brown pupils appear extraordinarily transparent, and his eyelashes shine brightly.

“Bring me the brochure.” Huai Jing turned around and waved to Xu Xingxing.

“Okay, Mr. Huai,” Xu Xingxing responded, and walked over with the brochure. The man was tall and blocked the sunlight from falling on her. She stood in his shadow, without receiving any warmth, but her face was getting redder and redder.

The man took the brochure from her and looked at it briefly, flipping through the first two pages. He then put the brochure away, lowered his gaze to the woman’s earlobes, which had turned quite red, and inquired in a deep voice, “Is it hot?”

“Huh?” Xu Xingxing was taken aback at this question. She looked up at him, only to notice his cold and deep eyes, which prevented her from seeing through him. She pursed her lips slightly, pulled her sleeves down to cover the tooth marks that had not yet disappeared, and said, “It’s not hot.” 

With a soft snort, Huai Jing reopened the brochure, and with his eyes on it, replied, “It’s fine if it’s not hot.”

 Xu Xingxing frowned, and she looked at the man in front of her, feeling a little annoyed. Am I not wearing the scarf because I need to cover his tooth marks? He even has the nerve to ask if it is hot after that!

The breathing of the woman beside him gradually became rapid, showing that she was sulking. Huai Jing simply kept listening to this while looking down at the brochure. The corners of his lips, that were originally pressed, raised slightly, with the sun casting a soft shadow on them.

“Cover it well, maybe there will be new ones tonight.”

Xu Xingxing: “…”