Inextricable

Xu Xingxing sported a few fresh tooth marks on her body when she woke up the next morning.

After opening her eyes, Xu Xingxing glanced around the room curiously. The room Huai Jing was staying in was a suite, and it was much bigger than hers. 

She stretched her hands toward her bare, itchy back. Suddenly, a bony hand covered her hand and delicately scratched the area on her body that her fingers were crawling to.

“I want to take a bite out of my candy,” Huai Jing’s deep voice echoed in Xu Xingxing’s ears. His eyes trailed down the woman’s back, stopping at the waist, then he lightly tapped those few red places there with his fingers, and declared in a fair and just tone, “You still owe me three candies.”

Xu Xingxing’s body trembled slightly on hearing these words and she sank into the sheet to avoid his claws.

She then frowned and said softly, “No…”

The man broke into laughter after this single word reply. “What did you just say?”

Xu Xingxing felt shy and looked at Huai Jing with a blushing face as she repeated, “I don’t agree.”

“Oh?” Huai Jing finally met the blushing woman’s gaze, and then he leaned over and lightly bit her smooth shoulder.

“Hiss…” 

Huai Jing lips curved into a satisfied smile as he touched Xu Xingxing’s right earlobe with his tip of her nose, and said, “Four.”

Xu Xingxing: “…”

Huai Jing looked down at Xu Xingxing’s face, which was filled with anxiety and panic, and a gleam of light flashed in his eyes. The corners of his lips twitched slightly, and with a smile in his tone, he told her, “I want to keep buying candy for you.”

………………

Huai Jing only stayed in Wencheng for one day, he left early the next day. After he left, Xu Xingxing returned to her room. 

After spending a blissful night with Huai Jing, Xu Xingxing couldn’t deny the joy she had received, and even after the tooth marks he left on her body faded, she couldn’t forget it.

The man had left an indelible mark on her, and Xu Xingxing could not understand whether it was a good thing or a bad thing.

………………….

It was Saturday by the time Xu Xingxing finished her business trip and returned home. She first went to the pet hospital to pick up her pet cat. Mimi, who hadn’t seen Xu Xingxing for a few days, seemed to have missed its owner, so she hugged it tightly. After returning home with Mimi, Xu Xingxing called Chen Wanwan.

“Hello, Xingxing, are you back?” Chen Wanwan’s cheerful voice came through the telephone, mixed in with a crisp voice of a little boy.

“Aunt Xingxing, Aunt Xingxing…” The little guy’s milky voice poured sweetness into Xu Xingxing’s heart.

“Hey, you brat.” Chen Wanwan said helplessly, “Wait until I finish talking with your aunt Xingxing.”

“Hey, are you busy today?” As soon as the little boy’s voice faded, Xu Xingxing asked this. She had called Chen Wanwan to confirm the contract for the milk tea shop.

“Ah? That…Xingxing, I can’t meet you today. My father-in-law and mother-in-law came back from their hometown with some of their relatives. I have to entertain them all day. Are you calling to ask about the store’s contract? Lao Zhan has already done it, so let’s meet tomorrow, ok?”

“Okay.” Tomorrow was also a day off for her, so it was not a problem.

Chen Wanwan then asked, “Hey, are you just staying at home on this beautiful Saturday?”

Xu Xingxing pursed her lips and replied, “There’s Mimi with me.”

“Mimi, your cat?! Oh God!” Chen Wanwan’s temples twitched at this, and she persuaded Xu Xingxing, “You should do what a single woman should do. Go out and enjoy your life. Or go to a bar at night, get yourself a date!” 

“Huh?” Chen Wanwan’s words made Xu Xingxing blush.

“Oh~I’m just kidding. Hey, don’t you know that your idol Xu Zhixin’s new movie has been released? Go and watch that,” suggested Chen Wanwan with a smile.

“Already in theatres?” Xu Xingxing glanced at the calendar while speaking. She had forgotten about this due to the business trip.

“Okay, I’ll do that.” After Xu Xingxing said goodbye to Chen Wanwan, she hung up the phone.

Xu Xingxing quickly opened the ticket booking app on her phone and booked a movie ticket for 3 p.m.

The movie theatre, ‘Xiangchen Movie City’ was close to her home, so Xu Xingxing took a bus to get there.

Xu Xingxing didn’t chase singers or actors, but she liked Xu Zhixin, a star who had been singing and acting for many years already, who was considered an evergreen tree in the current entertainment industry. Xu Zhi had just made his debut early, so he was only 34 years old this year, not much older than her. 

By 2:30 in the afternoon, Xu Xingxing arrived at the cinema. She picked up her ticket and bought a cup of milk tea and a bucket of popcorn. When the clock struck 3 p.m., Xu Xingxing got her ticket checked and entered the theatre. The movie was called “Touching Gold”, and it was about a tomb robbery. With the excellent acting skills of Xu Zhi, the movie was a great hit, so Xu Xingxing watched it happily. However, halfway through the movie, her phone vibrated, so she took it and glanced at it to find out it was Huai Jing’s call. 

“Hello…” Xu Xingxing went outside the movie theatre and answered the call.

“Are you back in town?” The man’s deep voice came through the phone.

“En.” Xu Xingxing bit into a piece of popcorn and responded.

She was standing at the entrance of the theatre, and the surrounding area was a bit noisy. The man seemed to hear the ambient noise and so asked, “What are you doing? You are not at home, right?”

Xu Xingxing replied honestly, “Watching a movie.”

“Ok, where is it?” 

‘Why did he ask that? Is he going to come here?’ Xu Xingxing pondered without responding to Huai Jing.

When he didn’t get any response, Huai Jing asked again, “Where is it?”

“Oh… why do you need to know that? Don’t come here.” Xu Xingxing said hurriedly, “It’s almost over.”

Sensing Xu Xingxing’s resistance, Huai Jing didn’t intend to push further.  “Okay, I’ll pick you up after the film finishes,” he said softly instead.

Xu Xingxing’s heart moved after hearing Huai Jing’s words, so she put a piece of popcorn into her mouth and replied, “Xiangchen Movie City.” Then she returned to watch the movie. 

Her phone vibrated twenty minutes later with Huai Jing’s message.

[Underground garage, E018 on the second floor] 

Xu Xingxing didn’t wait for the ending credits to finish rolling on the screen, and left the movie hall just as soon as the movie ended, in search of E018. 

Xiangchen Movie City was very big, and because it was Saturday, many people came to watch movies. So there were a lot of vehicles neatly stacked in the underground garage. 

After Xu Xingxing found Area E, she noticed the man’s Bently at a glance. Although it was quite low-key, it was quite recognisable to her.

Xu Xingxing walked toward the car and stopped in front of it.

The man in the car was wearing a light-coloured turtleneck sweater and a black jacket over it, and he was leaning lazily on the driver’s seat. The light from the underground parking lot shone in through the glass in front of the car, illuminating half of the man’s face, making him appear cool and gentle.

He was looking at something on his mobile phone, his brows were in a slight frown, his thin lips were tightly pursed, and his clean chin also seemed to be slightly tense.

He became aware of Xu Xingxing’s arrival as soon as she came to a stop in front of the car, and he looked up from the phone. He then signalled for her to get in the car.

Xu Xingxing gave him a smile and sat on the co-pilot’s seat with a big bucket of popcorn in her hand. As the aroma of sweet popcorn filled the car, Huai Jing reached out to touch the popcorn bucket.

Xu Xingxing seemed to have sensed his intentions; she subconsciously shrank her body into the corner, hugged the popcorn bucket with both hands, and looked at him vigilantly with bright round eyes, like a little hamster protecting food.

Huai Jing hadn’t expected such an action from Xu Xingxing, so he looked at her with narrowed eyes.

Xu Xingxing came back to her senses under Huai Jing’s eyes, blushed, grabbed a handful of popcorn, and gave it to Huai Jing.

Huai Jing took one from her hand and put it in his mouth. The popcorn melted in his mouth, it was sweet. Huai Jing smiled and started the car, while chatting with Xu Xingxing.

“What movie did you watch?”

Xu Xingxing stuffed two pieces of popcorn into her mouth and said, “Touching Gold.”

“Touching Gold?” Huai Jing repeated with a sideways glance.

“Yeah.” Xu Xingxing nodded and said, “Xu Zhi played the lead role, and I’m his fan.”

Huai Jing glanced at her and asked, “What do you like about him?”

This question made Xu Xingxing’s thoughts grind to a halt, she then looked down at the popcorn in her arms and ate it, before murmuring, “He is handsome, has a nice voice, and a good figure.”

After some time, when the car stopped in front of a traffic light, Huai Jing squinted at Xu Xingxing and asked, “Is he handsome, or am I handsome?”

“Huh?” Xu Xingxing was stunned for a moment, and she shifted her gaze from the popcorn to Huai Jing’s face.

It was past five o’clock in the afternoon, and following the sunset, a layer of black clouds had just appeared in the sky. The man’s facial features were already profound, but under this black shadow, he looked even more handsome and extraordinary.

Xu Xingxing turned her head away, looked at the popcorn, and spoke with inconsistency in her tone, “He’s handsome.”

As Xu Xingxing’s words flew from her mouth, Huai Jing’s eyes gradually darkened.

“Is his voice nicer or is my voice nicer?” The man’s voice was low and had a hint of anger. 

Xu Xingxing pursed her lips slightly, and she suddenly wanted to tease him a bit. So, suppressing the corners of her raised lips, Xu Xingxing said earnestly, “His voice is nice.”

Huai Jing had now lost twice in a row, but he still wanted to continue, so he looked down at Xu Xingxing and asked, “Is he in good shape or am I in good shape?”

After hearing his question, Xu Xingxing blushed slightly, thought about teasing him some more, and blurted out, “He .”

“Have you ever touched it?” Huai Jing looked at her, with a smirk on his face. As soon as the light turned green, he started the car and stated flatly, “You’ve only touched mine.”

Xu Xingxing: “…”

Xu Xingxing had a feeling that she had been tricked by Huai Jing.