After the two finished their conversation, Shen Su pressed closer again, smiling as he asked, "Morning exercise?"
Feng Feng responded with action.
After this, their relationship was officially established.
Feng Feng was more decisive and knew how to separate occasions better than any woman Shen Su had encountered before.
At work, she was respectful to him, but in bed, she was all his. In public and in private, she seemed like two different people.
For the first time, Shen Su felt he couldn't see through a woman, and for the first time, he felt a desire to conquer a woman, to test his weight in her heart.
After Feng Feng stopped working at Jin He, they could only see each other once or twice a week, always in hotels. Their meetings were direct, with occasional dinners afterward.
Shen Su had thought about bringing Feng Feng home, but Feng Feng was very principled. She wouldn't go to his home or have him to hers; they only met in hotels.
Sometimes, after they were done, she would tidy up and leave in the middle of the night.
This night, the same thing happened again.
A little past midnight, Feng Feng rested in bed for twenty minutes. Once her strength returned, she sat up to get dressed. As she was halfway into her skirt, Shen Su hugged her from behind, his hand caressing her chest. He asked with a half-smile, "Putting your pants back on and leaving again?"
Feng Feng looked down at his hand and asked calmly, "What else? Can you still do it?"
Shen Su said, "We could stay and chat."
Feng Feng wanted to say their relationship wasn't close enough for chatting, but she felt it would be ungrateful after what had just happened, so she chose silence.
Shen Su kissed her ear from behind. "I'm going on a business trip next week. Don't go back tonight, okay?"
"Alright," Feng Feng agreed, stopping her dressing.
She had expected them to be intimate a few more times, but Shen Su didn't initiate anything further. He simply held her as they slept.
Feng Feng had never slept embraced by a man before. This was her first time, and when she woke up in the morning, feeling two arms around her waist, she was still a little unaccustomed to it.
There were spare clothes in the hotel room. Feng Feng and Shen Su got up, freshened up, and changed. They had breakfast in the restaurant downstairs, and then went their separate ways.
The following week, Feng Feng indeed didn't see Shen Su. She heard from others that he was on a business trip to Kyoto. During this time, Feng Feng didn't contact him. She always felt they weren't that close; apart from often sleeping together, they weren't even friends.
Feng Feng and Shen Su usually met on Friday nights. This week, Shen Su was away, and Feng Feng happened to get her period. Upon returning home, she was hit by menstrual cramps and vomiting, which kept her awake until past midnight.
Feng Feng had suffered from menstrual cramps since her first period. Besides abdominal pain, she would also experience vomiting, diarrhea, and chills. Her parents had consulted many Chinese medicine practitioners. She had been better for a few years, but after starting her postgraduate studies, her irregular lifestyle caused the symptoms to return.
After taking painkillers, Feng Feng lay on the sofa, waiting for the medication to take effect, with no sleep in sight.
During this time, the doorbell suddenly rang. Feng Feng looked towards the door. Who would come at this late hour?
She got up to look through the peephole and saw Shen Su's figure. She thought her eyes were playing tricks on her.
Not only should Shen Su have been on a business trip in Kyoto, but even if he were in Nanjiang, he shouldn't have known her home address.
Feng Feng opened the door for Shen Su. "Weren't you on a business trip?"
Shen Su didn't answer, walked into her apartment, and made himself at home. "Do you have slippers?"
Feng Feng's stomach hurt, making it difficult for her to get them. She pointed to the shoe cabinet. "There are disposable ones."
Shen Su put on the slippers and then noticed Feng Feng's pale complexion, her lips bloodless, and her forehead covered in sweat. Looking further, he saw a medicine box on the coffee table.
Shen Su asked her, "Are you sick?"
"No," Feng Feng shook her head.
Shen Su didn't believe her. "Then what's that medicine for?"
Feng Feng said, "Just menstrual cramps."
Shen Su frowned, his gaze falling on her lower abdomen. "Is it that severe?"
Feng Feng nodded. "It's been like this since I was a student. Sit down."
Shen Su sat down and asked, "Haven't you seen a doctor?"
"I have. I've seen both Chinese and Western medicine practitioners, but there's no cure." Feng Feng felt it was a bit too much to discuss this with a man like Shen Su. "Why are you at my place?"
In other words, she actually wanted to ask how he knew where she lived.
"I came back early this afternoon. I messaged you tonight, but you didn't reply. I was worried something might have happened, so I came to check." Shen Su knew her confusion. "Your address is in the company files."
Feng Feng gave a soft "Oh." "Nothing's wrong. It's very late, you should go back."
Shen Su: "You don't seem very welcoming?"
"Not at all," Feng Feng said calmly. "It's just that the situation is special today, and nothing can happen. It's pointless for you to stay."
Shen Su chuckled. "You think I came here for that?"
Feng Feng: "Don't you?" Was there anything else they could do together besides that?
"I was just worried something might happen to you and came to check," Shen Su said. "I'm tired after a few days on the road. If you wanted to fight the good fight, I wouldn't have the energy."
Feng Feng: "Oh, thank you."
Although she said thank you, it was clear she wasn't sincere. Shen Su observed her for a while and realized that whenever he talked about anything unrelated to intimacy, whether it was her work or her life, her response was always perfunctory and indifferent.
She would thank him, but that was all. Having met countless people, he could tell at a glance if someone was being genuine.
"Do you have friends?" Shen Su suddenly asked her.
Feng Feng: "Yes."
Shen Su: "Besides Lin Mei and Lan Lan?"
Feng Feng: "No."
She was being honest. She wasn't someone who liked making friends. Her friendships with Lin Mei and Lan Lan dated back to their student days. The three of them had gone through so much together over the years, and her world had little room for new friends.
Although work involved socializing, her relationships there were far from comparable to theirs.
"No wonder," Shen Su said. "You always seem so distant."
"Really?" Feng Feng said. "Perhaps. For me, it's not about quantity, but quality."
She didn't seem to have a temper; she didn't get angry when he evaluated her like that. Shen Su helplessly changed the subject. "Do you have anything to eat at home? I haven't had dinner yet."
"There are instant noodles and eggs in the fridge, and some vegetables," Feng Feng replied, then remembered to ask, "Can you cook? If not, we can order delivery."
Her meaning was clear: she didn't intend to cook for him.
Shen Su was smart and understood immediately. The ingredients in her fridge indicated she could cook, but she simply didn't want to cook for him.
However, Shen Su didn't press the issue, especially since she was feeling unwell today. He wouldn't make demands of her.
"I can cook. I'll do it myself," Shen Su said. "May I use your kitchen?"
While Shen Su was cooking, Feng Feng went to the kitchen to heat up a cup of milk.
Shen Su finished the noodles in over ten minutes, and they sat facing each other at the dining table.
Shen Su made small talk, chatting with Feng Feng. "Your fridge is quite well-stocked. I thought you wouldn't cook at home with how busy you are with work."