She was so engrossed in her reading that she suddenly heard the door behind her open. She turned her head and saw Chen Ziming.
She felt a hint of displeasure on his face.
"You're awake?" she asked. Perhaps feeling better after sleeping, she relaxed considerably in front of him.
"Mm," he replied, walking over and embracing her from behind.
Su Yue had grown a little accustomed to his intimacy and didn't pull away. Instead, she continued reading.
"Madame Bovary," he recognized the book title.
"The preliminary round of the National University Students' Debate Competition is after the summer break. The first topic we'll be debating is whether romantic love or 평범한 love lasts longer, so I'm looking for material."
"Which side are you on?" He still held her, his chin gently brushing her fair neck.
"Romantic. My personal stance is romantic." When she spoke of debates, Su Yue entered her own world. She said earnestly, "People often say romance is impractical, that love eventually settles into the ordinary, therefore the ordinary is true and can last. But I don't agree. The key lies in how one defines romance. Romance shouldn't simply be understood as the intense excitement of red wine and roses. Romance is a love for and pursuit of life, an embellishment to ordinary life. It's like planting flowers and greenery in your cool-toned house. When you're tired every day and return home, you see that this plant has grown a bit taller recently, or that plant has a new bud. The joy that arises in your heart is also romance. So, for this debate, my teammates and I will focus on the understanding of romance."
Her expression was focused as she spoke. It was already dark, and the study light was on, casting a soft glow on her face, much like how Chen Ziming had seen her on the debate stage that day.
Only now, she exuded a bit more gentleness than back then.
Su Yue didn't hear his reply from behind her, but she felt him start to kiss her neck. Goosebumps rose on her skin, and she quickly broke free.
"Officer Chen, what are you doing again?" she frowned, but he pulled her into his arms, lifted her, and sat her on the desk. This height was more convenient for him to kiss her lips.
"Officer Chen..." Su Yue managed to break free again. Chen Ziming didn't kiss her again. Instead, he placed his hands on either side of her, looking at her, waiting for her to continue.
Su Yue didn't know what to say, but she felt that if she didn't speak, and he continued to look at her like that, he would kiss her again. She suddenly remembered that he hadn't looked happy when he entered earlier, so she asked,
"You seemed unhappy when you came in. It's not very appropriate for me to just wander around your house, is it? Shall we go out?"
She thought she had found a very good excuse, but unexpectedly, he looked at her and said, "I thought you had left."
As soon as he said this, Su Yue felt the ambiguous atmosphere in the room escalate several notches. He thought she had left, and was unhappy about it. Did that mean he wanted her to stay by his side?
She recalled their first time drinking, when she sat beside him and asked random questions, and the cold look in his eyes. She remembered him not even shaking her hand, him seriously telling her to have some self-respect, and him coldly telling her last night during interrogation that she couldn't leave.
Was this Officer Chen in front of her truly the same person as he was then?!
If it were another man, if he were good-looking or charming, she might have smiled sweetly and asked, "Are you perhaps developing feelings for me? I'm sorry, but I'm not ready for a relationship yet."
If she were uninterested, she might have replied politely but distantly, "I'm sorry, I don't think my leaving has anything to do with you. Please don't worry about me in the future."
But facing Chen Ziming, she couldn't say anything. She remembered Li Niannian scolding her for flirting without understanding the other person and getting herself into trouble. She couldn't help but admire that Li Niannian understood herself better than she did.
Her mind became chaotic. She wanted to find another topic to talk about but couldn't think of anything. Seeing her silence, Chen Ziming kissed her again.
She couldn't think, so she simply closed her eyes and let him have his way.