Chapter 25

Chapter 25 Rose x Kiss

“There are clogs…” Ji Mingzhu reminded him.

“Do you want me to carry you back?”

“Ah?”

Jiang Ji pointed his chin toward the hot spring pool direction again and again. “The clogs are there.”

He didn’t wait for Ji Mingzhu to answer, briefly adding,

“Step on me and go in, or I carry you over to put on shoes. Pick one.”

But this…

How was she supposed to answer or choose!

They had just… just been like that!

Ji Mingzhu was held around the waist by him. Even at this moment, she slightly lifted her eyes and secretly glanced at the corner of Jiang Ji’s lips.

There was a faint lipstick mark.

She had put on a watery red lipstick in the morning to refresh herself, a girlish red between deep pink and peach.

Soft, youthful.

It was lightly imprinted on the corner of Jiang Ji’s lips.

“Chosen yet?” Jiang Ji spoke calmly, interrupting Ji Mingzhu’s wandering thoughts.

…Choose?

She didn’t want to choose either.

Ji Mingzhu only felt the side of her lips burning like they had been smeared with Indian ghost pepper.

She couldn’t answer normally at all.

Ji Mingzhu, pull yourself together!

She silently cheered herself on. “I can walk over myself. Just now slipping was… a mistake!”

However, as soon as she spoke, Ji Mingzhu regretted it.

Because she had soaked too long in the hot spring, and then experienced that scare just now, her voice at this moment was soft and delicate, alluring enough to drip water, like flirtatious banter.

Wait—

Flirtatious banter!

Why did that be the first phrase that popped into her mind?

Not long after Ji Mingzhu finished speaking, she felt the arm across her lower back exert a bit of force, and her legs were lifted.

The next second, Jiang Ji easily picked her up.

He didn’t give her any chance to react.

Ji Mingzhu suddenly hung in the air, instinctively hooking her slender arms around Jiang Ji’s neck.

“Jiang Ji.” She looked at his handsome face in front of her and called his name.

Jiang Ji glanced at her lightly, then without any pause, strode toward the changing room.

Because it was a single-person room, there was no need to worry about others being there. The changing area had a long bench. After Jiang Ji placed her on it, he stepped back.

Her gaze fell on Jiang Ji’s clothes. She paused, about to speak, but Jiang Ji directly walked out.

Ji Mingzhu’s words stuck in her throat, neither up nor down.

She had wanted to say… she seemed to have soaked Jiang Ji’s clothes. Water marks had seeped onto the light gray shirt, quite obvious.

But he turned and left too quickly, naturally not hearing her reminder.

Ji Mingzhu snorted harshly through her nose and began untying the strap at her neck.

It was a thin string that went around her shoulders and then wrapped behind her neck. Since she came to soak in the hot spring, she had naturally chosen the tie-style one that looked best and highlighted her figure.

Ji Mingzhu had just undone the knot and lowered it when the changing room door was suddenly opened again.

Jiang Ji didn’t knock, directly walking in.

“Hey…!” Ji Mingzhu exclaimed, hurriedly using her elbow to cover her already-released chest.

“You don’t even knock when you come in.”

She had almost lost her modesty!

Jiang Ji glanced at her indifferently, only pausing slightly when his gaze dropped downward.

But he didn’t pause long. Holding the pair of wooden clogs Ji Mingzhu hadn’t worn earlier, he placed them on the ground.

“Put on shoes.”

“Oh. But—your clothes are wet.” Ji Mingzhu pointed at his shirt, kindly reminding him. “Seems… it got wet from my clothes.”

“Mm.”

Jiang Ji lowered his eyes to look, responded, then turned and left again.

Ji Mingzhu watched his back disappear beyond the door. Only after the sound of it closing did her fair little feet stretch out, rubbing against the clogs.

Just now, she had thought Jiang Ji had simply left.

She hadn’t expected him to bring her shoes.

After putting them on, Ji Mingzhu slowly removed her light clothing and walked toward the shower area.

By the time everything was tidied up, about half an hour had passed.

Ji Mingzhu had always been slow in this regard.

She leisurely opened the door and walked out, discovering Jiang Ji hadn’t left yet.

He stood sideways to her by the long window, his figure neat, looking at the small courtyard scenery outside.

Ji Mingzhu was quite curious. Following the direction he was looking, she glanced outside. In the small courtyard there was only a tree and the pale sky—nothing else.

She was about to mutter, “What’s there to see,” when she suddenly noticed Jiang Ji’s gaze didn’t seem to be on that at all.

Jiang Ji’s eyes were lowered, as if unfocused.

One hand rested at his chin, knuckles distinct, the bones at the tiger’s mouth slightly prominent.

His index finger moved upward slightly, rubbing his lips.

“Hey.” Ji Mingzhu called to him, making him look over. “I’m done. Should we go back to the room now?”

…

After that, Ji Mingzhu took time to go to the winery’s rooftop for a manicure and a small beauty treatment. These were VIP services, top-tier facilities—no reason not to use them.

After feeling refreshed, she returned to the room to rest. From afternoon to evening, she didn’t go out again.

That night, a deep blue curtain fell outside the window.

Jiang Ji was still working in the small sitting room. Ji Mingzhu sat opposite him, but not on a chair—she sat cross-legged on the couch, casually fiddling with the equipment for tomorrow’s overhead video shoot.

After a while, Ji Mingzhu seemed to think of something and asked, “I just realized, this is a hot spring winery. Hot spring, hot spring… what about the winery?”

Jiang Ji stopped typing, looked up at her. “The winery is on the other side.”

“So there really is one?” Ji Mingzhu’s eyes lit up, her peach-blossom eyes shining under the bright living room lights.

“Mm. The wine served at the hotel’s banquet tables comes from here. There’s a collection wine cellar here, usually not open to outsiders.” Jiang Ji paused, then added, “This cellar doesn’t belong to the owner of this place.”

“Then who does it belong to?”

Ji Mingzhu became interested. Aside from anything else, she knew the owner of this place was Turkish.

“It doesn’t belong to anyone in particular. It’s a cooperative investment project, with people from Shen City.”

“Eh—but didn’t you say Jiang Group has shares in this? How is it also related to people from Shen City?”

Ji Mingzhu blinked.

“I’m saying this to tell you.” Jiang Ji looked at her steadily. “It’s impossible for you to drink now. You still have to go to the helicopter base tomorrow. If you drink now, will you be able to get up?”

Her thoughts suddenly exposed, Ji Mingzhu felt a bit embarrassed.

She thought she had circled around and even laid so much groundwork, and could still fool Jiang Ji a little.

And the result!

This dog of a man seemed to have become a spirit. Was he determined to strip her bare and not let her be? Didn’t he understand what a girl’s little thoughts were, what a tactful longing was?

“The cellar at Park Hyatt has more collections than this.”

“I know, but as the saying goes, the flowers at home aren’t as good as wild ones. Flowers outside are more fragrant.”

Ji Mingzhu looked at him lazily, a smile at her lips, raising her brows at him.

The corner of Jiang Ji’s mouth seemed to curve, but in the blink of an eye it disappeared, so fast it made one wonder whether he had any emotional fluctuation at all.

“More fragrant outside?” he slowly repeated Ji Mingzhu’s words.

Jiang Ji’s voice was flat, as if discussing something ordinary. “But you just nibbled my mouth, and quite enthusiastically too.”

“……… ”

What did he mean by nibbling his mouth?!

What did he mean by enthusiastically?!

“That was an accidental bump!” Ji Mingzhu immediately jumped up from the couch, casually tossing aside the expensive filming equipment.

“Think whatever you want.” Jiang Ji lowered his eyes, stating calmly, “Anyway, the corner of my mouth is broken.”

That tone, as if she were a heartless scumbag who used and discarded, and the unforgivable kind at that.

…

Ji Mingzhu didn’t know how Jiang Ji could say his mouth was broken.

What, broken by zero point zero zero something micrometers?!

This man’s face could really be thicker!

No matter how she looked, she felt his skin hadn’t suffered any damage at all—cool pale like jade, perfectly intact.

This thought grew stubborn, and her resentment deepened.

Ji Mingzhu almost wanted, at night while he slept, to shine a flashlight and examine closely, and even take evidence to prove her innocence.

But speaking of it—

She had only brushed the edge of Jiang Ji’s lips.

No kiss, no peck, no suck.

No deep kiss, no tongue.

She hadn’t gained any advantage at all, yet she was accused of hurting the corner of his mouth.

Next time if she touched him again, she’d just fulfill his wish and bite him into sausage lips!

Thinking this, during breakfast the next morning, Ji Mingzhu bit through four sausages in one go, even grabbing one from Jiang Ji halfway.

Only, thinking of Jiang Ji’s sexy thin lips being bitten into sausage lips made her find it very funny, inexplicably amusing.

Ji Mingzhu imagined that scene and laughed out loud.

Jiang Ji rarely saw her laugh like this. He immediately lifted his eyes, his gaze slowly probing over, as if asking.

Ji Mingzhu sensed it and immediately turned proud like a white swan, putting on airs, restraining her smile, and glancing at him sidelong.

After roughly packing their luggage to return to Yin City, Ji Mingzhu impatiently pulled Jiang Ji to the helicopter base.

Ordinary tourists were not allowed to bring any filming equipment inside, but through the VIP channel, they could enjoy more luxurious models and preferential services.

Here, Jiang Ji counted as one of the shareholders with greater say, so Ji Mingzhu had to pull him along to find a good angle for aerial shots.

After being briefed on some safety knowledge, the two signed the guarantee agreement and then boarded the helicopter together.

With parking, inspection, and startup, by the time the helicopter slowly rose to a steady altitude and began its cruising tour, quite some time had passed.

The pilot was a Turk, fluent in Chinese, English, and Turkish, and also very humorous.

Along the way, it was Ji Mingzhu chatting with him, while Jiang Ji just sat quietly on the other side, not joining in.

The winery was located at the foot of the mountain. If it were purely for scenery, there were actually many limitations.

But once the rotors spun and the helicopter rose, the mountain scenery and land under the winter sun came fully into view.

The previous ski resort was also completely within sight.

Shen City had many snowy scenes. The white world frozen by earlier snowfall had not yet melted, connecting with mountain springs and willow streams, a vast expanse of white, breathtakingly beautiful.

Before coming up, Ji Mingzhu had already carefully filmed the entire process of entering the helicopter, not even missing the cabin’s structure.

Now shooting through the front windshield, Ji Mingzhu felt excited enough to run wild, because it was just too cool.

When it came time for aerial shots, Ji Mingzhu remembered Jiang Ji, reached out and poked him, signaling him to go tell the pilot.

Jiang Ji’s entire aura didn’t match this place at all; it ran completely contrary.

He was most suited to a conference room, sitting in the main seat, coldly listening to subordinates’ reports.

But that superior’s presence, even thousands of meters in the air, had not diminished; instead it grew stronger.

Compared to before, there was even more of a barrier-like feeling.

For example now, when Ji Mingzhu poked him, he half-lifted his cold eyes. “Finally remembered me?”

Ji Mingzhu didn’t think much, and poked him again.

Seeing her like that, Jiang Ji waited quite a while before getting up and quietly speaking with the pilot.

Soon, a panel in the center of the helicopter slowly opened, right beside where Ji Mingzhu’s feet rested.

Embedded was transparent tempered glass.

Ji Mingzhu tried looking down; the scenery below passed by in a blur.

She simply half-squatted, took a few photos with the camera, and then slowly began recording.

The flight didn’t last very long. On the return, Ji Mingzhu handed her phone to Jiang Ji. “Help me take a photo of me here?”

Jiang Ji took it, aimed the phone at her, and pressed several times.

“Quick, let me see if they’re good.” Ji Mingzhu leaned over as she spoke. Honestly, she held a doubtful attitude toward Jiang Ji’s skills.

But on this plane, there was no one else she could order around.

The pilot was even less possible.

Ji Mingzhu lowered her head and slowly flipped through the photos. Fairly speaking, they looked very good, perfectly done.

Warm light spilled in, printing on her fair cheeks; the fine fuzz seemed visible, soft and fluffy, edges melting into pale yellow light. Yet she appeared bright and flamboyant, delicately charming, leaning by the window with the corners of her lips slightly curved.

Other angles showed her side profile looking out the window, black hair lightly lifted by the breeze, graceful brows slightly raised, eyelashes trembling.

The tip of her chin formed a smooth, elegant curve, leading down into her slender swan neck.

Ji Mingzhu leaned close to Jiang Ji’s arm, watching his fingertips slide across the screen.

At this moment, the two were especially close.

Jiang Ji lowered his gaze and could see Ji Mingzhu’s small, delicate nose tip, her cherry lips slightly upturned.

“Do you want more?”

“No, this is enough.” Ji Mingzhu replied, then asked back, “Do you want to take some? The helicopter is returning soon; we should be back very quickly.”

Jiang Ji handed the phone back to her, rejecting her suggestion. “No need.”

Ji Mingzhu took back her phone, about to say something else, when she suddenly felt the helicopter jolt violently. The cabin swayed left and right, then shook abruptly.

Ji Mingzhu felt a moment of weightlessness and immediately leaned aside, instinctively grabbing whatever she could.

But in just that brief daze, the helicopter returned to normal.

As if everything just now had never happened.

With the engine’s humming and the rushing wind by her ears, Ji Mingzhu came back to her senses.

When she had jumped just now, she had instinctively hugged Jiang Ji, the closest person to her, and he seemed to have wrapped an arm around her in response.

The two of them ended up tightly embracing each other.

Author’s note:

[Mini Theater]:

Ji Ji: You stole my sausage.

Zhu Zhu: Yeah! [arrogant.jpg]

Ji Ji: No need to steal, I’ll personally give it to you now.

Zhu Zhu: ?

Oh my, did I really write a mini theater like this (I’m no longer pure)!

Twenty-five characters! There! Are! Red! Envelopes! Don’t be polite with me!

Oh right, about not being able to see everything even after full subscription—recently Jinjiang has been auto-skipping chapters, so please flip around or clear cache to check!

Thanks to the little angels who threw grenades: Mu? 1;

Thanks to the little angels who irrigated nutrient solution: A He’s little baby 20 bottles; Wen Yexi 19 bottles; Ginger Biscuit Tea 10 bottles; Xizhou Qu, hurl hehe 5 bottles; Wutong Qiao Tree, Wu Shixun Yi Yangqianxi’s wife 3 bottles; sadness゜Yaonie, Qu Bu Xia 2 bottles; Zui, Yueying Zhihua, Super Loves Eating Peaches’ Rui’er, 21246194, yoon, Jingjingjingjing 1 bottle;