Burn Out - Chapter 66

Physiological affection is the highest level of affection.

During her university years, Ji Ting attended a public psychology lecture where the instructor mentioned this term. It was ranked higher than simple affection, and thus the instructor referred to physiological affection as the highest level.

Later, some classmates understood it to mean that physiological affection is true affection.

He buried his face in her neck for a moment, causing Ji Ting’s skin to flush. She thought about his recent words and realized that this moment could be seen as a confession. The breeze was cool, the surroundings were pleasant, and the atmosphere was incredibly romantic. His confession, blending with the wind, felt perfectly fitting for the occasion. The medieval-style building created a sense of timelessness.

Staying here with him felt like time had stopped.

After a while.

Tan Yucheng lifted his gaze, kissed her forehead, and asked, “Shall we go back?”

Ji Ting gathered her hair, looked at him, and nodded.

Her eyes were beautiful, gentle yet sparkling. Her dress matched the building perfectly. Tan Yucheng’s gaze softened as he took her hand and left the balcony.

Ji Ting followed, her brow gentle.

The restaurant did not accept QR codes to preserve the ambiance, so they used card swipes instead. Tan Yucheng took out a card from his coat and handed it to the cashier. After swiping and signing, he took Ji Ting’s hand again.

Ji Ting gathered her coat and descended the stairs with him.

Upon reaching the lobby and seeing the car outside, it felt like they had returned to the modern world from the medieval era. After placing Ji Ting in the passenger seat, Tan Yucheng took the car keys, bent down to get into the driver’s seat, started the car, and drove off.

Ji Ting leaned back in her seat and glanced at him.

Tan Yucheng freed one hand to adjust his sleeve, revealing part of his wrist. Noticing her gaze, he turned to look at her and asked, “Go home?”

Ji Ting locked eyes with him in the dim light.

This was their first date after confirming their relationship.

Ji Ting’s eyes softened into a smile. “How about going home and drinking with me?”

Tan Yucheng raised an eyebrow.

He swallowed, his lips curving slightly. “Sure.”

He turned back and focused on driving.

The neon lights flashed past the black car, and Ji Ting’s ears grew warm again. She looked out the window, thinking that drinking might soothe her sadness, but it also brought joy. They arrived at the underground garage of Zhuoyue.

Ji Ting got out of the car and waited for Tan Yucheng.

Tan Yucheng opened the rear seat door, took out several Hermes gift bags, and closed the door. He walked over, took Ji Ting’s hand, and she glanced at the gift bags in his hand but didn’t say anything. It wasn’t the first time he had bought her things from this brand.

It just seemed particularly abundant this time.

Probably a bundle.

After they went upstairs and entered the house.

Tan Yucheng placed the bags casually on the sofa table. The room was lit with orange lights. He loosened his cuffs and collar and sat down on the sofa. Ji Ting hung up her coat, went to the kitchen, and brought out several bottles of aged wine, placing them on the coffee table. She then returned with a bucket of ice, her skirt swaying around her calves.

Tan Yucheng’s slender fingers selected a bottle, opened it, and glanced at her.

Ji Ting sat on the carpet, met his gaze, and asked, “What are you looking at?”

Tan Yucheng’s eyes held a hint of amusement.

He remembered how she had refused to drink at home during the New Year.

He moved the wine glass and poured the wine. Ji Ting used a small tong to place ice cubes into the glass. Tan Yucheng poured while glancing at the name on the bottle and the other bottles.

His voice was lazy. “You really know how to party. If you drink these, you won’t need to get up tomorrow.”

Ji Ting replied while placing the ice cubes, “I didn’t say I’d drink all of them.”

“Oh? Then why didn’t you just throw the wine away?” He asked lazily, hinting at something. Ji Ting paused with the ice tongs, turned her head to look at him, and realized there was a deeper meaning to his words.

Did he notice she refused to drink during the New Year?

Tan Yucheng met her gaze for a moment before leaning down to kiss her lips. With a thud, the ice cubes fell back into the glass, and the wine bottle was placed back on the coffee table.

Ji Ting instinctively straightened up.

As they continued kissing, Tan Yucheng pulled back slightly to sip from the wine glass, then kissed her again, transferring the wine to her mouth. Ji Ting responded eagerly.

The cool, slightly sweet wine slid down her throat, providing a pleasant sensation. Tan Yucheng took another sip and kissed her again, the wine dripping down her neck with each kiss.

He unfastened a button on his shirt with one hand and kissed her neck, licking off the wine. Ji Ting leaned against the coffee table, her cheeks flushed. She appeared tipsy but was trying to avoid his kisses. Tan Yucheng wrapped his arm around her waist, pressed forward, and kissed her again. Ji Ting shivered slightly, drank from the wine glass, and he kept kissing her.

In an instant, he bit open her delicate shoulder strap.

Ji Ting continued drinking.

Her dress loosened, revealing glimpses of her body. She pushed against his shoulder. Tan Yucheng looked up, and Ji Ting, still drinking, blocked his lips with hers. Tan Yucheng raised his eyebrows slightly, resting his arm on the armrest, holding her neck firmly, and made sure she drank the wine. Ji Ting’s tongue pushed the wine towards him. Tan Yucheng drank it all and then licked her lips, his hand moving to her back.

Subtle sounds.

The air brushed against their skin.

Ji Ting was completely exposed.

The light above them poured down.

Illuminating both of them.

For a long while, Tan Yucheng held her waist, leaned in to kiss her, silencing her voice, and entered deeply.

The dim lights in the living room sparkled like scattered diamonds. Her freshly painted nails brushed against his shoulder. The night was deep. She had been carried from the bathroom and was placed on the bed in a white nightgown. Exhausted, Ji Ting clutched a soft pillow and turned to sleep, her body still trembling. Tan Yucheng played with her hair, looking down at her.

After a few seconds, he leaned down and kissed her neck.

The scent of body wash combined with her softness was overwhelming.

Ji Ting was drowsy, not fully asleep, mainly because the effects of the alcohol were still lingering in her body. The earlier events had been chaotic, and she only remembered the mess on the sofa. Tan Yucheng looked at her for a moment, then got up to tidy the living room. The sofa cover was light-colored and stained everywhere. After removing it, he took it to the washing machine outside.

He returned to find that the carpet needed to be replaced too, as it was soaked with spilled wine.

Two glasses lay on the coffee table, still dripping with water. Tan Yucheng, wearing only pants, cleaned them up and took them to the kitchen for washing, placing the wine bottles back in the kitchen cabinet.

After replacing the carpet and finishing the cleaning, it was already late into the night.

He washed his hands and returned to the master bedroom, pulled back the covers, and lay down. Ji Ting, fast asleep, drowsily snuggled into his arms. Tan Yucheng wrapped his arms around her waist, holding her close.

The room was filled with the mist from the humidifier.

They slept deeply through the night.

The next morning, Ji Ting’s phone rang persistently. She groggily opened her eyes and saw the man beside her, who was sleeping soundly, his arm cradling her. The faint vibrations of the phone hadn’t woken him, and Ji Ting didn’t rush to answer the call. She looked at Tan Yucheng, whose features remained striking even in sleep.

From today on,

This man would be her boyfriend.

Ji Ting’s lips curved into a smile, but the phone kept vibrating. She propped herself up on one side, reached behind him for the phone, and her collar slipped. Tan Yucheng, waking up, saw the numerous kiss marks on her neck. Despite this, her collar still exuded a subtle fragrance. Tan Yucheng watched for a few seconds and, with a hoarse voice, asked, “What are you reaching for?”

Ji Ting was startled. She grabbed the phone and looked down at him. “The phone.”

She glanced at the caller ID and added, “It’s my mom.”

Tan Yucheng responded with a sound of acknowledgement. Ji Ting lay back down, her hair spread out on the pillow, and answered the call. Qiu Dan asked if Ji Ting was available in the next few days. Ji Ting asked what the matter was. Qiu Dan was in a noisy supermarket, so her voice was muffled, but she mentioned that the landlord’s wife would be coming soon.

Ji Ting understood.

She responded affirmatively.

Considering Tan Yucheng was still there, she spoke softly, gently acknowledging Qiu Dan. Tan Yucheng, still sleepy, buried his face in her neck to continue sleeping.

Ji Ting’s heart raced.

Qiu Dan continued chatting, and Ji Ting listened, while the man beside her fell back asleep, his well-defined arm draped over her waist.

As she spoke, her breathing fluctuated, subtly attracting attention.

After a while, their conversation finally ended.

Ji Ting put down the phone and looked at Tan Yucheng, who was still fast asleep. His shoulders bore several marks, and his arm muscles were well-defined. Ji Ting watched quietly until he gripped her thigh and, in a low, lazy voice, asked, “What time is it?”

Ji Ting, feeling drowsy, turned to check the time and replied, “It’s ten o’clock.”

Tan Yucheng was momentarily stunned.

Ji Ting smiled and asked, “Are we late?”

Tan Yucheng let out a light snort. “Mm.”

Ji Ting laughed softly.

Tan Yucheng, listening to her laughter, pressed his hand on her thigh and nibbled at her neck. Ji Ting sighed, “Get up quickly…”

After they had some fun in bed, Tan Yucheng got out, checked his phone, and saw a bunch of messages. Chen Fei had called seven or eight times. He had set his phone to silent the night before. He sighed and called Chen Fei back while reaching for Ji Ting’s tablet to get her some breakfast. Ji Ting sat up and watched him leave the master bedroom.

She needed to get up as well.

After she finished washing up in the bathroom and came out, Tan Yucheng was dressed in a shirt with his sleeves rolled up. He had already placed breakfast on the coffee table for her. Ji Ting wiped her face and said, “You need to go home and change your clothes, right?”

Tan Yucheng grunted in response and pushed the door open to leave. He looked back at her and said, “Come over here.”

Ji Ting was too lazy to move and refused.

Tan Yucheng raised an eyebrow, laughing with frustration. “Ji Ting, you’re something else.”

With that, he closed the door.

Ji Ting smiled and walked over to the sofa to sit down and unpack her breakfast.

In the black car, Tan Yucheng arrived at his place, wearing black Bluetooth headphones and holding his coat. He unbuttoned his shirt while Chen Fei spoke on the phone. After a few seconds of hesitation, Chen Fei asked, “Brother Tan, you’re rarely this late. What’s the reason today?”

Tan Yucheng walked inside, shirtless, and upon hearing this, retorted, “Why do you think?”

He chose a white shirt, put it on, and then tied a tie before heading out again. He picked up some documents from the sofa table. His sofa table was black and integrated with the sofa. The lamp was a grayish color with a white lampshade, which was currently lit. Hearing Tan Yucheng’s response, Chen Fei said, “Oh,” and quietly offered his congratulations.

Tan Yucheng’s eyebrows lifted slightly, a hint of a smile on his face, though his gaze casually swept over the sofa table.

In the lowest drawer, there was a string of bracelets. He used his long legs to push open the drawer, remembering that when he first moved in, the items in this drawer had all been placed there by Xiao Xi.

The bracelet shouldn’t be here; it was supposed to be in the storage room in Nan’an, along with those high school textbooks.

Tan Yucheng stared at it for a few seconds.

He told Chen Fei, “Contact Shangge Home’s C2 sofa table and order a new set.”

Chen Fei, who was on the phone, paused when he heard this, then quickly checked the chat history and replied, “What’s wrong? Can’t you use the one you have? That company guaranteed us good quality; I was planning to get them to customize the whole house for us.”

Tan Yucheng replied in a calm voice, “Just replace it.”

“Oh, okay.”

Chen Fei quickly arranged for the new sofa table and instructed Tan Yucheng to come to the company soon. Tan Yucheng acknowledged and hung up, taking the documents and leaving. When he arrived, he entered the office.

A representative from Shangge Home arrived to deliver the new sofa table. Tan Yucheng asked the building manager to let them in.

The home furnishing company removed the old sofa table and loaded it into the truck, including the lamp. They didn’t clear out the items in the cabinet, but there was nothing much inside, just a string of beads at the bottom that clinked against the cabinet wall, making a faint noise.

Meanwhile,

A luxury van stopped in front of the luxury building. Meng Jia, wearing sunglasses, got out with a black bag slung over her shoulder. She walked out of the elevator in high heels, making a clicking sound as she entered the store.

The store had other customers, including Shu Xiao, who was sitting on a sofa chair in a light-colored long dress, with a sales associate standing nearby.

Meng Jia and Shu Xiao encountered each other immediately. Meng Jia, her striking face hidden behind sunglasses, glanced at Shu Xiao and said arrogantly, “What a coincidence.”

Shu Xiao ignored her and looked at the items the sales assistant was holding.

Meng Jia slightly tugged at the corner of her lips and sat down on another chair. The sales assistant stood beside her and took out the items Meng Jia had mentioned in her WeChat messages, showing them to her one by one. Meng Jia glanced at them absentmindedly while scrolling through her phone. Finally, she pulled up a picture on her phone of the latest limited edition item and showed it to the sales assistant, saying, “I want this one.”

The sales assistant was taken aback and looked at another staff member behind her.

That person shook their head.

The sales assistant turned back to Meng Jia and smiled, “Miss Meng, this item is currently out of stock, and there’s only one available in Li City, which has already been purchased.”

Meng Jia raised an eyebrow and took off her sunglasses. “Who was so quick to buy it?”

She spoke in Cantonese.

The sales assistant understood and whispered a name.

Meng Jia was stunned. “Tan?”

The sales assistant nodded.

Not far away, Shu Xiao also heard the name Tan. She looked over. Meng Jia, with her arms crossed and legs folded, leaned back on the sofa. A few seconds later, she propped her chin up and looked at the sales assistant. “Didn’t he usually have items delivered to the store? Did he come in person this time?”

The sales assistant nodded.

Meng Jia sneered.

Shu Xiao had been paying attention and seemed to be lost in thought upon hearing this. Meng Jia suddenly turned to Shu Xiao and, leaning on the back of the sofa chair, asked, “Who do you think he’ll give it to?”

Startled, Shu Xiao looked up, her eyes clear and bright. She softly replied, “How would I know?”

As soon as she finished speaking, the bracelet of small leaf red sandalwood on her wrist suddenly broke for some unknown reason. Several beads clattered to the ground, startling everyone and drawing their attention.

Shu Xiao stared in shock at her now empty wrist, the string falling away.

Beads scattered around her feet, causing a silent chaos.