Burn Out - Chapter 83

The black car arrived at the underground parking garage of Zhuoyue. The garage had fewer cars at night, especially near the office building area. Ji Ting got out of the car, and Tan Yucheng came around from the trunk, carrying the bags of fruit, and reached out to take Ji Ting’s hand.

Ji Ting held his coat in her arms and walked in high heels, her footsteps echoing as she walked.

Since they started dating, Ji Ting had been wearing high heels more often, which made her figure appear even more slender. Tonight, there were quite a few people in the elevator. As it stopped on the first floor, many people from the upper apartments crowded in.

Ji Ting and Tan Yucheng stood in a corner, facing each other. The crowded people continued to push behind Tan Yucheng. Ji Ting leaned against the elevator wall, looking up at him as they locked eyes.

Tonight’s family dinner had forced him to say many things he hadn’t before, making Ji Ting feel a new flutter of excitement for this man.

Tan Yucheng looked at her beautiful eyes and asked lazily, “What are you thinking about?”

Ji Ting shook her head slightly, “Nothing.”

Tan Yucheng pulled her wrist a little closer to himself to avoid the crowd pressing in around them. He was nervous when Qiu Dan asked if she liked him, but fortunately, everything went smoothly. Her grace and composure made him even more captivated.

The elevator stopped on the third floor for a while, as a few office workers needed to get on, causing a delay.

Ji Ting was almost pressed against him in the corner. In the cramped space, their bodies were close, with no gaps between them. Tan Yucheng leaned down and whispered something in her ear.

Ji Ting’s ears turned red immediately, and her knee bumped into him under her skirt.

Tan Yucheng chuckled lightly.

When they reached their floor, there were still quite a few people in the elevator. Tan Yucheng guided her through the crowd and out of the elevator. The elevator was brightly lit at night. This man, dressed in a black shirt, suit, and long pants, with broad shoulders and long legs, had a subtly visible tattoo at his collar. It was neither exaggerated nor flashy, just a faint tattoo that made him appear even more handsome.

People in the elevator couldn’t help but look at him, and naturally, some also looked at the woman he was holding.

Ji Ting, holding his coat and looking beautiful, followed him out.

Handsome man and beautiful woman—truly a perfect match.

The elevator doors slowly closed.

Ji Ting’s high heels made a slight noise on the floor as she reached the front door. She took out her key to unlock the door and went inside. Tan Yucheng followed a step behind and closed the door with his hand.

He placed the fruit on the entryway cabinet.

Ji Ting held onto the cabinet as she changed her shoes. While Tan Yucheng was putting away the fruit, he glanced at her. Ji Ting looked up and met his gaze. Tan Yucheng leaned down and kissed her lips. Ji Ting paused momentarily as she removed her high heels. Her heels lightly hooked on her toes, and she tilted her chin up, letting him kiss her deeply. His tongue explored, taking control.

Eventually, she wrapped her arms around his neck while he leaned against the door, holding her waist and kissing her intensely.

Ji Ting’s dress was relatively loose today, but as he embraced her, her curves became more apparent. The kiss lasted a long time, deep enough that he began to unbutton her dress, causing the hem to slide up.

As they approached the tipping point, Ji Ting furrowed her brows slightly and took a shallow breath. Tan Yucheng pulled away just enough to look at her and asked, “I haven’t started yet. Does it hurt?”

Ji Ting tightened her embrace around his neck and rested her head on his shoulder, speaking softly, “I’m on my period.”

Tan Yucheng was momentarily stunned. Considering the timing, it made sense. He held her tightly, gently rubbing her waist, and said softly, “Shall we sit on the sofa?”

Ji Ting shook her head while nestled in his arms. The pain was intensifying, and she could feel it coming. She said, “I’ll take a shower. Could you get me a nightgown?”

Tan Yucheng picked her up by the waist and carried her into the bathroom.

The apartment didn’t have a bathtub, which was inconvenient, especially since she was on her period. Ji Ting felt very uncomfortable when the pain started. She fixed her hair, and Tan Yucheng left the bathroom to retrieve a nightgown from the bedroom, hanging it on a hanger. Noticing that Ji Ting was struggling to unzip her dress, he gently moved her hands aside and did it for her.

The two stood facing the elegant sink.

Ji Ting supported herself and met his gaze in the mirror. Tan Yucheng moved closer and asked in the mirror, “Do you want to take off the buttons too?”

Ji Ting’s cheeks flushed, and she nodded.

Tan Yucheng pressed a button, and with a click, her dress loosened.

His Adam’s apple moved slightly as he said softly, “Let me know when you’re done.”

Ji Ting nodded.

Tan Yucheng washed his hands briefly and then turned to leave.

As the bathroom door closed, Ji Ting took down the showerhead. Tan Yucheng rolled up his shirt sleeves, his gaze still deep, and went to the cabinet to prepare some brown sugar water for her. He had not unbuttoned his shirt, leaving the collar somewhat open.

After making the brown sugar water, Tan Yucheng walked to the sofa, unfolded the blanket he had put away a few days ago, and placed it on the sofa.

He then sat down with his phone, casually scrolling through it.

The hot water made Ji Ting feel much better, but the pain was persistent. When she went to get a sanitary pad, she found only one package of 150mm mini pads left—definitely insufficient.

She used one, put on her nightgown, and opened the door to go outside.

Tan Yucheng saw her come out and handed her the brown sugar water, asking, “Feeling better?”

Ji Ting’s damp hair was sticking to her face. She shook her head and took the water from him. As she drank, Tan Yucheng pulled her into his arms, holding her close. Ji Ting instinctively leaned into him and said softly, “I’m short on sanitary pads and using the mini ones. Could you help me get more? I’ll buy some.”

Tan Yucheng raised an eyebrow but did not take her phone. Instead, he handed her his own.

Ji Ting took his phone and opened his food delivery app. All the orders on his app were for her, except for those from the private chef, which were directly coordinated with the restaurant manager.

Ji Ting preferred a specific brand.

She selected various types from a nearby supermarket and, after purchasing them, handed the phone back to Tan Yucheng. He entered his password and paid. Ji Ting sipped the brown sugar water, worried that the mini pads might not be enough, and still felt a bit cold. Tan Yucheng tossed his phone aside, pulled the blanket over her, and held her close, saying, “Wait until it arrives, then you can go to sleep.”

In his arms, Ji Ting said, “It’s still early. I can’t sleep yet.”

Tan Yucheng raised his eyebrows slightly.

Soon, the delivery arrived. He loosened his hold, stood up to retrieve it, and when he opened the door, the delivery girl momentarily stared at his handsome face. Tan Yucheng took the package, nodded, and closed the door.

Bang.

He turned and handed the package to Ji Ting.

Ji Ting took the package into the bathroom, and after changing, she came out to find Tan Yucheng had prepared a fresh cup of hot brown sugar water for her. She lounged on the sofa, feeling a bit lazy. The pain seemed to have lessened somewhat but still came and went. Tan Yucheng, having loosened his sleeves, said, “I’m going to take a shower. Stay here and wait for me. If it hurts too much, go to the bedroom.”

Ji Ting nodded.

Tan Yucheng took his pajamas into the bathroom. He emerged a few minutes later, his body still misty from the shower. Ji Ting was leaning against the back of the chair, watching something on her tablet to distract herself. Tan Yucheng wiped his hair, sat next to her, and pulled her into his arms. He draped one long leg over the sofa and asked, “What are you watching?”

Ji Ting flipped through the tablet and showed him—it was a collection of old photos.

She leaned against his chest while he casually dried his hair and looked down at her screen. Some of the photos were from a long time ago, including one taken at a hot spring resort.

In the photo, Ji Ting was standing at the edge of the hot spring pool in a swimsuit, the mist of the hot spring surrounding her as she dipped her toes into the water.

This photo was probably taken by Xiao Xi.

Ji Ting’s figure looked great, her brows and eyes were beautiful, and Tan Yucheng casually placed the towel on the nearby sofa table. He hugged her waist, turned her body towards him, and asked, “Why haven’t I seen this one before?”

Ji Ting pointed to the photo and said, “It was taken with my phone.”

“Oh.”

He placed his palm on her waist to warm her.

“Send it to me,” he said.

Ji Ting’s ears flushed a bit, and she sent the photo to his WeChat.

Tan Yucheng saved the photo on his phone. Meanwhile, Ji Ting continued flipping through the tablet, coming across many old photos. Fortunately, she had saved the ones with him to the cloud, so there weren’t many of his photos in this album. Tan Yucheng kept warming her while watching her scroll through the photos, occasionally replying to messages. The faint scent of her bath soap lingered, and her nightgown’s straps hung loosely, clearly visible.

Tan Yucheng’s Adam’s apple moved slightly as he pressed a kiss to her shoulder.

Ji Ting tensed her shoulders slightly and clutched the tablet tightly.

Later, the man’s palm slid in, and Ji Ting tilted her head as he kissed her. She pressed his wrist, softly reminding him. Tan Yucheng pulled back slightly but kept his embrace tight around her waist, slowing down.

However, his palm didn’t leave her.

Leaning into his embrace, Ji Ting suddenly recalled a question and asked softly, “Did Xiao Xi ask you before whether there was a possibility between us?”

Tan Yucheng looked up at her and said, “You said there was no possibility.”

Ji Ting was momentarily taken aback. “You knew? Then what about you?”

Tan Yucheng let out a light laugh. “I just went along with what you said.”

Ji Ting was slightly confused. “You went along with what I said?”

Tan Yucheng buried his face in her neck and said lazily, “Yeah, it was clear you didn’t have much feeling for me. What could I say?”

Ji Ting asked softly, “Did you like me at that time?”

“I gradually realized I liked you,” he replied.

It was hard to pinpoint an exact time, the boundaries were too vague. It was somewhat similar to situations in Long Kong, but not quite the same, since he couldn’t just give Ji Ting away.

Ji Ting pressed her lips together, looking at the man buried in her neck. She couldn’t help but reach out to touch his hair. Tan Yucheng asked again, “Does it still hurt?”

Ji Ting nodded. “A bit.”

“How do we fix this? Do we really have to wait until after the baby is born?” he asked softly.

Ji Ting tugged at his hair.

He laughed softly.

“If that’s the case, it wouldn’t be bad. Maybe we should have a baby sooner?”

Ji Ting pushed his shoulder.

Tan Yucheng hugged her tightly and suggested, “Can’t sleep? Want to watch a movie?”

Ji Ting asked, “What movie?”

Tan Yucheng lifted his gaze from her neck and took her tablet. He opened a ¹Miyazaki film that Ji Ting had wanted to watch but hadn’t yet. She usually had fixed tastes and almost spent all her time at the store. During her leisure time, she would either watch old movies or read books. Many movies she had heard of but never got around to watching due to time passing and forgetting.

Her friend Xiao Wan and others watched such movies often, even during meal breaks.

Tan Yucheng held the tablet while Ji Ting leaned against him to watch. He occasionally gave her water to drink.

As she watched, her pain eased, and she grew sleepy. She fell asleep resting on his shoulder. Seeing her asleep, Tan Yucheng moved the tablet aside, pulled up the blanket to cover her, and wrapped his arm around her.

He dimmed the living room lights, leaving only a warm light on the sofa cabinet.

At that moment, his phone vibrated.

Tan Yucheng glanced at it and saw that Long Kong had sent him a video.

The video showed a newly opened bar with a nice ambiance.

Long Kong’s message: Brother Cheng, come out for a drink and bring Tingting along.

Tan Yucheng replied: Not going.

Long Kong: Why?

Tan: She’s not feeling well and is sleeping.

Long Kong paused for a second and immediately responded: Oh, okay. You two take care.

Tan Yucheng scoffed lightly.

Long Kong didn’t send any more messages.

Tan Yucheng put down his phone, glanced at the woman in his arms, and leaned down to kiss her face as she slept. Ji Ting felt ticklish, tried to avoid him by lifting her head, but he kissed her lips.

¹”Miyazaki film” refers to an animated movie directed by Hayao Miyazaki, a renowned Japanese filmmaker and co-founder of Studio Ghibli. His films are known for their imaginative storytelling, compelling characters, and beautiful animation. Notable works include “My Neighbor Totoro,” “Spirited Away,” and “Howl’s Moving Castle.”