When A Snail Falls In Love

Chapter 49.1

"I was smoking to gather my courage." After finishing off his sentence, despite the tension he felt, Ji Bai looked calmly at Xu Xu

好整以暇 – remain calm and composed while handling pressing affairs

At first, Xu Xu didn't know how to respond – What would he need courage for? Then, the tremor of sudden realisation shook her, as she lifted her eyes to look at him.

He was already sitting on the sofa with his legs outstretched comfortably, and his arms resting leisurely on the back of the sofa as he took up about half the sofa. His dark, tranquil eyes were quietly gazing at her, in a faint compelling manner.

Although she had anticipated what might happen that night, now that the moment had arrived, Xu Xu felt scared. She reddened, and turned her head around: "I'll get you a glass of water."

PG-13—–

Just before the words were hardly out of her mouth, Ji Bai stretched out his arms and pulled her onto his thighs and into his embrace.
"Pour what water . . ." He held her chin firmly in his lightly callused fingers and bent his head to kiss her.

The night gradually became quiet. Most of the people in the neighbourhood had already gone to bed, and only a few dim lights shone in the surrounding buildings. The wine had left Ji Bai somewhat lethargic, so he sat on the sofa with Xu Xu sprawled on his chest. His lips and tongue were busy plundering the depths of her mouth, while his hands pushed aside her clothes and roamed the curves of her body. This wordless passion left both of them perturbed ("心神恍惚" (idiom) – perturbed, that's the literal translation). Ji Bai grasped her little hand that she had placed on his chest, and moved it slowly downwards. Xu Xu's face was even more flushed, as her body became a little stiff.

Only a thin layer of fabric separated Xu Xu's hands from the hardness in his pants. Ji Bai looked at Xu Xu: "Haven't you already touched it?"

Xu Xu: ". . . That day, I was more impulsive."

Ji Bai laughed.

With her hand unmoving at that location, it was enough to make Ji Bai feel extremely comfortable, as he kissed her with renewed passion.

—–End PG-13 Scene

After a while, both of them were sweating. Xu Xu had just managed to free one hand, when Ji Bai grabbed it and held it firmly.

"I'm turning on the air-conditioning!"

Ji Bai then released her.

Cool air slowly filtered through the hot room. Xu Xu inclined her head slightly: "I'll take a bath first."

Ji Bai's shirt was in disarray, and his face was flushed. He sat motionless on the sofa, looking at her: "Ok."

When Xu Xu walked out of her room holding a fresh change of clothes, Ji Bai stood up and asked her: "Do you have anything to eat? I'm a little hungry."

Xu Xu knew he obviously had not eaten enough that night, and nodded: "Sit for a while. I'll get you a bowl of noodles."

After years of cooking for Xu Jun, who perpetually entertained clients until late at night and never ate enough, Xu Xu's noodle-cooking technique could be said to be first class. White, slippery noodles tumbled into the plate, together with lightly fried shredded meat, topped with a freshly fried golden egg and a dash of freshly chopped spring onions on top. Xu Xu's movements were swift and dexterous, and the result was a rich bounty.

When the noodles were placed in front of Ji Bai, just the appearance of the exquisitely simplenoodles gave him great pleasure. Why would anyone want to eat heaping dishes of fish and meat? After drinking a bellyful of wine, it was this sort of tasty, homely noodle dish, that warmed a man's heart.

"You're not eating?" Ji Bai asked.

As Xu Xu had not needed to fend off the drinks pressed upon her earlier, she had eaten her fill. She pulled up a chair to sit opposite him: "I'm not hungry. Eat up."

Ji Bai nodded, and unceremoniously slurped up the noodles.

The dining room was connected to the living room. A simple crystal lamp hung suspended over their heads. By the light of the lamp, Ji Bai's face became even more compelling in its heroic cast, while his jet-black eyebrows were like two darkly engraved ticks. As Xu Xu watched him quietly eating the noodles, her mood became extremely tender. This was their first encounter of such a nature; he was hungry at night, she cooked him noodles and accompanied him as he ate. The atmosphere was really peaceful, as the night gradually became tranquil.

The meal was quickly finished. Xu Xu took up the bowl and chopsticks: "I'll wash the dishes."

However, Ji Bai took the bowl and chopsticks from her: "You had the trouble of cooking the noodles, so I will tidy up. Go and take a bath." As he spoke, his tall, broad body pressed close to hers. His voice resonated at the top of her head, and within the deep tones was something ineffably alluring. Xu Xu's cheeks burned, and she nodded.

The minute Xu Xu entered the bathroom, Ji Bai speedily washed up, looked at his watch, took up Xu Xu's keys from the table, and went downstairs.

As a result of that night's dinner, Xu Xu smelt of cigarette smoke and alcohol. Moreover, she felt somewhat nervous. Thus, her bath took longer than usual. By the time she emerged from the bathroom, an hour had already passed.

Walking into the living room, she discovered that the lights had, at some point, been dimmed. With only a standing lamp, the entire apartment was dim, while the stars shone as bright as gems in the night sky outside the window.

Ji Bai sat on the sofa, quietly watching her. On the coffee table, an opened bottle of red wine, two wine glasses, and two slices of chocolate cake was placed in front of him. There was also a fragrance hovering in the dim room. Not only that, beside him was a huge bouquet of blue roses wrapped in plain paper, quietly enchanting in full bloom.

Xu Xu laughed: "Where did you get so many things?"

Ji Bai smiled wordlessly, and got up: "I'm going to take a bath."

Xu Xu nodded: "I've placed a set of my brother's clean clothes in the bathroom. You can chuck the clothes you're wearing now into the basket at the bathroom door."

"Ok. Thanks." Ji Bai opened the bathroom door.

Xu Xu looked closely at the flowers. Every stalk was fresh and delicate, and it seemed as if he had prepared this earlier. She placed them into a flower vase, then walked to the bathroom door and retrieved the clothes within the basket: "Can I put these clothes into the washing machine?"

Apart from the sound of splashing water from the bathroom, Ji Bai's raised voice was heard: "Ok."

Xu Xu opened the washing machine, and removed the contents of his trouser pockets, placing them on the shelf outside the bathroom. After a while, she suddenly looked at his wallet.

There were two receipts crammed under his wallet. She drew them out and unfolded them for a closer look. One was a signed delivery receipt from a flower shop. The time the order was placed was from the previous day, while the delivery time was just half an hour ago. It looked as if he had called them to deliver the flowers in the middle of the night. However, with such an expensive flowers, it was no surprise that the shop was willing to offer a 24-hour delivery service.

Xu Xu smiled a little, and picked up another receipt.

This area was in the CBD, with family-run supermarkets nearby. Ji Bai had unexpectedly gone to one as the receipt was for red wine, cake, and a box of . . .

*CBD stands for central buisness district

She looked up, and grabbed a box from the shelf: Okamoto Platinum Extreme Ultra-thin condoms, large.

Xu Xu silently placed everything back onto the shelf and returned to the living room with her cheeks on fire.

——