Chapter 4

Wen Yan had been moved up through school from a young age, so she had always been a little younger than the people around her. She was smart enough to make people want to look after her, yet still so young that it was hard to see her as anything else.

She had little experience with matters of the heart. Now, with just that one remark from Jin Zijin, the tips of her ears burned, and for a moment she didn’t know how to answer.

In the end, Wen Yan could only awkwardly change the subject. “Are you hungry? I’m a little hungry.”

“Why don’t we eat breakfast first?”

Only after saying it did she realize how clumsy the topic change was.

The corners of Jin Zijin’s eyes curved faintly, but she didn’t call her out on it. “All right.”

The two of them walked side by side toward the dining room.

They sat on opposite sides of the long table. Wen Yan glanced around the spacious dining room and suddenly asked, “Is it just the two of us this morning?”

Jin Zijin looked at her and said matter-of-factly, “This is the bridal home. Of course it’s just us.”

Wen Yan thought of her brother muttering about how strict the Jin family’s rules were before he ran off from the wedding; she gave an awkward smile. “I thought... ”

“You thought we’d all have breakfast together as a family?” Jin Zijin finished for her, her tone carrying a knowing smile. “No need.”

She picked up the sliced toast in front of her, took the silver butter knife, and slowly spread butter over the bread.

Her movements were so elegant they looked less like breakfast and more like she was signing documents. “Even though we’re married, my parents and my cousins, all those social obligations are my business. You don’t need to worry about dealing with them.”

Jin Zijin paused, then raised her eyes to Wen Yan. “Only Grandma... if you have time, you can go keep her company and talk to her.”

“She doesn’t live far away; she’s right next door to us.”

Wen Yan nodded. “I understand.”

The air went quiet for a moment, broken only by the faint clink of utensils.

Jin Zijin suddenly said, “The wedding was rushed. There was no time to arrange wedding photos or a honeymoon.”

Her tone was calm, as if she were talking about items on a schedule. “My work has been very full lately. I can’t spare the time, so it’ll have to wait a while before I handle those things.”

Wen Yan nodded in understanding. “It’s fine. I’m also busy with a lot of surgeries these days.”

“Yes, I know you’re busy too.” Jin Zijin set down the butter knife and looked at Wen Yan. “When you’re free, we can compare schedules.”

“Okay.” Wen Yan answered quickly. “I’ll contact your assistant.”

Jin Zijin paused almost imperceptibly.

After a moment, she held out her hand, palm up. “Phone.”

Wen Yan didn’t understand, but she still took her phone out of her pocket and handed it over.

Jin Zijin took it, tapped quickly on the screen with her fingertips, then handed it back.

On Wen Yan’s phone, a new contact had appeared under the name “Wife.” She looked a little surprised.

Jin Zijin had actually used such a label.

“This is my private number.” Jin Zijin withdrew her hand and picked up the butter knife again. “Call me directly from now on.”

Wen Yan froze. “Won’t that disturb your work?”

“No.” Jin Zijin cut off a small piece of bread and put it in her mouth. After chewing and swallowing, she looked up at Wen Yan, her tone as natural as if she were discussing the weather. “You’re my wife. You should be part of my daily life.”

She paused, then added, “I accept your ‘disturbance.’”

Wen Yan held her phone. Her fingertips touched the cold screen, but for some reason her heart felt hot.

Setting aside the chaos and heat of last night, at least at this moment, she could tell Jin Zijin was serious.

This marriage, which had begun in absurdity, was not a joke.

Wen Yan had never longed for marriage, nor did she believe in so-called love; but she understood the weight of the word responsibility.

Since the other side had shown sincerity, she would not be perfunctory.

Wen Yan nodded. “All right.”

By the time breakfast was over, the morning light had already filled the room.

Jin Zijin had the driver bring the car around and sent Wen Yan to the hospital.

The marriage had happened so suddenly that Wen Yan hadn’t taken any leave; she still had to work as usual today.

The car left the manor and merged into the morning rush.

From the southern suburbs to the city-center hospital, the drive normally took two hours. If traffic was bad, it was hard to say how long it would take.

Wen Yan looked out at the slow-moving stream of cars and felt a little sorry. “If you’re driving me, won’t you be late?”

“I won’t.” Jin Zijin was looking down at the emails on her tablet, not even lifting her head. “I’m leaving on a business trip this morning and going straight to the airport.”

She paused, her fingertips sliding once across the screen before she continued, “Besides, it’s the first day of our marriage. It’s only right that I send my wife to work.”

Wen Yan blinked. “You’re going on a business trip?”

“Yes. I’ll be back tomorrow night.” Jin Zijin finally lifted her head from the emails and looked at Wen Yan. “Don’t worry. It won’t affect me accompanying you on the return home visit.”

Wen Yan was momentarily at a loss for words.

She had even remembered the day of the return home visit. That kind of consideration stirred complicated ripples in her heart.

After a few seconds of silence, she asked softly, “How long is your usual commute?”

Jin Zijin raised an eyebrow. “Why?”

“I live close to the hospital; it only takes fifteen minutes by bike.” Wen Yan answered honestly. “I can commute by myself in the future. There’s no need to trouble the driver.”

Jin Zijin looked at her but didn’t respond. She only gave a light “Mm.”

When the car finally stopped at the hospital entrance, Wen Yan was already more than an hour late.

She grabbed her bag and was about to get out when Jin Zijin gently caught her wrist.

“What is it?” Wen Yan turned back.

Jin Zijin didn’t speak. She only looked at her.

Morning light slanted through the car window, scattering fine gold across Wen Yan’s eyelashes.

Very pretty.

Truly very pretty.

Her newlywed wife had eyes that made people want to treasure her.

Thinking that, Jin Zijin leaned in slightly and said softly, “A parting kiss.”

Wen Yan subconsciously leaned over to kiss her cheek, but the moment their skin touched, Jin Zijin turned her head and caught her lips with perfect precision.

It was a very light kiss, carrying the fresh mint scent of morning and a faint hint of cool citrus.

It was so brief it felt like a dream.

Wen Yan was still stunned when Jin Zijin had already pulled back. Her fingertip gave Wen Yan’s hand a light push. “Go on.”

The car door closed; the black sedan merged back into traffic.

Wen Yan stood there until her phone vibrated with a message from the department urging her to get to the operating room. Only then did she come back to herself and turn to run toward the hospital building.

——————

Because of the delay that morning, it was already one in the afternoon when the surgery ended.

Wen Yan removed her mask and dragged her stiff legs out of the operating room.

The nurse at the front desk saw her and hurriedly called out, “Dr. Wen, someone’s here for you!”

Who could it be?

Puzzled, Wen Yan walked over and saw a young girl in a plain dress standing in the lounge, holding a delicate, tiered lunch box.

When the girl saw her, her eyes lit up. “Dr. Wen! Miss asked me to bring you lunch.”

She handed over the lunch box, her tone brisk. “Miss said that once you get busy, you forget to eat. She told you to make sure you eat on time.”

Wen Yan froze.

The heavy lunch box landed in her palm, still warm.

In all these years, not even her mother had ever come to the hospital to bring her a meal. Yet it was her “wife” in this hasty marriage who had thought of it.

Wen Yan thanked her, her voice a little dry. “Thank you.”

The girl said it was nothing, reminded her again to eat well, and then turned to leave.

Wen Yan carried the lunch box into the break room. The moment she opened the lid, fragrance spilled out.

Inside were well-balanced meat and vegetables, soup and sides, even thoughtful after-meal fruit.

Wen Yan thought for a moment, found the phone she had set aside, and checked it. An hour earlier, Jin Zijin had sent her a WeChat message.

It was a photo from the airport, with a note attached: “I’ve boarded.”

“I had someone deliver food to you. Remember to eat.”

It was a very simple reminder, with no extra sentiment, yet somehow it was warm to read.

Wen Yan couldn’t stop the corners of her mouth from lifting. She picked up her phone and aimed it at the lunch box; click, she took a photo.

After taking several in a row, she chose the best-looking one and sent it over. “I’m eating now.”

“It looks delicious. Thank you.”

Just after she sent it, the doctors and nurses from the adjacent team, fresh out of surgery, pushed open the door. Catching the smell, someone praised it, “Smells so good.”

The head nurse in front, taking off her gloves, asked, “Dr. Wen, which restaurant did you order from? Recommend it!”

Everyone in the department knew Wen Yan came from a good family, but she was never extravagant; even her meals were simple.

Wen Yan smiled, put away her phone, and said, “I didn’t order it from a restaurant. Someone brought it for me.”

Senior Brother Zhang Sheng, who had been in charge of the surgery with her, teased, “Could it be a suitor?”

The others chimed in right after him. “What? Our little Dr. Wen is finally getting some springtime?”

The room burst into laughter and chatter. Wen Yan lowered her head to look at the carrot slices arranged like petals in the lunch box, and suddenly smiled.

“No.” She lifted her head, her tone calm. “It was sent by my wife.”

The air went still for a moment.

Zhang Sheng suddenly looked up at Wen Yan, stunned speechless for an instant.

Someone else raised their voice. “Holy shit! Dr. Wen, you’re married?!”

“When did this happen? Why didn’t we hear a thing?”

“It’s a woman? What does she look like?”

Questions poured out all at once.

Wen Yan nodded, the smile on her face growing unconsciously deeper. “We got married yesterday. It was arranged by our families... she’s a very good person.”

“Candy! Where’s the wedding candy?”

“Whoa, this is a happy occasion for our department. We have to have wedding candy!”

“Yes, yes, we absolutely have to eat that candy.”

Wen Yan thought about it, then smiled. “All right. I’ll remember to bring some next time.”

Laughter filled the break room.

Only Zhang Sheng said nothing. He stood to the side, looking at Wen Yan with a thoughtful expression.

Soon after, the cafeteria worker delivered the boxed lunches.

Everyone started eating and moved on to other topics.

The break room was lively. Wen Yan no longer spoke; she sat by the window and ate the still-warm food bite by bite.

It tasted very good. Everything was exactly to her liking.

Marriage... having someone care about you... didn’t seem so bad after all.

As she ate, Wen Yan’s thoughts drifted back to last night.

From a physiological standpoint, women were usually not easily driven by pure physical desire, because they weren’t as affected by testosterone.

But last night, Wen Yan had experienced for the first time what it meant to lose control.

A woman’s voice, her trembling, the taut-and-then-relaxed lines of her body, and that humid citrus fragrance lingering in the air...

All of it wove into a tight net, making her willingly sink into it and become the captured prey.

Before this, Wen Yan had always thought that aside from those clean, beautiful bone specimens and the stones she had polished to a shine with her own hands, she didn’t have many other interests.

She liked things that were quiet, steady, and would not decay.

As for people, that capricious, sentimental, unsettling species, they had always had nothing to do with her.

So Wen Yan had never imagined that she would fall for a living, breathing woman.

To Wen Yan, Jin Zijin was too “sweet.”

A kiss was like fresh morning dew; with one light bite, sticky nectar seemed to ripple out.

However she tasted it, it was good.

There were several moments when Wen Yan wondered if she had somehow become something else.

Otherwise, why would she, when Jin Zijin clung to her shoulders like vines and breathed against her ear, be unable to resist biting that pale neck?

She even wanted to grow fangs, to pierce through the skin and taste whether the blood beneath was just as sweet.

The thought startled Wen Yan so badly that cold sweat broke out all over her. She hurried to loosen her mouth, wanting to pull back—

Only to have Jin Zijin seize her by the hair.

The woman’s fingers threaded through her hair with irresistible force, pressing Wen Yan’s face back into the crook of her shoulder.

Sweet, breathless sounds were right by her ear, scorching hot. “Bite here.”

Wen Yan froze for a moment.

Then she bit down like mad.

Her teeth caught the soft flesh of the shoulder, but she couldn’t bear to use much force, leaving only a shallow mark.

Her hands, however, moved with ruthless intensity, as if she wanted to knead the other woman into her own flesh and bones.

Pleasure surged like tidal waves, each crest higher than the last, almost swallowing Jin Zijin whole.

She bit down on her lower lip, her body taut as a drawn bow; a muffled groan escaped her throat, and the hand gripping Wen Yan’s hair tightened further.

Tighter and tighter.

Tighter and tighter.

Until she could no longer endure it, and only then did she suddenly let go, lifting her right foot and kicking hard at Wen Yan’s shoulder.

Wen Yan was kicked into a stagger and nearly fell off the bed.

She knelt by the bed, steadied her breathing, and looked up with wet eyes at the person on the bed.

Jin Zijin was half-reclined against the headboard, lifting a hand to sweep her damp bangs back, revealing a face flushed with heat.

The night light cast a dim yellow glow over her violently rising and falling chest, like waves surging in a snowstorm; the whiteness of it was dazzling.

The air was thick with a strong citrus scent mixed with an indescribably decadent fragrance, making Wen Yan dizzy.

Like a bear smelling honey, she unconsciously crawled forward a few steps and leaned in again before Jin Zijin.

Their breathing tangled; their noses brushed together, and everything was the other’s scent.

Wen Yan looked at her newlywed wife, staring without blinking, as if the next second she might swallow her whole.

They held each other in silence for only a few seconds.

Then Jin Zijin suddenly lifted a hand, hooked it around Wen Yan’s neck, and pulled her toward her—

Their positions flipped; the world spun.

Wen Yan fell into a soft, wet swamp.

Her senses were magnified without limit.

Everything started to go out of control.

All she could remember now was the sweet scent on the woman’s body, and the dampness that nearly drowned her.

Jin Zijin... was practically a jar of honey.

Just thinking of that made Wen Yan’s heart tremble uncontrollably.