The night deepened. The streetlights at the entrance to the complex cast a dim yellow halo, outlining her figure and making it look all the more slender and willowy. She stood by the car as a gentle breeze swept past, lifting a corner of her form-fitting polo dress to reveal half of a fair calf, its lines as smooth as exquisitely carved white jade.
The waist cinched by the dress looked like a mere handful, appearing even more supple in the hazy light, as if one could pull her into an embrace with just a gentle touch.
"Yang Hui, goodbye. You should head back and get some rest!"
"How about a parting hug?" He half-leaned against the car door, his voice low and a lazy smile in his eyes.
At his words, she turned to the side. The curve of her shoulder and neck traced an elegant arc in the darkness, and her deep-set collarbones looked as if they were holding a pool of moonlight.
"What’s there to hug about?"
It sounded like a rejection, but he could tell it was just her being shy and embarrassed.
The wind lifted a few strands of her hair, which brushed against her neck before falling onto her gently rising chest. At her collar, the sliver of skin peeking through shimmered delicately in the warm light.
Yang Hui opened his arms. "Come on~" he said, his smile inviting yet seemingly impossible to refuse.
"Just a quick one?" she asked, raising an eyebrow. Her red lips curved into a slight smile, a bashful glint in her eyes. Before he could answer, she took half a step forward, the soft click of her high heels on the pavement ringing out clearly in the quiet night.
The distance between them closed in an instant. A faint jasmine fragrance wafted from her, mingled with an almost imperceptible hint of citrus—a fresh scent with an alluring sweetness.
She gave him a light hug and was about to pull away, but he forcefully wrapped his arms around her.
His palm rested lightly on the small of her back. Even through the fabric, he could feel how supple her waist was, as if it might snap with the slightest bit of force. He lowered his head to inhale the clean scent of her hair, but she quickly stepped away.
"Alright, hurry home and get to sleep." She took a step back, the smile still lingering in her eyes. Her fingertips unconsciously smoothed out a nonexistent wrinkle on her dress. The curve of her waist and hips tightened for a moment with the motion before relaxing with her breath, like a butterfly folding its wings.
"You go on in."
Yang Hui smiled, letting her enter the complex first. For the first time, Shen Meng experienced what it felt like to be doted on.
She turned and walked into the complex. From the back, her figure was slender yet poised. The rhythm of her heels on the ground was steady and unhurried, and her dress swayed gently with each step, like a branch quietly swaying in the darkness.
Things were progressing quite quickly. He could feel Shen Meng’s fondness for him, and he, in turn, greatly admired and liked this beautiful girl.
Sitting in the driver’s seat, he opened the system notification.
[Consumption by bound target Shen Meng detected: 1,200 yuan. Activating random multiplier rebate.]
Then, he saw the system’s wheel, marked with multipliers from 10 to 100, begin to spin. It finally stopped on the shaded section for 90x.
[Random Rebate Multiplier: 90x
Rebate Amount: 108,000 yuan
Task Completion Progress: 1,230/50,000]
’Not bad. A small step every day adds up to a big leap every month.’
The city’s neon lights flowed past the car window like a multicolored river of light. The Mercedes E-Class’s engine hummed low, like an elegant cheetah weaving nimbly through the traffic.
The Berlin Audio system was playing a rock song—"Reunion." Its cheerful rhythm bounced around the cabin. The drumbeats were as crisp as raindrops, the melody like a gentle spring breeze, and the corners of his mouth turned up unconsciously.
Yang Hui steered with one hand, his other resting casually on the open windowsill, fingertips tapping lightly to the beat. The blue light from the dashboard reflected in his charming, slightly upturned eyes, which held a hint of lazy pleasure.
As the final note faded, the car rolled slowly into the complex. He cut the engine and savored the memory for a few seconds in the sudden silence before reluctantly pushing open the door. The night breeze carried the fragrance of some distant, unknown flower. He took a deep breath, feeling as if the music from his drive had made the very air a little sweeter.
The moment he pushed the door open, warm yellow light from the living room poured out like water. A faint lemon scent hung in the air. Wenren Meng had her back to the door, bent over to wipe the coffee table. Her loose cotton loungewear had ridden up slightly with the movement, revealing a sliver of her slender, dazzlingly white waist. The fabric clung to the curve of her bottom, outlining a full, S-shaped arc.
Hearing the noise, she straightened up and turned her head. Her hair slipped from her shoulder, catching the light with a soft sheen. As she turned, the loose collar of her shirt fell askew for a moment, revealing a fleeting glimpse of her deep-set collarbones before the fabric covered them again.
"You’re back," she greeted him with a smile, a cleaning rag still in her hand. Her fingertips were slightly red from being in the water.
His Adam’s apple bobbed. Her loungewear was a light apricot color, and in the warm light, it was almost translucent, faintly revealing the outline of the camisole she wore underneath. As she walked, the fabric swayed, each step landing with a subtle rhythm that made it impossible for him to look away.
’She’s not that old, so how does she seem so... ripe?’
"Yeah," he responded quietly, bending over to change his shoes to hide the fact that he’d been momentarily lost in thought.
Wenren Du’Er was in her room doing homework. She must have heard the conversation outside and realized he was home.
The bedroom door was suddenly pulled open. "Dad’s home!"
Her homework notebook was hastily pushed aside, a pencil rolling unheeded to the edge of the desk. She practically jumped off her chair and, without even bothering to put on her slippers, ran barefoot toward the door with a PATTER PATTER PATTER.
She tilted her face up, her eyes sparkling and her lips pursed to hold back a smile that refused to be contained. She added in a small voice, "You’re back." Her fingers unconsciously toyed with the hem of her shirt, her expression a mixture of anticipation and cautious delight. It was as if she were afraid of bothering him, yet couldn’t help but want him to know, right away, that she had been waiting for him.
Yang Hui ruffled her hair. He figured it was because he hadn’t been home for dinner for the past two nights, so the little girl hadn’t seen him for two days.
"It’s almost 10 o’clock. Finish up your homework and get to bed."
"Okay, Dad. The results from the diagnostic test we took a couple of days ago are out."
Oh? That was probably why she was so eager to see him. "Well, tell me. How’d you do?"
"But Du’Er, let me just say, it’s okay if you didn’t do well. Grades are signposts, not the destination. Your score just tells us which topics tripped you up like little pebbles, and then we can just work on solving those problems."
Wenren Du’Er suddenly looked disappointed. She twisted the hem of her clothes and looked down, scuffing the floor with her toe. Her voice was as quiet as a mosquito’s buzz. "So scores aren’t important?"
Yang Hui, thinking she must have done poorly, quickly offered a comforting smile. "Of course not. Your health is far more important than any score!"
"Oh... okay!" It was as if all the bones had been removed from her body; she suddenly went completely limp and listless.
"Du’Er, what’s wrong?"
"Dad, I ranked first in the entire school. I thought you’d be happy, but it turns out you don’t think scores are important."
Yang Hui: "..."
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