The Early Spring - Chapter 30

Chapter 30 - Everything Out of Control

The two of them stood on either side of the slender bar counter eating steak. After taking a couple of bites, Luan Nian turned around and went to make watermelon juice in the blender. He felt as though something was coating his stomach with a heavy, cloying film, making him desperately crave something cold. It was also because he had glanced up and seen Shang Zhitao lowering her gaze, her long eyelashes fluttering in a way that drove his itching heart wild.

He was probably just starved for intimacy after being single for so long. Luan Nian couldn't come up with any more reasonable explanation, completely bypassing the thoughts he had previously harbored toward Shang Zhitao. A glass of watermelon juice filled mostly with crushed ice finally managed to suppress the blazing fire raging in his chest. Yet just then, he heard Shang Zhitao ask him, "Could I please have a glass of watermelon juice too?"

Shang Zhitao was thirsty as well. She felt a strange weakness in her legs, though she couldn't quite explain why.

Luan Nian set a glass of watermelon juice down in front of her. He watched as she finished her steak and drank the juice, looking as though she was thoroughly enjoying the meal, her brows curved and her expression exceptionally tender. Once she finished eating, she thanked him with a well-behaved posture: "Thank you, Luke! I won't disturb you any longer!"

Shang Zhitao put on her coat and walked over to the doorway. She wanted to turn back and bid Luan Nian farewell, but instead caught sight of him leaning against the wall, watching her with a profound gaze that carried a subtle difference from usual. Remembering the faint ache that had blossomed in her chest earlier that day when Luan Nian was singing on stage, Shang Zhitao choked on her parting words. She simply stood there looking at Luan Nian, her eyes timid yet swirling with an indefinable emotion—an emotion she couldn't name, couldn't trace back to its origin, and had no idea where to vent.

"Do you have a boyfriend?" Luan Nian asked her flatly.

Shang Zhitao shook her head.

"Are you open to one-night stands?" Luan Nian asked again. The way he asked whether she was open to one-night stands made it sound as though he engaged in them all the time.

Shang Zhitao had never been asked such a question before. In her previously shallow understanding, sex and love were inextricably linked. Yet now, Luan Nian's inquiry left her thoughts in complete disarray. She shook her head, but then nodded instead. Her body instinctively stepped backward, only to be blocked by Luan Nian against the door.

His kiss engulfed her in a suffocating wave that left Shang Zhitao breathless. She felt a fleeting impulse to escape, but the moment her palm pressed against the steady thrum of his heartbeat, she completely surrendered. Shang Zhitao couldn't tell whether she was submitting to raw desire or a sudden leap of her heart; she only knew that she wanted to stay right here.

Luan Nian tasted the tip of her tongue, along with the fresh sweetness of watermelon and the faint coolness of crushed ice. Her clean scent flooded his nasal passages, feeling so utterly extraordinary.

Once a young woman's passions are stirred, she will pour out the surging emotions within her body to the absolute fullest—vividly unreserved yet gentle and soft. Even when Luan Nian turned fierce and demanding, she still felt it was simply wonderful.

Luan Nian wanted a purely physical relationship—one where he didn't need to invest excessive emotional energy or expend effort on maintenance; if they clicked, they stayed together, and if they didn't, they parted ways. He found a convenient excuse for his actions: romantic relationships were simply far too exhausting.

With her palm pressed against the skin of his neck, Shang Zhitao didn't dare open her eyes the entire time. Sweat dampened both of their clothes. Luan Nian's shirt remained fully buttoned from top to bottom, yet right there against the front door of his home, they completed their very first intimacy—a fierce, intense coupling.

The events of that day were destined to be unforgettable for the rest of their lives. Sometime later, after Shang Zhitao had long since parted ways with Luan Nian, a fierce gale was blowing outside. As she sat by the window watching the northern wind tear the tree branches into a chaotic mess, she suddenly recalled this particular night she had shared with Luan Nian. She would probably never experience that kind of reckless passion and abandon ever again. Luan Nian had planted a mesmerizing spell inside her, binding her in a constant tug-of-war over the next few years, leaving her utterly unable to take that first decisive step to walk away from him.

When everything finally came to an end, neither of them spoke a word. Looking back in hindsight, it was utterly impossible to trace how things had escalated so quickly; the emotions had arrived with startling suddenness, and the process had been so intense that it left zero room for thought. Finally regaining her composure, Shang Zhitao realized that she had thoroughly entangled herself in Luan Nian's scandalous mess—it was too absurd, too naive. While she could never bring herself to broadcast this incident to the world, Luan Nian could quietly fire her without a second thought. She anxiously tried to read between the lines of Luan Nian's mind, guessing that he probably didn't want to waste any mental energy on this.

After pondering for a brief moment, she finally spoke up: "Luke... just now—I mean, what just happened was an accident. We're both adults, and one-night stands are totally normal. Please, let's make sure we don't make things awkward because of this. Thank you." She even thanked Luan Nian, then turned her back to him to gather her clothes. Once dressed and put together, she stood up. "Well... I'll be heading out now." She categorized what had happened between them as a momentary impulse to ensure things wouldn't be awkward when they met again later. Whether Luan Nian felt shortchanged or not, Shang Zhitao had no idea, but she certainly didn't feel shortchanged—in fact, she thought the experience she'd just had was absolute perfection.

Was this really how other people said goodbye after a one-night stand? Or should she have left Luan Nian some cash? His service had been pretty top-notch after all... Lost in a flurry of bizarre thoughts, she walked out the door while Luan Nian remained completely silent the entire time.

Yet as soon as Shang Zhitao stepped outside, a wave of regret washed over her. Why didn't I stay a little longer? I won't ever get to sleep with him again after this. Walking fast as she neared the entrance of Luan Nian's residential complex, the night wind blew so fiercely that it made her hesitate in her tracks. With a sudden hardening of her resolve, she spun around and hurried back to his house. Just as she placed her hand on the doorbell before even pressing it, the outer garden gate swung open and Luan Nian yanked Shang Zhitao straight inside.

Still without a word, Luan Nian picked Shang Zhitao up and carried her toward the second-floor bedroom. His clothes brushed against her face, and her lips actively sought out his. Shang Zhitao's unexpected enthusiasm caught Luan Nian off guard. Tossing her onto the bed, he loomed over her and rasped in a low, muffled voice, "Why did you come back?"

"The thought that I'll never get to experience this again made it feel such a waste." Rarely had Shang Zhitao been this daring; virtually every ounce of audacity she possessed in this lifetime was spent on that single night. She genuinely adored skin-to-skin intimacy with Luan Nian—the sensation was simply phenomenal.

Luan Nian pressed his lips against her neck, his teeth grazing her skin as he murmured, "Whenever you want, anytime."

Shang Zhitao felt as though her body had been entirely reconstructed. When she broke up with Xin Zhaozhou, she had mistakenly believed she would never be with anyone else ever again, convinced at the time that her body could only ever accept Xin Zhaozhou. Now, she experienced a sudden, blinding revelation: when a woman breaks free from the shackles of obsolete ideologies and simply explores according to pure instinct, liberating her own body turns out to be astonishingly easy.

This was simply fantastic.

That night, they exchanged virtually no words, melting into each other's bodies over and over again through a silent contest of wills. Shang Zhitao felt like she had turned into the soft earth after a spring rain, completely unable to hold any fixed shape no matter how one tried to mold her.

They only drifted toward sleep as dawn approached. Having an extra person suddenly sharing a bed took some getting used to for anyone, and Shang Zhitao was no exception—neither was Luan Nian. Accustomed to complete solitude, he refused to even hire a live-in housekeeper; he had never shared a bed with a woman before. Clutching their respective edges of the quilt on opposite sides, Shang Zhitao suddenly wondered: Don't people who have one-night stands usually leave right after it's over? Only couples spend the night. Clearing her throat, she asked Luan Nian, "Luke, do you have a guest bedroom..."

"Next door."

"Can I go sleep in the guest room?"

"Mmh."

With a profound sense of relief, Shang Zhitao hastily threw on her clothes and scampered off to the adjacent room. The exhausting marathon of the night had made her eyes too heavy to keep open; the moment her head hit the pillow, she dropped straight into a deep sleep. She certainly possessed a remarkably carefree heart.

Luan Nian, however, couldn't fall asleep. What on earth had happened last night? How on earth had he ended up making a move on Shang Zhitao? He found himself questioning his own sanity, especially regarding the words he had blurted out: Whenever you want, anytime.

Damn it. Had he lost his mind? All she had to do was want him? Would he ever experience that kind of total loss of control again in this lifetime? Not a chance. He felt a mild surge of annoyance. Who knew Shang Zhitao was actually quite open-minded? One-night stands are totally normal, wonderful. Since that's how you look at it, I suppose I should be thrilled.

After tossing and turning with endless wandering thoughts for a long time, Luan Nian finally drifted off to sleep. It turned out to be an exceptionally profound slumber; the uninhibited passion of the previous night seemed to have installed a sleep switch inside his body, making it remarkably easy for him to drop off. He had no idea how many hours passed, but when he finally opened his eyes, it was already late afternoon. Luan Nian felt a long-lost sensation of having his inner meridians completely cleared—he was refreshed, clear-headed, and in a remarkably pleasant mood. He leaped out of bed to take a shower, suddenly remembering that someone was still sleeping in the guest room next door. He knocked on the door: "Time to get up."

No one answered.

Pushing the door open, he found the bed neatly made, completely devoid of any trace that someone had slept there. Resting on top of the pillow was a single sheet of paper with a short message scrawled across it in a flamboyant, sweeping cursive that radiated crisp, uninhibited style: "Thanks for the hard work last night, Luke."

???

Thanks for the hard work last night, Luke? Was Shang Zhitao treating him like a prostitute? Leaving a note behind and patting her backside to leave without even a proper greeting?

Luan Nian was once again provoked into a fit of laughter by Shang Zhitao. This woman is something else! Casually tossing the piece of paper into a drawer, he turned and headed downstairs. Feeling in a rather good mood, he whistled a tune as he made his way to the home gym and stepped onto the treadmill. As his heart rate climbed, the dopamine released by the exercise brought a rush of excitement—though it still fell slightly short compared to last night. For all her usual well-behaved docility, Shang Zhitao possessed an astonishing capacity for passion. Luan Nian recalled the soft little gasp she had let out, cupping his face to seek out his lips as if she wanted to give their brazen encounter a tender conclusion.

Tan Mian called to invite him out for a drink, and Luan Nian accepted, changing his clothes before heading out.

Luan Nian carried an aura of post-coital languor mixed with a distinct air of high-spirited triumph. Tan Mian's gaze lingered on him for a few rounds before he broke into a knowing, meaningful smile.

"What is it?" Luan Nian sat down and looked at him.

Tan Mian pointed at his face. "You've got 'I had great sex last night' written all over your face."

Luan Nian raised an eyebrow without answering, which only deepened Tan Mian's curiosity. "Got a new girlfriend?"

"No."

"Got a fuck buddy? You're that kind of guy?"

"What kind of guy am I?"

"The kind who casually does one-night stands?"

"None of your damn business."

Luan Nian couldn't be bothered to explain. This was his private life, and he had zero desire to dissect it for public viewing. Tan Mian, however, refused to let it go. "Can't talk about it? You never used to be this secretive."

"What, do you want me to write you a profile introduction?"

"So you really do have a bed partner?" Tan Mian was dead set on getting an answer. He didn't have much in the way of daily entertainment, and stumbling abruptly upon such an amusing piece of gossip made him determined to get to the bottom of it.

Luan Nian leaned back against his chair with a lifeless, deadpan expression, only tossing out a single phrase after a long pause: "An accident."

He brushed the entire night off as an accident, completely ignoring the fact that he had been plotting it for a long time. The moment his gaze had landed on Shang Zhitao back in Guangzhou, a heart full of mischievous intentions had already taken root. He had spent the whole time suppressing himself while simultaneously wanting to stage a rebellion.

"Accidents are great, urban men and women run into accidents every single day," Tan Mian said with a wink.

"You really love sticking your nose into everything," Luan Nian retorted.

By all logic, he ought to feel a sense of regret over what transpired last night. He genuinely considered himself a rather superficial person who didn't care whether a female companion had intellectual depth—as long as she looked good, that was enough. He simply liked pretty women. Dazzling beauty stimulated his mind to generate more creative inspiration. Shang Zhitao was just an utterly ordinary girl devoid of any particular cleverness, and not a single trait of hers aligned with his expectations for a woman.

Yet he felt no regret whatsoever; in fact, he found the whole thing immensely pleasurable. The man who had sworn up and down that morning that he would never have anything to do with Shang Zhitao again was now, once more, wavering in uncertainty. Luan Nian found this somewhat surprising, as he had never been someone prone to dragging his feet.

What on earth was wrong with him today?