Chapter 47

The sea breeze rustled the treetops as the night rolled on.
In the pool, the guys were having the time of their lives, splashing, joking, wrestling until it dissolved into a full-on water war.
Du Ruo, still in her towel, lounged on a poolside chair, eyes half-closed in the ocean air.
Above her, the stars spilled across the sky.
The chair beside her creaked. She glanced over, Li Wei flopped down, towel drying off his hair, then stretched out beside her.
They exchanged a lazy grin.
Du Ruo: "Done with the chaos?"
"Wiped out. Gonna just lay here for a bit." He stretched his arms and legs. "These past days killed me. Good thing it paid off, we took first place." He muttered, still a little dazed, "First place."
The schedule had been relentless this trip, and even Du Ruo was wiped. Li Wei and Jing Ming had run around in the scorching heat since they’d landed in Shenzhen, unloading equipment, venue setups, meetings with organizers, racing, interviews, schmoozing, there was barely time to breathe.
"Vice captain, you’ve put in the work."
"Ha, I’m alright. That guy, though, he’s seriously overworked." Li Wei nodded toward the pool.
Du Ruo followed his gaze. Jing Ming had just hauled He Wang off the white goose float, claimed it for himself, and was kicking away anyone else who tried to climb aboard.
Apparently the giant goose had become Prime real estate, everyone wanted to capture the fortress, some attacking, some defending, water splashing everywhere.
Boys. No matter how old, toss them together and they revert to a gang of kindergarteners.
Du Ruo: "Yeah, the captain’s probably the most exhausted."
Li Wei glanced at her, smiling faintly: "He ever come off a little arrogant and over the top to you? Hard to get close to?"
Du Ruo blinked. "…Um. Kinda."
"So ever look at our team and wonder, how does this bunch work? All of us are geniuses, everyone’s proud, everyone’s got a temper, but somehow, with Jing Ming, it just clicks. We really trust him."
Her gaze dropped, thoughtful. She’d never stopped to consider it.
"He Wang’s a cocky genius. Yeah, Jing Ming won him over in a game, got him on our team, but he stayed because of who Jing Ming is. He’s a true idealist, hot-blooded, straightforward, pure. That's the kind of person you want by your side. You never have to worry that he’ll betray you for, well, anything, no matter how much is on the line."
Li Wei sighed softly,
"Zero ulterior motives. That's incredibly rare. Born that way, I guess. For those of us who don’t care about power plays and just want to build things, he’s as trustworthy as one of our robots."
Du Ruo listened quietly as the towel absorbed the lingering dampness from her skin, the evening breeze cool and clear. Her dress was still wet, stuck to her body.
She didn’t respond about him, just said, "Mm. The vibe on Prime is totally different than Orbit."
Unconsciously, she glanced at Jing Ming. He was perched on that big white goose, bare-chested, wet hair dripping down in rivulets over his shoulders and back.
Suddenly, He Wang smacked the water with an open palm. The splash doused Du Ruo from head to toe.
She snatched up a towel and scrubbed her face: "He Wang, are you looking to die?!"
Jing Ming glanced over at the commotion.
He Wang cackled, calling to Li Wei, "Come in for a swim!"
"In a bit," Li Wei called back.
"Suit yourself." He dove back into the fun.
Li Wei grinned, "Birds of a feather, huh." He trailed off, then grew serious. "That’s why we just… trust him. We’re willing to stake everything, our dreams, our futures, on that guy. Maybe we depend on him to make those dreams come true. Who knows. At this point, we’re all tangled up together."
"You…" Her heart fluttered with a strange tide. After a pause, she finally asked, "Why are you telling me all this tonight?"
"Probably the wine talking." Li Wei grinned. "We won, I’m too happy, just shooting the breeze."
Du Ruo fiddled nervously with her towel, unable to tell if he’d seen something… maybe on the stairs earlier…
On the table, a phone buzzed. She glanced over by accident: Li Wei’s screen lit up, a message from Qiu Yuchen. "Not asleep yet? Still at the afterparty?"
Du Ruo shot her hands up: "Total accident, I swear I wasn’t snooping!"
Li Wei burst out laughing: "No worries."
She seized the segue, cheerful: "So you and Yuchen…? Oh, don’t worry, if it’s private, just ignore me!"
"I… I like her. A lot." Li Wei admitted. The guy who’d just been waxing poetic now looked a little bashful, a sheepish smile sneaking onto his face. This smile, softer and shy, was a whole new side of him.
She was momentarily surprised. That smile, it made her realize Li Wei was actually pretty handsome.
Guess that’s how it is. Good love makes a person glow.
She glanced at the pool. That guy, already cutting through the water again, smooth and powerful, leaving a wake of white spray behind him.
She lifted her gaze to the blazing stars overhead, slowly letting out a breath.
Somewhere in her peripheral vision, Jing Ming's silhouette flickered. The beach chair beside her creaked.
She turned. He sat down next to her, grabbed the towel she’d just used, and started drying his hair and arms, droplets sprinkling over Du Ruo’s arm.
She stared. He kept his head down, vigorously rubbing his hair, then suddenly looked up, meeting her eyes.
Her breath stuttered. She quickly looked away, back to the stars, rubbing her eyes unconsciously.
He finished toweling off and slipped on a T-shirt. "Tired?" he asked.
Du Ruo took a slow beat, then looked at him. "Not really."
"It's been a long day. Let's go up and get some rest."
"Sure," she agreed. Truth was, she was a bit sleepy. But lying here, ocean breeze on her face, friends laughing nearby, the vibe was just too perfect to leave.
She stood, about to drop the towel, but he stepped behind her and tucked it around her shoulders. "Keep it on, it’s windy up there."
"Oh. Okay."
They skipped the forest path, if they returned that way, they’d get dragged back into the banquet.
Instead, they circled around to another hotel entrance.
The golden elevator lobby was wide and spacious, oil paintings on the wall, fresh flowers on the table, a faint cloud of perfume in the air.
It was late, and the whole place was dead quiet, not a soul around.
Du Ruo tugged at her towel, clutching the race car model they’d just won. He stood nearby, hands in his pockets, watching the floors tick down on the elevator display.
"Ding", the elevator arrived.
They stepped inside, standing on opposite sides of the lift.
The elevator started upward. He glanced at her, voice low. "Are you happy today?"
"Huh?" She looked up. "Of course. We won."
"Mm."
And just like that, the silence returned.
She fiddled with the model car, flicking the door open and shut, over and over.
The elevator reached their floor. Both hesitated, each silently waiting for the other to go first. Finally, Du Ruo slipped out ahead.
The hallway carpet was thick and plush, swallowing every footstep. In the hush, all she could hear was her own heartbeat.
At her door, Du Ruo gestured. "This is me. I’ll head in first."
“Mm.” He stood in the doorway, watching her.
The keycard beeped as she touched it to the sensor. She pushed the door open, glanced back and waved, “Good night.”
“Good night.”
She closed the door, lingered behind it for a moment, and listened as the door to the next room beeped open. Only then did she exhale, stroll inside, toss her towel aside, and collapse onto the sofa, staring blankly up at the ceiling.
She had no idea how long she stayed like that before getting up and sneaking off to the balcony, peeking her head out to spy on the room next door.
The floor-to-ceiling window was shut tight, with a white chiffon curtain drawn, all pale and glowing in the lamplight, like a paper lantern.
Nothing stirred on the other side.
She pulled back, quietly shutting her own window, and was just heading to shower when a knock sounded suddenly at the door.
Thud, thud, it startled her half to death!
Her nerves were a mess. She walked to the door, steadying herself on the handle, and whispered, “Who is it?”
“Me.”
Her palm broke out in sweat, never mind that the AC was on. She opened the door, looking up. “Did you need something?”
She blocked the entrance, making it clear she had no intention of letting him in. He ignored it, pushed his way past her, and shut the door behind him with a gentle click.
She immediately stepped away, putting distance between them.
It was late, so late the air itself seemed electrified with tension.
Jing Ming glanced down at her, about to speak, then caught sight of her white dress. He averted his eyes, rubbed his nose awkwardly, then barked, “Throw a towel on.”
“Huh?” Du Ruo hadn’t caught on at first; but catching a glimpse of herself in the mirror, she saw the way her wet white dress had turned sheer as glass. Her face flushed scarlet and she dashed over to wrap herself in her towel.
No wonder!
She steadied herself and shot him another rushed look. “So, what do you want?”
He lounged against the entryway, hands shoved in his pockets, not moving further in. He watched her from a few feet away and called softly, “Du Ruo.”
“...Yeah?”
“I still like you.”
The hallway light cast a soft glow over Jing Ming’s head, sliding through the messy fringe on his forehead and pooling in his eyes, deep, and impossibly clear.
Du Ruo stood by the couch, lips pressed tight, twisting her towel between her fingers, silent.
He waited patiently, not rushing her, quiet as ever.
“I... I never thought about it.” After a long time, she finally whispered, “Not once have I pictured what it would be like to be with you. Every time I let myself imagine it, it just feels... off.”
Jing Ming kept his eyes on her.
But she kept her gaze low: “I like the way things are now. As teammates, or whatever, you’re my superior, we’re working together, we’re serious about the same goal. If we complicate that... I feel like we’d get on each other’s nerves.”
I don’t want to give up this project. If things went south, if our working relationship fell apart, if you couldn’t stand me, or I couldn’t stand you, and I had to walk away because it all went wrong... I couldn’t do it.”
He smiled, just faintly, neither agreeing nor disagreeing.
She glanced up in a rush. “This is my first real project. If I get kicked off the team because I’m not good enough, fine, I’ll accept it. But to quit because of personal drama? Because a failed relationship made things awkward? I couldn’t. I just, wouldn’t.”
Jing Ming: “I figured you’d say that.”
Du Ruo blinked, a little stunned.
He gave a wry chuckle. “The problem is, I can’t help liking you. So what are we supposed to do about that?”
She stared, rooted to the spot, her cheeks flooding crimson.
He straightened off the wall, stepped closer, tugged at the towel on her shoulder. His gaze traveled, slow and warm, locking onto hers:
“I promise you, my feelings won’t affect your work at Prime. I won’t play favorites, won’t hold you back. I have that much professionalism, at least.”
He was much too close. His breath swept over her, a rush of heat, her mind going fuzzy, clinging to scraps of reason. “It won’t work... I don’t want the whole world to know…” she mumbled feebly.
“If you don’t want to, we can keep it just between us.” He said, “Forget the old grudges, all the ways we don’t match or clash or whatever. Doesn’t matter who annoys who, or who’s right or wrong. Screw all of that. Let’s just date.”
“If we’re happy, we kiss. If we’re mad, we fight. If we want to make up, we apologize. If we don’t, we break up. It’s not that deep.”
Du Ruo’s chest heaved, her heart rattled by his words, dizzy, startled, only able to stare at him, speechless.
“I... I need some time to think.” She broke eye contact, flustered. Didn’t all the books say don’t make decisions at night? You’ll only regret them later.
“Not happening!” He grabbed her shoulders, still wrapped in her towel, and held her fast. “Say yes or say no. But I want an answer. Otherwise I won’t sleep tonight.”
“I really, ” She struggled to hold out, twisting, wriggling. “Tomorrow morning, ”
He didn’t hesitate, just swooped down and stole a quick kiss.
In an instant, a jolt of electric heat shot from the crown of her head to the tips of her toes. She stiffened, wide-eyed with shock, staring at him.
His lips... were so soft!
His eyes, so dark, locked on hers. Taking advantage of her daze, he brushed another quick kiss across her lips. Then, unable to help himself, he kissed her again, longer this time, lips lingering, gently nibbling.
Her heart nearly burst. She shrank back with a gasp, tiptoeing just to stay upright.
He finally pulled back, just slightly, enough to meet her eyes.
Her face was bright red, ears burning, finally snapping out of it and wanting to shove him away.
He caught her waist, lifted her up and set her on the narrow cabinet, so their faces were even. She gave a startled yelp. Next thing she knew, he’d pressed her back against the wall, holding her face in both hands, tilting his head and kissing her, thoroughly, hungrily, forcing his way in until they were tangled together, breath and tongue and lips.
She was on fire, heart pounding so hard she thought she might actually explode.
Her tongue hurt, she whimpered helplessly.
He gentled up, but didn’t stop, kissing her again and again, breath searing across her skin. Her mind was blown to pieces, his scent, his taste everywhere. She felt like she was drowning, struggling just to breathe.
She shook in his arms, hit by wave after wave of sensation, strange, thrilling, unbearably ticklish, like a thousand dogtail grasses scratching her heart raw. She could barely take it, but she didn’t want it to stop. Hands gripping his arm, she slowly loosened up, letting herself melt.
He finally let her go, exhaling softly, palm still pressed to her cheek, her skin flaming hot.
He looked her over from up close, her flushed cheeks, her kiss-swollen lips, her clear eyes gone dewy and soft.
He flashed her a grin. “You just got a whole lot prettier, you know that?”
“Clearly, I should kiss you more.” He leaned in and pecked her lips again.
She sputtered in embarrassment, “Put me down!”
He lowered her, but couldn’t bring himself to let go, wrapping her tight and pulling her against his chest, chin on top of her head, fingers massaging the back of her neck.
She stilled, and for a moment all she could hear was the wild, powerful thud of his heart right by her ear.
Suddenly, she stopped resisting, letting him hold her. Gradually, shyly, she slipped her arms around his waist, everything feeling just a little bit unreal.
They stood like that a long time, neither saying a word.
The line had been crossed: excitement, nerves, joy, uncertainty, all mixed together.
It wasn’t until the sound of Prime’s guys returning to their rooms echoed through the hall that he finally let her go. As he left, he reached out and ruffled her head, saying,
“Go dry your hair, or you’ll catch a cold.”