Chapter 5: Male Actor X Rich Female Protagonist (5)
The outlets in the mall had just come out with new products. Placed on display, one could see that they were incredibly expensive. Although the clerk had been busy the whole day, his attitude was still surprisingly good. Even when people continuously tried clothes on, unsure as to whether they should buy, the clerk still treated them courteously.
For the past two days, their results had been particularly good.
Xu Senni had gone shopping with her good friend. They'd shopped all the way into the afternoon before dropping onto a bench, where she retrieved her powder to touch up her makeup. There was a huge pile of shopping bags, and most of them were hers.
The clerk held a pair of pumps. The design was simple and chic, and it was nude-coloured.
Taking her eyes off the small mirror, Xu Senni put on the pair of shoes. It made her skin look much whiter in contrast. Lu Qi uncaringly looked at the shoes before standing up to find a new pair.
"You really received a big shock ah, it's already been several days and you've been doing this every day. Must be hard on your husband."
Xu Senni got up and walked towards the mirror, licking her lips. "Don't talk nonsense."
She'd been in a dilemma for so long, yet Hu Yinli hadn't found anything strange about her. In the past, if Xu Senni had wanted to dress up for Hu Yinli, she'd just pick anything that let her look good, but wasn't too expensive.
But ever since she'd come back from her meeting with Cen Si Miao, she seemed to have become an entirely new person.
Taking out her phone, Xu Senni angled the camera towards her legs, and after finding a good angle, she took a few photos. Lu Qi glanced over before shaking her head and sighing. Her phone slipped out of her pocket, and sure enough…
It had been sent to the chat group. Again.
Suddenly, she heard Xu Senni speak up. "Oh right, have you heard anything about the opening of the gallery?"
Lu Qi's eyes lit up. "What, are you tempted?"
Xu Senni only smiled, not speaking.
…
That night, after Hu Yinli had come home, she'd tiptoed and circled her arms around his neck, and they talked in low tones.
Such a sentimental night—it was a rare sight. Apart from cooling the fiery passion in her heart, Xu Senni also had other ideas. Once the sky brightened, she snuggled into his embrace and acted like a spoilt child.
It was like that for a while before she changed the topic. "I asked Lu Qi about the art gallery, it seems quite suitable."
Yawning, Hu Yinli was confused. "Why are you concerned with this kind of thing, it's not like you lack anything at home."
Xu Senni glared at him.
After getting the start-up funds from him, Xu Senni yawned and turned over to look at Hu Yinli's tie. Blinking, her voice was filled with tiredness as she said, "Shouldn’t you be going to that house?"
Hu Yinli stopped moving before casually speaking. "You seem quite spirited now?"
Xu Senni stayed under the blankets. "I can also be tired ah. I'm only worried for you, if that person were to have too much energy, and go out to meet someone else, you would be treated as a fool."
His face immediately turned ugly. "What are you saying now? If you haven't slept enough then continue sleeping, don't let your mouth run loose like that."
Xu Senni closed her eyes and breathed in deeply. Hearing the door close, her eyes opened, clear and bright. Picking up her phone, she texted Cen Si Miao.
Hu Yinli had been put into a bad mood by Xu Senni's words, and proceeded to call Cen Si Miao at noon.
At that time, Cen Si Miao by Wu Li Chen's side.
She'd gotten a room next to his.
When the two had met, Cen Si Miao had been using her card to open the door, and Wu Li Chen had a face full of ancient-day makeup on. His steps had been incredibly wide and the moment he looked up and saw her, he'd stopped in his tracks.
Fishing his card out of his pocket, he opened the door and turned towards Cen Si Miao. "Cen jie, you can go in and sit down first."
Wu Li Chen entered the room and started to bathe, and she could hear sounds of water splashing onto the ground.
Cen Si Miao looked at the door intensely.
Sitting on the sofa, she took out her phone and started scrolling. After a while, she suddenly heard the door open, and looked up. Wu Li Chen's lower half was covered with the towel, his legs straight, but his calves were exposed and she could see his well-proportioned muscles.
His upper body was naked and dotted with droplets of water. Under the light, his tan skin made his body look even more muscular.
Cen Si Miao's face didn't change as she bit her tongue and faced away.
Silently, Wu Li Chen changed into his clothes—a short-sleeved T-shirt and loose shorts. He looked extremely casual and relaxed. Hearing nothing, Cen Si Miao cleared her throat. "You've been quite busy these days."
"It's all because of your blessing."
His tone was quite dull, but Cen Si Miao felt like he meant something else. She turned around, only to see Wu Li Chen walk over. Despite her opening her mouth, he still walked forward.
As though he had ignored her.
Cen Si Miao frowned, and glared at the bar showing the Male Lead's feelings. It was at 35%.
Suddenly, she heard a voice. "Have you eaten lunch? I bought some things back.'
This hotel even had a kitchen, and one could make his own meals. Wu Li Chen was busy washing vegetables under the tap. Cen Si Miao went over and saw a whole pile of ingredients.
"Do you cook for yourself every day?"
Wu Li Chen nodded.
Glancing over, Cen Si Miao saw that everything was new. Even the bag of salt hadn't been opened.
Sitting down, she played with her phone as she looked at Wu Li Chen stir-frying the vegetables. As she did this, she sometimes asked whether he needed her help, but Wu Li Chen was unfailingly polite as he refused.
Xu Senni had sent her a message.
'Open a gallery.'
'Open a gallery with me.'
'The salary is stable, and you won’t need to pay for anything.'
'It’ll be successful.'
As the WeChat notifications continued to come in, Wu Li Chen laboured over the pot. As Cen Si Miao was feeling sleepy, she heard the ringing sound of a spatula falling.
Immediately, her head cleared, and eyeing the kitchen, she asked. "Do you need help?"
"Yes."
Her fingers immediately stopped moving.
Wu Li Chen quickly fried the dishes in the pot and turned around to see Cen Si Miao. His voice was especially gentle. "Help me put on my apron."
He couldn't stop moving, especially when he was so close to the fire. Cen Si Miao wanted to pass him the apron from the side, but as soon as she got close, his other hand gently pushed her away.
"What if you got burnt by the fire."
Opening her mouth, Cen Si Miao was about to retort before seeing his brows furrow. After speaking, he continued to fry the vegetables. Licking her lips, she turned to face his back.
Her chest pressed against him, and her chin rested on his back as her hand brushed across his front.
The hand holding the spatula paused.
The chin slowly turned into the side of her face resting against him, and there was a layer of fabric on his back. Her hot touch was especially noticeable. Suddenly, the source of the heat disappeared, leaving behind a little residual warmth.
Her eyes curved as she looked at the knot. "It's tied properly."
Wu Li Chen's throat moved as he said, "En." Squinting at the salt jar, he continued. "What were you doing just now?"
Cen Si Miao was stunned for a moment before she replied. "Someone asked me about whether I wanted to open a gallery with her."
"What do you think?"
Wu Li Chen laughed lightly and grabbed the plate. "You're suited for charity work."
Looking at her, his meaning was clear.
After eating, Cen Si Miao curled up on the sofa and rubbed her feet. The heels she'd worn today were too high, making her feet hurt when she walked. Wu Li Chen finished washing the dishes and glanced at her before rubbing his hands.
Sitting down on the sofa, he gently moved her hands. They immediately hid behind her back. Wu Li Chen looked over and saw that she was not unwilling, so he stared at her legs intensely as he started to gently massage them.
Cen Si Miao was ticklish, but she couldn't retract her legs. Still, the place where her legs hurt had become much better.
Her words were rebuking, yet her tone was rather spoilt. "You let go."
His eyebrows raised, Wu Li Chen replied. "Not letting go."
Cen Si Miao had an angry expression on, and as she glared at him her chin tightened. Yet this made people think she was gentle, with no real heat behind her anger. Her legs and back felt itchy, and she gritted her teeth.
Wu Li Chen continued to look down.
Suddenly, the shrill sound of a phone ringing broke the silence that had settled over the two.
Cen Si Miao gave a startled jump, and Wu Li Chen felt the warmth in his hands tremble slightly. He raised his head, only to see her pale, almost as though she was conflicted as she stared at her phone.
Picking up the call, she pretended to be calm. "Yinli."
Secretly, she took a glance at Wu Li Chen. He looked as though he hadn't heard anything.
"Where are you? I haven't been home for so long; how have you been?"
"I-I'm shopping right now. Yinli, I really miss you." Her voice shook a little, tone slightly hurt, but anyone could hear her sincerity.
The voice on the other side became much gentler. "I'll be back home after a few days. Take good care of yourself, buy anything you want to buy, okay?"
"En, you should quickly…"
Hurriedly, she bit her tongue, trying to withstand the sensation on her legs.
Glancing towards Wu Li Chen, she saw that his face was full of smiles, but the ruffian-like smirk on his face couldn't be hidden, and his eyes were filled with an indescribable emotion.
"What happened? Is anything wrong?"
"No, nothing's wrong. I just miss you too much."
The person kept on talking about something else, but she wasn't in the mood to listen, so she simply gave a few perfunctory responses before hanging up. Immediately, she let loose a sigh of relief. The fire in her eyes blazed into an inferno, and she started to struggle.
Her voice was incredibly loud. "Let me go!"
When Wu Li Chen released her, her actions had been too violent, and she suddenly fell onto the sofa. His body followed hers, and he didn't move, instead staring into her anger-filled eyes.
His lips curved up. "How long will you be doing this charity work for?"
His expression was exactly the same as that of that particular day, as though he wanted to break her bones, and his eyes were filled with possessiveness.