Chapter 9

Two months after Li Qingyi’s wedding, Zhou Yanming and I were already quite familiar with each other.

The friendship between two people who hit it off so well was, amusingly, first built because of their romance-obsessed friends.

It’s true – talking about other people behind their backs is the fastest way to get closer.

That day after work, it was pouring outside.

I was driving, the wipers working, and had just pulled out of the garage and gone a short way when I spotted a familiar figure among the crowd waiting out the rain under the building ahead.

I drove over, stopped in front, and called Zhou Yanming.

Through the sound of rain outside and on the phone, I watched him through the curtain of rain and asked, “Why are you waiting out the rain too? Where’s your car?”

The people on the steps looked over.

From his perspective, he probably couldn’t see me through the car.

“It’s at the shop for maintenance,” he said.

I see.

“Get in, I’ll give you a ride.”

He didn’t stand on ceremony. He quickly ran through the rain, opened the car door, and got in. He was pretty wet, so I handed him some tissues.

Zhou Yanming reached out to take them, his fingertips accidentally brushing against my hand.

The dampness and chill came together.

“Sorry to trouble you,” he said.

Following the address Zhou Yanming gave me, I drove in silence for a while. “You’re saying this is your place?”

This huge villa…

Thinking about how, in my twenties, I bought a car on my own and a large apartment with help from my parents, I’d felt pretty successful.

“Want to take a look? I live alone,” the man beside me suddenly invited.

I turned to look at him, my gaze flickering, and only then noticed that the rain had soaked his white shirt in several places, making parts of it semi-transparent.

The fabric clung to his body, outlining the contours of his well-defined chest muscles.

Zhou Yanming saw my gaze linger on him and apologized, “Sorry for getting your car wet.”

I shifted my gaze to his face. “It’s fine.”

I almost wanted to thank him.

So generous.

The villa’s exterior was truly beautiful, and I couldn’t resist going in for a look.

The inside didn’t disappoint.

And Zhou Yanming, who was going upstairs and undressing at the same time, didn’t disappoint either.

His back, shirt already unbuttoned and off, revealed broad shoulders and well-defined back muscles.

Not long after, Zhou Yanming came downstairs in fresh clothes and said, “Since you’re here, stay for dinner. Try my cooking.”

He tied on an apron – nothing remarkable – but with the weather turning cooler, he was wearing a black, tight turtleneck underneath.

This kind of outfit is said to be men’s lingerie.

Obviously for the modeling effect.

I watched him cook with practiced ease, and in half an hour, he served our dinner.

Since I had to drive, I didn’t touch the wine in Zhou Yanming’s cabinet. He chuckled, “You can take a couple bottles with you later.”

I looked away.

Not only was he dressed lewdly, but his smile was just as suggestive.

I absolutely refuse to admit my mind is in the gutter.