Chapter 115: “The Man’s Admonition”

Her voice sounded resolute, not at all like she was joking.

He reached out to cling to her persistently, just like a dog who’s about to be sent away for long-term boarding because its owner is leaving home, using its big paws to paw at its owner, trying to awaken her last bit of conscience…

Unfortunately, while the dog’s pitifulness is genuinely pitiful, humans don’t work that way.

After all, a dog pawing at its owner won’t suddenly change its intention, but he, not being very well-behaved, firmly grasped her softness from behind, rubbing against her.

Gentle kisses fell stealthily on her cheek, like a thief, and after cautiously discovering she had no reaction, more scattered kisses landed on her earlobe, nape, and shoulder.

Jiang Ran was still replying to Nie Xin’s WeChat message when she suddenly stopped and turned around to look at him.

He smiled at her, and then those previously cautious kisses turned into unrestrained ones, biting her shoulder, leaving a trail of kiss marks, teeth imprints, and saliva on her originally pale and delicate shoulder.

Jiang Ran felt both pain and ticklishness, grabbing his hand that was mischievously setting fires everywhere, “Don’t mess around.”

He let out a low, rumbling whine from his throat, staring at her still slightly swollen lips, then nestled his head close to hers, resting his chin on her shoulder, his handsome face now just inches away.

He lowered his eyebrows and looked docile, “I want more.”

Even as he said this, he had already pulled her up and pressed himself against her.

Feeling his hot chest against her back, Jiang Ran instinctively tensed her body. She turned over, facing Beijiao directly, originally intending to prevent him from acting inappropriately from behind—

But who knew that this turn-on only made him happier, practically cheering as he buried his head into her bosom.

“…”

Jiang Ran recalled what Qiu Nian had told her a couple of days ago—if you’re ready to let him have some meat, you might as well feed him early. Such things are like volcanoes; long periods of dormancy are fine, but the pressure underneath only keeps building over time…

It hasn’t erupted yet—that’s just temporary.

Temporary.

“Just like a small volcanic eruption might only make local news, but if Mount Fuji, which has been dormant for many years, were to erupt, it might sink the entire country of Japan. It’s the same principle.”

Now, Jiang Ran deeply understood the rich yet useless knowledge she had shared.

He looked as if he wished he could just die inside her.

“I’m tired,” Jiang Ran gently wrapped her arms around his shoulders, trying to use tenderness to stop his increasingly forward behavior. “We haven’t even had lunch yet. Let’s eat first, okay?”

As soon as she said this, her hand was filled with his phone.

“Order takeout,” he sweetly said, “I’ll be done soon.”

“But order one that takes an hour to arrive… if it’s only half an hour, I won’t be that fast.”

Jiang Ran held the phone, unable to say a word. At that moment, he leaned over and kissed her lips, and she almost became accustomed to his occasional habit of coming over for a kiss—

Until the next second, her lips slightly parted from a sudden intake of breath.

She suddenly realized why he had kissed her. Her scream was completely muffled by his lips as his tongue tightly entwined with the base of hers, continuing to probe deeper, as if trying to reach her throat.

He rolled over.

His strong arm braced beside her head while the other hand supported her leg.

Heat and aching filled her mind. Because of the lack of oxygen, she had to keep her lips slightly parted, and he took the opportunity to bite her lower lip.

“Stop, stop!” She still held his phone in her hand, almost dropping it. “I’m really tired. My waist hurts.”

“You don’t move. Let me do it,” he moved closer, affectionately rubbing his nose against hers with his. “You want it. See, I can just slide right in!”

His voice was hypnotically coaxing, while she felt dizzy from the content of his words.

He was like a restless stray dog who had run away from home for two years and had finally returned. Now, he was frantically sniffing and nuzzling her neck and collarbone, greedily inhaling the familiar and intoxicating scent of hers—

And now, that scent was mixed with his own.

It made him even more addicted.

“So happy.”

When he felt her breathing gradually quicken, he temporarily stopped, cruelly torturing both her and himself.

But he seemed to not care at all—his self-control, almost nonexistent, suddenly showed itself at this moment—like forcibly separating from his “little brother” below, he stopped, burying his face in her neck, tightly hugging her as he mumbled.

“So happy, girlfriend.”

His voice was soft and fragmented, carrying a sigh-like tone. When he repeated those three words, the tremble in his voice made her instinctively wrap her arms around his shoulders.

“You always teach me interesting things, whether it’s skiing,” he kissed her throat, leaving a trail of red “strawberries,” “or now.”

She could only stretch her neck as he recklessly marked her with his kisses.

His murmuring seemed unconscious, but every word she heard softened her heart completely, as if her heart had been crushed into a bloody mess, turning into a pile of formless, unprincipled, mushy sludge.

“I like every single one of them.”

He said, his dark pupils flickering, hooking her chin with his finger to make her slightly watery eyes meet his. Then he leaned down and kissed her.

“I love you the most.”

…

In the end, it was Beijiao who ordered the takeout.

With one arm around her shoulders, she buried her face in the pillow, motionless. Beijiao called her name twice, asking what she wanted to eat, but she remained silent, not even responding—she might as well have been dead.

Thinking of this, the corners of his mouth uncontrollably lifted—so amazing, he had literally fucked her to death.

His blood was surging, and he was excited like a little pervert because of his own unspoken fantasy. He lowered his head to kiss the shoulder of hers that was already thoroughly ravaged by him and now lying in his arms. She shivered.

“Don’t touch me.”

Her voice sounded hoarse and carried a completely serious warning, suggesting that if he continued doing whatever he was doing, she really would get angry.

He obediently said, “Okay,” and resumed tapping on his phone: “Do you want some soup? How about white radish and shrimp bone soup? It’s getting colder tonight, radishes are good.”

She didn’t respond. After a long while, as he calmly added the radish soup to the cart, she moved her leg slightly.

This subtle movement made him stop his hand movements instantly. He felt her pulling the blanket that covered both of their waists downward, and she softly said, “Go out first.”

Beijiao responded with a “Mm,” “Wait a bit longer. Why send me away right after finishing? It’s warm in here.”

He had been speaking in this clingy, whiny tone since just now.

The Beijiao who, outside, could command with absolute authority and with just a few words could send disobedient kids running to obediently put on their helmets, was gone. In his place was now a clingy person—

It was as if he wanted to make up for all the missed affection of the past two years in one go.

After finishing the takeout order, he glanced at his phone screen. The edge was slightly cracked, probably from just now—it must have been from the heavy impact earlier when she had suddenly let go, causing the phone in her hand to slip and fall to the ground.

Beijiao lovingly touched the edge of the phone, then without hesitation, threw it aside.

He took Jiang Ran’s hand, and as she looked at him in confusion, he carefully examined her fingertips: had the fall hurt her hand? Had he not noticed any previous damage?

Luckily, there was none.

He held her hand and kissed her fingertip.

Jiang Ran pulled her hand back, frowning, “I feel uncomfortable.”

He observed her face, seeing that she was indeed exhausted and her eyes were slightly red, before reluctantly getting off her.

He grabbed some tissues and wiped himself, then tried to help her clean up, but as soon as he leaned forward to hold her ankle, she frowned but this time had learned her lesson, not allowing him to touch or even see any potentially sensitive areas.

She lightly kicked him on the chin with her foot, the three scratch marks she had left were still there.

“Alright, I won’t touch you,” he released her, then crawled back up to get close to her face, leaning down to ask, “Then do you want to take a bath?”

Of course she did.

Her weak, boneless hand gently slid over the scratch marks she had left on his chin, showing no remorse, “I want the bathtub. I can’t stand.”

He lowered his head slightly, allowing her fingertips to slide to his lips.

“There’s no bathtub,” he said, “I’ll go get you a chair.”

“Sure enough, poverty brings a hundred sorrows to a marriage.”

“Don’t be unreasonable,” he held her fingertip and bit it gently, “This is a rental apartment. Where am I supposed to get a bathtub for you?”

She expressionlessly withdrew her finger.

…

In the end, Jiang Ran really did take her shower sitting on a chair.

Throughout her shower, Beijiao stuck like a piece of chewing gum outside the door, his tall figure always just on the other side, forming a blurred outline through the frosted glass.

Every three minutes, he would ask, “Do you need me to help?”

Like a broken record.

Eventually, Jiang Ran got annoyed, “I’m just taking a shower, not giving birth. Do you have to act like you’re standing outside a delivery room?”

The outside instantly quieted down. After a long pause, he scratched at the door and said in a plaintive voice, “I was just worried you might slip and fall.”

After finishing her shower, Jiang Ran put on Beijiao’s T-shirt and his plain blue, wide-legged pants. She had to tighten the waistband to the maximum and fold the hem over before the pants would stay up. At that moment, she realized how broad his frame was—his waist looked thinner than hers.

After finishing her shower and coming out, the food was already on the table. He had poured her a bowl of soup, and she, following some Cantonese habits, drank soup before eating. Holding the warm bowl of soup, she saw Beijiao sitting across from her, playing on his phone.

“What’s wrong?”

Beijiao showed her his phone. He had ordered a huge amount of condoms, as if he were trying to empty the official store.

Jiang Ran’s mind went blank for a few seconds before she was shocked, “Are all of these for us to use?”

Beijiao raised an eyebrow.

Jiang Ran realized what she had just said, and sweat almost came out on her forehead. She put down the soup bowl, “…I thought you were splitting the order with Zhao Keyan.”

“Lately he’s turned into a shameless twenty-four filial son,” Beijiao remarked offhandedly, “Must be my influence.”

“You can’t use that many by yourself.”

“Who are you underestimating?”

“…”

Jiang Ran really didn’t understand why he had to be so competitive about this sort of thing.

She picked up her chopsticks and started eating rice when she saw the person sitting across from her showing a shy expression that would make anyone who saw it think they were dreaming. He used his toe to draw on the floor, “At most, I’ll use them for another one or two years. I’m not ready to be a dad yet.”

With a piece of eggplant in his mouth, if it weren’t for the oiliness making it slide directly down his throat, Jiang Ran might have choked to death at that moment—

She could feel her earlobes turning red from being so flustered. Suppressing her irritation, she picked up her water glass and calmly took a sip, “A dad? You?”

Unreasonably, she found herself actually getting angry.

Of course, she had never even considered having a real child, but there are things where, even if you don’t want them, you don’t want the other person to not want them either.

What, so one moment he was hugging her, saying how much he liked her and couldn’t live without her, and the next he was rejecting being tied down by her and some unknown child?

Doesn’t he even know his own worth before thinking he can have everything he wants? How dare he think it’s all going to work out so perfectly!

The more she thought about it, the angrier she got, wanting to throw her chopsticks down in a huff.

“You scared me with that childbirth analogy in the bathroom earlier,” Beijiao said. “Suddenly I realized that mentally preparing for something like that might take years. Otherwise, judging from my psychological state just now outside the bathroom, I might faint in front of the delivery room… and that would be very embarrassing in public.”

He said it very seriously.

That thoughtful expression made Jiang Ran feel like she had to laugh, or she’d be doing him a disservice.

So she laughed, and instantly, the stuffy feeling in her heart vanished like mist in the wind, laughing so hard she could barely hold her chopsticks, “You’re worrying about so much?”

“Because being a parent is a serious matter,” Beijiao straightened his back, “If you get pregnant, I’ll have to start reviewing high school math and science, otherwise I won’t be able to help our little one with homework in the future.”

“…”

Alright, really, there’s no need to get that specific.

Jiang Ran shoved her rice bowl into his hands, signaling him to just eat properly.

Beijiao took a couple of bites, and probably because the topic had come up, he tilted his head thoughtfully and kicked her under the table, “Back when you were in school, did anyone really supervise you?”

“Not really,” Jiang Ran said. “I went abroad early, and the education system there is pretty much free-range.”

“Oh,” Beijiao said in a very calm tone, “My mom didn’t really supervise me either. Although I managed to survive, I still think it wasn’t very good.”

He sounded calm and indifferent, as if he were talking about something completely unrelated—

But Jiang Ran knew.

His mother had treated him badly, and children who lacked a childhood, when it comes to the idea of someday possibly having their own children, they tend to be more cautious than others.

She raised her hand and reached across the table to pat his hair.

He lowered his head obediently, letting her pet him for a while, then looked at her face. Actually, he had never really thought about getting married and having children before—

He had just gotten used to living alone, thinking it would be peaceful enough to live like that until death.

He wasn’t sure he could be a good parent, and if he couldn’t do it well, then bringing a child into the world without their consent would be too pitiful.

So, it’s safest to have nothing at all.

But.

Across the table, watching the woman seated just within arm’s reach, looking relaxed as she bent her head to eat, picking up food with her chopsticks. She clearly didn’t understand anything either—was even spoiled and had a temper, like a child herself.

And yet, someone like her had shaken his previously firm convictions.

“… Well, maybe it’s not that bad after all?”

He muttered.

“Hmm?”

Jiang Ran looked up at him.

“Nothing.”

He just felt, if it were her…

He could face bravely, and patiently learn, all the things he once found terrifying and troublesome.

Suddenly, he thought maybe it wasn’t that bad after all.

…

That night felt like a remarkable milestone.

In the days that followed, two major events were unfolding—

The first was about Jiang Ran possibly being selected for the national snowboarding parallel giant slalom team. Following the superstitious belief that one should keep quiet until things are settled, she hadn’t made a big deal about it. Only a few close friends and the club owner knew.

Her trip to Chongli was finally scheduled after the Beijing Winter Olympics parallel giant slalom qualifiers. As Niexin put it, everyone would be free then and could sit down for a serious talk.

“Aren’t there more competitions ahead?” Jiang Ran asked.

“Well, there are certainly some excellent riders who’ve once shone on the World Cup stage,” Niexin’s reply was vague, “but this isn’t a key project for medal prospects, so there’ll be time.”

Upon a little deeper reflection, this answer successfully made Jiang Ran feel uneasy for quite a while.

The second event was that one night after New Year’s Day, Jiang Ran received a sudden bank transfer of over thirty million yuan on her mobile phone.

Though she wasn’t poor, this was the first time in her life she’d seen so many zeros added to her personal account all at once. Originally half-asleep, she bolted upright in bed.

Her first thought was that it must be some new kind of fraud, and she should call the police.

Then a message popped up from Jiang Huaimin. Late at night, he sent her a screenshot of plane tickets, asking if she’d received the demolition compensation, and told her that the property matters in Canada had already been settled. He would bring Auntie Zhang home for the Spring Festival this year.

Jiang Ran stared at her phone in silence for a long time before replying with a simple “Got it.”

Only then did she realize that the thirty million was from the demolition compensation.

The story began when she was in high school—Jiang Huaimin had bought her a house in Vancouver’s famous Chinese community to ensure her enrollment at a designated school, a so-called school district property.

Now, that area, including the adjacent park, was about to be demolished. A new real estate developer was moving in, planning to build high-end luxury high-rises selling for astronomical prices.

Vancouver’s housing prices were already among the highest in the world. To use the term “astronomical” in such a land-scarce, high-value area meant that Jiang Ran hadn’t hesitated even for a second in agreeing to take the money and move out quickly.

Later, due to the pandemic, the demolition stalled. Then came the hassle of traveling abroad, and Jiang Ran refused to go back, so her semi-retired father personally went to Vancouver to handle the matter.

Jiang Huaimin had only this one obedient daughter. Since she was a child, he always felt she lacked maternal love, so his paternal love poured out like a landslide, like a heavy rainstorm. Whatever his obedient daughter wanted was good, and whatever she asked for, he gave.

Without complaint, he took Auntie Zhang to Vancouver, and acted quickly—before the demolition compensation was even released, he first bought another high-rise apartment in downtown Vancouver, registering it under his obedient daughter’s name.

Now that the huge demolition compensation had arrived in her account, Jiang Ran immediately booked a large transfer transaction at the bank for the next day, planning to send most of it back to her father to pay for the apartment.

Putting down her phone, she calculated that there still seemed to be quite a bit left, so she asked how much remained. On the other end of the video call, Jiang Huaimin was picking his teeth: “Keep it for yourself, buy some handbags—or maybe spend it on some hairy crabs, geoducks, abalones for the New Year feast? I want to have Buddha Jumps Over the Wall for dinner.”

“What kind of Buddha Jumps Over the Wall costs over ten million? Should I buy some clay pots from in front of the Leshan Giant Buddha to make soup for you?”

Jiang Huaimin chuckled, warning her not to joke around about the Buddha.

“Then I’ll just book a restaurant, since no one can cook it anyway.”

At that moment, a faint voice came from someone beside him. Jiang Huaimin turned to speak to that person, then turned back: “Your Auntie Zhang says Beijiao might be able to cook it. Ask him tomorrow when you see him, okay?”

“…”

Jiang Ran glanced at Beijiao, who was right beside her now, wearing only a pair of pajama pants, hugging her pillow and sleeping soundly, and remained silent for a moment.

“Why should he spend the New Year with you?”

“The New Year is about being with family, being together,” Jiang Huaimin said. “It’s been so long, don’t you miss him at all?”

She didn’t think so.

At least, Jiang Ran hadn’t noticed any such longing.

“Fine,” she replied half-heartedly, “I’ll ask him tomorrow.”

She hung up the phone and put down her phone.

Before she could lie back down, an arm reached out from beside her, slipping under her nightgown to wrap possessively around her waist. With his eyes closed, he pulled her toward him—

In the struggle, the strap of her nightgown slipped off her shoulder.

He was asleep, eyes shut, seemingly unaware even of his own mother, yet still leaned in to kiss her shoulder, murmuring sleepily, “Who was that? Why are you lying here next to me, talking to another guy on the phone?”

Jiang Ran gave him a light slap, expressionless: “My dad.”

Beijiao slowly opened his eyes, looked at how most of her body was already outside the covers, then pulled her back under the blanket, wrapping his arms and legs tightly around her: “What did your father-in-law say?”

Who’s your father-in-law?

“He and your mom… my stepmom will come back for the New Year.”

As she spoke, his hand had already settled on her waist.

His dry palm pressed against her soft skin.

He was sneakily pushing up her nightgown.

But upon hearing her words, he suddenly stopped. He “oh”ed once, thought for a moment, then “oh”ed again. His hands no longer misbehaved, but instead used both arms to wrap tightly around her waist, forcibly pulling her on top of him.

Jiang Ran lay on top of him, a full-grown adult pressing down on him, but he didn’t blush or pant. He only tightened his arms around her waist, burying his head in her neck and nuzzling: “So we can’t spend the New Year together this year? No way, I can’t live without you even for a single day.”

Yes.

Exactly.

The volcano hadn’t fully erupted yet.

The past twenty-odd years of physical and emotional purity had really been tough on the poor kid. When asked, he’d just smile innocently and say that many of his classmates had already done “that thing” back in high school, but he simply refused to follow their example, believing firmly that waiting would bring him the best.

Jiang Ran felt ticklish from his nuzzling, grabbing his ears to stop him from moving.

Separated only by the thin, icy silk of her nightgown and his thin cotton pajamas, he leaned against her.

She blinked: “Let’s talk about serious stuff first.”

He pouted at her, so she sighed and leaned down to kiss his lips, which were pouting so high.

Beijiao sighed, finally reluctantly asking: “What is it?”

Jiang Ran: “Don’t you want to come home with me for the New Year?”

Beijiao instinctively wanted to say no, but then suddenly remembered, roughly three hours ago, when he was clinging tightly to her, he had sworn, “There’s nothing more important than how much I love you.”

Who knew, at this very moment, the promise he had made was suddenly due for fulfillment.

Even though he really didn’t want to see Auntie Zhang, that “not wanting to” shouldn’t outweigh his “wanting” for Jiang Ran.

Weighing the pros and cons, he suddenly felt a sense of mission to represent all men in bed around the world, so he reluctantly said: “Okay.”

Jiang Ran, of course, had no idea of his inner struggle and was a little surprised: “You agreed just like that?”

“You asked me to.”

He turned his head away with a huff.

“Of course you had to agree.”

Lying on his chest, she absentmindedly stroked his hair, “You’ve been so obedient lately, it feels a bit unreal.”

“Exactly,” he said seriously, “because the penis is the expressway to a man’s heart. Now that you’ve slept with me, not only my body, but my heart is completely yours.”

“…”

He really knew how to talk nonsense.

If one day Xinhua Bookstore carried a bestseller titled *The Admonitions for Men*, the author should definitely be “Beijiao,” China’s first male virtue expert.