Crossing the Line – Chapter 37
by Little PandaBoth Arms Gradually Tightening in Possessiveness
Jiang Siyi covered Lin Ji’s mouth—a scene that, in the eyes of Duan Ning, whose emotions had been riding a roller coaster, carried a certain unique flavor.
Jiang Siyi’s palm pressed across the lower half of Lin Ji’s face, resting with abandon against that flawless visage.
The mouth that had probably silenced countless others was now covered by Jiang Siyi’s hand—and when she was told not to speak, she truly didn’t.
Even though her fair, delicate skin was faintly pressed into a shallow red ring by bashful fingertips, with the risk of smudging her makeup, Lin Ji showed not the slightest urgency. She simply let Jiang Siyi’s hand run amok on her prized face.
Good lord—so this was what a real, legally married wife looked like? This pampered?
Lin Ji knew that when Jiang Siyi was sober, she would never make such a direct intimate gesture.
It was the alcohol that had given her courage.
Lin Ji didn’t move her hand away either—she just let her keep it there. A pleasant female voice filtered through her palm, laughing softly with unhurried ease:
“Mm, I won’t say anything.”
The airflow from Lin Ji’s speech gusted against her palm. It tickled.
The ticklishness and the steadily rising temperature made Jiang Siyi realize what she was doing in full public view. She stiffened, then quickly withdrew her hand.
Jiang Siyi’s gaze flickered with evasion. “How did you get here?”
“I said I’d contact you later, but I couldn’t reach you, so I came to find you directly.”
Couldn’t reach her?
Now that she mentioned it, Jiang Siyi realized that during the time she’d been eating late-night snacks with Duan Ning, her phone had been sitting in her pocket the whole time.
The alcohol, the wide-ranging conversation, and the noisy crowd at the night market had all conspired to keep her from noticing any incoming messages.
She pulled out her phone and found a row of Lin Ji’s WeChat messages on the screen, along with an unanswered voice call request.
,: 【I’ve finished my business. Will you still invite me to dinner?】
,: 【Are you at home, or are you out?】
,: 【There really was a work matter that needed resolving just now. I couldn’t delegate it to anyone else. I’m sorry—I should have handled it sooner.】
,: 【Voice call unanswered】
,: 【Please contact me when you see this message.】
,: 【Siyi?】
Jiang Siyi’s gaze was caught by the address “Siyi” for a moment. Without hearing a voice or catching a tone—just two characters—it somehow conveyed the careful, tentative probing of someone afraid she might be angry, along with the patience of someone coaxing her.
She looked slowly toward Lin Ji’s face and explained:
“I was having a late-night snack with Duan Ning just now. I didn’t hear it.”
“Mm. I figured that out later.”
Her response now seemed casual and light, but the Lin Ji who couldn’t get a reply from Jiang Siyi had been anything but calm.
When she couldn’t find Jiang Siyi, countless possibilities had flashed through Lin Ji’s mind.
Kidnapping. Confinement. Harm…
Her past experiences, combined with the terrifying incident where her life had just been threatened, made it nearly impossible not to form a cascade of violent scenarios in her mind.
Thankfully, she had long since stationed Zhou Ni by Jiang Siyi’s side.
Zhou Ni: 【Miss Jiang is fine. She’s having a late-night snack with a colleague surnamed Duan at the night market near her home. It’s probably too noisy there—she didn’t hear your WeChat.】
What Zhou Ni said on the phone made Lin Ji’s foot on the accelerator gradually ease, and the car slowed down.
Her taut nerves began to unwind during the long moment she closed her eyes at a red light.
Releasing her grip on the steering wheel, she found that her knuckles ached from how hard she’d been clenching.
Zhou Ni continued reporting Jiang Siyi’s movements: 【At 7:40, she took the subway to the station closest to Huanwei Technology Headquarters. For some reason, she lingered at the exit for a few seconds, then immediately went back. It seemed like she’d received a message from someone. After that, she met up with the colleague surnamed Duan at the night market, where she’s been until now.】
Cross-referencing the time Zhou Ni mentioned, Lin Ji confirmed that Jiang Siyi had left after receiving her WeChat message.
So she had already taken the subway over—she’d been right downstairs.
No wonder there had been a trace of resentment in Jiang Siyi’s tone when she spoke about her with Duan Ning earlier.
She’d even doubted her ability to “date.”
Lin Ji had seen Jiang Siyi and Duan Ning deep in conversation and hadn’t interrupted.
She’d waited until just now.
Jiang Siyi genuinely hadn’t expected Lin Ji to defy convention like this.
When she said “I’ll contact you later,” she’d actually meant she would reach out later today.
It wasn’t the same as someone saying “let’s talk later” and then disappearing for days.
Two people who didn’t yet know each other well were groping their way forward, stumbling as they drew closer.
Lin Ji looked at Duan Ning.
She didn’t even need to open her mouth—Duan Ning had already reviewed everything she’d just said in her mind and, in the interest of her personal safety, immediately said her goodbyes.
Lin Ji said to Jiang Siyi, “I’ll walk you home.”
The night market wasn’t far from Jiang Siyi’s apartment—just over a kilometer. Walking back slowly wouldn’t take long.
The stalls had their awnings up, the tables and chairs crowded together under dazzling lights. Siyi hadn’t even noticed when it had started raining outside.
By the time they stepped out from the stall, the sudden rain had already stopped. The ground was covered in puddles and wet streaks.
The temperature had dropped a little. The damp scent of rain, mixed with a faintly warm breeze, swept over them, fluttering through their light summer clothes and tracing the equally graceful silhouettes of the two women walking side by side.
“Zhou Ni told me you went to Huanwei Technology Headquarters earlier.”
Jiang Siyi hadn’t asked—Lin Ji had brought it up herself.
“I couldn’t see you at the time because I was dealing with a corporate spy. I genuinely couldn’t get away. I’m sorry.”
Jiang Siyi’s pace slowed. “A corporate spy?”
“This person had been embedded at Huanwei for thirteen months to steal our company’s core technology. We identified him half a year ago, but to dig out whoever was pulling the strings behind him, we waited until now. The overseas business trip was meant to make him slip up, but some unexpected trouble came up along the way. We couldn’t afford to wait any longer, so we forcibly detained him domestically and handed him over to the police. When you came looking for me earlier, I was in the middle of securing evidence of his crimes.”
So it was this person.
At the subway exit, Jiang Siyi had only felt that Lin Ji’s voice telling her “don’t come over” had been cold.
A personality that instinctively avoided burdening others, combined with years of being treated coldly, made her reflexively pull back the moment she sensed she might be a nuisance.
This rare instance of taking the initiative, only to be doused with cold water—Jiang Siyi’s mood had been quite low at the time.
That was why she’d gone to eat late-night snacks and drink with Duan Ning.
And ended up saying some reckless things without a filter.
The most terrifying part was that Lin Ji might have heard every word.
After the Biaojie1 incident, the “leg-rubbing” incident, and the “skirt-lifting” incident, there was now a “no-filter” incident.
She’d only been getting closer to Lin Ji for how long, and the embarrassment rankings already boasted four heavyweight contenders neck and neck.
Jiang Siyi tried to shut out the mortification that made her fingers curl. What Lin Ji had mentioned earlier caught her attention.
“You said something happened overseas? What happened? Are you all right?”
The last traces of drunkenness were gone from her beautiful eyes. Clear worry and genuine concern fell steadily into Lin Ji’s gaze.
“Nothing serious. Just a minor car accident.”
This time, Jiang Siyi stopped walking entirely.
“A ‘minor’ car accident? Are you… hurt?”
Her heart twisting, Jiang Siyi grabbed Lin Ji’s hand without thinking.
Lin Ji slowly lowered her gaze to Jiang Siyi’s hand—pale, slender, desperately holding on to hers.
“No. Fan Qing’s driving skills are excellent—no one could make her car flip. She took a knock to the head, but I’m fine.”
Lin Ji didn’t mention that the car had nearly flown off the bridge and into the river.
Nor did she mention the high fever she’d developed afterward, which only broke after she returned to the country.
She wanted Jiang Siyi to feel tender toward her, but didn’t want her to genuinely worry.
Face, neck, arms… she scrutinized every visible inch of skin. There were indeed no signs of injury. Jiang Siyi felt a little more at ease.
At the same time, she realized she had grabbed Lin Ji’s hand without even noticing.
She quietly released it and pulled back.
“Has the corporate spy been arrested?”
“Mm. He’s been taken away by the police. The estimated sentence starts at five years.”
Jiang Siyi’s uncertain index finger hooked around her other equally uncertain index finger. Her slender chest rose and fell once, and she breathed out a sigh of relief.
The two walked side by side beneath the starlight.
Skirting the puddles, the long summer wind caught Lin Ji’s thick black curls, lifting them without anything to shield her face. Her exquisite features were only rendered more starkly beautiful.
Jiang Siyi kept watching their reflections walking side by side in the ground-floor shop windows, not knowing why herself.
“When you came to find me earlier, was it just to invite me to dinner?”
In the end, Lin Ji had been the one to treat her—and her friend as well.
“There was something I wanted to give you, too.”
“A gift?” A spark lit up in Lin Ji’s eyes. “Can I have it now?”
The fine jewelry Lin Xuebo had gifted her, of course, hadn’t been brought to the night market. She’d stashed it all at home before heading out for late-night snacks with Duan Ning.
But the little Shi Shi Ru Yi2 persimmon had been sitting in her bag the whole time, never taken out, carried with her.
Jiang Siyi’s index finger hooked the clasp, and the fuzzy little persimmon dropped into Lin Ji’s palm.
This kind of ornament could be found anywhere—so cheap that offering it as a gift felt almost presumptuous.
Jiang Siyi: “This is it. I just thought it felt nice to the touch, so I bought it on a whim. It doesn’t really count as a gift.”
She didn’t dare meet Lin Ji’s eyes, afraid of seeing disappointment.
As if afraid it might accidentally fall, Lin Ji cupped it between both hands, gently rolling it in her palms.
A flicker of a smile, her eyes brimming with tenderness.
“My favorite texture. I really love it. Thank you.”
Lin Ji was probably the most direct person Jiang Siyi had ever known when it came to expressing that she liked something.
Jiang Siyi scratched her cheek with her index finger.
“I just… when I was shopping with a colleague, I happened to see it, and I remembered you seem to like plush toys, and it felt nice, so… um, I’m glad you like it. Also, Auntie Lin bought a lot of jewelry at Jiashibi before and said it was for me as a dowry.”
At this point, Jiang Siyi gave a small laugh.
“It’s not like a mother-in-law should be giving a dowry. It’d be awkward to return it to her face-to-face, so I thought I’d bring it over and give it back to you.”
You say “mother-in-law” easily enough, but I’ve never heard you say “Wife.”
Lin Ji thought to herself: And do you realize you talk a lot when you’re nervous?
Jiang Siyi thought to herself: Great, I went and explained a whole bunch again.
“She gives you gifts because she likes you.”
“But…”
“If you return them, she’ll be hurt.”
Jiang Siyi couldn’t very well say anything more. She could only console herself with the thought that at least Lin Ji’s mother seemed satisfied with her and hadn’t raised any objections about this marriage of convenience, so Lin Ji probably didn’t have much to worry about.
She’d keep the jewelry safe and find an opportunity to return it later.
Lin Ji hung the rabbit-fur persimmon on her handbag. “Thank you. I’ll accept it.”
“You’re hanging it on already?”
“Am I not allowed to?”
“No, it’s just… it feels like the style doesn’t quite match.”
A handbag worth over a hundred thousand yuan and a toy that cost a dozen or so yuan didn’t seem to belong in the same frame.
Lin Ji said with certainty, “It matches perfectly.”
Jiang Siyi said the polite thing—”As long as you like it”—but her mouth had already been occupied by an involuntary smile.
They were taking a shortcut that would get them home faster—one Jiang Siyi had chosen.
At the last turn, a puddle nearly as wide as the narrow, dilapidated road appeared ahead.
The puddle spanned the entire width of the road and exceeded the distance Jiang Siyi could cover in a single stride.
Forcing her way across would very likely mean stepping into dirty water, with unimaginable consequences.
Jiang Siyi was wearing a new pair of white lambskin loafers today. Stepping into a puddle like this would definitely hurt.
But turning back now would mean retracing most of the way before she could turn onto another road.
It wasn’t impossible—just an inner struggle.
In truth, she’d only hesitated for a brief moment, yet the person beside her had already read her thoughts.
“How about we…”
Before she could finish, Lin Ji had already stepped into the puddle without the slightest hesitation.
Jiang Siyi stared, dumbfounded, as those expensive mules were half-submerged in water.
Lin Ji turned back and extended her left hand toward Jiang Siyi.
“I’ll carry you across.”
Being cared for made Jiang Siyi’s heart go soft and warm.
But Lin Ji’s gesture didn’t seem like it could get her to the other side of the puddle.
Not knowing what Lin Ji intended, Jiang Siyi still reached out and gave her her hand.
Her hand was clasped by Lin Ji, but that wasn’t the main event.
The next moment, Lin Ji’s other arm wrapped around Jiang Siyi’s waist, and she said near her ear:
“Step forward. I’ve got you.”
Jiang Siyi: !
Before she could react, the arm braced against her lower back was already exerting a subtle force.
She instinctively obeyed Lin Ji’s words and stepped forward with her.
Jiang Siyi knew she couldn’t normally stride that far, but buoyed by the support of Lin Ji’s arm, she experienced a strange sensation of suspension. By the time she came back to herself, she was already on the other side of the puddle.
Her new shoes hadn’t been touched by a single drop of dirty water.
Her left hand had merely been held to guide her direction. Jiang Siyi had never imagined that Lin Ji could lift most of her body weight with just her right arm.
She was held very steadily, but it was too sudden.
The moment she landed, Jiang Siyi instinctively sought a sense of security in her panic.
With a small cry, she threw herself into Lin Ji’s embrace and wrapped her arms tightly around her neck.
Summer clothes were thin and breathable. The two bodies pressed together effortlessly exchanged their soft curves and feverish warmth.
Lin Ji thought she was about to fall, and the arm locked around her waist tightened even further.
The sensation of truly, solidly holding Jiang Siyi—and that Jiang Siyi needed her—surged into her awareness.
A long-hidden, shadowed desire buried in her heart for years was, in an instant, subtly fulfilled—cracking open a corner of her yearning.
Both arms gradually tightened in possessiveness, squeezing what she had long dreamed of.
Not until the woman in her arms let out a soft whimper of pain did Lin Ji snap back to herself, lowering her gaze to the person in her embrace.
Jiang Siyi’s arms, which had been wrapped around her neck, were now properly lowered, bracing uncertainly against Lin Ji’s shoulders. She wasn’t pushing hard, but her upper body had pulled back—a gesture of resistance all the same.
Her oval face was flushed crimson, and her black eyes, clear as if rinsed with water, darted about as if they couldn’t find a place to land.
She couldn’t bear to let go, but if she continued, Jiang Siyi would only become more afraid of her.
Lin Ji silently exhaled a hot breath and released her imprisoning arms.
Released, Jiang Siyi quietly shrank back half a step.
In her mind, she was the one who had initiated the embrace—similar in nature to rubbing against someone’s leg under the table or peeking at a nightgown. This probably carried the suspicion of seducing her again.
A layer of hot, fine sweat broke out on Jiang Siyi’s smooth forehead. She fanned herself and forcibly dragged the topic back:
“You’re… really impressive. You brought me across with just one arm.”
But Lin Ji’s brow furrowed. “You’re too thin.”
She’d seen how Jiang Siyi looked in a qipao—slender and well-proportioned, a very captivating kind of beauty.
But feeling her weight in her hands for real—too light, too thin, fragile enough to make one’s heart ache.
Lin Ji couldn’t help but think that if they lived together, it would be much more convenient to feed her.
To nourish her better.
She pushed open her door. Xueqiu was already waiting by the entrance, even holding his leash in his mouth, blinking his little dark bean eyes, waiting for his tardy owner to take him out.
But today, Jiang Siyi didn’t put his leash on right away. She patted his head, then walked past him in a daze, heading quickly toward the window.
The streetlight downstairs illuminated Lin Ji’s retreating figure.
The sounds of people and cars were far away, and the moonlight was hidden behind dark clouds.
Only a long shadow followed her.
A sense of loneliness filled every direction.
…
Lin Ji walked back alone to near the night market, where she’d parked her car.
When she got in, Fan Qing was already in the driver’s seat, reporting the latest developments regarding the corporate spy.
The police were conducting an interrogation and wanted Lin Ji to provide testimony.
“Is anyone still at the station now?”
“There’s someone on duty tonight.”
“Then let’s go now.”
“Understood.”
On the way to the police station, after organizing the testimony she’d give, Lin Ji recalled how she’d taken the initiative to carry Jiang Siyi across the puddle—somewhat childish, in retrospect.
She adjusted her posture, switching from her left leg crossed over her right to her right leg crossed on top.
But Lin Ji didn’t like dwelling on things that had already happened.
Childish, then. She just wanted Jiang Siyi to know that not only could she date, but the possibility of her being formidable in bed wasn’t zero either.
If needed, she could even pick up Jiang Siyi with one arm, with the other hand to spare—free to do many things.
Some rather heated images surfaced in her mind without warning, making Lin Ji’s breathing quicken.
She still had to go to the police station. She closed her eyes and steadied herself.
…
It was very late by the time they left the police station. The sounds of people and traffic had dwindled to their lowest.
Having walked through countless small hours of the morning, this was a time of night Lin Ji knew well.
As she got into the car, Lin Ji recalled the chance encounter in the corridor with the corporate spy who’d been brought in for interrogation.
She hadn’t said a word, yet the man had averted his eyes in fear, and the hand whose bones Lin Ji’s stiletto had crushed to fracture trembled uncontrollably.
The officer beside her had even joked that being fierce was good—it commanded authority.
Lin Ji had always known she didn’t look approachable, but this was the first time she’d wondered if she was too fierce.
At other times, it was fine enough. But when she tried to show warmth to someone she cared about, it always led to misunderstandings.
She didn’t like this person.
Even Jiang Siyi would find her tone cold, occasionally even be afraid.
A bit bad.
Fan Qing yawned softly and tossed two refreshing mint candies into her mouth.
Just as she was about to start the car, she caught sight in the rearview mirror of Lin Ji watching her quietly.
The first thought that popped up was—Did I do something wrong?
But… no, she hadn’t.
Fan Qing ventured cautiously, “What is it, BOSS?”
Lin Ji’s eyes stared straight at her. “Am I fierce?”
Fan Qing: …
Who would dare tell the truth?
Fan Qing stayed silent for a long time, racking her brain for something to smooth things over.
Lin Ji withdrew her gaze. “I know the answer.”
Fan Qing: .
Would she be fired tomorrow?
Late at night.
Fresh from the shower with her hair dried, Lin Ji stood before the mirror, studying her face.
Long brows, cold eyes, devoid of a trace of emotion. Her lips were habitually closed, betraying no desire to converse with anyone.
It would indeed come across as cold.
After a moment, she slightly curved her eyes and forced a stiff smile at the corners of her mouth.
Bracing her hands on the edge of the sink, she leaned toward the mirror and, softening her voice to imitate the gentle tone of the movie heroine she’d just studied, said:
“Siyi…”
The bedroom was so quiet. From somewhere far away, a dog’s panicked barking rang out.
Lin Ji: .
She’d given herself goose bumps.
Dripping with eerie undertones. She didn’t sound like a good person—didn’t even sound like a normal person.
If this person smiled at Jiang Siyi, she’d flee for her life.
She closed her eyes.
She had to admit there were things in this world she simply couldn’t do well.
The author has something to say:
Lin Ji: Wife-pampering Step 9—working hard to stop wife from being afraid…
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