Crossing the Line – Chapter 48

by Little Panda

Her Delicate Chin Tilted Upward

Jiang Siyi’s personality was reserved; even the sounds she made while kissing were restrained.

Aside from that first moment of being pressed against the wall, every small sound after was held in her throat.

Breathless, she tried to pull away from Lin Ji’s lips, but Lin Ji turned her face back to hers.

The kiss didn’t stop at all—deepened instead. She was kissed until she unconsciously rose onto her toes.

Swaying, unsure whether to step forward or back.

A layer of hot sweat broke out across her whole body, yet every sound was muffled.

Only scalding breaths, blocked by Lin Ji’s lips and tongue.

Chaotic and suppressed.

Her lips were parted to a shameful angle.

The soft tongue in her mouth tangled with hers, tangling until the root of her tongue went numb.

She couldn’t have imagined that Lin Ji—always composed and courteous, always unhurried—would kiss this fiercely.

Invading again and again, leaving no room whatsoever.

An intense, inexplicable possessiveness made Jiang Siyi’s breathing grow heavy.

Dizziness shrouded her consciousness; oxygen nearly depleted, she could only let Lin Ji have her way.

Amid the ferocity was an indescribable skill.

Her jaw and legs went soft together.

The woman holding her showed no intention of stopping.

Kissed until her body tilted, the kiss still continuing, her waist bent backward.

A drop of water slipped uncontrollably from the corner of her lips.

The faint sound of water grew clearer and clearer in the spacious, quiet room.

Unbearable to hear.

She was about to lose her footing, yet couldn’t bear to call a stop—could only loop her arms around Lin Ji’s neck to stay upright.

This gesture, though, only seemed like drawing closer.

An instinctive coaxing, as if begging for more.

Sensing Jiang Siyi’s wordless press closer, Lin Ji’s breath hitched. One hand pressed against Jiang Siyi’s thin back, pulling her harder into her embrace, while the other arm cinched around her already kiss-softened waist.

She actually lifted her up.

The kiss still didn’t stop.

Suspended in midair while still being kissed deeply—this dizzying, disorienting lack of security made Jiang Siyi finally cry out in fear.

The small cry hadn’t ended before, amid the jolt of falling together onto the sofa, it abruptly turned into a muffled groan.

A pained “mmph”—very soft, with an ending note so tender that even Jiang Siyi herself hadn’t expected it, as if deliberately provoking.

Hearing her own voice, Jiang Siyi’s already burning face seemed to ignite all at once.

On the olive green calfskin sofa, two women with alluring figures tangled inseparably.

Held, kissed, pressed down by the person above her.

Jiang Siyi’s delicate chin was tilted upward.

Long legs bent restlessly.

Slippers had long since gone who-knows-where. Lin Ji’s long hair fanned across her face and neck.

It should have been ticklish, but Lin Ji’s slender fingers held Jiang Siyi’s face, turning it to one side, exposing her pale neck.

Her eyes lost focus.

Already completely overtaken by this unfamiliar rush of tingling pleasure, with no capacity left for any other sensation.

The phone on the distant coffee table had been vibrating for who knows how long—no one wanted to know.

At first, no one paid it any mind.

After the first auto-disconnect, it rang again, persistent.

At the same time, Xueqiu, who had been anxiously circling by the sofa, not knowing how to “break up the fight,” started barking too.

Each bark more urgent than the last.

Hearing the dog’s barks, some taut nerve in Lin Ji’s mind was roused.

Both of their movements slowed.

Scattered awareness gathered back.

Their intertwined posture was unbearable.

Jiang Siyi’s small forearm, braced against Lin Ji’s shoulder, pushed upward instinctively.

Lin Ji’s long hair fell messily across her eyes, her expression unreadable—only the gloss on her lips remained, the rise and fall of her chest matching Jiang Siyi’s exactly.

Pushed away gently like this, Lin Ji could only rise in silence.

Jiang Siyi sat up too.

A little awkwardly, she tugged her clothes—pushed up to her stomach—back down.

She looked at the phone still vibrating on the table.

“It might be… important work.”

The moment she spoke, she was secretly startled—her voice had gone completely hoarse.

Lin Ji was silent for several more seconds before reaching for the phone on the coffee table.

Jiang Siyi picked Xueqiu up.

“Did it scare you?”

Xueqiu was still a little anxious, its beany eyes looking at its owner in confusion.

Jiang Siyi stroked its fluffy head and said softly:

“It’s okay. We weren’t fighting, we were just…”

Doing something very intimate.

She couldn’t say the rest.

She looked at Lin Ji’s back.

Lin Ji murmured a few words, hung up, and turned around. Her demeanor was a bit heavy; she adjusted her mood before speaking.

“There’s an online meeting. I need to go now.”

“Mm-hmm, go ahead.”

Lin Ji gazed at Jiang Siyi for a long moment, seeing that the young woman’s once-neat long hair was now rather mussed.

She was, naturally, the culprit.

She helped smooth the strands, then gave her head a gentle rub.

She soothed Xueqiu; Lin Ji soothed her.

Her hair was neat again.

Jiang Siyi lowered her eyes, a little unnaturally. “It’s fine. I’ll… go comb my hair in a bit. You go to your meeting.”

Just as Lin Ji was about to leave, Jiang Siyi suddenly noticed something.

“Wait.”

She gripped the sofa armrest and stood, stepping closer to Lin Ji.

She tried to smooth out the rumpled fabric on the left side of Lin Ji’s collar.

Lin Ji said nothing, simply let her smooth it.

In the silence, Jiang Siyi knew that Lin Ji’s gaze was fixed on the same spot she was.

This rumple—she had crushed it herself while they were kissing.

She had been so nervous, and Lin Ji had kissed her so fiercely, her heartbeat filling her chest.

In the moments when her arms weren’t looped around Lin Ji’s neck, her hands had had no idea where to put themselves.

She had desperately needed something to grip.

Lin Ji’s clothes became her victim.

The skin-friendly, expensive white shirt was crumpled into a wrinkled mess in just a few clutches.

It wouldn’t recover anytime soon.

The spot was too high—right near the shoulder. It would definitely be visible on a video call.

No matter how simply Lin Ji usually dressed, she was always impeccable and meticulous.

A wrinkled shirt wasn’t her style at all.

And it might invite wild speculation—unnecessarily.

But she had gripped too hard. She smoothed and smoothed, yet traces remained.

Lin Ji: “It’s fine. I’ll throw on a jacket to cover it.”

Jiang Siyi thought, That’s the only way.

Suddenly, Lin Ji’s thumb pad pressed against the corner of her mouth, wiping gently.

The water stain she hadn’t noticed before—now, with this wipe, her skin felt its faint cool dampness instead.

The chaos and heat of their kiss just now.

And the unbearable sound of water.

All rushed back at once.

Jiang Siyi stiffly turned her gaze away.

Even the back of her neck was burning.

After helping Jiang Siyi tidy up, Lin Ji went to the study for her meeting.

Tap-tap-tap—

Sluggish footsteps trailed to the bathroom.

Jiang Siyi turned on the mirror cabinet light and leaned against the vanity.

Her palms were too hot; the cold surface of the counter made her shiver.

The woman in the mirror still had a dazed look in her eyes, her face flushed with an unnatural pink.

Her lips were red and swollen—clearly looking like they had been crushed and rolled.

She tilted her head closer to the mirror.

On her neck near her collarbone, there were deep and shallow red marks.

She knew exactly what those were.

Just now on the sofa, with her face held fast by Lin Ji and her neck fully exposed, Lin Ji had left them on her.

Fortunately…

They weren’t very high up. A collared shirt would cover them.

Had she really just kissed Lin Ji?

The unreal feeling kept drumming in her heart.

She splashed cold water on her face and felt much more awake.

A string of water droplets fell from her chin, drip-drip-drip.

In her peripheral vision, a white fluffy ball stood obediently at a distance.

Noticing Jiang Siyi looking at it, Xueqiu tilted its round head with a slightly blank expression.

Xueqiu had seen Lin Ji and Jiang Siyi tangled together on the sofa in the living room earlier—so intense.

It didn’t understand why the two good people who usually gave it treats and played with it were suddenly fighting.

In its anxiety, it had barked rather loudly.

From its perspective, the two had started fighting for no reason and stopped for no reason, with no sign of continuing.

Started suddenly, ended suddenly.

Xueqiu, full of questions, stayed quietly by Jiang Siyi’s side, afraid she would be attacked by someone else again, following her wherever she went.

Jiang Siyi didn’t want Xueqiu to worry, so she played with it for a while to help it relax.

But she kept spacing out.

She kept tossing the toy, wearing Xueqiu out until it was panting, lying flat on the floor with its tiny paws up, turning its head to look at Jiang Siyi with a miserable expression.

—Mommy, go fetch it yourself.

Jiang Siyi: …

Her spacing out had been a bit mean.

She massaged Xueqiu to soothe it, and just as she finished its little paws, footsteps came from behind.

Lin Ji had finished her meeting and returned.

Jiang Siyi was still crouching in front of Xueqiu and didn’t turn around.

Busy giving Xueqiu a spa—while in reality, all her attention was focused behind her.

She didn’t know what else would happen tonight.

“Siyi.”

Lin Ji approached step by step, already standing behind her.

Jiang Siyi’s throat moved slightly. She kept her hands busy, pretending calm:

“Mm?”

“There’s something important. I need to go on a business trip.”

Jiang Siyi turned in surprise. “When?”

“Now.”

“Now? At this hour heading to the airport—are there even any flights?”

“I’ll take my own plane.”

“Oh…”

She really had asked a silly question.

Xueqiu couldn’t take Jiang Siyi’s “poisonous hands” anymore and rolled over, scampering away.

Jiang Siyi stood up, momentarily unsure what to say.

Not sure whether to feel relieved or disappointed.

Lin Ji went to pack.

She took a suitcase from the walk-in closet.

She traveled frequently for business; the closet had a dedicated space for luggage, always ready to grab.

Some of the daily consumables inside hadn’t even been taken out.

The house was empty, yet the suitcase was in the most convenient spot.

As if she were just passing through this place.

This was only her temporary foothold.

As she packed clothes, Jiang Siyi, who had followed her in, asked:

“Where are you going on the business trip?”

“London.”

She had been about to ask how many days, but Lin Ji answered first.

“I don’t know how long yet.”

It seemed to be a sudden incident—tricky, with no telling how long it would take to resolve.

Jiang Siyi leaned against the doorframe, looking at her phone:

“London’s been having thunderstorms lately. The high is only 22 degrees—much colder than J City. Bring some warmer clothes.”

Lin Ji had thought she had scared Jiang Siyi with the intensity of the kiss.

She hadn’t expected her to still be thinking of her.

Lin Ji: “Okay.”

The suitcase secured, Fan Qing, who lived nearby, was already waiting in the garage.

Jiang Siyi walked Lin Ji to the garage door and heard Lin Ji ask Fan Qing: “Did Zhou Ni agree?”

Fan Qing: “She agreed. She’s already on her way.”

Lin Ji turned to Jiang Siyi and said:

“Zhou Ni agreed to come temporarily and protect your safety until I return. Same as before—she won’t show herself. If anything happens, just call for her.”

Jiang Siyi nodded. Fan Qing instinctively checked her watch.

This matter was not only important but also extremely time-sensitive.

Jiang Siyi: “I know. You should go.”

Time was tight; she really did need to leave quickly.

But Jiang Siyi’s “understanding” still made Lin Ji fall silent for a moment before getting in the car.

Seeing Lin Ji settle into the car, Jiang Siyi actually had things she wanted to say, but with Fan Qing there, she couldn’t bring herself to say them.

She wanted to speak but held back.

Just as the car door was about to close, Lin Ji suddenly cast a glance her way.

That gaze gripped the tip of Jiang Siyi’s heart.

An indescribable ache and fullness.

Lin Ji’s car disappeared into the muggy heat unique to a summer night.

After a long while, Jiang Siyi slowly returned to the house with Xueqiu’s company.

Walking from the garage back to the living room sofa, she dragged her feet for several minutes before arriving.

Jiang Siyi held her phone, already opening her chat with Lin Ji.

She stared blankly at that “,” handle.

Before she could organize her thoughts, the “,”—ever farther from home—spoke first, as if reading her mind.

【The oxtail is done stewing. I turned off the heat; it’s still on the stove. The rice is keeping warm in the rice cooker. Remember to eat.】

Right—when she came home, Lin Ji had been stewing oxtail.

She had been preparing this pot of oxtail all day.

Jiang Siyi’s stomach growled with hunger right on cue.

On the way to the kitchen, Jiang Siyi suddenly remembered that a few days ago, she had been watching a cooking show. When Lin Ji passed through the living room, it happened to be showing a scene of stewed oxtail.

Jiang Siyi had said casually, “That looks like it would be really delicious.”

So… Lin Ji had remembered?

She stood before the stove, face to face with the enamel pot.

If the enamel pot could speak, Jiang Siyi really wanted to ask it—why are you pink, too.

She pinched the heat-resistant knob on the lid and lifted the heavy cover. The savory, meaty aroma of oxtail instantly spread.

It looked even better than what she had seen on TV.

She put on insulated gloves and carried the entire pot of oxtail to the table.

The oxtail was stewed until tender and falling off the bone. One pinch of the chopsticks, and the beef with its connective tissue peeled away effortlessly.

The meat, soaked in collagen-rich broth, paired with fragrant, soft rice—body and soul satisfied.

It was really delicious…

Jiang Siyi ate while looking up how to stew oxtail.

Just as she had thought, stewing oxtail required a long time to become tender and flavorful.

No wonder Lin Ji had been preparing the ingredients since this morning, then continued stewing after coming home from work.

So much time and effort, all for an offhand remark she had made.

Jiang Siyi’s thoughts drifted, and before she knew it, she had eaten a large bowl of rice.

The oxtail was a portion for two. Jiang Siyi couldn’t finish it, so she stored it in the fridge to reheat tomorrow.

She had meant to transfer it to a smaller container, but she glanced at the double-door fridge, opened it to test—sure enough, the entire enamel pot could fit inside.

So big, so convenient.

Unlike the small fridge in her old rental apartment, where fitting a larger bowl or half a watermelon meant rearranging things forever.

After putting the pot away, Lin Ji sent another WeChat message.

She thought it would be asking about the taste of the oxtail, but instead…

, 【Did I hurt you just now?】

Jiang Siyi’s hand holding the phone shifted slightly.

Her thoughts, momentarily distracted by food, surged back. Heat flooded her heart.

It was hard to answer.

And yet she wanted to.

Jiang Siyi walked to the mirror, photographed the kiss marks on her neck, thought it over, and with her eyes closed not caring anymore, sent it.

Just one image, no words.

Lin Ji would understand what she meant.

On the other end, on the nighttime highway, Lin Ji was on a tablet connected to overseas colleagues, confirming interim measures before her arrival.

The phone she had been holding in her hand vibrated.

Her colleague on the video call was speaking to someone else. Lin Ji lowered her eyes and glanced at the screen.

Her expression in the video didn’t change at all, but she secretly shifted her posture.

Before Jiang Siyi went to shower, she received Lin Ji’s reply.

【Wait until I come back, and I will let you take revenge.】

The corners of her mouth were involuntarily tugged upward.

Even though she wouldn’t actually take revenge, her heart was still stuffed with a surging, darting joy.

Still hard to reply. Still just wanting to reply.

In the end, she sent a “.”

Sanzhuang Tusi 【.】

She hoped Lin Ji wouldn’t find her boring.

What she didn’t know was that when Lin Ji saw that period so full of helpless resignation, she found it so adorable that she drank several mouthfuls of water.

They said goodnight. Jiang Siyi went to shower.

After her shower, she returned to the bedroom and turned on the projector, still listening to the news.

The anchor’s voice echoed in the bedroom with a slight reverberation.

When she first moved in, she had thought this house was too big, the decor too simple. But because of Lin Ji—who liked growing her own fruit and cooking her own meals—every corner held its own charm.

Tonight, though, the vast space felt even emptier with one person missing.

She had lived alone for so many years. After sharing a bed with Lin Ji for just one week, the absence of the person beside her already felt strange.

The bed, already large, seemed even bigger than she remembered.

When she was drunk, she had shot her mouth off to Duan Ning, saying that someone as cold as Lin Ji might not even date, and the possibility of her being brave and skillful in battle was zero.

She had even warned herself not to cross lines, not to get addicted, not to overstep.

Looking back now, those were all famous last words…

Not only could Lin Ji—she was very, very good at it.

So brave and skillful in battle that her legs were still a little soft right now.

She had crossed the line, too—and crossed it earth-shatteringly.

Jiang Siyi rolled over in frustration, hugging the little mushroom tightly.

She habitually touched her own ear, searching for sleepiness, but sleep refused to come.

She couldn’t sleep. Her lips still held the sensation Lin Ji had left.

Even after showering, she felt like her whole body was still covered in her scent.

Her fingertips retained the memory of kneading Lin Ji’s ear.

Even the feel of her ear was that good.

How could she have touched it only once and already find it indispensable?