After seeing off the Deputy Commander, Ming Zheng indulged in a full-body spa, feeling thoroughly refreshed.
During her week at the Headquarters, despite being assigned a private room, it was still within the Headquarters’ premises. Moreover, she had to accompany the team on missions at any time, making it impossible to maintain her usual meticulous self.
She emerged from the bathroom, wrapped in a bathrobe and drying her hair. Her phone, charging on the coffee table, suddenly rang. Ming Zheng walked over and sat on the sofa. The screen displayed a video call invitation from the troublesome one.
She had been at Headquarters for a while. Although her identity was special, she still had to respect the Headquarters’ rules. Her phone had been kept in the Deputy Commander’s office, switched off. Now, with it charging, a backlog of messages appeared. Ming Zheng casually accepted the call.
On the screen, Chi Xian’s captivating face appeared. He was likely in his bedroom, the warm glow of the wall lamp highlighting the perfect, deep contours of his face. His eyes, like dark obsidian, sparkled with starlight as he looked at the camera. However, upon seeing only a blurry expanse of white ceiling in the frame, his face instantly drooped. “Zheng Bao, you finally turned on your phone, and I can’t even see you…” His voice, deep and magnetic, carried an inexplicable hint of coaxing.
Ming Zheng was speechless. She suddenly recalled the moment on the cruise ship when she had stumbled into his embrace, his aura so cold and aloof, like a sacred, untouchable snow lotus on a high peak. He was utterly different from his current demeanor. Was this a split personality?
Ming Zheng reached out, unplugged the charger, and propped her phone up, turning the camera towards herself. When Chi Xian’s phone screen showed the girl’s image, his pupils suddenly contracted.
On the screen, the girl was lounging on the sofa in a white bathrobe, a towel draped around her neck. Her wet, dark hair was still dripping, each drop slowly seeping into the slightly open bathrobe. His Adam's apple bobbed, and his gaze grew fiery. She was truly unguarded. Thankfully, it was him making the video call. If anyone else saw her in this state… Chi Xian’s deep, dark eyes flickered with an intense shade of ink. No! Such a Zheng Bao belonged only to him!
“Is there something?” the girl’s voice was lazily soft, carrying a hint of misty moisture.
Chi Xian’s turbulent emotions subsided instantly, replaced by tender affection. “Can’t I call you if there’s nothing?”
Ming Zheng put down her phone and grabbed the towel, roughly drying her hair. “If there’s nothing, I’m hanging up. I’m going to sleep.” Finally back in her small apartment, she could finally get some good rest. How could she possibly have the leisure to chat with the troublesome one?
“Zheng Bao doesn’t understand my longing at all…” Chi Xian sighed softly. Under the camera, his eyes seemed to glisten.
Ming Zheng was exasperated. Here he goes again with that tactic. He knew she was captivated by his looks. Ming Zheng ran her hands through her hair. Seeing it was no longer dripping, she hung the towel around her neck and leaned back lazily against the sofa. “Fine, then you can watch slowly.”
As the girl leaned back, her damp, dark hair spread across the sofa. A few stray strands, still wet, slid down her chest, clinging to her skin. She casually raised her hand to brush them away, her bathrobe loosening slightly, revealing a glimpse of her fair collarbone.
Chi Xian’s gaze darkened. This alleviation of longing only made him feel worse. He tried to look away, but the screen was only so large. His eyes inevitably fell upon that collarbone. He cleared his throat softly. “Zheng Bao, go blow dry your hair.”
Ming Zheng grabbed a handful of hair. “It’ll dry on its own later.”
“Aren’t you going to sleep? How can you sleep with your hair so wet?” Chi Xian’s voice became uncontrollably hoarse.
Ming Zheng leaned her head back against the sofa. “I’ll sleep like this.” The moment she leaned back, even through the bathrobe, she could faintly feel the dampness of her hair. It was indeed somewhat uncomfortable. She raised her hand, lifting her long, dark hair and letting it spread across the sofa.
Chi Xian remained silent for a few seconds, then suddenly stood up. The camera followed his movement. Ming Zheng, sensing the activity on the screen, turned her head. She saw the tall, elegant man picking up a jacket and putting it on.
Ming Zheng sat up. “Where are you going?”
“To your place,” he replied.
Ming Zheng was bewildered.
Chi Xian continued, “Since you don’t want to blow dry your hair, I’ll come over and do it for you.”
Ming Zheng’s confusion deepened.
Chi Xian added, “It’s better to resolve this longing face-to-face than through a screen.”
Ming Zheng was utterly baffled. Seeing Chi Xian actually opening his door to leave, she quickly said, “I’ll blow dry it! I’ll do it myself!” If that troublesome one came over, with how chaotic he was, how could she possibly get any sleep? Her dream of a peaceful, sound sleep would surely be shattered!
Ming Zheng suddenly got up from the sofa and walked towards the bathroom. Her hair reached her waist. It was black, fine, and dense, like a waterfall. She spent at least half an hour blow-drying it, her arm aching. This was more tiring than going on a mission.
Ming Zheng, her body weary, returned to the living room. Seeing that the video call hadn’t ended, she sat back on the sofa and, noticing the man on the screen was still in his bedroom, breathed a sigh of relief. Thankfully, the troublesome one hadn’t actually come over. She smoothed her hair. “There, it’s dry.”
Her dark, silky hair swayed gently. Even through the screen, Chi Xian seemed to inhale the girl’s unique, faint fragrance in the air. He yearned to reach out, to draw her dark hair closer and inhale its scent greedily. But he could see that Ming Zheng’s eyes genuinely held a hint of fatigue. He knew that Ming Zheng had been at Headquarters recently, wrapping up matters related to the cruise ship incident. The Chi family was too peculiar, and some matters were inconvenient for them to interfere with. During this time… Zheng Bao must have worked very hard, hadn’t she?
If he had gone to Zheng Bao’s place, she likely wouldn’t have been able to sleep so peacefully. Therefore, he had to suppress the urge to see her, the urge to embrace her. He had to restrain his emotions and let Zheng Bao rest well.
“Mhm, good girl,” he said. “Then get some rest early. I’ll come see you tomorrow.”
Ming Zheng was taken aback. What did he mean by calling her a “good girl”? But before she could ask further, the man’s captivating face enlarged on the screen. With a slight curl of his lips, his voice carried a seductive huskiness. “Goodnight, Zheng Bao.” Then, he hung up the video call.
Ming Zheng’s ears still seemed to echo with the man’s electrifying voice. She poked her ear, then lowered her phone. This troublesome one wasn’t just troublesome; he was a vixen! Always trying to seduce people!
That night, Ming Zheng slept exceptionally soundly and comfortably. It was as if in her dreams, that gentle, affectionate, and electrifying voice still lingered in her ear.