Chapter 104: The First Watch of My Life

Cheng Yao could hear her breathing, and the restless beat of her heart.

Zhang Ya’s cheeks were flushed a bright red.

So adorable.

He wanted to—

That was Cheng Yao’s inner thought.

Zhang Ya slowly opened her eyes, still dazed with sleep, and asked in confusion, “What is it?”

“Your birthday is next month.”

“You really remembered.” Zhang Ya wrapped her arms around his neck and looked at him with a sweet smile, her eyes brimming with tenderness. “Come on then.”

“Then let’s do it next month.”

“?”

Zhang Ya stared at him in disbelief. “You want to do me on my birthday?”

“Cough, cough. That is not a very nice way to put it.”

“I’ll give you time to prepare, and I’ll give myself some time too…”

With Zhang Ya, Cheng Yao still felt a little guilty.

If she needed ceremony, then he would give her all the ceremony she wanted. It was only a month; he could wait. He had already waited all these years.

Besides, if he pushed too hard, Cheng Yao was afraid Zhang Ya might not be able to take it.

Zhang Ya shook her head, her shyness showing through. “I’m fine. I’m not as nervous as I was last time. But if it’s next time, then next time it is. No taking it back.”

“Of course. But…”

“But what?”

“But you have to make it up to me tonight.”

Cheng Yao was no fool. Why let the meat in his mouth go uneaten?

Even if he could not get full, he still had to take a bite and taste it.

Under Zhang Ya’s curious gaze, Cheng Yao leaned close and whispered something in her ear.

Zhang Ya’s face instantly turned scarlet. She looked at Cheng Yao in shock.

She had never imagined he would make such an excessive, such a wicked demand.

No way.

Absolutely not!

“Cheng Yao, you’ve gone bad! Who taught you that?”

“I’m self-taught. A natural talent…”

A bad man wins a woman’s heart. Cheng Yao began to batter her defenses with sweet words.

He knew this trick far too well. He had practiced it until it was second nature.

It was the very same trick he had used to get Lin Ketong to let him have his way three times for free.

In the end, Zhang Ya’s firm resistance softened, and even her tone grew gentler. “That… that won’t work, will it? It can’t be…”

“Why not? That’s exactly how it is in those videos…”

“But…”

Cheng Yao pulled up the blanket and covered her, then leaned against the headboard, unscrewed a bottle of mineral water, and played with his phone. From beneath the blanket, soft and muffled sounds of intimacy seeped out little by little through the gap.

For a moment, he felt there was nothing in the world happier than this.

That night, Cheng Yao’s heart was at peace. The knot in his chest at last had been untied. In truth, if he had not taken Zhang Ya, he would have felt stifled.

Though he had not taken her completely, he had still taken half.

He would save the rest for next time.

Everything that needed doing had been done. Around ten o’clock, Zhang Ya shot him a resentful glare, wiped her lips with a tissue, and went to wash up in her robe.

Bitter.

The taste was strong.

Like the flowers by the roadside.

Even Zhang Ya did not know why she had thought of those flowers. It was bizarre.

And her mouth had gone completely numb.

“Come back after you’re done washing up. I’ll hold you while we sleep.”

“Mmm.”

Zhang Ya had opened the door to a whole new world. Although it was uncomfortable and rather difficult to bear, seeing how happy Cheng Yao was—happy like an idiot—made the unhappiness in her heart fade away.

After washing up, she lay in Cheng Yao’s arms and played on her phone. “Oh my…”

“What is it?”

“Li Yingshan is asking us to help bail her out. She’s been caught!” Zhang Ya said gleefully.

Cheng Yao leaned over to take a look. It turned out she had been too afraid to call her parents, so she had only been able to ask acquaintances to come get her out. Now she was complaining in the group chat.

“So she was caught. They really are efficient. Good—let this teach her a lesson. And don’t say I was the one who reported her.”

“Mhm. I’m not going. I’m sleepy. Let Cheng Linlin and the others go.”

“Let’s watch a movie, then sleep while we watch…”

“Mm.”

Late that night, Cheng Yao experienced it once more.

Zhang Ya truly deserved to be a student of the arts. Her talent was extraordinary. Not only was she excellent at the piano, she also picked up the flute quickly the first time she touched it.

Your intimacy with your cultivated girlfriend, Zhang Ya, has reached ninety. You have obtained Moon Old Man’s Red Thread, one.

The next morning, Cheng Yao was in high spirits. He and Zhang Ya took the two girls to the hotel for breakfast. The Peninsula Hotel’s breakfast buffet was lavish, the best breakfast he had ever had.

After Zhang Ya ate a piece of mango, she pushed the milk toward Cheng Yao. “When are you leaving?”

“Around four in the afternoon. I need to buy a few things, and I’ll pick up a gift while I’m at it.”

“Mhm.”

Zhang Ya nodded softly. “I’ll head back to school later. Little Li spent the whole night in the holding room, and neither Cheng Linlin nor Rong Xuelin went with her. I wonder if she learned her lesson.”

“Don’t underestimate her, and don’t overestimate her either. She might still dare to do it again next time.”

Cheng Yao looked at Cheng Cheng and Jiang Yuexi. “What about you two?”

“We’ll go to the amusement park first, then the aquarium in Lujiazui. After that, we’ll head back on our own.”

“Fine. There are a lot of cars in the city, so be careful.”

“Don’t worry, we’re not stupid.”

After breakfast, Cheng Yao sent Zhang Ya back to her dormitory. It was not far—only a few kilometers.

Downstairs by the dorm, Zhang Ya rose on tiptoe and kissed him on the cheek. “Bye-bye.”

“Bye-bye. Text me if anything comes up.”

“Mm.”

Zhang Ya went back to study. The Shanghai Conservatory of Music was strict. Cheng Yao, on the other hand, had nowhere in particular to go, so he contacted Zheng Yuechan.

Zheng Yuechan: I’m busy right now. I’ll have someone come pick you up.

Cheng Yao: Okay.

After setting a time, Cheng Yao planned to go look at watches. Patek Philippe or Vacheron Constantin would both do, though Patek Philippe was still his first choice.

To him, it was not essential, but Zhang Ya had said a watch was more convenient than a phone, because there were some occasions where it was not appropriate to keep pulling out a phone. Besides, it could also serve as an accessory.

The Patek Philippe Residence was located in Building 2, No. 33 Bund Origin, on Zhongshan East First Road in Shanghai.

Cheng Yao took a taxi, and after a winding half hour, he arrived.

Here stood a row of independent Western-style villas. Each one was composed of blue cubic forms and looked exceedingly luxurious. A few trees stood around the villas, followed by a stretch of flat green lawn.

Low-key.

Quiet.

Extraordinary taste.

It was said this building covered fourteen hundred square meters and had once been the residence of the British consul in Shanghai during the nineteenth century. Its location was also excellent, right where the Suzhou River met the Bund, one of the most expensive stretches of land in the city.

One glance at the main entrance made it clear enough: the architecture was exquisite. There was no decoration outside, yet the air within was brimming with luxury, almost to the point of overflowing.

Inside the door was the reception area, decorated in a style entirely different from the Peninsula Presidential Suite. It was splendid and grand, yet carried an artistic air, somewhat similar to the Louis Vuitton counter he had seen in Nanjing.

On the right was the consultation desk. On the wall behind it were the English name and logo of Patek Philippe, along with a flower formed by a cross and a sword—the Calatrava Cross.

There were several customers inside, and the female sales staff were serving them enthusiastically.

“Hello.”

“Hello, sir. How may I help you?”

A saleswoman came forward gracefully, smiling warmly.

“Just looking at watches.” Cheng Yao glanced at her name tag. The sales team leader was Bai Jie.

It was a rather common name. Cheng Yao felt strangely familiar with it, as though he had heard it somewhere before.

He could not remember it at once. Bai Jie, Tao Lin—something like that.

Bai Jie nodded lightly. “Sir, do you have an appointment? If not, please fill out a form…”