The Tender Beauty is Sweetly Doted in the 20th Century Novel!-Chapter 157 - 156: Seeing Through Without Exposing, Please Proceed Upstairs
Hand in hand, they made their way home. As they reached the entrance of the store, Jiang Yuan and her brother were taking a break, given there weren’t many customers for fried chicken at that moment.
Noticing the visible happiness on Ye Manman’s fair face, Jiang Yuan couldn’t resist teasing.
"Is this what they call absence makes the heart grow fonder? You two weren’t this close before."
Jiang Tianrui timely chimed in, "See but don’t speak of it, see but don’t speak of it, alright? We’ll just leave you two alone, please head upstairs."
Knowing they hadn’t seen each other for days and surely had a lot to talk about, the Jiang siblings naturally wouldn’t disturb them.
However, their subtle glances as they watched them enter and head upstairs were enough to make He Chen and Ye Manman feel very awkward.
"Do you think they misunderstood something?"
Back in the room, the more Ye Manman thought about it, the stranger Jiang Tianrui and Jiang Yuan’s subtle, smiling expressions seemed, as if they were about to do something unspeakable.
He Chen fixed his gaze on her, and with his own mind running wild with colorful thoughts, he suddenly understood the deeper meaning behind Jiang Tianrui’s glances.
"They might be thinking we’re about to do that..."
As he said this, He Chen’s face flushed, partly from embarrassment and partly because it was true — he did want to do something.
However, those things couldn’t be done in the daytime, as the building wasn’t soundproof. The sounds from downstairs could be heard clearly.
He hadn’t satisfied his cravings for days, and Ye Manman usually had a loud voice. If he couldn’t hold back, and her voice reached Jiang Tianrui, he might just want to kill someone.
In a patriotic fervor kind of way.
"That?"
Ye Manman was initially confused, but quickly read the meaning in his restrained gaze.
Her face turned a bright red, resembling a blooming, charming flower, enticing He Chen to bend down, cradle her face in his hands, and savor her.
He wanted to pin her down. The soft bed was right there, maybe just close the windows and draw the curtains, and no one would ever know what happened here. But He Chen’s strong sense of possessiveness got the better of him, and he didn’t want anyone else to hear even the tiniest bit of sound.
Such a delicious "feast" was worth reserving for a night when he could savor it alone.
They reluctantly pulled apart, He Chen resting his forehead against hers, their eyes meeting, breaths intertwining in intensity, fire blazing in their hearts, both trying hard to restrain it.
Ye Manman was less inclined to hold back. She had always believed in seizing the day and living for the moment.
So even knowing that it wasn’t quite appropriate, she couldn’t help but get up and push He Chen onto the bed.
She climbed onto his lap, arms around his neck, her ears slightly red, but her big eyes glistened with brightness.
"He Chen, I miss you～"
"I really miss you～"
Expressing her longing for him, she leaned forward and gently kissed the sensitive spot on his neck, his Adam’s apple.
Her lips, soft and warm, barely brushed against it, and He Chen swallowed hard, his hand on her back tightening involuntarily.
His voice took on a husky tone, with a flicker of flames in his eyes.
"I miss you too."
He tensed his legs, feeling restless, originally intending for a simple affectionate reunion, exchanging updates after days apart, but now his mind was a bit foggy.
Yet, no matter how muddled, he didn’t forget to bring out the carefully selected gift he’d bought.
Ye Manman nestled in his embrace, acting coyly, her soft cheeks pressed against his face. He Chen swallowed nervously, afraid to let his gaze wander over her, but nonetheless, he produced a cylindrical object.
"Manman, this is lipstick. I heard it’s imported and quite popular in the city, but I wasn’t sure if you’d like this sort of thing or how to pick a color, so I got one I thought looked nice. Want to try it?"
His hands were large, fingers clumsy, holding the petite lipstick appearing rather comical.
But Ye Manman’s heart warmed immediately, prompting her to give him a kiss in return.
"Thank you, darling～"
She accepted the lipstick that seemed somewhat vintage, a genuine, sweet smile gracing her face.
Yet, her emotions were quite complex.
Not because the lipstick was too old-fashioned.
But because no one had ever given her lipstick before.
Who would think an heiress would care for a gift like that?
That’s what people used to think.
Ye Manman, indeed, never lacked lipstick, perfume, or handbags. Her lipstick collection always featured the latest shades, yet it felt somewhat hollow.
This experience of having someone special choose a lipstick for her felt extraordinarily novel and joyous, something an entire set of the latest lipsticks couldn’t compare with.
"Why don’t you try it on?"
He Chen’s face flushed slightly. Ye Manman’s "darling" had him feeling somewhat lightheaded. The saleswoman mentioned some girls like to choose their own colors, so fearing she wouldn’t like it, he only got one.
If he’d known how happy it would make her, he definitely would have bought a set.
Now, He Chen regretfully thought he should have bought the whole range of colors.
After all, she liked it, and she was beautiful. Surely, she’d look good in any color.
The city billboards had all sorts of female stars wearing different lipstick colors. He Chen couldn’t distinguish the differences, but they all looked pretty to him, so he was eagerly anticipating Ye Manman wearing this lipstick.
"Alright, I’ll give it a try～"
Ye Manman wasn’t shy — she had excellent features and had already applied some lip balm, so her lips were in good condition.
Twisting open the vintage lipstick, Ye Manman leaned in to smell it, confirming it didn’t have a pungent fragrance unlike the low-quality ones she imagined, and only after feeling reassured did she slide off his lap and apply it carefully in front of the mirror.
He Chen had good taste, to say the least.
Ye Manman had heard that many modern guys often go for Barbie pinks when gifting lipsticks, which initially worried her, but she was pleasantly surprised by his choice of vintage red.
With experience in various brands and shades, she immediately recognized it as a branded lipstick, though she couldn’t identify which future brand’s initial version it might be given the vintage casing.
She subtly smudged the lip line to give a soft, blurred effect, examined herself to confirm satisfaction, then turned with a bright smile.
"How do I look?"
He Chen had already imagined she’d look amazing in lipstick, but hadn’t anticipated how a single lipstick could transform a person’s essence.
Without makeup, Ye Manman usually appeared fair and adorable, with a pristine beauty. With lipstick, however, she seemed to shed her innocent charm in favor of a mature allure.
Her lips seemed veiled in a soft mist, her face glowing with pride and confidence, this simple red dramatically amplifying her presence.
Her eyes, compelling enough to draw one’s very soul, caused He Chen’s heart to race. His hands tensed, gripping his pants, as his Adam’s apple navigated a few difficult swallows.
"You look beautiful, really beautiful."
