A flicker of surprise passed through Ji Dongyang’s eyes. He looked down at her. Her smile was very sweet, and she said somewhat eagerly, “C’mon, try it.”

The screenwriter saw this and teased, “Since when has Yining been so attentive to Dongyang?”

Zhou Yining said with a perfectly straight face, “He helped me a lot before. Wrapping successfully today is my way of thanking him.”

Ji Dongyang withdrew his gaze, his tone extremely faint. “Mm. Thanks.”

Zhou Yining was in a particularly good mood today. Her first drama had wrapped successfully, and she’d even received Director Xu’s praise in the end. She didn’t even mind his icy attitude. She leaned in closer, her elbow nudging him, urging him to try it quickly.

Ji Dongyang picked up a piece of beef and, under her burning gaze, put it in his mouth. Zhou Yining hadn’t even had time to ask for praise when someone patted her from behind. Zhou Wei said with a smile, “Aren’t you going to go toast everyone?”

Zhou Yining glanced somewhat reluctantly at Ji Dongyang, saw him eat the meat, then stood up contentedly and left with Zhou Wei.

Aming stared in surprise at Zhou Yining’s retreating back. Just because he’d mentioned Dong-ge couldn’t eat spicy food, she’d personally grilled meat for him?

Could she actually have fallen for Dong-ge?

Aming watched as Ji Dongyang dipped the meat into his congee, mixing it before eating. He couldn’t help asking, “Is it good?”

Bland to this extent, it probably wouldn’t taste good.

Ji Dongyang looked at him. “You try it.”

Aming picked up a piece of meat with his chopsticks and put it in his mouth. The next second, “Pah! Damn! So salty…”

He quickly grabbed a glass of beer and gulped it down. The little she-devil’s cooking shouldn’t be eaten so recklessly. He looked up and saw Ji Dongyang calmly swishing the meat in his congee and continuing to eat.

He couldn’t help reminding him, “Dong-ge, it’s very salty.”
Ji Dongyang looked up. At the table ahead, Zhou Yining, drinking with others, kept glancing their way as if supervising whether he was wasting food. He said impassively, “It’s alright.” He glanced at Aming. “Otherwise, you finish it?”
Aming quickly shook his head. He could take a few bites at most; finishing it was impossible.

Fortunately, Zhou Yining hadn’t grilled much—just the tenderest parts of two pieces of fish, some beef, cartilage, and lotus root slices. Ji Dongyang ate it with congee, so it wasn’t too salty. Barely edible.

Aming, to save Dong-ge from eating too much of this unhealthy food, he went all out, taking one bite of meat followed by two gulps of beer, until he’d finished the plate.

Zhou Yining returned, her face flushed red from alcohol. Seeing the empty plate, she smiled happily at Ji Dongyang.

By the time they finished, Zhou Yining was a bit drunk. Although she had a good alcohol tolerance, she wasn’t used to hard liquor. The assistant director had forced two glasses of baijiu on her, and that was that.

“You definitely shouldn’t drive. It’s hard to find a designated driver at this hour. Want me to give you a ride?” Zhou Wei asked her.
“No need, we’re not going the same way. I’ll grab a taxi. You have to film tomorrow; get back early and rest.” Zhou Yining shook her head, her mind hazy as she plotted how to mooch a ride back with Ji Dongyang.

The group went downstairs. Those who’d drunk too much simply decided to get a room nearby and sleep, since they had work tomorrow anyway. The crowd (trooped in a grand procession to a nearby hotel to check in. The others gradually dispersed. Zhou Yining followed behind Ji Dongyang and Aming the whole way.

Ji Dongyang naturally knew what she was up to. Aming handed him the car keys.

Zhou Yining saw Ji Dongyang get into the driver’s seat and froze for a second. She quickly grabbed Aming. “I’ll sit in the front!”
Aming: “…Fine.”
Zhou Yining quickly scrambled into the passenger seat. She’d originally thought Ji Dongyang didn’t know how to drive. Ji Dongyang glanced at her. “Seatbelt.”
She said, “Oh,” pulled down the seatbelt, but couldn’t buckle it in no matter what.

Ji Dongyang leaned over slightly, reached out to press the buckle, and it clicked in place in one second.
Zhou Yining was delighted, staring at him and laughing.

Ji Dongyang drove faster than Aming. He took a detour to drop Aming off first. Before leaving, Aming looked somewhat worriedly at the drunk Zhou Yining and said to Ji Dongyang, “Dong-ge, be careful. Don’t let the paparazzi follow you.”

Zhou Yining was unhappy hearing this. She turned to glare at Aming. After Aming got out, she immediately patted Ji Dongyang beside her. “Drive, quick!”

The air conditioning was on inside the car, windows sealed tight. The smell of alcohol was unusually strong.

Zhou Yining tilted her head to look at him. “Was the meat I grilled good?”
Ji Dongyang kept his eyes on the road. “Not good.”
Zhou Yining snorted. “Knew you’d say that.”
She smiled again. “But you ate it all anyway.”

A red light ahead. Ji Dongyang initially wanted to say Aming had eaten most of it, but he turned his head and met her bright, shining eyes. *Forget it, no need to discourage her.*

He didn’t speak, so Zhou Yining took it as a tacit agreement. She smiled again, swinging her leg smugly, and tilted her head to look out the window.

She was chattier tonight, much more docile than usual. The way she looked at him was as soft as a little animal’s. Ji Dongyang guessed she was probably drunk.

Ever since Aming got out, a car had been following them. The place Aming was staying tonight was his own residence. Paparazzi staking out that area had only seen Aming get out, so they curiously followed the car.

Ji Dongyang observed the car behind them via the rearview mirror and said to Zhou Yining, “Sit properly.”
Zhou Yining said, “Huh? I’m not—”
*I’m not sitting properly?*

Before she could finish her sentence, he suddenly slammed on the accelerator. The car swiftly turned a corner. Caught completely off guard, Zhou Yining was thrown back against the seat, the back of her head smacking hard against the headrest. Stars instantly danced before her eyes.

Ji Dongyang kept overtaking cars. Zhou Yining gripped the door handle tightly, feeling so sick she couldn’t even speak.

She never would have thought Ji Dongyang could street race!

Over ten minutes later, Ji Dongyang slowed down. Zhou Yining clutched the door, her face pale. “Stop, stop the car! Hurry!”
She wanted to throw up. She couldn’t hold it in!

Ji Dongyang glanced at her, frowned, and pulled over to the side of the road. Zhou Yining quickly yanked the door open, rushed out of the car, leaned against a tree, and vomited.

A moment later, an open bottle of mineral water was offered in front of her. Zhou Yining took it, swishing water around her mouth vigorously. It took her a while to recover. She turned back, her eyes red as she glared at him, furious. “What was the point of racing like that?! You knew I’d had too much to drink, yet you drove so fast! Do you have a grudge against me or something?!”

The cold wind whistled bleakly. Her eyes red, she shivered, her long hair a messy tangle down her back. She looked somewhat pitiful.

Ji Dongyang looked at her for a long moment, his voice softening. “There were paparazzi following.”
Zhou Yining fell silent. After blowing in the cold wind for a bit, she sobered up a little. She lowered her head dejectedly. “Okay.”
“Are you afraid of being photographed?” he asked.
“No, but I’d rather not be.” She didn’t want her relationship with Ji Dongyang to be just gossip.

Ji Dongyang laughed lightly, turned his back to her, and said, “Then get in the car quickly.”
Zhou Yining had been a bit angry, but the thought of having him all to herself made her happy again. She obediently got back in the car.

It was almost 1 a.m. by the time they returned to the complex. At some point, the noise beside him had ceased. Ji Dongyang pulled out the car keys and glanced over. The girl was hugging her backpack and down coat, her head tilted to the side, fast asleep.

He was silent for a few minutes. Ji Dongyang adjusted his seat lower, leaned back, reached an arm behind him, found the eye mask on the back seat, put it on, crossed his arms, and settled back against the seat.

Zhou Yining, having drunk too much, slept uncomfortably. Her head wobbled to the other side, finding no support, nodded downward a few times, and she woke up.

Rubbing her neck, she looked out the window in confusion, startled to find herself still in the car. She turned around. The driver’s seat was reclined very low. Ji Dongyang’s tall frame was lying on it. The space wasn’t big enough; his long legs couldn’t even stretch out straight.

Zhou Yining stared at his eye mask, a slight smile lifting her lips. She’d thought he’d left her in the car and gone back by himself.

She leaned over, checked the time on his wristwatch: 02:22.

So late! How long had they been sitting in the car?

He looked so ascetically forbidding with that eye mask on! Zhou Yining stared intently at his slightly pressed-together lips, swallowed, and slowly leaned in to gently kiss them.

Her heart pounded like a drum.

But she wasn’t satisfied. She leaned in again, kissing his lips over and over, her soft body slowly pressing against his.

Ji Dongyang had woken up the second time she kissed him. Hidden beneath the eye mask, his eyes were tightly shut, his brow furrowed. He reached up, grabbed her collar, and hauled her up, his voice low and stern. “Zhou Yining, what drunken nonsense are you up to?”

Zhou Yining hadn’t expected him to wake up so fast. She hadn’t kissed him enough yet!

Worried he might throw her out like last time, she quickly wrapped her arms around him, her whole body pressing down, holding him tightly. “If you throw me out again, I’ll pester you forever! You owed me from last time.”

Ji Dongyang pressed his lips together, restraining himself. “Get up.”
“No. I’ll let go if you kiss me.” She held him tighter like a rogue, lifting her head to stare at him.

The next second, she leaned in to kiss his lips again, sucking on them forcefully, kissing and nibbling on his lips without any technique. The more he didn’t react, the more frantic she became. She gave his lip a light bite. He still didn’t react. She grew anxious, pressed her hands against his chest, and sat up straight. “Ji Dongyang! I’ll really bite!”

Ji Dongyang pulled off the eye mask, propped himself up on the seatback, and sat up straight, his deep, dark eyes fixed on her.

Zhou Yining loved his eyes. His eyes were very expressive. When acting intensely, they were full of drama.

Right now, the depths of his eyes were terrifyingly calm.

Like the calm before a volcanic eruption.

Zhou Yining didn’t understand then. Thinking he was really about to get angry, she shrank back fearfully. The next instant, her courage suddenly surged again. She threw herself forward, cupped his face with both hands, and fiercely kissed his lips. Then she opened her mouth and bit down hard on his lip.

Before the volcano erupted, she had to do one thing first.

She really bit down hard. Ji Dongyang frowned sharply, grabbed her shoulders, and shoved her back into her seat forcefully. He bit his lower lip, tentatively running his tongue over it, tasting a hint of blood.

He looked at her. “Are you a puppy?”
Zhou Yining stared at his bitten lip.

She lowered her head, wearing a guilty expression. Ji Dongyang reached up and wiped his lip, frowning as he looked at her. He pressed the unlock button and pulled the car door open.

Zhou Yining quickly grabbed her backpack and down coat and followed him out, trailing behind him, saying urgently, “Ji Dongyang, are you mad?”

Ji Dongyang locked the car, glanced back at her. “What do you think? I have to film tomorrow.”

Zhou Yining instantly felt a pang of guilt. She’d forgotten he had to film tomorrow. This was troublesome. “I didn’t do it on purpose!”

Ji Dongyang bit his lower lip, seemingly assessing how big the cut was, whether it would heal by tomorrow. Hearing her words, he gave her a faint glance, clearly not believing her.

They entered the elevator. Ji Dongyang ignored her the entire way.

Zhou Yining pouted. He was so professional; she’d probably touched a bottom line of his.