CHAPTER 38: CHAPTER 38: LET’S BE GOOD TOGETHER FROM NOW ON

After having lunch, Su Lingzhi took him to an enamel craft store.

"Sister Zhou."

Seeing it was Su Lingzhi, the proprietress warmly welcomed them, "Xiao Su, long time no see, and who is this?"

Su Lingzhi introduced, "My boyfriend."

Sister Zhou smiled warmly, greeted him, then assigned someone to watch the front desk and led them into the guest room.

"How’s business at the store lately?" Su Lingzhi asked politely.

"It’s stabilized now, not as hot as when you brought enamel craftsmanship onto the fashion show, the buzz can’t last forever after all."

Sister Zhou poured two cups of tea and placed them in front of them, then suddenly remembered something and said, "Recently, I attended an intangible cultural heritage event back home and met some inheritors. When I mentioned you, they were very interested in you, but unfortunately, there was no chance to meet."

"Are they in the country now?"

Sister Zhou nodded, "Two have set up fabric factories. If you’re interested, I can pass along your contact information to them."

Su Lingzhi took a sip of tea and replied, "Sure."

"Alright." Sister Zhou then glanced meaningfully at the person sitting next to her, "You’re here to let your boyfriend experience filigree enamel, right?"

Su Lingzhi nodded, "Yeah."

"Then let me take you upstairs."

Upstairs was a DIY area, with several customers learning how to enamel in the public area.

Sister Zhou led her to a private room and brought out some bases for her to choose from.

"Let’s go with two round ones. We’ll make keychains."

"Alright. The materials are all here, you know them well, so I won’t disturb you. Be careful when the high-temperature furnace is on."

"Okay."

After Sister Zhou fetched two bases, she left the room.

The room was left with just the two of them, fully lit.

Not having done DIY for a while, Su Lingzhi seemed a bit rusty. After thinking for a moment, she held the base and asked him, "What pattern do you want to draw on this?"

"You decide."

Su Lingzhi thought for a while and immediately came up with an idea, "A koi and a lotus pod, the koi plays among the emerald lotus. How’s this idea?"

Hearing the phrase "the koi plays among the emerald lotus," Fu Yinli couldn’t help but smile, "It’s meaningful."

"Then I’ll sketch first, and later I’ll teach you how to filigree."

"Okay."

High-temperature enamel is simple yet intricate work.

In just three minutes, she sketched a simple lotus pod on a piece of white paper, then had him follow the outline for filigree, teaching him how to use the tools.

At first, his technique was a bit awkward, but he learned quite quickly.

While he was filigreeing, Su Lingzhi was beside him sketching the koi, occasionally checking his progress.

Both patterns were drawn with elegance and spirit, showcasing the charm of an art student.

"Enamel is categorized into high-temperature and low-temperature; low-temperature can control color, while high-temperature is uncontrollable. High-temperature firing affects glaze flow, so every high-temperature enamel piece is unique. The final product has a gem-like transparent sheen and delicate color gradients. This craft has been listed as a Yue City intangible cultural heritage. They have many exquisite finished products downstairs; we can check them out later."

Fu Yinli glanced at her, "If you like, why not pick a finished one?"

"Making it ourselves gives it different meaning," Su Lingzhi gently replied, "Besides, we’re making it together."

Later, after the high-temperature firing of the base was done, Su Lingzhi prepared various colored glazes, teaching him where to apply each color.

Once the bases cooled, the outlines of the two patterns had taken shape.

Fu Yinli took the tool from her hand, "I want you to teach me personally."

"But didn’t I just teach you?"

Fu Yinli held her right hand, covering it with his own.

Su Lingzhi immediately understood what he meant by teaching personally.

The scars on his hand hadn’t healed, and since her hand wasn’t as big as his, it couldn’t hold steady, and her view was blocked.

Flirting, huh? Who doesn’t know how to do that?

Su Lingzhi switched positions with him, letting him hold her hand tightly, then guided him in applying the glaze.

Fu Yinli chuckled, supporting himself with his left hand on her other side, watching her paint quietly.

Their bodies pressed together, breaths mingling, her unique sweet fragrance enticed him, causing him to lose control and kiss her neck as she dipped the brush.

Su Lingzhi shrank back, "Stop it."

As soon as she turned her head, Fu Yinli cupped her nape and kissed her deeply, entwining her in a passionate kiss.

At this moment, someone suddenly entered without knocking.

Seeing the scene, the person who entered the wrong room quickly apologized, covered their eyes, and exited the room.

As the person left, the displeasure on Fu Yinli’s brow gradually vanished.

In the ensuing awkwardness, Su Lingzhi spoke up, "Let’s finish this piece first."

After applying the glaze, they took it to the kiln in the back.

The next step was to wait for them to cool down.

"Cooling takes time. How about we..."

Before she could finish, Fu Yinli suddenly leaned in to kiss her, pulling her onto his lap.

Su Lingzhi pushed him, "There are people..."

"The door’s locked."

... When did he lock it?

Although the door was locked and no one could enter from outside, the soundproofing was poor, and they could hear footsteps and conversations from outside, making it impossible for Su Lingzhi to relax, even if his kiss was gentle.

After the kiss ended, Su Lingzhi leaned her forehead against his, breathing lightly.

"How many times and you still haven’t learned to catch your breath?"

Su Lingzhi huffed softly, "Are you complaining about me now? Just how many girls have you kissed to hone your kissing skills?"

Fu Yinli held her in place, not letting her move away, "Does it bother you?"

"Would it matter if it did?"

"You’re giving me an attitude over one thing I said?"

"Clearly..."

Before she could finish, Fu Yinli covered her lips, "It wouldn’t matter even if it did."

Undeniably, he did kiss a woman once, but only once, and after that, he lost interest in all women, even becoming repulsed, until that night she appeared.

It was the first time he was attracted to someone, desperately wanting to have someone.

That night, she was so clean and radiant from head to toe, exuding an aura that irresistibly drew him in.

Later, the night she was drugged and reached into his shirt to touch and kiss him, was the first time he felt desire for a woman.

Later still, the night they confirmed their relationship with a deep kiss, made him addicted, even if her kissing skills were clumsy, her lips were warm and soft, sweeter than anything, he could devour her.

So it was now.

Regardless of whether she cared about his past, he had already set his sights on making her his own.

Fu Yinli held her waist, meeting her gaze with deep intensity, "Zhizhi, let’s be good from now on, no more sulking."

Su Lingzhi looked at him sullenly, not swayed by his soft words.

But she also didn’t want her changing moods to affect their date today, so she leaned against him without moving.