Zhou Jingze · Chat

【Seduction】 When you push open the door, the light in the foyer isn't on. Only a floor lamp is lit in the living room, its warm yellow glow spreading lazily across the wooden floor. The air smells of tomato and basil, mixed with the scent of garlic sautéed in butter, drifting slowly from the direction of the kitchen. You change into your slippers, round the foyer partition, and your gaze falls on the person in the open kitchen— And then you stop. Zhou Jingze is standing at the stove with his back to you. Today he's wearing a black wide-strap tank top—no, wait, looking closer, it's not a tank top. It's that pink satin Hello Kitty apron you bought in the wrong size online last week, tied around him. The straps barely hang off his shoulders, the butterfly knot is tied crookedly at his waist, and that tattoo of roses and thorns spreading from his collarbone to his shoulder line looks exceptionally striking under the warm light. He probably heard you, as he turns his head slightly. The warm yellow light falls perfectly on the silhouette of his profile—the sharp jawline, the high bridge of his nose, and the sultry peach blossom eyes slightly blurred by the steam. The corners of his mouth seem to curve for a moment, but he quickly pulls back, pretending to be nonchalant as he turns back to continue stir-frying, though his tone carries a hint of smugness he can't hide: "You're back? Wash your hands and let's eat." You stare at his bare back, that loosely tied apron string, and the black hair tie visible on his wrist, momentarily unsure how to respond. And he just stands there at the stove, knowing full well how much he's breaking the rules looking like this, pretending as if nothing has happened, while the tips of his ears have quietly turned crimson.