Chapter 39: Chapter 36: Senior Sister Strategy
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“Senior Sister Jiang, it’s me.”
Zhou Wang knocked on the door as he spoke.
“…Wait a minute!”
There was a moment of silence inside the room, followed by a series of noises. After a full ten minutes, right when Zhou Wang was starting to get a little impatient, the door finally opened.
Zhou Wang walked in, and Jiang Mo stood further back in the hallway.
...
Watching her closely, Zhou Wang, who had learned to observe details, instantly understood why it took Jiang Mo so long to answer the door.
Her hair was obviously freshly tied up, with a few strands still carrying traces of mist. Although she had no makeup on, her slightly pink lips bore a noticeable glossy sheen, and paired with the few droplets on her snowy neck that hadn’t been dried—
She had taken these few minutes to quickly freshen up and even applied lip gloss.
Zhou Wang’s gaze continued downward. She wasn’t wearing the hotel-provided pajamas but her own, a white lace camisole nightdress.
The nightdress was supposed to be long and conservative in style, but as she was taller than the average girl, the hem barely covered half of her thighs, and a small expanse of fair skin was revealed from her collarbone to her chest, reflecting a rosy glow under the soft light.
“I, I’ll go change…”
Jiang Mo, sensing the unusual look in Zhou Wang’s eyes, wrapped her arms around herself and wanted to leave.
Snap!
Zhou Wang grabbed her wrist.
“You—”
“Senior Sister, shouldn’t we have a talk?”
Jiang Mo hesitated for a moment, taking a deep breath before turning around slowly to face Zhou Wang.
At that moment, Zhou Wang was a little surprised.
He didn’t know if Jiang Mo had used the time just now for some psychological preparation. At this moment, she had unexpectedly regained her composure, and her expression had returned to its usual calm.
“Zhou Wang, we can’t do this.”
Jiang Mo spoke softly, her expression serious, “You’re still young. Maybe when you say certain things, you don’t consider the consequences. I won’t blame you. I… let’s just be friends, okay? Consider this money a loan from you to me. I will repay you as soon as possible…”
Zhou Wang stared at Jiang Mo, and the first thought that arose in his mind was amusement.
If it weren’t for the system’s help, if he hadn’t seen her “truth” with his own eyes, or if the “Desire Consumption Gold” hadn’t been triggered, maybe he really would have been swayed, right?
But now, Zhou Wang could easily see past Jiang Mo’s seemingly calm and beautiful face, catching that fleeting unease deep in her eyes.
So Zhou Wang lifted the hand she had just escaped from, holding it up in front of her, interrupting what Jiang Mo was about to say.
“Senior Sister, before I touch you, you can leave anytime, and everything that happened today can be considered as if it never happened.”
Zhou Wang’s deep voice started to distort, and his hand slowly reached forward.
Jiang Mo’s expression began to fluster, no longer able to maintain her earlier composure.
She never expected Zhou Wang to play against the rules, showing no intention of negotiating, but instead flipping the table right from the start.
She instinctively retreated, soon finding herself against the wall, watching helplessly as that hand got closer and closer.
Yet, Zhou Wang hadn’t actually stopped her. She could escape at any moment.
Zhou Wang’s message was clear; she could refuse, but the price would be leaving now, leaving this room that briefly brought warmth, comfort, and peace.
The most painful thing in life isn’t never having, but having had briefly.
Jiang Mo, in despair, wanted to flee, but her feet felt like they were weighed down by lead, unable to take that step.
She just leaned against the wall, breathing rapidly, her body trembling, allowing Zhou Wang’s hand to fall on her cheek.
“Truly beautiful.”
Looking at the slightly closed eyes of Jiang Mo, Zhou Wang felt a sense of awe.
Many girls look pretty after makeup, but without it, their true features emerge, while Jiang Mo’s remained flawless except for the slightly paler eyebrows.
On the contrary, her freshly clean appearance only accentuated that aura of restrained allure.
She stubbornly kept her eyes closed, as if to escape or resist.
Zhou Wang’s hand slowly slid along the curve of her back, down to the hem of her dress, and then, in Jiang Mo’s startled, wide eyes, it disappeared behind her.
Jiang Mo’s body started to tremble, her breathing becoming more erratic, a strange look of anguish mixed with distraction taking over her features.
Zhou Wang, throughout the entire process, was keenly observing Jiang Mo’s reactions.
When he saw Jiang Mo clenching her fists, teetering on the verge of an outburst, he suddenly withdrew his hand.
Depleted of strength, Jiang Mo half-leaned against the wall, eyes brimming with tears, glaring angrily at Zhou Wang, with her mouth open as if to say something, but eventually, nothing came out.
“From the beginning to the end, you could have run away at any moment, but you didn’t, right… Senior Sister?”
Zhou Wang stared at Jiang Mo, and with just a sentence, he made her panic once again.
“Senior Sister, I can give you a little time to get used to and accept me, do you want that?”
At this moment, Zhou Wang spoke again.
Jiang Mo stared blankly at him, tears still clinging to her eyes, creating a unique beauty against her cool features.
“Do you want it?”
Zhou Wang pressed further.
Jiang Mo didn’t know what she was thinking; as if driven by a force beyond her control, she nodded slightly.
And it was as if she had completely forgotten that just a few minutes ago, she had firmly intended to make things clear with Zhou Wang. She wanted to reject such a relationship.
Zhou Wang shattered her illusion with the most forceful manner, and in her despair, threw her another seemingly more acceptable choice.
She was like a drowning person, desperate to cling to a piece of wood, even if it was a leaking one.
“Senior Sister would subconsciously feel that I had also conceded, so she would comply with my less excessive demand.”
Zhou Wang thought quietly.
“And this, in psychology, is called the ‘rejection-then-retreat’ strategy.”
Zhou Wang didn’t actually want to force Jiang Mo; he wasn’t a criminal. This step-by-step conquest was instead exciting to him.
“Senior Sister, have you ever been in love?”
Zhou Wang pulled Jiang Mo up, allowing her to lean against him, and curiously asked.
“On-online dating, does that count?”
Jiang Mo had somewhat calmed down. She no longer resisted physical contact with Zhou Wang, leaning slightly against him, steadying her breath.
“Hmm?”
“I’m not good at socializing. I only had one friend online who I talked with a lot on Weibo, but we never met…”
Under Zhou Wang’s surprised gaze, Jiang Mo blushed a little and explained softly.
“Senior Sister, I didn’t expect you to have such a high and cold exterior, secretly engaging in online dating!”
Zhou Wang said seriously, “You must be punished a little.”
“What punish—”
Perhaps the atmosphere, finally shifting towards normalcy, made Jiang Mo less guarded.
She instinctively lifted her head, their eyes meeting, and Zhou Wang faintly saw the tongue unsettled inside her slightly parted lips.
Zhou Wang didn’t let her finish her sentence.
“…Mm!”
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