Completely Captivated - Chapter 3

Gu Jilang watched me with a faint smile in his eyes.

That was when I knew he had been teasing me.

I poked him in the waist. “Don’t tease me n-next time.”

Gu Jilang hung the socks up to dry, looped an arm around my neck, and guided me back inside. He had a demand of his own. “Next time, don’t casually let other people smell you. Do you hear me, Xuan Zhuangyu?”

His voice sank on the final words. It sounded like a warning.

Feeling guilty, I muttered, “W-we’re all men.”

Gu Jilang’s gaze darkened. “Is that so?”

He said nothing more.

But while I was showering, Gu Jilang suddenly knocked and came into the bathroom.

I was about to wash the clothes I had changed out of. He abruptly moved closer. I sensed danger, but there was nowhere to escape.

In the end, the tall young man caught me in his arms and inhaled me over and over as if he were huffing a cat.

I sighed mournfully. “O-of course I smell good n-now. I just showered. Move.”

If only I had known. I would not have showered.

I would have stunk him to death.

Hmph!

His fingers combed through the wet ends of my hair.

Droplets streaked his fingertips.

Then he pinched my earlobe. When I could not help trembling, he said softly, “We’re both men. Is it really too much for me to smell you, Little Zhuangyu? Have you forgotten? You promised to help desensitize me.”

I really did need to help the Young Master correct his mistaken ideas… but his voice sounded so good.

My ears were burning. I wanted to run.

Yet his other hand had locked firmly around my waist. I could only tilt my head away as though nothing was wrong. “Young Master, the fact that I smell good is o-objectively true. Because I-I also think I smell nice right now.”

“But I love this scent on you.” He lowered his head, his gaze intensely predatory. “It’s faint and warm, as if it seeps straight out of your skin. It smells so good. I’m addicted to it.”

He made me sound like some delicious treat he might bite into at any second.

My eyes widened helplessly.

My scalp prickled.

Even after Gu Jilang left, the heat in my face did not fade, and my heart kept pounding.

What was I going to do? The Young Master’s symptoms were even more serious than I had imagined.

The dark foundation and makeup remover I had ordered online arrived.

So when Gu Jilang woke later than I did the next morning, he suddenly discovered that my skin had somehow darkened by several shades—and that I had not blended the foundation properly around my neck.

For one instant, his expression was indescribable. His brows drew together, then relaxed again.

I secretly watched his reaction.

He had said he liked pale skin. Now that I looked darker, he should stop having those thoughts, right?

But when Gu Jilang slung an arm over my shoulders and led me out, he actually remarked, “This complexion looks pretty good.”

I was still beautiful, but at least I looked much more “low-key.”

I could no longer tell what the Young Master was thinking.

People surrounded me in the studio for ages, asking for the link to my foundation.

“This is so interesting. You look gorgeous. It gives you such character.”

Gu Jilang had walked me there but had not yet left. His expression instantly soured. He practically pulled me into his arms to block their stares, pinched my cheek, and said, “Be good and paint. I’ll come pick you up later.”

I immediately forgot I had been talking to my classmates and nodded at once. “Mm-hmm. Okay.”

Gu Jilang swept a frosty gaze over the people beside us. Everyone hurried back to their own places.

To be honest, plenty of people were interested in Gu Jilang. But with that cold demeanor of his, none of them dared approach even if they wanted to.

By the end of the day, my face was filthy.

Our two roommates even laughed at me for it.

I looked at myself in the mirror and laughed too.

When I turned around, I saw Gu Jilang watching me.

My face heated before I could stop it.

After a moment, Gu Jilang urged, “There won’t be any hot water left soon. Hurry and wash your face.”

Although I desperately wanted to think of the Young Master as sweet and innocent, he was clearly not that easy to fool. He pinched my cheek. “Are you planning to sleep like this? You’ll wake up looking like a calico cat tomorrow and cry because you think you’ve become ugly.”

“I would not! I’m n-not that vain.” But his words still made me nervous, and I hurried out to the balcony to scrub my face clean.

The dark foundation washed down the drain with the water.

I rinsed my face several times.

Looking in the mirror, I found the whole thing rather funny.

Gu Jilang leaned against the balcony door with his arms folded.

He said nothing, but flecks of tenderness gleamed in his eyes.

With my face freshly washed and pale again, I felt a little embarrassed to face him. Trying to recover my dignity, I explained, “I’ve just been into this complexion lately. It looks m-manly.”

“Manly?” The Young Master suddenly laughed aloud. “Oh? And what does ‘manly’ smell like?”

He strode over on his long legs and bent down until the tip of his high-bridged nose touched mine, his eyes fixed on mine. “All I can smell is a naughty little puppy running wild.”

My face turned red in an instant.