Chapter 148 - 147
Joanna couldn’t help but laugh. Her flicker of conscience vanished in an instant. With a mischievous glint in her eye, she dangled the half-eaten squid in front of Simon Lockwood’s face. "Want a bite?"
Simon had never eaten anything like this. Before, he couldn’t afford it; a ten-yuan grilled squid was enough for a full meal. Later, when he had money, he simply had no interest in such things.
The aroma was just a concoction of sauces and artificial flavorings—the kind of thing only children would like.
Simon sometimes wondered why he always treated Joanna like a child, even though she was about his age. It was probably because, around him, she always acted like a kid who would never grow up.
Simon shook his head, just about to refuse,
when Joanna seized the opportunity. The moment he opened his mouth, she shoved the squid right up to his lips, grinning. "You’re eating it whether you like it or not."
Simon: "..."
The fragrant scent of squid filled his nostrils. Simon stiffly took a small bite. Surprisingly, it didn’t taste that bad.
"Is it good?" Joanna asked immediately, her eyes full of expectation.
Simon paused for a moment, then gave a noncommittal nod. In a strained voice, he said, "You can have it."
"Fine, I’ll eat it myself." Joanna feigned annoyance, gobbling down the squid while muttering to herself. When she was done, she didn’t forget to lick her lips.
Simon naturally took the skewer from her hand, snapped it in two, and tossed it into a nearby trash can. Then he held the soy milk to her lips.
Joanna drank a few sips from his hand, washing away the lingering, slightly uncomfortable taste of the spices.
On the way home, Joanna’s excitement hadn’t faded. She held a warm rice cake, nibbling on it as they passed festive lanterns hanging along the roadside.
By the riverbank, the sound of fireworks erupted, exploding into fiery, silver blossoms in the sky. The flickering lights reflected in Joanna’s eyes.
Joanna asked Simon to stop the car and took out her phone to film the display. She was so captivated by the fireworks that she didn’t notice the man’s focused gaze was fixed on her the entire time.
As the last firework faded and the sky returned to darkness, Joanna clutched the mooncake box in her pocket, feeling a little shy. She took a deep breath and said, "Simon, can you close your eyes?"
Simon didn’t ask why. He quietly closed his eyes, his long lashes casting a faint shadow.
He heard the soft RUSTLE of a package being opened, followed by the girl’s gentle, sweet voice. "Okay, you can open them now."
Simon slowly opened his eyes, and the sight before him made him freeze.
The girl was holding a mooncake with both hands. Carved into its surface were the English letters "JQ."
In the moonlight, the tip of her nose was slightly red, and a small part of her lower lip was swollen and plush. Her cheeks were fair and smooth, her eyes dark and glistening. She looked as devout as someone presenting a sacred offering.
"I made this myself, you know." Seeing Simon’s silence, Joanna couldn’t help but show off. "I didn’t let anyone help."
There was a hint of shyness mixed in with her pride.
After a long moment, Simon finally spoke. "Mm, I know."
He had watched the gala.
On the screen, the girl had tried over and over to get the pastry right, failing many times. When she finally made the best one, she’d flatly refused to give it to anyone else, all so she could bring it to him.
The man’s calm, dark eyes were focused and earnest. Joanna felt shy under his gaze and quickly looked away, mumbling, "I don’t know if it tastes good or not. Do you want to try—"
Before she could finish, the man had already lowered his head and taken a bite. She wasn’t sure if it was her imagination, but Joanna saw Simon’s chewing motion pause for a fraction of a second.
Before she could get a better look, Simon nonchalantly took another bite.
In no time, he had eaten more than half of it. ’She was so pleased with herself. Hehe, my skills really are amazing.’
Seeing that Simon was about to finish the whole thing, she couldn’t help but say, "Leave a bite for me."
Simon glanced at her. As Joanna stared with pleading puppy-dog eyes, he popped the rest of the mooncake into his mouth and finished it in one go.
Joanna: "..."
Joanna was stunned. She stared with wide eyes, in disbelief. "You... you... you..."
Joanna was furious. "You didn’t leave any for me at all?!"
Simon deliberately wiped a crumb from the corner of his lips and said nonchalantly, "Mm."
Joanna: "...!!!"
’"Mm"?!’
Joanna was choking with anger. "I made that, and I didn’t even get a single bite!"
"You gave it to me."
That indifferent tone... Before Joanna could even get properly angry, Simon suddenly moved closer. His voice was deep and pleasant as he enunciated each syllable, "Eat. J. Q."
’Eat... Joanna.’
"..."
Joanna was so dazed she didn’t even know how she got home. It wasn’t until she was pressed onto the bed, her skin flinching as it met the cool air, that she snapped back to reality. ’Curse this weakness for a handsome face!’
’I’d been so flustered by Simon’s casual words that I couldn’t think straight. How could I be so useless!’
As Joanna stewed in regret, a gentle bite landed on her neck. The man’s voice was husky. "Joanie, pay attention."
...
’Joanie...’
Joanna froze again. Her eyes stung, and she subconsciously wrapped her arms around the man’s lean, strong waist. In a muffled voice, she said, "Simon, you..."
Before she could have her tender moment, she felt another bite on her neck. Joanna grew angry and tried to resist, but she was easily overpowered.
The man leaned close to her ear, his tone deep and heavy with a dark rasp. "Hold on tight. Be a good girl..."
Joanna: "..."
’Be good my ass!’
’Wasn’t this just serving myself up on a platter? Stupid hands, stupid hands! I shouldn’t have gotten emotional and hugged Simon!’
Everything after that spun out of control. Outside, the moon sank in the west. Moonlight streamed in, pooling on the floor and outlining their two bodies pressed tightly together.
The next morning, Joanna woke up and had just turned on her phone when a message from her assistant popped up.
Julie: [Jojo!! Check Weibo, quick! You’re trending!!]
Joanna: "???"
Joanna stretched her sore arms and opened Weibo. Sure enough, she saw her name ranked third on the trending list.
#JoannaKennedyMidAutumnGalaMooncake#
’I’m trending just for making a mooncake? Don’t tell me Walter Young bought the ranking for me. Or was it because I did such a good job?’
’Yeah, that must be it. Even Simon loved it. It must have been delicious.’
Joanna inwardly celebrated and eagerly clicked on the hashtag. The next second, her expression went numb as she read the top post:
"#VideoProof, ahahaha, OMG, why did Joanna Kennedy make a mooncake without any filling! It’s just a pure pastry shell, right? Ahahahaha!"
Below it was a thoughtfully included video clip. In the video, the beautiful girl, with a serious expression, placed the dough into a mold and then put it in the oven. The entire time, she never added any filling. It was just one big pastry shell.
[So funny, no wonder she wouldn’t let our Owen have any, hahaha]
[LMAO, she’s so serious about it. Seriously making a pastry shell, ahahaha]
[Who gets it? Joanna Kennedy has the face of an angel, but why is she always so hilarious? That post-show interview too, what the hell was with that "hahaha"? She’s so absurd!]
[I wonder who was lucky enough to eat that "mooncake."]
’Lucky enough?!’ Joanna was silently tearing her hair out.
She finally understood why Simon had paused for that split second.