Chapter 193: Flirting in the Tent

Michael frowned impatiently.

"Do kids your age really love using the word dirty to describe people?"

He said sternly, "Don't ever use that word to describe yourself again."

As soon as he finished speaking, Jennifer laughed and nestled into his arms.

"Do all you old men like to use lectures as a form of flirting?"

"That kind of flirting is boring. Seriously.”

Seeing her giggle and joke around, making bold remarks at every turn—so flippant, as if she didn’t take him seriously at all—his anger was plain to see.

"Then what kind of flirting do you like?"

“Do you have a good grasp on how young people flirt?”

Jennifer tugged at the corners of her mouth and smiled.

She knew it—first Mason’s harassment, then hugging another guy on camera, and now waiting for a meteor shower with Liam on the mountain. Even if she hadn’t done anything wrong, this man’s patience had reached its limit tonight.

Michael wasn’t the type to dwell on romantic entanglements, but he was on the verge of snapping after being pushed to this point.

“Yeah, we're bold, open-minded, and full of tricks,” Jennifer said. “Want to give it a try?”

“Jennifer.”

Michael’s head was pounding from her provocation.

She looked around at the pitch-black mountain hollow and said, "Didn't you say there was a tent? Looks like you were just all talk.”

“Do you want to come check it out with me?”

His gaze was deep and cold.

Jennifer thought of Liam, who was still dozing off alone over there. She ran a hand through her hair, pouted, "Maybe next time. I’m already taken tonight.”

She shouldn't have said that—it struck a nerve with Michael.

Ever since their first time in the bathtub, when she asked if she would be his from then on, he had told her that he was extremely possessive.

Yet, even after being together for so long, she still dared to test his limits from time to time.

Michael simply dragged her away.

Jennifer entered the tent, which was lit by a nightlight.

The tent was spacious enough for three or four people, and the interior was comfortable and upscale.

Under normal circumstances, camping in a tent like this would certainly be romantic.

But Jennifer felt flustered—she’d practically been shoved inside.

She braced herself with both hands behind her. Her shoes were left on the lawn outside; her bare, fair feet touched the tent floor.

She watched Michael warily, like a defensive little deer.

He didn’t follow her inside, though. Instead, he zipped the tent shut, locking her inside, and stood at the entrance, smoking a cigarette.

Jennifer snorted derisively.

All this fuss just to keep her from watching the meteor shower?

She found it laughable. Too lazy to confront him head-on right now, she curled her feet up inside the tent.

She'd take it slow—after all, the night was still young.

After a week of competition, it would be a lie to say she wasn’t exhausted.

Jennifer knew how to read the situation.

Michael was waiting outside, but she didn’t call him in.

Without saying a word, she set an alarm on her phone for the meteor shower. Then, she lay down in the tent and fell asleep.

Michael finished his cigarette and stood outside, gazing at the stars for a while longer.

Ten minutes passed, and he noticed that Jennifer, surprisingly, was still asleep inside the tent.

She hadn’t called out to him, nor had she started yelling. There wasn't a sound.

It made him wonder if she had slipped out through another exit in the tent.

Just as he was about to check how many exits the tent had, Jennifer started sleep-talking. She sounded very unsettled, as if she were having a nightmare.

“Jennifer?”

Michael couldn’t make out what she was saying. He only heard her grinding her teeth faintly from inside.

He furrowed his brow, unzipped the tent, and strode inside.

Before entering, he turned off all the lights inside and out.

It took a moment for his eyes to adjust to the dim light, and his movements became sluggish.

Before he could fully adjust, however, a hand suddenly grabbed his pant leg.

As soon as Michael sat down, Jennifer pressed her lips against his.

He instinctively reached out to grab her shoulders.

When his fingers touched her skin, his heart skipped a beat.

The dress and top she’d worn to receive her award that night were neatly folded aside. She smiled mischievously in the darkness.

Over there, Liam had fallen asleep sitting cross-legged, even though the meteor shower wouldn’t begin for another hour.

No one knew what the man and woman in the mountain tent were doing.

At first, Jennifer was confused, too. She thought she was dreaming.

By the time she came to her senses, Michael’s tie and shirt were already disheveled.

She froze for a moment before continuing to kiss him.

He kept kissing her back.

However, every time she tried to take it further, he stopped her.

Jennifer was a bit frustrated. In a fit of desperation, she grabbed his hand and took the initiative.

"Why are you setting up a tent if you're not going to sleep in it? Didn’t you say we were going to sleep in the tent tonight?”

Meanwhile, Liam had fallen asleep, but he woke up with a numb leg. The first thing he noticed was that the spot next to him was empty.

Fortunately, he found a text message from Jennifer on his phone from half an hour ago. She said she was going to find some water nearby and would be back once the meteor shower started.

Liam regretted not telling her that he had water with him, as well as the chips, chocolate, and other snacks he’d packed for her.

But he’d accidentally dozed off just a moment ago.

He had no choice but to go look for her. Before long, he spotted a tent pitched on an open patch of ground.

With a meteor shower tonight and this being a famous stargazing spot, it was only natural to run into other campers.

Liam didn’t think much of it. He walked past the tent, intending to continue looking for Jennifer.

Just then, though, an indescribable sound came from inside the tent.

"What did you say?"

"It's raindrops. Nothing else...”

“Say that again.”

Then the girl fell silent.

The voices were so soft, almost like whispers in his ear, that if it weren't for the stillness of the mountains, Liam wouldn't have realized that people were speaking.

Liam’s face flushed instantly.

He had heard the usual banter echoing through the dorms and seen the kind of conversations in guys' chat groups.

He realized in an instant what was going on inside the tent.

Of course, he wasn’t going to eavesdrop. He just turned and ran away, his face still flushed.

But his foot slipped and he accidentally kicked something outside the tent.

It was a pair of girls’ sandals.

It was a dim night, and the sound he made was loud.

He didn’t have time to look at the sandals before running off.

“What was that noise?”

Inside the tent, Jennifer hid behind Michael, her fingers tangled in his hair.

"Did you hear that noise outside?"

Michael didn’t answer. He listened for a moment, and when the footsteps faded into the distance, he smiled.

"Just a wild rabbit in the mountains."