191: Chapter 191 Raising Song Siyi's Level

"Jiang Fan! Give that photo back to me!"

Song Siyi reached out to snatch it.

Jiang Fan held his hand high.

Song Siyi grew anxious. She straightened up, lunging forward, and used both hands to grab Jiang Fan's arm.

Jiang Fan leaned back with the momentum, his back pressing against the sofa cushion.

Song Siyi lost her balance and fell right into Jiang Fan's arms.

Her knees pressed onto Jiang Fan's thighs, and her hands rested on Jiang Fan's chest.

The neckline of her knitted sweater slipped down due to the movement, revealing a strip of black lace.

Jiang Fan's gaze swept downward for a moment.

"Sister Siyi, this counts as throwing yourself at me."

Song Siyi's face turned burning red. Ignoring this, she grabbed the collar of Jiang Fan's shirt with one hand and tried to pry away the hand Jiang Fan was holding high with the other.

"Give me the photo!"

Jiang Fan shook the photo in his hand, letting Song Siyi struggle against him.

"You've kept this photo for over a decade. It's still laminated so well. Sister Siyi, do you take it out to look at it every night?"

Song Siyi was choked with anger, and she reached out forcefully to grab the photo.

"You're spouting nonsense! I'll fight you!"

She pulled back her hand and went straight for Jiang Fan's neck.

"Are you going to give it to me or not!"

Jiang Fan clamped down on her wrists with one hand.

Song Siyi's strength was no match for his.

Both her wrists were firmly pinned to his chest by Jiang Fan's single hand.

She was straddling Jiang Fan's lap; in this position, they were pressed extremely close together.

Song Siyi's breath hit Jiang Fan's chin.

"Jiang Fan, let go." Song Siyi's voice became somewhat flustered.

Jiang Fan looked at her. Her gold-rimmed glasses had gone crooked during the scuffle, and a few strands of hair had fallen loose.

The hem of her knitted sweater had rolled up a bit, revealing a small section of her fair waist.

Jiang Fan's gaze lingered on her waist for two seconds.

He tossed the photo in his hand onto the sofa cushion beside them.

Seeing this, Song Siyi immediately wanted to get up to grab it.

Jiang Fan's hand slid from her wrist to her waist.

Song Siyi let out a muffled groan and fell back down.

"What are you doing?"

Jiang Fan's hand pressed against the side of her waist; the knitted fabric was very thin, and the warmth of his palm seeped directly through.

He tightened his arm. Song Siyi's body leaned forward, and their noses were almost touching.

Song Siyi's chest heaved violently.

She looked at the face before her. When did the little brat who used to follow her around with a runny nose turn into a man she didn't dare to look at directly?

Jiang Fan's gaze fell onto her lips.

Song Siyi slowly closed her eyes.

Jiang Fan kissed her.

Song Siyi's fingers gripped Jiang Fan's shirt tightly.

After a long while, Jiang Fan finally let her go.

Song Siyi leaned against his shoulder, gasping for breath.

The neckline of her knitted sweater had been pulled open quite a bit, and the black lace was completely exposed to the air.

Jiang Fan's hand followed her waist and slid inside her knitted sweater.

Song Siyi held his hand down.

"Jiang Fan..." Her voice was impossibly soft. "No..."

Buzz—

The phone that Song Siyi had tossed on the coffee table began to vibrate frantically.

As if waking from a dream, Song Siyi shoved Jiang Fan away and sprang up from his lap.

She scrambled to fix her knitted sweater, not daring to look Jiang Fan in the eye.

"I... I'm going to answer the phone."

She grabbed the phone, saw who was calling, and pressed the answer button.

"Editor-in-Chief Chen Ping."

Jiang Fan leaned back on the sofa, watching Song Siyi's back.

Editor-in-Chief Chen Ping's anxious voice was exceptionally clear in the quiet living room.

"Song Siyi, something's happened! Are you with Jiang Fan?"

"Yes. What's wrong?" Song Siyi gripped the phone tightly and quickly adjusted her tone.

"Qishi Chinese Network has made their move." Editor-in-Chief Chen Ping spoke extremely fast. "That old fox, Vice President Zhou Ming, has bribed a few old pedants from the traditional literature circle. Now, Weibo is flooded with articles boycotting 'journey to the west'. Vice Chairman Liu Qingshan of the Writers Association has posted on his verified account, fiercely criticizing 'journey to the west' as cultural trash, a distortion of the classical mythological system, and poison for the youth!"

Song Siyi's face went pale.

"What about the publishing house?"

"The publishing house saw that the public opinion was turning against us and is demanding to terminate the initial print run of five million copies!" Editor-in-Chief Chen Ping's voice was filled with anxiety.

"Vice Chairman Liu Qingshan has spoken. Any bookstore that dares to put this book on their shelves is going against the entire Writers Association."

A hand reached over from the side and snatched the phone from Song Siyi's hand.

Jiang Fan brought the phone to his ear.

"Editor-in-Chief Chen Ping, tell the publishing house. Five million copies, not a single one less. I will publish it at my own expense."

Jiang Fan's mind raced. Qishi Chinese Network played the "borrowing a knife to kill" strategy well, using the elitism of the traditional literature circle to suppress web literature.

But in the face of absolute strength, those pretentious titles were nothing.

'journey to the west' is a masterpiece tested by hundreds of years of history. They think a few articles can suppress it? In their dreams.

The other end of the line was silent for two seconds. "Mr. Jiang, the current public opinion..."

"Public opinion?" Jiang Fan leaned against the sofa armrest. "Qishi Chinese Network is paying to help us with publicity; where else can you find such a good deal? Let them scold. The harder they scold, the better."

"But what about Vice Chairman Liu Qingshan..."

"There are no 'buts'. Do as I say. Find the biggest printing plant; I'll pay for it. If they don't dare to distribute it, I'll find the channels myself."

Jiang Fan hung up the phone directly and tossed it back onto the coffee table.

Song Siyi was anxious.

"Jiang Fan! Are you crazy? That's the Vice Chairman of the Writers Association! A titan of the traditional literature circle! With one word, he can have physical books pulled from all major bookstores! What do you have to go head-to-head with him?"

Jiang Fan turned around and smoothed out the wrinkles on his shirt.

Song Siyi was still talking, her face full of anxiety, the neckline of her knitted sweater still not fixed, revealing a bit of her collarbone.

He couldn't let this woman keep nagging.

"Sister Siyi."

"What?"

Jiang Fan walked over and stepped right in front of her.

"Let's stop talking about work."

Song Siyi was stunned for a moment.

Jiang Fan reached back to hold her hands, interlacing his fingers with hers, and pressed them against the back of the sofa.

His lips landed on her neck.

Song Siyi tilted her head back, and her glasses fell onto the carpet.

"You—mm... Jiang Fan... The serious business isn't finished yet..."

Jiang Fan ignored her, his palm sliding from her wrists to her shoulders, pulling the neckline of her knitted sweater down a bit more.

Song Siyi's struggle grew weaker and weaker.

"Qishi... on that side... what are you... mm... planning to do..."

Jiang Fan lifted his head to look at her.

"This matter can't be rushed. There's only one thing you can do right now."

"What..."

"Cooperate with me."

Song Siyi looked into his eyes, and her reason completely crumbled.

The knitted sweater was tossed on the floor, followed by that piece of black lace.

Song Siyi's skin was very fair. The light from the living room shone down, making it somewhat dazzling.

Song Siyi turned her head away. She didn't dare to look at him.

"You... be gentle..."

Jiang Fan's fingers traced her side waist, and Song Siyi's body trembled accordingly. She was usually decisive and swift in the editorial department, but right now on the sofa, she had softened into a puddle of water.

The sound of the wall clock's second hand was drowned out by the sound of rapid breathing.

Jiang Fan's hand followed her waistline downward; Song Siyi's legs involuntarily closed together, only to be forcibly parted by Jiang Fan's knees.

"Jiang Fan..." Song Siyi's voice changed completely, carrying a suppressed nasal tone.

"Call me Brother Fan." Jiang Fan lifted his head, looking at her flushed cheeks.

Song Siyi bit her lower lip. She felt Jiang Fan's movements stop, and that feeling of being left hanging was very uncomfortable.

"In your dreams..." She opened her eyes, mistiness clouding them.

Jiang Fan looked at her. "Tell me what you promised when you were little."

Song Siyi turned her head away. "I don't remember."

Jiang Fan's fingers increased their pressure. Song Siyi gasped, her waist arching up violently before falling back down heavily.

"Are you going to say it or not?" Jiang Fan asked, pressed against her ear.

Song Siyi's psychological defenses completely collapsed.

She climbed onto Jiang Fan's back with both hands, her voice trembling. "To be... your bride..."

The sofa began to make a slight creaking sound.

Song Siyi bit down hard on the back of her hand, not wanting the sound to escape this small living room.

But that strange sensation came in waves, and she simply couldn't suppress it.

It was unknown how long had passed, but the wall clock had ticked past twelve.

The movement on the sofa finally stopped.

Song Siyi lay limp in Jiang Fan's arms, without the strength to even lift a finger.

She closed her eyes, her chest heaving violently.

He glanced at the bed-wetting photo on the coffee table, then looked at Song Siyi in his arms, whose very breathing carried a hint of charm.

[Ding.]

[Detected deep interaction with Song Siyi.]

[Obtained Lifespan Value: 300 points.]

Jiang Fan looked at the prompt on the panel. The A-grade Lifespan Value gain was indeed a bit low; it seemed he needed to find a way to increase Song Siyi's level.