Chapter 2

He nodded slightly.

“Good.”

But Jing Song exercised at a set time every day. I couldn’t invent an excuse to run outside every single time.

He went into the kitchen to cook.

I got up and followed.

“You can cook?”

“Yes,” he said.

“Just not very often.”

He opened the refrigerator. Apart from a few stalks of bok choy, it was almost empty. He fell silent.

Looking at it, I remembered I’d been ordering takeout lately and barely buying groceries.

After he moved in, I’d also cleared half the refrigerator for him, making it look even emptier.

I straightened awkwardly.

“Um… I’ll order some groceries online.”

Jing Song closed the door.

“No need. I’ll do it.”

Then he made a call.

About an hour later, someone arrived with masses of meat, fruit, and vegetables, along with ready-to-eat dishes.

Only…

There was so much food.

And an awful lot of meat.

Sitting at the table, I swallowed.

“This must have cost a lot. I’ll split it with you.”

“No need. My family sent it.”

Something seemed wrong.

“Didn’t you run away from home?”

His sharp eyes swept toward me.

“I called them just now. You could say I gave in.”

Me: “…”

Was running away from home really this casual for adults?

He offered no further explanation.

He certainly looked cold and proud, but his actions were warm.

Wasn’t that contrast exactly like the domineering CEO in the erotic novel I’d just read?

Cold outside, hot inside. Such an appealing contrast.

And when it came to doing that, he was like a wound-up spring…

“Cough! Cough, cough…”

I choked on my own saliva, hurriedly covering my mouth, my whole face burning.

“Are you all right?”

After asking, Jing Song seemed to sense something. His nose twitched, and his gaze became strangely unreadable, as though he could feel the stirrings inside me.

I didn’t notice. Hearing his question, I hurriedly waved.

“I’m fine. Fine.”

His gaze slowly moved away.

His eyes began to redden, and his fingers tightened slightly around his chopsticks.

Those large, angular hands looked immensely powerful. It was no exaggeration to say they seemed capable of snapping anything he wanted to snap.

Something appeared to lift his hair, exposing the rounded tips of two ears. But when I blinked and looked closer, there was nothing.

My attention, however, was entirely on his hands.

Not only did I fail to recognize the danger, I was secretly marveling:

Such beautiful hands!

[He stared at the woman sitting on his desk, a mischievous smile on his face. His long, angular hand closed around…]

Stop!

Stop!

I lowered my gaze and squeezed my eyes shut in embarrassment.

Enough. Enough!

Get this filth out of my head!

I was still battling the dirty-minded little person in my brain, vowing to delete every file my friend had sent me.

Beside me, Jing Song was being drawn in by my soft gaze and the faint desire quietly rising within me, stoking the fire inside him.

His throat worked. His brows drew together slightly.

He showed nothing, merely exhaling a hot breath, suppressing his desire, and beginning to eat the meat.

I ate a bread roll, two bowls of rice, and plenty of meat.

By then, all that trash had vanished from my mind.

I hurriedly helped clear the dishes to move around a little. I even walked uphill on Jing Song’s treadmill for a while.

Sometimes he went out, but he always returned on time.

Anyone who didn’t know might think he had a curfew.

I really was curious.

Didn’t he have a nightlife?

Today, though, I kept listening for sounds outside my bedroom.

It was past eleven, and Jing Song still wasn’t home.

As I was thinking, I heard the front door open.

My eyes lit up.

I got up and opened my bedroom door.

The living room lights came on. A man with a slightly flushed face stepped inside.

Black shirt, black trousers. Broad shoulders, narrow waist, long legs.

It was infuriating how handsome he was.

Smiling, I said happily:

“You’re back!”

At the sound of that sweet, delighted voice, Jing Song’s sharp gaze swung toward me.

Seeing the person behind the half-open door, the fierceness in his eyes gradually faded. His steps quickened slightly.

“You’re still awake?”

I was too far away to see that change in his eyes.

I happily opened the door wider, watching him approach with bright eyes.

“Yes, I stay up late. Why are you only getting home now? I was worried.”

This had absolutely nothing to do with romantic feelings.

First, I was the landlady.

Second, I wasn’t working, so my entire life revolved around this home.

After living together so long, worrying was perfectly normal.

Jing Song didn’t come close. He stopped about two paces away.

“I’m fine. Go to sleep. I’ll take a shower.”

Looking at his face, I frowned slightly.

“Have you been drinking?”

He paused, perhaps not expecting the question.

Then he nodded.

“Can you tell by looking? Or do you smell alcohol?”

Frowning, he raised his hand to sniff it.

Even his cool features showed distaste.

His behavior made me laugh.

“By looking. Your face is so red.”

“Oh.”

“I’ll shower.”

Without lingering, he returned to his room.

Me: “…”

Suddenly, I felt let down.

It all seemed to end so abruptly, leaving me wanting more.

I abruptly rubbed my face.

Snap out of it!

I turned and went back inside.

When Jing Song emerged with clean clothes, he glanced at the closed master-bedroom door.

Then he entered the bathroom and turned on the shower.

Both hands braced against the tiled wall. The muscles in his powerful arms stood out, taut with effort.

He closed his eyes.

The girl’s pretty face flashed through his mind, along with her clear, sweet voice.

“You’re back!”

“Hah…”

His breathing grew heavy, lost beneath the patter of water on tile.

The heat inside him washed down the drain with it.

The bathroom door opened, dispersing the last of the steam.

An alluring flush still lingered on Jing Song’s face, but his eyes were frighteningly fierce.

He resembled a wild beast poised to spring, growling low, wanting to attack the prey that had unknowingly tempted him.

His fierce gaze turned toward the master-bedroom door.

Seeing the sliver of light beneath it, he looked away.

The next morning, I got up rather late.

My brother called to ask whether I wanted to work with him. I declined.

My sister-in-law sent me money. I didn’t accept that either.

After all, I still had an extraordinarily generous sucker of a tenant.

He’d paid all the rent in one go.

Sometimes, late at night, guilt suddenly pricked me. Had I gone too far, charging him so much?

Within a few days, I returned half the rent.

But Jing Song wouldn’t accept it.

He said to consider it payment for the yarn-ball wind chime.

Well, then. I could keep it with a clear conscience.

Lately, he hadn’t liked staying home. I felt rather unsettled.

Even a little anxious.

Was he going to move out?

After all, he’d already made peace with his family.

That thought dampened my mood.

That afternoon, I went out to eat with a friend.

Afterward, we stopped at a bar for a few drinks.

Hugging Shen Fanyu, I sighed.

“Yuyu, am I so lonely because I’ve never dated that any handsome man makes me think he’s interested?”

I’d actually seen Jing Song’s ID.

He was a year younger than me!

Only twenty-three.

Shen Fanyu clinked her glass against mine.

“How handsome is he, to have you this bewitched?”

Oh, I had plenty to say about that.

“Much better-looking than those young guys on TV, anyway. Those muscles, that figure… Better than someone straight out of a comic.”

Her eyes immediately lit up.

“Really? Any pictures?”

We were both hopeless suckers for good looks. Naturally, she was intensely curious about this man called Jing Song.

I shook my head and drank another half glass.

“No.”

She looked disappointed, then suddenly grinned wickedly.

“Hehehe. Did you read the novels I sent?”

At that, my face immediately flamed.

“You… Those things you sent…”

Seeing me stammer, she laughed uncontrollably.

The music at this bar wasn’t particularly loud, but it was still noisy.

My phone vibrated. I never noticed.

Glumly, I had a few more drinks.

Shen Fanyu’s face was flushed too. We chatted a while longer, then prepared to leave.

Outside the bar, I linked arms with her.

“I’m thinking of looking for a job soon. I can’t keep hiding at home without socializing. I’m turning into a complete layabout.”

“You could come to my company,” she said fondly. “You’re more than capable. I could refer you.”

Thinking of returning to work, I suddenly felt there was nothing left to worry about.

I was about to say something when several drunken men staggered toward us.

Warily, we changed direction.

They swayed after us, changing direction too.

I hurriedly took out my phone and only then discovered several missed calls from Jing Song.

Panicking, I called him back.

Before it could connect, a hand snatched the phone and hurled it to the ground.

“Well, well. Two beauties. What are you doing here? Have a drink with us. I’ll pay for the phone.”

I was furious, but knew this wasn’t the time for a confrontation.

Inside, I cursed:

Bald bastard.

But my eyes reddened.

Shen Fanyu nearly bristled. She immediately pulled me behind her.

“What’s it to you? Stay away. I’ve called the police. Leave now, and we might let it go.”

“Hahahaha!”

The men roared with laughter.

“This little bitch has a sharp tongue. We’re doing you a favor, asking you to drink. Don’t push your luck. If you’re not out here selling yourselves at midnight, why act so precious? Slut.”

I held both of Shen Fanyu’s arms and pulled her backward, wary of them turning violent.

But those words left us both shaking with rage.

What kind of animals said things like that?

I stepped forward.

“We’ve called the police. There are plenty of people here. You’re harassing us, insulting us, and you stole my property. We will press this as far as it goes.”

At first, I’d planned to run.

But we certainly couldn’t outrun them.

And they’d surrounded us.

My hands trembled. Tears gathered helplessly in my eyes, but I kept the fear out of my voice, trying to intimidate them.

I’d never encountered anything like this before.

I wanted to call for help. But the occasional passersby only watched from a distance, afraid to approach.

Someone tried to intervene, but the bald man claimed they’d arranged to meet us, and now we wanted to run after drinking.

“You’re lying! We don’t even know you!”

One drunken man with a beer belly raised his hand to slap me silent.

I squeezed my eyes shut.

Quick as a flash, Shen Fanyu pulled me into her arms.