-023- Pounce on Him and Taste.
-023-
Embarrassment fermented in the dim, quiet living room, and Xuan Yang's body temperature skyrocketed. Although she hadn't eaten pork, she had at least seen pigs run, so she naturally knew what Zhou Dang's reaction signified. He had desire for her! How could that be? There was clearly no emotional foundation between them! ... Was this just the nature of men?! Her mind raced, but her face remained composed. After a brief few seconds of silence, she opened her mouth. "I understand. I'll go get water." With that, she quickly left with the noodle bowl, leaving Zhou Dang on the sofa, wanting to say something but holding back. He watched her back disappear into the kitchen, then looked down at his lap, frowning. Just sitting on it once, and it reacts this much. Pathetic.
After this incident, Xuan Yang didn't dare to continue being alone with Zhou Dang. She drank some water and quickly returned to the guest room. But back in her room, she tossed and turned, unable to sleep. Her mind was full of the moment she had sat in Zhou Dang's lap. Earlier, she hadn't noticed, but tonight Zhou Dang was wearing loose loungewear. Xuan Yang really hadn't expected him to be that big; it was almost like a weapon. Anyway, she was also a normal woman in her prime. Although she hadn't eaten pork, she had seen pigs run. If she had never been exposed to such things, it would be one thing, but now that she had actually experienced it, she couldn't help but dwell on it. Coincidentally, Xie Xinglan hadn't slept yet and sent her a message. [Babe, what do you think of He Chen?] Xuan Yang's attention was finally diverted. [?] As soon as the message was delivered, Xie Xinglan's video call came through. Xuan Yang hesitated for two seconds before answering. Xie Xinglan was leaning against the headboard, looking very serious. "The marriage alliance between my family and the He family is about to be put on the agenda. So recently, I've been trying to get to know He Chen." Xuan Yang sat up, wrapped in her blanket, and video chatted with her. "From what you're saying, you're a bit interested in him?" No one knew Xie Xinglan better than Xuan Yang; she immediately saw through Xie Xinglan's little thoughts. Xie Xinglan looked a bit embarrassed, avoiding eye contact. "Anyway, he is kind of handsome. And quite devoted." Speaking of He Chen's devotion, Xie Xinglan's brows furrowed a little. Before, when she had no involvement with He Chen, she had heard about his feelings for Huo Yuntang, and she thought he was quite a passionate person, different from other playboys in their circle. He Chen's love for Huo Yuntang was chaste and devoted. "I used to admire that devotion, but now..." Xie Xinglan frowned, momentarily unsure how to describe her feelings. Xuan Yang listened carefully and was almost certain that Xie Xinglan's feelings for He Chen were deeper than she had expected. Concerned about Xie Xinglan's lifelong happiness, Xuan Yang advised her to think twice. "First, calm down and think about whether you can accept that your future husband will always have another woman in his heart. Lanlan, no matter what, your happiness and joy are the most important." Xie Xinglan was touched, sniffled, and nodded. "Babe, I really want to hug you." Xuan Yang was helpless. "See? You can't stand this kind of grievance." Xie Xinglan was stunned, then understood and found it a bit funny and sad. She did feel uncomfortable that He Chen had someone else in his heart, but she had been in frequent contact with him lately, and she had feelings for him too. Now she was in a state of restless obsession, a bit infatuated. "I just saw that you and Zhou Dang got married and are doing quite well." Xie Xinglan pouted. "I couldn't help but hold onto a sliver of hope." What if, after marrying He Chen, her sincerity could move heaven and earth? Mentioning Zhou Dang, Xie Xinglan finally noticed that something was off about Xuan Yang's environment. "Babe, where are you?" Xie Xinglan leaned into the phone, carefully examining the wall decorations behind Xuan Yang. "It doesn't look like your rental apartment." Now it was Xuan Yang's turn to feel uncomfortable. She turned her face away and coughed lightly. "Well, it's getting late. If there's nothing else, you should get some sleep. Don't overthink and trouble yourself." Xie Xinglan curled her lips. "Go to sleep just like that? Aren't you going to explain? By the way, where's Zhou Dang? Aren't you two sleeping in the same bed?" Xuan Yang: "..." Mentioning this, she couldn't help but think of Zhou Dang's reaction. In the video, Xie Xinglan rested her chin on her hand. "You're too reserved. You're already married. Isn't it normal to fulfill marital duties? Even without an emotional foundation, facing Zhou Dang's face and body, any woman would pounce on him and taste." Xuan Yang: "..." Xie Xinglan wanted to say more, but Xuan Yang hung up on her. The large guest room finally quieted down. But Xie Xinglan didn't seem ready to let her off. After hanging up, she sent a video of Zhou Dang swimming. Xie Xinglan: [I found this in the big circle group. It's from Chen Xingyue's birthday pool party last year.] Xie Xinglan: [Your husband's swimming segment went viral both inside and outside the circle, and even made it to the trending list.] Xie Xinglan: [Later, the Zhou family suppressed it, and now it's gone from the internet. I specially dug through my history to find it for you.] The video thumbnail showed Zhou Dang leaning against the edge of an infinity pool, with a dark night sky and a faint crescent moon in the background. There were many people in the video, both men and women, gathered together. The scene was nothing short of decadent and indulgent. But the main focus of the video was clearly Zhou Dang. The camera followed him, from him leaning by the pool chatting with Chen Xingyue, to him getting out of the water and swimming in the deep end, capturing it all comprehensively. The video ended with Zhou Dang getting out of the pool after swimming and glancing at the camera. The frame froze. Zhou Dang had a cold expression, his gaze icy as he looked at the camera. At that moment, Xuan Yang felt a sense of guilt, as if she had been caught spying. Even through her phone, she could feel the chilling intimidation in the man's eyes. But what left a deeper impression were Zhou Dang's chiseled abs, chest muscles, and narrow, taut waist. And his thin, enticing red lips wet with water, along with the Sanskrit tattoo that meandered down from the right side of his abdomen, following the line of his Adonis belt. ... As Xie Xinglan had said, Zhou Dang's physical appearance was truly top-notch. Broad shoulders, narrow waist, long legs, high nose, deep eyes, long lashes—a cool bone structure and a charismatic aura. He was undoubtedly attractive. The kind of person that, even without an emotional foundation, you'd want to sleep with once and have no regrets. Xuan Yang touched her slightly hot cheek with the back of her hand and went to the bathroom to splash some cold water on her face. She was completely unable to sleep.
Early the next morning, as soon as the sky began to lighten, Xuan Yang tiptoed out of the guest room. She wanted to sneak away before Zhou Dang woke up and send him a message later to let him know, avoiding any awkwardness from meeting face to face. But to her surprise, as soon as she reached the living room, she came face to face with Zhou Dang, who was coming from the kitchen. They locked eyes across the dining room and both froze. Zhou Dang was holding freshly made breakfast, and his loungewear seemed to have been changed. Xuan Yang felt a bit awkward. "Good morning... Why are you up so early?" The sky was just barely bright. She thought she had gotten up early enough. Zhou Dang's gaze lingered on her for a moment, his expression relatively calm. "Good morning. Leaving already?" Xuan Yang watched him put the breakfast on the dining table and gave a dry laugh. "Yes, I wanted to get to the firm early." As she spoke, she forced herself to remain composed and walked toward the entrance. She was about to say some polite farewell remarks when Zhou Dang beat her to it. "Eat breakfast before you go. I'll drive you." Zhou Dang stood in front of the dining table, looking at her quietly. His gaze was gentle as water, surrounding Xuan Yang from all sides. She felt a bit breathless. After a few seconds, she recovered from the strange suffocation and nodded mechanically. "Sure." Zhou Dang pulled out a dining chair for her and went to the kitchen to bring out another portion of breakfast. The two sat next to each other, enjoying a rare quiet breakfast together. During the meal, Xuan Yang stole a few glances at Zhou Dang and noticed that he also seemed a bit tired, with faint dark circles under his eyes, as if he hadn't slept well. "Did you not sleep well last night?" "Did you stay up very late?" A low male voice and a gentle female voice spoke at the same time, breaking the silence of the dining room in perfect sync. Zhou Dang looked at Xuan Yang, his cold expression softening, the corners of his mouth slightly lifted. "Did my scaring you last night keep you from sleeping well?" Xuan Yang took a bite of her sandwich, lowered her eyelashes, and chewed. After a long moment, she denied it. "No... I was busy with work. I stayed up a bit late." Zhou Dang was skeptical, teasing her. "I thought you were afraid I'd sneak into your room in the middle of the night and didn't dare to sleep." Xuan Yang looked up and choked on her sandwich, coughing twice. Zhou Dang stood up, picked up the glass of milk, and brought it to her lips, gently patting her back with his other hand. "Don't stay up late for work in the future. It's not worth ruining your health." Xuan Yang drank the milk from his hand before Zhou Dang sat back down. Their eyes met again for a moment, then Xuan Yang looked away and replied flusteredly, "You too." Zhou Dang smirked and couldn't resist teasing her again. "Who told you I stayed up because of work?" Xuan Yang met his gaze, momentarily confused. "What else would it be?" Zhou Dang looked into her innocent, pure eyes and shook his head. "Nothing." He really couldn't tell the pure-hearted Xuan Yang that after returning to the bedroom last night, he had been hard for a long time. So hard that he tossed and turned, unable to sleep, and had to take three cold showers in the bathroom. That's why he hadn't slept well.
After breakfast, Zhou Dang first drove Xuan Yang to Junda, then headed to the Zhou Group. Zhou Dang didn't mention when he would move into Xuan Yang's rental, and naturally, Xuan Yang didn't ask. After arriving at Junda, Xuan Yang immersed herself in work. It wasn't until lunchtime that she was pulled away from the case files. When her adoptive mother called, Xuan Yang was in the middle of ordering takeout. She had a heavy workload today and needed to use her lunch break, so she planned to order delivery and eat at her desk. Seeing the number from the old mansion, Xuan Yang was stunned for a second before answering. The first thing she heard from her adoptive mother was, "Yangyang, divorce Zhou Dang." Since moving out of the Xuan family villa, her adoptive parents hadn't contacted her. So at this moment, Xuan Yang couldn't quite describe how she felt. It was like surprise, or perhaps something she had expected. Xuan Yang held her forehead and laughed softly, frowning slightly. "What's this all about now?" Chen Yinrou didn't like her tone. "What do you mean 'what's this all about'? Do you have any idea how much your father's company has been squeezed by the Zhou family just because you and Zhou Dang secretly got married? Even though the Zhou family hasn't made any official statement, their attitude is clear—they don't approve of you and Zhou Dang being together. Xuan Yang, if you have any sense and gratitude, you'll divorce Zhou Dang as soon as possible and stop bringing trouble to the family. Zhou Dang is the future head of the Zhou family; how could you possibly be worthy of him?" Sense, gratitude, unworthy. Xuan Yang rubbed her temples as she listened to her mother's same old tune, but she couldn't help feeling a pang of bitterness. After a moment, she took a deep breath and asked Chen Yinrou calmly, "In your heart, am I not worthy of anything?" She had won countless awards since childhood but had never received a single word of praise from them. Probably in her adoptive parents' eyes, she wasn't worthy of being first, wasn't worthy of the title of Jingbei's top socialite, wasn't worthy of Chen Xingyue, and certainly wasn't worthy of Zhou Dang. They were always contradictory. On one hand, they demanded that she be exceptional, and on the other, they felt she didn't deserve that excellence. It was so draining. Xuan Yang didn't wait for Chen Yinrou's answer. This time, she hung up directly and blocked the number.
Author's note: Everyone has been waiting for so long! This chapter gives out small red envelopes as compensation! Thank you for waiting! Wu wu wu! Love you all!