Yu Wanwan was pinned against the back of the chair, enduring the man's domineering kiss, her body trapped by the chair and him, unable to move. Gradually, her initial fierce struggle began to subside.
Because in Zhang Jingxu's frenzied kiss, she suddenly sensed a hidden fragility and fear of loss.
This realization struck her like an electric current, shattering all her resistance and confusion. Her pounding hands slowly dropped, eventually weakly clutching the front of his shirt.
Yu Wanwan had to admit that she didn't actually resist Zhang Jingxu's kiss; she even enjoyed it a little.
The man seemed to know exactly where her sensitive spots were. His hand moved from her shoulder to the back of her neck, finally gently rubbing her earlobe.
His hands felt like they could set fires, not only draining all the strength from her body but also igniting a deep longing for intimacy in her heart.
Feeling her stiff body suddenly soften, Zhang Jingxu's kiss transformed from a punitive plunder into a deep, lingering embrace, filled with a desperate tenderness, as if silently pouring out all the emotions he couldn't express in words.
After who knows how long, when the air in their lungs was nearly depleted, he finally broke the kiss with satisfaction.
He pressed his forehead tightly against hers, his breathing heavy and hot, scorching the air between them.
His voice was hoarse beyond recognition as he whispered against her lips, "Now... do you understand who you should be caring about?"
Yu Wanwan stared into his dazed eyes. After a moment, she suddenly raised her hand and gave him a slap—neither light nor heavy—completely shattering the ambiguous atmosphere. "You're insane."
With that, she stood up and walked upstairs without looking back.
Zhang Jingxu seemed stunned by her sudden slap, frozen in place, at a loss.
A moment later, he shouted in frustration toward her room, "I never agreed to your 'keep a distance at home' clause!"
His only response was a dull slam of the door.
Zhang Jingxu felt a tightness in his chest. He strode up the stairs two or three at a time, quickly reached the second-floor study, opened a drawer, and took out the notebook he had named "The Young Lady's Guide to Winning." He read it meticulously from beginning to end, but still couldn't find any topic on how to deal with seeing your girlfriend hugged by her ex.
Dejected, he put the notebook back in the drawer, his heart feeling as if crushed by a ton of bricks, making it hard to breathe.
He had told her he wanted to pursue a goofy, funny girl, but forgot to ask her the most important question: what to do if the girl you like has a persistent ex-boyfriend.
If he asked her this question now, would she give him a lesson and solve his doubts?
...
Yu Wanwan stood under the showerhead with her eyes closed, letting the hot water soak her from head to toe, as if it could wash away all her fatigue.
When she finished washing and came out drying her wet hair, she suddenly saw a steaming bowl of beef noodles on the vanity table, topped with slices of beef brisket that Zhang Jingxu had braised a couple of days ago.
Her hand paused mid-motion. She shot a wary glance at the closed door. When her stomach growled with hunger again, Yu Wanwan sat down without a second thought, picked up the chopsticks, and began to eat heartily.
Why not? It's free food.
As she ate the fragrant beef noodles, she thought about the man's失控 kiss downstairs, her feelings still complicated.
Stupid man, what gave him the right to act crazy? Who did he think he was, kissing her forcefully?
She knew it all along—his usual calm and gentleness, and the clueless act when she taught him romance tricks, were all fake.
——
Yu Wanwan woke up late the next day, or rather, she deliberately stayed in bed to avoid meeting him.
It wasn't until nine o'clock that she washed up and went downstairs.
She found that Zhang Jingxu hadn't gone to work as usual but seemed to be waiting for her.
She paused, thinking about going back upstairs, but Zhang Jingxu suddenly called out, "You're awake?"
"..."
With no choice, Yu Wanwan steeled herself and sat down across from him at the dining table.
In front of her was a beautifully presented egg-and-croissant sandwich and a glass of red bean oat milk.
Zhang Jingxu kept observing her expression, as if hoping this delicious breakfast would win her a moment of favor.
Yu Wanwan's eyes were complicated. After hesitating, she picked up the sandwich and took small bites.
The sandwich was delicious, the scrambled egg perfectly cooked, but in this obviously tense atmosphere, Yu Wanwan found it tasteless.
Zhang Jingxu pursed his lips, then took the initiative to apologize for last night: "I was wrong about what happened last night. I couldn't control my emotions. I'm sorry."
Yu Wanwan was visibly startled, not expecting him to apologize first.
After calming down, she felt she was also at fault. Regardless of whether they were a contractual couple, being held tightly by her ex in front of him and not offering any explanation when she got home was indeed disrespectful.
Besides, she only learned after her shower last night that Lu Peizhi had risked his life to save her during the typhoon, and the news had been reported. Some unscrupulous media even portrayed her and Lu Peizhi as star-crossed lovers, and netizens, like bots, inexplicably started shipping the already dead-in-the-water "Jade Pendant" couple.
Zhang Jingxu holding back until they got home before losing his temper was already quite dignified, even giving her face.
She squeezed the half-eaten sandwich, mulling over what to say, but in the end, she only softly hummed in acknowledgment.
Zhang Jingxu continued, "I dragged you away yesterday without letting you say goodbye to your friends. Are you going to visit her at the hospital today? If you are, I'll drive you after breakfast."
Seeing him suddenly acting so understanding, Yu Wanwan felt a inexplicable unease, even guilty.
The wind was still strong outside. They went to the hospital together when the rain let up at noon.
Zhang Jingxu deliberately waited outside the ward, giving the three girls some time alone.
When Yu Wanwan entered the ward, she secretly glanced at the room next to Mi Xiaonai's. The bed near the balcony was empty. She wondered if someone had been transferred.
Zhang Jingxu caught her subtle movements, his thoughts complex, but he said nothing.
"How are you feeling today?" Yu Wanwan walked into Mi Xiaonai's ward carrying two heavy thermoses filled with pig trotters specially stewed by Zhang Jingxu. "I brought you pig trotters."
Hearing "pig trotters," Mi Xiaonai's eyes lit up like a parched land receiving rain. "Ah! How did you know I have to start fasting after this lunch?"
"Is the surgery tomorrow?" Yu Wanwan handed bowls and chopsticks to her two best friends, then opened the thermoses. A rich aroma of food immediately filled the ward.
One thermos contained dark, glazed braised pig trotters; the other was a milky white, thick kidney bean and trotter soup. She glanced down at the full portion of trotters and exclaimed in dismay, "Oh! I was so focused on bringing the trotters that I forgot to pack rice."
"It's okay," Mi Xiaonai said, already reaching out eagerly. "Such delicacy, I shall eat it as is!"
The trotters were still steaming hot when poured out. Gu Enzhun carefully blew on them and asked while eating, "Did you guys... not fight when you got home last night?"
After all, she had witnessed Zhang Jingxu's gloomy, stormy expression yesterday.
Yu Wanwan's eyes flickered almost imperceptibly. The memory of him losing control and pinning her to the chair for a forceful kiss last night flashed through her mind. She picked up an empty bowl, scooped a piece of trotter for herself, and said lightly, "No, we didn't. What would we fight about?"
After a moment's thought, she couldn't resist lowering her voice and asking, as if casually, "By the way, the guy next door... was he transferred?"
"He upgraded to a VIP ward," Mi Xiaonai said, chewing on the trotter. "I heard his wound split open and he was wheeled back to the OR this morning to get stitched up again."
Yu Wanwan pursed her lips. A complicated feeling welled up in her chest. She looked down, poking absentmindedly at the trotter in her bowl, her voice barely a sigh: "Do you think... I should go see him?"
"I think... you'd better not," Gu Enzhun put down her bowl and chopsticks, speaking realistically and calmly. "His ward is now a happy family of five. His 'white moonlight' and his daughter are all there."
Hearing this, Yu Wanwan lowered her eyelashes. Yes, a happy family of five. If she, the 'former lover' who caused his injury, visited rashly, what else could it bring besides awkwardness and trouble?
"I agree. Don't go," Mi Xiaonai swallowed the meat and analyzed, "You've already paid his medical bills. Besides, if you go, your man will probably feel uncomfortable again."
She leaned in, her eyes sparkling with gossip: "Speaking of which, did you really not fight last night? He looked so grumpy yesterday. And now online, there are all these voices randomly popping up telling you to 'rekindle an old flame' with that guy, like some cult."
Mentioning this, Yu Wanwan's face showed confusion and irritation: "I only found out when I got home yesterday. Those netizens were so into the CP I carefully crafted, but now suddenly so many are urging me to go back to my ex. It's like they're bots."
Back when they broke up, netizens comforted her for escaping a bad relationship and stopping her losses before the engagement. But now, because of his one heroic rescue, they've all collectively lost their memory?
Weird. Really weird...
Mi Xiaonai wiped her hands, her gaze sharpening: "I think they are bots."
"So someone is out to get me?" Yu Wanwan's heart skipped a beat, her confusion deepening. "But who?"
She thought hard, but didn't know which internet celebrity she had offended.
"Whoever benefits from this is the one," Mi Xiaonai hinted pointedly. "I'm betting it's the guy in the VIP ward."