Yu Na was unabashed as she pressed her lips against his neck, "You're not allowed to touch me."
"Then what are you doing now?"
After being with him for so long, Yu Na had already learned the most effective way to annoy him.
She grinned mischievously, "I'm testing your willpower."
Xiao Chen: ???
He laughed in exasperation, "Is this something that can withstand testing?"
Yu Na moved even closer to him, pecking his lips and squeezing out a sentence from the kiss, "If you don't agree, then bite me!"
Xiao Chen thought to himself: Hmph.
He grabbed the back of Yu Na's head, and the fleeting kiss instantly intensified.
Shortly after, a slight pain came over her.
Xiao Chen had bitten her lower lip, gripping her waist tightly to prevent her from resisting. His satisfied tone revealed the smugness from getting the upper hand: "Still being fierce?"
But to his surprise, Yu Na was even more vicious than him.
Xiao Chen was only teasing her with a light bite, but Yu Na had bit down hard.
The sensation of blood flowing into his mouth made Xiao Chen shudder in pain. He released her and quirked his brow in accusation: "Are you a dog?"
"How did you know?"
Oh right.
She really was a dog.
"..."
He didn't even know how they had turned the rosy atmosphere into this.
Just before Yu Na left the car, she even said: "Oh, I think my lipstick smudged onto your clothes."
Xiao Chen's eyebrows twitched - he was wearing a white T-shirt.
...
Sitting back in the driver's seat, Xiao Chen looked in the rearview mirror. Indeed, there were still traces of her lipstick around his mouth, along with the blood from where she had bitten through.
The vibrant red lipstick marks were dotted over his lips, chin, and adam's apple like raindrops.
The lower they went, the lighter the lipstick stains became, but they were still visible.
Xiao Chen used a tissue to wipe it off, but couldn't clean it thoroughly. He then tried wiping with a wet wipe from the car, which worked slightly better, but the marks could still be seen faintly.
Makeup really was a wondrous thing - lipstick could so easily stain his skin, yet it couldn't be wiped away without a specific makeup remover.
With the scenes from the car replaying endlessly in his mind, Xiao Chen rolled down the window and let out a breath.
She had gotten what she wanted, kissed her fill, then left satisfied while he was abandoned yearning and lonely like an unwanted child.
It really was maddening.
And made him want her to death.
He desperately wished he could go upstairs right now and take revenge on her one by one.
Xiao Chen took out his phone and sent Yu Na two WeChat messages:
【Baby】
【You're so cruel】
...
Returning to Yunwan Mansion, he saw Qiao Rui curled up on the sofa studying vocabulary.
From his appearance, it didn't seem like he was pretending.
Qiao Rui obviously didn't know he would be coming back to stay tonight.
Seeing Xiao Chen appear unexpectedly still gave him a fright, and soon, he noticed the lipstick stains on Xiao Chen's clothes and the indistinguishable red around his lips.
"Bro, what did you go through? Tell me everything."
Xiao Chen threw a pillow at him. "Study your vocabulary. I'll test you later."
He went into the bathroom to take a shower. After showering, Yu Na replied to his WeChat:
【Do you miss me?】
With a towel wrapped around his waist and water droplets trickling down his hair, Xiao Chen faced the mirror, showing off his smooth, well-defined muscles.
C: 【I do】
C: 【So much】
C: 【I want to hold you】
Yu Na replied with a "kiss" emoji, followed by a message: 【Remember to have a good chat with Qiao Rui】
Xiao Chen: ?
That's it? That's it?
She had completely ignored his "I want to hold you"!
C: 【1】
Xiao Chen took his phone out to the living room.
Qiao Rui was still studying vocabulary.
Was this still him?
Xiao Chen sat down on the sofa. "Take a break for now and chat with me."
Qiao Rui stopped reciting words, aware of what he wanted to ask - his sudden return must have had a purpose that he now understood as well.
Qiao Rui had always been straightforward. Without waiting for Xiao Chen to ask, he took the initiative to confess: "I like Xu Yi, but I won't date right now. Don't worry."
Xiao Chen: ?
"I haven't even asked yet."
"Bro, I know what you're worried about. Don't worry, I won't do anything rash."
"It's not that I'm worried about you," Xiao Chen said lightly. "I'm just concerned about your sister-in-law's feelings. You and Xu Yi have really worried her."
Qiao Rui: ?
You don't have to be so blunt.
Xiao Chen slapped his shoulder amiably. "I've got nothing more to say. As long as you know your limits, that's good. You can study with her if you want, but you need to understand her standpoint. No matter what, you can't hold others back. Got it?"
"Mm."
And that concluded the brothers' chat.
Xiao Chen returned to his room early. On his way out later to get water, he saw Qiao Rui diligently working on math problems.
This kid really did know to focus on studying now - he couldn't be faking it.
He also didn't understand why Yu Na had asked him to come back especially today.
Lying alone on the spacious bed, the familiar scent was gone because he hadn't been back in so long. Right now, Huating No.1 was where his soul lingered.
The extravagant yet dreary shell that was Yunwan Mansion felt devoid of life despite having the two brothers inside. Their longing had floated far away.
The difference was that Xiao Chen could directly express his longing.
On the bed, Xiao Chen took out his phone and texted Yu Na: 【Asleep?】
N: 【Nope, have you talked with Qiao Rui?】
Ignoring her question, he simply replied with five words: 【I'm coming over to accompany you】
Yu Na sent back a question mark.
Xiao Chen didn't reply further. He grabbed his car keys, changed his clothes, bid Qiao Rui goodbye, and left.
Qiao Rui urged him on, "Hurry up and go. I know your heart's not here with me."
...
After drinking water in the kitchen, as Yu Na was about to return to her room, the front door abruptly opened.
Xiao Chen's refreshing figure came into view.
"Just one night—" Yu Na looked at him helplessly yet dotingly. "You can't even stand that?"
"I'm done talking already."
"How did it go?"
"I'll give you the details in the bedroom."
He sounded very formal that Yu Na thought they must have had some profoundly meaningful conversation.
But her idea of details and his details didn't seem to align...
In the bedroom, Yu Na hissed softly: "Pervert!"
Xiao Chen refused to acknowledge it, instead blaming her: "You're completely asking for it today."
Yu Na circled her arms around his neck, breathing heavily. She clutched the back of his head, still not having had her fill, and lifted her head to kiss him.
"Xiao Chen."
"Hm?"
With their foreheads pressed together, Xiao Chen gazed into her bright eyes.
Love laid bare, clinging tightly together.
Yu Na recalled Xiao Chen in the haunted house and couldn't help chuckling.
Xiao Chen kissed the tip of her nose. "What other naughty ideas are you plotting?"
Yu Na was a little embarrassed, but she spoke bluntly. "When it comes to this, you in the haunted house and you now are completely different people."
At the mention of the haunted house, shame spread through his entire body once more.
"You'd better forget about the haunted house incident, or you'll regret it."
She wasn't mistaken. The current Xiao Chen was nothing like the little wife he had been at the haunted house.
The contrast was just too drastic!
...
Right before falling asleep, Yu Na mumbled groggily: "Isn't it your birthday tomorrow?"
Xiao Chen didn't celebrate his birthday. To him, it was just an ordinary day.
If Yu Na hadn't asked, he wouldn't have brought it up either.
But since she had asked, he knew his girlfriend would definitely keep him company to celebrate.
Xiao Chen checked the date - tomorrow, August 25th.
"Mm."
"You'll be mine tomorrow."
Yu Na had said this with her eyes closed, falling asleep straight after.
Xiao Chen couldn't help smiling. He pinched her fair, soft cheeks. "When have I not been yours?"
But on the afternoon of Xiao Chen's birthday, two "surprises" came crashing down successively.
