The force was too light, falling upon Zhou Shijing like silk dropping to the ground—utterly silent.
His face showed no expression, but Wen Xuxue suddenly threw the belt on the floor and threw herself into the man’s arms, crying, “I’m sorry, Older Brother…”
Zhou Shijing held her, letting the water on her soak through his black shirt. He lowered his gaze to look at her, his long lashes casting shadows, and asked, “What did you do wrong?”
Wen Xuxue’s voice trembled: “I shouldn’t have hit you.”
Her head pressed against his chest, and she added, her voice muffled: “A younger sister shouldn’t hit her older brother.”
She spoke timidly, yet with conviction.
As if it were a kind of innate fear, etched into her bones.
Zhou Shijing’s lips curled slightly.
Unlike the false smiles of the past, this time, it was genuine.
He held her tighter and said, “Xiao Xue is so good.”
After this episode, Wen Xuxue stopped throwing tantrums. Zhou Shijing bathed her, carried her to bed, and only then returned to the bathroom to shower himself.
After hearing the sound of water from the bathroom, Wen Xuxue crawled from the foot of the bed to the headboard, retrieved her phone, and sent Jiang Jing a [Crying] emoji.
Jiang Jing replied instantly: ?
[What’s wrong?]
[Why are you crying?]
She sent several messages in a row, and when Wen Xuxue didn’t reply for a while, she called.
Wen Xuxue’s voice was still hoarse, and she didn’t dare answer the call, so she hung up and replied: [It’s nothing.]
Then, unable to help herself, she sent another [Crying] emoji.
Jiang Jing was baffled: [If you’ve been kidnapped, type 1.]
Wen Xuxue: [No.]
Jiang Jing: [Then what is it?]
Wen Xuxue: [I was badly bullied by a villain.]
Jiang Jing was even more confused.
If her best friend had truly been bullied, she shouldn’t have said it in such a coquettish tone. But if not…
Jiang Jing thought for a moment and slowly typed: [Who is the villain?]
Wen Xuxue: [You don’t know him.]
Jiang Jing: [Then… how did he bully you?]
Wen Xuxue couldn’t bring herself to say it and finally replied: [I won’t tell you.]
Jiang Jing: […]
What’s the point of talking then?
She had no choice but to probe gently: [Do you like this villain, or do you hate him?]
Wen Xuxue: [Hate hate hate! Loathe loathe loathe loathe loathe loathe him to death.]
The screen filled with the word “loathe” made Jiang Jing’s eyes blur, almost making her forget how to read the character.
She understood, yet didn’t fully understand.
Was it liking or hating? Love or loathing?
Had Wen Xuxue really been kidnapped?
Or had she been drugged and lost her mind?
These questions swirled in Jiang Jing’s mind, making her increasingly anxious and worried. She hurriedly asked: [Are you at home or somewhere else?]
Wen Xuxue was typing when the sound of water from the bathroom stopped. Her fingers froze.
The next second, the bathroom door was pushed open.
Almost simultaneously, Wen Xuxue tossed her phone back onto the table.
Zhou Shijing stepped out, steam lingering around him, softening his usually sharp and cold features but failing to conceal his striking handsomeness.
His face was already flawless, and his physique was no less impressive.
Broad shoulders, narrow waist, excellent proportions. Above his abdomen, evenly distributed muscles were tight and powerful.
The lines were well-defined, a sight to behold.
So handsome.
When Wen Xuxue stared at him motionlessly like this, only those two words remained in her mind.
Zhou Shijing gazed back at her, his sharp features softened by the warm light. He asked, “What was Xiao Xue doing just now?”
Wen Xuxue replied, “Nothing.”
Zhou Shijing: “Mm.”
He picked up a pack of cigarettes and a lighter from the corner of the table and walked toward the balcony.
Wen Xuxue noticed and called out to him as he slid open the balcony door: “Older Brother.”
Zhou Shijing paused but did not turn around, only glancing slightly sideways at her.
The glow from the crystal chandelier overhead outlined the man’s perfect yet sharp profile.
Looking at his face, Wen Xuxue felt a stir in her heart and asked, “Why have you started smoking again?”
Zhou Shijing paused, then turned fully to face her.
He stood tall and imposing, while she sat on the bed, delicate and beautiful.
Their beautiful eyes reflected each other, and Zhou Shijing finally spoke: “Because Xiao Xue isn’t behaving.”
Wen Xuxue: ?
She wanted to press further, but he had already turned away, stepped onto the balcony, and slid the door shut tightly.
What did his smoking have to do with whether she behaved or not?
Wen Xuxue racked her brains but couldn’t figure it out.
She simply felt that if he wanted to smoke, he could just smoke—why did he have to blame her?
Tossing and turning, she completely forgot about her earlier conversation with Jiang Jing.
On the other end, Jiang Jing sent her ten messages in a row, all of which went unanswered.
Jiang Jing sensed something was wrong, convinced that something must have happened to Wen Xuxue. After thinking for a long time and unsure who else to turn to, she could only call her brother.
Zhou Shijing was still smoking on the balcony when he received the call.
He initially didn’t want to answer, but it kept ringing.
A faint crease formed between his brows as he extinguished the cigarette before finally picking up.
“Brother! Help, help, help, help! My best friend is in trouble!”
As soon as the call connected, Jiang Jing’s frantic voice came through.
Zhou Shijing calmly moved the phone slightly away from his ear, glanced back at Wen Xuxue rolling around on the bed, and replied coolly, “Which best friend?”
Jiang Jing’s voice remained urgent: “What do you mean which best friend? I only have one best friend!”
Zhou Shijing’s expression remained indifferent: “Did she just send you a message?”
There was a slight flaw in his question, but Jiang Jing, entirely focused on her best friend’s well-being, didn’t notice. She said, “Yes! She was talking about some bad guy, bullying, hatred, and resentment.”
Zhou Shijing caught the keyword, his tone turning cold: “Hatred?”
“Ugh, it’s hard to explain to you,” Jiang Jing said anxiously.
Zhou Shijing, who had never been spoken to like this before, parted his thin lips, ready to reprimand her.
But his phone suddenly vibrated, and Jiang Jing’s voice followed immediately: “I sent you the chat log. See for yourself.”
Zhou Shijing lowered his gaze and quietly scrolled through the chat log.
The two 【crying】 emojis softened his expression slightly.
The rest was just her calling him a bad guy, saying she hated him, resented him.
Nothing serious.
Jiang Jing asked, “Brother, have you finished reading? Did you notice anything suspicious? Was she kidnapped? Or drugged, out of her mind?”
Zhou Shijing saved the chat log on his phone, his handsome face betraying no emotion as he calmly replied, “Just a child throwing a tantrum.”
Jiang Jing questioned, “Really?”
Zhou Shijing: “Believe it or not.”
With that, he hung up the call directly.
Only after the smell of tobacco had completely dissipated from his clothes did he push open the door and walk back into the bedroom.
Wen Xuxue lay quietly in bed, tucked under the covers.
In her arms, she held a pillow, her face resting against it. Her features were delicate and lovely, her eyes tightly closed—she appeared to be asleep.
Zhou Shijing watched this scene, a faint smile lifting the corners of his lips.
That pillow was his.
And one he used often.
He walked over and sat on the bed, the soft mattress immediately sinking beneath his weight.
Wen Xuxue’s eyelashes fluttered slightly, but her eyes remained closed.
Zhou Shijing saw right through her but said nothing. Suddenly, he leaned down and captured her lips in a kiss.
The sudden warmth and softness made Wen Xuxue’s eyes fly open instantly.
Zhou Shijing did not let her go. Instead, he pinched her chin, forcing her mouth open and deepening the kiss.