“Can’t you just… take better care of your own body?”
It was a classic Zhong Chu-style expression of concern—one An Yanqing knew all too well.
The tsundere eldest miss of the Zhong family was perpetually awkward when it came to showing she cared. She wrapped her worry in a slightly overbearing shell, seemingly believing that by doing so, she wouldn’t expose the clumsy affection hidden beneath her harsh tone.
An Yanqing didn’t know how to respond for a moment. She could only look up blankly, her eyes filled entirely with the reflection of Zhong Chu standing inches away.
Zhong Chu had one hand supporting the small of An Yanqing’s back, her fingertips tracing the uneven marks there. Her other hand was braced against the space between An Yanqing and the wardrobe, pinning her in place.
She leaned forward, slowly pressing in. The familiar scent of rose hair oil invaded all of An Yanqing’s senses. The warm breath mingling with the fragrance, the movement of those bold red lips, and the stroking fingers on her lower back combined to send an uncontrollable tremor through An Yanqing’s body.
Her silence made Zhong Chu inexplicably irritable. Zhong Chu let out a frustrated “tsk,” released her arm from the side of the wardrobe, and instead pinched An Yanqing’s chin, forcing her to look her in the eye. “An Yanqing, stop playing dead. Say something.”
“If there’s a problem, communicate properly and solve it. Weren’t those your own words to me? What’s with this passive-aggressive attitude?”
An Yanqing was forced to look down at her. Zhong Chu never knew her own strength; to prevent any resistance, the grip on her chin was quite firm.
An Yanqing hadn’t experienced this kind of subordinate position in a long time. It felt like a melodramatic “wall-slam” scene from a third-rate idol drama had suddenly manifested in reality, blurring the lines between acting and real life. For a moment, it actually felt a bit novel.
The corners of her mouth twitched upward. Looking at Zhong Chu’s lowered brows and stern expression, An Yanqing thought about how she might react if she knew she was actually the culprit behind the marks. She suddenly felt an urge to laugh.
Before the smile could fully form, Zhong Chu’s expression darkened further, clearly loathing this appearance of indifference and lack of remorse.
She tightened her grip on An Yanqing’s chin, causing An Yanqing to flatten her lips and suppress the urge to frown. “An Yanqing, you’re an actress. Don’t you know your face and body are precious? Did your professional ethics get eaten by a dog?”
Really now… clearly she’s worried, yet it has to come out with seventy percent fire.
“Miss Zhong, could you try speaking nicely for once?”
An Yanqing’s rebellious streak was ignited by the abrasive tone. She leaned forward slightly, intentionally closing the gap.
Zhong Chu’s line of sight was already level with An Yanqing’s red lips; with this move, An Yanqing’s lips nearly brushed against her eyes.
A puff of hot breath swept past. Zhong Chu reacted as if she’d been singed by a flame, instinctively letting go and taking a step back.
An Yanqing didn’t rush to leave the small space Zhong Chu had carved out. She leaned against the wardrobe, crossing her arms nonchalantly with a relaxed tone. “What happens to my body is my business. Zhong Chu, what does it have to do with you?”
Zhong Chu flinched momentarily, her brow furrowing. But once she regained her footing, she met An Yanqing’s gaze again, speaking with self-righteous confidence: “By the fact that I am currently your big boss! You are an artist under my wing. Your body represents part of your value, so how is it none of my business?”
If she hadn’t mentioned it, An Yanqing would have almost forgotten that detail. Seeing her rendered speechless, Zhong Chu’s momentum surged.
She stepped forward again, grabbing An Yanqing’s collar and tugging downward slightly, forcing her to bow her head.
“It was one thing when you didn’t pay attention to your health in the past, but why are you still so careless now? You’re a big star! Low blood sugar, and now injuring yourself so randomly… your body is truly suffering under your care.”
At the mention of the past, An Yanqing finally lowered her eyelashes, shifting her gaze from Zhong Chu’s face to the floor. Her voice softened. “It’s nothing. I just had an allergic reaction to something.”
Zhong Chu froze, her grip loosening a bit. “Allergies? Is your body that sensitive? Your skin too? These marks look fresh—what have you been touching with your lower back these past two days?”
Zhong Chu could swear to the heavens that when she said those words, her intentions were entirely pure, without a single stray thought.
However, her gaze drifted downward, her eyes seemingly piercing through the fabric of An Yanqing’s clothes to see the smooth skin beneath.
This unshielded stare made the hair on An Yanqing’s back stand up. She didn’t want to hear another word from her about how “sensitive” she was, so she lifted the small safe in her hand. “I got the item. Here.”
Zhong Chu had been hell-bent on getting this thing earlier, but now that it was in her hands, she was distracted, her mind not on the task at hand.
The small safe concerned Zhong Chu’s privacy, so An Yanqing pointedly avoided looking at it. When Zhong Chu entered the password, An Yanqing proactively stepped aside.
Even with her back turned, An Yanqing could still feel Zhong Chu’s gaze drifting toward her waist. Though Zhong Chu’s fingers had long since left the inside of her shirt, the phantom sensation in that sensitive area lingered.
The tingling itch turned into a burning sting. The spot where Zhong Chu had touched the red welts felt like a wildfire spreading from the surface of her skin straight to her heart.
An Yanqing kept her eyes down, quietly clenching her fingers.
The sound of the safe opening came from behind her. It lasted only a second; Zhong Chu seemed to just glance inside before snapping it shut again.
Zhong Chu rested her chin on her hand, her other hand tapping rhythmically against the edge of the safe. Her red lips were pressed tight as she stared thoughtfully at the hem of An Yanqing’s shirt.
Knowing it wasn’t An Yanqing’s own recklessness, Zhong Chu’s anger had subsided, replaced by curiosity.
The position on the waist was truly delicate, and in that brief glimpse earlier, the pattern of the red marks felt vaguely familiar.
She hadn’t quite connected it to her own mistake yet. An Yanqing, unsettled by the scrutiny, took the initiative to speak. “Where is Zhong Yiran?”
Zhong Chu’s thoughts were still drifting. Hearing the question, she replied absently, “The kid wasn’t behaving, so I sent him to school.”
After saying this, she paused, suddenly frowning. “Why are you asking about Zhong Yiran? Staying in that little doghouse of yours last night was cramped and miserable; I only did it to appease Grandfather temporarily.”
“An Yanqing, surely you don’t think I’ve actually conceded? You think I’m just going to obediently listen to Grandfather and keep living with you?”
The eldest miss changed her face faster than flipping a page in a book. Even though An Yanqing was used to this, she couldn’t help but frown. She straightened up and walked to Zhong Chu’s side. “If you refuse to go back with me, and you can’t return to the Zhong house because of the old man… where exactly will you go?”
Her tone was flat and rippleless. She looked down at Zhong Chu, her eyes locked onto her face. Despite the calm expression, it gave off an inexplicable chill.
Having known her for years, Zhong Chu was naturally aware of her habits. When An Yanqing was truly angry, she didn’t scream or shout. The angrier she got, the calmer her expression became. To a stranger, she might look perfectly fine.
But when she was angry, her usually restrained aggression would fully surface. She was a master at using logic to spin a web around her opponent until they fell into her linguistic trap.
This “hidden fire” was terrifying to Zhong Chu, who knew her well. Zhong Chu instinctively hugged the small safe tighter and scooted a little further back on the bed.
Though she felt a twinge of fear in her heart, she remained stubborn on the surface. “Even if Grandfather freezes my cards, I still have my dear He Yu and plenty of other friends. At worst, I’ll just move in with He Yu!”
The fire in An Yanqing’s heart felt as if Zhong Chu had just dumped a bucket of hot oil onto it, making her blood boil. She couldn’t help but close her eyes, reaching up with practiced restraint to unbutton her collar.
The feeling of constriction at her throat loosened, but the sense of suffocation only intensified.
She let out a short, cold laugh. “Zhong Chu, I am your legal wife, yet you’re saying you won’t live with me and want to go live with He Yu instead?”
Zhong Chu could sense the veiled fury, but she assumed it was simply because she didn’t want to cohabitate.
She gripped the safe tightly and craned her neck, refusing to back down. “What? Just because you and He Yu have always had friction, I’m not allowed to associate with her? Even if we are ‘wives,’ that’s no excuse for you to interfere with my friendships.”
“If you’re going to use our marriage license to force me to cut ties with my friends just because you have a grudge, then by that logic, can’t I ask you to compromise a bit? Be the bigger person, let it go, and just get along with my friends?”
The more Zhong Chu spoke, the angrier she became. She recalled the complicated mood she’d been in when she contacted He Yu that morning. She had argued with her best friend because of this marriage, yet the culprit was acting like nothing was wrong—even trying to force her to choose.
Zhong Chu never held things in; if there was fire in her heart, she had to let it out, and An Yanqing had just given her the opportunity. “Your possessiveness is so strong. Don’t you think your behavior is a bit too selfish?”
An Yanqing’s knuckles turned white. She lifted her head, staring deeply into Zhong Chu’s eyes. “I have no intention of using my status to forcibly interfere with your social life, but, Zhong Chu…”
She paused for a long time before speaking in a low voice.
“Are you truly stupid, or just pretending? Do you really not know that He Yu is in love with you?”