When Meng Jin received the recording from Meng Qingye, he was at a dinner gathering. Tonight’s business partner was a heavy drinker, and despite his best efforts to avoid alcohol, he had already been forced to down several glasses.
He took a moment to slip away to the restroom. Standing before the mirror, the sound of running water echoed loudly, but the voices coming through his earbuds were even more grating.
Even though he had arranged for Meng Qingye to handle matters on his behalf, and even though nothing had been exposed this time, he felt deeply unsettled.
Jiaojiao didn’t trust him.
Meng Jin braced his hands on the marble countertop, his brows furrowed low. He lifted his gaze to meet his own reflection in the mirror.
With a sharp click, he turned off the faucet, and the room fell into silence. He pulled out two tissues and meticulously wiped his fingers, all while a possessive urge surged within him, desperate for proof.
When he returned to the private room, he didn’t refuse the drinks offered to him. He downed one glass after another until his business partner had collapsed, yet his own expression remained unchanged, giving no hint of whether he was drunk or not.
The driver who came to pick him up sensed immediately that his boss was in a foul mood. He drove with extra caution, and the journey passed in silence.
Meng Jin kept the window half-open, resting his forehead against his hand to let the alcohol dissipate. His eyes were dark as he said, “Pull over at the convenience store.”
The driver quickly organized his thoughts and parked the car near a nearby shop. “What do you need? I can go buy it for you.”
“No need,” Meng Jin replied tersely before stepping out of the car and heading straight into the store. “Don’t follow.”
The driver couldn’t possibly let his intoxicated boss go alone, so he immediately got out of the car and kept his eyes fixed on Meng Jin. Fortunately, Meng Jin emerged quickly, holding two small boxes in his hand though the driver couldn’t make out what they were.
By the time they arrived home, it was just past nine in the evening. Only a few warm-toned lights were lit on the lower floor.
Chen Jiaojiao had long since burrowed under the covers. Having slept for most of the day, he wasn’t the least bit tired now. Hearing the noise from outside, he immediately closed his eyes and pretended to be asleep.
Click!
Before he could see anyone, he caught a strong whiff of alcohol. Meng Jin had been drinking, and tonight, he had clearly indulged more than usual.
Chen Jiaojiao opened his eyes at once, only to find Meng Jin standing right beside the bed he hadn’t even noticed when he’d arrived!
“Baby, you’re awake?” Meng Jin seemed unaware that he had been pretending to sleep. He knelt halfway down, took Chen Jiaojiao’s hand, and pressed it against his own cheek, nuzzling it gently. “Are you still angry?”
“How much did you drink?” Chen Jiaojiao’s expression hardened as he tried to get up to make him some sobering soup, his voice growing colder. “I can’t control you anymore. You never listen to me anyway.”
Meng Jin knelt on the bed, wrapping his arms around Chen Jiaojiao from behind and holding him firmly in his embrace. His tone was pitiful, inexplicably reminding Chen Jiaojiao of a drenched puppy no, he was a wolf. “You ignored me. It hurt.”
As soon as he finished speaking, a flurry of kisses landed on Chen Jiaojiao’s neck, gradually moving upward.
Chen Jiaojiao’s thoughts were thrown into disarray by his sudden actions. While trying to dodge, his eyes suddenly caught sight of two small square boxes on the bedside table they hadn’t been there before. Had Meng Jin brought them just now?
Noticing Chen Jiaojiao’s gaze, Meng Jin chuckled softly, leaning in to whisper three words into his ear.
The moment those three words were spoken, Chen Jiaojiao felt as if he had been thrown into a steamer, overwhelmed by a suffocating heat.
When he came back to his senses, he found himself already led into the bathroom by Meng Jin at some point. Unsteady on his feet, he could only hold onto Meng Jin’s arm for support. Once he steadied himself, he wiped the water from his face, stammering as if struggling to find the words.
Meng Jin, perhaps having drunk today, was unusually slow to react. Normally, seeing him like this, Meng Jin would have stopped immediately. But today, not only did he not stop, he grew even more relentless.
The bathroom was small, and he found it hard to breathe. Lifting his arm to create a barrier between them, he pleaded, “W-Wait a moment.”
“Can’t wait, baby.” Meng Jin revealed a rare, forceful side, gently brushing his lips over Chen Jiaojiao’s brows and eyes, coaxing him patiently. “Be good and listen to me today, okay?”
Chen Jiaojiao looked up at the man standing before him. Water droplets slid from his forehead to the tip of his nose, then fell onto his collarbone less like water, more like droplets of wine.
Suddenly, his fingers loosened, and the last piece of clothing was effortlessly tossed aside by Meng Jin.
In Meng Jin’s heart, the desire to possess this person completely surged to its peak to make him entirely his own.
Chen Jiaojiao felt as though he had returned to that dark night in his dream, where he lay hidden on a boat. Just as he thought he could steady himself, even greater waves would crash over him, tossing him about endlessly.
“Baby, say you love me.”
Meng Jin’s gaze lingered on Chen Jiaojiao’s beautiful back. Sweat dripped from his jaw into the small of his back. After a pause, his low, husky voice broke the silence. “Say you love me, and we’ll stop, okay?”
“I love you.” Chen Jiaojiao’s eyes were blurred with tears as he instinctively tried to please Meng Jin. But sensing that the other had no intention of letting him go, he wanted to flee.
Meng Jin broke his promise, placing his palm on the small of Chen Jiaojiao’s back and gently pulling him closer, continuing to press, “Baby, who are you?”
By now, Chen Jiaojiao had no strength left. Like a doll, he allowed Meng Jin to do as he pleased, answering each question obediently. “Chen Jiaojiao.”
“Wrong. You’re hubby’s little wife.”
“Say it again, baby.”
Chen Jiaojiao’s hair was soaked and plastered back, revealing his delicate brows and eyes. His beautiful almond-shaped eyes were glistening with moisture, veiled in a misty haze. Dressed in Meng Jin’s black shirt, his skin looked even fairer and more delicate. He turned his head, trying to push Meng Jin away, but his hand was caught, leaving him unable to move. Reluctantly, he spoke, “I am your wife.”
“Who am I?” the man continued to guide him.
“Meng Jin.”
“Say it together, okay? Hmm?” Meng Jin, having tasted the sweetness, pressed further. “Once you say it, we’ll rest.”
Chen Jiaojiao glanced at the beast within Meng Jin, poised and ready. His usual cool composure had long vanished, and his voice trembled as he spoke. “Chen Jiaojiao is Meng Jin’s wife.”
Sensing the change in Meng Jin’s demeanor, Chen Jiaojiao flinched, anger rising within him, though he couldn’t even lift a finger. “You said we’d rest!”
Meng Jin chuckled softly. “Baby, I’m a bad person. I don’t keep my promises. I’m sorry.”
“Be good, baby.”
As dawn broke, Chen Jiaojiao fell into a deep sleep, while Meng Jin, lying beside him, felt a surge of emotions. Finally, finally, in this world, there was no one closer or more intimate than the two of them.
The next day was Christmas, and a heavy snowfall continued without end, shrouding the entire world in a dim, gloomy atmosphere.
Chen Jiaojiao woke up two or three times in between, sleeping restlessly, his body still faintly warm.
Meng Jin was woken by the heat. He reached back to touch Chen Jiaojiao’s forehead it was burning hot. The house always kept fever-reducing medicine on hand, and within minutes, he had managed to get her to take it.
But he couldn’t rest easy. He had clearly taken care of the cleanup afterward, so why was she still running a fever? Without delay, he called the family doctor.
Before the doctor arrived, he stayed by the bedside, using a damp towel to help lower her temperature physically. Silently, he counted the number of times from the night before more than he could count on one hand. It really had been a bit excessive.
The doctor arrived quickly. Lifting the blanket, he saw the dense red marks covering Chen Jiaojiao’s body and shot Meng Jin a reproachful look, his tone filled with disapproval. “Mr. Meng, you must refrain for the next week. And you’ll need to apply the ointment for her.”
Meng Jin didn’t argue. He listened carefully to the doctor’s scolding, accepted the ointment and the newly prescribed fever-reducing medicine.
After an injection, Chen Jiaojiao’s temperature dropped, but Meng Jin still didn’t dare relax, fearing it might spike again. It wasn’t until evening, with no signs of a relapse, that he finally breathed a sigh of relief.
Chen Jiaojiao slept fitfully for a full day and night. When she woke, her entire body ached, and her voice came out hoarse and unpleasant, like a broken gong. Instantly, she lost all desire to speak, her expression listless.
Though her body was uncomfortable, she wasn’t so weak she couldn’t get out of bed. Slipping on her slippers, she slowly made her way outside. When she saw snowflakes still drifting down, she quickened her pace.
During the first snowfall, she had been preoccupied and hadn’t been able to enjoy it properly. Now, grabbing a piece of buttered bread on her way downstairs, she dashed outside.
Most of the snow in the yard had already been cleared, though some remained, stained with other colors. Unhappy with that, she wrapped her scarf tighter and headed further out.
Lester had reported to Meng Jin in the study as soon as Chen Jiaojiao went downstairs and had arranged for two servants to follow her, keeping an eye on her safety.
Outside, everything was indeed blanketed in white, the snow reaching up to her ankles. Choosing a spot, she crouched down and began building a snowman.
She gathered the cold snow in her hands, shaping it into a ball, then rolled it on the ground until it grew too large to lift.
With the snowman’s body done, she still needed decorations. Remembering the leftover items from decorating the Christmas tree in her room, she started to jog back to fetch them.
Her body was already uncomfortable, and with the slippery ground and her slippers, she failed to notice the steps. Suddenly, she stumbled backward.
With a thud, the back of her head struck the edge of a step. Chen Jiaojiao’s vision went dark, her brain feeling as if countless silver needles were piercing it, sharp and agonizing.
Along with the pain came the forgotten past, flooding her mind and tearing at her soul, as if she were reliving the day her memories had first returned.
What had Meng Jin told her that day?
He said they were long-time lovers, that he had pursued her for years, that her parents were gone…
“Mr. Chen!”
“Jiaojiao!”
Just before losing consciousness completely, she heard Meng Jin’s panicked cry. Jiaojiao?
Nonsense!
Her name wasn’t Chen Jiaojiao!
She was Meng Xue Yan, and Meng Jin was her brother. How could she have been living a married life with her own brother, even sharing intimacy just the day before? Overwhelmed by immense fury, her mind could no longer bear it, and she fell into unconsciousness.