More than twenty minutes later.
The car came to a stop under the courtyard lights of Lanxi Garden. Jiang Xu turned off the engine, unbuckled his seatbelt, and got out of the car.
Qiao Zhisheng opened the door and stepped out. She had been somewhat tipsy earlier, but Jiang Xu’s scare had sobered her up completely. However, catching a whiff of the alcohol on Lin Jianxi, she felt drunk all over again.
Lin Jianxi was well-behaved when drunk. Her long, curled lashes cast delicate shadows, her cheeks were flushed with a faint rosy hue, and her entire body exuded a strong scent of alcohol.
She lay curled on the backseat, her silky hair cascading over the seat. The strap of her dress had slipped off at some point, revealing her pale, slender shoulder.
Jiang Xu paused for several seconds before adjusting the strap that had fallen onto her arm. As his fingertips brushed against her smooth skin, his hand trembled slightly.
Jiang Xu scooped Lin Jianxi up in his arms, carrying her past Qiao Zhisheng as he entered the house. “Drink the hangover soup before going to your room.”
“Got it,” Qiao Zhisheng muttered, staring blankly at Jiang Xu’s retreating figure. She let out a soft huff. “Showing off, huh? What’s there to show off about? Bullying me because I don’t have a boyfriend, is that it?”
Hearing this, Jiang Xu paused mid-step and glanced back at her. “Don’t even think about running off. You’ll face the consequences if you do.”
Qiao Zhisheng: “…”
She resented how Jiang Xu could see right through her. She had indeed been planning to slip away, hoping to leave first thing in the morning. Only a fool would stick around waiting for his scolding.
Upstairs, in the master bedroom.
Jiang Xu laid Lin Jianxi on the bed, pulled the blanket over her, and watched her sleeping face for a moment. Gently, he brushed aside the strands of hair clinging to her cheek.
Lin Jianxi furrowed her delicate brows, her face flushed with a hazy redness. Her breath carried the heavy scent of alcohol. Suddenly, her eyes fluttered open, and she turned to the side, vomiting.
“Ugh—”
The blanket beside her and the edge of the bed were covered in what Lin Jianxi had just expelled. Even the top of Jiang Xu’s foot wasn’t spared. A pungent, sour stench filled the air.
Jiang Xu’s expression darkened. “Lin Jianxi!”
Lin Jianxi curved her red lips into a silly grin. “I think I heard my ex-husband’s voice.”
Jiang Xu’s handsome face turned as dark as ink. Ignoring the mess on the blanket, he pinched her chin. “Are you really that eager to divorce me?”
Whether it was from the pain of his grip or something else, Lin Jianxi’s eyes instantly welled up with tears. “Why are you so annoying? You won’t even leave me alone in my dreams.”
Jiang Xu stiffened slightly. A crystal-clear teardrop slid down from the corner of Lin Jianxi’s eye. Slowly, he released his grip on her chin, his fingertips trembling.
“Get lost, you stinky ex-husband!” Lin Jianxi wiped the tears from her face fiercely and buried her head under the blanket in a fit of pique.
An indescribable emotion surged in Jiang Xu’s heart. He lifted the soiled corner of the blanket, and the sight before him made him pause inexplicably.
Lin Jianxi’s fair, delicate face looked breathtakingly beautiful under the light. Her clear eyes held a hint of confusion, tears glistening at their corners. The black spaghetti strap of her dress had slipped down to her shoulder.
Jiang Xu’s Adam’s apple bobbed unconsciously. His deep eyes grew darker and more intense. He bent down, lifted Lin Jianxi out from under the blanket, and carried her into the bathroom.
A few minutes later, the sound of running water came from the direction of the bathroom.
Lin Jianxi sat in the bathtub, still in her clothes. Teardrops clung to her lashes, and her spaghetti-strap dress clung tightly to her body, outlining her graceful, alluring figure.
Jiang Xu leaned down, his warm fingertips gently caressing her cheek. His voice was soft. “Sit here quietly and don’t move. I’ll go get your pajamas.”
Lin Jianxi seemed bewitched by the man’s low, gentle voice. She nodded obediently, her shimmering eyes reflecting his coolly handsome face.
Jiang Xu turned and left the bathroom, walking to the window to open it for ventilation. After changing the bedding, he immediately returned to the bathroom, only to be met with a sight that sent his heart into a panic.
Lin Jianxi was completely submerged in the bathtub, with no bubbles rising from the water—the scene looked as if she were drowning.
“Lin Jianxi!” Jiang Xu’s heart leaped into his throat. He rushed forward in a single stride, pulling the woman out of the bathtub. “Lin Jianxi! Wake up!”
Lin Jianxi’s eyes were closed, her entire body lifeless and limp as she leaned against Jiang Xu’s chest. Her once rosy lips had now turned pale.
Jiang Xu’s heart pounded wildly, his trembling fingertips not daring to check her breathing. Instead, he gently patted her cheeks. “Lin Jianxi!”
Lin Jianxi coughed violently a few times, slowly opening her eyes. Her cheeks were flushed red from Jiang Xu’s slaps, and she blinked her reddened eyes. “You hit me…”
Jiang Xu breathed rapidly, fine beads of cold sweat forming on his forehead as his heart instinctively tightened.
Lin Jianxi suddenly smiled. “My ex-husband’s eyes are so red. Why the stern face? It doesn’t look good on you.”
Jiang Xu gritted his teeth. “Lin Jianxi!”
Lin Jianxi pouted, her eyes welling up with tears as she looked at him. “You’re yelling at me! You awful Jiang Xu, how dare you yell at me!”
Jiang Xu was momentarily stunned, feeling for a second as if he had returned to years past—when Lin Jianxi used to speak to him like this, even coquettishly.
She pouted pitifully, tears glistening at the corners of her eyes, her pale lips gradually regaining their rosy hue. This was the Lin Jianxi who was full of life and could speak.
Lin Jianxi tilted her head and bit the man’s neck, not using much force. He remained motionless, letting her bite.
“Had enough?” Jiang Xu’s shirt was soaked through by her wet dress, the lines of his muscles clearly visible beneath the damp fabric.
Lin Jianxi had sobered up considerably, her clear, bright eyes still carrying a hint of confusion. “Enough? I haven’t done anything… Wuwu… Isn’t it true that you yelled at me?”
A trace of helplessness flickered in Jiang Xu’s deep-set eyes. He used his thumb to wipe away the tear stains at the corners of her eyes. “Lin Jianxi, have you sobered up? Are you fully awake now?”
Lin Jianxi froze for a few seconds, her dazed eyes fixed unwaveringly on the face she had longed for day and night.
Jiang Xu remained silent for a moment before carrying her to the shower and setting her down. “Stand steady. I’ll run the bathwater for you.”
By now, the water in the bathtub had long gone cold. Jiang Xu began refilling it with warm water, only to turn around and see Lin Jianxi standing under the showerhead, her long hair clinging wetly to her body as water streamed down her cheeks.
Jiang Xu pinched the bridge of his nose. A drunken Lin Jianxi always managed to do things that left him utterly bewildered.
He turned off the shower, grabbing her wrist. Her skin felt icy cold, and he realized she had been using cold water. “Are you insane?”
Lin Jianxi pouted, looking at him with resentment. “You’re yelling at me again…”
Jiang Xu’s breathing grew heavier. He scooped her up and carried her toward the bathtub, placing her inside before looking down at her from above. “Can you wash yourself?”
Lin Jianxi ignored his question, her long, curled eyelashes fluttering as her body slowly slid down along the bathtub.
Jiang Xu swiftly caught her arm, finally understanding why she had been submerged in the water earlier.
A dozen or so minutes later.
On the bathroom floor lay a sexy slip dress, along with a man’s shirt and trousers, with a small camisole resting atop the slightly damp white shirt.