Lin Yan’s mind went completely blank.
It wasn’t until his lips and teeth pried hers apart that she snapped back to reality.
She struggled and shoved, but Xing Yu was like a wall—she couldn’t move an inch.
“Mm… let go…”
Lin Yan pounded desperately against his solid chest, but her wrists were easily caught and pinned.
Xing Yu let out fragmented, breathy gasps: “Don’t… hurt… your hands…”
Lin Yan wrenched her head to the side, finally escaping his assault: “Xing Yu… you’ve lost your mind…”
That searing heat descended on her neck again, and a hoarse voice floated past her ear.
“Yeah… I’ve lost my mind…”
He didn’t hold back.
Goosebumps broke out across her skin involuntarily.
In the midst of her struggling, Xing Yu finally released her.
Free of his restraint, Lin Yan slapped him hard across the face: “Having fun, are we?”
Xing Yu stared at her flushed, wet lips with utter indifference, a soft smile curling at the corner of his mouth: “Feel better now? If not, hit me again.”
Lin Yan clenched her fists: “Xing Yu, I’m not in the mood to play your games.”
Xing Yu fixed his gaze on her without blinking: “What if I’m being serious?”
“Then that’s even more impossible.”
His heart suddenly tightened, but the corners of his lips curved upward instead: “Fine, then let’s keep being good friends.”
With that, Xing Yu scooped her up in his arms and carried her toward the dining table.
Pinned back down into the chair, Lin Yan had run out of patience.
“What else do you want?”
Xing Yu walked into the kitchen, brought out the dishes he’d prepared in advance, and served her a bowl of rice.
“I kissed you, you eat my food—we’re even.”
Lin Yan bristled at the thought of what had just happened: “I’m not eating.”
Xing Yu raised an eyebrow: “Didn’t get enough of the kiss? Don’t want to be even with me?”
“…” She wanted to find a Chinese teacher to lock him up. She met Xing Yu’s gaze and went straight for his weak spot.
“Coach Xing, with you being so flirtatious, does Mengmeng know? And what makes you think I’d be interested in a man who’s been married before? Please show some self-respect from now on.”
Xing Yu narrowed his eyes: “Does it bother you?”
Lin Yan ignored him and picked up her chopsticks to eat.
After a long moment, Xing Yu finally spoke seriously.
“Mengmeng is my comrade-in-arms’ child. A few years ago, her father died in the line of duty, and her mother passed away from illness shortly after. She was left relying on her grandfather.”
“I wanted to adopt her, but I didn’t meet the requirements, and Mengmeng didn’t want to leave her grandfather either. In the end, I could only become her godfather.”
“That night at the dinner, Mengmeng’s grandfather called to say she had a fever. I rushed back to the village and brought her to the county for treatment—that’s why I left early.”
“And the days I didn’t come find you during the New Year—I was back with Mengmeng.”
“So, my friend, I’m clean in body and mind. I’ve never been married.”
Lin Yan’s chopsticks paused mid-air, momentarily stunned.
She truly hadn’t expected that kind of story.
Her tone softened a few degrees: “So, you’ve been supporting Mengmeng all this time? You cover all her living and schooling expenses?”
“Yeah.”
Lin Yan fell silent for a moment, her prejudice against Xing Yu shifting slightly.
A bachelor in his thirties who’d never married, yet taking on the burden of raising a stranger’s child—in a conservative small county town, that did him no favors at all.
Who would’ve thought—he actually had a strong sense of responsibility.
Lin Yan looked up again, and Xing Yu was watching her.
She didn’t look away. Staring into his deep eyes and chiseled features, in a flash of insight she vaguely saw an uncommon glow around him.
Noticing Lin Yan’s peculiar gaze, Xing Yu casually lifted his chin: “Falling for me?”
“…” Fall for you, my ass.
After the meal, Xing Yu asked: “Isn’t your beloved’s wedding next week? Are you going?”
Lin Yan hadn’t decided yet: “We’ll see.”
“If you don’t want to go, I can go in your place.”
“No need.”
“He did invite me, you know.”
“Don’t you have anything better to do?”
Xing Yu smiled and said no more.
As Lin Yan was leaving, he watched her slender silhouette and recalled the heartbreaking image of her standing downstairs in the complex, staring at her phone and crying.
“Lin Yan.” He couldn’t help calling out to her.
Lin Yan had her hand on the doorknob, about to open the door. She turned at the sound: “Hmm?”
“There’s no one in this world worth your tears. Having enough to eat and getting a good night’s sleep matters more than anything.”
“Remember this—there’s nothing wrong with you. My friend, you’re doing just fine.”
Lin Yan’s heart trembled faintly, and her nose began to sting.
Just as her eyes reddened, she turned, twisted the doorknob, and left quickly.
The next day at work, Lin Yan had barely arrived at the company when He Lan called her into the office.
Lin Yan guessed that Fang Jinyao had gone to see He Lan.
Since He Lan hadn’t taken the initiative to ask, Lin Yan pretended nothing was wrong.
“Sister Hong, what did you need me for?”
He Lan studied her with raised slender brows, twirling the pen in her hand: “Lin Yan, is there nothing you want to tell me?”
He Lan was clearly testing her.
So she must have known something.
There was no point in hiding it anymore.
She told He Lan everything about Fang Jinyao coming to see her, holding nothing back.
And she explained clearly what her relationship with Xing Yu really was.
After listening, He Lan crossed her arms and gave her a sidelong look: “You’re saying you have no feelings for Xing Yu? You live right across from him and you still have no feelings?”
“All just coincidences,” Lin Yan emphasized. “Coach Xing and I really are just friends.”
He Lan’s eyes sparkled with cunning as she suddenly changed tack. “Lin Yan, so tell me—do you think Xing Yu and I make a good match?”
“We do.”
“In what way?”
“Appearance, age, work—everything matches.”
He Lan’s words carried a hidden meaning. “Lin Yan, be honest with me. What do you think of Xing Yu?”
“He’s a good person.” To be fair, aside from being a bit of a flirt and a bit of a tease, he really was a decent guy.
“So you have no feelings for him?”
Lin Yan admitted frankly, “Sister Hong, right now I just want to work and make money. I don’t have the headspace for anything else.”
“Really no feelings at all?”
“None.” Lin Yan said sincerely, “Sister Hong, you and Coach Xing are the perfect match. If you two really get together, I wish you a lifetime of happiness.”
He Lan let out a low chuckle and glanced at her neck. “Who gave you that thing on your neck?”
Lin Yan’s nerves twitched, but she calmly pulled her jacket collar together.
That was Xing Yu’s handiwork from last night—she’d rather die than admit it. She made something up: “Got bitten by a bug.”
“What a coincidence,” He Lan drawled. “Coach Xing just got bitten by a dog, and you got bitten by a bug. Fate works in mysterious ways.”
Lin Yan: “…”
He Lan shook her head, then waved her off. “Alright, go get to work.”
“Okay.”
“Oh, and—Jin Yao is a long-time employee. She’s blunt, but she’s not a bad person. I’ve already talked to her. She won’t cause you any more trouble, and you shouldn’t hold it against her either.”
“Got it. Thanks, Sister Hong.”
The moment Lin Yan left, He Lan headed straight to the Gale Combat gym next door.
She went straight up to Xing Yu’s office on the second floor, pushed the door open, and plopped herself down on the sofa with an air of entitlement, glaring daggers at Xing Yu, who was busy with work.
Xing Yu glanced at her as if this were routine, his tone flat. “Something up?”
He Lan crossed her legs and swung her foot.
“Hey, I’m done playing along with your little act. Now the whole company thinks I’m into you! Old Xing, Lin Yan didn’t get jealous at all—she even wished us a lifetime of happiness! You’ve really screwed yourself over this time!”