Lin Yan blinked awkwardly and quickly averted her gaze.
Fine.
With that kind of frivolity etched into his bones, it would’ve been strange if she found him pleasant to look at.
After the medicine was applied, the car started moving again.
“Going into town for something?” Xing Yu asked, hands on the wheel.
“Yeah.”
“What for?”
“Looking for a place to live.”
A flicker of surprise passed through Xing Yu’s eyes, vanishing in an instant, before his expression settled into a composed probing.
“So you’re planning to settle down in Longping County from now on?”
Lin Yan gave a perfunctory reply: “Something like that.”
She had no money on hand and her health wasn’t good either, so she could only stay in her hometown to get through this transitional period first.
After the new year, she’d find a job in the county, save up some money, and then make plans.
After a few more exchanges of small talk, it fell quiet again. Lin Yan simply closed her eyes and dozed off.
When she woke up, they had arrived at their destination, and a black jacket had been draped over her.
That tightwad—he was actually pretty thoughtful.
The driver’s seat was empty. Lin Yan searched around and caught sight of Xing Yu through the front windshield.
He was standing outside the car on a phone call, his tall and straight figure accentuated by the black sweater that hinted at the muscle lines beneath—carrying an indescribable, steely charm.
Just then, Xing Yu happened to turn his head and met her gaze.
The coldness in his eyes receded the moment they touched hers, replaced by a roguish playfulness. He raised an eyebrow and mouthed: “Awake?”
Through the glass, Lin Yan read his lips.
She got out of the car and handed the jacket back to him. “Thanks.”
“Friend.” Xing Yu draped the jacket over his arm, deliberately enunciating each word: “Being polite again.”
“…” Lin Yan pressed her temple and changed the subject. “How long was I asleep?”
She’d been on medication for a while now—it left her drained and prone to heavy drowsiness.
“Over forty minutes.”
“Sorry for the trouble today.” Something occurred to Lin Yan, and she paused for a moment before asking, “Coach Xing, should I split the gas money? Can’t have you taking a loss.”
“The drunkard’s heart is not in the cup.” Splitting the money is just a pretext—what I really want is to be ‘friends’ with Miss Lin.” Xing Yu stepped forward, bending slightly to gaze at her, a smile curling at his lips.
“Besides, loss is a blessing. I like taking losses.”
At such close range, the scorching, bewitching look in Xing Yu’s eyes made Lin Yan feel a faint sense of intrusion and danger.
Say what you will, but Xing Yu really knew what he was doing.
There was no way he’d developed such polished flirting skills without having been through a few relationships.
Lin Yan shot him a cold smile, turned around, and left to take care of her business.
The whole morning passed, and none of the apartments she’d looked at felt right—the prices all exceeded her budget.
In the county, a one-bedroom started at eight hundred a month, and with the deposit and three months’ rent upfront, that meant several thousand.
She was flat broke, living off her credit card as it was.
She only wanted to rent something for four or five hundred and pay month to month, but the agent said there was no such thing as a free lunch—even a single room was seven hundred and up.
In the afternoon, just as Lin Yan was about to head home, she got a call from the agent.
Apparently, a fully furnished one-bedroom had just become available at Century Plaza. The landlord was leaving for another city tomorrow and needed to rent it out urgently today—rent was only five hundred, and it could even be paid monthly.
It fit her budget perfectly.
It really was a gift from the heavens.
She signed the contract on the spot, afraid that if she hesitated even a second, someone else would snatch the deal away.
Just as she finished with the housing matter, her phone rang again. Answering it, she learned that a translation agency wanted her to come in for an interview.
She’d only submitted her resume on the job platform last night, and today she was already getting a call—and conveniently, the interview location was right near Century Plaza.
The interview went smoothly. The boss was a warm, straightforward local woman with red lips and curly hair—mature and beautiful.
The moment she heard Lin Yan had graduated from Jingbei Foreign Studies University and worked at a well-known translation company, she hired her without hesitation, telling her to start after the new year.
The only downside was that the county salary was less than half of what she’d earned in Jingbei.
After the interview, Lin Yan had just stepped out of the elevator when an excited, high-pitched voice rang out behind her.
“Sister-in-law!”
Lin Yan turned around on reflex. “Mo Kai?”
“Sister-in-law, what are you doing in the county?” Mo Kai hurried over to greet her, grinning mischievously. “You’re here to see Yu-ge, right?”
Running his mouth as always.
Mo Kai was such a piece of work.
“Don’t call me that. I have nothing to do with Xing Yu.”
“Got it, got it.” Mo Kai let it go in one ear and out the other. “Since you’re here, why don’t you come in and sit for a bit, sister-in-law!”
It was only then that Lin Yan noticed there was a boxing gym right next to the English institution.
A bold, impressive sign hung at the entrance.
—Gale Combat.
Xing Yu’s turf!
What a coincidence. It was almost absurdly uncanny.
While she was still puzzled, Mo Kai had already grabbed her arm and pulled her inside the gym.
The first floor was full of students in class, with parents waiting in the lounge area.
As they watched Mo Kai tugging and pulling at her, they all cast curious, gossip-hungry glances their way.
“Sister-in-law, everyone’s watching!” Mo Kai muttered quietly to her. “Are you going to walk on your own, or should I keep dragging you?”
“…” Lin Yan’s face showed her irritation, but she still inexplicably followed Mo Kai up to the second floor.
Fine.
She could see Xing Yu anyway—she might as well have a word with him about Mo Kai’s inability to keep his mouth shut when it came to calling her “sister-in-law.”
The second floor was for adult classes. Lin Yan casually scanned the area a few times but didn’t catch sight of Xing Yu anywhere.
“Big sister-in-law.” Mo Kai sidled up to her. “Brother Yu doesn’t teach group classes—only one-on-one private lessons.”
Lin Yan: “I don’t care.”
Mo Kai didn’t care whether she wanted to hear it or not; he just kept rambling on.
“Big sister-in-law, Brother Yu is amazing! He’s not only skilled in boxing, wrestling, judo, and sambo, but he’s also a retired special forces soldier—his fighting skills are insane! If you get with him, no one in the whole county would dare mess with you!”
Retired special forces?
So even soldiers could be this shameless.
Lin Yan wasn’t interested and couldn’t be bothered to respond. She followed Mo Kai to the room at the end of the left side of the second floor.
Mo Kai didn’t knock. He turned the handle and pushed the door open.
“Brother Yu, big sister-in-law is here!”
Like he’d been injected with adrenaline, Mo Kai quickly shoved her into the room.
Then he shut the door and bolted.
The air stood still.
Lin Yan’s eyes widened slightly. She froze.
Xing Yu before her was radiating heat, holding a white towel as he wiped off sweat—clearly just finished with a workout.
He wore black boxing shorts, but his upper body was completely bare. Beads of sweat slid down his chiseled face, tracing past his Adam’s apple, flowing over the bulging curves of his muscles, and finally disappearing into his waistband.
What a sight—a body that made the blood run hot.
“Friend.” Xing Yu looked a little surprised to see her, then tilted his head and lazily eyed her. “Haven’t seen you for half a day, and you already miss me?”
Lin Yan averted her gaze from his abs. “Do you have narcissistic personality disorder or something?”
“Then why are you here?”
“Well, you can thank your brother Mo Kai for that.”
“Oh?” Xing Yu set down the towel and walked toward her step by step, a hint of tenderness flickering in his eyes. “Tsk, you’re not stalking me, are you?”
Lin Yan was backed up against the door, and the distance between them closed in an instant.
A heavy breath pressed down on her. Xing Yu’s brows and eyes were right in front of her, written with a barely restrained wildness.
Hormones filled the air. Lin Yan’s breathing grew unsteady, and she instinctively pushed against his chest. “Move.”
The moment her hand touched his skin, she realized he wasn’t wearing a shirt.
The solid feel of it made her both embarrassed and mortified.
Then Xing Yu leaned in even closer, his expression ambiguous, but his tone clear.
“Friend, feeling me up?”
“…” He’s seriously sick in the head.
Lin Yan stiffened, not daring to move, feeling like if she lifted her head, her lips would brush against his chin. “You’re crazy. I’m not a pervert.”
The next second, Xing Yu grabbed her hand and pressed it firmly against his chest.
“What’s wrong with being a pervert for a second? Go on, have your way with me.”