Those tears were like meltwater from polar icebergs, carrying a chill of millennia, quickly extinguishing the nameless, wicked fire burning within Xie Tingnan.
He swiftly stood up.
Yu Wanwan grabbed a towel, wrapping it around her delicate frame as she curled into the farthest corner of the driver’s seat. She turned her head to the side, silently gazing out the window.
Tears streamed down her face. In a fit of pique, she ignored them, letting them flow down her snow-white neck.
At her collarbone was a fresh bite mark he had left, which had drawn a trace of blood. As the tears passed over it, they brought a faint, gritty sting.
That pitiful, stubborn, and delicate look of a beauty shedding tears made Xie Tingnan’s heart clench tighter and tighter.
He took some tissues from the car, leaned over, and clumsily yet carefully wiped away the bloodstain on her collarbone.
Extending his thick forearm toward her, his voice slightly hoarse, he said, “Bite me back.”
The young girl acted as if she hadn’t heard, treating him like air. She curled her body tightly into a ball, her small face turned toward the window, refusing to look at him.
When it came to comforting others, aside from using material means to satisfy them, Xie Tingnan truly had no experience in other aspects.
Seeing that the young girl was ignoring him, the man’s lips twitched slightly. He silently took one of her small hands, gently placing it in his large palm and stroking it.
“It’s been several days since we last saw each other. I didn’t want our meeting to be like this either.”
Yu Wanwan shifted slightly but didn’t make a sound, only the soft sound of her sniffling could be heard.
“No fighting, no cold wars, okay, Wanwan?”
His words still carried the commanding tone he typically used with subordinates, but they had softened considerably.
“Xie Tingnan, do I even have the right to speak in your presence?” the young girl finally spoke up.
A mischievous smile tugged at the man’s lips. “If you willingly come into my arms, I’ll listen to your reasonable suggestions.”
Yu Wanwan didn’t move.
Her body was carefully lifted by the man and placed on his lap.
Wrapping an arm around her slender waist, he casually tossed the towel aside.
The white dress on her upper body had already been torn into strips by him. Xie Tingnan’s eyes darkened as he retrieved a spare suit jacket from the car and draped it over Yu Wanwan.
She was gently pressed into his embrace, patted softly—a silent form of comfort.
Warmth, carrying the familiar scent of “Southern Fragrance,” soothed her heart in waves.
His hoarse voice carried a magnetic, sensual tone. “Wanwan, I just… missed you.”
He gazed into the peach-blossom eyes of the person in his arms. A gentle light spilled from his phoenix eyes, intertwining tenderly with her moist, clear gaze.
Yu Wanwan, who had been holding back her tears, felt that gentleness and began to sob softly, gradually breaking into full-blown cries.
Xie Tingnan held her tighter in comfort, stroking her back as he spoke softly:
“Alright, alright, I was a jerk just now. Did I scare you? Don’t cry, Wanwan.”
He would never tell her that it was seeing her jump from the high platform into the cold water, over and over, that made his heart ache with a fiery pain.
And then, seeing her alluring appearance after getting wet, he felt an inexplicable twinge of jealousy.
It was all the fault of possessiveness.
But he couldn’t explain. Women always tended to be more delicate and sensitive.
Xie Tingnan was afraid she might overthink, might hold too high expectations for love. But if those expectations couldn’t be met, it would only lead to unhappiness for both—unnecessary trouble.
The way things were now, in Xie Tingnan’s eyes, was just fine.
As for the rest, they would take it one step at a time.
While holding and comforting her, Xie Tingnan also pondered some things—matters concerning Yu Wanwan.
Once Yu Wanwan had slowly calmed down, the man looked at her and said, “Tell me, what’s the biggest thing bothering you?”
The man’s appearance was overwhelmingly dazzling.
Being held in his embrace and stared at with such sincerity, Yu Wanwan couldn’t help but feel her heart race, her cheeks flushing red.
The young girl spoke in a sweet, coquettish tone, “I’ve always studied art and love performing. I’ll be there when you need me, and when you don’t…”
Yu Wanwan paused, her dimmed eyes fully captured by the man. “I still need a way to support myself.”
He hadn’t expected a twenty-year-old girl to have such realistic and forward-thinking ideas.
She had even prepared a fallback plan for herself.
It was perfectly normal, and he understood.
At that time, Xie Tingnan’s feelings were still largely driven by a simple attraction to her beauty.
The stunningly beautiful, gentle, and sweet-voiced Yu Wanwan would make him think of her during his rare moments of leisure.
However, they had only been together for a few days, so talking about anything serious felt too distant.
He simply wanted to give her the best within what he considered reasonable, ensuring he didn’t mistreat the woman who was with him.
As for promises, unless he was absolutely certain, he wouldn’t utter a single word.
“Wanwan,” the man had regained the dignified composure he wore at work, speaking with the earnestness of an uncle or older brother, “Respecting your foundation, how about changing your major?”
His elder-like gaze, filled with encouragement and respect, made Yu Wanwan feel at ease.
The young girl blinked her long eyelashes gently. “Xie Tingnan, have you already made a decision, haven’t you?”
The man reached out and gently pinched her smooth, delicate cheek. “Will you listen?”
Yu Wanwan pursed her lips lightly, her peach-blossom eyes sparkling as if filled with a distant, brilliant galaxy.
Sunlight from the window fell on one side of her face, revealing the faint, soft fuzz on her fair, smooth skin—fluffy and utterly adorable.
Looking at her, Xie Tingnan felt a radiant joy, like seeing a rainbow after a storm, and a soothing comfort, like smelling flowers in full bloom during a warm spring.
These feelings had never existed in his life over the past thirty years.
He leaned down, unable to resist planting a light kiss on her rosy, cherry-like lips.
Sometimes, even the most passionate love couldn’t compare to a kiss born of genuine affection.
The young girl’s lips curved upward as she instinctively wrapped her arms around the man’s waist, shyly burying her face against his abdomen. “I’ll listen to good advice.”
“Alright then, transfer to the School of Arts at Jing University and switch to studying art theory. If you want to learn skills, get some polish at Guanghua College, earn an EMBA degree, and explore art investment. How does that sound?”
Yu Wanwan’s heart fluttered with nervous excitement.
She asked herself: Can I do it?
The delicate young girl, blessed by heaven with stunning looks and a perfect figure, had thought that becoming an actress would be enough to live up to such gifts.
Now, hearing Xie Tingnan’s words, she suddenly realized that her previous ambitions were as small as a sparrow’s.
The path the man pointed out was the transformation of a swan.
How could a sparrow understand the ambitions of a swan?
At that moment, Yu Wanwan felt that being with Xie Tingnan wasn’t so shameful after all.
She could stand on his shoulders and borrow his strength.
Yu Wanwan confidently rose from the man’s embrace, straddling his lap and meeting his gaze at eye level.
“I’m willing to give it a try. I’ll work hard and not embarrass you, Boss Xie.”
The man’s lips curved slightly. “Give it a try.”
With such a delicate young girl, he didn’t expect her to soar too high.
He would simply provide her with the conditions to fly. As for the future, sometimes even Xie Tingnan couldn’t predict it.
Xie Tingnan wanted to reach for his phone to call Yin Ren over, but a soft little hand gently took it away and set it aside.
Yu Wanwan’s peach-blossom eyes were fixed on him. The once pure and peerless gaze suddenly took on an indescribably seductive charm.
The suit draped over her was tossed aside with a graceful sweep of the girl’s jade-like arm.
Layer by layer of white gauze, bit by bit, seemed to sway with the spring breeze—both the fabric and her body trembling ever so slightly…