Much, much later, Lin Mian would learn that He Duoye drank cold tap water that day because he had been running a high fever for several days and had finished all the bottled water at home.
As for steamed buns and instant noodles, he did indeed eat them often.
For He Duoye, the purpose of food was simply to fill his stomach. What he ate made no difference to him.
However, he really liked the meals Lin Mian cooked, especially her egg noodles.
And now?
Now he only deserved to eat shit.
Lin Mian thought to herself, rolling over and sitting up.
As soon as she got out of bed, there was a knock on the bedroom door, and Uncle Jixiang’s muffled voice came through.
Lin Mian was staying in a guest room, but it was still quite spacious—a semi-open layout combining the bedroom and living area. Upon entering, there was a small foyer and a walk-in closet.
She quickly walked over and opened the door.
“Miss Lin, the young master will be back soon. You need to go to the entrance to greet him.”
Lin Mian: “…Understood.”
What a jerk, always making a fuss.
She changed her clothes and followed Uncle Jixiang downstairs.
The manor villa at night was brightly lit, yet somehow it felt even more like a maze—complex, silent, and even somewhat oppressive. By the time they reached the main entrance, the stunning twin sisters were already there.
The two glanced back at Lin Mian but said nothing.
Lin Mian walked over and stood beside the sisters, not intending to speak either.
Soon, headlights swept toward them from the distance.
Three cars, one after another, drove through the front courtyard and parked in the open area outside the main gate.
Lin Mian’s gaze swept over them, her eyes involuntarily lingering on the middle car. Its windows were tinted black, making it impossible to see inside. Yet, she faintly sensed an overwhelmingly intense gaze.
Her heart skipped a beat uncontrollably, and she curled her fingers.
Inside the car, He Duoye stared at the figure standing at the entrance. The lights from the hall behind her and above her head were extremely bright, like strokes of oil paint splashed down, warmly and softly outlining her fluffy hair and slender, delicate arms.
She stared blankly at the car, looking somewhat dazed.
After a couple of seconds, she blinked, her clear black-and-white eyes shifting slightly, revealing a hint of subtle liveliness and cunning.
Just like before.
She looked obedient, a bit easy to bully and naive, but in reality, she was like a hedgehog—prick her once, and she’d jump up to sting you.
He Duoye stared for a long time until the car door was pulled open by a subordinate. The damp night wind rushed in. He lowered his eyelids, lit a cigarette first, took a deep drag, and exhaled a cloud of white smoke as he bent down to step out of the car.
The spreading smoke blurred his sharply defined facial features, and his narrow, wicked eyes were shrouded in a mysterious darkness.
The black earring on his ear glinted under the light, accentuating his handsome yet sinister appearance.
He was the spitting image of a gangster.
Lin Mian stared blankly, that familiar sense of unfamiliarity washing over her again.
He Duoye stubbed out his cigarette and strode toward Lin Mian. His gaze was direct and undisguised, fixed squarely on her. The corners of his lips curled up, exuding an arrogant, domineering aggression.
Lin Mian’s heart raced. She wanted to hide, but her feet remained rooted.
He Duoye strode up the steps, and the twin beauties tactfully stepped aside.
He took a step closer and, without warning, scooped up the stunned Lin Mian in a child-carrying hold—supporting her bottom with his hands while her legs wrapped around his waist.
“Did you miss me?” He Duoye tilted his head slightly to look up at her, a roguish, wicked smile playing on his lips.
Lin Mian held onto He Duoye’s shoulders, her eyes wide as she stared at him.
What did this dog of a man mean?
They hadn’t actually reconciled, so… was he really treating her like a mistress, flirting with her as if she were his side piece?
Lin Mian felt deeply uncomfortable. She tried to struggle. “Put me down.”
He Duoye shifted her in his arms, startling Lin Mian into tightening her grip on his shoulders. They were already on the stairs; one wrong move and they could both tumble down.
“Stop moving, or I’ll drop you.” Despite his words, He Duoye held her steadily, climbing the stairs step by step without so much as a wobble.
Once they reached the top and entered the empty hallway, he gave Lin Mian’s butt a squeeze.
A shiver ran down her spine, and her back arched involuntarily, pressing her chest against He Duoye’s.
His body temperature was high, almost scaldingly hot.
“I’ve been thinking about you all day,” He Duoye said, looking up at her. The hallway light illuminated his eyes—a pale, cool brown, his pupils constricting as he fixed his gaze on Lin Mian.
Slowly, he added, “Thinking about how I’d sleep with you tonight.”
Lin Mian: “?”
Anger flared up instantly.
“Why don’t you go find your beautiful twins? If you’re picking someone to share your bed, shouldn’t it be their turn?”
He Duoye kept staring at her. “Jealous?”
Lin Mian’s expression remained cold and unreadable. “We broke up four years ago. Even if I had nothing better to do, I wouldn’t be jealous over an ex-boyfriend.”
Especially an ex who had already moved on to someone new.
He Duoye slowly averted his gaze, his tone casual. “Oh, is that so?”
He nudged the bedroom door shut with his foot, then leaned in slightly, his thin lips brushing against Lin Mian’s ear. His breath was warm and damp, carrying an intense, invasive heat.
“If you’re not jealous, then let’s have something else.”
The next moment, Lin Mian was pinned against the wall and kissed.
His damp lips sealed her breath, the kiss deep and heavy, leaving Lin Mian gasping for air.
She grabbed his hair, struggling and whimpering.
He Duoye pulled back slightly, his forehead pressed against hers. As soon as Lin Mian caught her breath, he kissed her again.
Urgent, fervent, and intensely intimate—as if… he had been longing for this kiss for a very, very long time.
As if… they hadn’t been broken up for four years, but were instead reuniting passionately after a brief separation.
As if their relationship and feelings hadn’t been severed for over a thousand days and nights, as if they still loved each other.
Lin Mian closed her eyes in the oxygen-deprived haze, her dizzy thoughts suddenly clearing.
But that wasn’t the reality.
Not only had they broken up, but this dog of an ex had also found other women—two of them at once, forcing her into the role of a mistress in two different ways.
What sincerity?
It was nothing but fickleness, rottenness, and scumbaggery.
Lin Mian didn’t want her scumbag ex to have it too easy; she wanted to ruin his mood.
As He Duoye’s kisses trailed down to the side of Lin Mian’s neck, kissing her skin over and over—just like before, where he would kiss for a while, then gently bite, release, and kiss the mark again—Lin Mian dug her nails into his shoulder, her voice trembling slightly.
“Have you had a check-up recently?”
He Duoye paused.
Held in his arms, Lin Mian’s head was slightly higher than his.
She saw him lift his face slightly, raising an eyebrow with a half-smile that carried a hint of danger.
“You think I have an STD?” His words were blunt.
Lin Mian curled her fingers slightly, feeling a bit guilty, but she was even more eager to break the sticky, false atmosphere from earlier.
“You’ve slept with so many women—isn’t it normal for me to be suspicious?”