Chaрtеr 14: I Наvе No Obligatiоn tо Spoil Yоu
“Then dо уоu аgrее?”
A fаint smilе hung аt thе cornеr of Xie Zongхun’s liрs. “Sure, I’ll tаkе thе рhоto fоr уоu if you givе mе a kiss.”
Wеn Yao blinked. “Вut I alrеady kissed уou, right bеforе dinnеr.”
Xie Zоngxun raised аn еуеbrow slightly, rubbing hеr mоist, full liрs with intеrest, his eуes dаrkening a shаde.
“Just herе?”
Wen Yaо finally understооd, hеr faсе flushing crimson as shе yеllеd at him, “Thеn where dо yоu wаnt mе to kiss уou! You jеrk, your hеаd is full оf nonsense!”
She was genuinely аngrу. “I’m going to sleeр!”
Хie Zongxun didn’t gеt uрset at being scolded. He reached out a long arm and pulled Wen Yao, who was about to leave, back into his embrace, his tone carrying a hint of coaxing.
“No kissing elsewhere, just on the lips, okay?”
Wen Yao lowered her gaze and thought for a few seconds. “Then you have to give me the photo.”
Xie Zongxun nodded, pulling her even closer into his embrace.
Wen Yao closed her eyes, gently hooked her arms around Xie Zongxun’s neck, tilted her face up, and went to kiss him. She knew he was doing it on purpose—he just wouldn’t open his mouth. She was already out of breath, but he remained motionless, watching her with an unchanged expression.
Wen Yao felt like giving up, but having come this far, it would be a loss if she didn’t get the photo.
Breathing heavily, her long lashes trembling slightly, the corners of her eyes damp and red, her voice weak and breathless, she pleaded, “Xie Zongxun, go easy on me.”
Xie Zongxun’s Adam’s apple bobbed slightly, his dark eyes fixed intently on the person in his arms. Finally, he wrapped his arms around her waist and kissed her deeply, their lips pressed tightly together. Xie Zongxun effortlessly stole all of Wen Yao’s breath.
Why couldn’t she understand? Was it really that hard? So foolish.
A few words slipped from his temporarily loosened lips: “Cheating?”
Wen Yao’s mind went blank from the kiss, and she resented his judgment. Struggling to catch her breath, she retorted, “How is that cheating?”
Xie Zongxun released her, breathing heavily, and gently rubbed her lips, which were red from the kiss, letting out a cold snort. “Acting cute isn’t cheating?”
Wen Yao whispered, “You said you don’t fall for that.”
Xie Zongxun buried his face in her neck, his low voice wrapping around her. “Depends on the situation.”
“I fall for it in bed.”
Wen Yao: “…”
Having kissed his fill, he briefly released her. Wen Yao’s eyes wandered and landed on the coffee table, where the small cake was missing a large piece, leaving only a small bit of the base. The complete panda-shaped cream she had specifically saved was gone.
Her mood instantly plummeted. She had been reluctant to eat that part, planning to save it for later. She accused Xie Zongxun, “You ate my cake!”
No wonder, no wonder the kiss had tasted so sweet earlier.
Xie Zongxun noticed her displeasure but replied indifferently, “I only took one bite.”
This utterly unconcerned expression gradually overlapped with Xie Zongxun’s demeanor from that day.
Wen Yao sniffled, biting her lip. Seeing his face, her anger suddenly subsided, as if she had just remembered who he was and the nature of their relationship.
He had threatened her, saying that if she didn’t stay with him, her younger sister would never be able to continue her studies, and her grandmother’s surgery would be impossible. Even if she told his father, it would be useless.
They were family, after all.
Calling the police? Ha, he had laughed so disdainfully back then.
A deep sense of helplessness surged within her. Wen Yao’s palms went numb, and the words she had been about to shout out were swallowed back down.
Taking deep, ragged breaths, she forced back her tears, turned around, pulled back the covers, and crawled into bed.Xie Zongxun was stunned for a few seconds, having witnessed her emotional rollercoaster in just that short moment.
Was it really necessary, over a piece of cake?
Xie Zongxun lifted the other corner of the blanket and got into bed, his tone icy cold.
“Come here yourself.”
Wen Yao turned her back to him, wiped away her tears, and shifted closer into his embrace.
“Didn’t you say you couldn’t finish it and would give it to me, hmm?”
Wen Yao’s voice was weak, tinged with a hint of obedience. “Mm.”
Xie Zongxun’s lips tightened into a straight line. He sighed softly and lifted the hem of his shirt.
“Turn around and kiss me.”
Wen Yao complied, but the faint trace of shyness on her face was gone, replaced by an icy coldness.
Xie Zongxun clicked his tongue in annoyance, rolled over, and pulled open the drawer.
He fumbled around and pulled out a few empty, flattened boxes.
His mood was inexplicably sour, his tone equally displeased.
“Tsk, they’re all used up.”
He glanced at her, frowning, his cold face radiating pressure.
“Where are the things?”
“What things?”
“The new ones I bought.”
Wen Yao pursed her lips. “They’re downstairs.”
Xie Zongxun glanced at the cake on the table, his eyes darkening. He pulled her tightly against his chest, his voice cold.
“You only brought your cake?”
“You ate what you like, but what about what I like? Not letting me have it?”
Wen Yao felt his tone was excessively cold and dangerous. She pushed against his chest with her forearm.
“What… what are you doing?”
“Wen Yao, a little temper is fine, but don’t push it too far.”
“I don’t have the obligation to spoil you.”
Xie Zongxun pressed the back of her head and sucked hard on her smooth, delicate neck, leaving a deep, vivid red mark.
Not on the side, but right in front.
Wen Yao winced in pain, cold sweat breaking out as tears streamed uncontrollably down her face.
Xie Zongxun got up and went downstairs. When he returned, he saw Wen Yao lying motionless on the bed, uncovered by the blanket, her face pale like a shattered piece of art.
He pulled the blanket over her.
…
At two in the morning, Wen Yao was curled in Xie Zongxun’s arms, her shoulders still trembling slightly.
Her hair was damp with tears, sticking messily to her face.
“Please… please… sob… I want to go home…”
“I want to go home.”
Her murmurs grew softer and softer until shallow breaths gradually took over. Only then did Xie Zongxun lower his gaze to look at the person in his arms. He gently brushed aside her hair, his eyes swirling with complex emotions.
Wen Yao had nightmares all night.
Dark red, the sound of emergency sirens, panicked crowds.
And her mother’s gradually cooling body, along with those weak, fragmented words.
“Yao Yao… Mom loves you.”
“Mom!”
Wen Yao suddenly sat up. A warm yellow nightlight glowed in the room, and Xie Zongxun’s dark eyes were fixed on her from beside her.
She had been crying for a long time, her body trembling uncontrollably.
Wen Yao looked at her surroundings, a hollow emptiness filling her heart. She hugged her knees and burst into loud sobs.
Xie Zongxun pressed his lips together, gently placed his arm around Wen Yao’s back, and slowly drew her into his embrace, guiding her to lie back down.
“Be good, let me hold you.”
Wen Yao was still half-asleep. Her breathing gradually steadied, and she fell into a deep slumber in Xie Zongxun’s arms.
Early the next morning.
Xie Zongxun was smoking on the balcony, feeling somewhat irritable. He called Gu Yanche.
He dialed several times in a row before a furious voice came from the other end. “Stop calling, damn it! I just fell asleep an hour ago.”He wouldn’t go out when invited, and now he was bothering him on a beautiful Sunday morning. Gu Yanche was so angry he lost all reason, completely forgetting how vengeful and terrifying Xie Zongxun could be.
Surprisingly, Xie Zongxun didn’t give him a cold shoulder. “What medicine should be applied there?”
Gu Yanche’s family was in the pharmaceutical business, spanning several generations. Any medicine obtained from him was certainly better than what was available on the market.
Gu Yanche himself disliked using protection, and the side effects of the medication he provided for his girlfriends were much milder than those on the market. Sometimes, when things got too intense, injuries weren’t uncommon, so he always kept topical medications on hand.
“Fuck, what do you mean ‘there’?”
Gu Yanche was fully awake now, and he could hear a hint of tension in the other’s tone.
Xie Zongxun had been holding back his anger since last night. Remembering that tear-stained face, he crushed his cigarette, furrowed his brows, and shouted a single word into the phone.
Gu Yanche nearly dropped his phone in shock.
Was that really Xie Zongxun on the other end?