Lin Zhaoyang’s limbs felt weak, and her whole body burned with heat. One hand braced against the shoulder of the man pinning her beneath him, while the other greedily ran over his sculpted abs again and again.
She breathed softly, her wandering hand refusing to behave.
A familiar voice sounded by her ear.
Such a wonderful voice.
Lin Zhaoyang thought to herself that she really was the kind of woman who never shortchanged herself, even in her dreams.
The hand on his shoulder slid upward, her gaze settling on his close-cropped hair. At the sight of it, she silently cursed herself.
Damn it. Even in my dreams, I ended up dreaming about my ex.
Still, it didn’t matter. It was only a dream—she could dream about whoever she liked.
Her fingers slowly traced down his face until they stopped beneath his chin.
She wanted to see exactly what the leading man of her dream looked like.
As her fingertip lifted his chin, the man assumed she wanted a kiss and leaned down to meet her lips.
The moment he raised his head, however, revealing a striking face with sharp brows, bright eyes, and an unmistakably heroic look, she was so startled she nearly jumped out of her skin.
“Zou Zhengting!”
Lin Zhaoyang shoved hard at the man pressing down on her.
This dream is morally wrong!
Wake up!
Hearing the woman in his arms call his name only made Zou Zhengting more excited. He pressed even closer.
“Wife…” he called hoarsely.
The next second, Lin Zhaoyang bit hard into the corner of his mouth.
Putting all her strength into it, she kicked him violently and shouted, “Zou Zhengting! What are you doing here?!”
That kiss and the weight of his body suddenly made her realize this wasn’t the erotic dream she’d been having during her afternoon nap.
This man was actually in her bed.
She hadn’t held back at all when she bit him. The corner of Zou Zhengting’s mouth bore deep teeth marks, and even bled.
The unexpected kick sent him tumbling straight off the bed.
The pain instantly cleared his head.
This wasn’t one of the countless dreams he’d secretly had over the years.
He sat on the floor beside the bed, his gaze slowly moving from the warmth lingering in his palm from touching her to the woman sitting on the bed.
Lin Zhaoyang’s cheeks were flushed crimson, her lips still vividly red from the passionate kiss he’d just given her.
Her blouse had already been unbuttoned and tossed onto the floor, where it now lay trapped beneath his knee.
Everything before him overlapped perfectly with the dreams he’d had every single day.
Except today wasn’t a dream.
“Zou Zhengting, why are you in my house?” Lin Zhaoyang frantically searched everywhere for her clothes.
The next moment, Zou Zhengting handed her blouse over.
She shot him a murderous glare before hurriedly putting on her bra and fastening her blouse.
Only then did Zou Zhengting quickly get to his feet and put his own clothes back on.
Just then, someone knocked on the courtyard gate.
“Zhaoyang! I brought some people to help you clean up the house! Hurry and open the door!”
Both of them froze, their hands shaking as they buttoned their clothes.
Lin Zhaoyang’s pupils contracted in shock.
What the hell?
Why would Lin Ni come looking for her?
Ever since Lin Ni had schemed to steal Zou Zhengting from her, the two of them had never exchanged another word. Their families had completely cut ties.
Lin Zhaoyang glanced at the bite mark on Zou Zhengting’s lips, and her face paled again.
Anyone with eyes could tell what had happened if they saw the two of them in this state.
“Zhaoyang! Zhaoyang! Open the door!”
Lin Ni kept pounding on the door. The others waiting outside, impatient from standing under the blazing sun, began knocking as well.
The repeated banging and constant cries of “Zhaoyang!” sounded like death knocking on her door.
“If I don’t answer, they’ll eventually leave.”
Lin Zhaoyang lowered her head and continued buttoning her blouse, silently thankful that she always locked the door whenever she came home, while trying to sort through everything that had happened today.
Before she could gather her thoughts, Zou Zhengting suddenly said,
“Lin Ni has a key to your house.”
Meeting Lin Zhaoyang’s horrified stare, he frowned.
“You didn’t know?”
“I… DID… NOT!” she ground out through clenched teeth.
She had absolutely no idea Lin Ni possessed a key to her newlywed house.
She even suspected Zou Zhengting was joking with her.
But as if to prove his words true, Lin Ni suddenly stopped knocking.
She laughed, slapped her thigh, and spoke to the people around her.
“Oh, look at me! I’d completely forgotten. Zhaoyang gave me a spare key. Since she’s not answering the door, I’ll just let us in myself. Sorry for making everyone stand out here in the sun for so long.”
Looking apologetic, Lin Ni pretended to search through her bag.
“When I went to get everyone, Zhaoyang wasn’t feeling well. She said she was going to lie down for a while. Maybe she’s asleep and can’t hear us knocking.”
As she spoke, she took the key she’d been secretly holding in her palm all along and pretended she’d only just found it.
“Ah, here it is! Found the key. Everyone, wait a second while I unlock the door.”
Every hair on Lin Zhaoyang’s body stood on end.
What do I do?
She turned toward Zou Zhengting and glared at him furiously.
If Lin Ni led everyone inside and found the two of them looking like this, she wouldn’t be able to clear her name even with a hundred mouths.
What exactly was Lin Ni trying to do?
Where had she gotten the key to her new house?
And why was Zou Zhengting here?
Even in her weakened state, Lin Zhaoyang wasn’t stupid. She knew she’d been drugged or set up.
“Zou Zhengting! I don’t care what’s going on between you and Lin Ni! If my life is ruined today, I’ll drag every last one of you down with me!”
“Even if I die, I’ll make sure you all die with me!”
Throwing out the threat, Lin Zhaoyang climbed out of bed, though inwardly she was panicking.
Even though two years had already passed, she was now about to get married. If word got out that she’d been caught with Zou Zhengting, not only would she become the target of endless gossip, but her parents and younger brother would suffer because of her as well.
Looking at the frantic, red-eyed Lin Zhaoyang, Zou Zhengting quickly placed a finger to his lips, signaling for silence.
He bent down in front of her, gesturing for her to climb onto his back, then pointed toward the neighboring house.
Lin Zhaoyang immediately understood.
He intended to carry her over the shared wall into the neighboring yard.
Her house and the one next door had originally belonged to two brothers. Because they had been close, the two homes had been built sharing a common wall, which wasn’t very high.
“Lin Ni and the others are about to come in. We’ll go through the backyard.”
Zou Zhengting was a retired soldier. During military competitions, he had ranked first in every event.
He had carried her before, and Lin Zhaoyang knew exactly what he was capable of.
Without hesitation, she climbed onto his back.
There was no gate between the two backyards because beyond them lay a river.
The surrounding walls were embedded with broken glass to deter thieves, except for the shared wall.
Since the original owners had often passed things back and forth between their homes, that wall had been built relatively low.
Zou Zhengting took a few steps back, gained momentum with a short run, then leaped.
With one powerful push, he cleared the wall carrying Lin Zhaoyang on his back. Without stopping, he sprinted straight into the nearest room in the neighboring house.
The moment the door slammed shut behind them with a bang as Zou Zhengting kicked it closed, Lin Zhaoyang froze in disbelief.