When Wang Cuihua came out and saw Lin Tingwan actually sweeping the floor obediently, she stared at her again.
This wretched girl was acting far too strangely!
“What happened to your neck?” Wang Cuihua finally noticed something was wrong.
Oh no!
Zhou Huaijin had been far too rough with her last night, practically treating her neck like a steamed bun, and she had forgotten to put on some Snow Flower Cream to cover the marks.
Lin Tingwan hurriedly pulled her collar a little higher.
“The mosquitoes were huge and vicious last night. They bit me.”
“Mosquitoes? Where would there be mosquitoes in weather like this? Lin Tingwan, don’t tell me you went out last night while I was asleep to fool around with some other man?”
“Mom, I know you are concerned about me because you are worried that people will gossip about me. I was immature before, but now I understand your good intentions. Just look at this beautiful face of yours. You have even developed wrinkles from worrying about me. Come back to the room with me and let us put on some Snow Flower Cream.”
What exactly was this wretched girl up to?
In Lin Tingwan’s opinion, there was no one who did not like being praised.
So what if she had an unpleasant mother in law? She could handle her.
As for Zhou Huaijin, he did not take the day off. Instead, he went to the factory to help repair some machinery. Several workers who had been working overtime joked that his handsome face looked as though a female comrade had scratched it and asked whether something had happened.
He calmly said it was an allergic reaction.
Later, he paid little attention to whatever they said behind his back.
He was accustomed to keeping to himself and did not join in their gossip.
That evening, he returned to his dormitory and heated some water. Just as he was preparing to take a bath, the image of Lin Tingwan climbing through his window into the room the previous night suddenly surfaced in his mind again.
Strange. He had clearly already determined that the woman had not been her, so why did he still have such a persistent feeling in his heart?
Perhaps it was because Lin Tingwan had been pestering him far too much lately.
Sure enough, while he was bathing, the moment he heard the sound of wind rustling through the leaves, he instinctively turned toward the rear window.
Could that woman have climbed along the wall and come through the window to secretly watch him bathe, just like she had done before?
With that thought, Zhou Huaijin put down his towel and stepped forward.
He firmly shut both wooden windows inward, secured the old iron latch, and even pressed a strip of cloth against the gaps.
Only after doing all this did he feel at ease enough to continue bathing.
Once bitten by a snake, one remains wary of a coiled rope for ten years.
Zhou Huaijin felt that Lin Tingwan had made him somewhat paranoid lately.
Fortunately, nothing happened throughout his entire bath.
After bathing, Zhou Huaijin put on his coat and stepped out into the corridor.
Leaning against the railing, he surveyed the path and the corners beneath the wall, as well as the direction of the apartment building where Lin Tingwan lived nearby.
The night was pitch dark. Every household in the apartment building had its doors and windows tightly shut, with only faint light shining through. Everything was completely quiet, and there was not the slightest sign of anything unusual.
After making sure no one had come to spy on him, Zhou Huaijin finally turned around, went back inside, and casually closed the door behind him.
For some reason, he always felt as though something was missing.
He lay on the bed and casually picked up a book to read.
Yet no matter how hard he tried, he could not concentrate on it.
Before long, there was a soft knock on the door.
Zhou Huaijin frowned.
Lin Tingwan had come again after all.
How dare she knock on his door so openly? Was she not afraid of being drowned in everyone’s criticism?
All the better. He could question her properly and find out exactly what she had done last night!
Zhou Huaijin got up and opened the door.
Qiao Shuran was standing outside. She was holding a coarse cloth medicine packet in her hands, and the moment she saw him, her face immediately turned red.
Zhou Huaijin froze.
Why was it her?
“Director Zhou.” Qiao Shuran lowered her head and held out the medicine packet to him. “You looked very tired this morning. You must have been exhausted last night. I really could not stop worrying about you, so I went to the factory doctor and got some herbs to calm your nerves and replenish your strength. You should boil them and drink them before bed. You should feel more comfortable afterward.”
When the matter of last night was mentioned, Zhou Huaijin’s face also reddened.
After all, what had happened had been his fault. He had not expected a female comrade to be so physically delicate, yet she was still thinking about him, which somehow made him seem like the weaker one.
He accepted the medicine and replied politely, “Thank you, Comrade Qiao.
If you are feeling unwell, you should also go to the factory doctor and get some medicine.”
Qiao Shuran’s face turned red all the way to her ears.
“I am perfectly healthy. Would you like me to boil the medicine for you?”
Zhou Huaijin quickly refused.
“No need. It is already late at night. If a female comrade enters my dormitory at this hour, it could damage your reputation if word gets out.”
Qiao Shuran’s fingers twitched slightly.
“Then remember to boil the medicine and drink it yourself. I will not disturb your rest any longer.”
After saying that, she covered her face and ran away.
Zhou Huaijin lowered his head and stared at the medicine packet in his hand, falling into deep thought.
The night wind blew past, making the air feel even colder.
Zhou Huaijin lightly coughed several times.
Meanwhile, while her mother in law was asleep, Lin Tingwan secretly made her way to Zhou Huaijin’s dormitory.
She had planned to wait until Zhou Huaijin fell asleep before climbing through his window to search for clues about how she might return home.
She had not expected to witness the female lead delivering medicine to him, and she had heard their entire conversation as well.
That shameless man had squeezed her completely dry last night, and now he was squeezing the female lead dry too. How could his body not be weak?
He had better be careful about overindulging and ruining himself!
Suddenly, she noticed a cold gaze sweeping toward her.
She turned around and ran.
“Stop!”
Zhou Huaijin’s voice carried a commanding tone.
As if she would actually listen!
Lin Tingwan ran even faster.
Unfortunately, the original owner’s body was not accustomed to exercise at all, and she was as clumsy and heavy as a pig.
She had barely run a few steps before Zhou Huaijin successfully intercepted her.
“Lin Tingwan, why are you running?”
Zhou Huaijin blocked her path. Because he had chased after her too quickly, the medicine packet in his hand had fallen to the ground.
But he did not pick it up. Instead, he stared intently at her.
This voyeuristic woman had really come again.
But why was she running?
Should she not have acted like she usually did, throwing herself at him and flirting with him?
Something was wrong with her.
Lin Tingwan cursed the original owner and all her ancestors in her heart, then could only force a smile.
“Oh, Director Zhou, what a coincidence. The moonlight is beautiful tonight, so I went out for a walk. What about you?”
The moment she finished speaking, Lin Tingwan wanted to slap herself.
It was pitch dark, and the moon had long since hidden itself in its mother’s arms to cry!
Zhou Huaijin looked at her coldly.
“Lin Tingwan, do you believe what you just said yourself?”
Lin Tingwan said, “Then what if I say I left something around here and came to look for it? Would you believe that?”
“You drugged me last night, didn’t you?”
Zhou Huaijin stepped closer.
Danger!
Lin Tingwan instinctively took several steps backward.
“That is a misunderstanding. I have no idea what you are talking about.”
There was no evidence, so all she had to do was refuse to admit anything.
“You refuse to admit it?” Zhou Huaijin narrowed his eyes.
Lin Tingwan said, “Director Zhou, you need evidence before you make accusations. Although there is no man in my family, you cannot bully me just because of that, can you?”
She really was cunning.
Zhou Huaijin clenched his fists in anger.
“Very well. You clearly came to my dormitory last night. Where did you go afterward?”
Oh, so this man intended to enjoy himself and then deny responsibility?
She refused to believe that he did not remember what had happened last night.
Was there not evidence all over his face and body from what she had left behind?
But thinking about it carefully, if word got out that he had been intimate with two female comrades in one night, then regardless of the fact that he had been drugged and was the victim, how could he possibly hold his head up in the factory afterward?
She understood. He was afraid she would use this matter to threaten him into taking responsibility.
Zhou Huaijin had completely run out of patience.
“Tell me. What exactly happened afterward?”
Lin Tingwan deliberately wiped away her tears.
“Sob, sob, you had such a high fever last night, so I went to find medicine to cure you. Then I ran into Comrade Qiao and Doctor Wang, and they came up together to save you. After that, I went home to sleep. When I woke up, I heard that you had slept with Comrade Qiao, and I was so heartbroken that I wanted to jump off a building! But don’t worry. Since the two of you have already slept together, I will not pester you anymore. I am sorry for all the trouble I caused you before.”
Zhou Huaijin, who had still been holding onto a sliver of hope, was completely stunned.
Had that really been what happened last night?
But he clearly remembered holding Lin Tingwan and kissing her soft lips.
He remembered biting her lips until they broke.
His gaze remained fixed on those lips.
But it was too dark, and he could not see anything.
He just felt that something was wrong.
Yet at the same time, everything seemed perfectly reasonable.