Inside the bathroom, Su Nuo awkwardly and hurriedly dealt with her bloodstained underwear.
After changing into a clean pair of pants, she lingered for quite a while before finally opening the door and walking out.
The room’s light had already been turned off.
Jiang Jingye lay on the bed with his back facing her.
His breathing was steady, as though he had already fallen asleep.
Su Nuo quietly walked over.
For some reason, a vague sense of guilt rose within her.
She carefully climbed into bed. After hesitating for a long time, she finally spoke.
“Jiang Jingye, I… my period started.”
The person on the bed did not respond.
Su Nuo immediately felt embarrassed again.
She turned over and deliberately positioned herself back to back with him.
Just as she adjusted herself and prepared to sleep,
the man moved.
He turned around.
In the darkness, he responded softly with a low, “Mm.”
Then he reached out and pulled her into his arms.
Su Nuo’s entire body stiffened.
Just as she was about to struggle, his warm hand slipped beneath her pajama top and gently rested against her cool lower abdomen.
Warmth slowly spread through her skin.
Su Nuo could not stop herself from trembling.
Jiang Jingye clearly felt the tension in her body.
Leaning close to her ear, he lowered his voice. It was slightly hoarse.
“Don’t worry. I’m not such a beast that I’d try to do something while you’re on your period.”
Su Nuo understood men’s needs.
As his “girlfriend,” she felt she was probably supposed to satisfy him.
But she was not the original Su Nuo.
When it came to this sort of thing, she still felt that something was missing…
Love.
Up until now, neither she nor Jiang Jingye had ever truly discussed their feelings.
“You always used to say your stomach felt cold during your period and asked me to rub it for you. Does this feel better?”
His voice was gentle and pleasant.
Su Nuo had not expected him to remember something that her former self had casually mentioned.
The warmth on her lower abdomen gradually intensified.
Even the dull ache eased considerably.
She genuinely felt much better.
So she stopped resisting.
Curled up in his arms, exhaustion from the day finally caught up with her.
Before long, her breathing became even as she drifted into a deep sleep.
The person beside him had fallen asleep.
Jiang Jingye, however, felt no trace of drowsiness.
The woman in his arms was soft and warm, carrying the faint scent of shampoo.
She was the peace and stability within his reach.
But he had always been someone who worried too much.
His thoughts were a complete mess.
Everything in his mind revolved around the future.
He asked himself what an ordinary married couple’s happy life looked like.
Probably two people working hard together.
Buying a modest home in the city.
A two bedroom, one living room apartment.
A balcony convenient for hanging laundry, welcoming sunlight and rain.
Then purchasing an inexpensive car so they would no longer have to endure the wind and scorching sun.
The prerequisite for all of that was finding a stable job.
And stability meant not working too hard.
Being able to come home on time every day to cook.
Having regular time to spend together.
That was probably the greatest happiness an ordinary person could hope for.
But the moment that thought appeared,
the debt of over two billion yuan crashed down like a giant boulder.
If he truly had to repay all of it, he probably would never live that kind of life in this lifetime.
Jiang Jingye closed his eyes.
Forget it.
No point thinking about it.
One day at a time.
At the very least, for now, he wanted to live the days in front of them well together with Su Nuo.
The next morning, just as dawn began to break, Su Nuo woke up first.
She quietly slipped out of Jiang Jingye’s embrace.
She steamed some frozen dumplings and boiled two soft centered eggs.
By the time Jiang Jingye finished washing up, breakfast was already on the table.
The two of them ate quietly.
Then they went downstairs together and parted ways at the entrance of the Residential Complex, each heading to work.
Su Nuo sat at her station all morning, completely distracted.
Her thoughts kept returning to the warmth of his hand on her lower abdomen the previous night.
And his deep voice.
Her face flushed from time to time.
She even mixed up ingredients several times while preparing drinks.
At lunch break, she sat in the back kitchen eating with a coworker named Lin Xiao.
The moment Lin Xiao sat down, she leaned over mysteriously and poked Su Nuo’s arm.
“Nuonuo! I have to recommend this hidden gem of a novel! I stayed up until three in the morning reading it. I’m completely addicted!”
Su Nuo followed along.
“What novel? Is it really that good?”
Lin Xiao immediately handed over her phone.
Displayed on the screen was none other than the novel Su Nuo had written.
Difficult to Control My Feelings.
Even the latest update was still the chapter she had posted from the internet café the previous night.
“Look, look! The emotional tension is written so well! The chemistry between the male and female leads is incredible. Reading it makes me want to find a boyfriend and fall in love immediately!”
Lin Xiao looked excited.
“And that female supporting character secretly in love with the male lead. The way she’s so careful and restrained. Ah! It’s making me cry! The only problem is the author updates too slowly. There are only fifty thousand words. It’s nowhere near enough! I’m going to leave a comment urging updates so the author knows I’m supporting her!”
Watching Lin Xiao’s excitement,
Su Nuo’s heart pounded.
She was both surprised and delighted.
She had never imagined that this obscure novel with fewer than a hundred readers would be discovered by someone she worked with.
And liked this much.
The corners of her mouth lifted involuntarily.
Instantly, she forgot all the embarrassment from the previous night.
Her mood brightened considerably.
Meanwhile, inside the security office.
Jiang Jingye stared at his phone screen.
The notification informing him that his account appeal had failed had already appeared for the third time.
Irritated, he tossed the phone onto the desk and let out a long breath.
Suddenly, he remembered the novel Su Nuo had been writing at the internet café the previous night.
Difficult to Control My Feelings.
That seemed to be the title.
He opened a browser and searched for it.
Very quickly, he found the author’s page, which had fewer than a hundred bookmarks.
Sitting in the hard chair of the security office, he quietly read all fifty thousand words in a single afternoon.
He was so absorbed that he was not even interested when Liu Zhisheng invited him out for afternoon tea.
After reading the final word, he leaned back in his chair with a gloomy expression.
His fingers rubbed the edge of his phone.
His chest felt heavy.
The male lead, Fu Sili, was clearly Fu Sili.
The female lead, Xu Jiayi, was obviously Xu Jiayi.
And that female supporting character who had secretly loved Fu Sili for years,
who hid her feelings deep in her heart and never dared confess,
who could only silently watch him find happiness,
who remained willingly by his side even when he never once looked at her…
Wasn’t that Su Nuo herself?
What she felt for Fu Sili was far more than a simple crush.
It was love embedded deep in her bones.
If she hadn’t loved him so deeply,
why would she torment herself like this?
Even her novel was about unrequited love.
Jiang Jingye finally understood.
He and Su Nuo were destined to have no future together.
Just as he was lost in thought,
the door to the security office was suddenly shoved open.
The security team captain, Zhang Cheng, entered with a dark expression.
Pointing at Jiang Jingye, he immediately began scolding him.
“Jiang Jingye! Look at yourself! You don’t sit properly and you don’t stand properly! Several residents have already filed complaints! They say you’re cold faced all day long. You stand at the gate like some door guardian statue and have absolutely no service attitude! Two hundred yuan will be deducted from this month’s salary!”
Jiang Jingye did not even raise an eyelid.
He responded indifferently.
“Okay.”
Let them deduct it.
He no longer had any motivation to save money anyway.
Life would go on regardless.
He might as well take it easy.
As for Su Nuo’s laptop,
she could just have the Fu Sili from her novel buy it for her.