Chapter 662: Shouldn’t He Be Leaving
s.h.i.+ Mengwan’s body was curled up there. She didn’t speak, nor did she look at Zhan Haoze.
It was one thing to admit it in her heart, but it was another thing to express it and say it out loud.
She felt ashamed. In fact, every time she had an intimate relations.h.i.+p with Zhan Haoze, she felt ashamed.
This was something that couldn’t be controlled. When they were together, no matter how satisfied they were, after they were done, they would feel empty.
Her body was carried in Zhan Haoze’s arms, but she suddenly pushed his hand away.
“Don’t touch me.”
Zhan Haoze’s hand stopped in mid-air. As he looked at her back, he didn’t seem to understand what was wrong with her.
s.h.i.+ Mengwan didn’t look at him. She quickly got up, hurriedly picked up the outermost clothes and covered her body before entering the bathroom.
She locked the door and stayed inside for nearly half an hour. When she came out again, she had already tidied herself up.
When she returned to the living room, she found Zhan Haoze still sitting on the sofa.
“You’re still not leaving?”
Shouldn’t he have left by this time like in the past?
Zhan Haoze sat on the sofa and looked at her. She had just showered, her skin was red. Her face looked soft and tender, like a hibiscus flower that had just come out of the water.
Zhan Haoze didn’t leave. He even reached out his hand to her.
s.h.i.+ Mengwan looked at the outstretched hand for a while but didn’t go over. Instead, she went to her study.
She didn’t want to see Zhan Haoze, so she could only let herself sketch.
Yesterday, she had saved her drawing in the mailbox. Now, she just had to open it and continue drawing the rest.
She had an idea in her mind. She would design the gown from yesterday into a series. The whole series would be themed around cherry blossoms.
She was a person who didn’t care about other things when immersed in her work. When she heard the knock on the door, for a moment, she thought that she had heard wrongly.
She looked up and saw Zhan Haoze standing at the door. He was really free today. s.h.i.+ Mengwan was a little puzzled. Why didn’t he leave after finis.h.i.+ng his work like before?
He said, “It’s time to eat.”
s.h.i.+ Mengwan was stunned for a moment. She blinked her eyes, as if she realized the time now.
It was already almost one o’clock.
Eat? Did he cook? s.h.i.+ Mengwan looked at Zhan Haoze and remembered that he didn’t seem to know how to cook.
She was a little curious, and couldn’t care less that she didn’t want to see him just now. She got up and went outside. She found four dishes and a soup on the dining table. From the appearance, it was obviously made by the chef.
She was focused on sketching just now and didn’t hear the sound of the door opening.
Zhan Haoze sat down in front of the dining table. s.h.i.+ Mengwan glanced at him and followed him to sit down.
The process of the meal was somewhat silent. s.h.i.+ Mengwan glanced at Zhan Haoze while he was filling the rice bowl. A familiar action, a familiar face.
She withdrew her gaze and forced herself not to look at Zhan Haoze again.
After dinner, s.h.i.+ Mengwan noticed a detail. Zhan Haoze wasn’t wearing the same clothes as yesterday.
This discovery made her start to think. Was the clothes that Zhan Haoze left here last time like this?
How could she not remember? She thought about the takeout that was delivered just now. When she entered the study to draw a draft, someone came.
They had delivered Chinese food and Zhan Haoze’s clothes. She couldn’t help but look at Zhan Haoze. If she remembered correctly, he had left more than one set of clothes here.
What did he want to do? Come here often? Or what?
Once the thought of coming here often came to her, s.h.i.+ Mengwan couldn’t sit still anymore. She didn’t go back to the study to draw a draft. Instead, wanting to have a good talk with him, she sat down on the sofa and looked at Zhan Haoze.
As soon as she sat down, Zhan Haoze came over. He sat beside her and wrapped his big hand around her waist.
Her body stiffened for a moment. It was only for a moment. Very quickly, she was completely in his arms.
Her back was very tense. She tried her best to maintain a certain distance from him. It was almost impossible under such circ.u.mstances.
His chin was pressed against her neck and he wrapped her very tightly.
“Zhan Haoze…”
The atmosphere in front of her wasn’t quite right. She couldn’t tell if he was going to act recklessly again when he was aroused.
In order to divert her attention, she picked up the remote control and turned on the television. It happened to be a variety show.
s.h.i.+ Mengwan wasn’t very interested in these things, but she forced herself to focus on the television.
It was a show very popular in recent years. A few guests were trying their best to be funny. s.h.i.+ Mengwan wasn’t amused, but she watched it very seriously.
At first, she was afraid that Zhan Haoze would do it again, but later, she realized that he didn’t do anything else.
She calmed down and said, “Zhan Haoze.”
“Yes?”
“Are you all right?”
He must be very busy, right? Doesn’t he have to go to work?
Although she didn’t know exactly what he was doing now, she remembered that the last time she met him, he knew Su Qingsang, and called her Mrs. Huo.
He was also at Huo Jinyao’s company’s banquet. He looked like a business elite. Did he not have to go to work?
Her eagerness to see him leave made Zhan Haoze frown slightly. He tightened his grip on her waist.
“I’m free today.”
So she really couldn’t make him leave? She resisted the urge to chase him away. “Are you that free?”
Zhan Haoze could hear the sarcasm in her words, but he wasn’t angry.
“I’m not.” But he was free today.
He had compressed his work to three days, so he could be free today and tomorrow.
s.h.i.+ Mengwan was at a loss for words. She thought to herself that she wanted to chase him away, but now she didn’t know how to respond. While she was struggling internally, he gently s.h.i.+fted her face slightly.
His body moved closer to him. His overly intimate behavior made her turn around to watch TV. She put all her attention on the TV.
“What are your plans today?”
Plans? What plans could she have? She originally wanted to go home to accompany her parents and family, but because of that sudden order, she returned to Lin City.
She turned around to look at Zhan Haoze. He was also looking at her.
Being stared at by her puzzled eyes, a flash of discomfort flashed through Zhan Haoze’s eyes, but it was only for a moment.
“Aren’t you going out?”
Today was the last day of the long holiday. s.h.i.+ Mengwan bit her lip and turned to look at Zhan Haoze.
Her waist was still sore, and that made her lose the mood to go out.
“I don’t want to go out.”
The atmosphere was a little awkward. She turned around to look at him. She had many questions she wanted to ask, such as what had happened to him?
For example, why would he forget everything that had happened in the past. For example, why did he come? What was he thinking about? What did he take her for.
But those questions turned into silence in the end. She turned around and once again forced herself to focus on the television.
She was sitting in his arms, and the two of them were snuggling together in an intimate position.
s.h.i.+ Mengwan’s face was pressed against his chest, and she couldn’t tell how she herself felt. She couldn’t help but steal glances at him.
His jawline was perfect, and his gaze was fixed on the television in front of him. Sensing her gaze, he turned around to look at her.
s.h.i.+ Mengwan acted like a thief and quickly retracted her gaze. Her heart was beating a little fast, but before she could turn her face away, Zhan Haoze’s hand was already on her cheek.
He stared at her face, tilted his head, and kissed her lips just like that.
The pa.s.sionate kiss carried the pleasant smell of mint on his body. s.h.i.+ Mengwan didn’t even know how to breathe after the kiss, but now, she could already respond to him.
She knew what he was going to do next.
His lips weren’t as cold as his. Instead, they were soft and warm. Her eyes gradually became blurred.
When she felt Zhan Haoze’s hand slowly slide down her waist, as if he was going to take a step further, she grabbed his hand.
She took a step back, stared at his face, and swallowed her saliva.
“No.”
Don’t do this every time. Don’t come here every time as if she was a punching bag.
She couldn’t stand this.
With emotions that she couldn’t understand, Zhan Haoze looked at her with a deep gaze.
In the end, he didn’t continue. Instead, he wrapped his arms around her waist and watched TV again.
s.h.i.+ Mengwan didn’t pay attention to what was on TV. She didn’t expect Zhan Haoze to actually stop.
That made her feel a little strange. She didn’t sleep much yesterday, and she woke up early today.
She was drowsy and slowly closed her eyes again.
..
s.h.i.+ Mengwan remembered that after eating the wine-brewed meatb.a.l.l.s on the lantern festival, Qiao Ze left early and returned late for several days. They slept on the same bed, but they didn’t see each other.
She didn’t understand what went wrong, but she felt that he might have felt that she was frivolous.
After all, she was from a rural town. Her parents had always been strict with her. She knew that she might have done something wrong.
When she thought about this, she couldn’t control herself. It seemed like she wanted to prove something, but also seemed like she wanted an answer.
She got up early and stopped the youth when he was about to leave the house.
“Dear Brother, why haven’t you been talking to me these past few days?”
Her little face full of confusion, she looked at the young man’s handsome face.
Qiao Ze didn’t dare to look at s.h.i.+ Mengwan’s eyes. He was fifteen years old and usually had a few people by his side. He had seen a lot of things.
He knew what he meant by what he said that night and he was embarra.s.sed to say it.
He had a crush on this girl who was still a young girl. In his eyes, this was shameful and unspeakable.
He didn’t even dare to face s.h.i.+ Mengwan.
She called him brother and treated him like an older brother. After she came, she suffered with him.
She would cook for him, wash his clothes, and take care of his daily life. Because of s.h.i.+ Mengwan, this small house unexpectedly felt like home.
He felt very guilty.
The youth’s thoughts were secret and unspeakable. She wasn’t even fourteen years old.
At this moment, meeting s.h.i.+ Mengwan’s clear eyes, he turned his gaze away. “I’m not ignoring you. You’re thinking too much.”
The youth’s voice was about to go through a transition from a voice change. It was still a little hoa.r.s.e, but it was a little clearer.
s.h.i.+ Mengwan bit her lips and shook her head. “No, it’s not like that. You’re just avoiding me. You’re ignoring me.”
“It’s nothing,” the young man replied in a m.u.f.fled voice. He turned around and was about to leave when s.h.i.+ Mengwan quickly blocked in front of him. Her gaze unexpectedly revealed a sense of maturity that didn’t belong to her age.
“Where are you going?”
“Nowhere.”
“Where are you going if you’re not going anywhere? I want to go too.”
“I’m going to earn money.”
“I’m going too. I can help you.”
“I don’t want your help.”
“Why?”
s.h.i.+ Mengwan broke the ice and asked, “Why can’t I Go? I’ll eat your food and use yours every day. I can also work hard to support myself. I want to help.”
“I said that I don’t want your help.”
Where he was going, could she go?
The youth’s face flushed with anxiety. “Make way, I’m leaving.”
His tone was a little anxious, but not fierce. s.h.i.+ Mengwan’s face darkened as she took a step forward.
“I just want to help you.”
“I said it’s not suitable for you.”
“Do you hate me?” s.h.i.+ Mengwan felt a rare sense of disappointment and hurt. “Tell me honestly, do you hate me?”
“What nonsense are you spouting?” If he could hate her, he wouldn’t be so unable to face her.
“You’re still saying that you don’t? If so, you wouldn’t have spoken to me in such a tone in the past, and you wouldn’t have treated me in such a manner.”
Other than the one month she had spent here in the beginning, she had spent time with Qiao Ze, like brother and sister.
She thought that in his heart, even if he couldn’t treat her as his biological sister, he would at least take good care of her. She would have a special place in his heart.
“You…”
s.h.i.+ Mengwan’s unreasonable pestering made the youth angry. Without thinking, he walked past her and was about to leave when s.h.i.+ Mengwan gritted her teeth and blocked him with determination, as if she was going all out.
“Tell me, do you dislike me?” She was embarra.s.sed to say that sentence.., but now she had to say it. “You dislike me, don’t you? Because you think I’m frivolous, you think I’m promiscuous, and I think I’m the kind of girl who doesn’t respect herself? Is that right?”
“What nonsense are you talking about?”
“That’s what you think.” Her entire being immersed in extreme sadness, s.h.i.+ Mengwan bit her lip. “If not, why did you ignore me? Just because I kissed you that day?”
It would have been fine if she hadn’t mentioned that day, but when she mentioned that day’s incident, the youth’s face instantly turned red.
Half of it was embarra.s.sment, and the other half was anxiety.
“If you dislike me, I, I will leave right now.” s.h.i.+ Mengwan didn’t notice the youth’s awkwardness. She turned around and was about to open the door.
Her body was hugged by the youth. His thin and strong arms were tightly wrapped around her waist.
“Stop fooling around.”
The youth’s rarely-seen fierce tone gave s.h.i.+ Mengwan a fright. She turned around, and the youth looked at her with an unfriendly expression. “I really don’t dislike you, and I don’t think you’re frivolous.”
If she was frivolous, then what about him who kissed her first? What was that?
Thinking about how he dreamed of her, and how the dreams were filled with shameful scenes, what was that?
Meeting the young girl’s clear eyes, he couldn’t say a word. He didn’t want the young girl to feel that he was dirty and perverted.
“I’m really too busy recently. I promise you that I’ll come back earlier in the future.”
“Then, can you not go today?”
“No.”
He promised sixth brother that he would take the lead today. “Not today. How about tomorrow? I won’t go anywhere tomorrow. I’ll stay at home to accompany you.”
“If you say so.”
“I said it. I promise.”
Afraid that the young girl wouldn’t believe him, the young man almost raised three fingers to swear.
s.h.i.+ Mengwan was satisfied, and a smile appeared on her face.
“Then you go ahead. I’ll wait for you at home.”
The young man glanced at her, nodded, and turned to leave.
At night, the young man once again laid on the same bed as the young girl. In fact, ever since he discovered his secret desires, the young man wished that he could stay far away from the young girl.
But he couldn’t. There was no heating in Lin City during the winter, and there was no air conditioning in the house, so it was especially cold at night. If he slept on the sofa, he would definitely catch a cold.
Trying to avoid the girl’s approach, he carefully slept on one side of the bed.
However, the pervasive chill that night made the girl instinctively move closer to him.
Sometimes, s.h.i.+ Mengwan would wake up in a daze and open her eyes to see where he was.
“Dear Brother.”
She muttered softly, then moved her face closer to him and fell asleep again.
At first, she would keep a distance from him, but as the two of them spent more and more time together, she became more and more trusting of him.
But she didn’t know that this kind of relief was a great torment for the young man.
After all, he was only 15 years old, and after the new year, he was already 16, in Lin City’s way of calculating. The strong and fit young man was in love, so how could he have such good self-control?
Looking at the young girl sleeping soundly in his arms, he couldn’t bear to push her away.
He adjusted the angle of his arms slightly to make the young girl sleep more comfortably. Her smooth and fair skin made his heart skip a beat.
When s.h.i.+ Mengwan woke up in the morning, she found herself sleeping in the young man’s arms.
Her face was tightly pressed against his chest. The young man used to sleep with his upper body naked. Ever since the young woman shared a bed with him, he would always put on a t-s.h.i.+rt.
s.h.i.+ Mengwan opened her eyes and saw a suspicious water mark on his t-s.h.i.+rt. Her face instantly turned red.
She hurriedly jumped out of the bed and didn’t dare to face the young man.
Could it be that she would drool after falling asleep? s.h.i.+ Mengwan was extremely embarra.s.sed by this discovery. She didn’t dare to look at the young man at all. She quickly put on her clothes and flashed into the kitchen without looking at the young man.
What she didn’t know was that after she left, the youth grabbed the pajamas that she left on the bed and smelled it. His hands couldn’t help but reach into his own clothes and went down.
..
s.h.i.+ Mengwan was in a daze and felt as if there were feathers gently brus.h.i.+ng across her face. She felt Itchy and woke up from her sleep.
When she opened her eyes, the handsome face that was magnified in front of her gave her a fright. She stepped back, but someone was holding her waist. At the same time, something fell to the ground.
She blinked her eyes and suddenly realized her current state.
She was asleep, and she was sleeping on Zhan Haoze’s leg. His face was above her. What had fallen to the ground was a small blanket on the sofa, which had covered her previously.
He was holding his phone in his hand. When he saw that she was awake, he put his phone aside.
“You’re awake?”
s.h.i.+ Mengwan quickly sat up. She had just woken up, and for a moment, she couldn’t even tell if what she was seeing was a dream or reality.
“You…”
She wanted to call him Dear Brother, but she was embarra.s.sed and shook her head in the end. She sat up straight. “You, why didn’t you wake me up?”
She was asleep, and she was even sleeping on his lap. Why didn’t he wake her up?
Zhan Haoze didn’t say anything. He just gently brushed his hand over the corner of her lips.
That action made s.h.i.+ Mengwan freeze again. She didn’t dare to move at all.
“You –”
“Are you going out for dinner?”
She had slept for almost the entire afternoon. It was almost five o’clock now.
“Going out for dinner?”
“Yes.” Zhan Haoze moved his feet without leaving a trace. s.h.i.+ Mengwan had slept on his legs for too long, and her feet were a little numb.
s.h.i.+ Mengwan was thinking about his suggestion. She saw his movements from the corner of her eyes and instantly understood.
She was probably too tired, so she actually slept for so long.
But how could he just leave her on the sofa like this?
“Don’t you want to go out?”
“Go.”
s.h.i.+ Mengwan answered casually. After answering, she realized what she had agreed to.
“Then, go and change your clothes.”
She was still wearing the same clothes as yesterday. It was too late for s.h.i.+ Mengwan to go back on her words. She glanced at Zhan Haoze and hurried into the room.
In less than ten minutes, s.h.i.+ Mengwan had changed her clothes and came out.
Holding his coat in his hand, Zhan Haoze was already standing at the door. She looked down at his feet.
Her face was burning. was she too relieved about Zhan Haoze? He was actually sleeping on his legs?
She lowered her head and reached out to get the car keys, but Zhan Haoze took them.
“Let’s go.”
The two of them went downstairs together, and s.h.i.+ Mengwan stood half an arm away from Zhan Haoze.
When they went out, the cold wind blew, and s.h.i.+ Mengwan became wide awake. She felt a little regretful now.
She shouldn’t have come out. If she had known earlier, she would have ordered takeout.
“What do you want to eat?”
Zhan Haoze asked her, and she shook her head. “Anything.”
After saying that, she realized that this answer seemed to be one of the most annoying answers.
According to the Internet, it was most annoying to say “anything” when asked by others what they wanted to eat.
She explained embarra.s.singly, “I’m not picky.”
That year, when they were together, what kind of hards.h.i.+ps had they not experienced? What did they not experience?
Zhan Haoze glanced at her and didn’t say anything. The two of them got into the car. He sat in the driver’s seat.
“Whatever?”
s.h.i.+ Mengwan looked up at the sign in front of her. The big word “Whatever” on it made her a little dumbfounded.
Zhan Haoze didn’t look at her and led her inside. The place was called “Whatever”. They entered the door. It was a small courtyard.
After pa.s.sing through the courtyard, she saw that there were a few private rooms. Someone came over and led the two of them to one of them.
After they entered the door, the waiter served tea. s.h.i.+ Mengwan took a sip. It was Longjing.
She didn’t know much about tea, but in the past, there were customers who were in the tea business, so she did understand a little.
After delivering the tea, no waiters came. No one brought the menu over either. She looked at Zhan Haoze in surprise.
“Don’t you need to order?”
“No.” Zhan Haoze’s voice was very soft. “This restaurant is called “Whatever”, but it doesn’t allow people to order. Their chef will serve the dishes according to the number of people who come.”
There was such a restaurant in Lin City? s.h.i.+ Mengwan really didn’t know about it.
The private room wasn’t big, and it was decorated very elegantly. There were only the two of them, but it was too quiet now.
Trying to find something to say, s.h.i.+ Mengwan bit her lip.
“How did you know about this place?”
“I found it by accident.” Zhan Haoze lowered his head and drank tea. He didn’t say how it happened.
s.h.i.+ Mengwan didn’t ask anymore. When she came in just now, she saw the small courtyard outside and thought it was very interesting. Now, she wanted to go out and have a look.
“Can I go out and have a look?”
“Yes.” Zhan Haoze looked at the curious expression on her face. “Do you want me to accompany you?”
“No need. I just want to have a look.”
In this season, she seemed to have seen a plum blossom in the courtyard outside. It wasn’t yet blooming, but she seemed to have seen a flower bud. She wanted to confirm it.
Zhan Haoze saw her stand up and didn’t follow her. He just added softly.
“The owner of this restaurant is very nice. You can look around as you like.”
s.h.i.+ Mengwan nodded. She didn’t expect that she would run into an acquaintance as soon as she went out.