Clingy

"..."

Aaaaaah!!!

Nan Xingyu gritted her teeth. "Just you wait! I'm coming down!!!"

She knew Xi Jin meant what he said.

If she didn't go down, there was no telling what kind of madness he might get up to.

She hung up and yanked the curtains shut, blocking him from view.

Damn it!!!

She opened the door and went out, a natural smile on her face. When Liu Meili looked over, she offered an explanation:

"My friend had a little problem, but it's taken care of."

Liu Meili didn't press her to the bottom of the pot. She simply said:

"Eat up. The noodles won't taste good once they get soggy."

She got up and gathered her bowl and chopsticks. "Put yours in the sink when you're done. I'll wash them later. I'm going to wash your underwear first."

"Cough, cough..."

Nan Xingyu choked on a mouthful of noodles and couldn't stop coughing.

Liu Meili handed her a tissue. "Honestly, child, I told you to hurry and eat, but you don't have to be so monkey-impatient."

Nan Xingyu wiped her mouth. "Mom, you wash the dishes. Leave the underwear for me."

"It's fine."

Liu Meili put the bowl and chopsticks in the kitchen sink. "There are only a few pairs. If I wash them now, they'll be dry by noon tomorrow, just in time for you to take them with you."

Nan Xingyu watched helplessly as Liu Meili headed for the balcony.

Her heart shot into her throat.

Danger warning.

"Mom—"

Nan Xingyu couldn't help shouting.

Liu Meili froze in fright.

She turned around. "What is it?"

An idea struck Nan Xingyu. She picked up her phone. "Mom, I just remembered, I left my phone at the mall we were at earlier. I'm going to look for it."

Her feet moved as if she were treading on fire. She squeezed through the door before she'd even pulled it all the way open.

"Hey—"

"Xiaoyu—"

Liu Meili hurried after her for two steps, but she was already gone.

"That child, isn't her phone in her hand?"

"Could she really be dating someone?"

Muttering to herself, she hurriedly called Nan Zhiping.

Nan Xingyu had barely stepped out of the apartment building when a powerful force seized her and pulled her away.

If she hadn't known he was downstairs, she would surely have thought she'd run into a robber.

She was forced to keep pace with him.

Then she was pushed into the back seat of the car, stumbling forward.

Before she could turn over, Xi Jin pressed a palm against her waist.

With his other hand, he grabbed the back collar of his hoodie and yanked it up and off. The white T-shirt underneath rode up with it, revealing his firm, powerful abs.

The lights in the car were off. Only the streetlight outside slanted through the window, casting half his face in light and half in shadow.

His gaze was dark as ink as he stared at the person beneath him.

He pulled the obstruction aside.

His movements were urgent, tinged with impatience.

Nan Xingyu felt him lean over her. Her breathing instantly fell into disarray, and her body instinctively tensed.

Her hands scrabbled for something to hold on to.

At last, she gripped the seat belt.

Her breath hitched and trembled with every movement.

It mingled with his scent, tangling together in the cramped space.

Mist gradually clouded the window.

It blurred the streetlights outside into a haze of orange, making even those little gasps sound especially sensuous.

Afterward.

Nan Xingyu lay limp, her body still trembling in the aftermath.

Xi Jin turned her over and kissed her lips, still wanting more.

Even though it had happened many times.

Nan Xingyu still couldn't handle it.

Every time, he kissed her so deeply, so clingily...

She couldn't catch her breath and gave him a push.

Xi Jin paused and looked at her, his dark eyes clouded with mist.

His voice was a little husky. "What's wrong, baby?"

A wash of orange-yellow streetlight slanted through the car window onto the redness at the corner of his eye, melting away all his usual cool aloofness.

Afraid her mother would come looking for her, Nan Xingyu stroked his face with her fingertips, trying to placate him.

"Xi Jin, can we stop here for now? My mom's still upstairs."

"Ten more minutes of kissing."

As he spoke, Xi Jin leaned down again.

Nan Xingyu covered his mouth. "Five minutes."

"Ten minutes."

"Eight minutes?"

Xi Jin pulled her hand away. "Ten minutes."

Before she could speak, he had already stopped her words with his mouth.

There was no room for negotiation.

Whatever he said, that was how it had to be.

"Mm... Xi Jin, has it been ten minutes yet?"

Nan Xingyu's head was spinning from his kisses. She pushed him weakly. "Are you done?"

"No."

Xi Jin's lips moved to her neck. He pressed them against her skin and inhaled her scent deeply.

As if he meant to carve it into his bones.

Nan Xingyu cupped his chin. "It's been ten minutes, hasn't it? If you don't let me go, my mom really will come down."

Xi Jin finally stopped.

He wrapped both arms tightly around her, as though he wished he could knead her into his body.

He nestled in her arms for a long while, like a child who hadn't gotten his fill.

Only after she urged him several times did he let her go and get up, then help clean her up.

"Oh, right."

Nan Xingyu adjusted her underwear and glanced at him. "Is there any medicine in the car?"

"No," Xi Jin said.

Nan Xingyu put her hand on the door handle. "Then I'll go buy some."

The next second, he caught her wrist.

"Nan Xingyu, how many times have I told you not to buy medicine and take it on your own?"

Nan Xingyu looked at him in confusion. "What brand do you buy? Can't I just buy the same one?"

Xi Jin released her wrist. "You can't buy it here."

"..."

Nan Xingyu was speechless and almost laughed. "What kind of medicine is it that you have to get it from abroad? Does medicine here not work?"

"Anyway, don't buy medicine on your own. I don't want to have to remind you again."

Xi Jin said, "That kind of medicine isn't good for your health."

Nan Xingyu laughed in anger. "And somehow your medicine is good for my health?"

She shoved him irritably. "If you really care about my health, wear a condom."

Xi Jin took the opportunity to catch her hand. "It's uncomfortable."

Nan Xingyu had to hand it to his logic.

In short, his feelings came first.

The harm the medicine did to her body was her problem alone.

She yanked her hand back. "I'm going home."

As she opened the door, Xi Jin got out on the other side and came around to the driver's side to stop her.

"Be good. Don't take medicine on your own."

His tone softened, taking on a coaxing note.

Nan Xingyu looked up at him in anger. "What if I get pregnant?"

Xi Jin looked at her in silence for a few seconds before saying, "If you get pregnant, have the baby."

"In your dreams."

Nan Xingyu pushed him aside and strode away.

When she got home, Liu Meili was sitting in the living room watching TV, though she wasn't taking in anything on the screen.

Nan Xingyu could feel her mother's gaze on her the whole time.

The scrutiny in her eyes made Nan Xingyu feel guilty.

At bedtime, Liu Meili finally couldn't hold back.

She came to Nan Xingyu's room and curled up with her on the bed.

"Xiaoyu, are you seeing someone?"

"..."

In the darkness, Nan Xingyu's eyes flickered with obvious panic. Fortunately, Liu Meili couldn't see her.

"What? Mom, I'm not dating anyone."

Liu Meili said, "What can't you tell your mother? If you really are seeing someone, I won't set you up with anyone else. But I do need to know whether the person you're dating is good to you."

Nan Xingyu hugged her arm. "Mom, I'm really not seeing anyone."

Liu Meili was only half convinced. "Since you're not, meet this young man. Just think of it as making a friend."

Nan Xingyu refused. "I don't want to."

If she actually met him and Xi Jin found out, there was no telling what kind of madness he might get up to.

She used to look forward to coming to her mother's place on weekends, where she could get away from Xi Jin for a while and catch her breath.

Now look at her: she was only twenty-one, and her mother was already pushing her to go on blind dates.

Life was so hard.

The next evening, Nan Xingyu hurried back to her dorm after dinner.

At last, her ears had some peace and quiet.

Lin Piaopiao was lying on her bed scrolling through her phone. When she saw Nan Xingyu come in, she said:

"Hey, Xingyu, I ran into Senior Brother Jiang again today. He even asked about you."

"Oh."

Nan Xingyu put the clothes she'd brought in her wardrobe.

Lin Piaopiao climbed down from her bed and came over to her. "He also told me today that he'll be teaching tomorrow's open lecture."

Nan Xingyu had just picked up a towel. Her hand paused, and she turned to look at her. "Huh? What about Professor Zhang?"

"Professor Zhang went abroad on a study tour, I think. Senior Brother Jiang is his star pupil, so he's filling in."

Lin Piaopiao winked at her. "Which means you'll get to see Senior Brother Jiang for a while now. We should call him Teacher Jiang now."

"..."

Nan Xingyu stared, dumbfounded.

The first person she thought of was Xi Jin.

With how possessive he was, he never went easy on anyone he considered a "love rival."

He wouldn't cause trouble, would he??