Chapter 53: Someone Is Rumoring That We are a Thing

The way she sat up so straight and proper was actually quite amusing.

Ji Yan smiled to himself and handed her a pair of chopsticks.

"Thank you," Nanna said, taking them and stealing a couple of extra glances at him.

The man had deep-set features, and his aura was restrained yet imposing, but with a touch of charming softness that gave him an air of mystery. His skin was a healthy wheat color.

He seemed especially approachable when he smiled.

It was the face of someone from a decent, upright family.

He wasn't like Zhaoxiao, whose entire being was riddled with the traces of a wild, unbridled upbringing. To claim that Zhaoxiao had grown up constantly reading other people's expressions felt entirely inaccurate.

Yet, his relationship with Qin Suxin on the surface seemed quite good.

Evidently, the face he showed in front of her was entirely different.

And around his friends, he was exceptionally relaxed and natural.

Nanna felt a bit bewildered.

Which one was the real Zhaoxiao?

It seemed her ability to read people still required some serious work.

"Do you have plans later?"

At the sound of that deep voice, Nanna snapped back to reality and nodded. "Yes, I have to stay in this area all day. The company's inspection team is here too."

Ji Yan had just shifted his gaze away from Nanna.

Zhaoxiao's face darkened slightly. "Are you still coming home tonight?"

Nanna shot a quick glance at Ji Yan. "It's not like bringing him home is going to get in my way. We don't even live on the same floor. Why do you care if I come back or not?"

She didn't plan on going back because she had an appointment with Lu Huaijin. She had to distribute her attention evenly across her rain and dew; otherwise, someone would throw a tantrum.

Neither of them was someone to be trifled with.

Zhaoxiao smiled. "Why don't you ask him if he's even willing to come home with me?"

Why did she have to be the one to ask?

Nanna didn't get it, but she complied anyway. "Brother Ji Yan, are you going to sleep at his place tonight?"

Ji Yan looked at them with a rather odd expression, completely bewildered. "Sure. Back in the military, Zhaoxiao and I used to share a bed all the time."

Nanna's eyes suddenly widened.

So there really was something going on! The rumors didn't come out of nowhere!

Zhaoxiao immediately cut off her wild imagination. "Even if he's willing, I'm not."

Ji Yan was entirely lost. "What are you two talking about?"

Zhaoxiao said crossly, "Someone is rumoring that we're a thing, and she actually believed it."

Ji Yan choked, bursting into a sudden fit of coughing. He hastily pulled out a couple of tissues to cover his nose and mouth.

"Cough, cough... How can it be that absurd? We only see each other once or twice every six months. Granted, I'm not married yet, but my sexual orientation is perfectly normal."

Zhaoxiao asked, "Do you understand now?"

Nanna hadn't really believed it in the first place, but she still questioned, "Then what were you planning to do by booking a room at that hotel down the road?"

Zhaoxiao said with absolute nonchalance, "I was planning to invite a few women over to have some fun."

He didn't hold back in the slightest, right in front of Ji Yan.

He didn't even question how Nanna knew he had booked a room there.

Seeing that she didn't show much of a reaction, Zhaoxiao added, "I'm heading over right after breakfast. Want to tag along?"

The one who reacted before Nanna was the pure, innocent white flower, Ji Yan. His face went entirely pale. "Didn't we agree to just come out for noodles? What... what invite..."

He couldn't even bring himself to utter the words that followed.

Nanna let out a mocking laugh. "You can know a man's face but not his heart. You should hang out with him less. This man is utterly shameless—a total rotten cucumber!"

She was practically gnashing her teeth by the end of her sentence.

Zhaoxiao kept his breezy, nonchalant smile. "No matter how rotten it is, someone still treasures it like a priceless gem."

Nanna pulled down the corners of her mouth.

Used to, but not anymore.

She didn't know where she got the nerve to insult him to his face like that. Perhaps once a scar healed, one naturally forgot the pain.

After stepping out of the noodle shop.

The other table was still there. Qi Fengjun watched the three people who had just walked out the door with great interest, smiling. "This time, your brother is most likely in a serious relationship."

Zhao Heging raised an eyebrow. "How can you tell?"

"It's just..." He couldn't quite put it into words. "The vibe is very subtle."

Zhao Heging turned his head to look.

The young girl reached her hand into Zhaoxiao's jacket pocket to pull out a pack of wet wipes. She tore open the packaging, casually stuffed the wrapper back into Zhaoxiao's pocket, and even put the used wet wipe back in there after cleaning her hands.

The latter swept a scowling glare over her. That single look frightened the young girl so much that she turned on her heel and sprinted away.

Qi Fengjun burst out laughing. "I can see your brother is always bullying her. Don't they say a man's affection for a woman always starts with bullying her?"

"That's primary school behavior."

Qi Fengjun's tone was ambiguous: "True indeed."

After walking away, Nanna wandered around the neighborhood for about half an hour. Only when she saw Zhao Heging's car leave from a distance did she walk back to find the old gentleman.

The old gentleman's nanny opened the door for her, looking incredibly apologetic. "I am so sorry, Miss. The master is working and it's inconvenient for him to see guests."

Nanna thought for a moment and handed over her business card. "My name is Nanna. Would it be possible to give me one of the old gentleman's business cards?"

The nanny went inside to ask for instructions. A brief moment later, she returned and handed Nanna a business card. "The master says for you to come here at noon on the first day of the month three months from now to collect the painting."

Nanna froze. "Collect the painting?"

The nanny explained, "The old gentleman felt a connection with you upon seeing you, so he is specifically putting his brush to canvas for you. If you are free then, Miss Jiang, please make the trip."

"Please tell the old gentleman that I will be here on time."

Nanna put away the business card and left.

The iron gate behind her closed with a creak.

She instinctively looked back and actually saw the old gentleman standing on the second-floor balcony, waving at her.

Her lips curved into a smile, and she waved back at him.

"What are you doing?"

Someone suddenly patted her shoulder.

Nanna turned around to see Shi Haoran.

He pointed over there. "Who is he?"

"A friend of my parents. When I was little, he painted a family portrait for us."

"Wow," Shi Haoran marveled. "He seems to be the very first person to claim to be a friend of the old Master Jin, right?"

"Indeed. I've been with the Lu family for over half a year, and I haven't heard them mention him even once."

The little assistant was waving at them from a distance.

"Let's head over."

Shi Haoran looked utterly dejected. "The surveillance didn't catch any other men."

"I know who that person is. They don't have that kind of relationship. Stop listening to rumors and blowing things out of proportion."

Nanna patted his shoulder. "That socialite friend of yours can really stretch the truth."

Just as the words left her mouth, they happened to see Zhaoxiao get into his car and drive off.

Ji Yan followed closely behind in the car behind him.

Shi Haoran narrowed his eyes. "Just him? He's somewhat handsome, I guess. But not as handsome as me."

Nanna nodded. "Yeah, it would be even better if you could put on a bit more muscle."

Shi Haoran refused to back down. "I'm younger than all of them. My future is boundless."

"..."

It wasn't until dark that Nanna finally left the old residential district in the southern district.

Having walked the entire day, she was exhausted to the core. The moment she got into the car, she felt like drifting off to sleep. Remembering something, Nanna forced her eyes open and launched a gambling app.

Shi Haoran happened to look over and immediately let out a scoffing laugh. "Only idiots believe in online gambling. The wins and losses are programmed into the system from the very start. There's no such thing as luck or gambling skill."

Nanna obviously knew that. "The few lonely elderly folks we encountered in the village are completely obsessed with this."

Taking the money they begged for just to gamble... and they even used a magnifying glass to place their wagers.

Shi Haoran snorted. "And yet you still gave them money, aiding and abetting their vices. Gamblers won't turn back until they're completely ruined."

"I saw how pitiful they were. Besides, many of the elderly people here rely on begging just to survive."

Shi Haoran let out a massive yawn. "Then why don't you just open a nursing home for them and gather them all together?"

"I actually have that exact intention."

Shi Haoran was practically dying of laughter. "Wouldn't that turn into an illegal gambling gathering? You'd be the casino owner. I recall the sentences for that are incredibly harsh around here."

Nanna rolled her eyes at him.

She didn't have the energy to deal with Lu Huaijin tonight, so she headed straight back to One Imperial Courtyard.

Dragging her exhausted body out of the shower, she felt a bit more clear-headed. She pulled out her suitcase, located the letters Jin Xiuyuan had written to her over the years, and began reading through them one by one.

Eventually, her eyelids grew too heavy to hold up, and she fell asleep right on the carpet.

When she woke up in the middle of the night, she found herself lying in a comfortable bed, hugging a warm body that felt as if it had been baked by the sun. Infatuated, she inhaled the scent on him, snuggling her body comfortably.

As her vision slowly cleared, she realized the person she was holding was none other than Zhaoxiao, and he was holding those letters in his hands.

In an instant, every single hair on Nanna's body stood on end.

Chapter 54: I Am Your Boyfriend

Nanna instinctively reached out to snatch the letters back. "Don't look at them!"

Zhaoxiao was far faster than her. With a swift dodge of his hand, she lunged into empty air.

Nanna attempted to scramble up, but in the next second, a powerful arm wrapped around her. Caught completely off guard, she crashed right into his chest.

The impact left her head spinning and seeing stars, yet she still tried to brace her hands against his chest to rise.

But Zhaoxiao clamped down firmly on her waist. Tossing all the items in his hand onto the floor, he shifted his grip to press the back of her head, burying her into his chest.

"Mmph, don't..."

Nanna kept her lips tightly sealed, completely unwilling to let him kiss her, her entire body bristling with rebellion.

Zhaoxiao coaxed in a raspy voice, "Be good. Open your mouth."

She shook her head frantically. "No..."

"What kind of foreplay are you trying to play with me this time, Huanhuan?"

Meeting his playful gaze, Nanna's attitude softened instantly. "Let me go clean up my brother's..."

Before she could finish, her mouth was captured by the man, his tongue invading forcefully.

It was like a freshly struck match suddenly tossed into a pile of dry firewood; her body temperature ignited instantly.

Nanna let out a sharp "mmph" before Zhaoxiao flipped over to press her down, her clothes pulled into a chaotic mess on the floor.

"Brother Zhaoxiao, wait a moment..."

Zhaoxiao's kisses rained down upon her cheeks, ears, jawline, and neck...

Tears spilled from her eyes. Completely unable to withstand his assault, Nanna struggled in a panic.

Zhaoxiao pinned her hands above her head without a word, lowering his head to capture her lips once more.

His kissing technique was growing more and more sophisticated. Just from this alone, Nanna felt like she couldn't breathe, letting out several muffled whimpers.

It felt like being cast into a raging ocean, on the verge of drowning.

Zhaoxiao loosened his grip slightly to let her catch her breath, then moved all the way down, burying his head in her chest.

Nanna helplessly wrapped her arms around his neck, tilting her head to look at the letters scattered all over the floor.

A total of fifty-two letters, spanning four years and four months. Jin Xiuyuan had regularly had someone deliver them every single month, never once delaying.

Yet, in the letters from the first four years, not a single word had been mentioned regarding the Jin family's plight.

During those final four months, perhaps annoyed by her constant questioning in her letters, Jin Xiuyuan had finally agreed to speak about some matters regarding Hucheng.

The letters mentioned that due to conflicting interests, the Zhao and Lu families had joined forces, plunging the entire Jin family into a swamp from which they had no strength left to survive.

The moment the Jin family faced disaster, the Lu family was the very first to step forward publicly to sever all ties with them.

Which explained why she had betrayed Lu Huaijin so decisively. No matter how much care and attention he showered upon her, it was impossible for her to take their marriage seriously. If it weren't because she hoped to gain something from it, she would have been even more ruthless.

It just hadn't reached that point before she crossed paths with Zhaoxiao.

"Whom are you thinking about?"

Nanna's soul instantly snapped back into her body.

Zhaoxiao's dark brown eyes resembled a tunnel with no visible end. After a few seconds of staring into them, Nanna conceded defeat. She tilted her head up to press against him, rubbing her cheek against his earlobe.

She murmured softly, "Can you comfort me?"

Comfort her the way her brother used to.

Zhaoxiao pinched her waist. "Aren't you being delicate?"

"Then does Huanhuan want a boyfriend, or a brother?"

Nanna said without a shred of hesitation, "A brother like Jin Xiuyuan. My brother—do you know him?"

A faint, barely perceptible "mm" emerged from Zhaoxiao's throat.

"Huanhuan." His large hand stroked her back. The desire a man holds for a woman completely faded from his eyes, leaving only the gentle indulgence of an older brother toward a younger sister.

"Huanhuan, with me around, there's nothing to fear. Your brother will coax you to sleep every single day, but you have to answer your phone."

He let out a low laugh.

Nanna glared at him fiercely. "Can you please play my brother's role seriously?"

Zhaoxiao drooped his eyelids and said unhurriedly, "No, because I am your boyfriend."

Nanna pouted. "Then forget it."

She gave him a push. "You don't really count as my boyfriend anyway. At most, you're..."

"What am I?" Zhaoxiao pinned her hand down. "Am I not the boyfriend you sleep with?"

Nanna turned her face away. "If you say so, then fine. It's not like you're sincere toward me anyway."

"Then what counts as being sincere? Hmm? Do I have to carve my heart out for it to count?"

His tone was incredibly nonchalant, entirely like teasing a child.

Nanna found it incredibly dull.

Zhaoxiao probably felt it was pointless too. With his mood ruined, he released her and lay down on the side.

Freed from his restraint, Nanna got out of bed, picked up her clothes from the floor to put them on, and then knelt down. She carefully organized every single letter, packed them into a box, placed it inside her suitcase, and finally locked it before wheeling it into the walk-in closet.

Watching her, Zhaoxiao felt an inexplicably complex emotion rise within him.

The impression the young girl gave him was that she could easily take her suitcase and flee the moment he let his guard down.

And it would be the kind of disappearance where he wouldn't be able to find her.

Having grown up abroad, she was used to acting wildly; it was inevitable that she would perform actions beyond his control.

Nanna walked out of the closet and headed to the bathroom, staying inside for over half an hour before emerging.

Seeing that Zhaoxiao was actually still there, she ignored him, lifted the blanket to lie down, and curled herself into a tiny ball.

A long time passed—so long that she was on the verge of falling asleep—before Zhaoxiao's deep voice sounded from behind her: "Do you treasure these letters so much because of your brother, or because of the contents inside them?"

Nanna knit her brows. "What difference does it make?"

No matter what her brother wrote to her, she would treasure it deeply.

Another long silence ensued before Zhaoxiao spoke again: "If it weren't your brother who wrote them to you, would you still treasure them this much?"

Nanna glared back at him fiercely. "I recognize my brother's handwriting. Stop trying to stir up trouble here!"

Zhaoxiao said nonchalantly, "I was just making conversation. Is there any need to get this angry?"

He actively shifted behind her, wrapping his arms around her.

Nanna hastily tried to turn her head away, but she still failed to escape the kiss that followed her.

Zhaoxiao gently kissed the corner of her mouth, and after a while, he said, "Huanhuan, be good. After I go on my business trip, stay properly in Hucheng and don't go anywhere. Come back here at night and wait for my call."

"Okay." Nanna had absolutely no intention of listening to him.

Her work required occasional business trips.

"So good."

She was indeed so well-behaved that he completely failed to see the rebellion hidden deep within her heart.

"Go to sleep." Zhaoxiao extended an arm for her to rest her head on. "If you have a nightmare, just hold onto me tightly."

"Okay."

Nanna muttered in her heart; every single nightmare she had recently involved him.

Not to mention the fact that this person was currently sleeping right beside her; she only felt like kicking him out of bed.

Fortunately, it was a night free of dreams.

When she woke up, Zhaoxiao was already in the kitchen preparing breakfast.

Nanna got up to wash her face and brush her teeth. When she reached the living room, she saw today's breakfast already laid out on the dining table.

She walked over across from him, put down her jacket, and sat down gracefully.

Zhaoxiao swept a glance over her low-V neckline, which revealed a shallow glimpse of cleavage.

He didn't say anything, but the vibe he gave off made it feel as though he had.

Nanna said to herself, "This is fine, isn't it? Compared to when I was abroad, I didn't even wear a bra."

She added, "My classmates didn't wear bras either. It was only because I returned to the country that I specifically started wearing one. It was quite hard to get used to at first."

Zhaoxiao said flatly, "I'm not some leftover remnant from the Qing Dynasty. Wear whatever you like, it's none of my business."

"As long as you don't mind."

Nanna was quite satisfied that he wasn't as conservative as Lu Huaijin.

Satisfied as she was, she felt a bit unhappy.

Her little assistant had told her that men around here preferred their own women to dress conservatively, while hoping women outside would wear as little as possible.

Zhaoxiao found it amusing. "Are you unhappy now that I'm not controlling you?"

His tone shifted. "Go change into something else after breakfast. What does it look like dressing like this for work?"

Nanna retorted, "I won't. I'll wear whatever I want. Even if you were my husband, you wouldn't have the right to control me."

Zhaoxiao smiled faintly, remaining silent.

After finishing breakfast, it was time to "eat" her.