140. Jerk and Love
In the dark corner, the girl was trembling all over. Her small face was pale with terror, and even her pink lips had begun to lose their color.
“Mmm… mmm… (Let go of me!)”
Lin Xinyuan struggled violently. Her small mouth was covered by a large hand, allowing only the whimpering sounds of a kitten to escape.
Could it be the person who tried to pick her up earlier…?
I’m doomed…
She was pinned down firmly, her back pressed against the person. Despite the heat radiating from the tall body behind her, she felt as if her entire being had turned to ice.
Seeming to anticipate what this person intended to do, she began to punch and struggle frantically. However, the other party remained completely unmoved; instead, her own hands grew increasingly sore and aching.
Until her strength was nearly spent, she almost gave up on resisting. She closed her eyes in despair, her pink lips trembling.
Crystal tears fell pitter-patter, dripping onto the large hand that covered her mouth.
The girl’s breath came in hitches, and she couldn’t stop herself from twitching.
At this moment, she truly understood how powerless a girl is when encountering danger—especially one like her, whose physical condition was exceptionally poor, leaving her with almost no strength to fight back…
Where are you…
The person Lin Xinyuan first thought of for help wasn’t her cousins, who were closest to her, but Qin Nanfeng—placing her hopes on the man who might not have intended to come at all.
If things really went that way…
She would rather leave this world. She simply could not accept a version of herself that had been treated like that.
Disgusting… so disgusting…
Lin Xinyuan’s heart was submerged in darkness, filled with the extreme thoughts that follow a potential violation. So much so, she didn’t notice that the large hand over her mouth had begun to gradually loosen.
“Qin Nanfeng… where are you…”
“Why… why haven’t you come yet…”
“I want to… be with… you…”
The girl was crying a river, shaking like a sieve. She didn’t even have the strength to wipe the moisture from her face, looking like a disheveled little cat.
“Really?”
Her fair earlobe was suddenly enveloped by a hot breath, causing Lin Xinyuan’s body to jolt uncontrollably. Following that, a familiar light chuckle reached her ears.
“…”
Hearing that familiar, clear male voice, Lin Xinyuan’s eyes gradually filled with confusion and shock. Her voice trembled as she squeezed out a single syllable, unable to form a complete sentence.
Only then did she realize she could make sound normally. Slowly, her senses returned.
She snapped her almond eyes open. Her vision was still blurry from tears, but she didn’t care, letting them fall freely.
Smelling the crisp, familiar scent near her nose and feeling the sturdy arm wrapped around her waist from behind, she realized exactly who this person was…
“Qin… Qin Nanfeng…”
Lin Xinyuan’s mouth was incredibly dry. Because of her struggle just now, her body couldn’t muster much strength; she could only breathe shallowly, barely steadying herself with the young man’s support.
A sense of having survived a disaster surged into her heart, mixed with joy and relief. It was a complex blend of emotions, but it was quickly followed by an uncontrollable rage that slowly gathered and instantly seized her consciousness.
“Why… why did you do this?”
“You jerk…”
The girl’s voice was choked with sobs—very soft and weak—but it couldn’t hide the anger that was about to erupt in her tone.
She had always been a good-tempered person, but this time… because of Qin Nanfeng… she was truly angry.
Very, very angry…
Her reaction this time was even more intense than before. The crystal tears were unstoppable, sliding down her exquisite face, over her slender and fragile neck, until they slipped into her collar, bringing a biting chill.
“Do you know… how scared I was just now…” Her voice trembled at the end. She didn’t want to experience that despair a second time, even if it was fake.
“I kept thinking how good it would be if you were here.”
“So… please don’t tease me like this…”
“Okay?”
Feeling the girl in his arms trembling non-stop, Qin Nanfeng couldn’t see her face, but he could imagine that clear, tear-stained face filled with a mixture of anger and pleading.
Thump—
At this moment, Qin Nanfeng’s heart began to ache with a mysterious, sharp pain. Even though the pang lasted only two seconds, it left him drenched in a cold sweat, as if he had endured it for ages. However, he seemed accustomed to this; it wasn’t the first time, as it had been happening intermittently lately…
He had gone to the hospital for a check-up, but the results showed nothing wrong. Everything seemed fine.
Of course… if not for the “extra things” that appeared in his mind every single time…
The pain eased and the residual ache faded. Qin Nanfeng’s gaze became much more complex, then gradually masked over as if nothing had happened.
He lowered his head, staring blankly at the girl’s fluffy head. He realized his joke had gone too far.
Even he couldn’t tell if he was influenced by those memories or if it was simply his own inherently “wicked” personality that led him to do this…
But he understood that none of that mattered.
Qin Nanfeng only knew that he had done something wrong…
His thin lips pressed together, then parted, and finally, he let out a sigh: “I’m sorry… Xiaoyuan… I shouldn’t have played this kind of joke on you. I’m sorry…”
He didn’t explain his reasons; he didn’t care to, because it wouldn’t matter. Even if there was a cause, it didn’t change the fact.
Lin Xinyuan didn’t speak. She just used her small hands to try and pry away the large hand wrapped around her waist, signaling him to let go.
Qin Nanfeng was silent for a moment before complying and slowly loosening his grip. He stared straight at her petite frame, somewhat lost in thought.
He realized that the woman in his memories was quite different from the girl before him. Even if they looked almost identical, her reaction to the same event was clearly different…
He had taken things for granted. Not only was he being cruel, he was being extremely unfair to her.
He expected the girl would walk away in anger immediately and ignore him for a while, but this time exceeded his expectations.
Not only did she not run away, but she also turned around. Her eyes still didn’t dare meet his; she just kept her head lowered gloomily.
She reached out with her still-trembling hands, hesitated, and finally hugged him gently, leaning into his chest.
She buried her head deep into that warm embrace—one she had been apart from for less than a day, but had longed for desperately.
“Don’t leave me…”
“Don’t…”
Lin Xinyuan’s soft voice was a bit muffled as she murmured. Her small hands, clutching the young man, gradually tightened. Even though she had no strength left, she was like a drowning cub desperately grabbing onto the last straw, bunching up the fabric of his clothes.
Qin Nanfeng didn’t know what to say. Usually, he was a smooth talker, but this time he couldn’t think of a single word.
He gave a self-mocking smile, a soft light flickering in his eyes, and he reached out to pull her soft body into a tight hug as well.
Her thin back trembled slightly. Her fluffy head pressed hard into his chest, and her slender, lily-white fingers turned even paler from the force of her grip.
The insecurity and terror in her heart were particularly deep at this moment.
Qin Nanfeng controlled his strength perfectly—neither too hard to cause her pain nor too loose, allowing her to feel his body temperature as much as possible while he felt her softness.
Their breaths intertwined. The fresh scent of oranges and the crisp, bamboo-like scent mixed together. At this moment, there was no flirtation, only the gentle peace of cherishing one another, feeling each other’s breathing and warmth…
“Don’t be afraid… I’m here…”
Stroking the girl’s smooth black hair and feeling her head rub against him like a small animal, Qin Nanfeng rested his chin on her head. He breathed in every inch of her scent, trying to give her more security.
It seemed his comforting had an effect. Gradually, Lin Xinyuan began to calm down, though her boneless body remained limp and slumped against him.
At this moment, time seemed to rewind like a movie reel—
Yesterday…
In Gucheng…
And that night at the artificial lake park—whose heart did that burning embrace warm?
Or perhaps it was the very beginning—the girl’s vengeful hug from behind on the bicycle…
But none of that mattered anymore.
“Qin Nanfeng…”
Lin Xinyuan murmured in a daze. Her anger had subsided, replaced by the realization and shame of having thrown herself into his arms, along with a secret yearning.
She slowly lifted her face, looking up at Qin Nanfeng’s exceptionally handsome features with a trace of stubbornness.
Her small face, still stained with tears, was flushed. Her gaze darted away, but she forced her watery almond eyes open. Looking into Qin Nanfeng’s eyes, she managed to muster a sliver of courage she had never felt before.
There was tension in her soft voice. After several cycles of shallow breathing, the words finally tumbled out: “…I… I… like… you…”
She stuttered the sentence out, her heart beating like a racing rabbit. It felt as if all the blood in her body had rushed to her cheeks, making them terrifyingly hot.
Seeing that playful smile return to Qin Nanfeng’s face, and feeling the large hand at her waist gently kneading her—feeling increasingly intense—Lin Xinyuan was even more ashamed to speak.
But she didn’t want to give up this time. She wanted to express her love for him too.
At the very least, she wanted to show the courage she once had as a “proper boy,” even if the feelings she was expressing would have seemed “disgusting” to her former self…
Lin Xinyuan… don’t be afraid, don’t be afraid…
Like him, like him, like him…
I like him so much…
He’s mine… nobody can take him away…