I went to eat across from the Third Hospital with Lin Yao and Xu Hao saw you with him there. The second time, I saw you downstairs at your place.”
Jiang Nanshu was stunned for quite a while, slowly recalling the moments.
She turned to look at him, a bit dazed, staring at his cold, sharp side profile.
“You saw me hugging him?”
“…Yes.”
“…”
Jiang Nanshu stood there, stunned.
For a second, she didn’t know what to say.
So, Song Ye saw her hugging Chen Qingyue twice, maybe heard a few rumors, and then decided she was two-timing?
Song Ye kept his hands in his pockets, staring at the open door across from him, speaking calmly: “I knew you used to take sick leave or personal leave to go meet him. I asked you about it.”
The day after he saw her with Chen Qingyue outside the hospital, Song Ye didn’t go to school.
That night, Jiang Nanshu secretly called him.
Worried about affecting her exams, Song Ye tried to suppress his emotions and chatted with her.
In the end, he couldn’t help himself and subtly probed: “You didn’t come yesterday.
Where did you go?”
Jiang Nanshu paused, then said, “Something came up at home.
I went out with my mom.”
Song Ye let out a bitter laugh: “Didn’t go out to have fun? With other friends or… an old classmate maybe?”
“No.” Jiang Nanshu hesitated.
“I don’t really keep in touch with old classmates.”
…
Jiang Nanshu remembered that conversation and suddenly found herself at a loss for words.
She turned to Song Ye and asked, “Then why are you still pursuing me now?”
The man leaned his head back against the wall, slightly turned his head, and looked down at her.
He gave a self-mocking smile: “Can’t help it. After all these years, I still like you.”
She stared at him, feeling a rush of grievance flood her chest.
“Then why… why didn’t you just ask me a few questions back then?”
“How was I supposed to ask?”
Song Ye turned his head away again, giving another self-deprecating smile.
The texts, the photos, the taunting messages and provocations from the other guy all of it made him feel miserable and humiliated.
He had once wanted to get to the bottom of it.
But the evidence kept piling up, one after another.
And then came that final email and video, which crushed him, leaving him breathless, unable to speak.
He always felt that if he asked her, and if the truth really was what it seemed…
Then everything between him and Jiang Nanshu would be over.
All that would be left was shame.
“So…” Jiang Nanshu felt a lump in her throat.
Her eyes began to sting as she looked up at him.
“So rejecting me was easier than just asking me a few questions, wasn’t it?”
Song Ye turned his head to look at her.
His gaze was still that same deep restraint and calm.
Jiang Nanshu was suddenly infuriated by the look in his eyes.
She took a deep breath and glared at him coldly: “Then keep bottling it up.”
With that, she slammed the door shut.
“…”
Song Ye stood silently in front of the closed door for a long time before finally turning around and heading back to his own place.
Jiang Nanshu leaned against the back of the door, listening intently.
After a while, she finally heard the sound of a door closing across the hall.
The cat in her arms, Rousong, began to squirm, trying to jump down.
She finally snapped back to reality.
She forgot to give him the cat.
She looked down at Rousong.
She remembered that it was meant to be a gift for her, from when she was eighteen.
It should’ve been hers all along.
All because of that bastard Song Ye what gave him the right to sentence her like that without even asking?
She bit her lip, stood up straight, and opened the door while holding Rousong.
Next door, the living room had a dim nightlight still on.
The window was wide open, and cold wind howled in.
The man sat slouched on the couch, head bowed, chest tight with frustration.
Click
A soft sound.
Light footsteps.
His heart jumped.
He turned his head quickly.
Jiang Nanshu was walking over with Rousong in her arms.
She stopped beside the couch.
As soon as Rousong returned to familiar territory, it leapt out of her arms with a few meows.
Probably feeling the chill, it darted into the corner where its bed was.
Song Ye leaned his head back, his dark eyes staring steadily at her.
Jiang Nanshu looked down at him.
After a long silence, she spoke softly: “Earlier, you said you regretted it.
Regretted what? Regretted not asking… or…”
She trailed off, unsure how to finish.
Song Ye looked at her and said: “Maybe I regret not fighting for you.”
Fighting?
What did he think she was the mistress?
Jiang Nanshu took a deep breath, so angry she turned to leave.
After two steps, she stopped again.
No matter what she said or did, there was still a ball of fire trapped in her chest.
She turned around, stared at him for a few seconds, then suddenly strode forward and straddled his lap, hooking her arms around his neck.
Under his startled gaze, she lowered her head and kissed him hard.
She held him tightly, her full weight pressing against his body, kissing him messily and without rhythm, aggressively not like she wanted to kiss him, more like she was venting her anger.
Song Ye tilted his head back slightly, his breath faltering.
After two seconds of shock, he quickly raised a hand to the back of her head, kissed her back hard, tongue invading with even more force and hunger.
In the dimly lit living room, cold wind rushing in through the window, they kissed heatedly, lost in it.
Her lips started to hurt from the roughness, so she bit him, unwilling to back down.
He let out a low hiss and paused, breath hot against her lips.
He kissed the corner of her mouth and buried his face in her shoulder, chuckling lowly.
“Jiang Nanshu… no title, no status. What are you doing?”
Song Ye really hadn’t expected her to kiss him so impulsively.
He was planning to finish “Echo of Time” in time for Valentine’s Day, then confess properly and define their relationship.
But if she was willing now… maybe that could change…
Jiang Nanshu’s breath hitched.
That line of his made her feel so wronged.
She raised her head, still sitting on him, and looked down at him with a mocking smile:
“I’m scum, aren’t I?
A girl who could date two guys at once as a teenager what kind of morals would I have?
I wanted to kiss you, so I did.
Who needs a title?”
“…”
Song Ye’s body tensed.
His hand tightened around her waist, his eyes darkened.
The emotions he’d been suppressing started to boil again.
He looked up at her.
“That’s in the past. Don’t bring it up again.”
What do you mean, “don’t bring it up again”?
You can just bury it like that?
Jiang Nanshu stared at his calm face.
The fire inside her, which had just cooled a little, roared back to life, this time mixed with years of confusion, injustice, and unwillingness.
A sudden, reckless impulse overwhelmed her logic.
She knew she wasn’t being rational, and yet she felt incredibly clear-headed.
There was a fire burning in her, and she wanted to set fire to this man who thought he was so composed.
She wanted to provoke him, to push him, to find out just how much he could take.
She bit her lip, slowly straightened up on his lap.
Her hands grasped the hem of her sweater.
After a few seconds of hesitation, she closed her eyes and yanked it off.
The moment the loose sweater came off, her slender figure in a tight tank top was fully exposed to his gaze, hair messy and falling over pale shoulders.
Song Ye froze completely.
He clenched his jaw and stared at her without blinking, throat tightening.
“What are you trying to do?”
The cold wind scraped against her skin, making her shiver.
She leaned into him again, hooking her arms around his neck and kissed his Adam’s apple.
“Song Ye, do you really like me that much? Enough to not even need a title?”
“…”
His body tensed, breath starting to quicken instinctively.
He took a deep breath and let her touch and kiss him—but didn’t move.
Jiang Nanshu paused.
Her hand slid down to his waist, slipping under his sweater.
She touched the firm, heated skin of his abdomen.
With a faint, mocking smile, she looked into his eyes.
“Don’t you get it? I want to sleep with you. Isn’t it obvious?”
As soon as the words left her lips, she thought to herself: Wow, I really have the potential to be a scumbag. I can even say something like this so easily.
Her hand was suddenly grabbed and pinned down.
The next second, the world spun—she was pressed into the couch.
The man braced himself above her, his dark eyes fixed on her, like a tide rising from the depths, threatening to pull her under.
He asked in a low voice,
“You really want to sleep with me?”
Jiang Nanshu’s heart pounded.
Panic flashed through her eyes.
She bit her lip and gave a stiff nod.
Song Ye looked down at her.
His voice was calm, but it stirred a thousand waves inside her.
“Fine. But if we sleep together, you’re coming with me to register our marriage tomorrow.”
“…”
“The civil affairs office is only open one more day.”
He held her gaze.
“If you nod, I’ll keep going.”
Jiang Nanshu’s breath caught.
She stared at him, stunned.
After a while, she turned her face away and gave a cold snort:
“Did you even confess?
And you want to get married already?
It’s just sleeping together.
Why are you jumping to marriage?
You’re… overthinking it.”
“…”