After the midnight window-breaking incident, Chen Yi led several of his brothers to search the neighborhood, their faces grim, but they couldn’t find any leads. The residential area was densely populated, and while it wasn’t impossible for some perverts to be hiding there, no one had ever dared to mess with Chen Yi before. However, this year he’d repeatedly suffered setbacks because of Miao Jing. His brothers noticed his impatient expression, a look of extreme bad luck mixed with having to swallow his anger. They all praised Brother Yi for his kindness—his relationship with Miao Jing wasn’t obvious on the surface, and he rarely mentioned it in front of others. Every time he received her call, he would get up with a stern face and curse, and there were quite a few who sympathized with Brother Yi.
But everyone knew Miao Jing was good at studying. She had the appearance of a well-behaved student and attended the best high school in Teng City. Some people teased Chen Yi that this was a future investment—when Miao Jing became successful later, she would have to repay him somehow. At the very least, she’d have to present him with a commemorative banner or trophy. Later, when Chen Yi started his own company, he recruited his sister and brother-in-law as executives, and everyone could get rich together following Brother Yi. Chen Yi responded by smacking them on the back of their heads, cursing that they were dreaming too big.
But Miao Jing was truly beautiful, with a face as delicate as a palm leaf, pure, well-behaved, and pretty. These brothers also coveted her, but due to Chen Yi’s cold attitude, no one dared to make any moves. When they occasionally saw Miao Jing, they would steal extra glances. One day while playing cards together, someone was watching adult videos on their phone and came across a clip where the actress looked like Chen Yi’s sister. When Chen Yi heard their strange laughter and grabbed the phone to look, his expression changed from unpleasant to dark, and he immediately threw the phone into the nearby fish tank.
Unable to catch the perverts, Chen Yi quit working at the nightclub and spent some time focused on playing pool in the nightclub’s pool hall. The pool hall attracted all sorts of people, from troublemaking bosses and underlings to wealthy businessmen and government officials. They would discuss business or current affairs there. The pool hall manager was a retired soccer player who saw Chen Yi’s extremely steady technique and called him to be a playing partner, earning income from tips and commissions.
He usually returned home around eleven or midnight. Teng City’s nightlife was bustling, with many late-night food stalls along the streets. Sometimes Chen Yi would bring some late-night snacks home. If he had come back earlier, he might run into Miao Jing returning home from evening self-study, leisurely pedaling her bicycle, wearing headphones, and focused on listening to English. He would stand by the roadside, stretch out his long leg, and her bike would suddenly break forward. She would jump down from the seat in panic, her eyes sparkling under the street lamp, her lips slightly pouting, a bit unhappy that he was blocking her way. This dead girl—he had almost forgotten how soft and gentle she was years ago. Now she only knew how to give him the cold shoulder, speak harshly and sarcastically, acting as if he owed her eight million yuan.
“Get down, I’ll give you a ride back.”
Miao Jing handed the bicycle to him. His tall figure sat on it, and the bicycle creaked, its tires deflating.
Miao Jing slightly frowned: “You’re too heavy, you’re going to burst the tires.”
“What do you know, this is called a bodybuilder’s physique.”
She struggled to carry the late-night snacks of crayfish and two cans of beer: “Smoking, drinking, and eating late-night snacks will lead to stroke and shortened life.”
“You troublemaker, are you cursing me to die early? Would you feel at peace if I didn’t die?”
“Yes!”
He coldly replied: “Even if I die, you’ll have to wear mourning clothes and cry at my grave.”
She wore a long cotton white dress: “I’ll cry even if you don’t die.”
Her fair arms wrapped around his waist, her soft fingers naturally resting on his hard abdomen. He couldn’t feel her weight on the back seat at all, but warmth and weight were pressing against his back. Chen Yi felt that Miao Jing was like long, soft seaweed or vines. Honestly, he quite liked this comparison.
“Want me to get you an electric bike? Save you from pedaling, how long would it take your short legs to get home?”
“No, it’s too expensive.” She thought for a moment and retorted, “I’m 167cm, my legs aren’t short.”
“Huh, your thin neck probably takes up ten centimeters, what’s there to brag about being 157cm?”
He mocked her beautiful, slender swan-like neck.
Miao Jing’s lips twitched, her expression displeased. Her fingers moved, scratching his abdomen with her nails.
“Damn! Looking for death?”
Chen Yi’s whole body shuddered, his hair standing on end as the bicycle wobbled and almost hit the curb.
“Miao Jing!!” He growled menacingly. Once the bike stabilized, he suddenly increased speed, let go of the handlebars, and freed both hands to grab her arms.
The two started wrestling on the bicycle.
“Ah—no—”
“Dangerous!”
Performing acrobatics on the road in the middle of the night, Miao Jing still remembered his motorcycle riding speed. As the bicycle darted back and forth, she held his waist tighter and tighter, the body under her arms becoming increasingly hard, the feeling of his back growing softer.
Chen Yi’s breathing became slightly rapid and burned a little, with a faint rise of pleasure.
By the time they got home, it was already eleven o’clock. Miao Jing took an early shower and returned to her room. She needed to review the day’s lessons before bed, leaving Chen Yi to clean up.
While he was showering after finishing the late-night snacks and beer, the water splashed onto his body, falling on his narrow waist and abdomen. As he wiped with the towel, his gaze suddenly darkened, deep as a well. Half-closing his eyes, he reached out his hand as the shower water sprayed over his rugged face and tall, muscular body, flowing down his firm, athletic chest, and taut abs, gathering at his strong, tight thighs. His breathing became rapid and chaotic, arm muscles bulging, accompanied by his Adam’s apple bobbing and finally his body’s slight stiffening subsiding.
Running both hands through his thick crew cut, he tilted his head slightly back, water droplets dancing on his handsome young features, his brows slightly furrowed as if troubled and conflicted. Finally, leaning against the wall and breathing softly, Chen Yi left the bathroom with a towel.
Lying lazily on the bed, he couldn’t help but take out a cigarette. Looking down, he realized that youthful vigor wasn’t always a good thing. No matter how uncomfortable the restraint was, there was nothing he could do. Just endure a bit longer, until the little brat next door left. Good things come to those who wait—with his vigorous energy, was he afraid he wouldn’t get to enjoy himself?
The fear was that he might be a beast. In his dreams, an enchanting, beautiful body would wrap around him like a snake, holding a naked body, and when he looked up, there was a cold, proud little face, bright eyes staring at him intently, softly pressing against his Adam’s apple calling him “brother,” and he would immediately… secretly get up in the middle of the night to wash his underwear, feeling as dead as a corpse.
F**k!
Senior year started early with lots of tutoring. Chen Yi wanted Miao Jing to live in the school dormitory, but she shook her head and refused, saying the dorm was a six-person room and she wasn’t used to it. At home, she could do as she pleased. Chen Yi’s lips twitched, but since she wouldn’t agree, he let it go—after all, it was only one more year.
In those two days before school started Chen Yi was in an exceptionally good mood. He excitedly took Miao Jing to buy a small electric scooter, even the brand endorsed by Jay Chou, then went to the mall to buy clothes and shoes, accompanied her to the hair salon for a haircut, directing the stylist Tony to give her plain hair a new style. Having seen many beautiful women at the nightclub, his taste had been refined by exposure. He called his brothers, asking about doing something big. No time right now, couldn’t get away, wouldn’t go. Wait another year, next summer he would stir up trouble in the underworld again. What were pretty girls worth? He didn’t care, he was still young, only nineteen, with plenty of time ahead to live wild enough.
While Chen Yi was on the phone talking recklessly, he didn’t notice Miao Jing’s expression growing colder, her cherry lips drooping more and more. When he turned back to talk to her, though everything had been fine a second ago, this second she turned hostile, responding to him with cold mockery and sharp criticism.
Chen Yi stood with his hands on his hips, face dark as he shouted at her, couldn’t help but pull her braid, saw tears welling up in her eyes again, and couldn’t bring himself to be harsh, patting her shoulder: “Come on, let’s go home.”
“I’m not going back.”
“Where else would you go?”
“Anywhere but back there.”
“Get back home.” He twisted her shoulder. “Miao Jing, I’ll put up with you for one more damn year. This time next year, you pack your things and get out.”
“Fine, I’ll leave.” She was stubborn too. “You go hang out with your pack of wolves and dogs, fighting and killing, being a tiger’s accomplice, doing evil, being conscienceless, committing all kinds of crimes, living a life of debauchery, ending up in jail.”
“Your Chinese studies are quite good, aren’t they? Quite glib with that little mouth.” He laughed at her anger, reaching out to pinch her lips. The two cherry lips were captured by his long fingers that smelled of tobacco, slightly puckered at his fingertips, pale pink, thin and soft, and moist.
Miao Jing blinked her eyelashes, feeling that she must look extremely ugly right now, her heart full of unhappiness.
“Try cursing some more.” His fingers pinched gently, the little mouth was elastic, bouncy, the texture felt damn good.
Miao Jing frowned, making muffled sounds in her throat, using her hands and feet to fight back, throwing punches and kicks at his body. Her soft, cool fingers gripped his wrist, a rather comfortable sensation. Chen Yi grimaced in pain again, reaching back to grab Miao Jing’s waist, lifting her entire body and tucking her under his arm as he walked out. Miao Jing opened her mouth to bite his waist and suddenly heard Chen Yi let out a hoarse light groan. Before she could scream as her body spun around, she was already being carried on Chen Yi’s shoulder. He gave her bottom a hard smack and strode out of the mall.
Now she was obediently hanging on him like a little quail.
At the school’s mobilization meeting for families of college entrance exam candidates, while other parents were middle-aged fathers and mothers whose bright clothes weren’t enough to catch attention, Chen Yi was the youngest, wearing a casual shirt and straight suit pants, showing a white T-shirt under the collar, wearing a silver wristwatch, and a pair of plain glasses from who knows where. His appearance was handsome and tall, actually having the steady temperament of someone presentable. He was quite satisfied looking at Miao Jing’s transcript and school rankings, then pretentiously put his arm around Miao Jing’s shoulders, with a kind expression, deliberately lowering his mellow voice to chat with the homeroom teacher, consulting about his sister’s college entrance exam goals and direction, as well as the focus of study and life in the senior year.
Quite a few gazes fell on him. Girls from the class took turns coming to greet Miao Jing, shyly and nervously making conversation with Chen Yi. Chen Yi smiled brightly, handling it with ease, not only adding several parents’ phone numbers but also wanting to get contact information from Miao Jing’s female classmates. After receiving a cold glare from Miao Jing, he consciously touched his nose, lowered his eyelashes, and smiled.
That smile contained a tenderness that made hearts flutter. He whispered close to her ear: “Why are you glaring at me? I’m helping you build relationships with classmates. These days, connections are resources. Besides, none of them are as pretty as you. I couldn’t possibly be here to pick up girls.”
It was the first time he said she was… pretty.