Chapter 48
When Shi Yu stepped out of the bathroom after washing his hands, what he saw was this scene.
The man was clearly reeking of alcohol, his face flushed. He tightly held Jiang Shangwan’s wrists, trapping her in his embrace, even pressing her against the wall. They were so close that their bodies were nearly glued together, and his suit jacket tightened with every movement.
He was very close to her, almost entirely pressed against her soft body. His lips were moving, probably saying something, and he even tilted his head, attempting to kiss her.
A string in his mind snapped suddenly, and the anger inside him surged in seconds, burning away all his calm and rationality. Without any hesitation, he stepped forward and yanked her away, smashing his fist into the man’s face.
But at that moment, Jiang Shangwan was holding onto his wrist, pleading with him to stop hitting. His tensed muscles trembled because of her, and blood dripped along the lines of his skin, falling onto the floor. The world seemed to freeze in that moment.
He could only see the man, weakly leaning against the side, slowly raising his hand towards him, pointing at something, while the person by his side tried to stop him.
There was an unbearable bitterness in his heart, as though a thin fishing line was tugging at his fragile heart, choking his breath.
“Really… you can’t hit him anymore,” Jiang Shangwan said, cupping his face and meeting his dark eyes. Her anxious expression reflected in his dark pupils like deep glass beads.
Was she worried about that injured man?
Her first love.
Shi Yu suppressed the complicated emotions swirling inside him, using nearly all his strength to hold back the urge to continue seeking revenge. His Adam’s apple shifted slightly as he suppressed the urge, his voice rough as he said, “Fine.”
After a long stalemate, he lowered his head and slowly released his hand.
Many people had witnessed this scene, but no one stepped forward. The people who came here were either rich or noble, and since it was the New Year, they didn’t want to bring trouble upon themselves. They simply called security over.
The security guard helped the seriously injured Fang Liangchen to his feet and asked, “Sir, are you alright? Do you need us to call the police?”
“…No need,” Fang Liangchen gritted his teeth. “Just take me to the hospital first.”
Jiang Shangwan breathed a sigh of relief when she saw that Shi Yu finally stopped. She frowned and looked at Fang Liangchen, noticing how disheveled and pitiful he looked. She walked over, sighed, and whispered, “Don’t call the police. You were in the wrong first tonight. He was wrong to hit you, but I’m sorry. Let’s call it even. Go to the hospital and get checked out, and I’ll take care of your medical bills.”
“Do I look like I’m lacking money?” Fang Liangchen sneered, holding his bleeding nose in a pathetic manner. “You saw it too. That guy’s a madman, acting without thinking. He’s just some small-town kid who crawled up from the bottom. Do you really think he’s a simple, good guy? He’s worse than you think, more ruthless and ambitious. Otherwise, how could he have gotten where he is?”
Jiang Shangwan remained silent. Shi Yu’s expression earlier had been so dark, so full of anger, it was hard to ignore. His aura was so aggressive that it was impossible to hide. It was completely different from the feeling of him protecting her before. Even though they had been living together for a long time, this side of him still felt unfamiliar.
“Don’t be fooled by him. You’ll regret it,” Fang Liangchen muttered, being supported as he left the bloody scene, heading to the hospital.
Shi Yu watched them from a distance, standing together and talking. There were other people around, and he couldn’t hear what they were saying.
When Jiang Shangwan returned, she took him to the bathroom to wash up. She grabbed his large, bony right hand and placed it under the fast-moving water, washing off the sticky blood. Then, she added a thick layer of soap, rubbing it to create dense bubbles.
She didn’t stop until that pale, slender hand was completely clean. Then, she dried it off for him. “Next time, don’t be so impulsive, okay? Fang Liangchen is not an ordinary person. If he decides to hold you accountable, it could be a big problem. You started it, and you hit him so hard.”
Shi Yu pursed his lips, looking down at the small patch of his collarbone visible from her neckline. The emotions that had been suppressed earlier began to rise again. His voice was hoarse as he said, “But he touched you.”
“This is a public place. What could he have done? So many people passed by, and there are so many cameras.”
Jiang Shangwan understood Fang Liangchen. They were similar in that they both maintained a facade in public. Even if they drank too much and their minds became unclear, they would never cross their own moral boundaries and self-destruct. It was instinctive for people like them.
To Shi Yu, these words sounded like she was defending him.
She was trapped by him, yet she was defending him.
Their eyes met, and Jiang Shangwan couldn’t see the emotions in his eyes, but she could feel the tension in the skin under her hand. Beneath the thin skin, she could see his veins and tendons, even pulsing slightly.
Suddenly, Jiang Shangwan leaned in and hugged him. “Please don’t be angry. Calm down, really, it’s nothing. I was worried you’d act impulsively. If you had hit him again, something bad could have happened.”
Shi Yu’s right hand, which had been hovering in the air, paused. Then, with his dry left hand, he slowly moved it to her waist, pulling her closer, burying his chin in her neck.
“What are those two doing?” Shen Luo asked in confusion. “Why haven’t they come back yet?”
Jiang Yingting took out her phone. “Should I call her? They probably went to the bathroom.”
“The New Year is almost here. If they don’t come back soon, they’ll miss it.”
The sounds of countless fireworks erupted outside the window, with large, colorful bursts lighting up the sky. The fireworks turned into shimmering meteors, igniting the dark sky and then swiftly falling.
Jiang Shangwan and Shi Yu returned, pushing open the door. Shen Luo let out a sigh of relief. “I thought you two went off somewhere. The countdown is about to start.”
The time moved toward 11:58 PM, and there was only a short time left before the old year would end and the new one would begin. Shen Luo had even played the live broadcast of the Spring Festival Gala on his phone, listening to the hosts’ cheerful voices and the clear countdown.
“Let the past be the past. The new year is about to start,” Jiang Shangwan held Shi Yu’s hand. “Ten, nine, eight, seven…”
Shen Luo and Jiang Yingting raised their glasses together and loudly said, “Three, two, one, Happy New Year!”
“Happy New Year!”
Amid the crisp sound of clinking glasses, they spent the last moments of the old year and ushered in the new one, marking the beginning of the first day of the year.
“Wanwan, Happy New Year,” Shi Yu intertwined his fingers with hers, feeling the warmth of her palm. It felt as if only the moments when they were tightly pressed against each other were truly real.
After dinner, Shen Luo wanted to change locations to go sing, but Jiang Shangwan, feeling a bit tired, gently declined. “We won’t go. We’re heading home. You guys go have fun.”
Jiang Yingting couldn’t stay awake either. She decided to find a nearby hotel to rest for the night and head back to school early tomorrow, so she wasn’t going to hang out anymore. This left Shen Luo alone, and in the midst of all the excitement, he felt like ants were crawling all over him.
“Is everyone leaving like this?” He stood at the door, feeling the night breeze against his head, and, in a daze, took out his phone, wondering who he should call to come out. He casually refreshed his social media feed, and saw a photo sent by a waitress he had met earlier at a nightclub: “Happy New Year~ 【Cheers】”
It was a group photo taken at a dinner, with many people making peace signs at the camera. In the corner, there was a shy figure, a faint smile on their lips, with long hair half draped over their shoulder, looking gentle and bashful.
Shen Luo clicked his tongue. His first reaction was: wasn’t this the clueless intern his brother forced on him? Why is she here too? His second reaction: so that bar hostess really was from Peking University? She wasn’t lying?
He subconsciously glanced at her a few more times, feeling a bit self-deprecating.
Had he seen too many curvy, long-legged femme fatales that he actually found this plain, soft little bunny somewhat special?
His interest vanished instantly. He turned to leave and told the driver to take him home.
…
Jiang Shangwan felt exhausted and didn’t say a word. After getting home, she went straight into the bathroom to take a shower. Shi Yu sat quietly on the sofa, watching the lively voices on the TV, waiting for her in silence.
She came out wrapped in a towel and saw Shi Yu sitting there in a daze. She poked his cheek with her fingertip and said, “What’s wrong? Still mad?”
Shi Yu gently shook his head.
Jiang Shangwan gave him a little push. “Then go take a shower.”
She changed into a new silk pajama set and tended to some work messages. Not long after, Shi Yu came back, still damp from the shower. His hair was half-dry and dripping, beads of water sliding down from his temples to his slightly parted lips.
“Why didn’t you dry your hair?” Jiang Shangwan touched the wet hair on his forehead. The damp strands made him look like a pitiful little puppy that had fallen into water. “Sleeping with wet hair can easily give you a headache.”
Shi Yu suddenly wrapped his arms around her and buried himself against her, whispering, “I’m scared.”
He didn’t even dare to be away from her for too long. Even the time it took to use a hairdryer felt too long—as if in that brief moment of separation, she might run away and abandon him.
“What are you afraid of?” Jiang Shangwan gently patted his back to soothe him. “It’s okay. I’ve told Fang Liangchen not to call the police. Even if he does, or tries to cause you trouble in some other way, I’ll handle it. We’ll see what he tries to do next.”
He tightened his arms around her, and the fingers pressing against her waist began to move with firm pressure, stroking along her waist. His strength was intense, and tonight every touch felt especially clear and pronounced. His damp breath brushed against her ear as he whispered, “I’m not afraid of him. I’m afraid that Wanwan won’t want me anymore.”
“Even if you don’t want me, I still won’t leave.”
Shi Yu pinned her down on the large bed. Cold droplets of water slid down along his hair and landed on Jiang Shangwan’s eyelid, making her eyelids tremble slightly.
He lowered his head, his thin lips brushing slowly along her ear, lingering over and over at the delicate curve of her neck. He felt the softness of her muscles and the pulse of her blood vessels, pressing his lips and teeth firmly against her paper-white skin, leaving one mark after another—as if trying to fuse himself into her very bones and blood.
Jiang Shangwan held him tightly, tilting her head back to feel the slightly painful marks he was leaving. He was slowly covering her with his scent and traces, his lips and tongue moving leisurely over her body.
“Mm…” A muffled moan escaped Jiang Shangwan as he touched a sensitive spot. “Take it off for me… come in.”
“Wanwan, you’re in such a hurry?” Shi Yu lifted himself slightly and looked into her misty eyes. Her seductive gaze was already clouded with desire, her long lashes trembling gently.
He placed a soft kiss on her eyelashes and said in a low voice, “Wanwan, touch me.”