Heartthrob, Your Image is Crumbling!

Chapter 393: Sister Xinyi, I've Been Craving You for a Long Time

In truth, Zhou Yuwen simply wanted to drive Jiang Xinyi home. The problem was that she refused to get out of the car, and he could hardly force her out.Her refusal to leave was one thing, but the main issue was that Jiang Xinyi kept staring at him. Her intense gaze was starting to make him panic.

After a long while, Jiang Xinyi asked with a hint of anger, "Zhou Yuwen, don't you have anything to say to me?"

Feigning ignorance, Zhou Yuwen asked, "Say what?"

That single question nearly infuriated her to death. She reached out and grabbed his collar. "What do you think! We haven't seen each other for so long, and this is the attitude you give me?"

Zhou Yuwen immediately chuckled and said, "Hey now, Sister Xinyi, stop messing around. We are in the car, let go."

"Let go."

The two of them tugged back and forth like this.

Zhou Yuwen's fingers brushed against Jiang Xinyi's small hand. Needless to say, her skin was incredibly soft.

Their four eyes met for a brief moment, revealing her puffed-up, angry expression.

She demanded, "Zhou Yuwen, tell me the truth."

"Huh?"

"Did you miss me?"

"Uh, Sister Xinyi, given our current relationship, isn't it a bit inappropriate to ask that?" Zhou Yuwen said awkwardly.

But Jiang Xinyi was entirely unreasonable and bossy. "Just tell me, did you miss me or not?"

Zhou Yuwen replied, "Sister Xinyi, let's put that aside for now and discuss business. Do you think five million is enough to increase the riders' commissions..."

He tried to change the topic, but seeing Jiang Xinyi glaring at him without blinking, he realized it was better to drop the pointless resistance.

"Let go first..."

"Do you really want to hear it?"

The more she wanted to hear the answer, the more he kept her in suspense.

Just as she was about to lose her patience.

He declared, "I missed you!"

"?"

That finally satisfied her. Her rosy little lips curved into a rather beautiful smile.

She asked, "Really?"

"Really."

"What exactly did you miss?" she pushed further, taking a mile after being given an inch.

He replied, "I missed the bikini?"

"Zhou Yuwen!"

Jiang Xinyi instantly threw a fit, prompting him to quickly appease her. "Alright, alright, stop hitting me. I was just joking."

"I really did miss you. I missed that little thief in Jinling who loves stealing my cucumbers and pestering me to take her out for food."

At his words, the corners of her mouth lifted into a smile once more. Come to think of it, it was already March. Was it time to plant cucumbers again?

"Why plant cucumbers? So you can steal them?"

"Well, your cucumbers aren't worth that much. Worst case scenario, I'll just pay you for them."

"If you have the money, wouldn't it be better to just buy them outside."

"Hmph!"

Originally, Jiang Xinyi had reached over to playfully hit him. After he swatted her hand away, he simply intertwined his fingers with hers, and crucially, she did not object.

The two of them sat in the car holding hands and chatting. After a while, she asked him again what he thought about her proposal.

Zhou Yuwen asked what she meant.

Staring at him, she accused him of asking a question he already knew the answer to.

"Oh."

It was about him becoming her boyfriend.

It was not that he was unwilling. Rather, he felt that if he hastily agreed to be her boyfriend, the fallout would be catastrophic once he was inevitably exposed as a scummy man. The only way to mitigate that risk was if his own influence far surpassed that of her family.

Seeing her full of expectation, he said, "I don't really have a problem with it."

"But Jiang Xinyi, what are your thoughts?"

He used her full name and wore such a serious expression that it compelled her to treat the conversation with equal gravity.

Zhou Yuwen explained that he was only a freshman this year, nineteen years old. "But Sister Xinyi, you are already twenty-five. Do you simply want to date me casually? Or are you looking to get married?"

"It doesn't matter to me, Xinyi. The reason I am telling you all this is because I truly have a good impression of you, and I am willing to take responsibility for you, but I am afraid you will regret it." In truth, her expression had shifted slightly the moment he brought up her age.

However, regardless of her reaction, he still had to say what needed to be said.

Zhou Yuwen was only nineteen. Even if they were to marry, they would have to wait at least three years, and by then, she would be twenty-eight.

"Sister Xinyi, you think too highly of me. I worry that after we start dating, you will suddenly realize I am not that excellent. For example, take my current business ventures. I plan to set up food delivery stations with several food delivery companies, investing five million. If I succeed, I get a slice of their pie. But if I fail, those five million will just go down the drain."

"And then there is the future to consider."

"I am different from you. You have a way out, but I do not. Have you really thought this through? Do you truly want to be with me?" he asked with absolute sincerity.

Although she was twenty-five, she genuinely had never considered these factors.

Faced with his earnestness, she suddenly found herself at a loss. "It's just dating..."

"That won't do. I am saying all this because I want to be responsible for you. You must think it through clearly. If you are with me, we cannot marry for another three years. A lot can happen in three years, including,"

Looking directly at her, he said firmly, "Me being with other women."

"?" Jiang Xinyi's face instantly changed.

He hurriedly clarified, "I am saying 'if.' Do not assume it is impossible. Have you ever thought about that?"

She shook her head.

It seemed she truly had not thought that far ahead.

Now that he had laid it all out, a wave of disappointment washed over her.

He kept claiming that this was for her own good.

Yet, he had pointedly brought up the very detail she had deliberately ignored and left unspoken.

She was twenty-five.

There was too big an age gap between them.

With her exceptional background, she naturally had no reason to feel inferior.

But when it came to her age, she held no advantage against him.

Seeing her crestfallen demeanor, he placed a hand on her shoulder and said, "You haven't thought any of this through, have you? There is no rush, Sister Xinyi. Go home and think about it. Anyway, I genuinely have no plan to start a relationship right now."

She remained silent. His hand on her shoulder offered a small measure of comfort. Perhaps she was tired, or perhaps it was something else, but she leaned slightly against him. "If you hadn't mentioned it, I would have forgotten."

"Huh?"

"I am twenty-five. In your eyes, I am already an old woman."

"Are you joking? Sister Xinyi, you are definitely not an old woman. You look incredibly young," he said, startled, quickly trying to explain himself.

Resting her head on his shoulder, she pouted, "Stop trying to coax me. After saying all that, aren't you just complaining that I'm too old?"

"Are you kidding me? I just poured my heart out. If you think none of that matters, then let's just date!" he retorted, feeling exasperated.

Out of everything he had said, how was her age the only thing she heard?

'If you are going to be like this, then I won't hold back,' he thought.

With that thought, he abruptly pinched her chin.

"Hmm?"

"What are you doing?"

Before she could even process what was happening, he leaned in and forcefully kissed her. Mmph!

The moment his lips crashed onto hers, her mind went completely blank. She slapped his shoulder repeatedly. This! This!

'I didn't even give up my first kiss during my first love.'

'You haven't even agreed to date me.'

'And you just straight up kiss me!?'

Mmph!

Mmph!

She pounded her fists continuously against his chest.

But it was as if he had become addicted to kissing her. Indeed, he was. Only upon this intimate contact did he realize—good heavens, this twenty-five-year-old woman actually didn't know how to kiss?

'Then shouldn't I teach her properly?'

'Jiang Xinyi, oh Jiang Xinyi. Who would have thought that a girl who acts so high and mighty on a normal day wouldn't even know how to kiss. Haha.'

Therefore, he employed a little technique.

At first, she was still making muffled sobbing noises in protest.

But the hands beating against him grew weaker and weaker, until eventually, they just tightly gripped his shirt.

Closing her eyes, she was unable to control herself and began to follow his lead, her breathing turning heavy and erratic.

The high-end residential area had a low housing density and was incredibly quiet. His car was the only one parked silently in the vicinity.

The flowers and grass stood in soundless stillness.

One could say she was being forced, yet she seemed to thoroughly enjoy it.

Pinned against the passenger seat, she submitted to his kisses.

Soon enough, she wrapped her arms around his neck, letting him do as he pleased.

After a long while, their lips finally parted.

Her overbearing and aggressive attitude from earlier was completely gone. Her delicate face was flushed bright red, her eyes brimming with a young girl's bashful innocence. She was too embarrassed to even glance at him.

Meanwhile, Zhou Yuwen sounded utterly righteous and confident. "See? Sister Xinyi? Are you still going to say I think you are too old? Still going to claim I didn't miss you?"

"You have no idea how much I missed you! I have been wanting to do this for a long time!"

"I'm not lying. When I saw you dating Teacher You, I wanted to pin you against the wall and kiss you! I have been holding myself back all this time, and you actually accuse me of thinking you're old! Do you still think that?!"

He delivered his speech with absolute self-righteousness.

But Jiang Xinyi did not dare meet his gaze.

"Hooligan!"

"Huh? What did you say?" he asked curiously.

She remained silent. Not knowing what else to say, she threw open the car door and prepared to flee.

"Wait, Sister Xinyi, why are you leaving?"

He even reached out to grab her small hand.

But she roughly swatted it away.

'I have no face left to show anyone!'

'Is he even speaking human language?'

'What does he mean, I wanted to kiss you when you were dating Teacher You?'

The more she thought about it, the redder her face burned.

She sprinted desperately toward the entrance of her home.

Zhou Yuwen even stepped out of the car and called out to her:

"Hey! Jiang Xinyi, why are you running!?"

"Are we dating or not!?"

"Jiang Xinyi!"

The louder he shouted, the faster she ran. She even clamped her hands over her ears.

'I can't hear you!'

'I can't hear you! I am too ashamed to show my face!'

Only when she had completely vanished from sight, did Zhou Yuwen finally burst into laughter, thinking, 'If I don't show my fangs, do you really take me for a sick cat?'

'Heh, her little mouth sure is sweet!'

Savoring the aftertaste, Zhou Yuwen mused that she was indeed a wealthy young lady born with a golden spoon in her mouth. She was incredibly soft. Taking the opportunity to wrap his arm around her waist just now, he realized it was exceptionally slender.

It felt just as slim as Tao Tian's.

'Was I a bit too impulsive today? She won't call the cops on me, right?'

'Forget it, whatever happens, happens.'

He drove toward Zhonghai Garden to find Tao Tian.

His original plan had been to visit Qu Jing. However, while making out with Jiang Xinyi, his thoughts had naturally drifted to Tao Tian. Thus, he decided to see Tao Tian first today.

As for Zheng Yanyan and the other two, he never intended to go back tonight anyway.

While he was in the car with Jiang Xinyi, he had put his phone on silent. Only upon unlocking it now did he discover that Zheng Yanyan and the other two girls had indeed bombarded him with messages.

Zheng Yanyan had asked him if he was coming back for dinner.

"We cooked for you!" she added, even attaching a photo.

Su Qing had also asked when he was returning, claiming that she was the one who actually cooked all the dishes and that Zheng Yanyan was just acting pretentious!

Lu Lin had sent a helpless-sounding message: "Hurry back. If you don't return soon, they are going to tear the house down."

These three girls undoubtedly harbored their own hidden motives. After spending the New Year holidays together, Zheng Yanyan felt that they had officially reconciled. Therefore, she believed it was a matter of course for them to sleep together tonight.

They had already agreed on the room arrangements earlier. With three bedrooms available, Su Qing and Lu Lin would each take one of the second bedrooms.

Meanwhile, she would share the master bedroom with Zhou Yuwen.

When Su Qing heard this, she scoffed directly and demanded, "On what grounds?"

"You and Zhou Yuwen broke up. What right do you have to sleep with him?"

"Who told you we broke up? And even if we did, does that mean we can't share a bed? When I stayed at his house for those few days, he held me to sleep every single night!" Zheng Yanyan retorted, unwilling to show weakness.

"If you're going to use that logic, then I can sleep with him too," Su Qing argued. "Aren't I also his ex-girlfriend?"

"But you two haven't even slept together?"

"Who told you we haven't?"

"Hmph, stop embarrassing yourself, you old maid," Zheng Yanyan sneered.

"What, what did you just say!?" Su Qing froze, completely blindsided by such a vicious insult.

Zheng Yanyan didn't back down. "I said old maid. Don't think I don't know you're an untouched old maid who hasn't even been slept with by Zhou Yuwen!"

"Nonsense! We have slept together. If you don't believe me, I'll show you!"

"Show me then! Let's see it!"

Even without him there, the two girls were already arguing like this.

How could Zhou Yuwen possibly dare to go back? He had spent over twenty days at home during the winter holiday, making sure to practice equal distribution of favor between the two of them. Now, he figured he should at least give the other girls some opportunities.

The only pitiful one was probably Lu Lin. Caught in the crossfire of their bickering, she was destined to go without any affection tonight.

Looking at the messages from the three girls, he sighed and ultimately dialed Lu Lin's number.

At that exact moment, Su Qing and Zheng Yanyan were still quarreling over who got to share a bed with him.

Following his instructions over the phone, Lu Lin put the call on speaker.

Zhou Yuwen announced, "I have some things to handle tonight, so I won't be coming back."

"You girls go to bed early."

"You aren't coming back? Zhou Yuwen, where are you staying!?" Hearing this, Zheng Yanyan immediately panicked and snatched up the phone.

Su Qing interjected quickly, "What business is it of yours where he stays? Are you trying to control him?"

"I am not!" Zheng Yanyan vehemently denied.

Listening to the noise over the phone, Zhou Yuwen pinched the bridge of his nose. "I will casually find a place to crash, but there is no way I am going back. Just look at the chaotic mess you two are making. I don't want to spend my night listening to you bicker. That's it, I'll just book a hotel room and sleep outside. I've already eaten, so don't wait up for me."