"He, Zhou Yinghuai, is truly a terrible person.
In the car, Jiang Tan put her hand inside Zhou Yinghuai's business suit to keep warm. As she was lying on his chest, smelling his scent, she said: "Zhou Yinghuai, you smell so good."
The man's slender fingers curled slightly, stopping just before they landed on her waist. His arm was moved up to gently touch her head.
"Zheng Heng has been smoking all the time, and that smells good to you?"
"You smell super good!" replied Jiang Tan, "Extremely good, I want to kiss you."
It was a real compliment, without a hint of falsehood.
Zhou Yinghuai's lips creased into a smile. His usually stern features looked unexpectedly soft to her.
He possessed a pair of beautiful eyes. The curvature at the corners of his eyes tightened slightly, and his double eyelids were deep and narrow. While others might see them as arrogant and noble, Jiang Tan found them somewhat gentle.
She pointed at his face, sounding displeased: "Why do you have to be so handsome!"
"Don't you like that?"
Jiang Tan, out of annoyance, covered his face, "I'd rather not look! The thought of others being able to see you annoys me!"
She had become rather audacious recently.
Thinking this, Zhou Yinghuai leaned in to kiss her eyelids, "Next time I go out, I'll wear a mask."
As audacious as she currently was, he had already accustomed himself to indulging her in just one day.
Jiang Tan felt Zhou Yinghuai's lips, they were soft.
Her heart went soft for a moment and her nose felt a bit sour. She asked, "Zhou Yinghuai, do Zheng Heng and his people consider me your first girlfriend?"
She didn't say the first woman, but the first girlfriend.
Snow was sticking to the car window. As Zhou Yinghuai looked into her watery eyes reflecting the night view, he said, "Jiang Tan, I have never been with anyone else."
Jiang Tan laughed, her shoulders shaking, "In that case, I think I've got quite a good deal."
After that, both of them tacitly avoided the topic.
Jiang Tan talked about things happening at the study abroad agency; which parent was solely focused on getting their child into Meng Yanxi's class, primarily because the parent found Meng Yanxi attractive and wanted an excuse to flirt; which teacher was recently sick, causing delays; the flowers in the third floor greenhouse were growing well....
Jiang Tan addressed each issue one by one, until she suddenly heard Zhou Yinghuai say, "Is Meng Yanxi really that good looking?"
His words were full of implication. Even if Jiang Tan were stupid, she wouldn't agree with him at this moment by saying, 'yes, he is indeed handsome.'
She cuddled in his arms, kissing the corners of his firm lips. With a mumble in her voice, she said unclearly, "What's so good about his looks? You are the most handsome."
Zhou Yinghuai didn't quite believe the praise Jiang Tan uttered. He just smiled, gently stroking her back, his voice was also gentle, "In a few days it will be Christmas. Shall I take you out?"
Jiang Tan agreed. After a pause, she asked in a quiet, tentative voice, "Zhou Yinghuai, do you know what day Christmas is?"
A brief silence fell, slowly dimming the sparkle in Jiang Tan's eyes.
She took a deep breath, her lungs were filled with his slightly bitter and cold scent. Just as she was about to break the silence, she heard him speak casually.
Zhou Yinghuai said: "I remember, it's your birthday."
-----------------
Jiang Tan received a call from her good friend, Su Yue, at three in the morning.
The moment her mobile screen lit up, Jiang Tan noticed Zhou Yinghuai's slightly furrowed brow in the soft light. Not only was he a light sleeper, but he was also extremely grumpy when woken.
While Jiang Tan was planning to get out of bed to answer her phone, Zhou Yinghuai held her around her waist and pulled her into his arms. "Answer it here," he said.
Jiang Tan didn't hesitate and picked up the call.
On the other side, Su Yue's voice sounded as if the sky was falling. She said, "Jiang Tan, where are you now? Get over here! My brother's been hit and is bleeding heavily!"
Su Yue and Jiang Tan were childhood playmates. They had grown up together in the small county town, and later both moved to the bustling Ning City.
Their friendship was like a bond formed in the midst of a revolution. Hence, they were particularly close to each other.
Su Yue's brother and Jiang Tan both had type A blood. Realizing the urgency of the situation, Jiang Tan hastily asked, "Do you need my help with a blood transfusion?"
"A blood transfusion?" Zhou Yinghuai opened his eyes with a furrowed brow, speaking out coldly.
His voice startled Su Yue, giving her a stutter, "Jiang Tan, you...you have a man hidden there!"
"What do you mean hidden? This is my..." Before she could say 'boyfriend', Jiang Tan hesitated, unsure of how to describe Zhou Yinghuai.
Boyfriend? Zhou Yinghuai was probably more like a sugar daddy.
Her silence led to dissatisfaction from Su Yue, who pressed further, "He is your what? Come on, spill it!"
The phone was taken by the man behind her. Jiang Tan was held close in his arms. She heard his indifferent voice say, "I'm Tantan's boyfriend."
Jiang Tan could feel her lashes quivering, filled with disbelief. She held her breath, fearing that any slight noise might shatter this illusion.
The very next moment, she heard Zhou Yinghuai say, "Text Tantan the address."
Su Yue on the other end must have agreed, for Zhou Yinghuai paused before continuing, "Also, save my phone number. If there's anything late at night, contact me. Tantan's sleep isn't great."
Jiang Tan was almost under the illusion that she was loved, but she reminded herself that this was Zhou Yinghuai, a noble and lofty young master. There wouldn't be so much love involved.
Zhou Yinghuai hung up the phone and got up, massaging his brow as he said, "I'll accompany you to the hospital."
At this late hour, the road was mostly free of traffic. The splendid Ning City shone like silken brocade. From the city center, the Pearl Tower illuminated the night sky with its bright lights.
The stoplight turned red. Looking out the window, Jiang Tan pointed at the top of the tower, "Zhou Yinghuai, it looks like a star."
Zhou Yinghuai's eyes showed a hint of plain grey from exhaustion. He really wanted to smoke now, but since Jiang Tan didn't like the smell of the smoke, he resisted the urge and followed her gaze.
The Pearl Tower stood alone in all its splendor, next to it was the Weixi Group. Zhou Yinghuai was familiar with this night view as he had been looking at it for years, and was really used to it.
Still, he looked patiently following Jiang Tan's comment. Then, turning his gaze back to the stoplight, he offered, "If you want it, I could try to pluck that 'star' down and give it to you."
Jiang Tan laughed at his tease. Her eyes crinkled as she laughed like a child. "That's going to be expensive, huh? Thank you, young master Zhou," she said.
The corners of young master Zhou's mouth hooked into a slight smile. He lifted his slender fingers, touching the nape of Jiang Tan's neck, "A verbal thank you?"
Jiang Tan retorted, how could you be so unreasonable?
Apparently, Zhou Yinghuai chuckled. He confessed boldly, without concealment, declaring, "In melodramatic scripts, at this point, the beauty should offer her body as a reward."
Jiang Tan's cheeks puffed up in annoyance, "Have I not offered enough? You almost exhausted me today!"
It wasn't a coy complaint; she was genuinely grumbling.
It was already three or four in the morning. Zhou Yinghuai chose his words carefully, stating, "To be precise, it was yesterday."
Jiang Tan lost her will to retort and fell silent.
When they arrived at the hospital, Su Yue was sitting on a bench in the corridor. From the doorway, where the regular multi-bed ward was located, it was crowded with people.
Jiang Tan glanced over and noticed Su Yue's brother lying at the bed nearest to the door.