After taking a bath and coming out of the bathroom, it was already eleven o'clock at night, and Xinan's stomach suddenly felt a bit hungry, so she put on a jacket and went downstairs to cook herself a bowl of noodles.
After finishing the noodles and washing the dishes, just as she sat down on the sofa, she heard the sound of a car engine outside, followed by the front door being opened.
Xinan looked up and saw Tan Bo supporting Cheng Yi as they walked in.
Tan Bo paused for a few seconds when he saw Xinan, then greeted her before saying, "Ah Yi is drunk."
Xinan stood up and helped Tan Bo support Cheng Yi up to the second floor.
Xinan took off Cheng Yi's shoes for him and then covered him with a blanket.
After settling Cheng Yi down, Tan Bo glanced at Xinan, then started speaking, "Nannan, has something happened between you and Ah Yi recently?"
Since last month when Cheng Yi returned to Jing City, Tan Bo had accompanied him to drink at least twenty times, each time until late at night.
Others drink for pleasure, but Cheng Yi, rather than drinking, seemed more like he was forcing himself to drink.
It was as if the goal of his drinking was to make himself drunk, resembling a boy who had just had his heart broken.
Xinan's hand paused while she was covering Cheng Yi with the blanket, "Why would you say that?"
Tan Bo said, "These past few days Ah Yi always comes home completely wasted, and several times I saw him book flights only to cancel them later. Did the two of you have a fight?"
Xinan's face stiffened and she forced a smile, "We haven't... haven't had a fight."
If only it were as simple as a quarrel.
"Then maybe I'm overthinking it. Ah Yi must just be in a bad mood."
When leaving, Tan Bo took another glance into the room, then let out a sigh. He had grown up with Cheng Yi since childhood and knew his temperament too well.
He clearly had feelings for Xinan in his heart but was stubbornly refusing to admit it. He was being too proud for his own good.
There were some things that others might not know, but Tan Bo was very clear about. Back when Tianyi Group was on the verge of bankruptcy, everyone avoided the Xi Family like the plague.
But Tan Bo knew that Cheng Yi had sorted out all the information about Tianyi Group a long time ago.
He had even completed half of the business plan.
But for some reason, Cheng Yi ended up rejecting Xinan's confession, and in just a few days, he left the country.
Until now, Tan Bo still couldn't understand what had happened back then. Sometimes he even started to doubt his own guess—could it be that he was wrong, that Cheng Yi actually did not like Xinan and had always just treated her like a sister?
After Tan Bo left, Xinan got up again and went downstairs to make a glass of watermelon juice for Cheng Yi.
Xinan placed the watermelon juice on the bedside table and was about to help Cheng Yi up when she noticed that he had already opened his eyes and was looking at the ceiling, his pupils dilated.
Xinan tried to talk to him, "I made you watermelon juice, it helps with sobering up."
Hearing her voice, Cheng Yi slightly turned his head, staring at Xinan for a while, showing no sign of being drunk.
Just as Xinan thought to pick up the glass of watermelon juice to give to Cheng Yi, suddenly, Cheng Yi threw off the blanket, grabbed her hand, and with a swift motion, pulled her onto the bed.
With a roll, he pinned Xinan under him.
Cheng Yi, drunk, was stronger than usual, and before Xinan could say anything, his lips found hers.
His lips were so fiery and scorching, making her feel suffocated.
Unlike his usual brusqueness and wildness, this time it was tender and lingering.
For some reason, Xinan felt her heartbeat accelerate, and her body became weak and limp, devoid of the strength to push away his closeness.
His hand caressed her back, gently and slowly sliding down...
"Nannan..." His voice was deep and hoarse, filled with a strong sense of comfort.
Xinan's body stiffened, and she looked up at Cheng Yi, realizing it had been so many years since she had heard Cheng Yi call her that way.
By the end, Xinan was so exhausted and gasping for breath that just as she was about to fall asleep, a hot breath suddenly whispered in her ear, "Nannan, you..."
But Xinan was truly too tired to listen to the whole sentence and had already fallen asleep.
Cheng Yi buried his head in Xinan's neck and repeated the words he had said earlier, "Nannan, why can't you like me..."
The next day, when the alarm on the mobile phone rang, Cheng Yi was the first to open his eyes.
It was the alarm he had set earlier.
Cheng Yi had drunk quite a bit of alcohol last night, and, after the hangover, his head was aching slightly.
Because of the alarm sound, Xinan turned on her side, ending up face to face with Cheng Yi.
Only then did Cheng Yi notice there was someone sleeping beside him. Once he saw Xinan's face clearly, images from the passionate embrace of the previous night flooded his mind...
Cheng Yi's gaze slowly moved to Xinan's snow-white shoulder and saw the purple bruises, and in just one second, he understood what had transpired the previous night.
Cheng Yi frowned; he had thought it was all just a dream...
At that moment, the mobile phone on the bedside table suddenly vibrated twice.
Cheng Yi instinctively reached for the phone, and upon holding it, he realized it was Xinan's phone.
The phone's screen was lit up, displaying a message, "Nannan, I have found an old traditional Chinese doctor to prescribe you some medicine that will help you conceive. Remember to drink the medicine on time, and get pregnant with Ah Yi's child as soon as possible, so your dad and I can rest assured."
After a quick glance, the hand holding the phone shook violently.
He thought about how Xinan had been so enthusiastic towards him last night, so that was why...
As soon as he thought of this, Cheng Yi's pupils turned cold, and the next second, he threw back the covers with force.
Xinan was shocked awake to find herself staring into Cheng Yi's furious face.
Last night, Xinan had only worn a silk nightgown to bed, and now, without the covers, she curled up into a ball.
Just as she was wondering why Cheng Yi was suddenly so angry, his voice came from above her head, cold and vicious, "Xinan, do you really want to bear my child that much? To the point of throwing yourself at me while I was drunk!"
Xinan looked at Cheng Yi in disbelief, tears swirling in her eyes, seemingly ready to burst out at any moment, "Is that really what you've always thought of me in your heart?"
Cheng Yi let out a cold laugh and retorted, "Isn't it?"
He genuinely found it amusing. He had known from the beginning what Xinan's motives were, so why did he always expect her to feel something different for him?
Yet even so, he couldn't bear to let go. When it came to Xinan, he was always helpless.
Xinan took a deep breath, holding back her tears, and after thinking for a long time with her lower lip bitten, she couldn't utter a single word.
Indeed, there had been a moment last night when she truly wanted to seize the opportunity to conceive Cheng Yi's child.
The more silent Xinan became, the colder Cheng Yi's heart grew.
Finally, Cheng Yi could no longer stand the atmosphere. He got out of bed, dressed, and left without looking back.