The words fell, and the man's lips sealed Lin Xingwan's mouth directly and forcefully. Lin Xingwan held a dumpling wrapper in one hand and wanted to push Zhou Jinbai away with the other, but then she remembered her hands were covered in flour and put them down.
Zhou Jinbai had no intention of stopping at a light touch. In fact, each kiss was like an attack, only becoming more fierce. Lin Xingwan felt this was no longer a normal kiss; it was as if he wanted to swallow her whole.
She felt her body about to fall backward. Regardless of the flour on her hands, she quickly grabbed the man's arm with both hands to maintain her balance.
Golden sunlight crept from the floor-to-ceiling windows into the living room, bathing Lin Xingwan and Zhou Jinbai.
Their skin seemed to be plated with a layer of gold, appearing soft and warm.
Lin Xingwan had no idea when Zhou Jinbai had carried her from the kitchen to the sofa. She only felt that every step the man took was a fatal torment for her.
It was as if a wolf should not be kept on a vegetarian diet, because once it smelled meat, it was a devastating sensation.
Lin Xingwan's original plan was to make breakfast, but Zhou Jinbai's stamina turned breakfast into lunch.
In fact, if not for the knocking sound from outside the apartment, Zhou Jinbai might have continued to hold Lin Xingwan and wanted more.
Lin Xingwan lay on the bed, resting weakly. She had originally thought her apartment was large enough for two people to live comfortably.
But now she thought they should move to the villa area in Tianlai Huafu.
"I'll get the door. You've worked hard, my wife. Just lie down and rest."
Zhou Jinbai kissed Lin Xingwan's forehead with immense affection, then casually put on a bathrobe and walked to the door.
Soon, the man returned.
When he reappeared in Lin Xingwan's sight, she saw that Zhou Jinbai was holding a box in his hand.
"The dress has arrived."
Zhou Jinbai opened the box. Seeing Lin Xingwan's flushed cheeks, the happiness that had been building in his chest was about to explode.
How could his wife be so adorable? It felt like he could never dote on her enough!
Lin Xingwan gritted her teeth and said indignantly, "You knew we had to attend the Xue family's banquet tonight, and you still tormented me like this. I'm so hungry I'm practically starving, and I have no desire to go."
If it were this morning, Lin Xingwan would have been full of energy and planned to deal with the scum tonight.
But now... she felt like a beaten dog!
"It's alright, I'll serve my wife. Besides, tonight we're just here to watch the show. We'll have plenty of time to eat."
After speaking, Zhou Jinbai took out the dress and walked towards Lin Xingwan.
This time, Lin Xingwan resigned herself to being a salted fish. She let Zhou Jinbai help her with the evening gown, but the situation was becoming increasingly wrong!
This guy was stirring up trouble again.
After experiencing heaven a few times, her body had become even more sensitive!
But he still wouldn't let her go.
"Move aside, I'll do it myself!" Lin Xingwan snatched the chest pads from the man's hand. Zhou Jinbai knew he had gone too far today and sheepishly touched his nose.
"I'm sorry, wife. I'll go get you something to eat."
Without giving Lin Xingwan a chance to speak, he quickly walked out.
By the time Lin Xingwan was ready, Zhou Jinbai had already cleaned up the "battlefield" from that morning and also cooked two bowls of dumplings.
Lin Xingwan wolfed down the dumplings. Just as Zhou Jinbai was about to rub her hair and tell her to eat slowly, he felt a sharp pain in his chest.
The pain was so intense that Zhou Jinbai felt dizzy, and his consciousness went blank.
When Zhou Jinbai came to, he saw Lin Xingwan standing beside him, her eyes filled with anxiety and worry.
"I'm fine. It's probably just that I've been too tired lately. It seems I need to rest for a while to adjust my body."
Zhou Jinbai vaguely felt that more and more problems were appearing with his body recently, which was very strange.
It seemed he needed to find an opportunity to have Lu Shiyan take a look.
After hearing Zhou Jinbai's words, Lin Xingwan felt a pang of heartache.
This was not because he had been working too hard lately; it was all because of her.
Lin Xingwan opened her mouth, wanting to speak several times, but she didn't know what to say.
Finally, she let out a "hmm," not wanting to continue the topic.
However, Lin Xingwan's resolve to leave Zhou Jinbai became even stronger.
The road ahead was perilous. It wasn't that she didn't want to face the hardships with the person she loved, but because they were both in danger, she didn't want to see the person she loved get hurt.
After finishing the dumplings, Xue Manting's call came.
The helicopter had arrived at the rooftop of the complex, so Lin Xingwan and Zhou Jinbai had to go upstairs to take it.
Due to excessive exertion, Lin Xingwan fell asleep on the plane.
When she woke up, they had already arrived at the Xue family's residence.
This was Lin Xingwan's first time visiting the Xue family!
Three helicopters were already parked on the lush green lawn.
"Sister Lin... Xingwan... my darling, you've finally arrived. I've missed you so much."
As soon as Xue Manting saw Lin Xingwan, she ran over from Su Mo Yao's side.
If Lin Xingwan hadn't been standing next to Zhou Jinbai, Xue Manting would have embraced Lin Xingwan and "showered" her with affection.
After all, this was her little lucky star. She could do without men, but she had to have her little lucky star forever.
"Congratulations, congratulations, Manting." Lin Xingwan saw that Xue Manting was radiating an air of nobility, especially the confidence emanating from her, like the full moon in the sky.
As soon as she appeared, the surrounding stars became insignificant.
Indeed, this was the eldest daughter of the Xue family, Xue Manting. No wonder she was the number one socialite in Yanjing!
Lin Xingwan felt no jealousy towards such a heavenly gifted woman.
"Don't be so polite with me. We have things to do tonight, don't we? I'm telling you, everything is ready. Just give the word! Sister Lin, don't worry, I will absolutely not let anyone bully you. Besides, I've tolerated that bitch Qiao Ruosheng for a long time. Since she refuses a toast and insists on a penalty, don't blame me for not showing mercy. I don't want to be bound by that promise anymore."
After Xue Manting spoke, Lin Xingwan caught the key information and couldn't help but ask, "Manting, I heard you and Qiao Ruosheng were once very good friends. What happened between you two?"
Lin Xingwan was still very curious. Qiao Ruosheng was actually as outstanding as Xue Manting!
They were like twin sisters, even considered the "Twin Beauties of Yanjing," and in some ways, they could be considered equals.
However, the animosity between them was enough to ensure they could never reconcile in this lifetime, which was truly a pity.
"Ah... this... I don't know how to say it." Xue Manting's face was full of distress.
Lin Xingwan quickly said, "It's okay, it's okay. I was just asking casually. If it's really inconvenient to say, then don't."
"It's not that it's inconvenient to say, it's just that the grudges between Qiao Ruosheng and I are too numerous. It's a long story, and I've been holding this in for a long time. Since I've given up on her as a friend, there's no need to protect her anymore."
As soon as Xue Manting thought of what Qiao Ruosheng had done at the King of Gamblers' Night, it was enough to erase the last shred of mercy in her heart.
Therefore, Xue Manting cautiously asked Zhou Jinbai, "Mr. Dongfang, may I borrow Sister Lin for a moment?"
Zhou Jinbai nodded, and Xue Manting then affectionately linked arms with Lin Xingwan.
The two walked on the verdant lawn, both of them possessing unparalleled beauty and elegance. In the setting sun, they were a pleasing sight.
Xue Manting also took this opportunity to recount the story between her and Qiao Ruosheng.
"Actually, Qiao Ruosheng and I have known each other since childhood. Back then, she was very arrogant and looked down on everyone around her. Because of this, Qiao Ruosheng seemed very unsociable. People at school isolated her, and some people who couldn't stand Qiao Ruosheng always bullied her. However, even in her most difficult moments, Qiao Ruosheng would not bow her head. Later, I happened to pass by and scared away the girls who were bullying her. After all, I was the school bully back then. Not only was I good at studying, but I was also beautiful. Most importantly, I was known as a social butterfly in our school, and many people from other schools wanted to know me. Those students who bullied Qiao Ruosheng were afraid of retaliation from me, so they feared me. I also made a stern statement: if anyone bullied Qiao Ruosheng, they would be going against me."
Xue Manting's face wore a gentle smile as she recalled the past.
For her, although she and Qiao Ruosheng were now at loggerheads, the memories they once shared were still very beautiful.
However, as they grew older and their positions changed, the once precious feelings simply drifted apart.
Lin Xingwan listened quietly to Xue Manting's words, and it was not hard to imagine how close they had been.
"Later, Qiao Ruosheng and I inexplicably became best friends. Actually, I found her to be quite interesting. Her way of thinking was very unique. We even exchanged secrets, and Qiao Ruosheng gradually became more cheerful because of it. However, in Qiao Ruosheng's second year of high school, she fell in love with a boy named Xuan Chang'an. I never imagined that a proud woman like Qiao Ruosheng would fall for a poor boy who had nothing."
Even now, Xue Manting still couldn't understand.
"Xuan Chang'an is a nice name. I guess he's a very gentle boy?"
Lin Xingwan couldn't help but ask.
Xue Manting shook her head. "No, although Xuan Chang'an's name initially sounds very gentle, quiet, and well-behaved, anyone who knows Xuan Chang'an knows that he's very boisterous. In fact, in several middle schools, the name Xuan Chang'an was well-known."
In Xue Manting's mind, the image of a proud and spirited young man appeared.
Lin Xingwan felt that she was becoming even more interested in Qiao Ruosheng's story. She was curious about what she had experienced to become this way.
"Xuan Chang'an came from a poor family. In fact, his appearance refreshed my understanding of poverty. His parents died shortly after he was born, and Xuan Chang'an lived with his uncle. However, his uncle treated him poorly, and his aunt made him drop out of school to work to help with household expenses. To them, Xuan Chang'an's existence was a burden. But because Xuan Chang'an's grades were excellent, even though he often skipped class and got into fights, he always maintained the top position in his grade. The school teachers wanted him to bring honor to the school, so they not only waived his tuition fees but also gave him living expenses each month so he could study well.
Qiao Ruosheng met Xuan Chang'an at my birthday party. At that time, a rich young man was pursuing me, and Xuan Chang'an happened to be that rich young man's deskmate. That rich young man was actually quite nice and didn't discriminate against Xuan Chang'an. He even recognized Xuan Chang'an as his brother. And at my birthday party, Qiao Ruosheng accidentally drank a beverage that had been tampered with. If Xuan Chang'an hadn't appeared, Qiao Ruosheng might have lost her innocence before she was even an adult."
"So, this is a melodramatic hero saving the beauty, and in the end, the proud Qiao Ruosheng fell in love with Xuan Chang'an?"
Lin Xingwan felt that the story was not as exciting as she had expected.
"No, Qiao Ruosheng thought Xuan Chang'an was the one who drugged her. In fact, the Qiao family almost beat Xuan Chang'an to death. Later, they found out that it was actually the hypocritical rich second-generation heir. He pretended to be friends with Xuan Chang'an out of jealousy. He brought Xuan Chang'an to my birthday banquet intending to ruin Xuan Chang'an's reputation. Xuan Chang'an knew this but didn't explain anything. If that rich second-generation heir hadn't confessed himself, we would have misunderstood Xuan Chang'an forever. But there's no turning back time. By the time we knew the truth, Xuan Chang'an had already been expelled from school for half a semester, and we were in our third year of high school."
Xue Manting's expression suddenly dimmed. "Actually, every time I think about this, I feel very sorry for Xuan Chang'an. He could have had a better life, he could have changed his destiny, but because of this misunderstanding, he will forever be struggling at the bottom of society. That young man never did anything wrong, yet he had to endure the cruelest treatment in the world. When Qiao Ruosheng learned the truth, she asked me to go drinking with her. She even told me a shocking secret!"