Chapter 57 Walking the Dog

Chapter 56

The car stopped at a resort at the foot of the mountain. Xia Zhiyu had been here several times with Jiang Zhiyan before. The resort had hot springs and a golf course, and the owner even had a fishpond. It was a must-visit place for wealthy people to take a short break.

However, Xia Zhiyu liked coming here mainly because the fish here was particularly delicious, which she loved. In particular, she could fish herself, eat while fishing, and play golf, which was a simple way to pass the time.

If you get tired of playing, you can stay here overnight. Jiang Zhiyan has booked a room here for a long time. The high-end rooms here all have private hot springs, which are a bit like the hot spring hotels they went to in Otaru before. Bamboo forests and rocks create a secluded world.

Xia Zhiyu had previously suspected that Jiang Zhiyan taught her golf and fishing in order to exhaust her energy so that she would stay overnight and achieve some ulterior motives.

The hot spring was slightly hot, and the rocks on the shore were half warm and half cool.

The hot, heavy breaths whispered in her ear, and his slender, well-defined hand pressed against her arched buttocks, his fingertips lingering dangerously on the back of her neck, her occipital bone, and then on her slender shoulder.

Warm spring water, faintly scented with sulfur, lapped against the smooth, sunken waist of the woman on the bank in waves.

Xia Zhiyu's palms, gripping the handle, suddenly tightened. A tingling sensation spread from her lower abdomen to her entire body like ripples on water. Unable to resist this intense feeling, she tried to climb out by clinging to the rough stone wall.

"What are you hiding from?" the young man chuckled, his palm burning hot. He gently pulled up the strands of her long hair that were wet and stuck to her back, forcing Xia Zhiyu to tilt her head back.

The intense feeling of fullness that followed the impact shattered the nauseating, tingling, and itchy sensation deep within the body.

"Fish, fish."

His usually cold and arrogant tone was now tinged with intense lust, concealing a terrifyingly strong desire, as if he wanted to devour her whole. Those two short words were like a thunderclap in Xia Zhiyu's ears, jolting her awake. A few strands of her long hair, damp with sweat, clung to her neck, eliciting a ticklish itch.

"What's wrong? Did you have a nightmare? Wipe your sweat first, don't catch a cold."

A gentle, considerate voice rang in her ears. Jiang Zhiyan's eyes were filled with worry as he thoughtfully closed the air conditioner vent that was pointing downwards in front of her.

Having just escaped from her dream, her consciousness was still hazy, and the burning heat of the man from her dream still lingered in her body. Xia Zhiyu forced herself to remain calm as she took the tissue from Jiang Zhiyan's hand, but her body involuntarily shrank back.

The intention to avoid and resist is clearly visible.

Jiang Zhiyan's Adam's apple bobbed, and his eyes darkened slightly.

Perhaps because she hadn't slept well, Xia Zhiyu had a headache. She tried her best to shake the chaotic dreams in her mind and rubbed her temples a few times before she gradually calmed down.

Just by looking up, the worried look in the young man's eyes overlapped with the image of Jiang Zhiyan viciously choking her in her dream.

Xia Zhiyu squeezed her eyes shut, forcing herself to remain calm, and asked, "Where are we now? How long have I been asleep?"

Dusk had already fallen outside the car window, with only a sliver of golden light remaining on the edge of the sky, set against the dark blue backdrop.

Jiang Zhiyan explained, "It's been more than two hours. We're downstairs in your apartment complex now. I originally planned to take you home right away around noon, but I didn't expect you to fall asleep in the car."

When he saw Xia Zhiyu's haggard appearance, he planned to send her home to rest. Otherwise, given Xia Zhiyu's personality, she would definitely have stayed in the studio, enduring her exhaustion, until everything was settled before she felt at ease.

"Oh no, I need to keep an eye on the studio!"

Xia Zhiyu jolted awake and frantically searched for her phone.

Jiang Zhiyan quickly reassured her, "Your phone is in your bag. I've been keeping an eye on Yu Xia's situation this afternoon. Nothing's happened, and things are looking good. There's hardly any criticism online anymore, so don't worry."

Putting everything else aside, Xia Zhiyu trusted Jiang Zhiyan's character. She glanced at WeChat and saw that there were no other messages in the work group besides casual chat, so she didn't bother to check social media. She stretched her stiff body and her mind gradually cleared up.

Xia Zhiyu said apologetically, "I'm really sorry about today. I overslept and we were supposed to have dinner together. Let's do it another day. I'll treat you to dinner another day. I have to go home and walk the dog now."

Dog owners are like this: although Lele is smart and quickly learned to go to the toilet at home, no matter how late, tired, or all night, they can't miss walking the dog at least once a day. Before, when Xia Zhiyu wasn't busy, she would walk the dog twice a day.

I didn't take her for a walk this morning, and now Lele is so anxious that she's pacing around the house.

"It's nothing," Jiang Zhiyan said, but a faint sense of disappointment was clearly visible in his eyes. "Then I'll walk you downstairs. It's not safe for you to be alone at night."

It's still light out at night, and even if it gets dark, there are security guards patrolling in high-end residential areas like hers. The 5,000 yuan monthly property management fee isn't paid for nothing.

Perhaps it was the unusual melancholy in Jiang Zhiyan's eyes that made him seem somewhat pitiful, and the setting sun, like gilding gold, imbued him with a sense of loneliness and desolation.

Xia Zhiyu felt as if a fine needle had gently pricked her heart; it wasn't exactly painful, but rather a little heartbreaking.

She went home to Xia Xiaojiang and Lele. Her parents would often bring her big bags of local specialties that she loved to eat when they had free time.

But what about Jiang Zhiyan? Who else does he have?

A few days ago, when Xia Zhiyu attended a banquet, she overheard people whispering in a private room that Jiang Zhiyan's wealth was all due to his parents' bad luck, and that he didn't want such ill-gotten money.

Even though she knew those people were secretly jealous of Jiang Zhiyan, Xia Zhiyu couldn't help but feel sorry for Jiang Zhiyan.

Why is he so independent and strong? He always seems to have everything under control at such a young age. After learning about Jiang Zhiyan's past, Xia Zhiyu realized that it was because he was abandoned too early and no one chose him. If he didn't work hard, she might never even see Jiang Zhiyan again.

After being together for so many years, seeing him all alone and forlorn, Xia Zhiyu couldn't help but feel a little soft-hearted towards the person she once loved.

Reason told her there was no need to sympathize with Jiang Zhiyan. Few people in the world were richer and more powerful than him, and hadn't she been hurt enough by Jiang Zhiyan before? Weren't those harsh words spoken by Jiang Zhiyan himself?

You'd even give money to a beggar on the street, whether he's a scammer or not, so why can't you be more generous to someone you used to love?

"Are you busy right now?" Xia Zhiyu closed the car door, the sunset glow reflecting on her profile, giving her a faint, healthy blush. A lock of her long hair, blown by the wind, was tucked behind her ear. "Want to come walk the dog with me? Lele is very well-behaved and doesn't bite."