Chapter 1 Where to kick it? Who broke the sofa?

The sweltering heat of summer and the oppressive atmosphere before a downpour make people restless.

The living room was dimly lit with the curtains drawn, and the fan was running at full speed, blowing out warm air.

Wen Zhiling lay sprawled on the sofa, her hair blowing against her forehead by the fan, her eyelids heavy, like a dying little fish.

The bathroom door opened, and steam billowed out, causing the room temperature to rise again.

The man walked out of the bathroom, casually draped a towel over his shoulder, and headed straight for the refrigerator.

He was shirtless, wearing only a pair of loose, low-rise jeans that revealed his taut waist and abdomen. His body, still steaming from the heat, exuded a restless, damp energy.

As he passed the sofa, he rubbed his dark, damp hair with a towel, glistening water droplets sliding down his chin and dripping onto his delicate collarbone. The refrigerator door opened, warm light illuminating the dim room and highlighting his fair profile, with its defined features and perfect appearance.

The cool water slid down her throat, and the tilt of her head back elongated her neck, her Adam's apple bobbing up and down—it was incredibly sexy.

But Wen Zhiling ignored this and said weakly, "Zong Linhan."

He looked down to reply to the message, too lazy to even lift his eyelids, "Hmm?"

Wen Zhiling: "I want to drink water."

Zong Linhan went to open the refrigerator door, and the girl closed her eyes to order, "I want to eat popsicles again," "Go to Siberia," "Go skiing," "Shoot the sun!" "Kill summer," "Kill the sun!"

A series of unrelated and absurd ambitions made Zong Linhan frown.

"Clang!" The glass rested on the low table, next to the buzzing fan, making a crisp sound as it hit the ice cubes.

With a long, slender hand grabbing her delicate wrist, Zong Linhan pressed one leg onto the sofa, expressionless. "Get up, go buy an air conditioner."

Wen Zhiling slumped backward like a limp creature, "No, I'll be moving in the future. I can't bear to throw it away, and I find secondhand stuff too much trouble."

Zong Lin coldly said, "Move in with me."

Wen Zhiling: "No, living together would be more troublesome, what if in the future?"

Before the words "we broke up" could be finished, the sofa tilted, a corner snapped off, and it became shorter to one side.

The sofa was broken. Wen Zhiling sprang to her feet, grabbed the armrest, and looked down. The veneer was badly damaged, and the bottom was covered in dirt and grime.

She frowned. "Don't you celebrities need to manage your weight?"

Zong Linhan was incredulous. "I placed the bet?"

Wen Zhiling said matter-of-factly, "I'm living here perfectly fine on my own. You've only been here for a few days and it's already broken. What do you think?"

Zong Linhan raised an eyebrow. "When did you see me sleeping on your sofa? I can't even stretch my legs out."

His long legs stood in front of the sofa, his slender figure encased in dark jeans. Above him were toned abs and a lean, athletic body. He couldn't possibly be blamed for damaging the sofa.

Wen Zhiling disregarded the facts, saying, "I'm so light, it must be you."

She tried to revive the sofa, studying it anxiously; whenever she shook the armrests, the sofa would sway vigorously.

The girl was half-lying down, her long black hair falling down her back. It was soaked through after she had taken a bath, and her pure white nightgown had become somewhat transparent, revealing glimpses of her snow-white skin.

His lovely girlfriend was right in front of him, and the creaking of the sofa sounded more and more like bed shaking, making him itch with desire.

Zong Linhan lowered his eyelashes, his gaze fixed on the bottom of the nightgown, where the rolled-up white lace trim was alluring, evoking sensual associations with its smooth texture.

"Actually, there's another possibility..."

With a slight push from a fair hand, Wen Zhiling was pushed onto the sofa, which creaked as shadows fell over her. Long, slender fingers traced a path up her calf, carrying the scent of shower gel and an irresistible, slightly forceful pressure. The warm air from the fan enveloped them both, and Wen Zhiling couldn't immediately tell if it was the hand caressing her calf or the humid room that made her feel the heat. The slow, deliberate caress sent a tingling sensation through her, making her want to pull her legs away but unable to break free.

His warm chest pressed against hers, and when she raised her hand to block him, he grabbed it and pressed it against her waist and abdomen. His fingertips burned against her firm abdominal muscles, and his low, husky voice whispered in her ear, "Did we put that on you?"

...

Bang!

The morning sunlight shone through the small window, and Wen Zhiling rolled onto the floor.

The feeling of my arm stroking my waist from the dream is still there, but unfortunately, behind me is a cold, hard floor, not a warm body. Tiny dust particles float in the air, and the broken little bed creaks and groans, playing its solo act.

She lay there for a while, rubbing her sore shoulder, then got up to check on the small bed. "Great," she thought, "it's broken exactly like the sofa in my old apartment." She sighed, "No wonder I dreamt about my ex-boyfriend."

Before leaving, Wen Zhiling glanced at the calendar on the wall; only one month left. Just one more month, and she would be free, as long as she didn't run into him again.

-

Wen Zhiling works at a coffee shop. The manager is a young man who is passionate about organizing events and is always at the forefront of trends.

She looked up at the banner in the sky, raised her hand to shield her eyes from the glaring sunlight, and managed to read it aloud, "Welcome home, residents?"

"Welcome home, Master!"

A stack of flyers, three centimeters thick, was slapped at Cat Ears with a "thud," and Wen Zhiling took the hit without expression.

She wore a cute maid outfit, the skirt billowing in a smooth arc, topped with a delicate white tulle, and knee-high stockings leaving faint marks on her fair thighs. However, she was nearly 1.7 meters tall, and the black leather shoes added another three centimeters to her height, which, aside from emphasizing her long, straight legs, had little to do with cuteness.

Wen Zhiling adjusted her stockings and straightened her cat ears. "Manager, you knocked my ears crooked."

*Snap!* A flyer came flying at me, and the other cat ear, too, became weak and learned to bend over.

Store manager: "Twenty yuan deducted for every mispronounced word! It's crowded today, so be nicer. If you cause trouble again, don't come back next week!"

The event was always lively, with sweet, soft voices calling "master" echoing throughout, and the air filled with the sweet aroma of cake and the caramelized scent of coffee.

Remembering that her salary was double that of her peers, Wen Zhiling straightened her cat-ear ears and work attitude and began her day. She took orders at the cashier, made coffee, served desserts to customers, and cleaned the tables. If she was even a step slow, the manager would glare at her.

Wen Zhiling placed three hot lattes on the table. A male customer playing games called out to her without looking up, "Where's the restroom?"

"Go into the lobby and turn left."

"oh."

The male customer stood up while staring at the game screen, his knee slamming against the small table with a "thud," causing the glass to wobble. A slender, soft hand quickly and steadily swept it away, resolving the minor problem with swiftness and precision.

The male customer looked embarrassed. "Sorry, I didn't see it..."

He looked up and met the girl's gaze, and suddenly couldn't say a word.

The girl was very pretty, with a smug smile on her lips as if she had solved a problem. Noticing his gaze, she looked up, her cheeks slightly flushed by the sunlight, her dimples sweeter than any cake.

His heart skipped a beat.

The guest stared intently at her, and Wen Zhiling was startled. She quickly straightened her cat ears and asked, "Is there anything else, Master?"

The word "master" made the guest's face turn bright red, like a ripe cherry tomato. His friends teased him in unison, and he awkwardly looked away, saying, "That's all, sorry."

Wen Zhiling smiled, but her expression changed the moment she turned her head. What a close call! She almost called him "owner" again.

Maintaining her excellent record of not having any pay deductions, Wen Zhiling happily went home from get off work.

The store manager stopped her and asked if she had time next Saturday to go to the new store to check on the renovation progress.

The prospect of a high-paying, low-stress job made Cat Ears excitedly stand up, exclaiming, "Great, great, great!"

The store manager smiled and said, "Okay, that's settled then. I'll drive you to Gaoli City next Saturday at 3 PM."

Wen Zhiling: "You still have a shop at Gaoli? But I remember there should be one there next week..."

"There's a movie premiere, and my friend got two tickets. How about we go check it out together after the movie?" the shop manager said. "We can see celebrities! Zong Linhan is in it!"

Wen Zhiling: "Manager, why don't you ask someone else to take a look?"

The store manager's smile froze: "Weren't you fine just now? Now you can't go to the movies with me?"

Wen Zhiling took off the cat ears and put them in the locker. "I am a hater of Zong Linhan."

The store manager didn't believe him, "I'll calculate it for you at six hundred a day."

Wen Zhiling: "..."

Store manager: "Eight hundred?"

Wen Zhiling: "Manager, you really want to watch a movie with me?"

Store manager: "This involves a man's pride. One thousand. This is the last bid."

Wen Zhiling's heart bled, grieving the loss of a thousand.

-

It rained heavily after nightfall, and the rain kept pounding against the windows.

Wen Zhiling's rented apartment was very small, with the window next to the bed. When it rained, the sheets would get wet easily, and when she closed the window, her arms were covered in rainwater, which felt icy cold.

"...It's not a pity, there will be plenty of opportunities to make money in the future," a gentle male voice comforted him over the phone.

“A thousand? That’s enough to buy Auntie some more nutritional supplements,” Wen Zhiling said, sitting cross-legged on the bed and winding up the hair dryer cord. “Oh, by the way, I’ve transferred the money for this month. Check on Auntie’s phone to see if it’s arrived.”

Qiao Yan paused for a moment on the other end of the phone, but Wen Zhiling didn't notice. She opened the drawer and put the hair dryer back. "But I'll just bear with it a little longer. In another month, my three-year term will be up, and I'll be free. I won't have to hide like a little mouse anymore."

Not hearing a response from Qiao Yan, Wen Zhiling asked, "Qiao Yan?"

Qiao Yan's voice lowered, "Am I really that useless?"

Wen Zhiling: "Huh?"

Qiao Yan: "I can go to the research institute next year, and I'll get some subsidies there. If the project is completed soon, you won't have to support me financially. I'm really useless."

Wen Zhiling: "Brother, why are you in such a hurry for my money?"

Qiao Yan smiled wryly: "I'm really something, managing to keep such a capable...unrelated sister by owing money."

Qiao Yan, a proper biochemistry graduate student, was upright and gentle, but when he started nagging, he couldn't stop, constantly listing his own faults. Wen Zhiling touched the ends of her hair, which was almost dry, and lay back on the small bed. The small bed tilted to the side, and Wen Zhiling collapsed like a landslide.

She sat up abruptly, remembering the broken bed. She pressed herself against the edge of the bed and leaned over to look; a small section of the floor had sunk. The bed creaked and groaned with every movement, like a vibrating bed. The slightest movement from her caused the creaking to continue, a vivid and dramatic monologue from the bed itself.

What was that sound?

Wen Zhiling froze on the bed, almost forgetting she was still on the phone, so she didn't dare move. "It's nothing, please continue."

Qiao Yan was quiet for a moment, then softly changed the subject, "Is it raining where you are too?"

Wen Zhiling glanced out the window. "Hmm? Hmm."

The same city, the same rain clouds. When someone wants to subtly care for another, they carefully choose their words and carefully craft their tone. They long for their voice to be closer to her, hoping that their hearts can be closer too.

Qiao Yan's voice lowered a little, "Are you still having nightmares?"

The adjusted voice is actually very pleasant to hear, like a gentle feather brushing against the skin, carrying an intimate, approachable feeling.

However, Wen Zhiling was exhausted after a long day of work and didn't have the extra girlish thoughts to notice the subtle concern in the quiet rainy night. She stared at the muddy floor for a while, then closed her eyes. "No, I'm doing fine right now."

A note from the author:

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- Pre-order "Waiting for My Brother to Get a Fever" -

Lijia has had a crush on her brother for a long time.

In the cold winter, she stood on tiptoe to put a scarf on Jiang Xun, the gray wool wrapping around his neck in circles. He bent down slightly, and the distance between them instantly closed.

Without stopping her hands, Lijia glanced at him casually. The warm orange light above him outlined his tall and straight features. His skin was pale and cool, and his long eyelashes cast small, brush-like shadows under his eyelids, which lifted slightly and then quickly fell back down.

"Okay." She stepped back to the sofa, her hands behind her back.

The long black coat accentuated Jiang Xun's tall, slender, and neat appearance.

He calmly straightened his scarf and coldly reminded her that she had better behave herself while he was away on business, or she would suffer the consequences of not coming home at night.

Lijia agreed and watched him push his luggage to the door, but in her mind she was thinking about something even more outrageous.

She wanted to win over this controlling man, who especially loved to boss her around.

She had even figured out how to make him completely obedient in bed.

However, behind her eagerness to try was the fact that on the very first day of her plan, Jiang Xun saw her erotic information.