Without genuine feelings, there's no way to create a melodramatic soap opera.

Jiang Hailang had drunk a bit too much at the dinner party that evening. He walked unsteadily to his front door, and just as he was about to enter the code to unlock it, he found that the door was only ajar and not locked.

Pushing open the door, I entered the dimly lit living room, where a slender figure stood by the window opposite the main entrance.

She was wearing an apricot-white silk slip dress with a slit on one side that reached her upper thigh. She held a bottle of red wine in her hand and stood barefoot on the windowsill of the bay window.

Hearing the door open, she turned around, smiled, and waved to him.

Lin Xiaoran?

She stood on the bay window in Jiang Hailang's living room, her figure reflected in the entire glass window behind her, with an endless expanse of dark sky outside.

Jiang Hailang smoothed his already somewhat messy hair, strode up to her, and looked up at her.

Lin Xiaoran's tone was filled with a tenderness that could ignite the entire world. "Why are you only coming back now? I've been waiting for you for so long."

Jiang Hailang suddenly felt his breathing become disordered and his throat tighten. He unbuttoned the top two buttons of his shirt, but still couldn't get any relief.

He could only reach out and hug Lin Xiaoran's thigh, pressing her tightly against him.

He said in a hoarse voice, "I'm so thirsty, give me a sip."

Lin Xiaoran then raised the wine bottle in her hand, letting the wine inside pour down from a height.

Jiang Hailang opened his mouth to drink, but the red liquid seemed determined not to let him, instead flowing down his chin and neck, staining his white shirt. Even Lin Xiaoran's apricot-white sundress was stained with dark red patches.

Jiang Hailang then extended his lips to hers, licking the red wine dripping down her skirt. The V-neck of her halter dress was rather low, and his lips, which were still separated by the fabric, pressed against her burning skin.

He felt he might be burning from her heat, but he didn't want to pull his lips away for even a moment longer. He kissed his way up her skin to her collarbone, burying his face in her neck.

Lin Xiaoran reached out and smoothed Jiang Hailang's already disheveled hair, then her slender fingers traced down his cheek, finally resting on his chin. She cupped his face, making him look at her.

Under Jiang Hailang's fiery gaze, Lin Xiaoran lowered her head and kissed his lips.

In the quiet living room, only the sound of rapid breathing and Jiang Hailang reaching out to unbuckle his belt could be heard.

For the first time, he felt so anxious, so anxious that his hands trembled, so anxious that even carrying her back to the bedroom felt too far, too far.

He wanted to become one with her immediately, right in front of this huge glass window, not a second could be wasted.

As he stepped forward, Jiang Hailang couldn't help but shout, "Xiaoran, I love you."

"What did you say?" A voice came from beside her, but it wasn't Lin Xiaoran.

Jiang Hailang suddenly opened his eyes and turned to look at the person beside him. The bedside lamp was already on, and the soft light shone on Yuan Qingqing's beautiful face.

By the way, he did drink a lot at the nightclub that night, and he even brought Yuan Qingqing to a hotel room.

Jiang Hailang ran a handful of hair from his forehead back. Lin Xiaoran, Lin Xiaoran, did he really want to sleep with Lin Xiaoran that much? He even dreamed about being with Lin Xiaoran…

No, he didn't want to sleep with Lin Xiaoran. He had never even considered sleeping with her. Lin Xiaoran was so wonderful—young, vibrant, free, and passionate, just like her name, like the rising sun breaking through the dawn.

He has no right to sleep with her; he doesn't deserve it.

But the dream felt incredibly real, and even now his body is still full of fighting spirit.

Jiang Hailang put on his bathrobe, got out of bed, and went straight to the bathroom. Although a naked beauty lay in bed with him, and they had explored each other's bodies extensively earlier that evening, he had no interest in having her help him with his physical discomfort at this moment.

He relieved himself in the bathroom, but the images of him and Lin Xiaoran in his dream kept replaying in his mind, and his hands unconsciously quickened their movements.

Afterwards, Jiang Hailang turned on the shower, took a cold shower, then dressed neatly and said goodbye to the girl in the bed. He left the hotel at three o'clock in the morning.

When Jiang Hailang arrived at Lin Xiaoran's apartment building, it was still dark. He sat on a bench in the community, looking up at Lin Xiaoran's window.

He never thought he was unworthy of anyone. Even when he was poor and together with Gao Jiali, the campus belle of Lan University, he never felt unworthy of her.

But now, he just feels that he is not good enough for Lin Xiaoran.

Lin Xiaoran was neither a rich heiress nor a powerful businesswoman. She was of average appearance, even less attractive than some of the women he had dated.

But Jiang Hailang felt that Lin Xiaoran was too good, so good that he dared not touch her.

He's slept with many women, had many girlfriends, and had many one-night stands. But he's only ever been in a serious relationship; the only time he truly dated was during the four years he spent with Gao Jiali in college.

The other women were merely companions, accompanying each other for a short while in a long and lonely life.

He's a jerk, but he never hides it. The women he dates are all willing partners, and they break up amicably and gracefully. They can even remain friends after breaking up.

You can't create a melodramatic story without genuine feelings.

He knew that even if Lin Xiaoran had a boyfriend, it wouldn't be difficult for him to sleep with her. But he didn't want to do that.

He couldn't have a purely physical relationship with Lin Xiaoran like he did with other women, because he loved her.

Even the worst man can see into his own heart; he just doesn't want to admit it.

But he didn't know how long he could love Lin Xiaoran. If they were destined to break up, it would be better to remain the closest of friends. At least he could always be by her side, and he could see her whenever he wanted.

*

As soon as it got light, early risers started walking their dogs, exercising, and buying breakfast.

Jiang Hailang raised his wrist to check the time; it was six o'clock.

He called Lin Xiaoran: "Baby, let's go have breakfast?"

On the other end was Lin Xiaoran's lazy yet dissatisfied voice: "Mr. Lang, it's the weekend, can't you let me sleep a little longer? Why do you have to wake me up so early?"

Jiang Hailang laughed, "Sweetie, wake up. I'll wait for you downstairs, come down quickly."

Fifteen minutes later, Lin Xiaoran came downstairs yawning. She was wearing a red hooded sweatshirt and black skinny jeans. She wasn't wearing makeup, but her skin was still flawless, and her red lips were vibrant. She had her hands in the front pockets of her sweatshirt, and the hood was pulled up over her head. She walked slowly and leisurely.

Her extremely reluctant expression clearly showed that she had hurriedly washed her face after getting up and left without even having time to comb her hair.

Lin Xiaoran complained, "What's the difference between disturbing someone's sleep and murder?"

Seeing that Jiang Hailang was still wearing the same clothes as yesterday, and that the collar of his shirt was a little wrinkled, Lin Xiaoran leaned closer to Jiang Hailang and smelled him; he smelled strongly of smoke and alcohol.

"Looks like you didn't wake me up early for breakfast, but instead spent the whole night out?"

“I definitely didn’t stay out all night. I came in the middle of the night, just waiting to have dinner with you at dawn.”

"Yeah, if you were to stay up all night at your age, you'd probably be lying in bed exhausted like a dog by now."

Lin Xiaoran walked to the passenger door, but instead of reaching out to open it, she stood there and waited.

"You can't talk to men like that, or one day when I get angry, I'll show you whether I can sleep with you all night."

As Jiang Hailang spoke, he opened the passenger door. Lin Xiaoran ignored him and got in.

After Jiang Hailang walked around the front of the car and got into the driver's seat, Lin Xiaoran took out a small box from her hoodie pocket and handed it to him.

"This is for you."

Jiang Hailang stopped, his hand still reaching for the seatbelt. "Give me a ride?"

I reached out and took the small, dark red leather box. Inside was a pair of Panthere de Cartier cufflinks. They were silver, shaped like a panther, with a deep blue hawk's eye stone set in the center. They exuded a composed, sophisticated, and exceptionally tasteful aura.

"I saw it while shopping yesterday, thought it suited me, and bought it on the way."

Lin Xiaoran spoke casually, but in reality, she didn't want to owe Jiang Hailang too many favors. The phone and bag weren't cheap, so what reason did she have to take their things for free? But since he insisted on giving them to her, she had no choice but to accept them for now and find a way to return them later.

Lin Xiaoran fastened her seatbelt and, seeing Jiang Hailang still staring at the cufflinks, lazily asked, "Where are we going to eat?"

Jiang Hailang finally seemed to realize what was happening and closed the small box, laughing, "You'll find out soon enough." He then started the car and drove out of the residential area.

Soon, Lin Xiaoran knew where they had arrived.

Jiang Hailang's home was as tidy as ever. She walked to the sofa and sat down, familiar with the surroundings, waiting for dinner.

Jiang Hailang went back to his room to change into his pajamas, and when he came out after washing up, the food delivery guy just arrived.

As he set out various breakfast items on the dining table, he called out towards the living room, "Baby, come and eat."

Lin Xiaoran pouted and slowly walked over to sit at the dining table. "You want me to come to your house for takeout? I'd rather eat my mom's porridge at home."

On second thought, what good food could Jiang Hailang possibly give her? Last time he invited her over for dinner, she ended up eating takeout crayfish.

Jiang Hailang pushed a bowl of mushroom and beef congee in front of Lin Xiaoran. "I haven't learned how to make it yet. I'll make it for you when I do."

Lin Xiaoran quickly refused, "No need, no need, I think takeout is fine too." After saying that, she even picked up a spoon, scooped up some porridge, and put it in her mouth, trying her best to look like she was enjoying it.

Jiang Hailang cooking? Let's just let her off the hook.

After breakfast, Jiang Hailang sat on the carpet under the sofa, fiddling with his laptop on the coffee table, preparing to work overtime on a proposal. Lin Xiaoran sat cross-legged on the sofa behind him, playing games on her phone.

After playing two rounds and getting bored, she sat quietly watching Jiang Hailang work. When she got tired and sleepy, she grabbed a cushion, put it under her head, and lay down on the sofa for a nap.

Jiang Hailang listened for a while without any sound behind him, then turned around and found Lin Xiaoran curled up on the sofa asleep like a kitten.

He smiled slightly, got up, went to the bedroom, and took a light blanket to cover her. He then lay on the edge of the sofa, watching her.

When his phone rang, Jiang Hailang almost jumped up, afraid the sound would wake Lin Xiaoran. He didn't even put on his slippers before running back to his bedroom with his phone, closing the door before answering the call.

He opened his mouth in his usual flippant manner: "Miss, did you miss me?"

"Yeah, I miss you. Come find me. I'll send you my address."

He hung up the phone, and just a few seconds later, a WeChat notification sounded, indicating a clubhouse about a 20-minute drive from his home.

Jiang Hailang returned to the living room; Lin Xiaoran was still asleep. He gently patted her head before going to the dressing room to change.

He carefully fastened the cheetah cufflinks that Lin Xiaoran had given him to the cuffs of his white shirt.

The woman who arranged to meet Jiang Hailang was dressed like a wealthy lady; although she was not young, she exuded charm. Upon meeting him, she smiled and handed him a file folder.

"I've done everything you asked me to do. How are you going to thank me?"

Jiang Hailang opened the document bag; inside were two already stamped contracts. From now on, whenever this woman's husband's company needs hotel services, they will cooperate with Platinum Hotels, and will prepay Platinum Hotels three million yuan within three working days as stipulated in the contract.

Jiang Hailang laughed and said, "Apart from sleeping with me, you can thank me however you like."

"You're such a smooth talker." The other person lightly patted him on the shoulder. "Treat me to lunch."

Before I could reply, a WeChat notification sounded.

Lin Xiaoran's voice message: "Where did you go? I'm going home."

Jiang Hailang quickly replied, "Wait for me, I'll come out and buy you something delicious."

"Oh. Then come back quickly. I'm hungry."

Jiang Hailang put away his phone, his smile barely concealed. "Sister, let's have dinner another day. I have family waiting at home."

"What, you've signed the contract and then kicked me to the curb?" The wealthy woman laughed after saying that. "I really want to see what kind of girl can win you over."