Relapse of old illness

The minty coolness of the ointment slowly seeped into Zhou Jianxing's calf skin, like an invisible film, covering the ugly purple-red patch.

Wen Lingyi lowered her trouser legs, and the soft touch of the fabric brushed against the edge of the bruise.

After turning off the bedroom ceiling light, only the moonlight filtering in through the curtains remained, flowing on the floor in a hazy silver-gray color.

Wen Lingyi lay down next to Zhou Jianxing, and the mattress sank slightly.

The darkness wrapped around her like thick velvet, but it couldn't soothe the turmoil in her heart.

Zhou Jianxing's love and the undisguised infatuation in his eyes completely disturbed her heart, stirring up not ripples but dangerous undercurrents.

She even lost any desire for intimacy. A certain string in her brain was stretched so tight that it would break at the slightest touch.

Those chaotic thoughts howled in the silence.

Wen Lingyi didn't know how to describe her feelings when she saw her photo on Zhou Jianxing's phone wallpaper. She also didn't know how to describe the complex feelings she felt when Zhou Jianxing explained that he avoided her because he was afraid she would be angry.

What made her even more uneasy was the uncontrolled, destructive force she used when she kicked Zhou Jianxing.

The force was purely venting, completely merciless, like a pent-up volcano finding the most innocent outlet.

This feeling of loss of control frightened her.

Thoughts were like tangled vines, growing wildly in the darkness. She tried to sort them out, but it only brought her deeper irritability and a dull pain deep in her nerves, and her anxiety continued to ferment.

·

Suddenly, the mattress behind me sank deeper.

A warm, dry body came up to her, carrying the clean scent of bath lotion and Zhou Jianxing's unique body fragrance. An arm wrapped around her waist from behind, not with much force, but it pulled her body back an inch.

A furry head buried in the crook of her neck, and the warm breath brushed the skin on the side of her neck, causing a slight shiver.

The whole action is like a child who is afraid of being abandoned by his mother, clinging and dependent.

"Sister Wen, are you asleep?" The voice came from behind, muffled, not as clear as usual, with a hint of tentative caution.

Wen Lingyi's body stiffened for a moment, and her chaotic thoughts were temporarily dispelled by this sudden closeness.

She placed her hand around her lower abdomen. It had Zhou Jianxing's characteristic, slightly rough fingertips. She gently grasped it, her fingertips unconsciously rubbing the other's knuckles.

"What's wrong?" Her voice sounded strangely in the darkness, softer and hoarse than she had expected.

Silence stretched between the two for a few seconds, with only the intertwined breathing and heartbeats clearly audible.

Then, that uneasy voice rang out again, with a kind of boldness. Perhaps it was Wen Lingyi's unexpected "straightforwardness" tonight that gave her a false impression: "Who...did you have lunch with at noon today?"

Zhou Jianxing also asked the question that made her uneasy directly.

Wen Lingyi subconsciously tried to break free from the arm around her waist, but the arm was like a vine, wrapping around her even tighter.

Almost at the same time, the glaring purple-red bruise under the light came into her mind, burning her uneasy nerve endings.

The strength of her fingertips loosened, and she finally couldn't bear it.

Wen Lingyi sighed silently, her breath spreading on the pillow. Facing Zhou Jianxing's frankness, she also chose to answer honestly: "A friend of mine."

As if realizing that this vague answer would not reassure Zhou Jianxing, she added: "Female friend, bestie." It sounded a bit comforting.

The arm around her tightened even more. Wen Lingyi felt the furry head rubbing affectionately against her neck, like a small animal that had finally been comforted, letting out a silent sigh of satisfaction.

Wen Lingyi could even imagine the corners of Zhou Jianxing's mouth curled up at this moment.

Pure possessiveness, like hot honey poured on the tip of the heart, quickly gave rise to a wisp of hidden, morbidly complacent white smoke.

Then, cold reason came over me - this shouldn't be the case.

We shouldn't allow this kind of emotion to take root in Zhou Jianxing's heart.

That will only make future separations more tragic.

Emotion and rationality were violently strangling each other in the brain, and the dull pain intensified, as if a rusty saw was pulling on the nerves.

"Zhou Jianxing." She didn't turn around. She slowly removed her hand from the other person's back and placed it back at her side. The warmth of the other person's skin still lingered on her fingertips. "What if one day..." She paused, no longer concealing her intentions, "I don't like you anymore, what should I do?"

Every inch of muscle in the body behind him seemed to tense instantly, and Zhou Jianxing's breathing disappeared.

The next second, the arm around her waist seemed to have lost all its strength, slowly and extremely sluggishly loosening and sliding down. Wen Lingyi could even hear the subtle sound of fabric rubbing against the sheets and the creaking sound of joints moving.

In the darkness, time stretched out in a thick, long line. It felt like a century before a faint, resigned sound reached me, like the flutter of a mosquito's wings.

"...Now, please like me a little more."

It seems that Zhou Jianxing really listened to the theory of "sealing the heart and locking the love" that advocates living in the present and enjoying life while it lasts.

Wen Lingyi successfully tamed Zhou Jianxing and achieved her goal, making a timid snail bravely extend its tentacles.

Wen Lingyi is a burning flame. When her tentacles reach out, Zhou Jianxing will realize in dull pain that what lies ahead is not warmth, but a melting pot of desire.

She took advantage of Zhou Jianxing's love for her and seduced a woman who was emotionally ignorant, naive, and as blank as a sheet of paper.

No matter how much she deceived herself, Wen Lingyi knew that she was too despicable.

"If I leave you," her voice was low, as if squeezed out from the depths of her chest, "what would you do?" Even she felt cruel when she asked this question.

Even someone as selfish and cold-hearted as Wen Lingyi could not remain indifferent to Zhou Jianxing's humble, flattering, and even beggarly attitude towards her.

She reached out her hand again, groping in the darkness, and accurately grabbed Zhou Jianxing's curled up hand that was trying to hide.

"Liking me is a very dangerous thing." This was her sincere words, and also her kindness to Zhou Jianxing. She should be mentally prepared and give up her fantasy.

Don't get deeper into this.

The warm hand broke free from her palm, groped upwards in the darkness, and covered her lips.

Her palms were soft and a little sweaty, and her soft lips could clearly feel the rough calluses on Zhou Jianxing's fingertips.

"Stop talking, Sister Wen." Zhou Jianxing's voice sounded against the back of her neck, filled with suppressed sobs.

Her body pressed against him again, tighter than before, as if she wanted to embed herself inside, but at the same time, she created countless invisible gaps between them.

"For now, let me pretend to be someone who knows nothing." Her voice was muffled, as if covered by a quilt. "When I hit a wall... maybe, I'll turn back."

It turns out she knows everything.

That south wall is herself.

Wen Lingyi's heart felt like it was beaten by these words, painful and swollen.

In the darkness, she closed her eyes and clasped the hand covering her lips, gripping it tightly with such force that her knuckles turned white. Her throat felt like it was clogged with a ball of wet cotton, and no sound came out.

She simply turned around, and for the first time tonight, she took the initiative to embrace the slightly trembling body behind her, resting her chin on the other's soft head.

The moonlight flows silently, illuminating two souls hugging each other tightly but each with their own ulterior motives.

·

Noon. NAWA Thaiology's window seat.

Sunlight poured in through the huge French windows, dancing on the polished tabletop. Wen Lingyi and Su Qing sat opposite each other. They both had window seats, but they were far apart from the last time they came with Zhou Jianxing.

Su Qing sipped her iced lemonade, the ice cubes making a crisp sound as they hit the wall of the glass. She set the glass down, tapped her fingertips lightly on the table, and got to the point: "Your ex-girlfriend is really haunting me. When she couldn't reach you, she bombarded me with different numbers. She blocked one after another, and it never stopped."

She raised her eyes and her gaze quickly swept across Wen Lingyi's face, capturing any slight fluctuation.

Zhu Yang. That crazy woman. Wen Lingyi's fingers tightened around the water cup for a moment, and the condensed water droplets on the cup's wall slid down her fingertips.

Seeing that she looked normal, Su Qing continued, her tone half complaining, half probing: "Tell me, how could you be so devoted to her back then? Your vision is really..."

She didn't finish, leaving a meaningful blank.

However, Su Qing has been really annoyed by the harassment recently. If she hadn't been concerned about her own "romantic luck", she would have blocked all the strange calls long ago. After all, she likes to leave her phone number to young handsome guys.

In fact, she could have completely avoided mentioning this matter to Wen Lingyi, but the name Zhu Yang had to be like a thorn, pricking Wen Lingyi's nerves from time to time.

Su Qing was worried that Wen Lingyi would become desensitized if she did it too frequently. But if she didn't mention it, she was afraid she would get carried away and repeat the same mistake.

After all, the destructive power of love-brain is often like a fire in the city gate that affects all fish in the pond. When it becomes fierce, it has the destructive power to destroy the world.

When you are deeply in love, you want the sea to dry up and the rocks to crumble, so who did the sea and the rocks offend?

From Wen Lingyi's recent sudden decrease in contact frequency, Su Qing keenly sensed something unusual.

Wen Lingyi's feelings for Zhou Jianxing were definitely not just a play as she said.

So Su Qing had to bring up Zhu Yang to disgust her and give her a warning. It was a necessary preventive measure.

But her purpose in doing this was not to deliberately disgust Wen Lingyi. From Su Qing's perspective, she was doing it sincerely for the good of her best friend.

After all, Su Qing’s view on love has always been: if you don’t love, you won’t get hurt.

Wen Lingyi gracefully picked up the water glass and took a few slow sips. The cold liquid slid down her throat.

She raised her eyes and cast them at Su Qing, like two thin blades, piercing straight at her:

"Can she die without mentioning it?"

Very good, the reaction is still intense. Su Qing curled her lips into a nonchalant smile, her body relaxed against the back of the chair: "Tsk, you can't even mention the woman you loved? Miss, facing the past calmly will help you better face the future."

The tone was as casual as if he was talking about the weather.

Wen Lingyi sneered: "I love women, not bitches."

The dishes were served one after another. After waiting for Wen Lingyi for over half an hour, Su Qing was already starving. Without caring about her appearance, she forked a piece of shrimp cake into her mouth, chewing while continuing to eat vaguely.

"Zhu Yang is indeed a bitch, that's for sure. She was the one who betrayed you first, so how dare she come back to you? What a shameless person..."

betray.

Wen Lingyi's heart suddenly felt like it was being squeezed and released by an invisible hand. A chill instantly spread through her body, and her hair stood on end. Her stomach churned.

"That's enough." Wen Lingyi put down the silver fork in her hand with a snap, the metal colliding with bone china making a harsh sound. The brightly colored Thai curry on the plate only made her feel nauseous. "Don't mention her."

"Okay, okay, let's not talk about her." Su Qing stopped talking and tactfully changed the subject. Her eyes were filled with insight. "Speaking of which, how are you and your...little maintenance worker going?"

With a wicked grin, she forked up a shrimp ball covered in rich sauce and swung it casually in the air, the sauce dripping out.

Wen Lingyi picked up her fork again, lowered her head, and aimlessly used the fork tip to pick at a piece of chicken on the plate. Her tone was as flat as if she were discussing something insignificant: "That's it. The novelty... is almost gone."

"Lingyi," Su Qing chuckled and pointed out mercilessly, "I know you too well." She put the shrimp ball into her mouth, her eyes fixed on Wen Lingyi's lowered face. "Do you understand her? Her family? Her past? Her future plans?"

She swallowed her food, picked up the napkin to wipe the corner of her mouth, and threw the sharpest blow: "What does she like about you? You can seduce her into your bed, but others can't?"

The air seemed to freeze instantly. Wen Lingyi's knuckles, gripping the fork, bulged violently, turning pale blue. An icy chill spread rapidly from the depths of her heart, coursing through her blood vessels and into her limbs, leaving her fingertips numb with cold.

"I'm just reminding you." Su Qing pretended not to notice her face turned pale in an instant, and picked up a piece of golden curry crab with her serving chopsticks and considerately placed it on the almost untouched plate in front of Wen Lingyi.

"The beginning of your relationship was a mistake in itself. You can have some fun, but don't get yourself involved." Her voice was soft, but every word was as sharp as a knife.

Wen Lingyi stared at the prominent curry crab on the plate. The bright yellow color was dazzling. The pain in her knuckles reached her brain, and she suddenly loosened her fingers.

“Dang!”

The fork fell onto the plate and bounced again, making a sharp, abrupt noise.

"I'm full." Wen Lingyi's voice was as calm as water, without any emotion.

She didn't even look at Su Qing. She grabbed the handbag beside her, stood up, and her high heels made a quick and clear "click" sound on the smooth floor. She left the restaurant without looking back.

Su Qing picked up the curry crab with a fork, put it into her mouth, chewed it slowly, and watched Wen Lingyi's back disappear at the door with a complicated look in her eyes.