Chapter 31

Give me a hug

Both of them were inexperienced and approached the task with an attitude of exploration.

Everything around them seemed irrelevant; the two were immersed in this rare moment of intimacy.

"Hiss," Chen Zhiyu's expression revealed a hint of chafing. He frowned uncomfortably and couldn't help but let out a soft groan, but he quickly suppressed it.

The sound reminded Josh.

The thought that he was still injured brought Josh back to his senses. He stopped the kiss in time, pushed Chen Zhiyu away in a panic, stood up, and hurriedly lifted the curtain that was blocking his view. He glanced at the door with lingering fear.

Chen Zhiyu, who had been ruthlessly pushed aside, was lying on his side with a look of despair. Seeing her predicament, he raised his eyebrows and suppressed a laugh, explaining, "Liu Weifeng found me a VIP ward. The nurse just changed the dressing, so usually no one will come again."

It means don't worry, no one will see it.

Seeing that he had so ruthlessly exposed her, Josh glared at him unhappily.

Chen Zhiyu didn't care at all, and simply lay flat on the hospital bed with his two long legs wide open and his feet firmly planted on the ground.

After calming down, especially since it was their first time being intimate, he didn't seem uncomfortable at all. He glanced at Josh, who was still at a loss, patted the bed next to him with his right hand, looked at her with a smile, and said in a low, husky voice, "Come on."

"What?" Josh hesitated in place and didn't move, replying to him irritably.

"Let's lie down together for a while." After the kiss, the kid completely abandoned all pretense of decency, showing off his thick skin again and again.

"Get lost."

Moreover, even after being scolded, Chen Zhiyu could still look at her with a smile.

Josh felt uneasy under his gaze, so she sat down on the bed with one side of her bottom, bent down and carefully examined his left arm, asking, "Is your wound alright?"

Chen Zhiyu's left hand precisely grasped her fingers, preventing her from moving around. "The injury isn't serious."

“That’s not what I’m asking.” Josh’s tone was somewhat exasperated.

"Huh?" Chen Zhiyu was confused for a moment, but when he saw Qiao Xi's slightly red ear tips, he understood. "It's nothing, I just accidentally bumped into her."

After saying that, she gently pinched Josh's fingertip.

"Do we need to change the dressing again?" Josh asked again, still worried, wondering where the force he had shown when he kissed her earlier had gone.

"It's really nothing."

With those words, Josh felt relieved and lay down next to him.

The hospital bed was spacious enough for two people to lie together.

She had been on edge the whole way here since she heard the news this morning, but now she's finally calmed down.

Chen Zhiyu turned to sit next to Qiao Xi, picked up a strand of her long hair, and felt the silky texture slide through his palm. The ends of her hair seemed to carry an electric current, shooting straight to his heart, making him feel numb and tingly.

The electric current was persistent and efficient, causing his heart to pound violently. Moved by the experience, Chen Zhiyu exclaimed, "Josh, I like you."

It seems like she's trying to complete an unfinished confession.

Suddenly hearing that remark stirred up her emotions again, making Josh's heart soften. She turned her head away to avoid his murderous gaze, inwardly cursing the brat for being so clever.

Unexpectedly, the bed beneath him creaked a few times, and the wounded Chen Zhiyu turned around and lay down on the other side of Qiao Xi.

Once again, their eyes met.

This time, even closer.

The two, newly in love, seemed to be magnetized, each glance a signal, and before they knew it, their lips were pressed together again.

Chen Zhiyu wasn't entirely satisfied with their first kiss; it tasted like a green apple, inexplicably reminding him of Liu Weifeng's words, "The bittersweetness of unrequited love suits you perfectly."

So this time, he was no longer in a hurry to achieve quick results.

The way he looked at Josh was like a hook, so alluring it seemed to draw out threads. Chen Zhiyu rested his head on the soft bed, slowly moving, gradually closing the distance between them.

Then she carefully raised her chin and brought her lips to it.

As his soft tongue touched the other's lips, it was as if he had obtained a special key. He gently pried it in and tentatively swept it across Josh's palate.

Josh felt as if there was a ball of yarn stuck in her throat, making her feel unbearably itchy from the inside out. With nowhere to vent, she was forced to let out a muffled groan as the other person teased her repeatedly, and her body involuntarily flinched backward.

But Chen Zhiyu held the back of her head, looking at her intently, his dark eyes like a deep pool, as if he wanted to suck Qiao Xi in. "Qiao Xi, open your mouth."

When Chen Zhiyu called Qiao Xi's name, his voice was very pleasant, deep and soft, as if each character was dancing in her ear. Qiao Xi was as if bewitched, her actions preceding her thoughts, and she obediently opened her lips.

Chen Zhiyu was satisfied and pasted it on again.

Like holding the sweetest candy in the world, Chen Zhiyu used his nimble tongue to peel off the wrapper, exploring the soft, sweet filling inside. Worried that the candy would melt in his mouth, he sucked and licked it lightly and reverently.

Never getting tired of it, never getting bored.

The sizzling sound of water poured into Josh's ears, making her ears burn as if they were on fire. She felt her blood boiling, almost draining all her strength. When she opened her eyes again, her gaze was filled with deep weariness.

The sunlight in the room gradually veered off course. Josh was exhausted, and his highly tense nerves relaxed completely under Chen Zhiyu's unique comforting touch. Finally, he fell asleep peacefully in his arms.

Chen Zhiyu covered her with a thin blanket and pulled her closer to him. That wasn't enough; he buried his chin in the crook of Qiao Xi's neck, his breath making her feel hot and itchy.

Josh struggled in his sleep, but couldn't manage it.

To prevent her from falling, Chen Zhiyu half-embraced her and pulled her tightly into his arms. In the end, the two of them fell asleep together.

As the sun sets in the west.

Perhaps it was because he was too happy, or perhaps it was because he had finally gotten what he wanted, but his excitement kept going wild in his head. Chen Zhiyu was in a half-awake state, and when he opened his eyes and saw Qiao Xi lying next to him, it was like a dream.

His restless nerves throbbed, causing his skin to twitch. Finally, unable to lie down any longer, Chen Zhiyu got up and washed his face.

When Josh came out of the bathroom, she was already awake. Her eyes were vacant, and she was holding a half-eaten apple in her hand. When she saw Chen Zhiyu come out, she asked with a look of disgust, "Who bought this apple? It tastes awful."

"Boss Liu."

Chen Zhiyu casually replied, then took two steps in three, striding back to sit next to Qiao Xi, his lazy demeanor vanishing as he pulled her into his arms.

"I was wondering why I saw a half-eaten apple on the shelf when I came here." Josh put both apples into the trash can together. "How stingy. It's not easy to find such a bad apple."

Chen Zhiyu said, "I guess they don't even have his hands when they buy things." After saying that, he took out two wet wipes and gently wiped Josh's knuckles clean.

After tidying everything up, Josh picked up her phone from the cabinet, got out of bed, walked to the French windows, and called the company to ask for a few more days off.

At this moment, the orange sunset had already dyed half the sky red.

Fortunately, Josh is a capable worker and rarely takes leave, so his leave request went smoothly this time.

Given Chen Zhiyu's condition, Qiao Xi was worried about going home alone and wanted to wait until Chen Zhiyu finished his observation period in the hospital before the two of them went home together.

After hanging up, Tang Ning called immediately.

When Chen Zhiyu heard that it was Tang Ning calling, he immediately became a little impatient. The two of them would talk for at least half an hour.

Chen Zhiyu and Qiao Xi are currently in the early stages of their passionate relationship, and he doesn't want to spend a single minute of his time with anyone else.

Chen Zhiyu slowly walked to the window, pulled Qiao Xi, who was standing by the window, to the bedside, and the two sat down together.

On the phone, Tang Ning complained to Josh that their credit cards had become invalid again.

Chen Zhiyu was bored while waiting, so he used his still-usable right hand to count Qiao Xi's idle fingers, counting from one to five, and then from five back to one.

I've counted dozens of calls and I still haven't finished.

Tang Ning's loud voice hasn't changed over the years. Chen Zhiyu listened intermittently for a while and roughly understood that it was the same old story: she had bought another membership card, but the store owner had run away.

Chen Zhiyu tugged at Qiao Xi's hand and asked her something softly.

Josh glanced at him and asked Tang Ning on the phone, "How much money did you top up this time?"

But the next second, Josh's voice cracked and filled with disbelief, "How much? 800?"

Josh rubbed his forehead, then asked her again, "What kind of store is it this time? Another gym?"

The person on the other end changed their usual behavior, first stammering and then finally telling the truth in a low voice.

"What?" Upon hearing the answer, Josh sat up straight this time and asked again, "Say it again, what store is it?"

Chen Zhiyu took her hand and squeezed it. Qiao Xi glanced at him, then turned her attention back to the phone.

Then someone else spoke, and Josh narrowed his eyes. This time, when he spoke again, his tone carried a barely suppressed anger and disbelief, "Tang Ning, you said you recharged 800 yuan at a mala tang restaurant, and the business ran away?"

Upon hearing this, Chen Zhiyu suddenly raised his head.

Goodness, 800 yuan, that's enough to buy so many bowls of spicy hot pot.

However, it's not surprising that this happened to Tang Ning.

Josh chatted with Tang Ning for a while longer before hanging up.

After hanging up the phone, Josh leaned against the headboard and looked at Chen Zhiyu lying next to her. She reached out and ruffled his hair a couple of times. "Are you hungry? What do you want to eat? I'll go buy some food."

Chen Zhiyu grabbed Qiao Xi's hand. "It's alright." Then he looked up at her. "How about some spicy hot pot? I've been craving it ever since you guys talked about it on the phone."

Thanks to Tang Ning's experience, Josh still gets a headache when it comes to spicy hot pot. "It's not good yet, with your wound... how about we eat it another day?"

"Let's order takeout then, something like porridge will do."

Josh nodded. She didn't want to move at the moment, so she picked up her phone and opened the food delivery app.

"How will Tang Ning's matter be resolved in the end?" Chen Zhiyu leaned close to her, looking at the phone screen with her.

"I didn't ask for details, but she's familiar with the procedures."

"She called me to complain about what happened last time. She felt like she was panting after climbing just a few flights of stairs, so she quickly found a gym and paid for it. But before she even went there much, the owner ran off with her money."

"She's used to it."

We chatted for a couple of minutes, then stopped talking.

Josh chose a restaurant with good ratings and reviews, ordered some nutritious porridge and vegetables, and put down his phone.

As if he had been prepared, Chen Zhiyu saw her put down her phone and quickly reached out to her, "Come on, give me a hug."