Chapter 26
The cleanup after the music awards ceremony was like a long, tumultuous aftershock. Feng Ling blended in with the staff, deliberately keeping herself busy like a spinning top, checking prop lists, helping with costumes, and making final handovers with various teams... She filled her time in every way possible, avoiding any moments of solitude, and even more so, avoiding meeting that familiar gaze.
However, the warmth of that kiss was etched into her sensory memory like a brand, impossible to erase. Whenever she had a moment of free time, that brief but incredibly real touch, his hot breath, and that moment of blankness when it felt like the world had stopped would uncontrollably invade her mind.
"Feng Ling, you've worked really hard this time. You've been very professional. I hope we have opportunities to work together in the future." Her agent, Sister Jingjing, patted her on the shoulder and praised her sincerely.
"Thank you, Sister Jingjing. I'll keep working hard." Feng Ling suppressed the turmoil in her heart and tried to put on a decent smile. She was filled with joy at being recognized by the industry, but this joy couldn't completely dispel the hidden panic in her heart.
"Sister Feng Ling, please come and play with us often!" The other members of BOW also greeted her. After spending some time together, they had long since shed their star halo and showed the liveliness and sincerity of big boys in front of her.
Feng Ling smiled in agreement, appearing relaxed and natural as she spoke. However, this apparent ease towards others, like an invisible contrast, deeply stung An Hesu, who remained silent and watching her. He watched her smile blossom at others, and cleverly avoid his every attempt to approach her, and a deep sense of loneliness and powerlessness seized upon him. But he had no regrets. That kiss on the stage was a choice he had made, following his heart. Even if it only resulted in her deliberate distance, that moment, like a stolen beauty, was enough for him to savor over and over again, like a traveler in the desert longing for a sweet spring.
Life seemed to have returned to normal. Feng Ling returned to school, plunged into the final sprint of her graduation thesis, and continued her internship. But only she knew that something was different. She would suddenly lose focus while staring at the computer screen, her fingertips unconsciously tapping her lips; when she lay down late at night, her eyes, deep and surging with emotion on the stage, would appear before her eyes. She felt like she had been poisoned by him, and her mind was full of An Hesu's image. She was not a young girl who had just fallen in love. After experiencing the unforgettable relationship with Qiqi, she thought she had already matured and rationalized. But at this moment, this uncontrollable restlessness made her feel unfamiliar and helpless.
That night, Feng Ling was having a headache over a pile of documents when her cell phone screen suddenly lit up and a message popped up from the person she was both looking forward to and afraid to contact.
An Hesu's personal WeChat account only has three simple words:
I am sick
There was no preface, no postscript, not even a single punctuation mark. Yet, those three words instantly threw her into panic. All the struggles and attempts at escape were thrown out the window, leaving only instinctive palpitations and worry.
She replied quickly with her fingertips, almost without any hesitation:
Give me the address.
Following the location he sent, Feng Ling took a taxi to a high-end apartment complex known for its tight security. After passing through the layers of security, she stood in front of a heavy apartment door, took a deep breath, and knocked gently.
There was silence inside for a few seconds, then the door lock clicked softly and opened from the inside. A strong arm quickly reached out and grabbed her wrist with such force that no resistance was allowed, and instantly pulled her into the house.
"Bang!" The door closed behind him, isolating him from the outside world.
There were no lights on in the house; only the cool moonlight filtered through the large floor-to-ceiling curtains, dimly illuminating the vague outlines of the room. Before Feng Ling could adjust to the darkness, a hot body pressed tightly against her from behind. His arms, like iron hoops, held her tightly in his embrace, his chin resting on the top of her head, his breathing heavy.
Feng Ling was strangled by him and was a little breathless. She struggled for a while: "You...you let me go first."
But he stubbornly tightened his arms, not moving at all, as if he wanted to rub her into his body.
"You're still so energetic even though you're sick?" Feng Ling tried to make his voice sound calm. "What's wrong? Where do you feel uncomfortable?"
From behind came his muffled, nasal voice, like a child who had been wronged:
"I feel uncomfortable without you."
Unexpectedly receiving such a seemingly unflattering answer, Feng Ling was momentarily speechless, feeling both angry and amused, with an indescribable pain mixed in. "So... now it's okay?" she softened her tone.
"Not well." He answered simply.
"Then I'll leave." Feng Ling pretended to break free.
The next second, the arms around her suddenly loosened, and the moment she turned around, he pulled her face to face, even tighter in his arms! Before she could react, his hot lips had already pressed down fiercely with unquestionable force!
This kiss was completely different from the brief and dramatic kiss on stage.
It was blazing, like a long-suppressed volcano finally erupting; it was strong, carrying an irresistible sense of plunder; it was even resentful, hating her escape, hating the torment of the past few days; it was even more aggrieved, aggrieved that she smiled at others but ignored him alone.
Feng Ling's brain buzzed. Her mind screamed at her to push away, but her body felt as if all its strength had been drained away. As that familiar, heart-pounding aura completely enveloped her, as his tongue forcefully pried open her teeth, taking possession of her, she was horrified to discover that her body was actually defying her will, responding awkwardly and clumsily.
Her hands, without her knowing when, had involuntarily wrapped around his neck, her fingertips entangled in his slightly cool hair.
He noticed her response and kissed her more deeply and passionately. He bent down with his tall body, trying his best to shorten the height difference so that she wouldn't have to stand on tiptoe so hard. This subtle and considerate gesture made Feng Ling's defense collapse a little bit.
Ever since that kiss on stage, he'd been like crazy. Back in Korea, though his longing for her was gnawing, he'd been able to suppress it with distance and reason. But these past few days, seeing her so close yet deliberately keeping her distance, the longing was like a drug addiction, excruciating and unbearable. He missed her like crazy, wanted to hold her tightly in his arms, wanted to kiss her fiercely, to confirm her existence. Once the floodgates of emotion were opened, there was no way to control it. So, he called her over. He hadn't lied to her; he was truly "sick."
The kiss was so long that it felt as if time had lost its meaning. Only when the air in both of their lungs had almost run out did he reluctantly and slowly release her. His forehead rested against hers, their noses nuzzling. In the darkness, only their rapid, scorching breathing and their deep, piercing eyes, shimmering startlingly in the moonlight, remained.
"You are mine, right?" His low and hoarse voice carried a bewitching magnetism, floating in the quiet room.
Feng Ling's cheeks burned hot, and her heart was beating like a drum, but she still stubbornly turned her head to the side, saying with a shy and angry tone, "No, it's not."
Hearing this, Anhesu let out a low, almost devilish chuckle. He lowered his head, his warm lips leaving hers to kiss her fair, slender neck. It was no longer a gentle touch, but a tormenting and biting with a sense of punishment and possession. The tingling and slightly painful sensation caused Feng Ling to let out a subtle moan.
Finally, he left a clear crimson mark belonging to him on the side of her neck.
He raised his head, gently stroked the mark with his fingertips, looked at her with burning eyes, and said in a low voice: "So... is it mine?"
"You're really going too far!" Feng Ling was embarrassed and annoyed, raising her hands to cover herself, "How can I face people like this?"
Seeing that she was still unwilling to let go, An Hesu's eyes darkened. He suddenly picked her up and carried her horizontally, as if to walk towards the sofa in the living room.
"Ah!" Feng Ling screamed in shock at the weightlessness. In a panic, she hugged his neck tightly, and finally broke down. With a red face, she whispered, "It's yours! It's yours, isn't it? Put me down now!"
An Hesu paused, looking down at her flushed cheeks and humiliated eyes. Those eyes, always distant and cold, suddenly shone with a radiant light like falling stars. He carefully set her down, the corners of his mouth curling up uncontrollably, finally revealing a broad smile Feng Ling had never seen before, one without a trace of gloom, a smile as pure and innocent as a child receiving their most cherished gift.
That smile instantly dispelled all the gloom and uneasiness, and completely broke through the last line of defense in Feng Ling's heart.
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