Chapter 55. With a high fever, she used a silk tie to bind her slender wrists.
The next day.
After a hangover, Ning Jiu woke up in bed with a splitting headache and found that all the clothes she wore yesterday had been replaced with new ones.
The blankets were neatly folded, and there was no lingering smell of alcohol in the air. Apart from a slight numbness in my lips, everything else seemed normal.
Qiao Bolin...did not stay overnight at her house last night.
Realizing this, Ning Jiu felt a surge of emotion she didn't know what it was.
After spacing out in bed for a while, I finally shook off my chaotic thoughts and quickly got out of bed.
After yesterday's conversation with Liu Qingman, Kailin's cooperation project has yielded new ideas. As one of the main parties responsible for this cooperation, her first reaction was to take out her phone and send a message to Dou Miao.
[Ningjiu] Let's meet at the usual place at 3 PM today. I need to refine the questionnaire feedback and interview content further.
[Bean sprouts] Okay, Sweet Wine Sister!
Ning Jiu was about to put down her phone when the screen lit up again.
This time, however, it wasn't Dou Miao, but someone unexpected.
[Su Ming] Do you have time this afternoon? Let's talk.
[Ningjiu] Sorry, we just made an appointment today.
This wasn't an excuse. After replying to the message, Ning Jiu quickly went to the bathroom to wash up without thinking too much. When she looked up, she saw her slightly swollen lower lip reflected in the mirror, and the scenes from last night instantly flashed into her mind.
Last night, she and Joe Bolin kissed all the way from the restaurant and in the car to their doorstep, and then...
And then what was it again?
[Su Ming] Xiao Jiu, don't keep avoiding me. I really have something to tell you.
[Su Ming] I know you landed a big deal with Kailin, but do you really think they'd hand over a small, newly established studio to a company of that caliber? Don't end up getting ripped off and still be counting the money for them.
[Su Ming] In comparison, I think Yaoxing Entertainment's project seems much more reliable. Besides you, there are many other studios competing for it. Are you really planning to give up like this?
Su Ming sent several messages in a row. Ning Jiu glanced at them briefly and frowned.
She really dislikes people interfering with her work.
Ning Jiu was well aware that Kai Lin's order was enormous, far beyond what her fledgling team could easily handle. She never expected to complete the entire project on her own. Her minimum requirement was simply to use this opportunity to get involved in the process and learn new things that she could use in the future. Even if she only succeeded in one small module, it would be enough to allow the studio to advance to the next level.
As for Yaoxing's project, given the current size of the studio, it's impossible to handle two such large projects at the same time. She prefers to focus on doing her current projects well.
After washing up and changing her clothes, Ning Jiu rushed to her studio and didn't reply to Su Ming's messages. Unexpectedly, just as she reached the elevator, the latter called her directly.
Having known him for so many years, he had never been in such a hurry before. Ning Jiu answered the phone with some doubt, and the first thing he said on the other end of the line was something that puzzled her.
"Xiao Jiu, you still have feelings for me, right?"
Did someone say something to you?
Su Ming's behavior today was so strange that Ning Jiu couldn't help but wonder what had happened yesterday.
"Haven't I said it many times already? Let's be friends again—"
"If you don't have feelings for me, why would you specially have someone customize a ring that's the same as the one I gave you last time and wear it on your hand?" Su Ming's tone was both anxious and determined. "Ning Jiu, if Qiao Bolin is threatening you to break up with me, I will absolutely not let him get away with it."
"Won't they let anyone off the hook? Joe Bolin?"
Ning Jiu's tone was very calm, but it was precisely because of her calmness that Su Ming's self-esteem seemed to be trampled on without leaving a trace.
After enduring a whole night of this, even the good-tempered Su Ming was finally pushed to his breaking point by Qiao Bolin.
"He kissed you against the wall right in front of me yesterday, how could I possibly stand it? If I ever see him again..."
"Wait a minute, what did you say he did?"
Su Ming was speaking when Ning Jiu suddenly stopped in her tracks, and some forgotten scenes from last night suddenly became clear.
A man flashed by in the corner, flowers fell to the ground, a head was turned upright, lips and tongues intertwined in an inseparable embrace...
Blood rushed to my ears, making a buzzing sound.
She heard herself let out a cold laugh.
"I'm sorry, I really didn't think straight yesterday and did something stupid," Ning Jiu quickly calmed down and explained to Su Ming one last time, "If the ring I was wearing caused you to misunderstand, I'm very sorry, I'm just—"
She thought for a moment about how to phrase it: "I simply like the design of that ring."
"The flowers from yesterday were beautiful, but you should give them to the girl you truly love, and who truly loves you in return."
Before the other end could respond, Ning Jiu quickly said goodbye and hung up the phone decisively.
Su Ming didn't call back.
Even among adults, sometimes it's best to know when to stop, otherwise things can get too ugly.
-
Inside the psychological counseling studio, Dou Miao was engrossed in organizing the list of interviewees when she heard the slight sound of the door opening. Looking up, she saw that Ning Jiu's face was much more sour than usual.
"Oh, who made our Sweet Wine Sister unhappy?"
Ning Jiu put down her bag, turned on her computer, and couldn't help but recall Qiao Bolin's almost coaxing and coercing tone last night, as well as his skillful and suffocating kiss.
Five years have passed, and how did this person's kissing skills not only not decrease but actually improve?
The thought of him taking advantage of her being drunk to grope her and flaunt his power in front of others left Ning Jiu speechless.
I wasn't that naive back in high school, but after all these years, I'm actually more immature.
She actually treated him like a concubine, but it turns out she was the one who was truly being enjoyed.
After sitting down, Dou Miao began to organize the questions left over from the last interview. After adding a few details, it was already lunchtime before she knew it. She bought a boxed lunch downstairs and went upstairs.
Ning Jiu closed her laptop, took the boxed lunch and thanked him, then suddenly remembered something and looked around.
Where is Lin Yuren?
"A girl just came to the studio and kept crying, she just couldn't stop. Lin Yu is trying to calm her down in A01." Dou Miao opened her lunchbox, and the aroma of shredded pork with garlic sauce wafted out. "But I thought it would only take an hour, why did it take so long?"
Ning Jiu didn't open the lunchbox immediately.
She walked to the door of A01, and before she could open it, she heard a heart-wrenching cry coming from inside.
"Don't try to comfort me! I really can't take it anymore... I wait for his reply every day, I can't even eat, and even drinking water makes me think of him. I'd rather be dead than live like this..."
Lin Yu's helpless voice came from inside the house: "Miss Qu, love isn't the only thing in life—"
"Who do you think you are? What gives you the right to define love for me?" Before Lin Yu could finish speaking, the girl's voice, which had been trembling with tears, suddenly became intense. "You haven't experienced my pain. You have no idea what it feels like to wake up every day wanting to die! What gives you the right to tell me how to live? Can you even give him back to me?!"
Seeing that the girl's tone was getting sharper and sharper, Ning Jiu pushed open the door without hesitation.
The girl was still crying when they went inside. Lin Yu pinched the bridge of his nose, looked up and met Ning Jiu's eyes, clearly having no other choice.
Ning Jiu didn't rush to say anything. Instead, she walked up to the girl and handed her a tissue.
"Wipe it off, your beautiful makeup is ruined by crying."
The girl hesitated for a moment, then took the tissue, still sobbing.
Ning Jiu slowed her voice and breathed with her: "Come on, follow me, take a deep breath... and then slowly exhale, that's good, that's it."
After several rounds, the girl's shoulders gradually calmed down, and her emotions stabilized considerably.
After the crying stopped, the room became quiet. Ning Jiu handed over a glass of water. The girl was about to take it with both hands, but unconsciously covered her lower abdomen, her fingertips twisting the hem of her clothes.
"Stomach upset?" Ning Jiu noticed this detail. "Has this been happening a lot lately?"
"It's alright, it might also be related to not eating or drinking," the girl recalled. "When I get hungry at night, I get acid reflux and always have diarrhea, so it must be a stomach problem."
Ning Jiu and Lin Yu exchanged a glance, their expressions turning serious.
“It’s not entirely a stomach problem. This is your emotions protesting through your body, a somatization reaction,” Lin Yuchao explained to the girl. “Actually, your body is like a water glass. If you pour too much sadness and anxiety into it, the water will overflow. Wherever the water overflows, there will be problems. Right now, it’s overflowing into your stomach and chest, so you feel uncomfortable.”
The girl was clearly frightened and asked blankly what to do.
“It’s okay. If there’s too much water, you can train your heart to be as flexible as a sponge,” Ning Jiu gestured for Lin Yu to get the questionnaire. “Fill out the questionnaire first, and we will teach you some ways to regulate your emotions. You can start by trying these.”
"Come in regularly over the next few weeks, and we'll accompany you for your follow-up appointments. Everything will be alright."
Everything will be alright.
This statement also applies to Ningjiu's studio.
Today's workload was heavier than last week, but thankfully the hard work paid off. The feedback from Kailin has improved significantly, and individual orders are gradually increasing. Although it was tiring, the rewards were plentiful.
After Dou Miaolin finished her work, she packed up her things to leave. Ning Jiu rubbed her sore neck and decided to finish the summary before going back, so she said goodbye to them first.
The data feedback compiled today was quite satisfactory. She has already backed up the first part of the interview notes on a USB drive. As long as she integrates that part according to the current approach, the subsequent progress will be much smoother.
Ning Jiu searched through her bag for a long time, but couldn't find the USB drive.
My eyelids twitched inexplicably. Everything last night was too chaotic. If I really lost the USB drive at that time, wouldn't all the sorting I did in the first half be for nothing?
The best outcome now is that Jobelin found her USB drive.
Ning Jiu felt her heart pounding. After hesitating for a moment, she opened her phone and sent him a message.
[Ningjiu] Sorry to bother you, but did you see a cream-colored, semi-circular USB drive yesterday? It contains some very important things for me. If you saw or found it, please let me know. Thank you.
Yesterday they were in a relationship where they could kiss so deeply they were breathless, but today their words are as distant as can be.
Ning Jiu held her phone tightly for a while, then felt a vibration in her palm and quickly opened it.
It's a notification from the food delivery app, reminding me that my food has been delivered downstairs.
Since we're going to be waiting anyway, we might as well eat takeout while we wait.
Since starting work, Ning Jiu has generally been quite good at supervising her diet, eating on time. However, she still doesn't have high requirements for the food. Despite the heavy workload today, she still ordered a vegetable dish and a soup. This time, the deliveryman even spilled some of the soup. When she opened the package, she laughed at herself.
When they had almost finished eating, there was finally some activity on the other end of the phone. Ning Jiu put down her chopsticks and turned on the screen.
【Null】Sorry, I had something to do today and only just saw this.
[Null] I found your USB drive; I left it at my house.
[Null] Want to come to my house?
Ningjiu (a type of liquor)...
Good news, the USB drive was indeed found by Qiao Bolin.
Bad news, is she going to his house?
Ning Jiu isn't usually a person who overthinks things; she was just going to his house to pick up a USB drive, nothing more.
With important business at hand and work taking precedence, she quickly made up her mind and started typing on her phone.
[Ningjiu] Where is your home?
-
Ning Jiu originally thought that Qiao Bolin would live in a detached villa at the foot of the mountain in the suburbs, but she didn't expect it to be in Yuntinghui in the city center.
When she took a taxi there, the security guard at the entrance seemed to have been notified in advance, and only verified her name before letting her in.
Along the way, neatly trimmed lawns and flowerbeds stretch out on both sides of the tree-lined avenue, fountains flow quietly in the central square, and occasionally residents can be seen jogging or walking their pets.
She stopped in front of the building at Qiao Bolin's address. The entire building, made of glass, looked somewhat austere in the night. As she entered the lobby, the concierge manager was already waiting at the front desk.
"Miss Ning?"
The other person confirmed her name respectfully, then took out an access card and swiped it to open the sensor area at the elevator entrance for her.
After the whole process, the elevator doors slowly opened, revealing a minimalist corridor with a single door standing at the end.
The doorbell rang in the quiet corridor, and Ning Jiu pressed it for a while, but no one came to open it.
Just as she was wondering if she had pressed the wrong button, the door finally opened a crack, and Qiao Bolin's voice came from inside, much hoarseer than yesterday.
"Come in."
After he finished speaking, he withdrew his hand and was about to go inside when Ning Jiu, in a moment of urgency, opened the door wider and grabbed his arm.
Qiao Bolin paused, turned his head, and looked at her quietly.
Ning Jiu explained, "I'm just here to pick up the USB drive. I'll leave as soon as I get it."
“I know,” Joel Berlin said. “The USB drive is in my room.”
Ning Jiu stopped talking, her beautiful eyes staring straight at him. Qiao Bolin understood what she meant, and after a moment of silence, he gestured for her to let go of his hand, speaking in a hoarse voice.
"Okay, I'll go to your room and get it for you."
The door opened and then closed again. The tall, upright man turned his head and began to cough violently. Even through the door, his rapid and suppressed breathing could be heard.
Ning Jiu sensed something was wrong and reopened the door, seeing Qiao Bolin's slightly flushed face in the dim light.
"You have a fever?"
She did go a bit too far yesterday, applying ice directly to her body, which could easily cause a fever and cold.
Before she could think about what she had said before, Ning Jiu subconsciously grabbed Qiao Bolin's burning wrist again. Only when he looked at her did she realize her actions. She paused for a moment, then spoke.
"I'll come in and get it myself."
"...Change your shoes."
The interior was dimly lit, the floor-to-ceiling windows were covered by heavy curtains, and only one ambient light was on in the spacious living room. In addition to the sandalwood that Jobelin usually used, there seemed to be another scent in the room.
Before Ning Jiu could figure it out, she saw Qiao Bolin sitting weakly on the sofa, his tie tugged, still working on his computer despite his high fever.
"The USB drive is on my bedside table, so I won't go in."
"Where's Xiao Bai?"
Ning Jiu suddenly thought of this question before opening the bedroom door.
Qiao Bolin: "I took him to the vet for a teeth cleaning. Lian Zhuoxun will bring him back in an hour."
After hearing Qiao Bolin's answer, Ning Jiu felt relieved, but also couldn't help feeling regretful.
How come Xiao Bai wasn't there when she arrived?
It's been such a long time since I've seen that little guy.
As Joel Berlin stated, the USB drive was found intact on the bedside table on the right side of the bedroom.
She entered the bedroom and then realized where the familiar scent she had just felt came from.
The bedroom atmosphere was no longer cold and desolate. The transparent diffuser bottle with vines on the bedside table was slowly releasing fragrance, a fruity scent mixed with the aroma of sea lemon and citrus, the basic notes of which were exactly the same as the one she used to burn in her room during high school.
Her steps faltered, her fingers tightening around the USB drive. That distant memory of her youth almost overlapped with the man before her, making her heart clench.
Ning Jiu walked out of the bedroom. The computer on the coffee table was still lit up, but Qiao Bolin was half-lying on the sofa. His suit jacket was casually thrown in the corner of the sofa, his shirt was unbuttoned up to his chest, and his tie hung loosely to one side, swaying gently with his heavy breathing.
Despite the air conditioning being set so cold, his cheeks were flushed from a high fever, his Adam's apple bobbed with each breath, and a thin layer of sweat covered his neck, glistening in the dim light. He looked as if he were asleep with his eyes closed.
Ning Jiu subconsciously slowed her steps, and only when she got closer did she realize that although he was asleep, his brows were deeply furrowed, and he was not at peace even in his sleep, as if he was being disturbed by a nightmare.
She gently raised her hand and touched his forehead with the back of her hand, and her expression immediately turned serious.
The temperature is frighteningly high; this kind of burning method absolutely cannot be left untreated.
No matter what, half of the reason he's in this state is because of her, and Ning Jiu can't just sit idly by.
But this was Qiao Bailin's home, and she knew almost nothing about it. The man was still unconscious, so there was no way to ask him anything.
Ning Jiu paced around the room for a few steps, her mind racing as she tried to recall where Qiao Bolin had kept his medicine during high school. Suddenly, she remembered that on the day of the sports meet, he seemed to have kept the medicine spray in his desk drawer.
Desk, drawers.
She tentatively found the study, opened the desk drawers one by one, and surprisingly found the medicine box quietly placed on the last drawer.
The moment Ning Jiu found the first-aid kit, she belatedly realized that her palms were slightly sweaty.
Without wasting any time, she immediately squatted down and rummaged through the medicine box. First, she took out a fever-reducing patch, tore open the packaging, and carefully placed the cool patch on his forehead. Then she found the emergency fever reducer, poured some warm water into a cup, and brought it back to the sofa.
Qiao Bolin was still unconscious, breathing rapidly, and sweat soaked his dark sideburns. Ning Jiu used a thermometer to measure his body temperature.
38.7 degrees.
How could it burn so badly?
She first put the water glass aside, then supported his shoulders and gently lifted him up from the sofa. Qiao Bolin's body was much heavier than she had imagined, and his burning heat almost scalded her. It took her a lot of effort to get him to lean against her.
Ning Jiu tried to feed him the medicine, but he wouldn't open his mouth. Having no other choice, she had to hold the fever reducer in her mouth first and then try to give it to him through her mouth.
A soft splashing sound rang out between the two of them. Her soft lips were slightly numb from the heat. She had finally managed to coax him into swallowing the medicine. She breathed a sigh of relief, thinking that she had done enough. Just as she was about to leave, her wrist was suddenly grabbed by a burning hot palm bone.
"Are you going to leave after you've done all this? Are you going to abandon me and Xiaobai again?"
Ning Jiu turned to look at him in surprise: "When did you wake up...?"
"You kissed me first, how could I not wake up?"
Before Ning Jiu could even react, she was suddenly pushed onto the sofa, and the man pinned her down. He was no longer the dazed and confused woman he had been moments before.
"You still care about me, right?"
His strong arms braced against her ears, trapping her firmly between the sofa and his embrace. Her previous exhaustion and sickness instantly transformed into cunning. The cooling patch was nowhere to be seen, and the corners of her red lips still glistened with the moisture she had left behind, appearing especially alluring and shimmering under the light.
"I'm afraid you'll burn to death here..."
Ning Jiu's heart tightened, and she tried to push his chest with her hand, but he didn't budge.
"If you really get a high fever at home because of me and die from it—"
As the girl, confined to a corner of the sofa, spoke, her voice trembled slightly, and her amber eyes gathered into drops of clear, pearly light.
As Qiao Bolin looked into her eyes, he suddenly felt a strong urge to suck away the tear that had welled up in the corner of her eye without her even realizing it.
He heard himself ask.
"If I really died, would you be sad?"
"I won't."
Ning Jiu bit her lip, almost gritting her teeth as she spoke.
“If you really burn to death, you deserve it. You don’t know how to take care of yourself at all,” her voice trembled slightly, almost coming directly from her throat. “Joe Berlin, look at the state you’ve become.”
"Smoking and drinking without fail, working even with a high fever, are you out of your mind? You deserve to die from smoking."
"Don't touch me, I don't want to talk to you, get out..."
Ning Jiu had so many unspoken words of grievance and complaint in her heart, and was about to continue speaking when Qiao Bolin lowered his head and silenced her with his lips.
Despite being a patient and a guest, the two kissed more passionately than when they were drunk the night before.
Ning Jiu initially only instinctively gripped Qiao Bolin's shirt collar, using that little strength to respond to his kiss, but later, for some reason, the kiss became more and more urgent, and her fingertips clenched slightly—
With a hissing sound.
The two paused simultaneously, their breaths still lingering on their lips, when Ning Jiu looked down and realized that she had actually ripped Qiao Bolin's collar.
A rush of heat instantly washed over her face. Just as she was about to speak to explain herself, the man in front of her chuckled, took her wrist, and placed it on his bare chest, deliberately making sexy, low moans.
Under her shocked gaze, he leaned down and kissed her again.
His chest felt hotter than usual, whether from a fever or from intense emotional turmoil, making her feel a tingling sensation throughout her spine.
Ning Jiu was worried about Qiao Bolin's health and whimpered, trying to stop him, but he pretended not to hear her. He used one hand to untie the silk tie that was barely hanging around his neck, and with the other hand, he easily restrained her slender wrist and tied her hands together with the tie.
The way he moved was so practiced that Ning Jiu suspected he had been planning to do this for a long time.
With her hands bound, even touching his face became difficult. She felt the kneading on the back of her neck getting heavier and heavier, and her body began to react. She bit her lip and let out a soft moan of discomfort. Qiao Bolin noticed her discomfort, turned his head and rubbed his face against her nose, then dodged away when she leaned in to kiss him.
“If today really is my last day…” He felt Ning Jiu tilt her long, white neck up and peck at him, trying to stop him from continuing. Qiao Bolin smiled softly, “If it really is my last day.”
"Can you grant me one wish?"
He spoke with a sacred and pure air, and with his cool and upright face, it seemed as if it were really true.
If you ignore his increasingly urgent kisses, which linger from the corner of Ning Jiu's eye to her lower lip and neck, and then continue to suck and kiss her, it's unstoppable.
Ning Jiu initially wanted to hear what he had to say, but as his kiss deepened, her body began to tremble involuntarily, her mind went blank, and all she could feel was the heat of their skin touching.
"Ning Jiu, classmate."
Even after all these years, his voice remained as clear and pleasant as ever, and he wasn't talking about ladies or mistresses, but rather his classmates.
Ning Jiu was in a daze, thinking she had returned to the time when she listened to his lecture during the long break between classes. The next second, her bound hands were raised above her head, and she was in a surrender posture, clinging to him without reservation.
Every part of his body exuded his scent. Qiao Bolin leaned close to her ear, his straight nose slowly tracing the slightly taut veins on her face, and asked her in a clear, well-mannered voice.
"I want to flirt with you, is that okay?"
-----------------------
Author's note: A high fever of 38.7°C
38.7° ( ) ( ) [shy]
Next chapter [Huang Xin]
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My drafts are completely depleted... This chapter is a combined update of two chapters. No update tomorrow, but updates will resume as usual on Sunday and Monday.
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