Chapter 53: Double the Clinginess (Part 1)
Gu Qianqian's coquettish, piercing "Brother Chen" echoed like a poisonous demonic sound, reverberating deep within Yu Ling's eardrums and completely shattering the "trust" that had been barely held together by the lease contract. Zhao Chen's rhetoric of "a neurotic old acquaintance," "not having a clear mind," and "persistently pursuing her" sounded laughably weak and even tinged with a kind of embarrassment that only served to conceal its own shortcomings.
That night, she was like a puppet without a soul, held tightly in Zhao Chen's arms, enduring his kiss on the top of her head, which was full of comfort and strong possessiveness, and listening to him repeat over and over again, "Don't be afraid, I'm here", "No one can hurt you".
His embrace was still warm, his heartbeat was still steady, but Yu Ling felt that beneath that warmth was a bottomless cold pool, and within that steady heartbeat were unpredictable waves.
She didn't question or struggle anymore, but just closed her eyes stiffly, sealing all the fear, anger and cold despair in the deepest part of her heart.
The next morning, Yu Ling woke in Zhao Chen's arms. He held her in the same position he had held the previous night, his chin resting on the top of her head, his breathing steady and long, as if the storm last night had been just a nightmare. But as soon as Yu Ling opened her eyes, Gu Qianqian's coquettish sobs and Zhao Chen's sudden outburst of anger immediately flooded her mind, causing her to freeze.
She carefully moved her body away, trying to escape the suffocating embrace without waking him.
However, the moment she moved, Zhao Chen's arms tightened. He seemed prepared, or perhaps, perhaps, he wasn't even asleep at all. He closed his eyes, a lazy murmur emanating from his throat. Like a large cat awakened, he slid his long arms around her, locking her tighter in his embrace. He nuzzled his cheek against her neck, his voice hoarse and heavy with longing, "Lingling, sleep a little longer."
Yu Ling's body instantly tensed, like a fully drawn bowstring. She lay frozen, feeling his warm breath brush against the sensitive skin of her neck, bringing a shuddering tingling sensation and a strong sense of repulsion. She could even smell his clean, fresh scent, a scent that once brought her peace of mind, but now felt like an invisible rope, strangling her breath.
She remained silent and did not respond.
Zhao Chen seemed to notice her stiffness and silence. He finally slowly opened his eyes. There was no haziness in them from just waking up, only a clear, scrutinizing, and probing gaze. He lifted himself slightly, looking down at Yu Ling's pale, tense face. His fingertips gently brushed away a strand of hair from her cheek. His movements were gentle, but his voice was slightly strained.
"Lingling, are you still thinking about what happened last night?" He paused, his tone deliberately relaxed, with a hint of helpless doting, "Didn't I explain it to you? An insignificant old classmate, whom I met when I was studying abroad. His family has some background, and he was spoiled and lawless.
She pursued me for a while, but I clearly rejected her, and then, out of love turning to hate, she kept pestering me.” He casually labeled Gu Qianqian a “pursuer whose love turned to hate,” attempting to downplay all the complicated past.
"Old classmate?"
Yu Ling finally couldn't help but speak, her voice hoarse and dry. She didn't look at him, her eyes fixed on the ceiling. "What kind of 'old classmate' would call you 'Brother Chen'? Would get hysterical just because you blocked her? Would chase you all the way to New York?"
Her words were like cold stones, smashing into the peaceful situation Zhao Chen was trying to cover up.
Zhao Chen's brows furrowed slightly, then relaxed again, a look of annoyance and resentment on his face, as if he were being pestered by a fussy child. He lowered his head and gave Yu Ling a quick peck on her tightly pursed lips, a gesture that was both comforting and forceful, interrupting her questioning with undeniable force.
"Lingling, are you jealous?" He raised his lips to a mischievous and indulgent smile, his eyes sparkling as he looked at her, as if he had discovered something interesting. "Just because of a crazy woman's random name? And those crazy words?"
He stretched out his finger and gently tapped the tip of Yu Ling's nose, his tone filled with exaggerated grievance, "She was deliberately disgusting me and trying to sow discord between us! How could you take it seriously? When did my Lingling become so petty?"
As he spoke, he hugged her tighter, rubbing his chin against the top of her head like a spoiled large dog. His voice was muffled, with a strong nasal tone and a deliberate show of weakness:
"I don't care! My wife is jealous and unhappy. It's all that crazy woman's fault! I'm hurt! I need Lingling's kisses and hugs to heal!"
He didn't give her any room to continue questioning, and used this almost cheating way of "acting coquettishly" and "changing the subject" to forcibly turn all the doubts into a "sweet storm of jealousy."
Yu Ling was bewildered by his sudden, childish, and utterly childish "coquettish" behavior. Looking at his handsome face, so close to her, etched with a look of grievance and a plea for comfort, and then thinking back to his usual gentle and calm demeanor, or his cold and assertive demeanor, the stark contrast left her momentarily unsure how to react. The rage and coldness within her heart softened somewhat at the impact of this scoundrel's clinginess.
Zhao Chen keenly caught the momentary confusion and softening in her eyes and immediately pressed the issue. No longer content with a hug, he began to become even more clingy.
"Human-shaped pendant" in the early morning.
Yu Ling was brushing her teeth in the bathroom when Zhao Chen leaned against the door frame, a razor in his hand, his eyes glued to her, and he kept muttering:
"Lingling, how about wearing that beige sweater today? It suits your skin tone, and the neckline won't be too low? How about changing to the high-necked one? Oh! There is foam at the corner of your mouth, let me help you wipe it." As he said that, he came over with a towel, and his movements were so natural that it seemed a matter of course.
Your personal driver and jukebox on your commute.
The car drove towards the Genesis Building. Zhao Chen, no longer content with driving quietly, began playing some upbeat pop songs, his slender fingers tapping the steering wheel to keep the beat, occasionally humming along, his off-tune self-assured. When waiting at a red light, he would tilt his head and look at Yu Ling with sparkling eyes:
"Lingling, what do you think of this song? Isn't it sweet? Does it sound like us?" Yu Ling felt uncomfortable being stared at by him. She could only mumble "hmm" and complained in her heart: It sounds like you! You're so off-key!
"Food bombing" during lunch break.
Yu Ling had just sat down in the cafeteria with her colleagues when Zhao Chen bombarded her with messages:
"Lingling, have you eaten yet?"
"What's in the cafeteria today? Is it delicious?"
"I asked a friend's restaurant to send over some steamed grouper and crab roe tofu. It should be here soon! Try it, it's definitely better than the cafeteria's!"
A few minutes later, the delivery man, dressed in a high-end restaurant uniform, arrived with an exquisitely insulated food container, accurately delivering it to Yu Ling, to the astonished gazes of the cafeteria's guests. The food container was opened, and the aroma filled the air, drawing envious gasps from the crowd.
Yu Ling looked at the teasing eyes of her colleague opposite her, her cheeks flushed and she wished she could find a hole in the ground to crawl into, but in her heart she felt a secret sweetness of being pampered.
"Super glue" after get off work.
Yu Ling wanted to go shopping with her best friend Su Qing. As soon as she walked out of the company building, Zhao Chen's car showed up on time, as if it had GPS.
The car window rolled down, revealing his face with a gentle smile:
"What a coincidence? I just finished my business nearby. Lingling, do you want to go shopping? I'll take you there."
Under the helpless and amused gazes of Yu Ling and Su Qing, Zhao Chen naturally took on the roles of driver, bag carrier and mobile ATM machine.
He was incredibly patient, never complaining, and even offered "professional" advice (usually on the most expensive) when they were struggling over which dress to buy. But his gaze was always glued to Yu Ling like superglue. Whenever Su Qing occasionally pulled Yu Ling to look at something else or wandered off for a few steps, Zhao Chen would immediately follow like a large dog afraid of being abandoned, his eyes filled with a hint of grievance, a sense of being ignored.
Su Qing whispered to Ling: "Lingling, your clingy guy's skills have improved again! The radius of his protection range is no more than 1.5 meters, right?"
Zhao Chen's all-encompassing, all-encompassing, even somewhat childish, clinginess completely enveloped Yu Ling's life like a carefully orchestrated sweet storm. He no longer allowed her any space for solitude or reflection. With meticulous care, exaggerated displays of weakness, and an omnipresent presence, he forcibly dispelled the gloom brought on by Gu Qianqian's phone call.
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