Chapter 91: A Low-Level Provocation (Part 1)
Five forty in the morning.
Yu Ling woke up feeling a warm and solid embrace. Her senses had already awakened before her consciousness fully cleared.
Her back was pressed against a warm chest, and through the thin silk pajamas, she could clearly feel the steady and strong heartbeat, again and again, like the most reassuring drumbeat, beating on her back.
A strong arm was stretched across her waist, holding her in his arms with unquestionable possessiveness and incomparable tenderness. Behind her neck was a warm and even breath, carrying his unique, refreshing and pleasant woody scent.
She opened her eyes drowsily, and what came into view was the awakening, breathtaking beauty outside the huge floor-to-ceiling window.
Thousands of golden rays of light instantly penetrated the huge glass window and poured into the bedroom unobstructed, sweeping away her sleepiness.
The arms hugging her from behind seemed to sense her awakening, and the arm across her waist tightened. A lazy and hoarse voice, heavy with sleep, sounded behind her ear, and a warm breath brushed against her earlobe:
"Good morning...does it look good?" Zhao Chen's voice was unclear, like a sated big cat, his chin rubbing against her neck contentedly.
"Yeah, it's so beautiful." Yu Ling responded softly, leaning back with a relaxed body, snuggling deeper into the warm embrace, feeling the ultimate tranquility of being completely enveloped by the sunshine and him at this moment.
Last night's honesty, relief and sweetness, like the rising sun, dispelled the last trace of haze in my heart.
The two of them just hugged each other quietly, neither of them speaking, watching the red sun slowly rise into the clear sky, lighting up the entire world. Time seemed to slow down and stretch out at this moment.
Until the sunlight became a little dazzling, Zhao Chen reluctantly let go of his arms and gave her a warm good morning kiss on the shoulder: "Lie down for a while, I'll make breakfast." There was obvious doting in his voice.
Yu Ling turned over and faced him. She couldn't help but stretch out her fingers and gently poke his cheek, which was so close to her. The touch was warm and firm.
"What are you doing?" Zhao Chen caught her restless fingers, put them on his lips and kissed them, his eyes filled with a hazy smile as if he had just woken up.
"Let's see if a certain 'pig' can really make breakfast." Yu Ling teased him deliberately, with a cunning glint in her eyes.
Zhao Chen chuckled and pinched her nose: "Just wait and see." He turned over and got out of bed with quick movements.
Wrapped in a thin blanket, Yu Ling leaned lazily against the huge headboard, her eyes following Zhao Chen as he walked into the open kitchen connected to the bedroom.
Zhao Chen deftly opened the refrigerator and pulled out eggs, milk, toast, and fresh berries. His movements were fluid, lighting the pan and beating the eggs with a crisp, smooth motion. The edges of the omelette quickly became an alluring golden brown.
The pan sizzled, and the air was filled with the enticing aroma of fried eggs and toast. He occasionally looked up in the direction of the bedroom, and when he met Yu Ling's smiling gaze, he would curl up the corners of his lips and return a gentle smile.
The scene was too beautiful to be real. Yu Ling's heart felt like it was soaked in warm syrup, every corner of her body filled with sweet satisfaction.
She even took out her phone and secretly pressed the shutter button at the handsome figure busy for her in the morning light and the smell of fireworks.
Zhao Chen turned around when he heard the voice and looked at her with raised eyebrows: "Taking a secret photo of me?"
"Recording a certain 'pig''s' morning work." Yu Ling shook her phone and smiled like a cat stealing some fish.
Zhao Chen was not annoyed. Instead, he turned around, holding a spatula in one hand and his other hand on his waist, and posed an extremely serious (and extremely artificial) "chef" pose in front of her camera. He also deliberately puffed out his chest, which made Yu Ling laugh again.
Just then, the doorbell rang.
Zhao Chen's brows furrowed slightly, seemingly annoyed by the sudden interruption. He lowered the heat, set down the spatula, and walked toward the entrance, wiping his hands on his apron. Yu Ling also leaned forward to look in, curious.
Soon, Zhao Chen returned, holding a thick white envelope without any courier logo. The envelope was made of fine material, with no written information on the surface. Only a... very exaggerated wax seal with a golden rose pattern was affixed to the seal.
"What is it?" Yu Ling asked curiously.
"I don't know. The property management said it was just stuffed into the mailbox at the gate, and there's no signature."
Zhao Chen said calmly as he casually handed the envelope to Yu Ling. He clearly wasn't interested in something of unknown origin. He turned back to the stove and continued frying eggs. "Open it and take a look. I'll go get something to eat."
Yu Ling took the envelope; it felt heavy in her hand. The golden rose wax seal exuded a deliberate, ostentatious air of deliberate provocation. A faint sense of discomfort welled up in her heart, and she carefully traced the seal with her fingers, tearing away the wax seal.
There is no letter paper in the envelope.
There is only one photo.
A carefully processed, enlarged color photograph.
When the contents of the photo came into clear view, the smile on Yu Ling's face froze instantly! Blood seemed to rush to her head in an instant, then receded completely in the next second, leaving only an icy chill!
The background of the photo is a large bed that looks extremely luxurious, with dark velvet sheets piled up in a messy manner.
In the center of the image, Zhao Chen's eyes were closed, seemingly lost in a deep sleep. His profile remained impeccably handsome in the dim light, his lips slightly pursed, his breathing steady.
The most striking part of the photo was a woman in a sexy lace suspender nightgown, snuggling intimately against Zhao Chen's shoulder! She was leaning sideways, most of her face almost pressed against the crook of Zhao Chen's neck, her chestnut curly hair draped over his bare chest, and one hand resting intimately on his waist! That woman was none other than Gu Qianqian!
She had an extremely satisfied, possessive and sweet smile on her face and looked at the camera provocatively.
The composition, lighting, and even Zhao Chen's defenseless sleeping posture are all incredibly impactful and captivating! It's as if they were a couple who had just made love, cuddling and sleeping intimately!
In the lower right corner of the photo, written in scarlet, blood-red marker, was a line of ferocious, vicious handwriting:
"Look, this is what he looks like when he's asleep. Do you deserve it? Get out of here right now."
Every word was like a poisoned needle, piercing Yu Ling's heart!
The immense impact caused her vision to go black, and the fingers holding the photo began to tremble uncontrollably! A chill, accompanied by a strong sense of nausea, instantly spread from the soles of her feet throughout her body! She could even clearly hear the sound of her teeth chattering!
Although her mind was screaming "Fake! It must be fake!", and although she saw at a glance the extremely subtle but real unnatural connection marks on the edge of the photo left by the clumsy PS (especially the hand of Gu Qianqian on Zhao Chen's waist, the edge pixels were obviously blurred), but this visually impactful picture, especially Zhao Chen's defenseless sleeping appearance, still pierced her psychological defenses like a poisoned dagger!
Is she worthy? Get out of here as soon as possible?
Gu Qianqian's words echoed in my mind like a spell!
"Lingling? What's wrong?" Zhao Chen's voice came from the kitchen, with a hint of doubt. He seemed to notice Yu Ling's sudden stiffness.
Yu Ling snapped back to her senses, and almost as a reflex, she flipped the disgusting photo upside down on the bedside table next to her! She took a deep breath, trying to suppress the churning in her throat, but her voice still carried an undisguised tremor and coldness: "...Nothing."
However, her pale face, the violent heaving of her chest, and the unconcealable shock, hurt, and anger in her eyes said it all.
Zhao Chen keenly noticed her abnormality. He immediately turned off the stove and strode over. He first noticed Yu Ling's clenched fists, her knuckles white, and then his eyes fell on the upside-down photo on the bedside table.
"What is it?" He frowned and reached out to take the photo.
"Don't touch it!" Yu Ling almost screamed, and suddenly reached out to stop him! She didn't want him to see this disgusting thing! This was not only a humiliation to her, but also a blasphemy to Zhao Chen!
But she was still a step slow.
Zhao Chen's slender fingers had already pinched the edge of the photo and turned it over easily.
The moment the carefully crafted "intimate" scene in the photo clearly came into Zhao Chen's eyes—
"boom!"
A terrifying chill, as tangible as a physical substance, suddenly erupted from Zhao Chen! The temperature in the entire bedroom seemed to drop to freezing point in an instant!
All the gentleness, laziness, and morning warmth on his face disappeared without a trace the moment he saw the content of the photo! Instead, it was replaced by a creepy, freezing coldness!
Yu Ling was so frightened by this sudden and unprecedented terrifying aura that she subconsciously took a step back, and her back hit the cold headboard.
Zhao Chen stared at the photo intently, his knuckles turning white from the force he applied to the edge of the photo. A slight, teeth-grinding clacking sound was emitted! The hard photo began to twist and deform in his hands!
The low pressure emanating from his body was so heavy that it was suffocating.
A few seconds of dead silence seemed as long as a century.
Then, Zhao Chen raised his head very slowly and stiffly. His eyes, as cold as the abyss of ice, locked onto Yu Ling's face, which had turned slightly pale with shock and anger.
"Lingling..." His voice was horribly hoarse. He almost stumbled forward, wanting to reach out and touch her, but when he saw her subconsciously shrinking back, he suddenly froze in mid-air! The joints of his hand were pale from the force, and it was trembling slightly.
"This is not true!" Zhao Chen's voice suddenly rose, with a roar of complete rage, his eyes filled with rage of being slandered and anxious to explain.
"Lingling! Look at me! This is fucking fake! It's fake! It was made up by that crazy Gu Qianqian! I never..."
Because of his extreme anger and eagerness to defend himself, he even cursed and spoke so fast that he was almost incoherent.
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