Chapter 40 Bewitching (Bonus Chapter)
Wu Zhou suddenly lifted him up high.
The man was strong and easily bounced him up and down.
Jiang Xia let out a low cry and hurriedly wrapped his arms around Wu Zhou's neck.
The warm light in the hallway cast an indistinct shadow on the man's face.
With each blink of an eye, the light and shadow before Jiang Xia's eyes shifted...
Wu Zhou said in a low voice, "You're drunk."
He instinctively retorted, "I didn't..."
Wu Zhou chuckled, while Jiang Xia tilted his head in confusion.
“Jiang Xia, when you’re drunk, you speak clearly, without pausing or stuttering, but…”
Her eyes were already glazed over...
The last time he saw Jiang Xia was completely drunk... It was a long time ago, and back then Jiang Xia looked just like a normal person.
Jiang Xia, who was always afraid of himself, looked directly into his eyes after drinking and smiled with unusual tenderness.
Like it is now.
Wu Zhou was in a good mood: "Jiang Xia, do you know your eyes are smiling...?"
Before he could finish speaking, Zhan Lintian stopped and stood on the platform of the next step of the stairs, gazing at the two people exchanging intimate words.
His gaze was drawn to the smile in Jiang Xia's eyes, and he couldn't look away...
This was the perfect time for Jiang Xia and Wu Zhou to cultivate their relationship. While Jiang Xia was heartbroken and confused, Wu Zhou was using this approach to strongly comfort him.
Although Wu Zhou was taciturn, he could still understand the thoughts between the lines...
Zhan Lintian quietly clenched his fist; this was the happiness he had originally wanted to help Jiang Xia find.
But why isn't the person holding Jiang Xia right now...?
At that moment, Wu Zhou turned to look at Zhan Lintian, interrupting his thoughts: "You've arrived."
Upon hearing this, Zhan Lintian finally took out a cigarette and lit it.
"So you saw me."
In the flickering firelight, he took a deep breath, his voice even hoarser than before: "Yes, I brought him home. Do you need any help?"
"Thank you, no need." Wu Zhou easily hugged Jiang Xia and thanked him. "Thank you for taking care of him this afternoon."
Zhan Lintian: "No, you went to deal with Wu Ming's matter this afternoon?"
"Um."
He spent almost the entire afternoon lecturing Wu Ming.
Wu Ming cannot accept the current situation. He may like Xie Xingzhang, but he will definitely have feelings for Jiang Xia.
He only wanted to keep it from Jiang Xia so as not to hurt him, but... in the end, Jiang Xia already knew and even blessed his engagement.
If he had known it would turn out this way, he should have overturned the table, abandoned his so-called reputation, and simply sought comfort and forgiveness from Jiang Xia.
That birthday party was really just an accident... He only had a slight liking for Xie Xingzhang, and it was only under the influence of alcohol that things...
"Alright, let's not talk about him anymore." Wu Zhou felt Jiang Xia's back trembling slightly and hugged her tightly.
Wu Zhou lowered his head, his voice relaxed: "Do you want to go to sleep? You're drunk."
Jiang Xia stared at him, her eyes unblinking, but her gaze seemed to be looking through his eyebrows and eyes, recalling the Wu Ming of the past.
Because his eyebrows and eyes resembled Wu Ming's by a third, Jiang Xia leaned on his shoulder, looked at the ground, and without a sob, tears streamed down her cheeks like small jade beads.
He wept silently, his tears soaking Mr. Wu's shirt.
The sudden tears struck the hearts of both of them.
Jiang Xia crumpled the man's coat, buried her head in his shoulder, her shoulder trembling, and sobbed like a trapped beast.
The faint sobs echoed intermittently in the hallway. Zhan Lintian took a step forward, wanting to hug him.
Zhan Lintian and Wu Zhou were about to say something to comfort him.
Jiang Xia's voice choked with emotion: "Wu Ming..."
Wu Zhou suddenly hugged Jiang Xia tightly, his usually calm face turning fierce...
Zhan Lintian's fingers paused, and ash fell from his cigarette.
He clicked his tongue softly and repeated impatiently, "Tsk, Wu Ming."
Jiang Xia cried for a very short time. Perhaps after realizing that her body was "lying" flat, she instinctively thought she was back on the sofa. Her brain tried to distinguish, and finally she rested her head on Wu Zhou's left shoulder, closed her eyes, and couldn't tell the difference...
In the end, Wu Zhou carried Jiang Xia back to the bedroom and arranged for two caregivers to look after him.
When Wu Zhou came downstairs, Zhan Lintian was smoking his second cigarette.
Wu Zhou said softly, "Thank you for taking care of Jiang Xia."
Zhan Lintian glanced at him sideways, then smiled and said, "What, are you going to thank my friend as his boyfriend?"
Wu Zhou asked, "After all, you are also a friend of Jiangxia."
Zhan Lintian scoffed: "No matter what we do with Wu Ming, as long as he shows up, Jiang Xia will definitely be heartbroken."
Wu Zhou said coldly, "I want to send him abroad."
Zhan Lintian raised an eyebrow: "Well done. Just ask if you need any help."
The two people reached an agreement at a certain moment.
"It's getting late, I'll be going now." Zhan Lintian waved his hand.
Wu Zhou hummed in agreement and watched Zhan Lintian leave.
Wu Zhou waited outside for a while before returning to the room.
When he walked in, Jiang Xia was much more awake; he had woken up when the two nurses wiped his face and hands.
But as soon as Mr. Wu came in, Jiang Xia hurriedly closed his eyes and pretended to be asleep.
The bed edge bounced, and the man blocked the light in the living room, causing Jiang Xia to feel a sudden darkness before his eyes.
Wu Zhou looked at Jiang Xia, whose figure had matured and grown taller, and noticed that Jiang Xia's pupils seemed to move slightly.
Wu Zhou chuckled: "Awake? Would you like some water?"
Seeing that he couldn't keep up the act any longer, Jiang Xia slowly opened his eyes, sat up against the headboard, and greeted, "President Wu."
Wu Zhou placed his palm on his cheek: "Your face is still a little hot, drink some water to replenish your fluids."
Wu Zhou asked the two caregivers to leave the bedroom and close the door behind them.
Jiang Xia took the cup and drank about half of it; he was very thirsty.
Wu Zhou looked at Jiang Xia's lips, which were wet with water, and leaned closer to him, his hands supporting him on either side. He thought of the two words "Wu Ming" that Jiang Xia had just murmured.
Wu Zhou's voice was filled with lust: "Jiangxia..."
He wanted to kiss him, to hold him close, not just kiss his lips, but to guide him to open his mouth and taste his soft tongue.
As he gradually matured from the river gorge, he grew from a budding youth into a slender figure with a more mature face, acquiring a touch of pitiful yet endearing charm.
He had known Wu Ming for fourteen years, and he had also been watching him for nine years, or even more. For the six years that they had not officially met, he had always heard news about him from Wu Ming.
Wu Zhou approached slowly and without using force.
Jiang Xia pressed her hands against his forearms, but it was no use; the man's arm muscles were too thick, and she couldn't pinch or stop him.
Wu Zhou said softly, "As long as you're happy, anything is fine."
Jiang Xia gave a soft "hmm".
The two stared at each other for a long time, understanding the emotions in each other's eyes in this silent confrontation.
Jiang Xia was defeated first, quickly turning his head away, not daring to even glance at him again.
Wu Zhou spoke slowly, as if considering his words, his voice hoarse and hesitant, "Jiang Xia, I'll kiss you in a few days... If you don't push me away forcefully then, I'll take it as you liking me too. After that, I'll formally confess to you, we'll become lovers, I'll hug you, I'll kiss you, and we'll sleep together at night..."
His behavior has long crossed the line.
She took Jiangxia to see the meteor shower, invited him to dinner time and time again, and gave him exquisite gifts.
He probed step by step, quietly taking a place in Jiang Xia's heart.
He finally revealed his true intentions.
Even if Jiang Xia wanted to feel disgusted, she should first consider whether everything she had done for him could outweigh his abruptness at this moment.
Jiang Xia's whole body was burning hot, the heat rising to his face. He was leaning against the headboard, with nowhere to retreat.
If she moved a little closer, she would let the man in front of her kiss her.
Mr. Wu, who could have talked to me about literature before, now seemed to have been pushed to the limit and was extremely aggressive.
Wu Zhou squinted and said, "If thinking will cause you pain, then for the next few days, I hope you will only think about my affairs."
"Jiang Xia, do you know... your face is completely red."
Jiang Xia pursed her lips and stared at him with wide eyes.
Seeing his pitiful appearance, Wu Zhou softened his tone: "Get some rest."
Wu Zhou got up, turned off the light, and left, closing the door behind him.
Jiang Xia lay down in a daze, his thoughts a jumbled mess, growing more and more confused the more he thought about it.
Jiang Xia blurted out, "Good night."
A soft laugh came from outside the door: "Mmm, sweet dreams."
The room was pitch black, and Jiang Xia forced himself to close his eyes and rest.
He had just closed his eyes, about to sigh, when Wu Zhou's words popped into his ears: "I'm going to kiss you in a few days."
He forced himself to think about Wu Ming again, but it didn't work.
He didn't actually dislike Wu Zhou, but... but he never thought about being this close.
Jiang Xia buried his face in the quilt. After a long while, he took out his phone to ask for help. He opened WeChat, but Wu Ming's messages were set to "Do Not Disturb".
When Wu Ming saw that he didn't reply, he kept sending text messages.
99+ messages
"Jiang Xia, I'm sorry, I shouldn't have lied to you."
"I just feel that Xie Xingzhang and I don't want to get married, and this engagement is just for fun, which is why I don't want you to participate."
"Besides, the engagement party is full of people you don't know. I was afraid you'd feel awkward, so I arranged for you to go to an island."
"I stayed up all night to make that travel plan."
"Jiang Xia, please come back to me, okay..."
"Aren't we friends? Jiang Xia, can I come see you tomorrow?"
Jiang Xia pretended not to see it and deliberately did not reply.
Wu Zhou's situation was quite serious; it was the first time someone had expressed love to him so fiercely.
Wu Zhou treated himself very well. He had a bit of an ostrich mentality and always felt that there must be a better way to handle this matter.
He... has been including Wu Zhou in his circle of friends these days, and doesn't want to lose a friend.
However, Wu Zhou's intentions had clearly crossed the line of "friends".
After Zhan Lintian got home, he didn't sleep. He sat on the sofa in his study smoking. When he saw Jiang Xia's message, he immediately put the cigarette in the ashtray.
He quickly sat up straight and read the information about Jiangxia word by word.
After reading it, he scoffed. Wu Zhou had made his move.
Wu Ming is the obstacle Jiang Xia can't get over. He has loved her for so many years. If Jiang Xia is allowed to easily fall in love with someone else, she will feel lost.
He questioned his fourteen-year-long unrequited love.
Today, Jiang Xia and Wu Ming have almost completely severed their friendship.
But relationships between people are most easily changed by push and pull. What if Wu Ming shamelessly uses a self-inflicted injury scheme? Would Jiang Xia soften his heart? Would he be unable to bear seeing him get into trouble?
Zhan Lintian simply requested a video call, and to his surprise, Jiang Xia answered immediately.
The screen was completely dark, and I couldn't see anything.
Jiang Xia apologized softly, and then Zhan Lintian heard a click, and the screen lit up, revealing the other side of the screen.
Zhan Lintian paused, his breath catching in his throat. He had seen it many times before, but tonight… On the screen, Jiang Xia gently pursed his lips, a gesture that revealed a faint red mole on his left cheek.
Under the lights, his features were refined, and he had long lost his youthful naiveté, exuding an aura of maturity. Yet, he remained clueless and lost when it came to matters of the heart.
Zhan Lintian's Adam's apple bobbed, and he deliberately lowered his voice, his tone leaving no room for refusal: "Then wait for me at home tomorrow, and I'll come to find you, okay?"
.
A note from the author:
Jiang Xia has studied for so many years and worked for five years, surrounded by cultured people. Where has he ever encountered such an unreasonable rogue?
Wu Ming: Brother, President Zhan, aren't you students who studied abroad?
Wu Zhou: I'll send you abroad to study tomorrow.
Zhan Lintian: A scholar? I'm a master's student in water science. [Okay]
Last time in the author's notes, I mentioned that President Zhan coaxed Jiang Xia... Actually, in the draft box, President Zhan liked to kiss Jiang Xia all over, but Jiang Xia would feel shy about this behavior, so President Zhan usually coaxed and lied to her.
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