Chapter 45: Just treat it as a one-night stand, forget about it.
The refrigerator was opened, and Tan Zhaojing took out eggs and ham. "Would noodles be okay?"
Lin Zaoyi nodded.
Tan Zhaojing went to the kitchen. She tried not to pay attention, but her gaze kept glancing in his direction, intentionally or unintentionally.
She was being narrow-minded; the young master really can cook.
It's true that someone who has a good appearance and can cook is quite attractive.
Just like now, she was completely mesmerized.
To avoid being infatuated, Lin Zaoyi went to the living room to cut off their view.
About five minutes later, Tan Zhaojing brought out two bowls of noodles, saying, "I don't know the ratio of vinegar, so you can adjust it yourself."
It's not necessary to add vinegar.
She picked up a few noodles and put them in her mouth; the taste was better than she had imagined.
"Delicious?" he asked.
"Um."
After that, silence surrounded them.
Silently, the noodles in the bowl were emptied.
The man sitting opposite her had already finished eating. He was looking down at his phone, and perhaps sensing her gaze, he looked over. "Shall we talk?"
She tensed up and instinctively tried to escape, saying, "I have something to do."
"Lin Zaoyi," Tan Zhaojing's eyes darkened, "how long are you going to hide?"
Her tone wasn't exactly aggressive, but her presence was undeniable. Lin Zaoyi lowered her eyes, concealing the hidden panic in her heart. "It's not that I'm hiding, it's just that I feel... I feel..."
I seem to have run out of words; I can't find the words to explain.
Tan Zhaojing lowered his eyes slightly, "No rush, I'll give you half a minute to think about how to make this up."
Using this word is quite insulting.
But Lin Zaoyi felt she wasn't wrong. She took a deep breath and spoke with deliberate calmness, "I won't make it up. What you see as avoidance is a consensus among me."
"A consensus?" Tan Zhaojing smiled, but his tone was cold. "They asked for my opinion."
Lin Zaoyi's scalp tightened. "Is it too late to ask now?"
"I'm afraid it's too late."
He stood up and walked over to her. She subconsciously looked up and saw his usually indifferent eyes filled with tears. "You think it's a consensus, but I think you're kicking me after I've served my purpose. Lin Zaoyi, who taught you to use me and then run away? What do you take me for? A sex toy?"
Fear welled up from the bottom of her heart, and she showed signs of breaking down. "You...what do you want..."
Swallowing repeatedly, she managed to ask with difficulty, "You want me to be your woman you can't show in public?"
The room fell silent as soon as he said that.
Tan Zhaojing's gaze, which fell on her face, turned several inches colder in a silent surge.
After a brief silence, he parted his lips slightly and asked, "What if I said yes?"
Lin Zaoyi looked at the man in disbelief. It turned out that even someone like Tan Zhaojing couldn't escape the inherent flaws of men.
She jumped to her feet, shouting, "I refuse!"
Her eyes were red and clear, but she didn't let the tears fall. "I can't agree to that. I was the one who provoked you first, but that's not the price I pay for becoming your mistress!"
"Then take responsibility."
The man's tone was filled with the controlling desire of someone in a superior position, "You choose one."
"How...who will take responsibility?" She was no longer as ashamed and indignant as before.
He said, "Come to my side, how about it?"
The air froze and solidified once again.
Lin Zaoyi was just as shocked as she had been a minute ago. She murmured, "Is there another option?"
What do you think?
A rhetorical question extinguished her last shred of hope; her chest tightened, and she felt suffocated.
I wanted to cry, I wanted to kick him a few times, and I wanted to call my mother and Uncle Tan over without a care in the world, to let them see what kind of scoundrel is under that composed and polite exterior!
But ultimately, it was her fault—she dared not and could not.
Sensing the change in her aura, Tan Zhaojing raised his hand, his fingertips touching the corners of her reddened eyes, and gently stroked them twice. "Don't rush to nod."
Lin Zaoyi thought there was room for negotiation, and the pent-up frustration in her chest faltered. "You mean you can refuse?"
You're overthinking it.
The voice that reached your ear was warm, but the words that came out were ruthless: "I'm just giving you some time to process this."
He pinched her chin and shook it gently. "I'll give you time, but not indefinitely. My patience is limited."
Her eyelashes twitched unconsciously twice. "Does it have to be like this...?"
Tan Zhaojing's lips curled into a slight smile. "Don't tell me you still don't understand."
Understand.
But not.
"we are--"
“Lin Zaoyi, my surname is Tan.” Tan Zhaojing interrupted him without any emotion.
Lin Zaoyi panicked, but had nowhere to hide. Risking her life, she said, "But I don't want to. Let's just treat it as a one-night stand and forget about it."
As the words fell, she clearly felt something crack open within Tan Zhaojing, followed by a storm. He sneered, "A one-night stand?"
"Lin Zaoyi, it seems I'm still too easy to talk to. Since that's the case—"
"Brother Zhaojing!" It was her turn to interrupt him. She pinched herself hard, trying to drive away the complicated feelings he evoked in her. "I shouldn't have said that. Don't be angry with me. I was just talking nonsense..."
Tan Zhaojing was no longer as assertive as before, but his eyes were still misty and deep. "So what do you mean?"
Little did she know that the suppressed emotions couldn't be stopped by pain. A gash had already been made, and in a short while, all that rushed in was helplessness.
A mist rose in her eyes, then her eyelashes became wet, and her eyeballs drooped one by one.
Tan Zhaojing: "...Why are you crying?"
The girl ignored him, hanging her head and crying incessantly. He tried to wipe her tears, but she backed away.
"I need to hold and comfort her."
Her sobs stopped abruptly. She raised her head, her eyes brimming with tears, and looked at him. "No need."
"Why not? You're crying in front of me, doesn't that mean you want me to comfort you?"
"Of course not!"
Lin Zaoyi forced herself to stop, her heart full of grievances, and roughly wiped her face with the back of her hand. "Okay, I'm not crying anymore."
She stopped crying, but occasionally sobbed.
Tan Zhaojing softened once again. There was a bag of candy on the coffee table. He took one out, tore open the wrapper, and stuffed it into her mouth without saying a word, "It's like I'm bullying you."
That's bullying.
With something in her mouth, Lin Zaoyi couldn't speak easily. She licked her tongue, pressed the candy to her cheek, and was about to open her mouth when his finger reached out and poked her cheek.
Her first instinct was to slap his hand away, but this time he anticipated it. Her arm was still in mid-air when he grabbed it. Not only that, he also pulled her towards his chest. The sudden closeness made her heart jump like a hook.
Why are you arresting me?
"If I don't arrest him, am I supposed to let you beat me?"
"...Who told you to poke me?"
Tan Zhaojing's lips curled into a faint smile. "If you poke me, you'll get hit. What about the fact that you bit me like that?"
Lin Zaoyi went silent.
"Trying to deny it again?" His voice brushed past my head.
The word "又" is the key word.
She gave up entirely, saying, "Yeah, I won't admit it, I won't admit to anything!"
Contrary to expectations, Tan Zhaojing's lips curled into a slight smile. "If that's how you want it to be, then I have no choice but to—"
He paused mysteriously, as if trying to entice her to continue, and she fell for it, stammering, "Only what?"
He bent his neck, getting closer inch by inch, his breath warm and gentle, brushing against her ear, but the words he uttered were domineering and shameless.
He said, "Come on, strong one."
"???"
"..."
"!!!"
In just a few seconds, his face turned bright red as he forced her to shake her wrist, but she couldn't shake him off.
Tan Zhaojing glanced at her and asked, "Why are you crying again?"
Lin Zaoyi doesn't like to cry, but she repeatedly let her emotions show in front of him. As he spoke, tears started falling again without warning.
"Loosen up."
Tan Zhaojing softened; if he hadn't, his tears would have drowned him. "You cry when you can't win an argument? Who taught you that?"
His clean, slightly cold voice carried a clear sense of helplessness.
Lin Zaoyi didn't want to communicate anymore. She turned on her toes, headed straight for her room, and slammed the door shut.
Tan Zhaojing outside the door: "..."
Bad temper.
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