Outside, the air was bitterly cold, but inside, it was warm and inviting, as if the air itself was about to burst into flames.
Lin Zhi truly meant what he said and did whatever he wanted, as if he wanted to make up for everything that had happened before. The suppressed breathing on the bed didn't stop until the middle of the night.
By the end, Jiang Chuting didn't even have the strength to lift a finger.
As Jiang Chuting drifted off to sleep, feeling unwell, aches, and exhaustion, he thought he would have a deep sleep. However, he was plunged into a long dream. It wasn't a nightmare, but the dream was filled with boundless darkness, without a single ray of light. This negative and oppressive feeling was like a hand tightly gripping his heart, and he felt like he couldn't breathe.
In the darkness, Zique's heartbroken voice suddenly rang out.
"Chu Ting, Chu Ting...why are you doing this to me?"
Lin Zhi, who was sleeping soundly with him in her arms, was awakened by his movement. Seeing that his face was pale, his brows were furrowed, his lips were moving but he could only breathe heavily, and his forehead was covered with fine sweat, he looked very uncomfortable. She quickly reached out to push him awake, "Chu Ran, Chu Ran, what's wrong? Wake up, wake up quickly."
Jiang Chuting's eyelids trembled, and it took her a while to slowly open her eyes. She stared straight at a point in the air without saying a word.
Lin Zhi wiped his sweat and leaned closer to whisper, "What's wrong? Did you have a nightmare?"
Jiang Chuting then turned to look at him and gave a soft "hmm." Lin Zhi, remembering the previous time, asked again, "You didn't dream that something happened to me again, did you?"
Jiang Chuting had regained some of her senses. She shook her head and forced a smile. "No, it was just a normal nightmare. Go to sleep." This time, she wasn't carrying the wooden hairpin, yet she still dreamt of Zique. Could this be the unease hidden deep within her heart?
Lin Zhifang said softly, "Then I'll hold you tighter so you can think of me as you sleep and have a sweet dream."
"good."
Lin Zhi kissed his forehead, and Jiang Chuting closed his eyes, his mind a jumble of thoughts. He drifted off to sleep after a long, hazy time. This time, he finally didn't dream.
Jiang Chuting usually has a very regular schedule, but this time he didn't wake up until almost 9 a.m. When he opened his eyes, he saw Lin Zhi's bright and cheerful smile, which made him feel much better.
"Awake?"
"Um."
Because of the physical intimacy, the atmosphere between the two was noticeably different from before. It was as if even a simple glance was filled with burning heat, and a brief conversation was filled with tender affection.
Lin Zhi lay down beside him and said, "You must be hungry. Lie down and I'll bring you something to eat."
Although her body did feel strangely uncomfortable from being run over, it wasn't to the point of needing to eat in bed. Jiang Chuting said, "No need." After a while, she managed to sit up.
Lin Zhi straightened up, reached out to support him, and watched as his gaze deepened, his Adam's apple bobbing involuntarily.
His disheveled hair, thin clothes, and ravaged appearance were truly unbearable to behold.
For the umpteenth time, I began to recall last night. The usually aloof and gentle person was imprisoned in his arms, unable to break free or escape, like a beautiful flower, pure and otherworldly, covered in dew, being ruthlessly plucked, abused, and crushed. Her fragile, trembling body revealed a captivating allure.
That's the downside of young people; they're prone to impulsiveness just thinking about it.
Lin Zhi pushed him back down after he had already sat up, leaned down, and said in a hoarse voice to the person whose eyes had widened slightly, "Wait a minute, save the food for later..."
After repeating this routine for about three days, Jiang Chuting stopped indulging him endlessly. After resting for two days, she went out to continue the investigation she hadn't finished.
This time, there was finally some progress. However, the male prostitute suffering from the strange abdominal pain hadn't died; instead, he had mysteriously disappeared. After visiting several places, the two obtained a clue: he might have been kidnapped. But after tracing all the way to Jiangling, the remaining clues abruptly ended. Continuing the search would only be like headless flies, a waste of effort, so they had to give up for the time being.
Lin Zhi felt increasingly frustrated by the difficulty of investigating this matter, as if he were digging up a truth buried deep underground, only to encounter a rock that blocked the progress every time he dug up a bit of soil.
At this rate, I don't know when we'll be able to dig the things out of the ground.
When Jiang Chuting heard Lin Zhi say that Shao Jun had followed his advice and hired a security escort to come to Jiangling, he went to the address that Shao Jun had left behind. However, Shao Jun's friend said that he had indeed come, but then left.
Since this so-called friend was indifferent, Jiang Chuting didn't ask any more questions and left with Lin Zhi.
At noon, the two found a restaurant to eat. Jiang Chuting's requirement for Lin Zhi was that when they were alone, he could do whatever he wanted, but in public, he had to behave properly and not attract attention. So now Lin Zhi was sitting quietly by himself, not clinging to him, but that didn't stop him from serving Jiang Chuting food and soup.
"Chu Ran, eat more, you've lost weight." Lin Zhi quickly filled his bowl to the brim.
Even though he was busy every day with the investigation, it didn't stop Lin Zhi from releasing his boundless energy. So, in fact, Jiang Chuting's weight loss wasn't due to a lack of food, but mostly from being exhausted from following him. However, Jiang Chuting didn't refuse his kindness. With gentle eyes, she smiled and said, "Okay, you should eat more too."
The two were sitting near the door when a little boy, who looked to be less than four years old, suddenly ran in from outside. He was wearing a thick cotton coat and stared longingly at the fragrant food on the table, with glistening drool dripping from the corner of his mouth.
Although he was a bit thin, judging from his clothes, he didn't look like a starving beggar. Jiang Chuting didn't rush to give him food, but looked up at the person behind him.
Sure enough, a young man carrying a bundle strode in angrily. The two men shared a vague resemblance, suggesting he was the child's father. However, his actions were surprising. Without a word, he slapped the child twice across the face, making him cry loudly, yelling, "How many times have I told you not to run around? Don't run around! If you run again, I'll kill you! It'll save me the trouble of worrying all the time!" He raised his hand to strike again, but Jiang Chuting flashed in front of the child, grabbing the young man's wrist and stopping him.
Jiang Chuting looked at the young man in front of her, whose features were still quite handsome but whose face was gloomy, and kindly advised, "The child is still young. Even if he has made a mistake, you should discipline him patiently. You shouldn't be so harsh."
Others in the restaurant who witnessed this scene also echoed this sentiment, feeling that he had gone too far with the child.
The young man possessed some internal strength, yet he couldn't break free from Jiang Chuting's grip. He sneered, every word seemingly laced with anger: "This is my own child. How I manage him is my own business. What's it to you? Let me go!"
Before Jiang Chuting could release him, the little boy who had been shielded behind him, with two slap marks on his face, ran to the young man's side, hugged his leg, and cried, "Daddy, I... I was wrong. I won't run around anymore. Please don't be angry."
The child seemed very dependent on this father. After speaking, he turned slightly and tugged hard at Jiang Chuting's clothes, saying, "Let go of my father."
Jiang Chuting let go.
The young man, his face cold and stern, raised his hand and forcefully wiped away the tears on the child's face. "What are you crying for? You're stupid and clumsy, all you know how to do is cry! How could I be so soft-hearted as to keep a piece of trash like you!" He finished cursing through gritted teeth and dragged the staggering child away.
Only after the child's crying faded into the distance did Jiang Chuting and Lin Zhi return to their seats.
Lin Zhi replaced Jiang Chuting's bowl of hot soup with a fresh one, observed his expression, and said, "Are you worried? Actually, the child seems to still rely on him a lot. He was probably just acting impulsively out of anger, he won't really do anything." When someone is angry, it's not good to interfere too much, so letting him go earlier was the right thing to do.
Jiang Chuting hummed in agreement. Lin Zhijing paused for a moment, then suddenly leaned closer and asked, "Chu Ran, do you like children?"
Speaking of children, Jiang Chuting recalled Lin Zhi's words at the Huang residence: "Whether or not we have offspring is not important." He increasingly realized that Lin Zhi had actually given him many explicit and implicit hints before, but at that time his thinking was limited, and he had not thought much about them.
Hearing his question, she looked back at him and solemnly replied, "I like it, but whether I have it or not is not important."
Lin Zhi secretly breathed a sigh of relief, then rested her chin on her hand, revealing her tiger teeth and flashing a bright smile at him, "Just as I thought, what do we need children for? It's enough for the two of us to have each other in this life."
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Although today's content is short, I have written a three-line poem for this article.
ah
Survive
Cannot be a pigeon
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