Chapter 49: Life's Journey
Song Ting paused and glanced at his phone. Nan Jiu also turned his gaze and saw the incoming call light up on the screen.
"Don't you want to answer it?" Song Ting stood up, but did not withdraw. The corners of his mouth rose very slowly, and his eyes were full of coldness.
Nan Jiu withdrew his gaze, and the blush on his face faded a little.
Song Ting's knuckles, with unwavering force, pierced the back of her neck, pulling her face toward him and rubbing against her lips. Complex, dark emotions ignited within him, more like a brand than a kiss. His scent invaded any associations she might have with another man.
She struggled slightly in pain, but this resistance only provoked him to suppress her even more forcefully. His arms were like iron hoops, pinning her wrists above her head.
The phone continued to ring, the ringing like a death spell. His ferocious speed left his body in a shadow. It wasn't until she saw the madness in his eyes that she finally snapped out of her turmoil. She realized what he was about to do, twisted her wrist in his grip, and pulled back hard, a moment of panic washing away all emotion.
He approached, trapped her at the head of the bed, just like she had done to him when she was 20 years old, unreasonable, ignoring the rules, and forcing her to release all her crazy thoughts.
He held her waist tightly, and she watched helplessly and panicked as he branded his hot mark into her body.
Her heart was beating so hard it was about to burst out of her throat. "Are you crazy?"
"Yeah..." His voice was so close, so close that it hit Nanjiu's eardrums, vibrating along with her heartbeat. "Then you can see for yourself how crazy I am."
He let go of her and stood up. She was gasping for breath, exhausted and dazed.
The ringing of cell phones had long been drowned out by the fierce collision.
Song Ting got off the bed, glanced at her, and reminded her: "Call back."
After that, he went to the shower room.
Nan Jiu leaned against the headboard, taking a long moment to relax before turning her head and picking up her phone. Before she could dial, Lin Songyao called again.
Nanjiu glanced towards the shower room, then looked away and answered the phone: "Hello." She tried her best to adjust her voice, but there was still some tenderness in her voice after the tide had passed.
"Why haven't you answered the phone? What are you doing?"
After a brief silence, Nan Jiu replied, "Busy."
Song Ting walked out of the shower room. Nan Jiu glanced at him, his expression slightly unnatural.
He took the tissue and walked straight towards her.
The room was too quiet. Lin Songyao's voice came through the receiver with unmistakable precision: "What are you so busy about that you don't even have time to answer the phone?"
"I saw the phone."
"Why didn't you reply to me when you saw it?"
"I'm not..."
Song Ting sat back on the bed, held her knees and spread them apart. He took out a tissue and wiped away the traces he had left on her.
His fingertips brushed past, and a tingling sensation like an electric shock suddenly surged up. Nan Jiu's face suddenly changed.
Seeing that she was silent, Lin Songyao's voice on the phone became a little impatient: "What's wrong with you?"
Nan Jiu curled up her toes, clenched her phone, and replied to him: "There's been a lot going on here these days. If you have anything to say... wait until I get back."
Song Ting's face darkened slightly, and his cold gaze pressed against her. Their skin touched, but there was no warmth at all, only a burning desire to conquer.
The momentary tension made Nanjiu almost dare not breathe.
"Where is your uncle? Hasn't he come back yet?" Lin Songyao asked.
Song Ting slowly tilted his neck and coldly examined every subtle expression on her face.
Nan Jiu's body trembled uncontrollably as she stared intently at Song Ting's eyes, her inner alarm ringing. At this moment, he could easily have her imprisoned if he wanted to. She didn't dare to provoke him, and replied in a dry voice, "No."
Hearing her lying to the man on the other end of the phone, Song Ting suddenly smiled.
"Do you need me to come over?"
Song Ting frowned, then straightened up, the overwhelming pressure finally easing away. Just as Nan Jiu's tense nerves relaxed, a relentless blow struck him the next second.
Her waist softened instantly and she bit her lip to suppress the exclamation that was about to come out.
"No need, I'll be back in a few days. Bye." Nan Jiu quickly hung up the phone, and the phone fell from his palm.
The air was filled with the rusty smell of blood, a sign of danger seeping from beneath his bandages, intertwined with the breaking sound escaping her lips.
The hoarse voice that rolled out of his throat rubbed her heart: "Did I ask you to go back?"
In this room, she gave him her first time. He had seen the blurry look in her eyes when she was aroused, and heard her helpless whimper like a young animal. He had experienced the wildness that drove men crazy, and he had faced the endless desire in her eyes.
Hearing her promise to the man on the phone to go back, and thinking about these things that originally belonged to him being touched by others, Song Ting's broken rationality roared in his mind, turning into paranoid possession again and again.
He pressed his knuckles hard, leaving forbidden red marks on her skin. He trapped her beneath him, his tone filled with uncontrollable anger: "Don't even think about going anywhere. I'll compensate you for any lost business. If that man has any complaints, let him come to me."
Nanjiu's lithe body was nearly crushed by his uncontrolled force. His consciousness drifted in and out of control, yet he had to forcefully maintain a last shred of clarity, focusing his attention on the wound on his arm.
His eyes, bloodshot, stared at her intently, waiting for her resistance and sharp thrusts. He knew every inch of her, and he was prepared to fight to the bitter end, to imprison her in his own cage. So what if it was selfish? So what if it was greed? How many times in his life had he been obsessed with something? Ultimately, it was all directed at her alone.
However, the expected struggle did not come. He almost wanted to tear her apart and eat her whole, but she simply raised her trembling arms and wrapped them around his rock-hard back.
She didn't push him away, nor did she rebuke him for the hidden dangers he had planted in her body. Instead, she gently buried her face in his chest, which was shaking with strength, enduring his storm and stabilizing his soul that was on the verge of collapse.
When she raised her face, there were physiological tears in the corners of her eyes, but her eyes were clear and moving, as if they could penetrate all his violent disguises and explore the deepest embarrassment in his heart.
Her voice was hoarse as if it had been crushed, and it gently fell on his heart: "When did you... fall in love with me?"
In an instant, all the noise died down. His pent-up anger and paranoia crumbled before those light words. He was like a man punching cotton with all his might, the immense inertia causing him to shatter from the inside.
Those words, like a sharp blade, cleaved through the tacit pretense they'd maintained for years. All those nights of conversation, romance, and romance, they'd avoided that one word. For the first time, she tore through all the barriers and faced his heart.
The terrifying oppressive feeling around him receded like a tide, and even the darkness surging in his eyes suddenly froze. A deeper dull pain surfaced, saturating his gaze.
Nan Jiu lifted his neck and kissed every inch of his tense muscles, gently soothing his chaotic emotions. Her long hair brushed across his restless heart, silently taking away his anxiety.
......
Nanjiu didn't mention leaving again. She stayed quietly beside him. When he went out, she cleaned up the house and found something to do to pass the time.
He had to go out several times a day, running to meetings with Jiang Qing and others, taking time to go to the factory to control production, and contacting distributors in various places. She always reminded him to open an umbrella when going out and not let the wound get wet in the rain.
He would bring back some food and put it in the refrigerator. Nanjiu would make a simple meal with what was in the refrigerator and wait for him to come back.
Before he took a shower, she would carefully wrap his wounds with plastic wrap to prevent them from getting wet.
He always slept restlessly at night, not knowing whether it was because his concussion had not yet healed, or because his wound was too painful, or because he was worried about the production issues.
When his breathing became disordered, she would get up and massage him.
He fell asleep peacefully in her arms, and woke up after a while.
His chest pressed against her back, and he wrapped his arm around her waist, holding her firmly in his embrace. His other hand slipped under the hem of her cotton dress, his palm scorching with warmth as it slowly ascended along her waist. His kisses fell delicately, from the side of her neck to her shoulder, each touch carrying a scorching flame.
He swept her sleepiness away, and a moving melody emerged from his voice. He wrapped himself around her tighter, the restlessness in his body demanding more from her.
She was worried that his healing wound would tear again, so she simply turned over and sat astride him.
The hazy night shadows swayed with her, breaking into ripples, dismantling and smoothing out his accumulated annoyance piece by piece. He once again immersed himself in her gentle embrace, not caring about the day or the night.
His breathing suddenly became heavier. She stiffened and just as she was about to step back, his hand around her suddenly tightened, locking her back firmly in place.
"Don't go." His voice sounded like a plea, but also like a spell that tempted her to sink in. She paused for a few seconds, then meekly bent down, accepting all the heat and trembling he gave her.
......
At daybreak, the rain outside stopped. Song Ting got up and went out, locking the door from the outside as usual. The sound of the lock rang in Nan Jiu's ears. She turned over, wrapped herself tightly in the quilt, and went back to sleep.
It started raining outside without us noticing. The weather was unpredictable and it started raining suddenly. The rain was once again hitting the windows violently.
When Song Ting entered the room, Nan Jiu was already awake. She leaned against the headboard, a thin blanket draped over her, and played a small game out of boredom.
Seeing Song Ting coming back, she looked up at him and asked, "Did you take my car keys?"
"Um."
Song Ting's eyes lingered on her face. Nan Jiu lowered his head again and continued to poke at the screen.
Song Ting's coat was wet. He took out the things in his pocket and changed his coat. Nan Jiu glanced at the spare key he took out of his pocket. Song Ting met her gaze. Nan Jiu looked away again.
Song Ting pulled a chair over, sat at the table, turned on the computer, and checked the factory's production report from yesterday.
After a while, Nan Jiu finished the level he was playing and asked again, "What did you do out in the morning?"
"Go check the drainage situation." Song Ting looked up at her.
"How long has it been raining now?"
"44 hours."
Nan Jiu frowned, saying nothing more. As he reentered the next level, he mentally calculated the damage warning line.
The heavy rain outside brought the work in the tea fields to a halt, and the tea farmers could only stay at home and wait for the heavy rain to pass.
It felt like the first time in over a decade that they had shared a room so peacefully and comfortably. No deliberate conversation took place, each of them taking their own place. He was busy with his own affairs, while she was looking at her phone. Two cups of hot tea sat at opposite ends of the table. Their breaths blended peacefully, creating a scene that required no words.
When he just rushed back from the car accident, the burning depression in his heart was gradually soaked and soothed by her quiet tenderness, which made him indulge in it unconsciously and gave him the illusion that they were really living together.
Time passed minute by minute. After Song Ting finished his work, he picked up the tea and took a sip, then his eyes moved from the screen to Nan Jiu.
She leaned against the headboard like a lazy cat, her long, curvy legs exposed and naturally crossed, every inch of her skin inducing an uncontrollable impulse.
Song Ting quietly observed him. He had constructed a barrier around her, expecting her to break free, resist, and provoke him. Instead, she remained secure within it. He had taken the spare key Zhang Jiang had given her, and she had taken it as if she were truly obedient, staying within his territory. She had only asked for her car keys, not demanded them. Even when he had deliberately omitted any safety precautions, after her initial shock and resistance, she had silently accepted them.
He didn't take her phone, so she could still contact the outside world. If she wanted to leave, given her abilities, she would have already devised countless ways to escape him. But she didn't leave, and was in the mood to play some stupid little game.
Song Ting put down his teacup and said, "Zhou Weining showed me the report. I see you put in quite a bit of money. You left your fiancé behind and came all the way here, regardless of the cost. Nanjiu, what are you after?"
Nanjiu paused for a moment, didn't turn around to look at him, and continued to poke the screen: "You helped me before without asking me why."
"Is it the three hundred thousand that made you get together with that man?"
Nan Jiu tapped away silently on her phone until she failed to clear a level. She then quit the game and turned her head to meet Song Ting's gaze. "Do you regret lending me that 300,000 yuan now?"
The wrinkles between Song Ting's brows deepened. Without that three hundred thousand, Nan Jiu might not have the experience and vision she has today. Every step she took was honed by that experience, becoming hard and bright. He admired her current abilities and determination, but he also realized that it was this brilliance that was driving her further and further away from him.
Did he regret it? He did not regret witnessing her emergence from the cocoon, even if the price was the appearance of another man.
Song Ting changed the subject and asked, "When are you getting married?"
Nanjiu glanced at him and said, "Next Wednesday."
"That man can tolerate it, right?" Song Ting's eyes deepened a little. "How can he tolerate you going back with my child?"
Nan Jiu pursed his lips, and the lines on his face were cold and tense.
Song Ting chuckled softly, "How about this? I'll go to Feng City and register my household. Where's your wedding house? I'll buy the one next door to yours and watch you two treat each other with respect every day."
Nan Jiu turned his head and reminded: "Don't you have a concussion? You should rest well and use your brain less."
At noon, Song Ting and Nan Jiu had lunch together and were about to rush to the factory. As he was about to leave, Nan Jiu glanced at the spare key on the windowsill and reminded Song Ting: "I didn't take the key."
Song Ting stopped and turned around. Nan Jiu climbed onto the bed again and opened her stupid little game. Seeing Song Ting looking at her, she raised her head and said to him calmly, "Bring some food back tonight for hot pot."
"Okay." Song Ting took the key from the windowsill and walked out.
The sound of the door being locked was heard outside. Nan Jiu didn't look up, but poked the screen with his finger.
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