Chapter 8: Going Home

The sound of rain outside grew louder.

A series of excuses flashed through Wen Xi’s mind, but she stared at Cheng Si for a moment; his lips were glistening and flushed, his breathing rapid—he looked completely dazed from her kiss. Under these circumstances, if he could still focus on anything else, it would be her own failure.

Wen Xi chose to say nothing. Instead, she adjusted her posture to sit astride his lean waist, cupped his face, and lowered her head again. Their breath and gazes intertwined as the kiss grew more intense. Cheng Si’s spine went numb and his mind turned blank. He could clearly feel Wen Xi grazing the wound on the corner of his mouth, pulling the faint scent of blood into their shared kiss—all of which he obediently swallowed.

His heart hammered as wildly as it had during their first kiss. The wet, friction-filled sounds echoed intensely in his ears.

Cheng Si felt a sense of dazed uncertainty—was Wen Xi always like this? Two years seemed to have sharpened her sense of aggression; he was nearly powerless to resist, feeling as if he might drown in her kiss at any moment.

An unknown amount of time passed before a sharp ringtone suddenly pierced the air.

Wen Xi ignored it at first, but the phone rang incessantly. With a look of pure annoyance, she fished the phone out from the gap in the sofa. When she looked down, her eyes turned cold.

It was Xu Linshen.

That indescribable heat inside Wen Xi immediately flickered out, cooling instantly. She didn’t even need to think of a new excuse to extricate herself. She gave Cheng Si one last, lingering shallow kiss before propping herself up. She made a “hush” gesture at him and walked toward the bathroom while answering the call.

As the physical intimacy broke, Cheng Si felt like he was surfacing for air after nearly suffocating. He turned beet-red at her secretive, almost “tryst-like” gesture. He touched the back of his neck and realized the swelling had worsened.

A short while later, Wen Xi finished the call and strode out of the bathroom, her dark eyes devoid of warmth. Xu Linshen had found out about Auntie Chen’s injury and told her to return to the Wen estate for the weekend. He hadn’t left her the option to refuse.

Hearing her footsteps, Cheng Si snapped back to reality.

Wen Xi drew a sharp line between desire and reality, stepping out of the ambiguous atmosphere with ease. Cheng Si, however, was still immersed in it. Unaware of her shift in mood and filled with a mix of apprehension and hope, he inadvertently walked right into the line of fire.

He looked at Wen Xi and asked, “That kiss just now… what did you mean by it?”

A flash of mockery crossed Wen Xi’s eyes. She poured herself a glass of water and downed it before saying coolly, “I wanted to kiss you, so I did. What meaning could there be?”

“…”

The words choked Cheng Si instantly. He blinked slowly and gave a soft “mm” in response.

He didn’t show much emotion as he slowly smoothed out the hem of his school uniform, which had been rolled up nearly to his chest. Only the tips of his ears and the corners of his eyes retained a lingering flush of passion. Yet, Wen Xi somehow caught a trace of dejection in the set of his lips. Looking further down, she saw two bright red finger marks on the boy’s well-defined waist—likely left from when she had squeezed him to keep him from pressing too close earlier.

She couldn’t help but frown. Admittedly, she hadn’t controlled her strength well and had acted quite wantonly, but those two finger marks startled her; they made her look like an impulsive, hot-headed novice. Cheng Si hadn’t even made a sound of pain.

Thinking this, Wen Xi said on a whim: “A reward.”

Cheng Si froze. Her train of thought was too jumpy for him to keep up. He let out a confused, “Huh?”

“I said, it’s a reward.” Wen Xi pointed to the empty plate of cheesy shrimp pasta on the table. “A reward for the cooking.”

Without a second thought, Cheng Si followed up: “Then… can I come and cook for you again?”

Wen Xi raised an eyebrow, staring at him with interest. She watched as he belatedly realized the subtext of his own words, his ears turning a deep, blood-red. However, he didn’t back down; his watery gaze was as fervent as the Doberman’s when begging for treats.

She had realized something: If she explicitly rejected Cheng Si, he would never be clingy—in fact, he’d take it upon himself never to appear again. But if she offered even a tiny hint of a sign, he would grab the opportunity without hesitation, pushing his luck like a puppy wagging its tail.

“We’ll see if there’s a chance,” Wen Xi said unhurriedly, her tone lightening significantly.

Afraid he might have misunderstood or that it was just a polite brush-off, Cheng Si pressed cautiously: “What counts as a ‘chance’?”

Wen Xi lit another cigarette, inhaled, and walked up to him. “For example, like today, if Auntie Chen gets injured or something and there’s no one to cook for me—wouldn’t that be a chance?” She deliberately exhaled a smoke ring into his face and posed a hypothetical: “Do you hope she gets into another car accident?”

“…”

Cheng Si was stunned. He opened his mouth, then closed it, his ability to think shattered by the question. After a long moment, his face flushed with embarrassment and distress as he shook his head. “I… I’m not that wicked.”

Wen Xi clicked her tongue. “Then you have no chance of coming here.”

Cheng Si lowered his eyes, looking regretful yet helpless. He retreated back into a state of wanting nothing, muttering gloomily, “Alright.”

Summer rainstorms come and go as they please, making them impossible to predict. Wen Xi looked at the sky outside. “The rain stopped.”

Cheng Si stiffened, easily deciphering her hint: The rain has stopped. You should leave.

Under her inscrutable gaze, Cheng Si’s straight eyelashes fluttered twice. He slowly stood up, his eyes looking slightly red. “I’ll leave right away,” he said.

Wen Xi hummed. “Are you in such a hurry to go?”

Cheng Si thought to himself: If I don’t leave, what else can I do? Even a real dog wouldn’t be so tactless as to stick around after being driven away by its master.

But Wen Xi curled her lips, stood up to tap away her cigarette ash, and smiled. “No matter how much of a hurry you’re in, you have to wait for me. Wanran has the car keys.”

Cheng Si was incredulous. “You’re going to drive me?”

Wen Xi gave a soft “mm.” She had always treated her pets well.

Cheng Si’s brain completely stalled. He felt like he had fallen from a cliff only to land on a cloud. He stared at her blankly and stammered a response, forgetting to refuse.

Having teased him into a state of helplessness, Wen Xi’s mood improved greatly, the gloom brought by Xu Linshen’s call vanishing entirely.

She sprayed some light-scented perfume to mask the smell of smoke and went to ring the doorbell across the hall.

Luo Wanran had actually ordered butter hotpot. The moment the door opened, the scent of hotpot wafted out.

Wen Xi had no desire to step inside. She stood at the door and said, “Lend me the car. I’m dropping someone off.”

“Dropping who off?” Luo Wanran shouted while grabbing the keys. “It wouldn’t be Cheng Si, would it?”

Wen Xi didn’t answer, because a second later, Luo Wanran saw Cheng Si waiting quietly in the distance.

“Oh, oh, oh, oh, holy sh*t!” Luo Wanran’s eyes were practically sparkling. “I only suggested he accompany you for a walk, and he’s already made it inside? Damn, if I’d known you two were ‘dry wood and a raging fire,’ why would I bother with ‘pure love’ wingman tactics? I should have just booked a room for you two.”

“You have the nerve to bring it up,” Wen Xi sneered. “I haven’t even settled the score with you for giving him the address.”

“Can’t I make up for it with my merits?” Luo Wanran said righteously. “If I hadn’t given the address, where would Her Highness find this kind of fun? I remember it wasn’t this serious after school—” She pointed at Cheng Si’s broken lip and winked at Wen Xi. Leaning in, she whispered in a voice only the two could hear, “Look at how you’ve kissed him. Don’t you have any self-awareness?”

Wen Xi: “…”

“Glaring at me won’t help; I just like telling the truth.” Luo Wanran placed the car keys in Wen Xi’s hand and gave a slight smile before closing the door. “Hope you two have a pleasant night.”

Wen Xi was angered into a laugh, yet strangely found herself unable to refute it. She glanced at Cheng Si to see his reaction, subconsciously hoping he hadn’t heard. However, Cheng Si looked lost in thought, his expression grave, and wasn’t looking their way. He suddenly seemed burdened by heavy concerns.

As Wen Xi was about to start the car, Cheng Si gripped the door handle and spoke hesitantly: “Are you really going to my house?”

Wen Xi said coolly, “Are you that afraid of me going?” “Yes.” “Are there adults at home?” “No.” “Then what are you afraid of?” Cheng Si said with some difficulty, “The environment is bad. You won’t like it.”

Cheng Si’s parents had worked for the Wen family for many years, and the Wens hadn’t treated them poorly. Even after leaving, they should have been doing alright. Wen Xi naturally assumed his “bad environment” was merely in comparison to the Wen estate. If that were the standard, there were few places in the entire Alliance that could be considered “good.”

Wen Xi didn’t mind, but it wasn’t until they arrived that she understood the definition of those four words.

The place Cheng Si lived was truly remote—an old residential area slated for demolition. The buildings were low, the storefronts dilapidated, and there was no elevator. The people coming and going were all weary laborers.

Wen Xi didn’t want to park Luo Wanran’s supercar there, fearing it would be scratched the moment she looked away. In this godforsaken place, she wasn’t even sure if there were security cameras.

“I can only drop you off here tonight,” Wen Xi said, frowning.

Wen Xi didn’t intend to get out, and Cheng Si didn’t want her to. He silently tried to open the door but couldn’t; it was locked.

Cheng Si didn’t understand what she meant. He hung his head, feeling as though he had been stripped naked and exposed to the sun—humiliated and pathetic. He couldn’t understand why she had insisted on coming when he had told her she wouldn’t like it.

“I’ll go inside next time,” Wen Xi said after a moment’s thought. “I’ll switch to a different car then.”

Cheng Si thought he had misheard. But then Wen Xi asked, “You can cook at your place, right?”

Cheng Si didn’t speak. Wen Xi waved her hand in front of his eyes. “I’m asking you.” “…” Cheng Si snapped back. “Yes.”

Wen Xi unlocked the door, satisfied, and let him out.

It wasn’t until the supercar—entirely out of place in its surroundings—disappeared from view that Cheng Si began to walk back slowly. He rubbed his hair; the short, newly grown stubble was a bit prickly. The slight pain made him realize that everything that happened today wasn’t an illusion.

Wen Xi had pinned him down and kissed him for a long time. She didn’t truly despise his rented room, and she even said she’d come back next time.

Cheng Si touched his lips and let out a somewhat silly smile.

Wen Xi had a very good sleep, no dreams, and woke up naturally. She kept her phone on silent while sleeping. When she woke up, she saw that Xu Linshen had called her several times. Seeing she hadn’t answered, he had sent several messages on Star-Chat.

[Not up yet?] [Why are you sleeping so late today?] [I sent Old Xu to pick you up. He’s waiting for you in the garage.] [Call me back when you’re up.]

Wen Xi coldly set the phone face down and went to wash up, returning neither the messages nor the call.

It was nearly noon when she arrived at the Wen estate. The moment she entered, she saw Xu Linshen sitting there with a displeased look. A table full of food was covered by thermal lids. He was handsome, wearing a stiff black shirt with a silver-grey watch that made his fingers look noble. He seemed to have been doing something just now, as his sleeves were half-rolled up in a mismatched fashion.

Wen Xi called out, “Brother.”

“I told you to call me back, why didn’t you?” Xu Linshen’s brow was deeply furrowed. “The food is getting cold.”

“Isn’t it still warm?” Wen Xi’s eyes were devoid of much emotion as she said casually, “I meant to call back, but I forgot after washing up.”

Xu Linshen stared at her, trying to read something from her face, but ultimately failed. “Forget it. Let’s eat first.”

At the massive dining table, only she and Xu Linshen were eating. A servant came forward to remove the fish bones, piling the tender fish meat on a plate, but she didn’t touch a single bite.

Seeing this, Xu Linshen asked, “You don’t like it? I remember you saying you liked this Soup-filled Yellow Croaker.” “No appetite,” Wen Xi said truthfully. “Why?” Wen Xi frowned troubledly. “I don’t know either.”

Hearing this, Xu Linshen helplessly put down his utensils. “Are you still mad at me?” Wen Xi stirred the fish meat with a spoon, pretending not to understand.

Xu Linshen continued, “It was my fault for transferring you to a new class without asking your opinion first.” Wen Xi: “It’s fine. I’m quite adjusted to the new class.”

“Are you really?” Xu Linshen said with a half-smile. “I heard that yesterday you insisted on sending one of your classmates to prison.” “He deserved it.” Wen Xi wasn’t surprised he knew. “The police already took him. The evidence is solid; he’ll be sentenced soon. You don’t need to worry about it, Brother.”

Xu Linshen tapped his calloused fingers twice on the table. “I didn’t intend to worry about a small matter you can handle yourself. I just wanted to tell you that he won’t be sentenced. The Omega who sued him has dropped the charges.”

Wen Xi’s movements froze. She looked up and met his eyes.

Xu Linshen couldn’t quite bear to look at her gaze, but he had to punish the disobedient child. “I happen to have a project involving the Zhao family. They thought Zhao Jie’s situation was my doing and didn’t dare protect him at first, so they came to beg me. I simply went along with it and agreed.”

Wen Xi was silent for a while. “That Omega hated Zhao Jie. What did you do to make her drop the charges?”

Xu Linshen picked up his utensils again and tasted the Soup-filled Yellow Croaker; his own cooking still lacked a bit of finesse. “You used the Wen family’s name to give her the courage to call the police. I simply took that name back. As for the rest, it’s not my concern.”

Wen Xi remained expressionless, her thumb pressing against each knuckle, making a series of rhythmic cracking sounds.

Xu Linshen relaxed his brow, sat down beside her, and pinched her cheek with a smile. “Regardless, the Zhao family has already processed his transfer. He won’t be an eyesore for you anymore. Why are you still angry?”

Wen Xi dodged his touch and said nothing.

Xu Linshen’s raised hand paused awkwardly in mid-air. He remained silent for a few seconds before withdrawing his hand, the curve of his lips turning slightly cold. “Or is it… that you’re afraid he’ll go and cause trouble for that boy called Cheng Si?”