Chapter 124

What are you going back to do? It's only been a few days.

Zhou Xuexiao scolded with a cold face: "Xiao Wu, I'm not your parents, I won't indulge you.".

Zhou Yinhe furrowed his brows, his face colder than Zhou Xuexiao's: "I have to go back, Second Uncle, I'll come back tomorrow morning.".

Zhou Xuexiao's expression turned grave, she stared fixedly at Zhou Yinhe.

Zhou Yinhe didn't dodge at locking eyes with his second uncle.

You owe me a reason.

Something urgent came up.

What urgent matter?

"……" Zhou Yinhe stayed silent, lips pressed tight; Zhou Xuexiao understood his meaning and sighed deeply: "Come back early tomorrow.".

Zhou Yinhe nodded, turned and hurried away.

The other three stood at the doorway, seeing him walk past without raising his head, they looked puzzled, then glanced into the office, about to ask, when Zhou Xuexiao inside scolded: "Are you standing here as a door god?".

The three hurried off, afraid Zhou Xuexiao would make them train extra.

——

Zhou Yinhe got into the car, pressed his lips to calm his racing heartbeat, glanced down at his phone—Wen Ling still had no message.

He trusted Wen Ling, but he hadn't seen her in a long time; he was already somewhat psychologically fragile, and constantly wondered if she would abandon him again, naturally making him more anxious.

The black supercar sped down the road; when he reached Nys, he had just parked when his phone buzzed.

Zhou Yinhe picked up his phone and glanced at it—it was a message from Wen Ling.

【Baobao, I'm at Jiang Jibai's place.】

Zhou Yinhe leaned against the car seat, silent for a while, then gathered his courage, got out, and strode into Nys.

The bar's staff all knew him; upon seeing him, they still thought he was looking for Jiang Jibai.

"Fifth Young Master, Jiang Zong and the others are in his private room."

Zhou Yinhe looked around, voice cold: "I'm not looking for them; where is Chu Yao's booth?"

The staffer froze for a moment, then led him toward Chu Yao's booth.

Zhou Yinhe stood quietly at a distance, not approaching, watching Wen Ling alone on the sofa playing with her phone; he lowered his head, took out his phone, and sent her a message.

【Fun?】

Wen Ling pursed her lips and replied: 【Not fun, you're not here.】

Zhou Yinhe lowered his eyes at the message, then stepped toward the booth.

Wen Ling only looked at her phone, not lifting her head at all; it was Chu Yao who first noticed him, reaching out to tug Wen Ling's wrist to remind her to look up.

Wen Ling lifted her brows doubtfully for a glance; upon seeing Zhou Yinhe still in his training clothes, she froze completely.

She slowly rose to her feet, staring at him in disbelief, murmuring: "How did you suddenly come back?"

The surroundings were noisy; Zhou Yinhe didn't catch her words clearly, but from her lip movements and reaction he could guess what she said.

He surged forward, grabbed Wen Ling's hand and pulled her outside; she had no time to react, and after processing, she merely followed him, puzzled.

Stepping out of the bar, the area grew much quieter, though people still came and went; Zhou Yinhe didn't want to argue with her in front of strangers, so he brought her into the car.

"What's wrong?" Wen Ling finally had a chance to ask him.

Zhou Yinhe glanced at her and asked: "Those guys just now—who summoned them?"

Wen Ling was a bit startled, blurting: "How do you know?"

Answer me first.

Wen Ling leaned into his view, examined him closely, and said with heartache: "You've lost weight again, and you're darker too."

"Answer me—who are those men?" Zhou Yinhe's brows knotted tightly; he reached out, encircled her waist, pulled her toward him, his voice laced with coercion.

Wen Ling embraced him, explaining: "Those were Chu Yao's people; I told them to leave." She blinked, puzzled: "How did you know?"

Zhou Yinhe exhaled in relief, lowered his head to bury his face in Wen Ling's shoulder, and whispered: "Jiang Jibai sent it to me."

Wen Ling grew a little angry: "How could he do that? Knowing you're a jealous vinegar pot, he still sent you such a photo."

"He did it on purpose, angry about what I said in front of his mother last time." Zhou Yinhe had already figured it out.

"Then it's your fault." Wen Ling gave a soft hum, not minding the sweat from Zhou Yinhe's day of training, and brushed her cheek against his ear, planting a kiss.

Zhou Yinhe's desire flared from her gesture; he released her, started the car, and drove it to Chen Yue Fu.

He grabbed Wen Ling's hand and hurried into the elevator, eagerly lowering his head to kiss her.

Wen Ling then felt a bit annoyed, pushing him away and muttering: "Shower first."

Zhou Yinhe paid no heed; even after reaching the second floor he kept clinging to Wen Ling, only stopping when her threatening warning reached his ears, then he hurried to the bathroom.

Wen Ling leaned against the wall to catch her breath, then headed for the other bathroom.

Like Zhou Yinhe, she was unsettled from the recent kiss; while showering she deliberately turned down the water temperature to quell the fire rising in her heart.

When she finished her shower, Zhou Yinhe was already waiting outside the bathroom; the moment he saw her, he scooped her up in a horizontal carry and brought her back to the room.

He eagerly went to kiss her; Wen Ling yielded, leaning into him, and whispered softly: "You ran out like this—did you tell your second uncle?"

"I told him, he agreed." Zhou Yinhe nibbled her as he said: "I have to go back tomorrow morning."

His eyes deepened, locking onto hers as they met: "So, tonight, will you rely on me?"

Wen Ling curved her lips, gazed at him tenderly, and nodded.

She also missed him, no less than he missed her.

When it ended, the sky was just lightening; Wen Ling glanced askance at the floor-to-ceiling window without curtains, and haltingly said: "You should be heading back, right?"

Zhou Yinhe paused, gave a muffled "uh," pressed against Wen Ling's embrace, exhaled deeply, and said: "Rest well, I'm leaving first."

Wen Ling's fingers sank into his hair, rubbing gently, and she soothed: "I'll wait for you to return."

"Okay."

Zhou Yinhe was about to get up when Wen Ling suddenly hugged his neck and whispered, "You need to trust me a little; you can't always think I'll leave, nor suspect I'll find someone else."

"I know." Zhou Yinhe looked at her and said in a low voice, "I just miss you too much."

"I know too."

Wen Ling lifted her chin, brushed her lips against his, and said, "Go on, I'll wait for you to come back."

Zhou Yinhe finished changing, stood at the bedside, lowered his gaze to look at her; after a long while he suddenly strode out of the room. Only then did Wen Ling rise, clutching the blanket as she watched his retreating back, biting her lip to hold back the sourness welling up in her heart.

She weakly lay back on the bed, quietly staring at the ceiling, blinking her burning eyes, the corners slightly red.

How strange—clearly they weren't far apart, they could video chat every day, he'd be back soon, yet she just couldn't bear to let him go.

It was a kind of unhappiness she couldn't understand.

Wen Ling took out her phone and sent a message to Zhou Yinhe.

【Stay safe, train hard, and try to get your second uncle to let you come back sooner.】