Chapter 36: A tearing, biting kiss

Wen Ling continued to applaud politely.

Zhou Yinhe said impatiently: "Don't go praising yourself to everyone, hurry up and serve the dishes."

The boss answered with a hehe laugh: "Alright, looks like you're really hungry."

Zhou Yinhe choked a little, and Wen Ling giggled at the boss's teasing.

The hot pot steamed, and Wen Ling's petite nose tip sweated from the heat.

Zhou Yinhe pulled out a paper and handed it to her; Wen Ling couldn't free her hand, so she naturally leaned her face toward Zhou Yinhe, clearly indicating she wanted him to wipe it.

Zhou Yinhe paused, then gently wiped Wen Ling's sweat with the paper.

Wen Ling said: "It's indeed delicious, no wonder even you picky people come often."

Zhou Yinhe grunted, then seriously told Wen Ling: "The boss used to have a good relationship with Jiang Jibai, and only later opened the shop."

Wen Ling nodded, then leaned her face toward Zhou Yinhe again, coquettishly saying: "Quickly wipe it, oil splashed on my face, it hurts."

Hearing this, Zhou Yinhe hurriedly turned her face, held her face with the paper and gently wiped off the oil spot; sure enough, a red mark appeared on her face from the burn.

He felt a tightness in his chest and said softly: "You got a red burn mark; let me take you to get it treated?"

Wen Ling pulled out her phone, glanced at the screen, and indeed exclaimed: "Won't it disfigure me?"

Zhou Yinhe pressed his lips, uncomfortably said in a low voice: "No, even if it disfigures, it would still look good."

Wen Ling's lips curled at his words, completely forgetting whether the burn on her face would disfigure her; she leaned toward Zhou Yinhe, feigning ignorance and asked: "What did you just say? I didn't hear clearly."

"Nothing." Zhou Yinhe glanced sideways, not looking at her.

"You definitely said something you don't want me to know, hurry up and say it!" Wen Ling clung to Zhou Yinhe like sticky candy, incessantly pressing him.

Zhou Yinhe, flushed with embarrassment and anger, snapped: "Are you still worried about your burn leaving a scar?"

Wen Ling laughed: "Anyway, you said even if I'm disfigured I'd still look good, so I'm naturally not afraid."

Zhou Yinhe's neck turned red; seeing he was really about to get angry, Wen Ling said: "Just buy some burn ointment and apply it, that should be enough."

Zhou Yinhe snorted coldly, stood up first and walked out; Wen Ling followed him, stealing glances at his expression as they walked.

Originally not wanting to deal with her, but she was too blatant, so Zhou Yinhe frowned at her; Wen Ling gave a dry laugh, withdrew her gaze, walked to the cashier to pay, and the cashier said: "Miss, your bill has already been settled, deducted directly from your card."

Wen Ling understood, and looked toward Zhou Yinhe, whom the boss had pulled aside for a whisper.

Being pulled by the boss and not let go, Zhou Yinhe was extremely impatient, but the boss seemed oblivious to his cold face, curiously asking: "How did you dye your hair that color? What, is a peacock showing off?"

Zhou Yinhe said displeased: "Don't bother."

The boss hehe laughed, glanced at Wen Ling in front of the cashier, and teased: "This must be the ex-girlfriend you mentioned before, Jiang Jibai? She's stunningly beautiful and articulate—nice, did you win her back?"

Among friends, teasing always hits the sore spot; Zhou Yinhe indeed darkened his face: "Why would I chase her? You lot, all thirty-somethings, still gossip like this?"

Having said that, he turned and walked toward Wen Ling; Wen Ling smiled at the boss behind him, then softly said: "Let's go."

Leaving the hot pot restaurant, Wen Ling asked: "Just now I was going to pay, but the cashier said it was directly deducted from the card; I was supposed to treat you to a meal."

"Mm, it's fine."

At a nearby pharmacy they bought a tube of ointment; the two sat on a roadside bench, Wen Ling held her phone's camera and a cotton swab to apply the medicine, but she couldn't control her strength and the swab jabbed hard into the wound, making her hiss in pain, so she dared not put the swab on her face again.

Seeing this, Zhou Yinhe couldn't help but snatch the cotton swab, propping her chin to apply the ointment for her.

Wen Ling stared blankly at the face so close; Zhou Yinhe matched her aesthetic perfectly—skin cold white, eyes narrow and deep-set, nose high and straight, lips shaped as if inviting her to kiss him.

Thus she really did just that, lunging forward to kiss him; Zhou Yinhe was caught off guard, gazing into her eyes, and seeing no reaction from him, Wen Ling gently flicked her tongue against his lip.

Zhou Yinhe weakly closed his eyes, yielding to his inner desire, his hand gripping the back of Wen Ling's head, returning the kiss with a tearing, biting fervor.

Wen Ling hummed, clutching Zhou Yinhe's clothes; their kiss was like a fight.

The red hair was already eye-catching, plus their attire and demeanor made them extremely conspicuous in this place.

The phone placed aside rang; Wen Ling snapped back to reality, pushed Zhou Yinhe away, picked up the phone, and glanced at the caller ID.

It was a call from the pet hospital.

After Wen Ling answered, the doctor's gentle voice said: "Miss Wen, you can come pick up Hehe."

Her mind was still a bit dazed; the recent kiss seemed to have drained her three souls and seven spirits, part of which hadn't returned yet, so she only gave a dazed "mm".

After hanging up, Wen Ling looked at the man sitting beside her, his ear tips flushed red, and bit her lip, saying: "Why do you look like I've taken advantage of you?"

Zhou Yinhe said nothing, silently clenching his sweat-soaked hands, inwardly berating himself for overreacting like a greenhorn.

"I need to go pick up Hehe; what about you? Want to come along? Last time you didn't even have a chance to look around."

Zhou Yinhe hesitated, so Wen Ling thoughtfully gave him an excuse, continuing: "The driver took Zhou Auntie home; waiting for him would take a while, so why not you give us a ride and we can have a look around?"

Zhou Yinhe then nodded, thinking he'd just have a look and leave.

Wen Ling wouldn't let him just look and leave; after settling Hehe, she tugged Zhou Yinhe around the house, wandering until it grew dark, not giving him a chance to say he wanted to leave.

The chef had already prepared dinner; Wen Ling pulled Zhou Yinhe to eat together, refilling the highball glass with wine again and again until Zhou Yinhe felt a bit dizzy.

Wen Ling pursed her lips, gave a glance to the servant nearby; after they left, she leaned close to Zhou Yinhe, deliberately using an ambiguous tone, whispering: "Baobao, are you drunk?"

Zhou Yinhe lifted his gaze to her, his eyes slightly reddened, and hummed in affirmation.

Wen Ling's heart stirred slightly; she coaxed: "Then let me help you upstairs to rest a bit, okay? We can leave after you sober up."

Zhou Yinhe still only hummed in agreement.

Wen Ling supported him; Zhou Yinhe put his arm on her shoulder, his steps slightly unsteady as they entered the elevator to the second floor, and Wen Ling helped him into the master bedroom.

Her intention clear, she laid him on the bed, biting her lip as she gently undid Zhou Yinhe's shirt.

At close contact, Zhou Yinhe lifted his gaze to Wen Ling before him, then suddenly flipped over, reversing their positions.

Wen Ling opened her eyes in a daze, looking at Zhou Yinhe who had just shown no reaction, now pressing down on her.