Chapter 697: Scumbag couple, let the rumors become true

Lin Yuan looked at her like that and shook his head helplessly.

Lin Yuan said softly, "You're this drunk, taking a bath will definitely be inconvenient, don't bother." He originally wanted to let her sleep well and tidy up after she woke up the next day.

Ning Xue lightly shook her head, her mind feeling hazy.

Yet she still insisted, slurring, "Not bathing… uncomfortable, I feel sticky all over… I just want to wipe myself down, just a bit…"

Saying that, she struggled to get up from the bed…

But her whole body went limp, plus she had a sprained ankle; as soon as Ning Xue propped up her upper body, her body tilted…

With a "thud."

Ning Xue fell heavily onto the carpet beside the bed, pain making her groan, and instantly tears welled in her eyes.

Lin Yuan, quick-eyed and quick-handed, rushed forward and gently helped her up.

Lin Yuan, helpless, moved gently, afraid to hurt her ankle or the sore spots from the fall.

Lin Yuan's tone held a hint of helplessness and heartache: "Look at you, you can't even stand steady yet you're being stubborn."

Ning Xue leaned against Lin Yuan's embrace, utterly weak.

Her cheek… rubbed against his chest.

Ning Xue's gaze was hazy, full of grievance, her voice weak and breathless:

"I… I didn't want to… it's just uncomfortable…"

Lin Yuan looked at her pitiful appearance and ultimately couldn't bring himself to be harsh.

Lin Yuan sighed helplessly and said softly:

"Alright, stop fussing, let me help you."

He knew that if he didn't help her wipe down, she definitely wouldn't sleep soundly tonight.

Saying that, Lin Yuan supported Ning Xue, letting her lightly lean against the headboard…

Then Lin Yuan squatted down, carefully gripping her sprained ankle.

Lin Yuan gently… took off her high-heeled shoes.

Her ankle… still had a faint bruise, making Lin Yuan's eyes fill with a bit more pity.

Lin Yuan got up, fetched warm water and a towel, and squatted beside the bed.

He gently washed Ning Xue's feet.

Lin Yuan's movements were gentle, avoiding her injured spot, afraid to hurt her.

Even though she was heavily drunk, she also felt a hint of embarrassment.

Ning Xue instinctively tried to pull her foot back, but Lin Yuan lightly held it down.

"Don't move, it'll be fine soon." Lin Yuan's voice was soft, with a hint of soothing.

Her heart inexplicably quickened a bit, and her breathing became somewhat rushed.

Just as Lin Yuan finished wiping her down and was about to help her lie down to rest.

A sudden burst of urgent phone ringing shattered the room's tranquility.

The clear ringtone echoed in the luxurious bedroom, especially jarring.

Ning Xue instinctively felt for her phone beside her and picked it up, still drunk.

Ning Xue narrowed her eyes… glanced at the screen, and her delicate body instantly tensed.

The haze in Ning Xue's eyes… gradually faded a bit, replaced by… a hint of complexity and panic—

Jumping on the screen were the three words "ex-boyfriend."

The person she thought she'd never hear from again actually called her again in the middle of the night.

Lin Yuan heard the ringtone, stopped his actions, and his gaze fell on the phone screen in Ning Xue's hand.

A fleeting depth flickered in Lin Yuan's eyes, hardly noticeable.

Lin Yuan said nothing and continued wiping her body.

In the room, only the urgent phone ringing remained, along with the two of them breathing somewhat heavily.

The atmosphere instantly became subtle.

Ning Xue's hand holding the phone trembled slightly, she hesitated for a moment.

She ultimately still pressed the answer button.

Ning Xue gently placed the phone to her ear, her voice soft and sweet… with a hint of barely noticeable panic, she spoke while drunk:

"Hello…"

From the other end came an urgent, irritable male voice, full of impatience and questioning: "Ning Xue! Why aren't you sleeping at midnight, who are you with? Why did it take so long to answer the phone?!"

Ning Xue's heart tightened, she instinctively glanced at Lin Yuan beside her…

Ning Xue's cheeks grew even redder, her voice stammering: "No… no one, I'm drunk, I'm about to sleep…"

Lin Yuan looked at her flustered, at-a-loss appearance, and a hint of softness flashed in his eyes.

Lin Yuan's hand movement paused momentarily, then he eased his pressure, his tone gentle as he replied softly: "Mm, okay."

That low, warm male voice clearly traveled through the phone's earpiece… to the other end.

The ex-boyfriend, who had been angrily questioning, suddenly fell silent.

After a moment, a roar of extreme fury… exploded from the phone, shaking Ning Xue's eardrums painfully:

"Who?! Who's beside you?! Ning Xue, tell me, who is it?!"

Ning Xue was frightened, her whole body stiffened, and she instinctively tried to move the phone away.

Ning Xue's pretty face turned pale with panic, her eyes full of distress, she could barely speak coherently: "I… I didn't… you misheard…"

"Misheard?" the ex-boyfriend's voice grew more vicious, thick with malice and jealousy: "I heard it crystal clear! It's a man! Ning Xue, are you seeing another guy behind my back?! You bitch!"

The insults poured nonstop from the phone, harsh and unpleasant…

The ex‑boyfriend's scolding grew fiercer, the threatening tone in his voice intensifying: "Who is that man? Put him on the phone! You bastard, I warn you, stay away from Ning Xue! Otherwise I'll come over right now and kill you two dogs! I mean what I say!"

Lin Yuan gently wiped Ning Xue's ankle while listening to the angry tirade on the phone…

In Lin Yuan's eyes there was not the slightest ripple; his face remained calm as ever.

It seemed as if the fury and threats on the phone had nothing to do with him.

Lin Yuan didn't even furrow his brow, merely continuing to gently help Ning Xue tidy her clothes.

But the ex‑boyfriend on the other end, seeing Lin Yuan not speak, became even more vicious, his insults growing harsher, and he kept threatening:

"What? You bastard, don't dare answer the phone? Coward! I tell you, I'm coming over right now—I'll find you, break your leg so you can never stand again! I'll make you pay, let you know whose woman Ning Xue is!"

One insult after another, unbearable to hear, along with arrogant threats…

Finally, Lin Yuan's patience was exhausted.

Lin Yuan originally… couldn't be bothered to argue with such unreasonable people.

But the other party on the phone kept pushing further, even threatening to harm him and Ning Xue.

The calm in Lin Yuan's eyes vanished instantly, replaced by a hint of cold fury.

Lin Yuan reached out and gently took the phone from Ning Xue's hand.

Before Ning Xue could react, Lin Yuan pressed the phone to his ear.

Lin Yuan gripped the phone, his tone icy and piercing, openly furious, he roared back at the other end:

"Shut your damn mouth here! Clean up your language! Ning Xue is mine now—none of your business—if you dare utter another word, I won't even let you shout nonsense!"

The ex‑boyfriend on the other end obviously didn't expect Lin Yuan to dare talk back.

On the phone, the ex‑boyfriend stared for a moment, then flew into a greater rage, shouting back:

"What the hell are you? Dare to talk to me like that? You're tired of living! Wait, I'll be there right away—if I don't break your leg, I'm not surnamed Zhao!"

Lin Yuan snorted coldly, his tone full of disdain and mockery: "I'm waiting! You, on the other hand, better think it through—once you get here, can you even walk out alive? Don't end up sacrificing your own life instead!"

Ning Xue sat on the head of the bed, watching Lin Yuan's furious expression while also hearing the fierce exchange on the phone…

Ning Xue's whole body remained weak, her eyes filled with panic and worry.

She wanted to advise Lin Yuan not to act impulsively… but the words reached her lips, yet she didn't know how to say them…

Ning Xue could only clutch the hem of her clothes tightly, anxiously watching him.

In the room, the shouting from the phone intertwined with Lin Yuan's icy curses, breaking the previous tranquility…

Listening to the ex‑boyfriend on the phone… his unbearable insults, along with his arrogant threats toward Lin Yuan…

Ning Xue could bear it no longer; a long‑suppressed surge of anger and resentment… suddenly rose in her heart,

Ning Xue suddenly snatched the phone from Lin Yuan's hand.

She shouted into the phone with all her strength: "Yes! I'm with Director Lin now, so what?! We've already broken up, who I'm with or flirt with is none of your damn business?!"

Ning Xue's voice was thick with drunkenness and long‑repressed anger, hoarse yet forceful, completely shattering her former fragility.

The ex‑boyfriend on the other end, hearing Ning Xue's frank admission, instantly collapsed, his howls becoming ever more piercing:

"Great! You really are sleeping together! You adulterous couple! I won't let you two dogs off!"

"Who are you calling an adulterous couple?!" Ning Xue, furious at the insult, despite her heavy intoxication, shot back, her tone full of contempt and anger,

"You piece of trash! When you cheated, found a mistress, and fooled around with other women behind my back, did you ever ask yourself what you are? Idiot!"

This was the first time Ning Xue had ever lost her composure and sworn like that.

Normally, her gentle and capable demeanor… had vanished without a trace.

At this moment, Ning Xue had nothing left but drunken anger… and resentment.

Ning Xue ranted and raved, the pent‑up resentment in her heart… could no longer be contained.

Ning Xue's tears burst forth instantly, streaming down her cheeks and dripping onto her collar…

She shouted into the phone while sobbing nonstop, her shoulders trembling, a pitiful yet heart‑wrenching sight.

Lin Yuan looked at Ning Xue, angry and crying, and his inner fury instantly vanished, replaced by a hint of heartache.

He set aside the coldness on his face, slowly reached out, and gently patted Ning Xue's back, his movements soft and soothing, speaking gently to comfort her:

"All right, all right, don't be angry—it's not worth getting upset over this kind of person. Hang up and get some rest."

Ning Xue leaned on Lin Yuan's shoulder, crying and cursing, gradually losing her strength.

The ex‑boyfriend on the other end… kept shouting insults, but Ning Xue no longer had the strength to retort, merely letting her tears keep falling…

Ning Xue, feeling the warmth of Lin Yuan's palm and his gentle soothing.

Her pent‑up resentment and anger gradually gave way to a hint of warmth.

She slightly lifted her head, teary‑eyed, looking at Lin Yuan…

In Ning Xue's eyes… lay resentment, gratitude… and a hint of drunken haze and boldness.

She, gazing at Lin Yuan's handsome face, feeling his tender care…

Recalling how tonight he repeatedly stepped forward to protect her…

Ning Xue's heart warmed, her mind heated.

She… could no longer suppress the fluttering in her heart, suddenly moving closer.

Ning Xue gently leaned toward Lin Yuan… her arms… wrapped around his neck.

Lin Yuan, his whole body stiffened instantly…

In Lin Yuan's eyes, shock and bewilderment instantly overwhelmed him; he was completely dazed.

But Ning Xue had already casually tossed the phone aside…

The angry shouts from the phone gradually gave way to the room's silence…

In the bedroom of the Hotel Presidential Suite, the lingering warmth of intimacy had not yet faded…

The phone tossed at the foot of the bed… continued to ring wildly…

From the earpiece came the hysterical angry cursing of her ex‑boyfriend, each sentence of foul language unbearable to hear, echoing sharply in the room and shattering the brief tranquility.

Lin Yuan remained frozen in place, his face full of lingering shock; it took him a good while to come back to his senses.

Lin Yuan gently pushed Ning Xue away.

They gazed at Ning Xue before them, cheeks flushed and eyes hazy……

Lin Yuan's voice was full of helplessness as he softly asked, "Ning Xue, what are you doing?"

Ning Xue was heavily drunk, her steps slightly unsteady; she swayed a bit before barely managing to stand firm.

They lifted their head, a veil of mist in their eyes, showing both the hazy aftermath of drink, a hint of resentment from the ex‑boyfriend's insults, and a hint of desperate resolve.

Ning Xue's tone was slurred…… yet each word was clear; she spoke, drunk:

"Since my ex‑boyfriend has cursed us like that, calling us a shameless couple, spreading such slander, we might as well… we might as well make the rumor true."

As her words fell, Ning Xue hesitated not at all.

They began to help Lin Yuan wash his feet……

Ning Xue slowly lifted a basin of warm water, her steps moving lightly, her slightly trembling hand gripping the rim tightly, her fingertips a bit clumsy, as she slowly walked to Lin Yuan's front.

Their fingertips still trembled; they carefully placed the basin beside Lin Yuan's feet, and their fingertips accidentally touched the warm rim, then quickly withdrew as if scalded.

They first took a deep breath, lowered their gaze, long lashes fluttering lightly, not daring to look into Lin Yuan's eyes, and cautiously reached out, fingertips lightly touching his pant cuff.

Next, they gathered courage, fingertips exerting slight pressure, slowly rolling up Lin Yuan's pant leg to reveal his neat ankle, the motion light as if fearing to disturb something.

Ning Xue's originally tense shoulders remained slightly stiff, the trembling in her fingertips undiminished as she gently guided Lin Yuan's foot into the warm water; the temperature was just right, sending faint ripples across the surface.

Her fingertips lightly touched Lin Yuan's slightly cool heel, and her pretty face instantly flushed as if about to bleed, even the tips of her ears taking on a crimson hue.

Soft light fell on her lowered side profile; long lashes cast a faint shadow beneath her eyelids, making her already fair skin appear even more delicate while concealing the panic in her eyes.

She lowered her head slightly, her clumsy fingertips gently rubbing Lin Yuan's foot; the motion was unskilled yet earnest, without any pretense, her waist bending slightly, her posture appearing especially soft.

Ning Xue's delicate body trembled slightly, filled with an embarrassment she could hardly hide and a resolve that allowed no retreat; even as her fingertips grew a little sore, she did not stop, nor did she lift a hand to shield her flushed cheeks……