Chapter 365: Volume 1 Chapter 365   I Insist on Tasting the Bitterness of Love (5)

"I'll go get you a towel to wipe your body." She said.

The boy stood up, didn't speak, his intention clear—he wanted to go with her.

Jiang Zhi glanced at him helplessly, walked into the bathroom, found a dry towel, and gently wiped his soaked hair.

Beneath the blue-and-white striped towel, under his dark brown bangs, his long, dense lashes slightly lifted, casting a faint shadow beneath his eyes.

Unlike usual, Ning Xun at this moment was completely a soft, cute, and lovable little darling.

Jiang Zhi couldn't resist, reaching out to pinch his soft cheek.

The boy lifted his eyes, showing confusion, as if he didn't understand why she pinched him.

Jiang Zhi smiled and said, "I really like you as you are now."

Ning Xun gazed at her deeply for a long while, then suddenly reached out and wrapped his arms around her waist, his pale face rubbing against her neck as he called out.

"Mom."

Jiang Zhi:???

777 laughed: "Turns out the villain saw the host as a mom, hahaha~"

Jiang Zhi gritted her teeth: 777!

777 immediately apologized: "Sorry, Host!"

Jiang Zhi broke free from his embrace, then took the boy's hand and walked to the sofa to sit down.

"I'm not your mother."

Ning Xun sat quietly beside her, dejectedly saying, "Yeah, you're not."

Jiang Zhi curiously asked, "Then who am I?"

Ning Xun honestly replied, "The weird older sister next door."

Jiang Zhi asked again, "Do you like me?"

Ning Xun lowered his head, plucking at the blanket on the sofa, "I don't know."

Jiang Zhi leaned close to his ear, voice soft: "I really like you."

Ning Xun shook his head, avoiding her closeness: "It's not allowed."

Jiang Zhi asked, "Why not?"

The boy who had been plucking the blanket stopped, his eyes red-rimmed, he raised a hand to cover his head, let out a painful whimper, and collapsed onto the sofa.

"It hurts… it hurts…"

Seeing this, Jiang Zhi reached out and gently patted his back, soothing: "It's okay, it's just a dream, all of it was just a dream!"

Hearing her voice, the boy closed his eyes and fell into a deep sleep, his tall, straight body curling up on the sofa, his sleeping face as beautiful as an angel's.

Jiang Zhi picked up the blanket and covered him with it, her fingertips threading through his soft, dark brown hair before slowly withdrawing.

She opened her phone, opened Weibo, and saw the top trending topic.

#YK Ning Xun#

The first Weibo post read: The genius player dubbed the top ADC, Ning Xun, tanked in the spring season; this year he's been a total mess, still bragging about being a world champion—laughable.

The comments below.

1#: There are still Ning fans? Isn't tonight's match not bad? Who are you trying to blame? The support?

2#: Laughable, the esports scene doing that fan-circle nonsense? Are Ning Emperor's fans all female? Protecting their idol like that?

3#: He seems under huge pressure; over the past two years he's performed superbly, but whenever it's the World Championships he falls apart—always second or third, getting crushed by Country H. His condition in the livestream hasn't been good either—what's going on?

4#: Ning Xun, get out of YK! Ning Xun, get out of YK!

Jiang Zhi read through it all, and in summary:

The YK team that Ning Xun belongs to should have won the spring season championship, but instead they lost to the obscure veteran team OP.

Fair-weather fans and those who never thought highly of Ning Xun piled on Weibo, pushing the topic to the top of the trending list.

Mainly because Ning Xun has performed exceptionally well these past two years, many people have high expectations of him, so even if he has no faults, they'll find something to criticize.

So is this why he drank?

Jiang Zhi put away her phone, got up, went to the neighboring kitchen, and boiled a bowl of hangover soup.

She brought it to his place, went to the sofa, helped him up, and fed him the soup until he finished.

Ning Xun finished drinking and then continued sleeping.

Jiang Zhi stayed by his side until dawn before leaving.

Dawn.

Upon waking, Ning Xun felt no hangover nausea or urge to vomit; opening his eyes, he found himself lying on the living-room sofa.

On the coffee table sat a porcelain bowl, not the one from his kitchen.

Ning Xun sat up, the blanket draped over him slipping off, he pressed his temples, trying to recall everything from last night.

Fragmented and disjointed.

He only remembered that someone had been taking care of him, but he couldn't recall who it was.

Ning Xun received a call from Coach He.

"Hey Xiao Xun, how are you?"

Ning Xun asked, "Coach, who brought me back last night?"

Coach He exclaimed, "You took a taxi back yourself."

After saying that, he immediately added, "Hey Xiao Xun, don't pay attention to online chatter; those people just go with the wind, and once you win a championship they'll mindlessly hype you up..."

Coach He kept on talking, unable to stop.

Ning Xun interrupted, "I have other things to do, goodbye."

After hanging up the phone, he picked up the bowl on the tea table, went to the door of the neighboring room, and rang the doorbell.

No one came to open the door for a long time.

He pursed his lips and pressed it again.

After five or six minutes, just as he was about to leave, the door opened from inside.

The woman inside had pink hair that was slightly disheveled, she yawned sleepily, her lifted eyelids drooped halfway, and her eyes were suffused with a hazy moisture.

She wore a short-sleeved pajama top, the collar unfastened, two buttons undone, revealing a clear, beautiful collarbone; below was a large expanse of white...

Ning Xun awkwardly withdrew his gaze, his ears flushing an abnormal red, he handed over the bowl in his hand and asked, "Is this yours?"

Jiang Zhi leaned lazily against the doorframe, her collar askew, a faint morning light spread over it, white and dazzling.

"It's mine."

Ning Xun lowered his head, the arm extended in midair trembling slightly, "Here you go."

Jiang Zhi yawned, the reddened corners of her eyes holding tears, "You've used it, so I don't want it anymore."

Upon hearing that, Ning Xun's first thought was:

— "Didn't you say you liked me? Why, after I used it, do you no longer want it?"

"Liar."

"She clearly doesn't like him."

Ning Xun realized, his face cold, he turned and walked away directly.

From behind came the woman's sensual, soft voice.

"Aren't you going to say thank you?"

Ning Xun stood where he was, without turning back, and said stiffly, "Thank you."

Jiang Zhi made an "oh" sound and closed the door.

"Clang——!"

Hearing the door-close sound, Ning Xun turned back, his thin lips pressed tightly, he gripped the porcelain bowl in his hand, his shoulders trembling slightly.

After pausing for a few minutes, he lifted his foot and returned to his own room.

…

The next evening.

After completing the prescribed five laps, Jiang Zhi stood at the residential area entrance, twisted open the cap of a mineral water bottle, and took two sips of water.

In the distance she saw a boy approaching, who quickly passed by her side.

Jiang Zhi followed behind him, "You're up awfully early today—are you here to see me?"

Ning Xun kept walking without stopping, silent and speechless.

As if he had made up his mind not to say a word to her.

Jiang Zhi didn't mind, and followed him into the elevator.

Before the elevator doors closed, a man entered, his gaze falling on Jiang Zhi.

She was wearing a tight-fitting sports outfit, just for the convenience of running and exercising.

Her hair, dyed from pink to gold, was pulled up high; her neck was slender and fair, tracing a beautiful curve across her chest, and from behind her buttocks lifted a slight upward curve, like a fairy, captivating the heart.

The man stared, unable to help himself, and walked toward her.

Before he could reach her, a tall figure stepped into his line of sight.

The boy's jet-black eyes were half-lowered, the corners of his eyes flashing with a sharp, icy hostility.