Love For You - Chapter 28

Chapter 28: This Bastard Thing

Because of the mid-night incident of doors being pried open and windows being smashed, Chen Yi took several of his brothers and combed the surrounding area with dark, menacing expressions, but they couldn't find a single clue. This residential area was densely populated; it wasn't impossible for a few old perverts to be hiding here. It was just that no one ever dared to provoke Chen Yi, yet this past year he had repeatedly suffered setbacks because of Miao Jing. His friends, seeing his impatient expression and his demeanor—looking completely wretched yet forced to swallow his pride—all praised Brother Yi for being so kind and doing good deeds. His feelings for Miao Jing were not obvious on the surface and rarely mentioned in front of others. Every time he received a call from her, he would stand up with a stony face and curse a string of profanities. There were truly many people who sympathized with Brother Yi.

But everyone knew that Miao Jing was an excellent student. She was the picture of a well-behaved, good student, and she attended the best high school in Vine City. Some people joked that this was Chen Yi’s long-term investment. They said that once Miao Jing made something of herself in the future, she would surely have to repay him. At the very least, she should present him with a silk banner or a trophy. Later, when Chen Yi hit it big and started his own company, he could recruit this high-achieving younger sister and her future husband to work under him as managers. Everyone could get rich together with Brother Yi. Chen Yi slapped the back of someone’s head and cursed them for having wild fantasies.

However, Miao Jing was truly beautiful. With a face no bigger than a palm, she was pure, sweet, and lovely. The brothers were envious, but hindered by Chen Yi’s cold attitude, no one dared to act rashly. Occasionally, when they saw Miao Jing, they couldn't help but take an extra look. One day, while they were sitting together playing cards, someone was looking at pornographic sites on their phone and scrolled past a short video. The leading lady’s face looked like Chen Yi’s sister. When Chen Yi heard their weird laughter, he snatched the phone away. When he saw it, his expression went from unpleasant to pitch-black, and he threw the phone directly into the fish tank beside them.

The pervert couldn't be found, and Chen Yi stopped working at the nightclub. He spent a period of time focusing on playing billiards in the club attached to the night club. The people who entered the pool hall were of all walks of life, from troublemaking gangsters and their underlings to wealthy businessmen and government officials. They talked about business or current politics in the hall. The manager of the pool hall at that time was a retired football player who saw that Chen Yi’s game was rock-steady, so he called him over to the pool hall to act as a sparring partner, earning commissions from tips. His income was considered quite good.

He basically went home at eleven or twelve at night. The nightlife in Vine City was lively, and there were plenty of people at the midnight snack stalls along the road. Sometimes, Chen Yi would bring back a midnight snack. If he was a little early, he would happen to run into Miao Jing arriving home after late-night self-study. She would be pedaling her bicycle slowly, wearing headphones and concentrating on listening to English. He would stand on the side of the road, and as he stretched out his long leg, the bike would brake sharply and lurch forward. She would jump off the seat in a panic. Under the streetlights, her eyes sparkled, and her mouth pouted slightly; she was a little unhappy that he had blocked her path. This dead girl—he had almost forgotten how soft and clingy she was a few years ago. Now, she only knew how to be cold-hearted, give him attitude, and speak in a mean, biting way, as if he owed her eight million.

“Get off, I’ll give you a ride back.”

Miao Jing yielded the bicycle to him, and his tall, sturdy frame sat on it. The bicycle creaked, and the tires flattened downward.

Miao Jing frowned slightly: “You’re too heavy; you’re crushing the tires.”

“What the hell do you know? This is called a fit physique.”

She labored to carry the midnight snack—crayfish and two cans of beer: “Smoking, drinking, and eating late-night snacks—it’s easy to have a stroke and die young.”

“You bastard thing, are you cursing me to die early every single day? Won't you feel at ease if I don't die?”

“Yes!”

He kept a straight face: “Even if I die, you’ll have to wear sackcloth and ashes for me and wail at my grave.”

She was wearing a long, white cotton dress: “I’ll cry even if you don’t die.”

Her fair, clear arms wrapped around his waist, her soft fingers naturally resting on his hard abdomen. He couldn't feel her weight at all on the back seat, but the warmth and weight pressing against his back made Chen Yi feel that Miao Jing was like a long, soft strand of seaweed or a vine. Honestly, he quite liked that metaphor.

“Do you want me to get you an electric scooter? It would save you from pedaling. How long would it take for those short legs of yours to get home?”

“No, it’s too expensive.” She thought for a moment and retorted, “I’m 167 centimeters tall; my legs aren't short.”

“Pfft, that thin neck of yours probably accounts for ten centimeters. What’s there to brag about with a height of 157 centimeters?”

He mocked her for her beautiful, long swan-like neck.

Miao Jing twitched the corners of her mouth, her expression sour. Her fingers moved, and her nails scratched his abdomen.

“Holy shit! Are you asking for death?”

Chen Yi felt a jolt run through his whole body; his hair stood on end, and the bicycle wobbled, nearly crashing into the curb.

“Miao Jing!!” He growled viciously. Once the bike stabilized, he suddenly accelerated, took both hands off the handlebars, and used them to swat at her arms.

The two of them began to scuffle on the bicycle.

“Ah—don’t—”

“It’s dangerous!”

Performing acrobatics on the road in the middle of the night—Miao Jing still remembered his incredible speed on a motorcycle. The bicycle darted back and forth. She gripped his waist tighter and tighter; the body under her arms became harder and harder, while the sensation on her back became softer and softer.

Chen Yi’s breathing became a bit rapid and scorching, and a faint sense of pleasure began to rise.

It was already eleven o'clock when they reached home. Miao Jing took a shower early and returned to her room; she still had to find time to review the day’s lessons before sleep, leaving the cleanup of the house to Chen Yi.

After he finished his midnight snack and beer, he took a shower in the bathroom. The water splashed over his body, landing on his narrow waist and abdomen. As he wiped himself with a towel, his eyes suddenly dimmed, deep as wells. Half-closing his eyes, he reached out his hand. The water from the showerhead cascaded over his rugged face and long, lean body, streaming down his solid, fit chest and tense abdominal muscles, converging onto his vigorous, firm thighs. His breathing was rapid and ragged, his arm muscles bulging. Accompanied by the bobbing of his Adam’s apple, his body finally stiffened slightly and calmed down.

He ran his hands through his thick, short hair and tilted his head back slightly. Water droplets danced on his handsome, young features. His brow was slightly furrowed, as if filled with struggle and annoyance. Finally, he braced himself against the wall and let out a light breath. Chen Yi walked out of the bathroom with a towel draped over his shoulders.

He lay on the bed, feeling lazy and lethargic. He couldn't help but pull out a cigarette. He looked down and sighed. Being young and full of vigor wasn't necessarily a good thing. No matter how unbearable the frustration was, there was nothing he could do. He would just have to endure it, endure it until that little brat next door moved out. Good food is worth the wait; he had plenty of energy, was he really afraid he wouldn't get to enjoy it?

What he feared was that he was an animal. In his dreams, those enchanting, beautiful bodies wrapped around him as tightly as snakes. He would hold that smooth, bare body, look up, and see a cold, arrogant little face with bright, sparkling eyes staring quietly at him, whispering “Brother” while nuzzling against his Adam’s apple. He would instantly… have to sneak up in the middle of the night to wash his underwear, his mood as gloomy as a dead man’s.

F**K it!

The third year of high school started early, and there were many extra classes. Chen Yi told Miao Jing to live on campus, but she shook her head and refused, saying that the dormitory was for six people and she wasn't used to it; she wanted to be alone and do as she pleased at home. Chen Yi twitched the corner of his mouth, but since she wouldn't do it, so be it; there was only one year left anyway.

In the two days before school started, Chen Yi was in an exceptionally good mood. He excitedly took Miao Jing to buy a small electric scooter—the brand endorsed by Jay Chou—and then went to the mall to buy clothes and shoes. He accompanied her to a barbershop to get a haircut, directing the hairstylist to give her straight, plain hair a new style. He had seen plenty of beauties at the nightclub, and having been influenced by them, his aesthetic sense was top-notch. He took the opportunity to call his friends: “Want to do something big?” Not right now, he was busy and couldn't get away. He would wait another year, and by next summer, he would stir up trouble in the world again. What were pretty girls anyway? He didn't care. He was still young, only nineteen; he had plenty of time left to be wild to his heart’s content.

Chen Yi’s reckless energy while on the phone made him fail to notice that Miao Jing’s expression was growing colder and colder, her cherry-colored lips drooping further and further. When he turned back to talk to her, the person who was fine a second ago had changed her face completely, mocking him and poking at him with sarcasm and sharp words.

Chen Yi put his hands on his hips and roared at her with a dark face. He couldn't help but grab her braid. Seeing her eyes starting to brim with tears again, he couldn't bring himself to be cruel, so he patted her shoulder: “Let’s go, let’s go home.”

“I’m not going back.”

“If you aren't going back, where are you going?”

“No matter where I go, I’m not going back.”

“Get back there.” He twisted her shoulder: “Miao Jing, I’ll endure you for one more year. By this time next year, pack your things and get out.”

“Get out then.” She was stubborn too: “Go hang out with your fox friends and dog gangs, killing and fighting, acting as a tiger’s accomplice, doing evil, committing all kinds of crimes, living a dissipated life, and ending up in prison.”

“You’ve learned your Chinese lessons well, your little mouth is quite glib.” He was truly angered into laughter. He reached out to pinch her lips. Those two cherry lips were captured by his long, slender fingers that smelled of tobacco, slightly pouting at his fingertips—pale cherry-colored, thin, soft, and moist.

Miao Jing fluttered her eyelashes, feeling that she must look hideous right now, filled with unhappiness.

“If you have the ability, keep cursing.” His fingers pinched; the little mouth was elastic, Q-bouncy, and it felt damn good to the touch.

Miao Jing frowned, making a muffled sound in her throat. She used both hands and feet to greet him, hitting and kicking him. Her soft, cool fingers gripped his wrists—it was a rather pleasant sensation. Chen Yi grinned through the pain. He reached back, lifted Miao Jing by her waist, hoisted her up, tucked her under his armpit, and walked out. Miao Jing opened her mouth and bit his side. Unexpectedly, he heard Chen Yi let out a hoarse hum. Her world spun, and before she could scream, she was already carried over Chen Yi’s shoulder. He gave her bottom a fierce smack and strode out of the mall with long strides.

At this moment, she hung on him like a little quail, behaving herself.

The school held a mobilization meeting for the families of the college entrance examination candidates. Other parents were middle-aged moms and dads, no matter how brightly dressed, they weren't eye-catching. Only Chen Yi was the youngest, wearing a casual shirt and straight suit pants, a white T-shirt visible under the collar, a silver wristwatch on his hand, and a pair of plain-glass glasses he had gotten from somewhere. With his handsome and upright appearance, he actually had a steady, decent demeanor. He looked at Miao Jing’s report card and school ranking with great satisfaction, then draped his arm over Miao Jing’s shoulder in a pretentious, affectionate manner. He deliberately lowered his rich, mellow voice to chat with the head teacher, inquiring about his younger sister’s goals and direction for the college entrance exam, as well as the key points for her studies and life during the third year of high school.

There were truly quite a few eyes on him. Female classmates in the class took turns coming over to greet Miao Jing, shyly and cautiously striking up a conversation with Chen Yi. Chen Yi was all smiles and handled it with ease. He not only added several parents’ numbers but, while holding his phone, he wanted to add the contact information of the female classmates in Miao Jing’s class. He was met with a cold glance from Miao Jing, so he consciously rubbed the tip of his nose, lowered his eyelashes, and looked down with a smile.

The gentleness in that smile made one’s heart race, and his whisper close to her ear was: “Why are you glaring at me? I’m helping you improve your relationships with classmates. In this day and age, relationships are resources. Besides, none of them are as pretty as you. It’s not like I’d be picking up girls here.”

This was the first time he had called her… pretty.