Chapter 697 - 465: Don’t Distance Yourself From Me, Okay?

The hospital room was dark.

Suddenly, a pale hand emerged from under the covers, holding up a phone. The bright flashlight became the only source of light in the room, illuminating the vague outlines of the surrounding tables and chairs.

Then came the RUSTLE of two people shifting under the covers.

Chen Yuan quickly poked his head out, taking a deep breath of fresh air to relieve the stuffiness.

"Go turn on the light," Jiang Ning’s voice came from under the blanket, muffled and laced with panic. "I’ll keep the light on you. Then go to the bathroom and get me a bath towel... Hurry."

"My clothes are all dirty. I can’t get dressed," Chen Yuan said, lifting the edge of the blanket to speak to Jiang Ning, who was hidden inside.

"Just wrap your sweatshirt around your waist. Why are you making things so complicated... I swear, I can’t with you."

"Alright, alright, stop complaining. I’m going, okay?"

Chen Yuan revealed his lean but well-toned upper body. In the beam of the flashlight, he leaned over the side of the bed and stretched to grab his sweatshirt.

’Getting carried away is fun, but the cleanup is hell.’

’Just a moment ago, he’d carried Jiang Ning to the bed without giving her a chance to protest, ignoring her mumbled objections. He’d forced his affections on her. It started with just kissing her, but then he couldn’t stop... which was understandable. After all, he was a hot-blooded young man; it was normal to lose control.’

Furious and flustered, Jiang Ning had fought back for a long time.

Eventually, she got so upset she nearly cried, then choked out, "At least turn off the light... You bastard!"

Chen Yuan had frozen for a second, then quickly got out of bed to turn off the light.

Although they hadn’t gone all the way, he had still put Ningning through the wringer. If they were to turn on the light...

The scene was a total mess.

Jiang Ning couldn’t find anything to clean up with, so she’d even used her panties as a makeshift pad.

After so long apart, after countless days without any intimacy, Jiang Ning never would have expected Chen Yuan to suddenly pounce on her. She was so angry she could just die...

Chen Yuan, on the other hand, felt completely refreshed and invigorated. It felt as if all the pent-up frustration from the past several days had been washed away, leaving him feeling incredibly clear-headed.

He felt emptied out, body and soul, in a way that was indescribably comfortable.

It worked surprisingly well.

So much so that he was actually starting to like this feeling.

’He even found himself thinking that from now on, whenever Ningning argued with him, he’d just use the same old trick. Otherwise, getting all worked up over nothing and bottling it up would eventually lead to problems. It wasn’t healthy at all.’

CLICK—

The light switched on, and the hospital room was instantly flooded with light.

Chen Yuan hurried to the shower room and came back with two bath towels. He wrapped one around his waist and tossed the other to Jiang Ning, who was hiding under the covers.

The moment she felt something land on the covers, Jiang Ning’s hand shot out and snatched it under the blanket with a SWIPE.

When the covers were lifted again, that beautiful sight had vanished, replaced by a tightly bundled-up Ningning.

Jiang Ning looked at their clothes strewn carelessly across the floor, then at Chen Yuan, who was standing there with an inexplicable smile playing on his lips. Her brow furrowed instantly.

"You didn’t even ask for my permission! You’re so infuriating... I’m so pissed."

She got out of bed, her pale, delicate feet bare on the cold floor, and rushed into the shower room.

On her way past Chen Yuan, she lifted her foot and stomped hard on his.

"Fuck!" Chen Yuan yelped, lifting his foot in pain.

He didn’t complain. Instead, he quickly said,

"Your injury can’t get wet. Let me wrap your arm with some medical plastic wrap, and then you can take a shower. You hear me?"

...

「A short while later.」

After they had both showered and changed, their eyes met.

Jiang Ning watched Chen Yuan changing the bedsheets. She glared at him for a moment before looking away.

Perhaps it was because of the hot shower, but her cheeks were even rosier than before. They were so flushed it looked as if she were wearing an exaggerated amount of blush. As she dried her dripping hair, her pretty collarbones were clearly visible at the neck of her pure-white sweatshirt.

Thinking about what had just happened, she subconsciously bit her lip, shooting sideways glances at Chen Yuan from time to time.

"Let me dry it for you," Chen Yuan said after he finished making the bed. He walked over and reached for the towel she was clutching. "It must be tough with just one hand. It’ll take you forever to get it dry that way."

"I don’t need your help," Jiang Ning said, deftly dodging his hand. She sounded a little wary. "Just... don’t touch me. I’m scared of you now, okay?"

She’d planned on studying tonight, but now it was already ten o’clock.

Her whole evening had been wasted.

It was no wonder Jiang Ning was angry.

Hearing this, however, Chen Yuan’s eyes narrowed.

’So she’s still trying to push me away, huh?’

"It’s perfectly natural for a boyfriend to dry his girlfriend’s hair, isn’t it? It seems what happened earlier didn’t quite convince you of how close we are, Miss Ningning. Should we try again?"

"Are you some kind of beast?" Jiang Ning asked, astonished. She quickly backed up a few steps, bumping into the corner of the wall.

"Of course not. I just really, really like you. When I see you, Miss Ningning, I just think you’re so beautiful, so pretty... You’re pretty in a sweatshirt, you’re delightful to watch when you’re studying hard. I can’t help myself... I just like you so much."

But his version of "liking" her sent a chill down Jiang Ning’s spine.

"No, no, no! Chen, you’ve always been very respectful of me. I know you only did that just now because you were unhappy and frustrated. Let’s just act normal," she said, waving her hands frantically.

But Chen Yuan only pressed closer, until they were nearly touching again.

"Not respectful enough? I even asked you if it was okay. Where else on earth are you going to find a boyfriend as considerate as me? And it’s not like I did anything too out of line in the end."

"This is the right way to be," Jiang Ning said, her body stiffening as she felt Chen Yuan’s breath on her neck. "You’re about to get engaged to Yaoyao. We can’t cross any lines."