Chapter 28

Take twenty-eight bites.
“Should we go to the hospital?”
Ying Tao sat on a long bench. Carefully, she dabbed some iodine on and rubbed it in.
But his skin was pale to begin with, so the purple-red bruise looked especially severe.
He Mingye flexed his hand. “No. It’s nothing serious.”
“…Why did you block it for me?”
Her voice was muffled. Her eyes stayed on the swollen back of his hand, guilt twisting in her chest.
Seeing tears gather at the corners of her eyes—her lids still puffy—
He Mingye’s gaze darkened. He forced a teasing curl of his lip. “Call it my good deed for the day.”
She looked at him suspiciously. “Since when are you that kindhearted?”
He Mingye lifted a brow, neither confirming nor denying. “I’m not. So—how are you planning to repay me?”
Ying Tao stared at him for a long time.
She had been pretty sad, but for some reason, the air suddenly leaked out of her.
She went quiet, as if it were hard to say.
After she finished applying the medicine, she just sat there without speaking.
Only after a long while did she murmur, “Thank you.”
She should thank He Mingye, no matter how much they usually couldn’t stand each other.
If it hadn’t been for him, that cup might really have smashed into her face.
Ying Zhaohui had been furious out of his mind, and only He Mingye had stepped in under those circumstances—taking her and getting her out of there.
When they were leaving, Aunt Tang had still tried to chase after them, but Ying Zhaohui roared:
“Let her go! If she leaves, then don’t ever come back!”
…
Her mood was calm. She only found it funny.
Who would want to go back to a place like that?
“So—”
Ying Tao jolted, pulled out of her thoughts. “What?”
He Mingye looked at her blandly. “That’s it? Just a verbal thank-you?”
“…”
Ying Tao felt stifled. “Then what do you want?”
“You wouldn’t…”
She remembered something. Her expression turned complicated. “You want me to kowtow three times and bow nine times, kneeling to thank you for saving my life?”
With his rotten personality, it wasn’t like he couldn’t do something like that.
He Mingye looked like he was so amused he was about to laugh. His chest vibrated lightly; even his tone turned insolent.
“If you want to, I don’t mind.”
“…Dream on.”
But as soon as she said it, her gaze slid over his hand and her thoughts sank.
She asked hesitantly, “Are you sure your hand doesn’t need to be checked at the hospital?”
She was still worried.
Wasn’t it this same hand that got hurt in the car accident last time?
How long had it been?
Now it had taken another hit—was it really fine?
“Worried about me that much?”
“What else would I be?” Ying Tao frowned. “You did it to protect me. I’m not that ungrateful.”
“Speaking of which…” She eyed him with suspicion. “Are you jinxing me? Why do I feel like ever since you came back, I haven’t had a single smooth day?”
Bad luck didn’t have to be this bad. It had basically been going on for half a year.
She counted on her fingers. It really was like that—once He Mingye came back, she’d been unlucky nonstop.
“Look. You came back and my wisdom tooth got inflamed. Yesterday you wished me a Happy New Year and I got lost. Today’s even better—I almost got disfigured. And you still say you’re not jinxing me?”
He Mingye narrowed his eyes. “So you’re saying your misfortune is all my fault?”
“Ah…”
“Is that what I meant? I didn’t say that.”
“Not a hundred percent, okay? But there’s at least some cause and effect.”
“Don’t tell me you’ve been secretly cursing me behind my back?”
She genuinely suspected He Mingye was hiding evil intentions.
“Then be careful,” he said.
His voice dropped low. His expression was unreadable, the words drawn out slowly.
“Don’t let me… eat you clean.”
“…”
…
Ying Tao decided she wasn’t going home.
They’d already fallen out with Ying Zhaohui—why care about curfew anymore?
But when she was about to go to a hotel to get a room, she realized she hadn’t brought her ID.
She glanced at He Mingye, hesitating. “Um…”
“Yeah?”
“Can you…”
She squirmed for ages, then finally said in a small voice, “Go get a room with me?”
“…”
“I just had a blowout with my dad. He even froze my card. Are you really going to watch me wander homeless, sleeping on the street?”
She put on a pitiful sniffle or two.
Her eyes were wet with waterlight; she’d already cried once, her eye corners still red. She looked heartbreakingly easy to pity.
“Why wouldn’t I?” He Mingye’s tone carried a faint sneer. “Didn’t you say I jinx you?”
“I didn’t say it was that serious…”
She rubbed the tip of her nose, lips pressed in embarrassment. “Fine. I was wrong. Our little He Puppy is the most loyal dog in the world.”
She lifted a hand and patted the top of his head, her eyes soft, a faint smile on her lips—like she was coaxing a little black dog.
He Mingye looked at her darkly.
After a long time, he stood and tossed out lazily, “Let’s go.”
“Huh?” Ying Tao didn’t react. “Go where?”
“The hotel.”
He looked down at her. His Adam’s apple rolled slowly; his voice went inexplicably low and hoarse.
“Get a room.”
…
Get a room was get a room—did he have to say it so… suggestively?
…
By the time they reached the hotel, Ying Tao was the one who got stiff and awkward.
She shoved He Mingye once. “You go in first.”
“?”
“Are you even an entertainer?” She stared at him like she couldn’t stand it. “Don’t you know that if you’re coming to a hotel to get a room, you have to split up and move separately?”
…
“What if paparazzi are hiding nearby? Or some random netizen snaps a photo—if it gets posted online, you’ll have a scandal. Do you understand?”
A scandal?
He’d never built a “persona” to begin with. Besides, without his permission, even if paparazzi got something, they wouldn’t dare post it immediately.
Seeing her put on a stern face, all serious, He Mingye lifted his brow and gave a low, rough laugh.
“Looks like you know more than I do.”
“So—”
He lowered his voice on purpose, even his gaze turning ambiguous.
“What are you scared of? Getting caught?”
“Ah…”
He looked down at her meaningfully, his tone thick and indistinct.
“Or do you have ulterior motives toward me, and you’re afraid people will find out?”
“…Don’t be so shameless.”
Ying Tao snapped. “I’m doing this for you? I’m doing it for my own reputation.”
“Fine.”
He closed the car door again and said flatly, “Then for your reputation, you go.”
“…Forget I said anything.”
Ying Tao surrendered fast. Still, she ended up following behind him into the hotel.
She sat in the lobby like a thief, only glancing toward the front desk from the corner of her eye every so often.
He Mingye wasn’t exactly showy, but when he stood there it looked like he belonged on a poster.
Even if people didn’t recognize him, it didn’t stop them from staring.
Ying Tao sat on the sofa holding a magazine. She couldn’t focus on reading at all.
From nearby, she heard two girls chattering—one sentence after another—discussing him.
“That guy is insane. Top-tier body, perfect proportions—those legs and that ass… Is he a model?”
“Maybe some idol or something? His back looks kind of familiar.”
“No way. Which idol is so washed he comes to a hotel to get a room by himself?”
“Also…”
“At this hour, he’s probably booking by the hour, right?”
The two of them fell silent for a beat, as if they’d reached the same conclusion.
Then their voices dropped lower and lower.
“I heard if a guy has long hands, it means he’s really good.”
“No, I heard it’s the butt. And the bigger the nose tip, the stronger he is in that area.”
“Then he looks pretty…”
Pretty what?
Ying Tao pretended to read, but her ears were practically standing up. She wanted to lean over and listen.
Finally, the other girl found a word.
“Pretty good at doing it.”
“I can’t even imagine what it feels like—doing it with a top-tier guy. Like, what kind of ecstasy…”
“If it comes down to it, I’m willing to spend a wonderful night with him. Even if someone offered me the perfect body, an incredible voice, and eternal wealth, I still wouldn’t trade.”
Ying Tao choked silently.
Lady, you really know how to open your mouth wide.
“I don’t think I saw anyone come with him. Maybe he’s alone.”
“Not necessarily. People like that are good at pretending.”
“Have you ever seen an affair partner come to get a room openly, arm in arm? They always split up.”
“Maybe the person he’s with is hiding outside the hotel right now—waiting for him to check in, then sneaking up.”
Ying Tao felt a weird surge of embarrassment.
“Yeah. What a pity. I was hoping to play with him.”
“Hurry, look around. I want to see what kind of fairy he’s meeting.”
“If it’s some disqualified idol secretly meeting his girlfriend, we should expose him. Public service.”
“Idols who fail deserve to get kicked out of the industry.”
…
Ying Tao’s scalp went numb.
She watched the front desk closely. When she saw him start to move, she panicked and immediately grabbed her phone and bombarded him with messages.
[Don’t come over here!]
[Go farther away.]
[I don’t want to get photographed.]
He Mingye had just finished checking in. Seeing her WeChat, he frowned.
[?]
[I don’t want to be “sister-in-law.”]
[I don’t want to get famous.]
Her messages were abrupt and contextless, but he still understood.
His face turned cold.
He stood in the lobby—tall, broad-shouldered, narrow-waisted, proportions like a model.
If that cap didn’t cover his face, he’d be even more eye-catching.
Ying Tao swallowed nervously, fidgeting.
Her phone buzzed twice.
Beside her, the girls were still whispering.
“Who’s he texting?”
“The person he’s getting a room with, obviously. See? I told you. A guy like that would never come alone.”
“Look—who’s staring at their phone?”
Ying Tao didn’t dare look down at her phone anymore.
But then the phone rang.
She hurriedly covered it. From afar, she looked over.
The man—clearly already out of patience—was holding his phone, expression unreadable, looking straight at her.
She forced herself to answer. The man’s low voice came through.
“Two options.”
“First: you come over yourself.”
“Second—”
Ying Tao cut in immediately. “I choose two.”
He laughed coldly. “Second: I come over and drag you out.”
…
Two vicious choices. Either way she was dead, huh?
“One,” he started counting.
Ying Tao held out as long as she could, but before he reached “three,” she still stood up.
She used the magazine to cover her face and walked fast.
Grabbing his arm, she hauled him inside.
While waiting for the elevator, she saw those two girls actually stand up in the distance, as if they were about to follow.
Her eyelids jumped twice.
Ding.
The elevator doors opened. Ying Tao didn’t hesitate—she shoved him in and immediately hammered the buttons.
She looked jittery, nerves stretched tight.
As the numbers climbed, her body still didn’t relax. Without thinking, she kept her grip on his arm, holding tight.
She unconsciously tightened her hold, and her body inevitably brushed against his firm arm.
The elevator was sealed tight, filled with a heavy scent—something musky, almost overpowering.
Her face grew hot without her noticing. The strong fragrance made her even more restless and flustered.
“You’re nervous?”
His low voice fell right by her ear, carrying a rough, hoarse texture.
Ying Tao felt dazed.
Maybe it was the warm air mixed with perfume, making her head foggy.
She lifted her eyes to him. Her eyes were wet and bright, as if a thin mist had gathered inside.
Without thinking, she licked her dry lip, like her throat was uncomfortable.
Her voice came out light as she said, “No.”
He Mingye could almost feel the heat pressed close—soft curves, unavoidable contact, tightly fitted.
But she didn’t seem aware at all.
She only looked up at him, innocent and dazed—face like peach blossoms, eyes like spring water.
He Mingye lowered his gaze. The light in his eyes was deep; even his voice turned darker and hoarser.
“If you’re not—why are you shaking?”
“Stand properly.”