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Chapter 29: A Special Kind of Desire

Cold water poured down. Maybe it was too cold — the man shivered slightly, shook the ice water from his hair, and then, without hesitation, got down to do push-ups.

As his body rose and fell, the muscles in his strong, lean arms flexed — smooth, flawless lines without a single flaw. The veins on his neck bulged slightly, exuding a subtle, bewitching allure.

Yi An’an couldn’t help but swallow. She accidentally nudged the door latch, which made a tiny noise.

The man doing push-ups immediately turned his gaze toward the sound. Still in position, he hung his head slightly, dark hair falling over his face, brushing lightly against his skin. His thin lips were tinged with a cold indifference, and his deep, wild eyes gleamed with a sharp intensity as they coldly stared in Yi An’an’s direction.

Yi An’an hurried back to the heated brick bed, then lay down in her original position, pretending to still be asleep.

Soon after, there was the sound of movement outside, and then the door opened.

Yi An’an grew nervous, afraid the man would realize she had been peeking at him while he bathed. She did her best to keep up the appearance of sleeping.

Zhan Nan Hui entered the room, bringing a chill with him. After warming up for a moment, he turned and saw Yi An’an sleeping. He frowned slightly. Taking advantage of the cold still lingering on his body — which helped him control his chaotic thoughts — he strode over and scooped Yi An’an into his arms.

Yi An’an tried hard to stay calm, but when the man’s icy body picked her up, she couldn’t help trembling slightly.

Zhan Nan Hui noticed the tremor in the woman in his arms. He lowered his head and stared at her.

Her long lashes fluttered slightly, and her lips, slightly pouted, were so red they made one want to take a bite.

Silver moonlight streamed gently through the half-open window, casting scattered shards of light across the floor. The faint glow flickered, subtly stirring a special kind of desire.

Zhan Nan Hui frowned. Who would’ve thought the effects of the ice water would wear off so quickly?

He quickly laid Yi An’an back onto the bed, pulled the blanket over her face, and covered her up clumsily.

If he kept looking at her, he might have to douse himself again — but it was just too cold for that!

Afraid his thoughts would wander again, Zhan Nan Hui hurriedly grabbed a book and started working on some geometry problems.

He studied until dawn. Finally exhausted, he lay down beside Yi An’an and fell asleep the moment his head hit the pillow.

Only after Zhan Nan Hui lay down did Yi An’an dare to open her eyes.

After being carried to bed the night before, she had intended to pretend to sleep — but had actually fallen asleep for real. In her dreams, however, she was haunted by the man’s cold-water-drenched chest, his narrow waist, his lean hips… The dream had been wild and intense. Her face was still flushed in the morning, and she felt too embarrassed to face Zhan Nan Hui. So she waited until he had fallen asleep before getting up to make breakfast.

This time, she put real effort into breakfast — soup dumplings and millet porridge — to help Zhan Nan Hui replenish his strength. After all, the man was studying so hard, and since she had promised to help him leave this place early, she intended to keep her word.

Once the dumplings were steamed, Zhan Nan Hui also woke up. He was standing in the courtyard, reciting English vocabulary.

Although English was an optional subject in this exam — only students aiming for top universities had to take it — Zhan Nan Hui still prepared seriously.

He had a dream school in mind.

“Breakfast’s ready!” Yi An’an brought the dumplings and porridge into the hut.

Zhan Nan Hui hesitated for a moment when he heard her voice but still went inside.

He didn’t know why, but just hearing her voice now made his heart itch.

Yi An’an picked up a dumpling, puffed her cheeks, and gently blew on it. To prevent the hot soup from spilling out, she popped the whole thing in her mouth — only to burn herself. She cried out in pain but couldn’t bear to spit it out, so she swirled it around her mouth before quickly swallowing.

Zhan Nan Hui frowned slightly as he watched. “Can’t you eat more slowly?”

“I have to go into town today! I’m already running late because I made these dumplings for you!” Yi An’an said, looking aggrieved.

Made especially for him?

Zhan Nan Hui’s lips twitched slightly, but his face remained expressionless. “Even so, you should be careful not to burn yourself.”

Yi An’an touched the corner of her mouth. There was no mirror in the hut, so she leaned closer to Zhan Nan Hui, pointed at her lip, and asked, “Is it red? It kinda hurts.”

Startled by her sudden approach and her pouting lips, Zhan Nan Hui stared at the red corner of her mouth, feeling a bit flustered. Still, he frowned and said, “Yeah, it’s red.”

“I still have to see Sister Lan today…” Yi An’an frowned, then suddenly had an idea. She stopped eating and went into the house, rummaged around for a while, slung a bundle over her back, and carried a basket of pickled vegetables as she headed out.

Zhan Nan Hui frowned as he watched her hurried figure. He grabbed two dumplings, stuffed them in his mouth, locked the hut, and followed her out.

He caught up and casually took the basket from her hands.

Yi An’an glanced at him.

“I’m on my way to the pigsty, so I’ll walk with you,” Zhan Nan Hui said coolly.

Yi An’an glanced in the direction of the pigsty — clearly the opposite direction. How was that “on the way”?

“I’m going to cut pigweed outside the village,” Zhan Nan Hui added.

Yi An’an looked at his hands — one holding the basket, the other empty.

Cutting pigweed… empty-handed?

Zhan Nan Hui felt uncomfortable under her gaze and snapped, “What are you looking at? Don’t tell me you think I’m purposely walking you to the station?”

Yi An’an quickly laughed it off. “No, no!”

“No matter what happens in the future, for now we’re comrades, partners. You help me, I’ll help you,” Zhan Nan Hui said.

Yi An’an nodded. That made sense.

She swung her little hands as she walked ahead, occasionally kicking a small stone. Her two long braids swayed back and forth, full of carefree energy.

Zhan Nan Hui watched from behind. The corners of his lips lifted involuntarily — then he quickly suppressed it.

At the bus station stood Tang Ah Ren.

He seemed to be waiting for someone, frequently looking in their direction. When he saw Yi An’an, he hurried over.

“I figured you’d be going into town today!” Tang Ah Ren said with a smile. “I’ll take you.”

Then, glancing nervously at Zhan Nan Hui, he mumbled, “Comrade Zhan, right? I still owe you for the work your sister paid me for — I’ll pay it back when I’m done.”

Zhan Nan Hui looked at him blankly, expressionless.

Tang Ah Ren swallowed nervously, clearly awkward.

Yi An’an remembered her promise to Zhan Nan Hui and turned to Tang Ah Ren. “There’s not much to do today. No need to trouble yourself.”

With that, she quickly boarded the bus.

There were still a few days before the college entrance exam. Once Zhan Nan Hui got into college, she could bring Tang Ah Ren along for business — no rush.

Zhan Nan Hui’s eyes lit up, and a satisfied smile curled at his lips.

“I have to go!” Just as the bus doors were about to close, Tang Ah Ren darted on board…

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