Jealousy Kiss

The two of them were in a stalemate for two seconds. Zhou Wenting closed the door of the room behind him, stared at her, and said, “This is my room. I’m here to change my clothes.”

“Oh,” Jiang Xiao responded with a hint of embarrassment, nodding in acknowledgment.

He took a few steps toward her, stopping in front of her. His attractive eyebrows furrowed slightly, and his thin lips parted, “Jiang Xiao, forgive me for being presumptuous…”

“If you know it’s presumptuous, then don’t ask,” Jiang Xiao interrupted him, then took two steps back, silently creating distance between them. “As you know, it’s best for us to pretend we don’t know each other.”

Zhou Wenting’s frown deepened as his gaze swept over her delicate face. He had many questions he wanted to ask, such as when had she met his younger uncle, and why she had married him. Many doubts swirled in his mind, leaving him feeling unsettled.

God knows how shocked he had been when his earlier speculation was confirmed. Originally, he had thought it might just be a case of mistaken identity, not the Jiang Xiao he knew. But reality had slapped him hard in the face.

There was only one Jiang Xiao, no other.

He admitted to himself that he shouldn’t have been so presumptuous, but a corner of his heart couldn’t help but stir, leading him to entertain thoughts like, ‘Jiang Xiao married Zhou Qishen to spite me, to get back at me.’

After all, how could two people who had absolutely no connection suddenly meet and get married in such a short time? Zhou Qishen wasn’t the type to act rashly, so it could only be Jiang Xiao…

She was a girl who dared to love and hate, passionate and proactive. Yet he didn’t want to think about the methods Jiang Xiao had once used on him, now possibly directed at his younger uncle. Nor did he want to speculate on whether they had already gone further in their relationship.

“Xiaoxiao, are you approaching my younger uncle because of me…?” The rest of the words choked in Zhou Wenting’s throat, and he couldn’t muster the courage to ask.

Jiang Xiao’s expression changed slightly upon hearing the nickname “Xiaoxiao” from him.

Back when they were together, Jiang Xiao had often wanted him to call her “baby” or “darling” like an intimate term of endearment, but he never did, and even seemed repulsed by it.

So, she settled for second best, asking him to call her “Xiaoxiao” as others did, but even this simple request between lovers, he had never fulfilled, only distantly calling her by her name.

Now that they had broken up, he actually crossed that boundary and called her “Xiaoxiao”?

Jiang Xiao looked at his conflicted expression and suddenly laughed without a word. “Don’t call me ‘Xiaoxiao.’ It sounds uncomfortable to me. Besides, given our current relationship, shouldn’t you call me ‘young aunt’ instead? Go ahead, try saying it.”

“…,” Zhou Wenting pursed his lips, his face darkening.

Just then, a deep and steady voice came from behind Jiang Xiao: “Wife, what are you two talking about?”

Zhou Qishen strode over, taking advantage of his long legs to cover the ground quickly. In just a few steps, he appeared behind Jiang Xiao, his large hand naturally and casually resting on her waist, not too tight but firmly gripping.

He glanced at Zhou Wenting first, then turned his gaze to Jiang Xiao, smiling tenderly. “I met Mom on the way. I let her go ahead, so I’m here to accompany you for a walk.”

Feeling the waist gradually tightening around her, Jiang Xiao sensed signs of anger from the person beside her. She trembled slightly, blinking her eyes as calmly as possible. “We weren’t talking about anything.”

Zhou Wenting watched them standing so close, speaking in such an intimate manner and silently clenched his fists, feeling even more uneasy. He could only excuse himself, “I’ll go first.”

Zhou Qishen nodded slightly, indicating he could leave.

Without looking back, Jiang Xiao estimated that Zhou Wenting had already walked away. She lowered her voice and said, “Can you loosen your grip?”

“No.” Zhou Qishen tilted his head, casting a sidelong glance at the man who was still within sight, calmly refusing her request.

Jiang Xiao couldn’t help but try to pry his fingers off, her voice tinged with dissatisfaction. “Your grip is hurting my waist.”

The words reached Zhou Qishen’s ears, and it seemed to him she was silently resisting, resisting making intimate gestures in front of Zhou Wenting.

“Endure the pain,” Zhou Qishen’s deep eyes narrowed slightly. Holding her chin, he brushed his fingertip over her jawbone. “Xiaoxiao, I’m not in a good mood right now. Don’t force me to kiss you in front of him.”

Jiang Xiao heard the anger in his tone and discerned the implication. Did he misunderstand her and Zhou Wenting?

For a moment, she couldn’t understand his thought process and frowned at him. “What are you talking about? What… mmph.”

A forceful kiss was more maddening than any other time before. Especially since he didn’t restrain his strength, grabbing her chin and forcefully kissing her, ignoring her feelings.

Jiang Xiao staggered two steps to the side, caught off guard as her lower back bumped into the railing. Despite his palm and forearm acting as cushions, she still frowned in pain. She was so angry that tears came out of her eyes. She stepped on his instep with one foot.

The heels of the stilettos were extremely sharp and would hurt terribly if stepped on, but he ignored it and kept coming closer and refusing to let go.

Finally finding an opening, Jiang Xiao fiercely bit his lower lip, taking advantage of his pain to quickly turn her head and break free from his restraint, slapping him across the face. “You jerk! Let go.”

The pain in her palm woke Jiang Xiao up, and she stared blankly at the red mark on Zhou Qishen’s face and his darkening eyes. She was scared, but she didn’t regret taking action.

Likewise, the pain on his face brought Zhou Qishen back to his senses. Meeting her gaze, showing a trace of regret for impulsively kissing Jiang Xiao.

“Sorry, I lost my temper.” He subconsciously reached out to touch her, but she evaded him.

Even so, he didn’t mind, just refraining from approaching her again, cautiously asking, “Does your hand hurt?”

Jiang Xiao was almost out of patience with this tense situation, yet he still cared if her hand hurt.

Thinking of her hand, Jiang Xiao pursed her lips, glancing at his arm hidden beneath the suit. Given the impact on the railing just now, his hand must hurt too, but so what? He deserved it.

“It hurts! It’s all because of you, acting crazy for no reason.” Jiang Xiao reached out, pinching his chin and using a bit of force to tilt it to one side, exposing the left half of his face to her.

His flawless skin was now red, with the marks of her fingers becoming more pronounced.

In the Zhou family, hitting the heir to the family leader was quite daunting. If someone asked about it later, Jiang Xiao still felt a bit apprehensive.

She couldn’t help but click her tongue, complaining, “Why are you so delicate? Your face is all red…”

“Probably because no one has ever hit me before.” Zhou Qishen’s Adam’s apple rolled slightly, letting her hands knead the red area.

Jiang Xiao thought about it. Who dared to hit him?

Realizing that kneading in front of him was futile, Jiang Xiao’s patience was almost exhausted. She stared at him and asked irritably, “Will this reduce the swelling? Should I ask someone to bring some ice up?”

“It will,” Zhou Qishen nodded.

“Don’t just ask for ice directly. Say you want some ice water, with plenty of ice.” Directly asking for ice might raise suspicion, while asking for ice water would be more tactful.

With that, Jiang Xiao took the lead and walked towards Zhou Qishen’s room. At the end of the corridor, it was easy to find. At the door, she realized that Zhou Qishen’s room was just two rooms away from Zhou Wenting’s, quite close indeed.

“Are these two rooms unoccupied?” Jiang Xiao had already let go of most of her anger, and now all her attention was focused on removing the handprint from Zhou Qishen’s face, so her tone had returned to normal.

“Yeah, no one lives here,” Zhou Qishen replied as he followed behind her, answering her question while also calling the servant for two glasses of ice water.

Zhou Qishen’s room was unlocked, and Jiang Xiao easily opened the door. The space was large, and decorated in a warm and comfortable wooden style that was completely different from his apartment. The furniture leaned towards a traditional Chinese style.

Seeming to understand her thoughts, Zhou Qishen explained gently, “Every room in this old house looks like this.”

At his words, Jiang Xiao withdrew her gaze from inspecting the room, glanced at him, and rolled her eyes slightly. “I didn’t ask.”

Her attention was drawn to three photo frames on the desk. There was a picture of Zhou Qishen as a child, another of his high school graduation photo, and a family portrait of the three of them.

Zhou Qishen noticed her gaze but continued as if he hadn’t heard her earlier remark, “I haven’t lived here for a long time. I suppose my mom tidied it up.”

Jiang Xiao walked over and picked up his high school photo. The background was the entrance of a private high school, with Zhou Qishen in school uniform, holding flowers and standing upright with a serious expression, and short hair neatly styled.

She knew this high school, the best private high school in Beijing, a gathering place for the wealthy. She had also studied there for a year, but after her mother’s death, she transferred to the city where her grandfather lived.

Speaking of which, Zhou Qishen could be considered half a senior to her, but she wouldn’t admit it.

After a moment of silence, Jiang Xiao pursed her lips and muttered softly, “You looked like a top student in high school.”

The youthful vigor, but his expression was a bit too serious, like an old-fashioned young man.

Zhou Qishen was unapologetic, lazily leaning against the window, “I wasn’t just like one, I was one.”

Jiang Xiao smirked, put down the photo frame, glanced at him, and hummed, “You really aren’t modest at all.”

At that moment, the servant bringing ice water knocked on the door, interrupting their conversation.

Jiang Xiao took the initiative to take the tray with two glasses of ice water, thanked the servant, closed the door, and gestured with her eyes for Zhou Qishen to sit in the chair. She placed the tray on the cabinet, picked up one of the glasses, and pressed it against the left side of Zhou Qishen’s face.

The glass filled with ice cubes was incredibly cool and comfortable against the slightly swollen face.

“Hold it against your face yourself,” she said, then as soon as Zhou Qishen took the ice water, Jiang Xiao let go of the glass. She didn’t want to tire herself out, and Zhou Qishen deserved to handle the aftermath of the slap he received.

Zhou Qishen obediently pressed the glass against his cheek, looking at Jiang Xiao who was idle. His eyes darkened slightly as he kindly reminded her, “It’s almost dinner time. This swelling probably won’t go away so quickly.”

“Just keep it there for now. If it helps reduce the swelling a bit, that’s good enough,” Jiang Xiao carefully examined his face just now, and the handprint had already faded a lot. Apart from some unusual redness, there was no major issue.

Silence filled the air, but soon Zhou Qishen leaned in again and said meaningfully, “Xiaoxiao, actually my foot hurts more.”

His deep voice, like a whisper in her ear, was so light that only the two of them could hear it.

Jiang Xiao lowered her eyes at his words and noticed several dusty shoe prints on the originally clean surface of his shoes.

Those were the ones she had just stepped on.

Because she was angry at the time, she hadn’t controlled her strength well, so it must have been quite painful.

Jiang Xiao felt guilty for a moment, but she snorted stubbornly, “Serves you right.”

“Hmm?” His subdued voice carried a hint of amusement in the trailing tone.

Jiang Xiao raised her beautiful eyes, glanced up and down, gritted her teeth, and lowered her voice, “Isn’t it?”

Seeing this, Zhou Qishen couldn’t say anything more, and could only nod in agreement, “Yes.”

Estimating that it was almost time, Jiang Xiao finally got up from her chair. She held Zhou Qishen’s chin and compared it left and right. The ice pack was still effective; you couldn’t tell he had been slapped if you didn’t look closely.

But to be safe, Jiang Xiao still got him a new glass of ice water. “Keep it on a little longer.”

“My hand is cold,” Zhou Qishen looked at her somewhat pitifully.

As if to confirm that he wasn’t lying, she reached out and touched Jiang Xiao’s hand. His palm was extremely cold, and Jiang Xiao was startled by the coldness. Not only that, but his cheeks were also icy.

Jiang Xiao’s brow twitched slightly. She was typically someone who yielded to kindness but not to harshness. Seeing him show a vulnerable side, she already showed signs of softening, but she still stubbornly didn’t loosen up. She stared at him grumpily and scolded him, “Are you stupid? Don’t you know how to switch hands?”

Although she said that, she didn’t hand him the glass but held it at the top herself and pressed it against his face. After a while, she showed no intention of letting him take over. Her appearance of saying one thing but meaning another was truly cute.

One pretending to be confused, the other willing to accompany the pretense, Zhou Qishen looked up at the woman standing in front of him from bottom to top. He pursed his lips, and the smile he had held back for a long time finally spilled out from the corner of his mouth.

Then he reached out and hugged her waist, muttered an apology, “I just did something stupid. Wife, can you forgive me?”

Their eyes met, and Jiang Xiao’s gaze trembled. She didn’t expect him to say such words. Clearing her throat, she slowly uttered two words, “No.”

“…”

The olive branch thrown out fell straight to the ground. Zhou Qishen, who had been defeated, didn’t speak again, just tightened his grip on her waist.