Chapter 52

That night, Zhou Jingyu was both fierce and extraordinarily patient. He kissed Wen Tang all over, as if he were worshiping her.

He still didn’t take the final step. Wen Tang didn’t know why. She had wanted to ask several times, but each time the words got stuck in her throat.

Each time, she felt satisfied, but he hadn’t reached his peak.

His willpower was astounding, he could really endure.

After Wen Tang finished, Zhou Jingyu carefully cleaned her up. As the sound of their heavy breathing gradually subsided, Zhou Jingyu held Wen Tang in his arms. She could feel her strength slowly returning.

Propping herself up with one hand, Wen Tang looked up at Zhou Jingyu. “Let me help you,” she offered.

Zhou Jingyu’s Adam’s apple bobbed slightly.

“How do you plan to help?” His voice was hoarse and sexy, completely different from his usual cool tone.

Wen Tang blinked.

…

She regretted it.

If she ever doubted Zhou Jingyu’s abilities again, she’d have to be out of her mind!

She didn’t know how long it went on, but by the end, her arm was so sore she could hardly move it, yet he still hadn’t finished.

Finally…

Wen Tang covered her face with her hands, unwilling to recall it any further.

…

Zhou Jingyu went to the bathroom.

Wen Tang buried herself under the covers, leaving only her head exposed.

A short while later, Zhou Jingyu returned, lifted the blanket, and pulled Wen Tang into his arms.

She smelled the fresh scent of the shower on him—he had just taken a bath.

Wen Tang lay comfortably in his embrace. After a moment, she looked up and asked him seriously, “Zhou Jingyu, why don’t you ever go all the way with me?”

This was something that had always bothered Wen Tang.

Why wouldn’t he take that final step?

It was all right there in front of him, and every time he was clearly aroused, yet he always held back with such difficulty.

Instead of rushing to explain, Zhou Jingyu gently kissed her forehead and said softly, “It’s not the right time yet.”

To Wen Tang, that response was nothing but perfunctory.

“If now isn’t the right time, then when is?” she pressed.

They were already so intimate; wasn’t it natural to go all the way?

Could there be some unspeakable reason? But his body was perfectly normal; everything that had just happened proved that.

As Wen Tang gazed at Zhou Jingyu, an absurd feeling welled up inside her—she felt like some sort of female bully forcing herself on an innocent man!

But Zhou Jingyu wasn’t in as much of a hurry as she was. He stroked her hair, calming her.

“Just wait a little longer,” he said.

Wen Tang was like a gust of wind; how could he possibly capture the wind in his hands?

So, he wove a tightly-knit web of temptation, making her like him immensely, making her depend on him, giving her joy but never fully giving himself to her. This kept her full of curiosity and excitement about him, and the more she explored, the more she liked him.

One day, when all her affection accumulated into love, he would give her everything he had, without reservation.

But now wasn’t the time.

*

The next day, Wen Tang woke up before dawn, even earlier than Zhou Jingyu.

She had to go to work.

Before she left, Zhou Jingyu, who had also woken up, grabbed her by the waist and pressed her back onto the bed, kissing her fiercely.

She would be working for another half a month, and they would only see each other twice during that time.

Once was in the afternoon when Wen Tang got a three-hour break. She had Yangyang drive her to Zhou Jingyu’s office building and called him. She missed him so much that she didn’t even want to disturb his work, just wanted to see him. But Zhou Jingyu took off from work and brought Wen Tang back to the apartment, where they spent a wild afternoon together.

Wen Tang ended up being two hours late.

Fortunately, a heavy rainstorm hit that afternoon, forcing the outdoor shoot to be canceled. By the time Wen Tang returned, the rain had stopped, and she made it back just in time.

Otherwise, she would have gained a bad reputation for throwing her weight around.

The other time was also late at night. She came back under the cover of darkness and left again before dawn.

Wen Tang was truly busy.

She had lost the weight she had gained after starting work again, and in the past month, she had lost another two pounds. She was so light that she looked like a paper-thin figure walking down the street.

As a result, she successfully worked herself into illness.

She had a fever of 39.5°C (103.1°F), and was almost unconscious. It was only discovered in the morning by Ke Xin, who quickly rushed her to the hospital with Yang Yang’s help.

Ke Xin had Zhou Jingyu’s contact information, so when Wen Tang was being examined, she tried sending a WeChat message to him, saying that Wen Tang was sick.

Unexpectedly, Zhou Jingyu called her right away.

After getting the address, he arrived at the hospital in less than half an hour.

By then, the doctor had already seen Wen Tang and prescribed medication. She was receiving an IV drip and, having not rested enough, fell asleep as soon as she lay down on the hospital bed.

When he received Ke Xin’s message, Zhou Jingyu had been in a meeting. Ke Xin, as Wen Tang’s assistant, had never contacted him since adding him on WeChat. So when she suddenly sent a message, he paid special attention to it, glancing at it during a break in the meeting. The main content of the meeting was over, and the rest was just summaries and reviews. Upon learning that Wen Tang had been hospitalized with a fever, he handed the meeting over to the Vice President and hurriedly left.

Ke Xin was keeping watch in the hospital room while Yang Yang was downstairs picking up the medicine from the pharmacy.

Zhou Jingyu personally checked on Wen Tang’s condition. She was asleep, her face pale. He touched her forehead. It was still a little warm.

“How is she now?” Zhou Jingyu asked, frowning slightly as he turned to Ke Xin. “Has she taken the medicine?”

Ke Xin hadn’t expected him to arrive so quickly.

She felt that as soon as Zhou Jingyu entered the room, the atmosphere completely changed.

His presence was overwhelming, especially in this tense moment, making her feel uneasy. She was worried he would blame her for not taking good care of Wen Tang as her assistant.

“She’s already taken the medicine,” Ke Xin quickly nodded. Facing such a strong-willed Zhou Jingyu, she didn’t dare withhold any information. “The doctor said there’s no major issue. She just needs more rest and has overworked herself.”

“Doctor also said that Tang Tang is too thin and suffering from severe malnutrition. If she continues like this, her body will definitely break down!”

“Malnutrition?” Zhou Jingyu frowned, unable to comprehend how malnutrition could still be an issue in today’s society, especially for someone like Wen Tang. He had always made sure she ate well when she was at home.

In fact, Zhou Jingyu had just returned from abroad, and while he was aware that foreign actresses maintained healthy physiques, he was unfamiliar with the domestic entertainment industry’s standards. The truth was, domestic actresses were under immense pressure to stay thin for the camera. If measured by ordinary people’s weight standards, they’d appear chubby and round-faced on screen.

Malnutrition was a common issue among most actresses.

Ke Xin explained, “Tang Tang gained a few pounds during her break and felt she didn’t look good on camera, so she cut back on her eating to lose the weight. Recently, she’s been too busy, not eating or sleeping well, and that’s why she ended up getting sick.”

Averaging only three hours of sleep a day, even a body of iron couldn’t handle that!

While Ke Xin and Yang Yang could rotate shifts to rest, Wen Tang had to complete all her filming tasks herself—there was no substitute for her.

Zhou Jingyu nodded in understanding.

Shortly after, Yang Yang returned with the medication.

Knowing that Zhou Jingyu was in the hospital room, Yang Yang, like Ke Xin, wisely chose to stay out of the way, even opting to sit in the hallway outside the door.

Wen Tang woke up about half an hour after the IV finished. She was so exhausted that she didn’t even wake up when the nurse came to remove the empty IV bottle and the needle from her hand.

Wen Tang’s skin was fair and delicate, bruising easily even with a slight bump, let alone after having an IV needle inserted. The needle mark was very visible, surrounded by bruises, and her hand had swelled up.

After the nurse left, Zhou Jingyu looked down, holding Wen Tang’s hand gently for a long time before finally placing it under the blanket, covering it up.

When Wen Tang woke up, the first thing she saw was the ceiling, and turning her head, she spotted Zhou Jingyu sitting on the sofa.

She hadn’t seen him for a week, and her face lit up instantly.

“Why are you here?” she asked, her carefree tone making her seem oblivious.

Zhou Jingyu had been somewhat angry at her for neglecting her health for the sake of work, but her joyful reaction made all his anger dissipate, leaving only tenderness.

Zhou Jingyu stood up from the sofa and walked over to her.

He placed his hand on Wen Tang’s forehead—her temperature was normal.

“You’ve slept for nearly three hours and finished two IV drips,” Zhou Jingyu informed her.

Wen Tang tried to sit up, and Zhou Jingyu helped her, placing a pillow behind her so she could sit comfortably.

Although Zhou Jingyu said nothing, Wen Tang keenly sensed his worry.

“I’m fine, really. I’ve just been a bit overwhelmed with work lately,” Wen Tang said, downplaying the situation. She was used to being busy—days with only three hours of sleep were common. In their industry, a lack of work was more concerning than too much work.

She actually felt she was in good health. She rarely got sick, usually just a cough or a cold. Even fevers were uncommon.

This time, she likely fell ill because she had been drenched during a night shoot, and her body, being too exhausted, couldn’t take it, leading to a fever and a hospital stay.

Despite her condition, seeing Zhou Jingyu made Wen Tang happier than she was concerned about her health.

Wen Tang clutched Zhou Jingyu’s hand tightly.

“Zhou Jingyu, I missed you so much,” she said, looking up at him with sincere eyes.

Zhou Jingyu: “…”

How could she be so careless about her own health, yet so earnest?

He was torn between scolding her or simply reciprocating her feelings by saying he missed her too.

In the end, with a stern expression, Zhou Jingyu maintained his stance and said, “I heard you’ve not been eating properly, and when you do eat, it’s very little. That’s why you’re now severely malnourished.”

His tone was filled with a warning. “Wen Tang, if you continue like this, your body won’t be able to take it. You’ll just end up sick again, and it’ll be you who suffers.”

Zhou Jingyu was especially serious when he reprimanded her.

This was the first time Wen Tang had seen him like this.

She couldn’t help but feel a little guilty. Having lived and eaten together with Zhou Jingyu for a month, she knew he was like this—he wouldn’t interfere with many things, nor would he overly restrict her actions, but he was insistent about her eating habits. He cared deeply about her health.

Otherwise, how else could she have gained five pounds during their month together?

It was all his doing!

Seeing Zhou Jingyu’s stern demeanor, Wen Tang reached out and gently tugged at his arm, giving it a little shake. She batted her eyes and pouted, trying her best to look pitiful as she quickly admitted her mistake: “I know you’re right, I promise I’ll change!”

Zhou Jingyu turned and gave her a look of extreme disbelief.

Wen Tang met his gaze, brought her hands together, and raised them over her head as if taking an oath, promising, “I swear, I’ll do what I say!”

Zhou Jingyu watched her for a moment, then sighed. He reached out to take her hand down from above her head.

Looking into her eyes, he said seriously, “I’m not trying to force you to make promises, but you need to understand that your body is your own, and you need to take care of it.”

His earlier anger, sparked by learning about her long-term poor eating habits and malnutrition, had quickly dissipated.

After speaking, he reached out and pulled Wen Tang into his embrace.

During this past month, with so many separations and so little time together, how could he not have missed her?