Chapter 19: Peeling Pomegranate

Xie Bo and Lin Yiwei stood in front of a hotel named “Friendship Guesthouse.”

After comparing several hotels, this was the only one that looked somewhat more formal. Previously, at a small hotel, the front desk clerk, who was playing a game, glanced at Lin Yiwei and casually remarked, “Isn’t she a prostitute?”

Xie Bo then pinned him down and slapped him several times, his eyes full of menace, demanding, “Who are you calling a prostitute? Say it again.”

Lin Yiwei had to drag him out of the hotel before the clerk could call the police. Along the way, Xie Bo looked upset, as if he was particularly sensitive to that term. Lin Yiwei remembered Xu Qianxi mentioning that Xie Bo’s mother used to be a prostitute in the red-light district. That term was a taboo for him. Thus, it wasn’t that he had no taboos; he also had his sensitivities.

When checking in, Lin Yiwei handed over her ID and specifically requested two separate rooms.

Xie Bo smiled, did not object, and took the room cards upstairs. The hotel was almost empty, and their rooms were next to each other. As soon as Lin Yiwei entered her room, she locked the door, which Xie Bo could clearly hear. It was as if she was guarding against him like a thief.

The room was relatively clean and tidy. Lin Yiwei first checked for any hidden cameras in the room to ensure there were none, which relieved her. She had experienced being secretly filmed before, not in a hotel but in a changing room. Lin Xie was very angry, argued with the store, and even called the police, but it all came to nothing. With countless customers coming and going, it was impossible to trace the source of the hidden camera. As a girl from a lower social stratum, she could only be more cautious and protect herself.

Soon, there was a knock on the door. “Who is it?”

“Who else could it be?” came Xie Bo’s deep, magnetic voice.

“What’s up?”

“Let’s go out to buy some things together.”

Lin Yiwei opened the door and looked up at the man who was much taller than her, “What do we need to buy?”

“Sheets, and also shampoo.”

“Don’t they have those here?”

“I don’t use things others have used.” Well, he was a man with high standards.

Lin Yiwei and Xie Bo left the hotel and went to the bustling streets of the small town. It was just 10 p.m., and the downtown area was still lively with many pedestrians and shops still open, brightly lit.

Xie Bo wanted to buy everything new that he would need to use: toothpaste, toothbrush, sheets, duvet covers, shampoo, shower gel—everything had to be new.

Lin Yiwei also took the opportunity to buy some daily necessities for herself, including duvet covers and sheets, but for a single bed like the ones at school. She only had one set of bedding and no spares, so taking advantage of Xie Bo’s offer to pay, she bought everything she needed, including a lot of sanitary pads.

Xie Bo noticed she was trying to take advantage of the situation but didn’t call her out on it, fearing that it would embarrass her and she might not buy what she needed.

She had a strong pride and was easily embarrassed. She had been living so frugally that she didn’t even own decent clothing. If they weren’t in a small town with limited options, Xie Bo would have taken her shopping for designer women’s clothes to give her a proper makeover.

In the convenience store, Lin Yiwei saw Xie Bo checking out and casually picking up a box of condoms. The young girl’s eyes were quick.

Quickly grabbing the box and putting it back on the shelf, she glared at him fiercely, “No.”

Xie Bo started to laugh in a rakish manner, “You don’t want me to wear it?”

“Don’t even think about that.”

However, Xie Bo didn’t insist, he just took a pack of cigarettes and paid by scanning the code.

Lin Yiwei received a call from Ye Anning, asking where she and Xie Bo had gone.

“I felt a bit unwell, so I went back first,” Lin Yiwei said softly, “Xie Bo took me back.”

“Oh, is that so? Are you okay then?”

“I’m fine, don’t worry.”

“I was saying I would wait for you guys at the end, then I’ll ask Li Du to take me back too. How was your day, did you have fun?”

“Very fun, An An, thank you for bringing me along.”

“It’s nothing, let’s hang out again next time.”

After hanging up the phone, Lin Yiwei knew that Ye Anning was not a foolish girl like Chi Xi Yu.

Sure enough, she immediately called Xie Bo to verify, “Xie Bo, have you gone back?”

Xie Bo picked up the phone, his eyes slightly lifted.

Lin Yiwei saw his ill intentions from his gaze, and quickly grabbed the hem of his clothes, signaling him not to talk nonsense.

Xie Bo took the opportunity to wrap his arms around the girl’s waist, pressing her against the shelf, leaning in to kiss her.

Lin Yiwei dodged his sharp lips.

“Yeah, you go back, don’t worry about us.” On the phone, he coldly said to Ye Anning, “The car broke down, we’re staying in Lugang Town for the night, and we’ll come back tomorrow.”

“Yes, with your best friend—Lin Yiwei.”

He deliberately emphasized the words “best friend,” looking at Lin Yiwei mischievously.

Lin Yiwei, gripping his shirt, her knuckles turning white, glared at him fiercely.

He was deliberately… trying to turn her and Ye Anning against each other.

Sure enough, after Ye Anning hung up, she sent a stern message to Lin Yiwei, “If you’re together with him, then be it. Why lie to me?”

“………”

Lin Yiwei forcefully pushed Xie Bo away, storming out of the convenience store angrily.

Xie Bo caught up to her, grabbing her wrist.

“Get lost!” she struggled hard, “Bastard!”

“Are you mad?” he drawled lazily, “Yiyi, don’t tell me, you’re actually from Chi Xiyu’s side, and you really considered Ye Anning a friend?”

Lin Yiwei was well aware that she would eventually become enemies with Ye Anning.

However… she was really good to Lin Yiwei.

For those who were good to her, Lin Yiwei never wanted to let them down, which is why she lied and deceived her, not wanting to make her sad.

But upon further thought, the thing she promised to do for Chi Xiyu… would hurt her no matter what.

She was truly conflicted, only able to blame it all on Xie Bo, glaring at him with reddened eyes, “You’re really annoying.”

After saying that, she hastily lowered her head to compose an apology message to Ye Anning.

Xie Bo sneered, whispering into her ear, “Yiyi, look at you, wanting to be a bad girl but not being bad enough. If I were you… I wouldn’t have such a senseless sense of guilt. Once you have guilt, you can’t accomplish anything.”

His warm breath tickled her ear.

Yes, by choosing Chi Xiyu , she was destined to break with Ye Anning.

Such contradictions and entanglements meant she could succeed at nothing, neither seducing Xie Bo nor saving her brother.

Lin Yiwei grabbed Xie Bo’s collar and tiptoed to kiss his lips.

Xie Bo was blank for a few seconds before he reacted, trying to deepen the kiss, but Lin Yiwei suddenly bit his lip hard.

The taste of blood spread between their entwined tongues.

Lin Yiwei pushed him away.

Xie Bo, licking the trace of blood at the corner of his lips, said with a smile, “See, seducing me is such an easy task.”

Lin Yiwei looked at him defiantly, “Xie Bo, does hurting others really make you happy?”

This question made Xie Bo’s smile fade a bit.

“Don’t fucking shift the blame to me,” he said coldly at the corner of his mouth, “Pain only comes from unrequited desires. They desire me, what does that have to do with me? I’m not a duck, why should I care about everyone’s feelings?”

“You just take advantage of others liking you, doing whatever you want, trampling on sincerity.”

Suddenly, Xie Bo grabbed her hair, pulling her back so Lin Yiwei had to face him.

“You’re also taking advantage of the fact that I like you.”

His voice turned dark and cold, “Yiyi, haven’t you noticed? We are the same kind of people, at least, I dare to admit it. And you, for your own purposes, hurt others while morally judging yourself, and still want me to share your sense of guilt. You’re truly hypocritical.”

Lin Yiwie’s eyes reddened. Xie Bo saw through her true nature straightforwardly—she was just that kind of person, utterly terrible. But what could she do? If given a choice, who wouldn’t want to be a simple, bright girl?

Her reddened eyes and stubborn gaze eventually softened Xie Bo’s heart. He let her go and gently tidied her messy hair, saying, “Okay, don’t cry. I was too harsh with my words, okay? I apologize.”

Clearly, Lin Yiwei responded better to a soft approach than a hard one. “An apology should include saying ‘sorry.'”

“Sorry, dear.”

“I’m not your dear.”

“Sorry, pig.”

As Lin Yiwei turned to leave, Xie Bo caught her, gently rubbing the palm of her hand, suggesting, “Do you want to hear my advice? Stop feeling guilty, be a completely bad girl; there’s nothing wrong with that. Regardless of what you are, I’m okay with it.”

Lin Yiwei stubbornly wiped away her tears with her shirt sleeve. She ignored Xie Bo all the way but didn’t storm off in anger, following him closely instead. She took his words to heart and stopped feeling guilty, focusing tightly on her goals.

Passing a lingerie store, Xie Bo entered and picked up a pair of black lace panties, cheekily asking her, “Buying panties, dear? You didn’t change them today, did you?” Lin Yiwei called him a “pervert.”

Nonetheless, Xie Bo, holding the transparent black lace panties, proceeded to checkout, and Lin Yiwei had to follow, protesting, “I won’t wear that!”

“I think it’s quite nice.”

“I want to wear pure cotton ones,” she retorted displeasedly, picking a pair of pure cotton seamless white panties from the rack.

Despite this, Xie Bo also bought the black lace panties. Men’s aesthetics are always blunt and straightforward. He wanted to see Lin Yiwei wearing them.

Back at the hotel, with vendors selling fruit below, Lin Yiwei’s mood had completely calmed. She asked him, “Xie Bo, I want to eat pomegranates. Buy some for me.”

Xie Bo smiled, “What else do you want to eat? I’ll buy them together.”

“I also want to eat Boston lobsters. I’ve only seen them in seafood stores, they’re huge, but I’ve never had one.”

“Then I’ll have to treat you to that when we get back.”

After returning to the room, Xie Bo watched Lin Yiwei peel the pomegranate. Her beautiful hands, despite the calluses perhaps from holding a paintbrush or doing manual labor, skillfully peeled the seeds into a plate.

Unexpectedly, Xie Bo grabbed the plate and swallowed all the seeds. Lin Yiwei, annoyed, kicked him, “If you want to eat, peel them yourself!”

Xie Bo, after chewing and spitting out the seeds, complained, “I hate eating pomegranates, too troublesome.”

“Then why eat them?!”

“If someone peels them, that’s a different matter.” Lin Yiwei, slicing another pomegranate, remarked,

“Just a word from you, and people would scramble to peel them for you.” Xie Bo cheekily replied, “Even if people are willing to peel, it depends on whether I deign to eat.”

“Xie Bo, you really are a bastard.”

“I admit it, unlike someone who’s hypocritical and stubborn.”

Lin Yiwei popped a few pomegranate seeds into her mouth, “Pomegranates are strange fruits, bitter skin with sweet seeds. I used to think that life was like this, after bitterness, only sweetness remains, so I was never afraid of hardship.”

“You started contemplating life when you were little.”

“Turns out I was wrong,” Lin Yiwei said, lowering her eyes and eating another seed, “After bitterness, comes more bitterness, it was all a lie.”

“But you still like eating them.”

“Mhm, my brother used to peel them for me, so I still like them.”

“You have a brother?”

Lin Yiwei suddenly became vigilant and quickly changed the subject, “It’s late, you should go back.”

“What’s the rush?”

Xie Bo sat down next to her, picking up the remaining half of the pomegranate, and started peeling it with her. His nails were trimmed right at the flesh, any shorter and Lin Yiwei felt it would cut into the flesh.

Clean and pretty.

Xie Bo had never done this before, and pomegranate juice splashed everywhere. Lin Yiwei wiped her face, annoyed, and said, “You’re so clumsy, you splashed it all over my face!” Xie Bo’s mouth curled into a smirk, “That sounds familiar… I seem to recall someone else splashing my face that night.”