Chapter 40: Girlfriend

Lin Yiwei got the medicine from the pharmacy, quickened her pace into the wound treatment room, and Xie Bo immediately hung up the phone, weakly closing his eyes on the hospital bed.

The bright light of the incandescent lamp shone on him, his lips and skin extremely pale, resembling a cold and beautiful sick man.

As the nurse cleaned his wound, she sneakily glanced at him.

Such a handsome guy like him wasn’t a common sight in the ward.

Lin Yiwei handed the prepared hemostatic medicine to the nurse.

The nurse withdrew her gaze, professionally sutured Xie Bo’s wound, disinfected it, and bandaged it.

Lin Yiwei approached him, and he immediately grabbed her wrist, pulling her closer, squinting his eyes, resting his head on her slender shoulder—

“Weak.”

He whispered in her ear.

“Nurse, he seems very tired. Is it due to excessive blood loss? I have universal type O blood, if needed…” Lin Yiwei offered.

The nurse, noticing Xie Bo’s exaggerated display of weakness, smiled and said, “There’s no need for a blood transfusion at the moment. He might just be tired. You should go rest.”

Lin Yiwei thanked the nurse, helped Xie Bo out of the outpatient department, and asked, “Can you walk by yourself?”

“Not at the moment.”

“The nurse said you’re fine.”

“Obviously, she’s not very professional.”

Lin Yiwei was quite disgusted with him hanging half of his body on her, “Passersby might think you’re partially paralyzed with intermittent seizures.”

“If I cared about what passersby thought, I would have been ashamed to death long ago.” Xie Bo casually said, “Don’t forget, I’m a bastard, born out of wedlock.”

He didn’t say those two words out loud, but his breath lightly brushed against her ear, like a curse singing.

Lin Yiwei calmly replied, “That’s nothing. Maybe I am too.”

With a slight raise of his peach blossom eyes, Xie Bo glanced at her, “Then we are truly a perfect match.”

“Shut up.”

Lin Yiwei took a taxi back to Ramons Apartment with him.

She paid for the taxi and the registration and medication fees this time. Normally, she was reluctant to take taxis herself, only using them in emergencies. Otherwise, public transport and the subway were her preferred modes of transportation.

Her dislike for Xie Bo increased a bit more.

After returning home, Lin Yiwei threw him on the sofa, turned to leave, but Xie Bo grabbed her wrist, “You’re leaving already?”

With that, his other hand deftly undid the long button of her cloak.

Lin Yiwei’s eyes narrowed, expressionless, as she grabbed his tightly bandaged arm around his chest, pressing hard.

The man winced in pain, tried to endure it, but couldn’t help but roll around twice and nearly fall off the sofa.

“Damn it!”

Lin Yiwei calmly stood up, her long legs stepping on his chest, “Calm down, what else do you want to do in this state.”

Xie Bo grabbed her skirt, his hand sliding up, the rough fingertips caressing her smooth skin, “I got injured for someone, have a little conscience, Yiyi.”

This statement left Lin Yiwei speechless, even with her quick wit, she couldn’t retort.

They had already reconciled between them, but her unquenchable desire for revenge had made Chi Xicheng bite people like a mad dog.

“I really have no conscience, I won’t come anymore.” She stubbornly said, “I took you to see the doctor, and even took a taxi, I didn’t make you reimburse the expenses, I’ve done my duty.”

“Since you’re so kind.” Leaning on the edge of the sofa, Xie Bo raised his chin slightly, his eyes mocking, “Want some pomegranate, Yiyi?”

“No.” She refused decisively, “It’s late, where am I going to get you pomegranate.”

Xie Bo smiled, “There’s some in the fridge, help me peel it.”

Lin Yiwei walked over unenthusiastically, opened the embedded black rock fridge door.

The spectacular sight before her left her stunned.

The large double-door fridge was packed with pomegranates of various sizes, resembling a kingdom of pomegranates.

She picked up a plate and placed it on the table, casually took one, cut it open with a knife, and removed the seeds into the plate, “I thought you hated pomegranates. Aren’t you afraid of getting an upset stomach with so many?”

“I do hate them, I never eat them.”

“If you don’t eat them, why buy so many?”

“To feed the pigs.”

As soon as he said that, Lin Yiwei tossed two seeds into her mouth. When she heard him say “to feed the pigs,” she raised her foot to kick him.

Xie Bo single-handedly held her foot in white fluffy socks, she tried to pull it back forcefully, but he held on tightly.

She tried to move her foot.

Lin Yiwei returned to the island table, ignoring him lazily. Before long, the plate was filled with plump pomegranate seeds. She handed the plate over, saying, “Here, eat, patient.”

Xie Bo looked at the plate of juicy pomegranate seeds, not a single one damaged by her peeling, and remarked, “Truly a pomegranate enthusiast.”

“Stop talking nonsense,” she retorted.

Xie Bo casually supported his injured arm, saying, “My hand is injured, can’t move.”

“What about your other hand?”

“Just touched your foot.”

“…”

Lin Yiwei rudely stuffed a pomegranate into his mouth, and Xie Bo chuckled, saying, “When you were sick, how did I feed you?”

“Don’t push it,” she said, looking into his transparent black eyes, “I’ve already paid the breakup fee, show some dignity.”

“I don’t mind giving it again,” Xie Bo always knew how to grasp her weaknesses perfectly and give her a suitable way out. “I think you don’t mind receiving it again, do you?”

Lin Yiwei replied, “I don’t mind at all. Can you pay now? I accept QR code.”

“No rush, take care of me first.”

She picked up a few pomegranate seeds and tossed them into her mouth, then picked up the strands of hair falling on her ear, leaned closer to him, and fed him…

The two of them indulged in eating a whole plate of pomegranates repeatedly, their interest in each other strong, and emotions fluctuating.

Finally, Xie Bo couldn’t suppress his desire any longer and didn’t want to endure it anymore. He pulled Lin Yiwei back to the room and pushed her onto the bed.

Lin Yiwei raised her chin mockingly, looking at him.

“Can your hand handle it?”

Xie Bo pressed against her, breathing heavily and kissing her passionately, lifting her to a high position— “You want me.”

Lin Yiwei picked up his rimless glasses from the bedside table and put them on.

“I prefer it this way.”

Xie Bo knew she liked him wearing glasses. His thin lips twitched slightly.

“Your taste has always been the same, liking a serious and cultured man.”

“Too bad, you never were.”

But her brother was.

She tore open his collar and leaned down to kiss his slender neck, swallowing his Adam’s apple.

“Yiyi, we can’t…”

Lin Yiwei seemed to have discovered a new world, her fox-like eyes teasingly.

“I said we can.”

Xie Bo rarely saw her so excited.

“Do you want to see what you look like now? During this time apart, it seems I wasn’t the only one thinking about you.”

She touched his lips with her hand, then kissed him and slowly moved down.

Xie Bo closed his eyes.

…

At dawn, Lin Yiwei woke up, tiptoed, and gently crossed over the man sleeping beside her. She didn’t bother to rummage through his closet for clothes. She casually picked up the black T-shirt on the floor and put it on, sitting alone by the bay window.

It was the time of dawn and dusk, the sky showing a pale blue-white color, and fishing boats were already heading out to sea in the harbor, slowly sailing towards the horizon.

She pushed open the window, letting the warm, humid sea breeze into the room, and the white curtains fluttered.

The man furrowed his eyebrows as the sudden light made him uncomfortable. He opened his eyes and looked at her.

She wore his loose black T-shirt, the hem just covering her hips, her fair legs dangling off the window sill, her feet in slippers painted with light purple nail polish, and the other leg curled up.

Her silky black hair cascaded over her shoulders, and the mole on her forehead exuded a decadent charm.

He reached for a cigarette, but Lin Yiwei said lightly, “Quit.”

“I’ll do as I please.” He wasn’t particularly obedient and lit one.

Lin Yiwei looked at the snake tattoo on his wrist, cold and magnificent.

“If you smoke in front of me, I’ll also want to.”

“You smoke?”

“Quit.” Lin Yiwei said casually, “Who hasn’t been through a rebellious phase? I used to imitate the tough girls, thinking smoking would make me stronger and cooler, that no one would dare to bully me. But the fact is, if you’re a girl, someone will always bully you. Smoking has nothing to do with it, it’s just a waste of money with no benefits, so I quit.”

She rarely mentioned the past to Xie Bo, maybe it was the ambiguous atmosphere of dawn, or perhaps the ecstatic night before that made her open up to him.

Xie Bo listened silently, chewing on the cigarette but not lighting it. After a while, he threw it into the trash can.

“Okay, I’ll quit.”

“So obedient? Just because I told you to.”

“I don’t just listen to you about this.” Xie Bo smirked, “Last night, it wasn’t because you told me… I mean…”

Lin Yiwei: “What do you mean by ‘because I told you’? Have some basic decency.”

“Okay,” he drawled, rubbing his head. “Whatever you say.”

His hair was messy, but in a cute, somewhat foolish way.

“Are you up, or do you want to sleep a little longer?” he asked.

“I want to sleep more,” she replied. “But since I’m awake now, I’ll try to drift back to sleep. I have difficulty falling asleep.”

“Then I’ll leave you be.”

Xie Bo lay down and closed his eyes.

Lin Yiwei liked watching him swallow hard when he endured to the extreme, his Adam’s apple bobbing, his eyes showing restraint…

Time and time again, she found herself indulging Xie Bo in ways she couldn’t explain.

She had quit smoking, quit drinking, quit all addictions, but she couldn’t quit Xie Bo. She wondered if there was something wrong with her.

A normal girl her age shouldn’t be like this.

Of course, it also had to do with the man’s caliber; they… just clicked.

Before long, Xie Bo’s breathing gradually became steady.

He was asleep.

Lin Yiwei walked barefoot to the bedside and looked at his peaceful sleeping face.

His hair was shaved short, emphasizing his sharp jawline.In the darkness of night, his features were deep and elegant.

She couldn’t resist bending down to kiss his forehead, but she didn’t want to wake him up.

Otherwise, who knows when it would end again?

She quietly walked out, opened the refrigerator to find something to fill her stomach.

Seeing so many pomegranates in the fridge, Lin Yiwei felt annoyed. Besides pomegranates, there was nothing to eat in the fridge.

Was he planning to become a pomegranate immortal?

She changed into new clothes and went to the nearest market to buy some food.

Nowadays, many people liked to shop at fresh produce supermarkets, clean and hygienic, including the project Xie Bo was currently managing, which included a fresh produce supermarket.

But Lin Yiwei still kept the habit of going to the market.

The early morning market was bustling with activity. The vendors had already laid out fresh ingredients, and the air was filled with the smell of fresh vegetables, greasy meat, and fishiness…

A kind of earthly atmosphere.

These smells and the hustle and bustle of the market made her feel alive, living…

She bought ribs, brisket, two fish, a chicken, various auxiliary ingredients, as well as a few meat buns and plain mantou, and two cups of hot soy milk…

Her phone rang, and Lin Yiwei reluctantly freed up one hand to answer the call. It was Xie Bo’s voice, frustrated and angry, pressing down with heavy anger—

“Lin Yiwei, you have ten minutes to come back.”

“…”

“After you wake up, you leave without saying a word. Don’t you think you’re being unreasonable?”

“…”

Lin Yiwei couldn’t be bothered with the morning temper of this young master. She hung up the phone and selected some fresh and cheap fruits and vegetables, then took the bus back to the Ramon apartment.

Xie Bo was sitting on the sofa in a beige home shirt, expressionless, watching the morning news.

The soft stool had been kicked onto the balcony, leaning haphazardly.

Lin Yiwei walked in, went straight to the kitchen, put the fresh ingredients in the fridge, and cleaned the pomegranates.

“Eat what you buy. Don’t waste a single seed. For these days, you’ll turn yourself into a pomegranate spirit, Master Xie.”

Hearing her familiar babble, Xie Bo’s coldness softened a bit—

“Why didn’t you say anything before going out?”

“You were sleeping.”

Lin Yiwei didn’t bother to argue with him.

“I didn’t sleep much last night.”

“You can leave me a note. There’s a notepad on the table.” He insisted like a child. “I’ll leave you notes, afraid you won’t know where I’ve gone when you wake up. But you never ask, you never care where I’ve gone.”

“…”

It seems he’s still not over his morning temper.Lin Yiwei turned around, patiently explaining, “I thought you wouldn’t wake up so soon. I even bought you breakfast.”

She shook the soy milk packet in her hand.Xie Bo walked over, hugged her from behind, and kissed her smooth neck.

“In the future, leave me a note and tell me where you are.”

Lin Yiwei frowned.

“Xie Bo, are you pretending to be my boyfriend?”

“It’s not pretending; it’s real.”

“What do you mean?”

“You’re my girlfriend.” He leaned in close to her ear and repeated in a breathy voice, “Legitimately my girlfriend.”

“I’m not, I’m your lover.”

Xie Bo turned her around, looking into her eyes, speaking with a seriousness she had never heard before—

“You’re my girlfriend, the only love interest for each other.”

“Do you remember?”