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In the mirror, her face looked like a cooked shrimp, the heat rising from her forehead practically streaming the air around her.
Ming Zhao immediately splashed cold water on her face.
She was clearly not normal.
It must be because she hadn’t seen Zhou Tingyun in so long. Yes, that had to be it.
Clinging to this very convincing explanation, her scorching cheeks finally began to cool.
Maybe… they really should spend more time reconnecting emotionally.
When Zhou Tingyun stepped out of the bathroom, he saw a pink lump sprawled across his bed, phone in hand.
Not surprising. Ming Zhao always needed company, especially in unfamiliar places.
His gaze swept over her lazily swinging legs before landing on her hair damp hair. “Dry your hair before playing.”
Too lazy to move, she flattened herself even more, like a pancake. “You do it.”
She ordered him around so naturally.
Zhou Tingyun exhaled softly, picked up the hairdryer, and sat on the edge of the bed.
Lifting the dry cap off her head, he worked with practiced care—gently parting her hair to avoid tugging, pressing the ends with a towel to absorb excess moisture.
Ming Zhao was surprisingly cooperative. She even leaned over, resting her head on his lap, as if it would make it easier for him to dry her hair.
Her entire upper body rested on his legs, warm and soft. The unexpected intimacy settled between them, quiet yet unmistakable.
Ming Zhao’s house clothes all had built-in bra pads. She found them convenient, eliminating the need for an extra layer of underwear that felt restrictive and bothersome.
But even through the layer of foam…
Human imagination, at its basest, is uncontrollable. Even with eyes closed, there was the texture, the scent—just a few strokes were enough to paint a picture.
Especially for men, those creatures who think with their lower halves.
Zhou Tingyun’s voice was low, “Ming Zhao.”
“What?” she didn’t even look up.
Zhou Tingyun felt it necessary to have another talk with her. Patting her back, he said, “Sit up straight first.”
His tone was somewhat bland. Ming Zhao reluctantly put down her phone and sat up.
As she moved, the strap slipped down again.
Ming Zhao frowned in annoyance; her shoulders were just too slippery.
The psychological conditioning from earlier in the bathroom had worked well—her face remained calm, and her heartbeat stayed steady. She effortlessly pulled the strap back up, even wondering if she had lost weight due to the unfamiliar environment abroad.
Unbeknownst to her, the subtle rise and fall of her collarbone caught Zhou Tingyun’s eye.
How could there be lychees in the deep autumn of Beicheng?
Yet, before him was one—partially peeled, revealing glistening, translucent flesh. Biting into it, the juice would surely be sweet and abundant.
The mattress dipped slightly, then rebounded as Ming Zhao watched Zhou Tingyun get up and leave. Before she could fully process what was happening, everything went dark.
A coat was tossed over her head.
“…?”
The man’s voice was calm. “Put it on.”
Ming Zhao blinked; a bit confused. She didn’t understand what was wrong with him, but his neutral expression made her pause. Perceptive as she was, she obediently complied.
However, the situation did not improve.
Her damp hair clung to her face, a few stray strands accentuating her pale skin. Her bright, slightly upturned eyes met his, filled with quiet curiosity and innocence.
The oversized black shirt completely covered her pink nightgown, yet it only served to highlight her slender, fair legs, making them appear even more striking.
She looked like some ethereal creature from the mountains.
Zhou Tingyun averted his gaze, instead focusing on the droplets of water still clinging to her hair, slowly soaking into the dark fabric.
“I should have told you—there’s a difference between men and women,” he said.
Here we go again.
Ming Zhao disliked his attitude the most.
Was this just how all men were? Why hadn’t he mentioned this so-called ‘difference’ back when he used to call her baby and sweetheart? But now that she was eighteen, suddenly there were boundaries?
Utterly baffling!
Ming Zhao couldn’t help but think he was like one of those annoying parents—warm and doting until their child turns eighteen, only to cut off their allowance. Or like those who strictly forbid dating in high school but start nagging about marriage the moment graduation is over.
Her face, still glistening with water droplets, scrunched up in frustration.
“If you don’t want me as your sister anymore, just say it. No need to beat around the bush.”
Zhou Tingyun was perplexed at how she had gone off on a tangent again.
“Even biological siblings should maintain a certain distance once they reach adulthood.”
Not to mention, they weren’t even that.
Even though he could tolerate some level of intimacy with Ming Zhao due to her dependence and fragility, the situation just now had been far from ideal.
Ming Zhao didn’t want to hear it. She simply got out of bed. “If you don’t want to talk about it, then forget it.”
She muttered under her breath, still feeling unconvinced.
“There’s plenty to discuss, and Gu He would definitely be willing to help me.”
…Silence filled the air.
She knew exactly how to provoke Zhou Tingyun.
Meeting his calm gaze, Ming Zhao instantly felt guilty— and was about to make a run for it.
In the next moment, her waist was caught, and she was pushed back onto the bed.
The man’s strength wasn’t overwhelming, and the mattress was soft enough that Ming Zhao didn’t feel any pain.
However, as he looked down at her from above, the danger alarms in her mind blared like crazy.
Ming Zhao felt surge of panic and to struggled to sit up.
“Aren’t you going to dry your hair?” Zhou Tingyun’s voice was calm.
The girl froze for a moment, confused.
Huh? Was the crisis just averted like that?
Still in a daze, she watched as he sat down and patted his thigh.
“Come here.”
Wait a minute.
…Zhou Tingyun couldn’t possibly be this easy to talk to.
She hesitated, forcing a laugh. “Brother…”
“Stop stalling.”
Ming Zhao swallowed her frustration and silently lay back down.
Zhou Tingyun glanced at her and lifted her slightly.
Her stomach was pressed against his thigh, and the oddly familiar position filled her with an ominous sense of foreboding.
“You—” She was about to sit up.
Slap—
The sound was crisp, neither too heavy nor too light.
Ming Zhao’s pupils widened in shock.
Her mind went blank, and she froze for a few seconds.
The moment she processed what had just happened, her face instantly flushed bright red.
“Zhou! Ting! Yun!!!”
Was he insane?!
Ming Zhao struggled violently, but Zhou Tingyun easily held both her wrists behind her back with one hand.
She panicked. Unable to use her hands, she bit down on his thigh.
The man didn’t even flinch, though Ming Zhao couldn’t hold on for long before her jaw started to ache.
He patiently waited for her to calm down and release her.
“Still disobedient?” His tone remained calm.
“…”
Ming Zhao bit her lower lip hard. She had never been so humiliated in her life! Her ears and neck flushed crimson—a mix of anger, shame, and frustration.
This man was utterly insane, outrageous, inhumane, and a pervert!
She was twenty-one!
“Now you remember you’re twenty-one?”
Seeing that the girl had finally calmed down, Zhou Tingyun picked up the hair dryer and brushed through her damp hair. “Zhao Zhao, what did I just tell you?”
Ming Zhao was still pinned against his lap, her face buried in the bedding. Only her thin, soft earlobes—red as if bleeding—visible.
She gritted her teeth, her voice muffled.
“Zhou Tingyun, you’re dead! I’ll tell Mommy about you. You… you actually…”
She couldn’t even bring herself to say it!
“Yes, tell Mom. Let her know that her precious daughter is planning to do a charitable act of poverty alleviation, needing a man whose company isn’t even worth 400 billion to hold her while she gets her hair dried… and then gets spanked.”
“…”
“I… I… I was lying down!”
“Does it make a difference?”
At this moment, both of them were furious.
The girl’s shoulders, neck, and arms flushed a light pink. The buttons of her shirt had come undone, exposing her delicate shoulders. Her straps had long since slipped down, but her wrists remained firmly held in his grasp, unable to break free.
Zhou Tingyun maintained a serious expression, determined to teach her a lesson. Yet, he still took a moment to pull her shirt back up, covering her properly, before draping a thin blanket over her legs.
Then he placed his phone in front of her and released one of her hands.
“Now, call.”
How could she possibly do that?
Not to mention how embarrassing it was to be spanked at twenty-one, but that damn stickler was fully in control of her upbringing. Mommy would only give a perfunctory response like, “Be a good girl and listen to your brother,” before hanging up!
However, before she could explode in anger, the phone screen lit up.
—Incoming video call from Mommy.
“…”