Chapter 28

Chapter 28

Tao Youming inhaled sharply, his hand at his side clenching and unclenching. It took him a long moment to release the pent-up frustration.

He reached out and poked her again; the woman stirred and rolled onto her back.

Her eyes were tightly shut, her face flushed from drink, appearing even rosier and softer in the bright light. Her chest rose and fell, a rhythmic drumming that echoed in his own pounding heart.

The virile young man stared until his eyes reddened. He reached out, intending to change her wine-stained clothes, but midway, he pulled his hand back.

Changing them now would surely lead to another argument tomorrow.

Tao Youming abruptly stood and left the room. In the dead of night, he had no choice but to call Yang Fenfang. "Clean her up. If her clothes are all put away, give her my pajamas."

With that, he turned and went to the adjacent room for a cold shower.

By the time he emerged, Yang Fenfang had finished.

"Why did she drink so much? She almost threw up earlier," Yang Fenfang gently chided. "You all never know when to stop when you're having fun."

Tao Youming himself didn't quite understand Su Su's unusual behavior that night. She had even uttered things he couldn't comprehend.

Every year, she used to receive so many birthday gifts her arms would ache. Yet, earlier, she had inexplicably claimed she didn't even know when her own birthday was.

And who were "they" in her lament, "They all abandoned me..."?

Tao Youming furrowed his brow, suspecting it was just drunken babble.

"Is she asleep now?" he asked, looking up at Aunt Yang.

"Yes, you can go check on her," Yang Fenfang replied.

Tao Youming nodded and re-entered the room.

One light in the room had been turned off. The woman lay on the bed, still clothed. Since the pajama bottoms were too large, Yang Fenfang had only changed her top. Her fair, slender legs were now openly exposed to his gaze.

His breath hitched, and he froze.

A thought flashed through his mind: *Why am I being such a coward?*

They were already engaged, and they had been intimate before. Sharing a bed now shouldn't be a big deal.

So, Tao Youming walked over with a clear conscience and slowly lay down beside her.

Her soft, shallow breaths filled the space beside him, occasionally punctuated by slurred murmurs he couldn't quite make out.

His thoughts shifted, and he slowly edged closer, just about to reach out and embrace her when her soft arm suddenly flung across his chest.

Tao Youming tensed, and then one of her legs draped over him.

Her bare arm and leg were feverishly warm against his skin. Seeming to sense a coolness, she greedily rubbed back and forth, clinging to him like an octopus.

The repeated contact made Tao Youming hiss, as if thousands of insects were gnawing at his bones. His breathing grew heavier, his Adam's apple bobbing, his body burning with an intense heat.

The intimate contact left him itching with desire. He immediately took control of her restless hand and removed it from his chest.

Sensing someone restraining her, Su Su struggled weakly, her eyes fluttering open blearily.

Tao Youming thought she was waking up. His breath hitched for a moment as his deep-set eyes fixed on her flushed face.

Fortunately, after a brief moment, she drifted back to sleep.

He let out a sigh of relief.

But two minutes later, her hands started wandering again…

Tao Youming felt like he was going to die. With this live wire practically strapped to him, how was he supposed to sleep tonight?!

Gritting his teeth, he debated whether to go sleep elsewhere when she suddenly quieted down, then rolled away.

The room was silent, the lights off, the curtains half-drawn. Moonlight streamed through a gap, casting a silvery sheen across the floor.

Tao Youming's entire body was rigid. Before she could roll back towards him, he quickly moved to the edge of the bed and silently began counting sheep, pushing down wave after wave of inner turmoil.

The swelling desire relentlessly reminded him of its presence. After counting sheep for what felt like half the night, he finally succumbed to sleep just before dawn.

Su Su had an outlandish dream. She dreamed of clinging to Tao Youming, kissing and nibbling at him, even engaging in some indescribable caresses.

The dream made her scoff. Someone like Tao Youming? She would never harbor such improper thoughts, let alone have intimate contact with him.

So, before she even opened her eyes, she quickly forgot the dream.

But the moment she did open them, a face suddenly appeared right in front of her.

The man's eyes were closed, his upper body bare, revealing a broad expanse of skin. His arm was pillowed beneath her head, and the two of them lay together in an undeniably compromising position.

Su Su blinked, staring for a long moment before her mind buzzed.

"Tao Youming, you—! You pervert!" she shrieked, instinctively sitting up and kicking at the man.

Tao Youming, who had been sleeping near the edge of the bed, crashed to the floor with a thud from her kick, followed by a very masculine groan.

Su Su quickly scrambled out of bed, ignoring the splitting headache from her hangover, and first assessed her current situation.

She was in Tao Youming's villa, wearing a loose men's top and no pants. It seemed she had been bathed last night.

Her mind went blank. Who had bathed her? How?

Why didn't she remember any of it?

The thought filled Su Su with panic and fury. In a fit of rage, she turned on the man. "Tao Youming, you took off my clothes? What the hell did you do to me?!"

Tao Youming struggled on the floor for a while before slowly regaining his senses.

Propping himself up on one arm, he sat on the floor, his sleepy eyes fixed on the woman as he blurted out, "You nearly kicked my crown jewels. How vicious."

Su Su trembled with rage, pointing at the man. "You're shameless! I was drunk—why didn't you send me home?"

Not only had he not sent her home, but he was now lying next to her!

And he had…

Su Su was overcome with regret. Last night, in her excitement, she had drunk too much. Once the alcohol took hold, she started belting out songs. She never imagined Tao Youming wouldn't take her home!

Tao Youming remained motionless by the bed, his handsome face contorted in pain.

Su Su paused, confused. She hadn't meant to kick so hard—why was he in such agony?

After a long moment, Tao Youming raised his head, his expression softening as he exhaled and pursed his lips. "What exactly do you think I did to you?"

Su Su grew even angrier at his unhurried question. "You took off my clothes? What else did you do?"

Tao Youming slightly closed his eyes, rubbing the spot on his abdomen where she had kicked him. "Aunt Yang took off your clothes. I didn't do anything."

After a pause, he added, "But you—last night, you hugged me, bit me, and even fondled me in your sleep! You kept touching me!"

"If I didn't have such strong self-control, we'd be picking out baby names by now."

Su Su shook with anger at his teasing tone. Clutching at the hem of her shirt, she retorted, "Impossible! There's no way I'd kiss you!"

She had been drunk last night, but even so, she would never do something so intimate with him.

Tao Youming chuckled lightly, pointing at his chin and neck before beckoning her closer. "Come take a look for yourself. These bite marks on my chin and neck—did I give them to myself?"

Su Su glanced over. Though the distance was a bit far, she could still see the reddish marks on his chin.

At this sight, she felt a twinge of guilt.

Because her body had always responded to this man.

Could she really have done something to him after drinking too much last night?

Tao Youming slowly stood up and walked toward her. "Do you really not remember anything you did to me last night?"

Su Su hunched her shoulders slightly, racking her brain to remember the events of the previous evening. She only remembered drinking and singing with Zhou Ranran, and then later… Tao Youming had called her fat!!!

"You called me fat!" she fumed. "I'm 168 cm tall and only weigh 96 pounds—where exactly am I fat?"

Tao Youming was momentarily speechless. Out of all the things that happened last night, that was the only thing she remembered?

Were women really this sensitive about their weight?

"And there's more," Tao Youming took another step closer. "You clung to me saying how happy you were. You said no one had ever thrown you a birthday party before, that you didn't even know when it was. Then you wrapped yourself around me and said, 'They all abandoned you.'"

"Su Su, who exactly are 'they'?"

Hearing this, Su Su's heart skipped a beat. She was screwed.

Had she really let that slip? No way, right?

Swallowing hard, she put on a brave face despite her unease. "I was just worried my mom might neglect me if she had a second child."

"Besides, I was drunk! Why would you take my nonsense seriously?"

"Oh?" Tao Youming stared straight into her eyes. "Then do you at least remember clinging to me and saying you wanted to have my baby?"

"What?" Su Su's eyes widened as she took a step back, watching him advance. "I was drunk. If I said anything, it was just drunken rambling."

"But you—you exploited me being drunk and slept in the same bed! You clearly had ulterior motives."

"You've really outdone yourself," Tao Youming licked his lips. "Before, when you did indecent things to me, at least you admitted it. Now not only are you denying everything, but you're also flipping it around on me?"

"This is my house. I can sleep wherever I want."

He was now right in front of her. Su Su glanced at his neck and chin before muttering, "Who knows, maybe you made those marks yourself."

Tao Youming looked at her silently for a long moment before finally saying, "Fine. Let's say I did it myself. Since you're awake now, you can leave on your own."

His tone was cold and indifferent, but Su Su felt a wave of relief when she realized he hadn't picked up on her earlier slip-up. Spotting her clothes, she snatched them up and headed to the bathroom.

When she came out, she headed straight for the door.

But just as she reached it, she paused and glanced back. Tao Youming was lying on the bed, looking distinctly uncomfortable.

Su Su hesitated, then asked uncertainly, "Uh… are you okay? I know I didn't kick you there just now…"

She was sure she hadn't hit *that* spot, but his expression made it look like she'd gone all out.

Tao Youming muffled himself in the pillow without a word.

Seeing his silence, Su Su added, "I was just startled earlier. Kicking you was a knee-jerk reaction—I didn't mean to."

Tao Youming shifted slightly but still didn't speak.

After a long wait with no response, Su Su frowned. "Are you mad? Because I kicked you?"

Tao Youming finally spoke slowly, "You didn't just kick me. You did unmentionable things to me, and then you accused me."

Su Su froze. His words, combined with the sight of the marks on his chin and neck, made her burn with shame.

Had she really gone that far with Tao Youming?

But she didn't want to dwell on it now. Edging back to his bedside, she bit her lip and said, "Then I'll apologize. Look, you have so many rooms in this villa—why did you have to crawl into bed with me?"

"Whatever. It's my fault. I shouldn't have kicked you. My bad." Su Su considered herself flexible—apologizing wasn't a big deal.

Tao Youming suddenly sat upright, his intense gaze locking with hers as he bit his lower lip. "Just because you apologized, do I *have* to forgive you?"

His directness stunned her. Was he really not going to let it go?

Talk about petty!

"Then what do you want?" Su Su asked incredulously. "Do you… want to kick me back?"

Tao Youming took a pillow and wedged it behind his back, then reclined against the headboard. After a pause, he said casually, "If you plant a soft kiss on me right now, I'll forget all about you wrongly accusing me."

*If I couldn't have my way before, at least I can get a kiss now,* he thought.