Heartthrob, Your Image is Crumbling!

Chapter 394: Boarding First, Buying the Ticket Later

After saying that, Zhou Yuwen directly hung up the phone."Zhou Yuwen!"

"Zhou Yuwen!"

Just as Zhou Yuwen ended the call, Zheng Yanyan and Su Qing shouted into the phone in unison. They seemed to have more to say to him, but unfortunately, he was no longer listening.

Even at a time like this, the two girls still bickered. Su Qing pouted and muttered, "Look, it's all because of you that Zhou Yuwen got annoyed. He would rather stay in a hotel than live with you."

"What nonsense are you talking about! If you weren't here, Zhou Yuwen would have come back ages ago, right, Linlin?" Zheng Yanyan retorted, trying to drag Lu Lin in for support.

However, Lu Lin simply let out a yawn to show she was completely exhausted.

"I'm going to sleep. You two should rest early after you finish eating," she stated.

In truth, Lu Lin was the most frustrated one among them. Those two girls had feasted to their heart's content over the winter holiday, whether it was Su Qing or Zheng Yanyan, but Lu Lin had genuinely starved the entire break.

Now that Zhou Yuwen had finally returned, Lu Lin originally thought she could at least get a small taste tonight.

Yet unexpectedly, she couldn't even get the crumbs.

'Sigh, how utterly boring,' she thought.

Lu Lin entered her bedroom, shut the door directly behind her, and immediately started sending messages to Zhou Yuwen.

"Which hotel are you staying at? I'll come find you."

Seeing this message, Zhou Yuwen felt a bit awkward. He wasn't staying in a hotel at all. His car was already parked in the underground parking garage of Zhonghai Garden. When he was chatting with Tao Tian today, she mentioned she had been back for two days and even sent him a few private photos to admire.

Zhou Yuwen had also gone the entire winter holiday without touching anything voluptuous. Now that he had finally returned, he obviously had to go see Tao Tian first.

However, Zhou Yuwen did not tell Tao Tian he was coming over.

He simply took the elevator up and opened the door directly.

When Zhou Yuwen walked in, he genuinely gave Tao Tian a fright.

After all, she was a girl living alone. Anyone would be terrified if their room door suddenly made a noise and opened. It wasn't until she saw it was Zhou Yuwen that the fear on Tao Tian's face transformed into overwhelming joy.

She could hardly believe it. Zhou Yuwen was actually back!

Once she clearly registered his face, Tao Tian did not even pause to think before throwing herself straight into Zhou Yuwen's arms.

Having spent every day gazing longingly while missing him, chatting with him daily without seeing him for nearly a month, his sudden appearance evoked a level of delight in her heart that ordinary people could not possibly understand.

Resting her head on his shoulder, Tao Tian couldn't even hold back her tears.

She wiped her eyes, pouted, and lightly slapped his chest. "Why didn't you tell me you were coming over?" she asked.

Zhou Yuwen chuckled softly and replied, "Wasn't I just trying to give you a surprise? Be a good girl, don't cry."

Saying that, he gently wiped away Tao Tian's tears.

Tao Tian harrumphed and pouted her lips.

With nothing much to do these past few days, Tao Tian had been staying in her little nest without really dressing up. She was wearing a loose off-the-shoulder top designed as a nightgown.

Her figure was voluptuous, making her quite suited for this type of nightgown. It perfectly wrapped around her curves, and with only a thin layer of fabric between them, holding her felt incredibly comfortable.

Just during that hug a moment ago, Zhou Yuwen could easily touch whatever he wanted with absolute convenience.

Zhou Yuwen noticed empty instant noodles cups on the dining table. When he had first walked in, Tao Tian had been bustling about in the kitchen, seemingly cooking something. He took a look and realized she was boiling noodles again.

He couldn't help but smile. "You still haven't eaten dinner this late?" he asked.

"Mhm, I was binge-watching a show earlier and felt hungry, so I wanted to make a bowl of noodles." Tao Tian was the kind of charmingly delicate girl who, when facing her own man, would intentionally speak in a sweet, soft tone that carried a hint of coquettishness.

At any rate, ever since she slept with Zhou Yuwen, she had always used this tone to speak with him.

Zhou Yuwen was used to it, and to be honest, he quite enjoyed it.

"That won't do. It's unhealthy," Zhou Yuwen chided gently.

Saying that, he opened the refrigerator, only to find that besides beverages, there were hardly any other ingredients inside. Clearly, she hadn't gone grocery shopping since returning to Jinling.

When asked why, Tao Tian simply claimed she was too lazy and couldn't be bothered to go out and buy things.

"You weren't here to accompany me anyway," she murmured.

Zhou Yuwen suggested she could have asked Qu Jing.

"Isn't she just upstairs? Wouldn't it be nice for you two to keep each other company?"

As he spoke, Zhou Yuwen took some eggs out of the refrigerator.

Tao Tian trotted over and grabbed onto his arm, whining, "I don't want to."

"I only want you to accompany me!"

"You really are something."

Zhou Yuwen chuckled, then headed into the kitchen and simply helped her make a proper bowl of noodles.

He helped her clean up the empty instant noodles containers left on the table, casually mentioning that they needed to be thrown out promptly, otherwise the smell would linger.

Tao Tian gave an obedient series of nods, humming in agreement.

She thoroughly enjoyed this feeling of being taken care of by Zhou Yuwen.

It was just a pity that he only visited once in a blue moon.

After tidying up the place for her, he scooped the egg noodles into a bowl and set it down for her to eat.

Zhou Yuwen simply stood beside her, watching. "I really need to find a nanny for you," he remarked.

Tao Tian shook her head. "I don't want one."

"Having an extra person in the house would make me feel so uncomfortable!" she argued.

Hearing this, Zhou Yuwen laughed. "That's true."

"Hubby, the noodles you make are so delicious!"

It was just a simple bowl of egg noodles, but to Tao Tian, it tasted exceptionally delicious. She even scooped up a bite and offered it to him. Zhou Yuwen quickly waved his hand in refusal. "I won't eat it. You go ahead. Eat up."

With that, he gently stroked her gorgeous, pitch-black hair.

Right then, Lu Lin sent him another message.

Zhou Yuwen felt a little awkward but still replied, "No need, it's not convenient tonight."

The moment Lu Lin saw that response, she immediately understood what he meant.

"Oh, so someone else is keeping you company."

Zhou Yuwen felt even more awkward and sent her a couple of kissing emojis.

He then added, "Yan Yan and Su Qing are around these next few days. It's really not convenient. Let's do it another time."

Lu Lin probably really missed Zhou Yuwen. She usually wasn't one to talk so much, yet today she actually told him, "I feel like even if they knew about our relationship, they probably wouldn't say anything."

Zhou Yuwen asked her what she meant by that.

Lu Lin explained, "Look at how they're acting now. They're actually well aware of everything, they're just turning a blind eye to it."

Zhou Yuwen thought about it carefully and realized she was absolutely right.

Lu Lin then asked him, "Are you still not coming back tomorrow night?"

"Yeah, I'll take you out to stay over tomorrow night instead," he replied.

"Alright."

Right while he was exchanging messages with Lu Lin.

Over on the other side, Jiang Xinyi had been waiting at home for a message from Zhou Yuwen for forty minutes already.

'Seriously, is this Zhou Yuwen even human?'

'He forcefully kisses me and then just ignores me?'

'Without showing any gesture at all?'

To be honest, after being forcefully kissed by him, Jiang Xinyi felt incredibly conflicted. At first, she felt that it was wrong and that she needed to resist, but under his kiss, her body had gone soft and completely out of control. After whimpering there for a good while, she had shockingly started to enjoy the sensation.

She even began to actively cooperate with his movements.

The only reason they separated later on.

Was because Zhou Yuwen was truly too audacious.

He had actually tried to slip his hand straight under the hem of her clothes.

Fortunately, Jiang Xinyi still retained a shred of rationality.

She rejected his advances.

When she fled back home, her small face was still flushed red. It took her a long time to calm down. Touching her lips, she recalled the lingering taste from just moments ago.

Her emotions grew increasingly complex. To her own surprise, she kind of liked the feeling of being forced.

'That brat, how could he be so wicked!'

Lost in her thoughts, Jiang Xinyi walked toward her room.

"What has you so happy?"

Right at that moment, Liu Jing popped out from out of nowhere and suddenly tossed out that question, making Jiang Xinyi jump in fright.

Seeing Liu Jing standing there in a long black dress.

Jiang Xinyi was nearly scared to death.

"Mom! Why don't you make a sound when you walk! You nearly gave me a heart attack!"

She complained, patting her chest to soothe her racing heart.

Liu Jing countered that she was a living, breathing person standing right there; it was her daughter who was too lost in thought to notice her.

Jiang Xinyi pouted. "I don't care, it's still your fault!"

Having said that, she tried to detour around her mother and escape.

However, Liu Jing pressed on, noting that with her face glowing with such radiant joy, something good must have happened.

"What is it? Did Yuwen come back?"

Jiang Xinyi froze for a second. "No, wait, Mom, how did you know?"

Seeing her daughter's stunned expression, Liu Jing was utterly speechless. 'Do I even need to think about it?'

'Isn't it written all over your face?'

Uh!

Jiang Xinyi seemed to realize this as well, and for a moment, she was entirely at a loss for how to explain things to her mother.

After all, she had just lost her first kiss.

Facing her mother, she still felt a guilty conscience. Stuttering slightly, she mumbled, "Um, we just had a meal together."

"Just a simple meal?" Liu Jing was far too shrewd and experienced. One look at her daughter's state told her something wasn't quite right.

Sure enough, Jiang Xinyi whined, "Ah! Mom, please don't ask anymore!"

With that, she made a break for her bedroom to flee the interrogation.

Observing her behavior, Liu Jing began to fear that her daughter might have lost control and let that brat Zhou Yuwen get his way with her.

Liking someone was one thing.

But when it came to matters of intimacy, Liu Jing still understood the gravity of the situation.

She wasn't a feudal-minded parent, but that didn't mean she would let her daughter be taken advantage of without a clear commitment.

"Hold on, Jiang Xinyi, what's with that expression? Did you and Yuwen...?"

Following closely right into the room, Liu Jing relentlessly pursued the topic.

"What are you saying!" Jiang Xinyi refused to admit anything.

Liu Jing insisted that things seemed suspicious.

"Absolutely suspicious. Seeing you like this, come on, tell me quickly." The mother and daughter interacted more like besties. While Jiang Xinyi was now lying prone on her bed, Liu Jing sat on the edge, trying every trick in the book to coax the truth out of her.

As it happened, Jiang Xinyi was harboring her own worries. Seeing her mother so invested, she finally let out a sigh and said, "It's nothing much, really. Ugh, Mom, I just feel like I'm so childish."

"Childish? What makes you say that?"

"It's just that I feel like I haven't thought things through at all. Didn't I tell you before about my confession to Zhou Yuwen?" she asked.

Liu Jing nodded, humming in affirmation.

"I've told you about this kind of thing before. You have to wait for the man to take the initiative."

"The problem is that I can't wait. I brought the matter up again today," Jiang Xinyi confessed gloomily.

"And then?"

Following that, she relayed exactly what Zhou Yuwen had said to her without skipping a detail. Sighing, she reiterated that she felt so incredibly immature in front of him.

"He's only nineteen, but he thinks about so many things. I haven't even considered half the things he's thought about."

Listening to her daughter's recounting, Liu Jing truly began to look at someone like Zhou Yuwen with new eyes.

To be honest, while watching her daughter interact with him, she too harbored concerns in her heart. But keeping those worries internalized was entirely different from having Zhou Yuwen voice them out himself.

"He really told you that?" Liu Jing verified.

Jiang Xinyi nodded.

Liu Jing then noted, "Then this Yuwen is indeed quite responsible. He doesn't act like a nineteen-year-old at all."

"So what should I do?" Jiang Xinyi hadn't shared all this just to hear her mother praise him.

She was currently deeply depressed over the whole situation.

Getting married only after three years.

In three years, she would be twenty-eight!

Furthermore, since Zhou Yuwen was so excellent, who was to say some other girl wouldn't actually steal him away!

A look of worrying about gains and losses flickered in Jiang Xinyi's eyes.

This was a rare sight.

Liu Jing observed, "Incredible. This is the first time I've ever seen you like this."

"Ugh, Mom, stop teasing me and hurry up and teach me what to do!"

Jiang Xinyi tugged on her arm.

Liu Jing pondered for a moment. This particular idea was something she had actually just thought of. If Zhou Yuwen hadn't proven himself to be so serious and responsible, she likely wouldn't have brought it up.

But after hearing her daughter recount his earlier words.

Liu Jing stated, "Getting married requires him to be over twenty-two, but that's just a marriage certificate. If you can't wait, having a baby ahead of time wouldn't hurt."

"!" Jiang Xinyi froze, her eyes widening in shock.

'No way, I never even considered that.'

Liu Jing, however, was speaking the absolute truth. "You're already twenty-five, and a woman's prime childbearing years are only so long. He can wait, but you can't. Besides, if you two are truly certain about each other, having a child early is perfectly fine. At worst, you can always just hold a wedding to make up for it later."

"This..."

Liu Jing's progressive way of thinking was so far ahead of the curve that it rendered Jiang Xinyi completely speechless.

But after thinking about it carefully, it seemed, just perhaps...

It really made sense?

Jiang Xinyi realized that the problems he had raised earlier weren't actually problems at all. It was merely that he was too principled and idealized things too much. She could absolutely get on the bus first and buy the ticket later!

Speaking of having a child, she suddenly found herself filled with a bit of expectation.

Having a baby at twenty-six or twenty-seven wouldn't even affect her plans to pursue a PhD.

While Jiang Xinyi was over there fantasizing about a beautiful future, Zhou Yuwen was already busy "making a baby" with Tao Tian. No, at this exact moment, it shouldn't be called making a baby; rather, Zhou Yuwen had transformed into a baby himself, lying prone atop Tao Tian, his hands resting level with his head, putting in diligent effort...