Heartthrob, Your Image is Crumbling!

Chapter 405: Oh No, We've Been Discovered!

At first, Jiang Xinyi was truly fuming and fully intended to leave, but after walking a short distance, she realized that Zhou Yuwen hadn't chased after her.'What is the meaning of this, Zhou Yuwen?'

Jiang Xinyi's footsteps gradually slowed down. The more she thought about it, the more frustrated she became. 'If you had this male chauvinism, why didn't you tell me earlier? Why wait until now?'

'You've already kissed me, so what do you mean by this now?'

'Are you trying to avoid taking responsibility?'

'Hah! You sure dream big. Do you think you can just occupy all the good things for yourself?'

At that thought, Jiang Xinyi became thoroughly upset. She immediately spun around, marched right back, and planted a romantic wet kiss on Zhou Yuwen.

Before Zhou Yuwen could even react, Jiang Xinyi was already wiping her mouth, glaring once more at his utterly shocked face.

Now she was satisfied.

"Zhou Yuwen, we are even now!"

"Hmph! Tomorrow, I am resigning from your company!"

Jiang Xinyi declared in a domineering tone.

"Jiang Xinyi, get back here." Hearing her mention resigning, Zhou Yuwen immediately thought, 'This is bad.' He was just about to fire Lu Hui; if Jiang Xinyi left at a time like this, the problem would be massive.

Consequently, he shouted after her.

But there was no way Jiang Xinyi would listen to him. She continued walking away without a care in the world.

At that moment, Zhou Yuwen got out of the car and chased after her.

He grabbed her hand and swiftly performed a wall-slam, pinning her back against the car.

"What are you doing?!" Jiang Xinyi demanded, not showing a shred of fear as she tilted her little head up at him.

"Who gave you permission to kiss me?"

Zhou Yuwen asked.

"Hah, ridiculous. I will kiss whoever I want to kiss. Do I need your permission? I did it because I felt like it!" Jiang Xinyi shot back, refusing to coddle him.

Looking at her defiant expression, Zhou Yuwen could not help but chuckle. After a long moment, he pinched her chin and leaned in, kissing her right back.

"Mmph!"

Jiang Xinyi was a stubborn little lass. Even while being pressed against the car and kissed by Zhou Yuwen, she refused to admit defeat. She struggled for a brief moment. Her small hands, initially clenched into small fists, slowly unfurled into flat palms, eventually wrapping around his shoulders.

From her initial muffled "Mmph!" to a soft, yielding "Mmm..."

Tilting her head, she gave herself over to the kiss.

At first, Jiang Xinyi truly wanted to resist. However, Zhou Yuwen was undeniably skilled, and on top of that, she really was craving his affection. It suddenly dawned on her: 'Why should I fight it?'

'If we're kissing, we're kissing.'

'Let's see who can out-kiss who.'

Mmm...

Jiang Xinyi's outfit was on the casual side today. She wore an orange shirt paired with a denim A-line skirt. The skirt featured a subtle slit, showing off her incredibly gorgeous long legs.

Zhou Yuwen continued to hold her close, deepening the kiss as his hand slid down from her slender waist.

Jiang Xinyi naturally noticed, but she did not object.

After all, this was not their first time kissing.

They made out for quite a while.

"Ahem!"

Until someone coughed behind them.

Although it was just a single cough, the sound was painfully familiar. Hearing it, both Zhou Yuwen and Jiang Xinyi instantly thought, 'Oh no.'

They hastily broke apart.

However, it was already too late.

Standing right behind them was none other than Jiang Xinyi's mother, Liu Jing.

It was a beautiful April evening. The moonlight was perfect, and the spring breeze was wonderfully mild.

Taking advantage of the pleasant weather, Liu Jing had brought her mother, an old lady nearing seventy, out for taking a stroll.

As a result of this walk, they stumbled upon quite the scene.

The scene of Zhou Yuwen passionately making out with her daughter.

A smile naturally tugged at the corner of the mouth for Liu Jing as she watched the young couple with great interest.

At this moment, both Zhou Yuwen and Jiang Xinyi blushed furiously.

Jiang Xinyi, in particular, was so mortified at being caught by her mother and grandmother that she could not even lift her face. She could only stare at her feet, occasionally stealing glances at the elders' expressions.

Zhou Yuwen felt incredibly awkward. 'It's over, it's all over!'

Ultimately, it was the old woman who broke the silence. The old lady was nearly seventy, her frame beginning to shrink with age and most of her teeth gone, but she was absolutely thrilled to see Zhou Yuwen. Pointing at him, she kept chanting, "Grandson-in-law!"

This made Zhou Yuwen even more embarrassed.

Hearing this, Liu Jing burst into laughter. "Mom, he is only dating Xinyi right now. They aren't married yet."

'Since when are we dating...'

Zhou Yuwen silently muttered to himself.

But his internal protest was clearly futile, as the old woman continued to happily call him her grandson-in-law.

Liu Jing appeared quite delighted as well, echoing, "Yes, yes, grandson-in-law."

Then she turned to Zhou Yuwen and offered, "Yuwen, Xinyi's grandmother seems to really like you. Why don't you come inside and sit for a while?"

"That won't be necessary, Auntie..." Zhou Yuwen started to decline, but Jiang Xinyi, who was hiding behind him, gently tugged at his shirt hem.

Caught between a rock and a hard place, Zhou Yuwen scratched his head and said, "The main thing is, I didn't prepare any gifts for today..."

Liu Jing waved him off. "You are not an outsider, what is there to prepare? Come on up and have a seat."

"..."

Seeing that it would be rude to refuse such warm hospitality, Zhou Yuwen had no choice but to agree.

Zhou Yuwen felt deeply frustrated. He had taken every possible precaution precisely to prevent his relationship with Jiang Xinyi from going public. Yet now, the matter was out in the open whether he liked it or not.

He followed obediently behind Liu Jing and the old woman. The grandmother seemed incredibly satisfied with the husband her granddaughter had found. After all, he was tall and handsome. She walked right over and took Zhou Yuwen's hand in hers.

Holding Jiang Xinyi in one hand and Zhou Yuwen in the other, she cheerfully led them toward the house.

Walking alongside them, Liu Jing beamed at seeing her mother so happy. She told Zhou Yuwen that Xinyi's grandmother had not been this joyful in a very long time.

Zhou Yuwen simply forced a polite smile in response.

Soon, they arrived at Jiang Xinyi's family home, a small Western-style house. The exquisite and luxurious decor lived up to its location in Jinling's affluent district. From the outside, it possessed a distinct Republic of China architectural vibe, but the interior trim did not look dated in the slightest.

Liu Jing mentioned that there wasn't really anyone else at home.

"Xinyi's father is abroad to discuss business, and we gave the rest of the staff time off. Xinyi, go brew a cup of tea for Yuwen."

Liu Jing instructed her daughter.

Jiang Xinyi offered a muted "Oh," and went to make the tea.

Liu Jing smiled and said, "Take a seat."

Zhou Yuwen behaved obediently, sitting down exactly where he was told. However, he felt like he was sitting on pins and needles, completely on edge.

Jiang Xinyi returned with a cup of tea. Her attitude was far from respectful as she practically shoved it onto the table in front of him.

Liu Jing frowned in displeasure. "This child... where is your family upbringing?"

'What do you mean family upbringing?' Jiang Xinyi thought indignantly. 'I was just forcefully kissed by him, alright?'

Too lazy to explain herself, she simply turned and retreated to her room.

Liu Jing had no idea what had gotten into the girl and just asked Zhou Yuwen not to take offense. "This lass is probably upset because we caught you two being affectionate," she said, covering her mouth to hide an amused grin.

Zhou Yuwen pleaded internally, 'Could you please not use the word affectionate...'

On the surface, however, he could only offer an awkward, agreeable smile.

Liu Jing urged him to drink his tea while taking a sip of her own. Then she asked how long he and Jiang Xinyi had been together.

"Not long..."

Zhou Yuwen answered, biting the bullet.

"That makes sense. You've only been back in Jinling for a little over a month, and you're so busy. If it wasn't a brand new relationship, you wouldn't be making out in public right now, pfft!"

By the time she finished her sentence, Liu Jing was laughing at her own joke.

"..."

Afterward, Liu Jing shared plenty of her own thoughts on the matter. "Yuwen," she said, "although there is a certain age gap between you and Xinyi, Auntie is very open-minded. I trust you. I know you will take excellent care of her."

"I've had my eye on you right from the start."

"Do not let Auntie down."

"..."

Zhou Yuwen just silently drank his tea. Anything he could possibly say right now would be completely useless.

As time dragged on, Liu Jing started rambling on about trivial matters. Unable to take it any longer, Zhou Yuwen interrupted, "Um, Auntie, I actually need to speak with Xinyi about something else. Let's catch up another time."

Without waiting for her to agree, he stood up, eager to make his escape.

Liu Jing originally had more to say, but seeing that it was indeed getting late, she held her tongue.

Furthermore, Zhou Yuwen kept insisting, "Auntie, Xinyi and I have official business to discuss."

"Official business, it really is official business."

Saying that, he practically sprinted up the stairs.

Watching his flustered retreat, Liu Jing could not help but call out, "Hey, do you even know which room is Xinyi's?"

Zhou Yuwen repeatedly called back, "I can find it! I can find it!"

In truth, Jiang Xinyi had been hiding in a corner on the second floor the entire time, eavesdropping on his conversation with her mother. Seeing him dash upstairs, she naturally tried to slip away, but Zhou Yuwen managed to catch her little tail.

How could he possibly fail to find her room?

Just as he reached the top of the stairs, he caught sight of her heel disappearing through a doorway.

Jiang Xinyi frantically tried to shut the door behind her, but before it could latch, Zhou Yuwen braced his weight against it.

"Hmph!" Seeing his determined posture, Jiang Xinyi let out a coquettish pout filled with disdain.

She spun on her heel and retreated further inside.

Zhou Yuwen closed the door firmly behind him and remarked, "You sure run fast!"

"Serves you right."

Displaying her little girl nature, Jiang Xinyi sat down on her large bed and began crossing her legs. Pouting heavily at him, she made it clear that he deserved every bit of his suffering.

"When did we start dating? How come I wasn't informed?" Jiang Xinyi asked, tilting her chin up.

Zhou Yuwen sighed and took a seat beside her. "If we aren't dating, then why were we kissing so passionately just now?"

"So what if we kissed? Who made the rule that kissing means dating? Well, I'm not dating you!"

Jiang Xinyi put on airs, declaring her independence with smug satisfaction.

Zhou Yuwen groaned, "Older sister, please stop messing around. I'm here to talk about serious business."

"Then tell me, were you wrong?" Jiang Xinyi demanded.

"What did I do wrong this time?" Zhou Yuwen countered.

"You were chatting so happily with Zheng Yanyan and Su Qing, and you think you did nothing wrong?" Jiang Xinyi immediately accused.

"No, they are just ordinary friends..."

"Fine, then You Changjin and I are just ordinary friends too."

"That's not allowed," Zhou Yuwen flatly refused.

Jiang Xinyi challenged him, demanding to know why it wasn't allowed.

"Because I will be jealous, alright?" Zhou Yuwen admitted.

"?" Jiang Xinyi froze.

Zhou Yuwen knew this was exactly the answer she was fishing for, but given their current predicament, he figured he might as well humor her.

Dropping his facade, Zhou Yuwen pulled her close by her slender waist. "Sister Xinyi, let's stop arguing, okay? I know you were just trying to make me mad, but there's really no need for that."

"Don't you already know how I feel about you?"

He rested his head near her ear, murmuring in a soft, gentle tone.

Jiang Xinyi leaned into him, quietly listening. A girl who had never been in a relationship before was truly quite easy to coax.

After just a few sweet words, she merely let out a couple of soft hums.

"Are you done being angry? If it's really that bad, I promise I won't speak to them in front of you anymore," Zhou Yuwen offered.

"Not behind my back either," Jiang Xinyi quickly amended.

Zhou Yuwen began nodding vigorously. "Of course."

"Alright, Sister Xinyi, please stop being mad,"

"Then why were you so fiercely scolding me earlier?" Jiang Xinyi asked, looking deeply wronged.

"I was just pissed off by Lu Hui," Zhou Yuwen explained.

"Liu Shuo treats her so well, but that woman really doesn't know how to be satisfied."

Jiang Xinyi agreed, nodding. "I honestly never expected her to get together with your roommate."

"I always felt a bit uncomfortable whenever I spoke with her, but I certainly didn't expect things to turn out like this."

"That woman just doesn't know how to be content," Zhou Yuwen repeated.

"Sister Xinyi, you know that Liu Shuo is my best friend. With something like this happening to him, it was only natural for me to act impulsively earlier. Add to that the fact that you were trying to anger me..."

"If you hadn't provoked me..."

"Okay, okay, let's stop talking about this. Neither of us will try to make the other mad anymore, deal?"

Zhou Yuwen hastily pulled her into a tighter embrace as he spoke.

With that, all the residual anger in Jiang Xinyi's heart vanished. She let out one final, light hmph at him.

Holding her gently, Zhou Yuwen whispered in her ear, "Both you and Lu Hui work in finance. Tomorrow, go to the company and check her records for any irregularities. You..."

His voice trailed off, growing softer and softer.