chapter 5
It was my first night living together with Jiang Jiang, and I happened to be on my period.
Jiang Jiang held me on his lap, his long fingers gently and tenderly massaging my lower abdomen through the thin fabric of my clothes.
When the pain eased a little, he brought me a bowl of hot porridge.
But I got mischievous, hooking his finger with my pinky, “I won’t eat unless you reward me.”
Jiang Jiang remained unmoved, but in the end, he couldn’t resist my soft coaxing. His large hand cupped the back of my head and he gave me a kiss-intoxicating, dangerous.
Just a taste.
Finally, he straightened me up, my eyes hazy with spring, limp in his arms and grinning wickedly. His face was calm, but his voice was hoarse to the extreme,
“The porridge is getting cold. Drink it quickly.”
Maybe it was because I was the one who pursued Jiang Jiang first, and he was always so cold to me back then. After we got together, I loved teasing him, provoking him.
The more indifferent he was, the more I liked seeing him lose control.
Later, when things really got passionate, Jiang Jiang started to crave it, and the one who became proactive and unable to restrain himself was him…
It was around that time that Gu Zhan sent me a message.
He said, “Lulu, I’m coming back.”
Facing Jiang Jiang’s obscure, slightly probing gaze, I was open and honest,
“He’s my neighbor, also my brother. We’ve known each other for over twenty years.”
Jiang Jiang barely believed me, but every time Gu Zhan messaged, he acted like he was facing a formidable enemy-trying to pretend he didn’t care, but failing miserably. It was honestly adorable.
For many reasons, I gradually stopped contacting Gu Zhan.
At that time, Jiang Jiang and I had agreed to get our marriage certificate right after graduation.
But who could have known that as soon as I graduated, something happened at home.
A relative called, saying my mom was seriously ill. When I bought a ticket and rushed over, I found out they had conspired to trick me.
My mom had never forgiven me for changing my college entrance exam preferences without her permission. She hated me, hated my defiance, hated that I had broken free from her control.
She had never truly accepted Jiang Jiang.
“Lulu, you want to study medicine, you could have gone to a university here at home. You want to get married, Ah Zhan is a great kid.”
“Everything Mom has arranged for you is what’s truly best for you!”
During that time, my mom locked me in the house, confiscated my phone, and forbade me from contacting Jiang Jiang.
She even used my phone, pretending to be me, to send Jiang Jiang humiliating messages:
“Why would you think I’d marry someone from a family with a gambling-addicted father and a disabled mother?”
“Do you really think Gu Zhan is just my brother? You’re nothing but a distraction in my boring college life.”
When I discovered all this and tried to rush out to explain to Jiang Jiang, my mom completely lost it.
She stood on the balcony, gripping the railing so tightly her veins bulged.
She was already out of control, crying and threatening that if I didn’t break up with Jiang Jiang, she’d jump from the twelfth floor right then and there.
In that moment, I backed down.
No matter how much I loved Jiang Jiang, I couldn’t just stand by and watch my mom die.
That night, Jiang Jiang stood downstairs, pale and much thinner.
It was as if he had abandoned all pride. Even though he’d received those hurtful messages, even though he thought I loved someone else, he still pleaded for reconciliation in an almost humble way, cautious and careful.
But faced with my mom’s threats, I couldn’t even go downstairs to see him.