Due to the experience of being imprisoned by He Ruize, she was terrified of such shackles. She felt the blood in her body started boiling, and her heart was beating fast as if it would jump out of her chest. She couldn’t help but trembled in fear.
“It’s me.”
It was Zong Jinghao?
She regained her composure and tried to smell the body odor of the man.
He kissed the back of her neck and buried his head in her hair, “Where did you go today?”
After hearing his familiar voice, she finally calmed down.
However, his question made her jumpy as she didn’t know what to tell him.
Zong Jinghao’s heart sank, as he knew that she was hiding something.
Lin Xinyan’s mind was racing with every possible answer at that moment. After a few seconds, she finally said, “I didn’t go anywhere. I just missed them so much, and I spent an entire day in the back yard with them. What’s wrong?”
“Nothing.” Zong Jinghao clasped her waist with his hand while the other trying to lift her shirt. Her waist was smooth and delicate, just like a baby’s skin. He thought that if he exerted a little effort, he might leave a mark on it.
“Yan, I want to…” If it weren’t for the dim light, Lin Xinyan would definitely see him behaved unnaturally. He was saying something so flirty, yet his eyes were so cold.
Lin Xinyan felt that her throat was dry, and she opened her mouth. She said in a hoarse voice, “I haven’t bathed in a few days…”
“I don’t mind.” He tested the water by unbuttoning her pant with his hands. Lin Xinyan’s heart was beating fast, but she did not refuse.
She closed her eyes and enjoyed the moment.
Suddenly, the light of the room was turned on. Zong Jinghao let go of her and took a step back.
Seeing her closing her eyes willingly, and he didn’t feel any urge to continue.
For the first time, she was willing to surrender herself to him, but he didn’t want to touch her.
He was here tonight to probe for any inconsistencies in her story.
He wanted to know how much she had really changed.
Before this, she would only accept his kisses, but she let go of all her reservations this time.
Why has she changed suddenly?
Has she accepted him out of pressure or is it love?
He can’t tell.
He was terrified and frightened.
“Are you hiding something from me?” Zong Jinghao asked suspiciously.
Lin Xinyan opened her eyes slowly and saw him before her. His eyes were so distant and cold, and he was not as passionate as before.
She was stunned for a moment. Then she soon realized that he was probing her instead of wanting her for real.
Had he found out about anything?
“What do you think I can hide from you?” Lin Xinyan pretended to be calm. She was so guilty that she took the initiative to come over and put her arms around his neck. She did not dare to look at his face, and asked while leaning on his chest, “Are you curious as to why I said yes to you?”
The light was glowing with a yellowish halo, and it came down from the top of her head in circles. She looked away and said softly, “We already have Xi and Ruixi, but I have never…”
She meant what she said.
This man in front of her was her first man, and also the father of her children.
This was also the first time she had feelings for someone.
She didn’t force herself, and she was willing to surrender herself to him.
Despite what Lin Xinyan had said, Zong Jinghao still couldn’t trust her words entirely. After all, she didn’t come clean with her whereabouts today.
He lowered his eyes and stared at the jade bracelet on her hand. He reached out to take her hand and pressed it against his chest. “If you face any challenges, you must let me know. I want you to know that I can share your burden with you. You are not alone.”
He worried that Lin Xinyan was threatened by others.
And that was why she acted differently.
How he hoped that her changes weren’t because of external influence. He hoped that she had truly accepted him.
“I have never felt so lost for a woman before.” His tone sounded like he was mocking himself.
He disliked himself like this.
“Rest early.” He left the room as soon as he finished speaking.
Lin Xinyan was stunned for a moment. He didn’t seem like his usual self as he used to love pestering her.
She followed him at the back. She stood beside the door and looked at his silhouette under the dim light, she asked, “Is there anything bothering you?”
Zong Jinghao didn’t turn back, he stared into the empty yard and replied, “You told me that you were in the back yard for the whole day, where is your master then?”
Just then, Lin Xinyan realized that Cheng Yuwen didn’t come back together with her.
“Master went out, so he isn’t here.” She explained quickly.
“Is that so?” Obviously, Zong Jinghao didn’t trust her words.
He hoped that she would come clean. He had already given her so many hints that he actually knew what happened. Why was she still hiding the truth?
Was it because she didn’t trust him?
However, he couldn’t bring himself to question her any further nor hurt her feelings.
After that, he didn’t look back and walked out of the backyard.
Lin Xinyan stood at the door and kept staring at his silhouette. He had gone far in the dark, and yet she didn’t want to retrieve her gaze.
She wasn’t a fool. Obviously, he was suspicious of her whereabouts.
Yet, she had promised Cheng Yuxiu not to let him know about his real identity.
If everyone knew that he was the son of Cheng Yuxiu, he would be known as an illegitimate son.
For a man with high social status like him, his inglorious identity would definitely receive a lot of criticism from others.
Lin Xinyan felt that he definitely wouldn’t want that to happen.
When Zong Jinghao returned to the front yard, the card games had dismissed. There was a brazier in the middle of the yard, and Su Zhan and Qin Ya were barbecuing sweet potatoes. The night was still young, and they couldn’t sleep either. There was simply no other place or activity to kill time.
The children squatted down around the brazier and watched how Su Zhan barbecued the sweet potatoes. They found it fascinating and interesting as this was their first time doing barbecue. They had tried roasting sweet potatoes in the oven at home before but barbecuing was much more fun.
Shen Peichuan stood at the side and looked at them.
“See how happy these two kids are, I am finally doing a good deed by making President Zong’s kids so happy.” Bai Yinning looked at the sulky face of the man who just walked out of the back yard, and he mocked, “President Zong surely didn’t look well. Did you not see Ms. Lin just now?”
Zong Jinghao put his hands in the pocket and sneered, “I thought gossipmonger only refers to a woman.”
What he really meant was Bai Yinning was as gossipy as a woman.
Bai Yinning was stunned at what he just said, and laughed out loud, “Wow, now you can even scold someone without using any dirty words. You have advanced to another level now.”
Zong Jinghao didn’t have the energy to bicker and argue with him. Instead, he called out Shen Peichuan, “Would you come over here, please.”
Shen Peichuan knew what he was about to ask; he patted on Su Zhan’s shoulder and told him, “Look after the children; I will go out for a while.”
He wasn’t sure what kind of a person Bai Yinning was. Although there wasn’t any malice in his actions, Shen Peichuan still had to beware of him.
Su Zhan understood what he meant and nodded, “Sure, I know what to do.”
The only advantage of living in the village was that when the night fell, the air was fresh, the weather was good and the sky was full of stars like a big disk full of jade beads. Back in the city, the air was polluted, and it was never easy to see the stars.
Under the starry night, they walked to the entrance of the village.
This time, they didn’t talk to each other by the river. They didn’t want Bai Yinning to eavesdrop their conversation.
At this moment, nobody knew for sure whether he was a friend or a foe.
However, judging from the current situation; he was certainly up to something for luring Lin Xinyan over.
Their car was at the entrance of the village. Zong Jinghao switched on the high beam headlights so that nobody could hide in the dark. This way, nobody would be able to eavesdrop on their conversation.
“How is the investigation going?” Zong Jinghao asked.
