Perhaps, he was waiting for her to make the first move.
She felt a real, burning desire to respond to him by wrapping her arms tightly around him.
However, she did not do so. She was not allowed to indulge herself like that when she was pregnant.
Feeling slightly deflated because of her lackadaisical attitude, Zong Jinghao knitted his brows together and mumbled, “Am I not attractive enough for you?”
“You are,” Lin Xinyan muttered.
The crease on his forehead smoothened as his eyes glowed with delight. Wearing a crafty smile, he asked, “Why don’t you make your move then?”
She sighed, “I don’t dare to do so.”
Zong Jinghao was left speechless.
He leaned toward her, close enough to send strands of her hair flying with his warm breath. In a husky voice, he whispered, “Mind you, I’m a very easy prey.”
She pushed his face away and looked down at her belly. “Your son doesn’t allow me to do it.”
He was stumped.
That comment of hers was such a turn-off for him. It smothered the raging desire in him, leaving not even a spark as he threw himself onto the bed.
At the same time, she cast him a glance. “I’m hungry.”
Her stomach was rumbling with hunger – she had not eaten anything since morning.
He sat upright and took the cake Su Zhan bought over to her. “This is the cake you’re craving for. Have a taste to see whether it’s to your liking.”
She took it over and opened the box. As the mouthwatering smell of fresh cream filled up her nostrils, she felt like she could finish the whole cake on her own.
It was obvious even to herself that she had adopted an entirely new preference in food lately. She would crave for something at one time, and then the other at another time. On top of that, she could not afford to skip meals or have them later than usual. She would soon be punished by spasms of hunger pangs if that happened.
Using the spoon that had been placed inside the box, she scooped a mouthful of the spongey cake, stuffing it into her mouth. In an instant, her mouth was filled with the heavenly sweet taste of fresh cream that she used to loathe before she was pregnant.
Thinking that she might be thirsty after having the cake, Zong Jinghao went out to fetch her a carton of milk and offered it together with a straw. “Take your time. No one is fighting with you for a slice.”
She sucked in the milk with the straw without taking it from him to wash away the cream in her mouth. “I’m famished because I’ve not eaten anything since morning.”
“Why didn’t you eat anything?” He frowned at her, wondering why she had done something so insensible.
“I was driven here by Gao Yuan last night. I went to meet Bai Yinning the next morning and went on to spend the rest of the day attending his wedding ceremony. So, I didn’t have time for food,” Lin Xinyan answered, totally neglecting the fact that Bai Yinning and he were arch-rivals.
It was only after she finished saying everything did she remember how much Zong Jinghao resented Bai Yinning. Quickly, she looked up at him, eager to explain herself, but she couldn’t come up with anything.
It was because she was telling the truth.
As expected, his face fell at the mention of Bai Yinning. Seeing that, she quickly buttered him up by offering a piece of cake to him. “This cake is superbly tasty. You should have a bite.”
He stared at her in silence, not buying her gesture.
“I promise I’d stay away from him and never talk to him anymore in the future. So, please don’t be mad.” She made another attempt at pleasing him by edging the piece of cake closer to him. Yet, he refused to budge.
She frowned. What more does he want me to do to forgive me?
Since she was invited to attend Bai Yinning’s wedding ceremony, it was inappropriate of her to skip it.
Furthermore, she wanted to have a getaway trip here too.
“Your apology wasn’t sincere at all,” Zong Jinghao croaked, sounding aggrieved.
Lin Xinyan was rendered speechless.
I wasn’t sincere?
She had admitted her mistake and taken the initiative to make it up for him. Was my gesture not sincere enough?
What else should I do? Should I kneel and beg for his forgiveness?
Using the last bit of patience in her, she asked, “What should I do to be more sincere?”
He leaned closer and said suggestively, “You have to feed me the cake with your mouth.”
She fell silent.
Why is he so shameless!
Why?
“You’re being ridiculous.” She stuffed the piece of cake into her mouth before she shoved his face away. “You should know when to be grateful. Stop being cheeky.”
“What’s that supposed to mean? I don’t understand it because all I want is you.” Before he finished his sentence, he pressed lips onto hers again to lick off the lingering cream at the corners of her lips.
She tried to wiggle away from him, but she couldn’t do much with one hand holding the cake. Yet, Zong Jinghao didn’t push his luck, worried that he might anger her. At last, he licked the cream from his lips and swallowed it with relish.
Grinning, he reached out to stroke her hair. “What else do you feel like eating? I can go out and buy it for you.”
She was full after having the cake. Lowering her head, she asked, “Did you ask somebody to send me the carrots?”
“Yes,” he confessed, not seeing the need to keep her in the dark of it. He had instructed one of his men to get her the carrots from a farm quite a distance away. Although carrots were not some rare or exotic item, they were out of season at the moment, so those sold at supermarkets were not fresh. “Are the carrots delicious?” he asked.
After washing down the cake with several mouthfuls of milk, she replied, “They are. It’s a shame that I’ve forgotten to bring some over here.”
Zong Jinghao went silent for a while. He had failed to appreciate the taste of carrots as well as her.
However, he didn’t mind supplying it to her as long as she liked it.
Lying on the bed, he extended one arm toward her, signaling her to lie down next to him. “Come over here.”
She lay down and rested her head on his arm. Thinking about his suggestion of letting the baby carry her surname, she looked up at him and asked, “Are you sure you want the baby to carry my surname?”
He twisted his body to wrap his arms around her as he confirmed, “Yes.”
She squirmed around in his arms, adjusting to a more comfortable posture. In fact, she was having reservations about the idea. Firstly, since she was not supposed to have the surname ‘Lin’ because she was not Lin Guoan’s daughter, to begin with, she thought it was not right to let her kids carry the surname too. Secondly, she had intended to let her kids carry Zong Jinghao’s surname.
It was only natural for the kids to carry the surname of their father.
However, she had never thought of changing her own surname because she had yet to fully embrace the idea in her subconscious.
She knew nothing about her birth parents. All she had was fragments of information she heard from the grapevine. Also, learning about their existence did not particularly cheer her up either.
If she were given a right to choose, she would rather be Lin Guoan’s daughter. In that way, at least she knew how she should feel about him as they had spent time together before.
What about now?
“I’m stuck in a dilemma. What do you think I should do?”
