Sheng Kuang gnashed his teeth, "Lin Jing!"
His tone was a little fierce, as if he was truly angry.
Lin Jing looked at Sheng Kuang not far away and said nothing more.
The room fell silent for a moment. Sheng Kuang spoke again, his tone much softer than before, "The honey water is ready. It's on the island counter. Drink it and go to bed early."
Lin Jing didn't respond.
Sheng Kuang picked up the car keys he had casually placed on the coffee table. "I'm heading back to the club."
Lin Jing's fingers trembled slightly. As she watched Sheng Kuang walk towards the door, she blurted out, "I'm serious."
"Serious about wanting you to stay."
"..."
Sheng Kuang stopped.
"I don't want you to stay just to make you happy, nor because I feel guilty about leaving without a word before. I..." Lin Jing wasn't sure if she was being too sensitive. Although she and Sheng Kuang had reconciled, and earlier in his room, they had even kissed like that, making him clearly uncomfortable, he had done nothing.
At first, she hadn't paid too much attention to such things, and it wasn't that it had to be today. It was only after seeing the messages on her phone that the thought had occurred to her.
Perhaps it was an impulse, or perhaps she was emboldened by alcohol. In any case, she had initiated this conversation. The less he responded, the more uncertain she felt.
Lin Jing had never confessed her feelings to anyone before. Even when she and Sheng Kuang had first gotten together, she had been very subtle. Now, with the words at her lips, actually saying them was still difficult. But she feared that if Sheng Kuang left now, the gap between them would only widen.
Lin Jing clenched her fists, holding her breath, and continued without restraint, "I... I'm asking you to stay because I like you."
Sheng Kuang was stunned.
Lin Jing dared not look at Sheng Kuang. Closing her eyes, she continued, "For the past two years, I've been liking you."
Her voice grew softer, "Never stopped."
"..."
Sheng Kuang's eyes began to feel a little moist.
The room was deathly quiet. He gazed at her for a moment, then placed the keys back down, walked two steps towards her, and stopped again. "Come here."
Lin Jing glanced nervously at Sheng Kuang, lowered her head, and shuffled over to him.
Sheng Kuang raised his hand, stroking her hair from the top of her head to her neck, then moved to her earlobe and cupped her face along her jawline. "You..."
Before he could finish speaking, Lin Jing, as if guessing what he was about to say, said, "I won't regret it."
Sheng Kuang's fingertips trembled. The next second, her lips were sealed by Lin Jing, who stood on tiptoe.
...
Lin Jing had no memory of how they went from the living room to the bedroom, how they got onto the bed, or how her clothes fell to the floor, one by one.
Vaguely, she knew that Sheng Kuang had stopped, his breathing a little uneven, and he fumbled for his phone, asking her to wait.
Lin Jing pointed to the drawer, her voice hoarse, "There's some in there."
After that, Lin Jing heard the sound of a packet being opened.
And then, Lin Jing faintly heard Sheng Kuang telling her to relax...
...
Lin Jing was very tired, but not sleepy.
Listening to Sheng Kuang's heartbeat, she felt content and secure. She held his arm tightly, occasionally looking up at him. Seeing that he was also awake, she curiously began to ask him questions.
She asked about things that had happened during the two years she was away. At first, Sheng Kuang said little, but gradually, he began to talk more.
As they chatted, Lin Jing brought up his stomach problems. "Did you start not eating properly after I left?"
The conversation abruptly became awkward.
Lin Jing mentally cursed herself hundreds of times for bringing up such a sensitive topic.
Just as she was racking her brain for another topic, Sheng Kuang softly answered, "Mmm." He continued, "I even went to your school to look for you. Many times. I asked Lan Tingting for your contact information repeatedly, but she always said she didn't have it. Yet, I always felt she was lying to me."
"That's not true," Lin Jing paused. "At first, she genuinely didn't have my contact information. It was at least half a year later before she did."
"For a period of time, my state was very bad, and I didn't contact anyone."
"By the time I contacted my friends back home, I had already been abroad for about seven or eight months."
"Actually, the first person I contacted was you."