NOVEL NEXT Chapter 387-393
Chapter 387: Why Does Cotton Candy Taste Like Alcohol (7)
It was monsoon season in all of southern China, so it rained heavily non-stop. Having originally booked a flight for ten in the morning, Han Zhifan waited in the VIP lounge of the hotel till one in the afternoon without any updates on his delayed departure.
The end-of-production party was booked for seven in the evening, so there were only six hours left. Han Zhifan made a mental calculation and he didn’t know just how much time he would continue to waste at the airport. He was afraid he wouldn’t make it to the party.
Han Zhifan thought about it for a moment then ordered the driver to get the car started. He also asked his secretary to book a ticket for the high-speed train.
The train station was quite some distance away from the airport. As there were too many flights on standby, a lot of flight passengers were now trying to get to the high-speed train instead, so there was more traffic on the roads than usual. When Han Zhifan reached the train station, it was already three in the afternoon.
At a quarter past three, Han Zhifan got on the high-speed train.
He wasted practically a whole day at the airport. He still had a lot of work to attend to, so Han Zhifan took out his laptop and started to get busy.
It was already dark outside when he finished his work. He glanced at the time to find that it was already half past seven. The end-of-production party had already started, and he was still about two hours away from Shanghai.
At half past nine, the train arrived on time. The doors opened, and as soon as Han Zhifan stepped out, he saw the driver arranged for him by the Shanghai branch.
After he got into the car, he didn’t wait for the driver to ask where he was heading and beat him to the chase with: “Head right for Starlight.”
Han Zhifan was afraid he wouldn’t be able to make it before the party ended, so he urged the driver to step on the gas throughout the entire journey as he checked the time constantly.
At ten o’clock, the car reached the entrance to the Starlight lobby. Han Zhifan ordered the driver: “Take my things up to room 1002” then ignored the doorman’s polite greeting. He strode into the revolving doors and headed right for the elevator.
As he stepped out of the elevator, Han Zhifan saw many people in uniforms coming out from the hall, one after the other.
She… couldn’t have already left, right?
Han Zhifan naturally walked faster while muttering “Excuse me” as he hurriedly threaded through the crowd and into the hall.
The lobby was empty. Aside from a dozen or so hotel attendants, there was barely anyone else there.
Han Zhifan scanned the large hall carefully, but after he confirmed that Cheng Weiwan was nowhere in sight, he suddenly felt a deep sense of annoyance.
After hurrying over, I still wasn’t able to get here on time?
Han Zhifan raised his hand and tugged on his collar a little. He let out a few stifled breaths of air before turning around and walking out of the hall.
In his rush over to the hotel, Han Zhifan hadn’t even gotten a chance to use the restroom. Before he headed up to his hotel room, he happened to notice a restroom sign and walked right in.
As he came out of the stall, Han Zhifan was about to walk over to the sink when he heard the sound of vomiting nearby.
He instinctively lifted his eyelids and glanced over. Through the mirror, he watched as a familiar silhouette came into view.
Han Zhifan’s footsteps stopped for a moment as he stared at the woman, who was vomiting non-stop with her head lowered, for some time. Then he silently backed away, gestured for a nearby attendant, and asked her to get a bottle of water.
Soon enough, the waitress brought over a bottle of water to him.
Han Zhifan gave his thanks then popped the lid of the bottle open and stepped back into the restroom.
He walked over to the sink. After waiting for the woman to finish throwing up, he put the bottle of water down before her eyes.
Just as she was about to turn the tap on to rinse her mouth out with cold water, Cheng Weiwan suddenly froze when she saw the bottle of water in front of her.
Chapter 388: Why Does Cotton Candy Taste Like Alcohol (8)
After about five seconds, she slowly turned her head and glanced from the bottle of water all the way to Han Zhifan’s handsome complexion. Stunned, Cheng Weiwan’s lips twitched, tempted to ask: Why are you here? All of a sudden, she felt her stomach turn. The sensation made her hastily put her head down and throw up again.
Han Zhifan quickly put the bottle of water on the counter and reached his hand out to gently pat Cheng Weiwan’s back.
He waited until after she finished vomiting to put the bottle of water close to her mouth again and said, “Rinse your mouth first then drink some water. You’ll feel a little better.”
Cheng Weiwan didn’t say anything and followed Han Zhifan’s instructions obediently.
After the mildly cold water flowed down her throat and into her stomach, it was just as he said – it really did make her feel a lot better.
Lowering the bottle, she turned the tap on and washed her face. Then she grabbed a towel to wipe her face and hands dry. She finally straightened up, faced Han Zhifan, and gently said, “Thank you.”
This guy… He doesn’t usually talk, but when he does, he says romantic words. He sounds more emotional than me, who writes romantic novels for a living…
With a tense look on her face, Cheng Weiwan said, “I don’t feel so well, so I’m going to head upstairs to get some rest first.”
She didn’t wait for him to reply and added the words “Goodbye.” Then she turned around and headed for the restroom door.
She was wearing a gown and high heels for tonight’s party. On typical days, she mostly wore flat shoes, so she wasn’t used to wearing heels and right now, she was drunk. Although she wasn’t a drunken mess, she was still a little tipsy. As she took a single step forward, her foot went flying. She almost fell to the ground, but luckily Han Zhifan had fast reflexes and grabbed her arm from behind.
“Which one is your room? I’ll take you.”
Cheng Weiwan hesitated for a moment then told him her room number.
When Cheng Weiwan almost tripped up, she accidentally twisted her ankle. Even though Han Zhifan supported her as she walked, she felt a piercing pain in her leg with every step.
Her father, Cheng Weiguo, was always busy with work, and her mother passed away when she was young, so she would often be home alone from the age of thirteen. Maybe she was too used to being independent for so many years that she never thought about asking people for help. Even though she twisted her ankle, she didn’t tell Han Zhifan.
After getting into the elevator and reaching Cheng Weiwan’s floor, her leg couldn’t help but go limp from the pain in her ankle. Han Zhifan felt her weight shift, lowered his head slightly then saw that her fair, slender ankle was red and swollen.
“You twisted your ankle. Why didn’t you say anything?” Han Zhifan’s tone of voice sounded like there were hints of blame and annoyance.
Cheng Weiwan lowered her eyes without saying a word.
Han Zhifan stared at her for a moment then suddenly bent over and lifted her off her feet.
Having never been touched so intimately by a man before, Cheng Weiwan looked flustered. She instinctively tried to struggle out of Han Zhifan’s arms.
“Don’t move!” Han Zhifan tightened his grip and said with a concealed threat: “If you move again, trust me when I say I’ll kiss you right here in the hallway!”
“You——” Cheng Weiwan only managed to blurt out one word when she saw Han Zhifan really drawing closer. She swiftly turned her head then quieted down.
Cheng Weiwan tensed her body in fear as she still wasn’t quite used to being carried by a man.
He opened the door. After Han Zhifan put her down on the sofa, Cheng Weiwan silently let out a sigh of relief.
Chapter 389: Why Does Cotton Candy Taste Like Alcohol (9)
Cheng Weiwan thanked Han Zhifan then found some red flower oil from the medical kit on the coffee table. She poured it into her palms and rubbed her red, swollen ankle.
Han Zhifan knew she studied medicine before, so seeing as she didn’t call for a doctor, he figured that she knew it wasn’t sprained and could take care of it on her own.
Without talking any nonsense, he took a seat beside her and stared at her as she rubbed her ankle.
Her fingers were really beautiful. She probably typed away on a keyboard all year round and students of medicine probably had a little OCD, so she didn’t have long nails like other girls. Her hands were completely clean and easy on the eyes.
Han Zhifan couldn’t help but glance at her as she poured the red flower oil into her palms again. When she lifted her head, he looked at her face and quietly asked, “Why did you drink so much?”
Cheng Weiwan stopped what she was doing. “I had to entertain some people so I had to drink, but it was also my fault because I can’t really take my alcohol. I throw up after just a little drinking.”
“A woman out by herself must be careful. Don’t drink if you can help it.”
Han Zhifan’s tone of voice was lighthearted, but he managed to suddenly stop Cheng Weiwan from rubbing her ankles for a moment.
Maybe he’s right… Ever since I was a kid, nobody ever said such caring words to me…
Cheng Weiwan lowered her eyes and stared at her swollen ankles quietly for a moment. Just as she was going to give Han Zhifan an “Mhm,” he spoke again. “But, that being said, there’s another way for you to not have to drink.”
Cheng Weiwan swallowed the words on the tip of her tongue and turned to look over at Han Zhifan.
Han Zhifan smiled. “Be with me. My woman doesn’t need to entertain other people.”
How did the conversation end up this way…
Cheng Weiwan chose to ignore him and continued to rub her ankle with her head lowered.
After Cheng Weiwan finished caring for her ankle, she went into the bathroom to remove her makeup. Han Zhifan was afraid she’d trip on the way, so he accompanied her all the way to the bathroom.
When Cheng Weiwan brushed her teeth, Han Zhifan was leaning against the door, staring at her with his arms crossed.
When she was rinsing her mouth, Han Zhifan suddenly asked, “Let me give you a suggestion.”
His words came all of a sudden. Cheng Weiwan thought he was serious, so after she spat the water out, she asked in return, “What suggestion?”
Han Zhifan looked into Cheng Weiwan’s eyes and said with complete seriousness, “Be with me.”
“You——” That was the third time Cheng Weiwan heard Han Zhifan say those words that night. She let out just one word, but couldn’t quite come back from it. She stared menacingly at Han Zhifan then looked away like she was annoyed at his incessant attempts. She continued to rinse her mouth even more fiercely.
After she put down the cup, Cheng Weiwan limped over to the bathroom door. When she passed by Han Zhifan, he suddenly reached out and scooped her up.
“Han Zhifan, put me down! What do you want to do?!”
Han Zhifan walked straight towards the bed as though he hadn’t heard Cheng Weiwan. He put her down on the bed, and before she could react, he leaned over. With his hands by both her ears, he hovered over her body.
“Do? What do you think I want to do? After all, I’m in your room…”
Han Zhifan’s face was no more than ten inches away from Cheng Weiwan’s face. The warmth of his breath sprayed all over her face, making Cheng Weiwan’s heart flustered.
Chapter 390: Why Does Cotton Candy Taste Like Alcohol (10)
When she spoke again, she sounded even more agitated, “Han Zhifan, get out! Get out of my room!”
Han Zhifan ignored her and slowly pushed his head down lower. As his lips drew closer to hers, Cheng Weiwan nervously shut her eyes and tears fell from the corners of her eyes.
Just when she thought her first kiss was going to be stolen by him, he suddenly stopped about an inch away from her lips.
Cheng Weiwan waited for a moment but the sensation she was expecting never arrived. That was when she slowly lifted her eyelids.
She was caught off guard by Han Zhifan’s deep gaze.
Their eyes met for about ten seconds. Then, with a uniquely arrogant and serious voice, he said, “I lied. I, Han Zhifan, never force women.”
As he said this, he continued to stare at her eyes for some time. Then he slowly raised his left hand to her head and gently stroked her hair, messy from her struggles against him. “I really do want you, but most importantly, I want you to do this willingly.”
As he said this, Han Zhifan lowered his head and left a gentle peck between Cheng Weiwan’s brows. Then he added a “goodnight,” swiftly retreated and took a few steps back. Under the soft, pale yellow lights, he spoke again with a tender voice, “Sweet dreams.” With that, he really did leave her room without looking back.
Cheng Weiwan blinked and came to her senses a long time after he left.
She stared at the ceiling quietly for some time before she raised her hand gently and touched the spot between her eyebrows.
It seemed as though his breath and warmth were still lingering there. Her fingers suddenly trembled for a moment before she hurriedly hid under the covers.
…
As Han Zhifan stepped out of the room and shut the door, he had a cold expression on his face.
He stared at the empty hallway and stood there in silence for a moment. Then he strode over to the elevators.
When he reached his own floor, he waited for the driver to hand him his room key and saw the driver off. He took out a cigarette, walked over to the tall windows and watched the night view out the window. He started to smoke.
As the sky grew darker, there were fewer and fewer boats out on the Huangpu River. When the neon lights dimmed one after the other, Han Zhifan seemed to have made some kind of decision. He pulled out his phone from his pocket and made a call. “Lin Sheng, have you arranged what I asked?”
“Mr. Han, it’s all ready.” The man’s voice over the phone stopped for a moment and said, “Are we going to run with the plan?”
“No…” Han Zhifan answered bluntly. About two seconds later, he spoke again. “…bring it up to next month.”
“So soon?” Lin Sheng was a little shocked.
Han Zhifan let out an “Mhm,” lowered his head and took a drag of his cigarette.
The man was silent for a moment then Lin Sheng spoke again with a sluggish voice: “Mr. Han, are you sure? After all, Cheng Weiguo was in the wrong, not his daughter, Cheng Weiwan. What’s more, Cheng Weiwan probably knows nothing about her father, she…”
“Say no more. I’ve decided and I won’t change my mind. She can’t complain; she has only her father, Cheng Weiguo, to blame!” Han Zhifan didn’t wait for Lin Sheng to reply and firmly cut him off.
Chapter 391: Waking Up the Following Day (1)
Lin Sheng shut his mouth and didn’t utter a peep.
Silence fell again.
After some time, Lin Sheng asked, “So Mr. Han, when the plan comes into action, I’ll tell the men to be careful not to hurt you as much as possible…”
“No!” With practically no hesitation, Han Zhifan rejected Lin Sheng’s suggestion. “Cheng Weiguo’s daughter may be naive, but she’s smart. If they don’t act realistically, she won’t believe it! So…”
As Han Zhifan said this, a stern look flashed across his eyes. “… When it’s time for them to hit me, they must hit hard!”
–
Ji Yi was awoken from her deep sleep by an urge to use the bathroom. Having not slept enough, she refused to get up just yet, so she tried to endure it and fall back asleep.
After enduring it for long a time, her bladder started to hurt. Wanting to cling to her dream, she furrowed her brows. Seeing as she couldn’t hold it in any longer, she grudgingly cracked her eyes open a little. She groggily got out of bed and went to the bathroom.
Ji Yi kept her eyes shut thoughout the process of using the toilet and washing her hands.
Still half-asleep, she came out of the bathroom and went back to bed in a hurry.
She found a comfortable position and was about to fall back asleep when she felt something soft and smooth. It was warm and really comfortable.
Itching to go back to sleep, she was too lazy to open her eyes, so she just reached her hand out to feel around. She felt something smooth and hard, like… a man’s chest.
Because she was too sleepy, her reaction time was slow, so she didn’t register the thought that flashed across her mind and what it meant.
After about ten seconds, Ji Yi quickly fell asleep. Suddenly, her eyes shot wide open.
No… what I just felt was… a man’s chest?
A man’s chest?!
As those three words glossed over Ji Yi’s mind, she suddenly felt wide awake. Her vision also became clearer, but although she was no longer as groggy as before, she still felt like her vision was clouded by a fog or something.
Two bathrobes were scattered on the floor in a ball, her underwear was tossed on a nearby round coffee table, and on the floor beside it was a pair of men’s underwear.
The curtains were drawn and the window was half-open. The cold morning air blew in gently but it couldn’t blow away the alluring, affectionate air in the room.
Even though it was four years ago, she remembered that one night stand clearly. She was too familiar with this whole picture and knew what it meant.
At that moment, this picture looked no different from when she woke up in the hotel room four years ago…
So, last night… last night, I re-enacted that night from four years ago?
Because she was still hungover, Ji Yi’s head hurt a little. Her memory was a little sluggish, and she furrowed her brows to no avail as she struggled to remember what happened last night. In the end, she brought her fingers up to rub her aching temples. Then she held her breath and carefully turned around to look behind her.
The first things she saw were a naked man’s chest, his prominent muscles, and his fair skin covered in fingernail marks. Some of them were even bleeding. This whole picture looked incredibly sexy.
But Ji Yi wasn’t in the right mind to admire him at all. She instinctively clutched onto the covers, stared at those bleeding fingernail marks, and fiercely furrowed her brows.
I c-couldn’t h-have made those fingernail marks, right?
Chapter 392: Waking Up the Following Day (2)
Ji Yi raised her arm in annoyance and smacked her own head. That was when her gaze rose towards the man’s exquisite collarbones.
His naturally smooth curves, perfect lips, tall nose bridge, and fine eyebrows… As each and every facial feature fell into Ji Yi’s gaze, her body shivered visibly.
After about ten seconds, her gaze traced his arms and slowly wandered down to his wrist.
Clear as day, there was a red string there which pierced her eyes.
I.. I… Last night, I actually had sex w-with He Jichen again…
As those words registered, one after the other, in Ji Yi’s mind, she withdrew her eyes away from He Jichen.
How did I and He Jichen end up having sex?
Ji Yi racked her brain thinking about it for a long time, but before she could figure it out, her heart started to feel powerless.
How did things end up like this? We’re just friends. After he wakes up and sees this, what’s going to happen? And what about me? How should I react?
The more Ji Yi thought about it, the more it hurt her head. She couldn’t help but raise her hand and massage her throbbing temples again. However, before her fingertips touched her skin, she noticed He Jichen shifting on the bed.
He can’t be waking up, right?
Ji Yi’s heart suddenly stopped and she was so frightened that she didn’t dare to breathe.
About a minute later, seeing as He Jichen didn’t move further, Ji Yi realized that he just repositioned himself; he didn’t actually wake up. She finally let out a sigh of relief. Then, without any hesitation at all, she removed the covers and gently got out of bed. She took her clothes out of her suitcase and ran into the bathroom.
After she quickly freshened up, Ji Yi put on her clothes and fixed up her messy hair in the mirror. Then she opened the bathroom door and poked her head out to check that the man was still sleeping. Seeing that he was, she pulled the door open a little wider then gently walked out, clinging to the wall. She finally reached the door of the bedroom and tried her best to be as silent as possible as she opened the door and quickly slipped out.
Ji Yi shut the door, turned around, and was just about to run out of the hotel room when she saw the unexpected floor full of lipstick.
As though her pressure points had been pressed, she suddenly froze in her tracks.
So many lipst- before the word “lipstick” came to mind, it seemed like she heard the imaginary sound of He Jichen’s voice saying: “Are you happy?”
“Though I’m not clear what I’ve done wrong to upset you, you said before that women love to be given lipstick when they’re mad. If one tube of lipstick can’t resolve the issue, then two. If two can’t resolve the issue, then give her a whole set!”
“In front of you, there are a hundred sets of lipstick.”
Ji Yi’s mouth gaped slightly as she realized that those words were from last night.
He Jichen actually gave her one hundred sets of lipstick. But why did he give them to her?
Ji Yi turned her head and glanced at the closed door to the bedroom then naturally furrowed her brows, carefully trying to recollect the events of the night before.
Yesterday, a woman called Xia Yuan came to see He Jichen. They were in He Jichen’s room. She even went upstairs with him, then came back downstairs. I drank a lot…
Just as Ji Yi had that thought, she heard a cough from within the bedroom behind the closed door.
Chapter 393: Waking Up the Following Day (3)
In complete shock, Ji Yi hastily stopped her train of thought. Wanting to avoid lingering in the room any longer, she hurriedly ran out of the room.
Ji Yi pulled the door open, but before she could leave the room, her footsteps came to a halt. She turned her head and stared at the spectacular and stunning array of lipsticks which covered the floor. As her eyes finished scanning the room, she finally managed to close the hotel room door softly. She jogged up to the elevators and quickly pressed the button. When the elevator doors opened, she rushed right in, heading straight for the first floor.
Because it was still early out, not only was the hotel lobby empty, but there was no one to be found on the entire street.
Ji Yi stood by the side of the road and stared at the cars that passed every so often in a daze. That was when she saw an empty taxi heading her way, so she reached her hand out to hail it.
As she got into the taxi, the driver started up the car and slowly drove out onto the main road. He asked, “Miss, where would you like to go?”
Ji Yi silently watched as the Starlight hotel shrunk in the distance behind them.
Just as the car was going to reach a red light up ahead, the taxi driver repeated: “Miss?”
Ji Yi came to her senses and realized that she hadn’t told the driver where she wanted to go yet. With a soft voice, she said, “Hongqiao Airport.”
Since they were heading out before the morning rush, the traffic was incredibly smooth. It took less than half an hour for her to arrive at the floor for departures at Hongqiao Airport.
After she paid the taxi fare, Ji Yi got out and stepped into the airport.
She decided she was going to skip the Shanghai Film Festival happening the next day. Originally, she was able to go back to Beijing today, but He Jichen asked her to stay in Beijing for two more days and return to Beijing with him after the festival. Seeing as she had nothing to do back in Beijing, she agreed. She ended up pushing her departure back by two days. So after Ji Yi entered the airport, the first thing she did was go to the counter to change her departure back to today.
Luckily for her, there was an empty seat available on the next flight. Ji Yi pulled out her plane ticket. Seeing as there were fifty minutes left until departure, she hurriedly headed over to security.
There were quite a lot of people on the flight, so after going through security, it was just about time to board. Without any time to relax in the first class lounge, she headed straight for the departure gate and boarded the plane.
She found her seat according to the number on her boarding pass. After she took her seat, the flight attendant immediately came over to ask if she needed anything.
Ji Yi shook her head. After she gently declined, she sat back in her chair and shut her eyes.
Not long after, the safety announcement came on.
The flight attendant came over and quietly asked Ji Yi to turn her phone off.
That was when she opened her eyes, pulled out her phone from her bag and turned it off.
Just when she was going to put her phone back into her bag, the plane started to move. As the plane started to speed up and take off, Ji Yi felt like everything that happened until now was surreal. It was like the whole thing was a dream.
Yeah, she really hoped it was all a dream. If it was a dream, then she wouldn’t have so many things on her mind and she wouldn’t feel so helpless…
At that thought, Ji Yi reached her arm out and fiercely pinched her own thigh.
The piercing pain forced her brows to scrunch up; she could no longer avoid the truth.
In the air, the plane stabilized.
Through the window, Ji Yi looked over at the rising sun from the east, lighting up the azure sky. Then her recollection of what happened last night drifted back into her mind.