Chapter 49: The Feeling of Love (Seventh Update)

Yang Fan felt that Zhao Jing was remarkably brave—even he could sense the eerie atmosphere here.

“How about you change to another apartment?” he suggested.

He had brought it up before, but Zhao Jing had never agreed.

“What’s wrong? I actually quite like living here.”

“I’m just worried it’s not safe for you. Hardly anyone lives in this building.”

“It’s fine,” Zhao Jing replied with a smile.

In Yang Fan’s opinion, even the place where Wang Peng lived in the northern district was better than this.

They entered the building and unlocked the door. It was an old apartment that had been freshly painted, but in the whole place, Zhao Jing was the only resident.

A small unit: one bedroom, one living room, a kitchen, and a bathroom. Yang Fan truly felt sorry for her.

Zhao Jing set down her bag. “Take a seat, I’ll go make dinner.”

“I’ll help you!” Yang Fan offered. Honestly, it was his first time volunteering to help with cooking; even when he was with Ai Xiaomei, he’d never done much—about the most he’d managed was boiling instant noodles.

Zhao Jing was skilled in the kitchen, but the more Yang Fan tried to help, the more he got in the way, and eventually she chased him out.

Through the eyes of SkyNet, he looked over the building—indeed, it was utterly deserted.

And as he expected, Zhao Jing would not heed his advice to move out.

He sighed, then whispered softly, “Rent: Light Shield, Phantom Puppet, Drunken Mist Lock.”

He used the Light Shield for protection, the Phantom Puppet for attack, and the Drunken Mist Lock as a second layer of defense.

With a flick of his hand, these three items spread from his palm, sealing off the entire building.

“Rent: Silkworm Garment Stealth Talisman,” he added.

Yang Fan tossed the talisman toward Zhao Jing; it entered her body. Each of these items lasted for ten days—after that, he would renew the rental.

Naturally, the rental fees still came from Wang Huai’s card. Aside from what he’d already used, there was still some left in the rental warehouse, kept for contingencies such as this.

Having finished, he felt satisfied. Of course, he didn’t notice Zhao Jing shaking her head with a gentle smile.

Yet her hands never paused—she continued cooking.

Soon, dinner was ready, and every dish was meat.

Yang Fan had already tasted Zhao Jing’s cooking before—it was quite good.

“I’ll be heading back home tomorrow—for five days,” Zhao Jing said.

“All right. I’ll wait for you to come back. Here, have some meat to keep up your strength.” She placed a piece of meat on his plate.

“I…”

Yang Fan was startled. Did Zhao Jing know something?

“What is it?” Zhao Jing asked, eating her vegetables.

Yang Fan quickly shook his head. “Nothing, nothing at all!”

“Then eat up,” she said.

Yang Fan nodded silently, then wondered if there was something on his neck, or somewhere else on him.

His eyes darted around. Suddenly, Zhao Jing laughed.

“Stop looking—you don’t have anything on you. What are you feeling guilty about?”

“I’m not guilty, really.”

Zhao Jing smiled and shook her head, then added another generous helping to his plate.

They soon finished eating, but Yang Fan still felt uneasy. He excused himself to use the bathroom, only to find laundry hanging inside.

“Yang Fan, could you help me take in the clothes?” Zhao Jing called from the kitchen as she washed the dishes.

Yang Fan replied and gathered all the items—from outerwear to underwear. They were white.

He brought them into the bedroom and folded them—taking care, since he’d never folded his own clothes before.

“Where should I put these?” he called.

“Outerwear on the top shelf, underwear and such on the bottom,” Zhao Jing replied.

Yang Fan opened the wardrobe, taking in everything inside. The sight stirred a sudden urge within him.

“Are you done?” Zhao Jing called.

“Yes!” Yang Fan quickly shut the wardrobe.

When he left Zhao Jing’s bedroom, she was flicking water from her hands.

“Come help me take off my jacket.”

Yang Fan nodded mechanically and walked over, meeting the smile on her face.

Now, the distance between them was truly intimate—the closeness of lovers.

Yang Fan helped Zhao Jing remove her jacket, then pulled her into an embrace.

Zhao Jing didn’t move, letting him hold her.

Yet Yang Fan simply held her like that. In that moment, a sudden fear struck him.

Everything about Zhao Jing was shrouded in mist. Would they have an ending?

“What’s wrong?” she asked.

“Nothing,” Yang Fan replied.

“Then why are you shaking?” Zhao Jing pressed.

“No reason. Let’s just stay like this.”

Zhao Jing smiled softly.

“Wait a moment, let me wash my hands first, all right?”

Yang Fan finally let go and returned to the sofa.

When Zhao Jing came out from washing her hands and saw Yang Fan in low spirits, she laughed and walked over.

“Come, tell me—what’s making you sad?”

“We have a long road ahead of us. Don’t be sad.”

Yang Fan looked up, meeting her smiling gaze.

“Come on, let’s lie down for a while,” Zhao Jing said, pulling him by the hand, and he followed.

In the bedroom, Zhao Jing was the one to embrace Yang Fan.

Yang Fan shook his head, not wanting to dwell on sad things.

“Feeling better?” she asked.

“Much better.”

“Good. Let’s lie down, but no wandering hands yet—it’s not the first of the month. Besides, you still carry Xia Yufei’s scent.”

Yang Fan froze in shock.

Zhao Jing laughed again. “Did that scare you?”

“No, let me explain—”

“You don’t need to explain. Only when you’re strong can you protect us. Only then can you enjoy privileges others can’t.”

Yang Fan was stunned. Zhao Jing continued, “If one day you can’t protect us, perhaps we’ll become someone else’s playthings.”

A nameless resentment rose in Yang Fan’s heart, but it transformed into an even stronger resolve.

“I must become stronger.”

“I have to be strong!”

“And your secretary—treat her well. She’s the second one.”

“She told me it wasn’t her.”

“It is her—I saw it clearly,” Zhao Jing said.

Finally, Yang Fan lay down with Zhao Jing. Holding her in his arms, he felt truly warm.

“Then why isn’t it you?” Yang Fan asked.

“I’ve realized you’re quite silly. Lin Xi is already yours, I’m yours too. As for Lin Ruo, she’s still struggling over whether to take her sister’s boyfriend. So, letting Xia Yufei and Wu Qian be with you, it means their hearts are already yours. Isn’t it nice to have more girls by your side?”

Yang Fan felt overwhelmed. If Ai Xiaomei had said such things, he wouldn’t have been surprised, but hearing them from Zhao Jing left him at a loss.

What kind of girl encourages her boyfriend to be with others? Yet Zhao Jing was the one giving him such a powerful motive.

And that was his answer—he would not give up on anyone.

“I’ll protect you well. I won’t let you leave!”

“Silly, I won’t leave. But if one day I do, I hope you’ll be happy, because you made my heart race. I know now—that’s what love feels like.”