novelraw Chapter 25: Jealousy and Exclusivity
Chapter 25: Jealousy and Exclusivity
Night falls inside the executive suite of the Chujiang Hotel.
The two girls had just finished showering and were still damp and smelling of fresh bathwater as they slumped onto the spacious, soft sofa in the living room to rest.
Zhao Yanxi was wearing a pure black spaghetti strap nightgown, the hem of which was very short, just past the mid-thigh.
The silky fabric clung to her body, outlining her tall and shapely figure, with two slender straps hanging loosely on her fair shoulders, as if they might slip off at any moment.
One leg was casually bent and rested on the sofa armrest, while the other leg dangled over the edge of the sofa.
Under the soft light, those straight and slender legs gleamed with an ivory-like luster. From the rounded knees to the slender ankles, the lines flowed as smoothly as a meticulously sculpted work of art, and the leg shape was so perfect that there were almost no flaws.
Wenjing was wearing an oversized pure white cotton T-shirt, the hem of which hung down to mid-thigh, and because of her curled-up posture, it was even higher.
She didn't have the model-like long legs of Zhao Yanxi, but the skin on her legs was just as fair and delicate. The difference was that her legs were more fleshy, with plump and soft thighs, soft lines in her calves, and a cute pinkish tinge at the knees. When she put her legs together, you could see the alluring curve of the soft flesh on the inside of her thighs being squeezed out slightly, exuding a kind of charming and non-aggressive sexiness.
Four pale, white thighs lay sprawled on the sofa, their shimmering light captivating the heart with each occasional movement.
As usual, the two chatted casually, sharing anecdotes from high school or complaining about a difficult customer.
But tonight, Zhao Yanxi's gaze kept drifting to the side.
Officer Judy Hopps sat on the carpet with an endearingly clumsy expression, her round, bright eyes seemingly radiating a merciless mockery.
As they chatted, the topic unconsciously shifted back to Ding Heng.
Wenjing rested her chin on the cushion, her voice soft, filled with confusion and curiosity.
"Yan hope... tell me, what's Ding Heng's background? It's been so many days, have you figured it out yet?"
"Well..."
Zhao Yanxi began to ponder.
Based on the information Tang Hainuo blurted out in a fit of rage that day, coupled with his father Zhao Xingguo's professional analysis, Ding Heng was just a boy from an ordinary family.
But... how can he move freely in and out of five-star hotels and provide executive suites for a long time?
This is something that an ordinary high school graduate cannot afford, nor can it be explained simply by "knowing someone".
Unable to figure it out, Zhao Yanxi shook her head, temporarily clearing her mind of the jumbled guesses: "If you want to know, why don't you just ask him?"
Wenjing buried half her face in the cushion, only her watery eyes showing: "I'm scared..."
"What are you afraid of?"
Zhao Yanxi chuckled: "He's not going to eat you."
Wenjing blushed slightly: "I'm afraid... afraid he'll pinch my cheeks..."
During this time, she finally discovered that Ding Heng could always find all sorts of strange reasons to reach out and pinch her cheeks, calling it "punishment" or "reward".
Although she wasn't particularly resistant, she couldn't help but blush and feel her heart race every time, and afterwards she felt a little embarrassed.
Zhao Yanxi chuckled, but as she laughed, her gaze unconsciously drifted to the Judy doll, a hint of sadness flashing in her eyes.
The interactions between Ding Heng and Wen Jing always exude a natural intimacy.
Ding Heng had never given her this kind of intimacy.
He was polite and courteous to her, and even when he joked, he would keep his distance.
Earlier, Zhao Yanxi wouldn't have cared much; at most, she would have felt a little frustrated.
But ever since the Tang Hainuo incident, whenever she saw Ding Heng and Wen Jing interacting, that inexplicable feeling of unease in her heart became more and more obvious.
She couldn't help but compare herself to Wenjing and wonder where she fell short.
A woman's instinct always leads her to look for the reason in the most obvious way: her appearance.
In terms of looks, figure, temperament, and style, Zhao Yanxi is confident that she is second to none.
But compared to Wenjing's incredibly alluring and voluptuous figure... she definitely lacks something.
Once the thought arose, it was like a wildly growing vine, tightly binding Zhao Yanxi's heart.
An unprecedented jealousy, mixed with a competitive spirit of unwillingness, quietly grew.
Zhao Yanxi looked at the unsuspecting Wen Jing beside her, then suddenly let out a strange cry and pounced on her.
"ah!"
Wenjing was startled and before she could react, Zhao Yanxi pinned her to the sofa.
"Let me check! Has it 'developed' again!"
Zhao Yanxi muttered some inappropriate words, tickling Wenjing's ticklish spot with one hand, while the other hand pretended to be casual and gently pressed on Wenjing's soft and plump breasts.
Her subtle jealousy intensified, and her actions carried the ambiguous "bullying" connotation unique to playful banter between girls.
"Yan hope! What are you doing! Stop messing around... It tickles! Haha..."
Wenjing was both ashamed and anxious, her cheeks instantly turning red. She twisted her body, trying to avoid Zhao Yanxi's "claws," while weakly pushing him away.
The oversized T-shirt became even more disheveled as it struggled, with the hem rolled up, revealing more of her fair and delicate thigh skin.
The girls laughed and rolled around in a playful, romantic scene.
……
A chain internet cafe in Changsha.
Just past midnight, it's the time when night owls are at their most energetic.
Today is Xie Baoyang's eighteenth birthday. He insists that going to an internet cafe all night is an important "ritual" for becoming an adult, and he even drags Ding Heng along to accompany him.
The two entered the private room, sat down, and turned on their computers.
Unable to contain his gossip, Xie Baoyang leaned closer to Ding Heng and asked mischievously, "How far have things progressed between you and that junior, Nawa?"
Ding Heng replied dismissively, "It's just like that, what progress can there be?"
"Tch, come on! How did you meet? Tell me the details, share your experience with me!"
"That's how we met..."
"Old man, you're hiding the Burning Technique from teaching it, aren't you!"
Ding Heng was both amused and exasperated, and reached out to ruffle Xie Baoyang's messy, unkempt hair.
"You're actually not bad looking. First, tidy up your hair. Also, be bolder. Don't brag to us that you're two against one, but then cower like a quail when you see a pretty girl."
"Who...who chickened out!"
Xie Baoyang retorted, sticking his neck out.
He had barely finished speaking when there was a gentle knock on the door of the private room, and then it was pushed open.
A female internet cafe manager, dressed in a black and white maid outfit and with sheer black stockings covering her legs, walked into the private room with a sweet smile.
"Good evening, both of you. Here is your tea."
Xie Baoyang was instantly muted. His eyes were fixed on the screen, and he didn't dare to glance at it out of the corner of his eye. He could only squeeze out a buzzing sound like a mosquito from his throat.
"Th-thank you."
Ding Heng was both amused and exasperated, but naturally accepted the teacup: "Miss, please wait a moment."
The network administrator turned around: "Is there anything else, sir?"
Ding Heng pointed to Xie Baoyang beside him: "It's my friend's birthday today, and I'd like to get your contact information as a birthday gift, is that okay?"
The female network administrator chuckled lightly, then readily took out her phone and displayed the QR code.
"Okay, happy birthday, handsome!"
Xie Baoyang froze completely. It wasn't until Ding Heng kicked him under the table that he frantically pulled out his phone and, with trembling hands, scanned the QR code to add the contact.
After the internet cafe manager left, Ding Heng finally couldn't hold back any longer and burst into laughter, slapping the table: "Xie Baoyang, Xie Baoyang, what a disgrace you are!"
Xie Baoyang's face turned as red as a monkey's bottom, and he quickly changed the subject: "Let's play games! I'll help you rank up today!"
"Okay, okay, let's play games."
Ding Heng stopped teasing and started logging into his account.
But as soon as he entered the game lobby, the smile on his face suddenly froze, and he subconsciously covered his abdomen with his left hand, his brows furrowing slightly.
"What's wrong?"
Xie Baoyang noticed Ding Heng's expression and asked him with concern.
"fine……"
Ding Heng shook his head and took a deep breath to ease his discomfort: "Maybe the barbecue we had earlier wasn't very clean, my stomach feels a little uncomfortable."
The system at least gave him a +3 to his constitution, so he should be able to withstand it, right?
The two started queuing to enter the game. Just after they selected their heroes, before the loading screen had even finished, Ding Heng's abdominal cramps suddenly intensified!
The pain came on suddenly and intensely, as if a hand were twisting his stomach hard.
"Well……"
Ding Heng groaned and released the mouse, his face pale and his forehead covered in a fine layer of cold sweat.
"Ding Heng?!"
Xie Baoyang panicked and, forgetting about the game, rushed over.
Ding Heng wanted to shake his head, but the pain made him too weak to even speak. He could only wave his hand weakly to indicate that he was alright.
But the next second, an even stronger spasm struck, and his body went limp, almost sliding off the gaming chair.
"Oh no! I need to go to the hospital!"
Xie Baoyang promptly hung up: "Can you walk? I'll help you out to hail a taxi!"
This time, Ding Heng didn't force himself to continue. He gritted his teeth and nodded, sweat already streaming down his temples.
The physical enhancement provided by the system did not seem to be able to completely resist this sudden acute illness.
Xie Baoyang struggled to help Ding Heng up and slowly moved him out of the private room to the entrance of the internet cafe, where he asked him to sit down on the steps.
"Wait here, I'll call a car!"
He took out his phone and quickly started typing, then remembered something: "Oh right, where's your phone?"
Ding Heng was in so much pain that he was somewhat delirious: "My phone... is on the table..."
"I'll go get it!"
Xie Baoyang rushed back to the private room like a whirlwind and picked up Ding Heng's phone.
The screen on the table was still lit, displaying Ding Heng's QQ interface.
Xie Baoyang hesitated for a moment, then quickly found the account with the note "Zhao Yanxi" in the list, opened the chat box, and typed rapidly.
[Zhao Yanxi, are you in Changsha? Ding Heng suddenly has a very upset stomach. I'm his friend Xie Baoyang, and we're on our way to the emergency room at XX Hospital.]
Click to send.
……
One o'clock in the morning.
Wenjing, lying on her side, hugged her Judy doll and fell into a deep sleep.
Zhao Yanxi, however, was still staring at the ceiling in the master bedroom, her mind a jumble of thoughts.
One moment it's Ding Heng speaking with ease at the Werewolf table.
One moment it's a picture of Wenjing hugging a doll and smiling radiantly.
A moment later, it was the same image of Ding Heng smoking by the flowerbed that day, his profile slightly weary and lonely in the smoke...
I tossed and turned, unable to fall asleep.
Suddenly, the phone screen lit up, accompanied by a slight vibration.
Who sent the message so late?
Zhao Yanxi picked up her phone and opened it, her expression suddenly changing!
[Zhao Yanxi, are you in Changsha? Ding Heng suddenly has a very upset stomach. I'm his friend Xie Baoyang, and we're on our way to the emergency room at XX Hospital.]
Ding Heng went to the hospital?!
Zhao Yanxi's mind went blank, and she was wide awake.
She hurriedly threw off the covers and jumped out of bed, stepping barefoot onto the carpet. She grabbed a thin coat and put it on, then quickly slipped on her shoes, intending to go to the next room to wake Wenjing.
But just a second before her fingertips were about to touch the door panel, Zhao Yanxi suddenly stopped.
In the darkness, she stood outside Wenjing's bedroom, motionless, still in the position of knocking.
A few seconds later, she slowly withdrew her hand.
Ding Heng is probably in the most need of care right now, and if I'm the only one by his side...
The thought flashed through her mind. Zhao Yanxi pursed her lips, turned around, gently opened the door, carefully closed it again, and then quickly walked towards the elevator.
They disappeared silently into the night.