Living Only For Myself: Make Those Who Hate Me Regret It-Chapter 169: "Born in the Year of the Dog? Biting So Hard.
The vibration of her phone rang out. Xu Su wiped the tears from her face. Using the moonlight pouring in from the window, she made out her surroundings and, in a daze, realized she was back again—back in the year she was eighteen.
... ’I’m back again. But what about Zhou Mochen?’
’What about the thirty-five-year-old Zhou Mochen...?’
’Is this a dream?’
Xu Su shook her head hard. The images were too clear. She was certain her soul had truly returned to her past life, where she’d witnessed the events that took place after she was gone.
The lingering ache in her chest hadn’t faded, as if it were trying to remind her of something...
The phone on her pillow vibrated, paused for a moment, then started buzzing again.
Xu Su’s reaction was sluggish for a few seconds, but then a thought struck her and she quickly grabbed the phone.
Sure enough, it was Zhou Mochen.
She pressed the answer button, held the phone to her ear, and heard a familiar male voice.
"Xu Su, I’m at your gate. Come out."
The man’s deep voice carried a hint of a command. It was a tone she usually detested, but right now, Xu Su couldn’t be bothered with that.
She flew out of bed and went to the window. In the moonlight, she saw the familiar car on the road and the tall, slender figure standing beside it.
Without a moment’s hesitation, Xu Su hung up the phone without a word and hurried out the door.
She jogged all the way to the car, wrapped her arms around the man’s waist, and buried her face in his chest. Only then did the oppressive ache in her heart finally begin to ease.
Before Zhou Mochen could even speak, the girl threw herself into his arms. He froze on the spot.
The girl had hung up on him that morning and ignored him all day. The anger he’d been stewing in vanished in an instant.
On the way over, he had been thinking he was spoiling her too much. He’d decided he should punish her harshly—punish her so she would never dare to give him the cold shoulder or lead him on again.
But one hug was all it took for all his fight to drain away, leaving him ready to raise his hands in surrender.
Zhou Mochen held the girl’s waist, embracing her for a moment. Then, a thought occurred to him. He let go, turned, and pulled open the car door. "Get in first."
"Let me hug you a little longer." Xu Su didn’t let go. She kept her arms around Zhou Mochen’s waist, her face still buried in his chest, her senses filled with the scent of pinewood that clung to him.
It was a scent she used to hate with a passion, but right now, it was nothing but reassuring.
Although he didn’t know why the girl was suddenly so clingy, Zhou Mochen couldn’t stop a soft chuckle from escaping.
He leaned down and kissed the top of Xu Su’s head, coaxing her, "Be good. You can hug me again in the car. There are mosquitoes out here; you’ll get bitten."
Xu Su had rushed out without changing into long pants. His reminder made her slowly release her grip and get into the car.
After Zhou Mochen got in, he first checked Xu Su’s legs. He breathed a sigh of relief when he saw no alarming red welts.
He took Xu Su’s hand in one of his while starting the car with the other. "I haven’t had dinner," he said. "Want to go grab a bite with me in Kang County?"
"Okay."
’It’s almost midnight. The restaurants in the nearby towns would have closed long ago. If we want to eat, the night market in Kang County is probably the only place still open,’ Xu Su thought, staring at him without blinking, lost in a daze.
"What’s wrong? Why are you staring at me like that? Susu, you’re acting very strange today."
First, she’d hugged him proactively and refused to let go. Now, she was staring at him without blinking, and she was being unusually agreeable.
’There’s always a reason for strange behavior.’ Although Zhou Mochen didn’t want to admit it, he knew this girl’s attitude toward him was completely off.
A screech of brakes broke the silence. Outside, it was pitch black, but the dome light inside the car switched on, casting a warm, bright yellow glow.
The next second, Zhou Mochen leaned over and cupped her face. A single glance was all it took for the smile on his lips to vanish. "You were crying? Who upset you again?" 𝘧𝓇𝑒𝑒𝑤ℯ𝑏𝓃𝘰𝑣ℯ𝘭.𝘤ℴ𝘮
Xu Su didn’t speak. She just looked at him—at this man who was still full of vigor, not yet cloaked in an aura of utter despair.
"Say something. You have a pretty sharp tongue when you’re mad at me, don’t you? How come you always end up crying your eyes out whenever someone else bullies you?"
Xu Su remained silent.
Her pathetic state made Zhou Mochen let out a cold laugh. "Fine. And here you were thinking your grandmother’s place was so great, rushing over here the second you had a break. But on your very first day back, you’re hiding and crying in the middle of the night. Xu Su, if you’re trying to piss me off..."
He trailed off, the rest of his words dying on his lips, unable to be spoken.
They were too close. Xu Su only had to lift her head slightly to press her lips against his in a fleeting kiss.
Before he could react, she wrapped her arms around his neck and held him tight, wanting to do all the things she’d longed to do but couldn’t when she was just a soul.
’I always wanted to hug him... to tell him not to cry, not to be so lifeless...’
Xu Su nuzzled her face against his neck. Finding the position a bit uncomfortable for her arms, she pushed herself up, scrambled into the driver’s side, and straddled Zhou Mochen’s lap.
She kept her hands wrapped around his neck and buried her face in the crook of it.
She didn’t say a single word the entire time.
This series of actions shocked Zhou Mochen to his core.
It took him a long while to process what had happened. He placed one hand on the girl’s waist and slowly began to stroke her long hair with the other.
He let her hold him like that for a long time. When he felt her emotions settle, he whispered coaxingly, "Susu, be good. What happened? Tell me and I’ll fix it for you. Don’t panic and don’t be afraid."
His voice was so gentle and so close. Xu Su froze. She lifted her head, finally realizing what she had just done...
’I was too influenced by my time as Apiao. I actually kissed and hugged Zhou Mochen...’
Xu Su scrambled to get up and return to her own seat. The car was small and their position was far too intimate. After a bit of awkward fumbling and brushing against each other, she finally found a foothold, using his shoulder for support as she tried to climb over to the passenger side.
The next second, Zhou Mochen grabbed her waist in a death grip, pulling her back down onto his lap.
Xu Su looked up and glared at him, only to see the corners of his eyes were flushed red, steeped in desire. He looked at her as if he were grinding his teeth.
"You really think I’m some kind of saint! You can’t just bully me like this." Zhou Mochen grabbed her hand. "How about you come back to Chang City with me? Xu Su, don’t torture me like this."
Her wrist was clasped so tightly she couldn’t move.
’Back to Chang City...’
"Zhou Mochen!" Xu Su’s face was beet red with shame.
Her shout was loud enough to bring Zhou Mochen back to his senses a little. He loosened his grip, and Xu Su seized the opportunity to pull her hand back.
The next second, he captured her hand again, lacing their fingers together. Zhou Mochen held Xu Su’s waist and pressed his entire body against hers. He murmured his complaint in a low voice, "Susu, when are you going to help me finally put an end to my boyhood?"
Xu Su blinked twice, struggling to process his words...
Her face went numb, her expression blank...
’Life is getting more and more surreal...’
Suspecting she was still in a dream, Xu Su bit the neck of the man in front of her, sinking her teeth in hard enough to make him grunt in pain.
His hand came up to gently cup the back of her neck. Zhou Mochen chuckled. "Are you a puppy? Biting people like that."
"...This isn’t a dream?" Xu Su retracted her teeth, trembling, her face a mask of disbelief. "Zhou Mochen, you’re so shameless."
’What ’boyhood’... What did he mean, ’help him put an end to his boyhood’...’
