The moment her teeth bit into his neck, Yu Wenli let out a soft 'hiss.'
It wasn't because of the pain.
But rather...
Hearing him cry out, the young girl subconsciously loosened her grip.
As she prepared to pull away, a hand firmly pressed down on the back of her head.
The force was immense, rendering her unable to move.
Just as she was about to get angry and bite him again, he said, "Bite if you want. As long as it makes you feel better, brother will let you bite."
"..."
Hearing him say that, Wen Tingxue no longer felt like biting.
She lowered her eyes to his neck, looking at the row of teeth marks that had drawn blood, and pouted her lips innocently.
She... really didn't mean to.
She didn't even know what was happening to her.
Anyway, when he chased after her and grabbed her wrist, she instinctively stood on the flowerbed, grabbed his collar, and bit down on his neck.
At that moment, she just really, really wanted to bite him.
She was so angry.
And so upset.
She knew her singing wasn't good, but he couldn't have humiliated her like that...
The moment warm tears landed on those teeth marks, Yu Wenli's body visibly stiffened for a moment.
Then, he clasped her waist and pulled her into his embrace without a word.
He had sustained many injuries, big and small, in his life, but none had hurt him as much as that single tear.
The hands gripping her slender waist tensed, preventing her from falling if she struggled.
Then, he lowered his head, resting his forehead against hers, and apologized with sincere sincerity.
"I'm sorry..."
Wen Tingxue had never seen him apologize so seriously before, and she subconsciously stopped struggling.
But she still refused to look at him.
Her long, curled eyelashes drooped, casting a shadow beneath her eyes.
Yu Wenli carried her to a bench a few steps away. The young girl was sulking and didn't want to sit on his lap.
As he was about to stand up and let her down, a pair of hands firmly clasped her waist.
"Don't move."
"..."
The young girl looked up, a little unhappy. Her misty eyes were filled with grievance and a suppressed anger.
Yu Wenli's heart softened. He gently explained, "Even if you're going to be sentenced, shouldn't you hear the defense first?
"Yiyi won't even give brother this chance, will she? No, right?"
No.
She will!
Wen Tingxue retorted in her heart, but outwardly, she acquiesced.
Looking at the young girl's lowered eyelids, Yu Wenli sighed silently.
"Brother admits he was wrong, but can you listen to brother's thoughts first?
"He tentatively reached out to hold her hand.
It was a little cold.
After being avoided three times, he successfully held it on the fourth try.
Yu Wenli curved his lips imperceptibly.
Then he held her small hands with both of his, warming them.
"Yiyi, try to put yourself in my shoes. Brother hasn't hidden anything from you. From childhood to now, brother has told you almost everything.
"Whatever you ask, brother will tell you. But what about you?"
The young man's grip tightened slightly, displeased. The girl's hand, which he was teasing, hurt.
She couldn't help but look up at him. In her watery eyes, besides grievance, there was more guilt.
Yu Wenli released her hand and patiently massaged it.
His lowered brow was handsome and gentle.
"Brother can understand your upbringing, and brother can understand the choices you've made.
"But Yiyi, you can't always solve problems by hiding them.
"Have you ever thought about what you would have done if Jiahe hadn't gone that day?"
Yu Wenli raised his eyelids. His clear eyes were filled with gravity.
She couldn't evade him.
Wen Tingxue recalled the scene that day. If Xing Jiahe hadn't heard the noise and gone over, she probably...
A wave of lingering fear washed over her.
"I..."
Wen Tingxue bit her lip slightly and honestly said, "I didn't mean to hide it from you, but... your relationship with Shang Ziqian... I was afraid..."
"Afraid I would act impulsively?"
The young girl nodded. Yu Wenli sighed, "Does brother seem so unrestrained in your heart?"
"..."
Wen Tingxue raised her eyes, wanting to speak but hesitating.
If you had any restraint, you wouldn't have been on the trending searches and giving self-criticism.
Yu Wenli saw through her thoughts, "Even if I beat him, I would have some restraint and wouldn't make things unmanageable. So..."
The fingertips, with slight calluses, gently brushed her chin, caressing it finely before suddenly lifting.
Wen Tingxue was caught off guard, her gaze colliding with his deep, dark eyes.
"Next time something happens, don't hide it, otherwise, I don't know what I might do."
Having grown accustomed to him referring to himself as 'brother,' the sudden shift to 'I' felt unfamiliar and carried an indescribable sense of pressure.
It made one dare not retort.
Wen Tingxue blinked, feeling a little unaccustomed, and then nodded gently.
"Okay..."
Her voice was extremely docile.
Yu Wenli's expression softened slightly, and his voice also became gentler.
"Brother isn't forcing you, but you have to give brother some security, right?
"If brother knows nothing, how can he protect you?
"Yiyi, brother has said that brother isn't a mind reader and can't always guess your thoughts.
"And brother can't always tell when something is wrong. People can be lucky once, but not always.
"You don't want to have regrets for a lifetime, and neither does brother. So, from now on, if something happens, tell brother, okay?"
His voice, laced with obvious helplessness, softened Wen Tingxue's heart. She nodded, "Okay, I won't hide anything from you anymore, but..."
The young girl looked up, making a solemn promise.
"But you also have to promise not to act impulsively."
"Okay."
"Pinky promise."
The young girl extended her pinky finger, her fingertip slightly flushed.
Yu Wenli chuckled, "You're so childish."
But he still reached out and linked his pinky with hers.
As for the ringing incident, Yu Wenli had indeed acted intentionally.
The only unexpected part was him revealing his secret.
As a result, he woke up the next day and completely forgot his appointment with Que You.
Otherwise, according to his plan, they would have already returned at that time.
So when the sound came out, he was also stunned.
"How about, you bite me a couple more times to vent your anger?"
Yu Wenli, afraid she would continue to be unhappy, simply offered her the other side of his neck.
Wen Tingxue: "..."
Did she look like a vampire?
So fond of biting people?
-
When the two returned to the house, Chi Zerui's phone call hadn't hung up. He seemed to be waiting for them to return.
However, as his gaze landed on the bite marks on Yu Wenli's neck, he suddenly felt unsure of the meaning of his persistence.
He quickly found an excuse and hung up.
The others naturally noticed the teeth marks on Yu Wenli's neck, and their eyes on Wen Tingxue changed slightly.
A bit of... admiration?
"...I bit him by accident."
The young girl explained with some embarrassment.
Aunt Qin gave a meaningful 'ah,' "It's okay, we all understand~"
Song Jiamiao gave a thumbs up, clearly impressed.
"Little sister-in-law is amazing!"
She even dared to bite Brother Yu!
"..."
Wen Tingxue was internally collapsing.
Ah!
She had clearly intended to get back at Yu Wenli, but why was she the one feeling embarrassed in the end!
This wasn't fair.
-
After leaving the Song family with bottles and jars, Wen Tingxue called Xu Kexin to ask when she would pack her luggage.
Xu Kexin said, "I'm on my way back."
Wen Tingxue was worried about Xu Ziliang being difficult.
"Brother Yu and I will help you pack. Can you give me the address?"
Xu Kexin hesitated for a moment and then gave the address.
As they neared the location, Yu Wenli saw Xing Jiahe sitting by the lake, lost in thought, and called him over.