Forget it; I don’t care. Xiao Su pursed his lips, saying nothing.
“Hey, you haven’t answered my question. Were you deliberately trying to change the subject just now?”
“No.” I just happened to think about it; that’s all. If you want to talk, then talk. Why do you have to lean in so close?
Then, Jiang Xiaobai narrowed her eyes as she stared at him. “Are you feeling guilty about something?”
As she spoke, she leaned in close again, as if trying to figure out something from his expression or his eyes. With that, the distance between the two of them narrowed again. His heartbeat started beating wildly again, Then, he scowled and pressed his palm against her face, pushing her away. “Talk properly. Don’t come so close to me.”
Before she could react, her face was pushed back. The heat from the man’s palm was transmitted directly onto her face. By the time she struggled against him, he had already withdrawn his hand, and she had been pushed backward.
F*ck! Jiang Xiaobai snapped at him defiantly, “If you want to talk, then talk. Why do you have to be so rough?” Xiao Su did not reply to her question. As she studied him intently, she recalled that his gaze had shifted away just before he pushed her away. Then, she curved her lips upward as she sized him up. “Why did you push me away? Don’t tell me you’re scared of me coming close to you?”
Hearing those words, he coolly looked at her.
“I’m right, aren’t I? If you weren’t afraid of me coming close, then why were you in such a hurry to push me away?” As if trying to prove her words, she slowly leaned her body forward again and closed the distance between them. Although she had been pushed away, they were still quite near to each other. So, the moment she leaned forward, the distance between was drastically reduced again.
He looked at her eyes, which carried a hint of amusement and cunning in them, then felt his chest starting to tighten again. Pursing his lips, he stared at her calmly. Jiang Xiaobai was beautiful; she was the type of beauty that was gorgeous even without any makeup on. There was barely any need for her to put on makeup. Thus, if she were to become serious about dolling herself up, she would take the stage immediately. She can definitely charm a man.
While he was deep in his thoughts, she had already leaned in close until she was right in front of him. Then, she blinked and suddenly blew out a breath at him. His eyes twitched in response. “What are you doing?”
Then, she smiled brightly. “I’m not doing anything. I just wanted to test your reaction. It seems to me that you are afraid of me coming close. Is it because the moment I approach you, you feel nervous and short of breath—like you can’t breathe?”
For some reason, under her urging, he reacted just as she said. The closer she got to him, the faster his breathing became. In the end, it almost felt as if he couldn’t breathe. For an instant, she saw the confusion in his eyes. Thinking she saw it wrongly, she wanted to get a better look. By then, his black eyes had regained their composure. Following that, her lower jaw was locked in his grip. Moreover, a lot of strength was placed in the grip.
“Jiang Xiaobai, just what are you doing?” Xiao Su glared at her coldly. His frigid voice stunned Jiang Xiaobai. However, before she could react to it, she heard him continue, “Although we are living together, please know your place. We are merely pretending to be in a relationship. So, don’t come so close to me for no reason. Did you get that in your head?”
At that moment, she felt as if a string in her mind had snapped. Then, her mind went blank. She did not know whether her face had turned pale, but her ears were ringing with a roaring sound and she couldn’t hear anything else. After he finished talking, he noticed that his grip around her lower jaw seemed wrong somehow. Panicking, he let go of her and stood up.
Just then, she came back to her senses. Without even thinking about it, she grabbed a pillow beside her and hurled it at his back with all her strength. “Xiao Su!”
He did not try to dodge it, so the pillow hit him squarely in the back. Even so, he stood there motionless.
“What the hell did you mean by what you just said? What do you mean ‘don’t come so close to you for no reason’? Do you think I’m trying to seduce you? Let me tell you clearly—you are flattering yourself! What do you mean by ‘know my place’? How could you talk like that? Who do you think you are? Just because I said two words to you, you think you’re some hotshot now? How dare you speak to me like that! Why didn’t you talk like that in front of your mother today?”
He remained silent. His mind was slightly clearer now; he regretted his words the moment he said them. However, at that moment, she was in such proximity, and the words she said seemed to resonate with the thoughts in his mind. Thus, he had lost his temper and said those words to her.
“The reason you don’t dare to speak is that you are afraid of troublesome matters. Since you are afraid of these troublesome matters, then we are cooperating to provide each other with what we need. I only teased you slightly, yet you got all nervous on your own. Is there a problem if I tease you? Do you need to lash out so hurtfully?” She was truly angry. In the beginning, she was only fooling around with him. Who knew he would take it so seriously and say such hurtful things?
“I’m sorry.” He turned around and locked his gaze on her. “I spoke without thinking just now. For that, I apologize to you.”
Jiang Xiaobai was stunned. Did he just apologize? Still, his words had been too hurtful. Thus, she bit her lower lip and angrily said, “Do you think apologizing would change anything? Words that are spoken can never be taken back! You’ve gone too far!”
Xiao Su watched her wordlessly. She was still sitting on the sofa. Perhaps, due to her anger, her eyes were slightly red. Thinking back on the words he said, he admitted that he had taken it too far. Thus, he let out a helpless sigh and walked toward her, resigning to his fate. “What do you want? Do you want to hit me?”
“Hit you? You must be dreaming.” She snorted. Even so, the wheels in her brain were turning quickly. Originally, she wanted to discuss the matter regarding Uncle Yanming’s request with him. However, her plans had been derailed. Still, nothing had gone wrong—things were still heading in the direction she was hoping for. “If you promise me one thing, then I won’t be angry anymore.” She wasn’t the type to be indirect with her words. Although she had been very angry at the words he said, there was something more important to do right now. Thus, she soon focused on the important matter instead.
He was stunned for a moment. It was unexpected of her to begin negotiating with him amid her anger. Soon, he snapped back to his senses. “What do you want me to promise?”
“You have to promise me first!” She refused to reveal it to him directly.
Xiao Su retorted, “If you don’t tell me about it, how will I know if I can agree to your demands?”
Jiang Xiaobai roared angrily in return, “Are you even sincere in your apology? After saying so many hurtful things to my face, all I asked in return is for you to promise one thing! Even so, you’re trying to make excuses and deflect my request! Do you think I’m going to ask you for something like murder or arson?!”
Mulling over it, Xiao Su realized that he was fine with anything as long as it wasn’t something that went against his morals. Thus, he curled his lips in annoyance. “Fine, I promise. Are you happy now?”
