Laughing so flirtatiously, who's she trying to hook up with?

Regardless of who she hooks up with, she would gain an advantage. After all, if she wasn't adopted by the Zhou Family, how could someone with a background like hers attend such an occasion?

Hmph, so what if she wants to hook up? No one would care!

You're talking about Zhou Yilin? How can I fall in love with someone like her? I'm just toying with her for her looks, she's just an adoptee of the Zhou Family.

Zhou Yilin turned on the tap and splashed water on her face with both hands to wake herself up from the memories.

Face drenched in water, she looked up and stared at her reflection., She was expressionless but slowly looking stronger.

“No one can beat me down.”

She picked up her phone and selected a number from the blacklist. She dialled the number, not giving a care on the current time.

When the call connected, Zhou Yilin spoke calmly, “You just want to meet Zhong Lin, right? Go to New Square tomorrow at noon.”

Without waiting for an answer, she hung up the call.

“Let's see how much longer you'll keep playing.” She looked at the black screen and smirked.

The following day, she applied a layer of sunscreen, wore a white maxi dress and had her hair up in a ponytail. Just as she was ready to head out, she spotted the wilting flowers in a gla.s.s vase on the living room table. She took it and was heading towards the yard to give it some sunlight when she accidentally stumbled over a low stool. The vase slipped out of her hands and shattered.

Her first reaction was to pick up the aquatic plants from the shattered vase. She tiptoed carefully around the area to pick the plants up but did not pay attention while she was retreating and ended up stepping on a piece of gla.s.s shard. Since she was wearing a pair of soft-soled shoes and had stepped back without any restraint, the shard had pierced through the sole and into her foot, causing her to bleed in an instant.

She hopped back to her house and searched through the first aid kit. She endured the pain and pulled out the gla.s.s shard. After disinfecting the wound, she applied some medication on it before putting on a band-aid to stop the bleeding and wrapped gauze around her foot.

Now, walking was another problem for her.

It was too unsightly to see herself limping, so Zhou Yilin had no other choice but to bring out the wheelchair she used the last time.

Ouyang Yi stood under the burning sun and walked around the water fountain at the New Square. He scanned around the area, trying to be the one to spot Zhou Yilin first. But it was already past noon and there was still no sight of her. Thinking that Zhou Yilin could be playing a prank on him, his face turned dark and whipped out his phone to make a call.

He heard a ringtone coming from behind and spun around to see the person whom he had been missing dearly despite only spending a week together. She was seated in a wheelchair coming towards him.

“Linlin!” Ouyang Yu smiled and went up to greet her.

“Sorry to keep you waiting.”

“It's fine now that you're here,” Ouyang Yi muttered. His gaze fell onto her face, and he was stunned. “Why do you look so pale? Are you feeling unwell?”

Zhou Yilin scanned the anxious look on his face, and lightly shook her head. “It's nothing, my foot hurts a little.”

Ouyang Yi crouched down anxiously and reached out wanting to touch her foot, but stopped when he saw her avoid his hand. He then realized that what he did was too abrupt, and instead placed his hand on the wheelchair.

“Shall I bring you to the hospital for a check?” he asked, concerned.

“It's alright, I'm hungry. Let's have lunch.” Zhou Yilin put on a gentle expression and focused her attention on becoming Zhong Lin.

They ate, went to an art exhibition, took a stroll, and ended with another meal.

They were like all normal couples, but there was a slight difference. She was on the wheelchair, and he was pus.h.i.+ng it.

All the pa.s.sers-by gave them pitiful looks, thinking it was a waste that the handsome young man had gotten together with a wheelchair-bound girl.

“I've got to go,” Zhou Yilin said.

Though Ouyang Yi longed to spend more time together, he understood that he should not be hasty.

In the car, Ouyang Yi asked, “You're using Zhou Yilin's mobile phone?”

“Yeah.”

“Give me your personal number.” As Ouyang Yi was driving, he did not see the playful expression that was flas.h.i.+ng across Zhou Yilin's face. As he did not get a response from her, he turned around to face her while the lights were red. Zhong Lin appeared to be in deep thoughts with her head hung low.

“You don't want to?” he asked, slightly disappointed.

Zhou Yilin did not raise her head. “I can't.”

“Is Zhou Yilin stopping you from contacting me personally?” Ouyang Yi pushed the blame onto Zhou Yilin in an instant.

A smile flitted across Zhou Yilin's eyes. Since the show had started, she must see to the end of it.

“She is the closest person to me in this world.” It was not a lie, Zhou Yilin and Zhong Lin were the same person, just that one was the stronger version of her, armour in disguise, whereas the other was the carefree version of her.

As per Ouyang Yi's knowledge, Zhou Yilin and Zhong Lin were twin sisters. That alone proved their closeness, thus he never disagreed with her words. He just felt uncomfortable as if they were separated by a huge third wheel.

As they arrived at Rapha.n.u.s Courtyard, Ouyang Yi suddenly grabbed Zhou Yilin's hands and gazed deeply into her eyes. “It doesn't matter if Zhou Yilin doubts my feelings for you. She never witnessed how our times were spent together, but you should be able to feel my emotions. I'm serious. I love every minute and second that we have spent together. I want us to continue on in a romantic relations.h.i.+p.”

“But we have only known each other for a week…”

“Feelings aren't time-restricted. Linlin, do you want to see how you feel towards me?”

Zhou Yilin blinked, looking at Ouyang Yi suspiciously.

Ouyang Yi leaned forward, raised his other hand and clasped the back of her head. Then, he lightly kissed her on the lips. “Are you turned off by this?”

Surprised and fl.u.s.tered, Zhou Yilin's eyes widened, but she didn't reject him.

She could hear the sound of her heart beating.

Ouyang Yi smiled. Without another word, he leaned in once more. This time, they kissed for a longer time…

It was late at night, Zhou Yilin laid in her bed but was tossing and turning. The moment she closed her eyes, all she saw was Ouyang Yi kissing her.

It was her first time going through something like this, and she was now at a loss.

“No, you can't be moved. Did you forget what happened in the past? All those people who you thought were sincere turned out to be fake!” she muttered to herself while staring at the ceiling.

Early next morning, she heard a knock on the door. When she opened the door, a bouquet of roses appeared in front of her.

She looked up to see Ouyang Yi's handsome and smiley face behind it.

She smiled lightly and reached out to receive the flowers. Just as she was ready to turn around and hop back into the house, she was suddenly lifted up. She drew in a sharp breath and hurriedly hooked her arms over his neck.

“Have you had breakfast yet?” She looked at his chin and asked.

Ouyang Yi laughed at her, “I rushed here, so I haven't eaten. What about you?”

“Me neither, do you want some instant noodles?”

“Sure.”

“You haven't tried instant noodles before, right?” She let him put her down when they were inside the house and left the bouquet on the counter. Then she hopped to the kitchen while leaning against the wall.

Ouyang Yi followed behind her, guarding her against falling, and replied, “ I've had it before.”

Zhou Yilin turned around in surprise. Who would've thought that a young master like him would've tried instant noodles?

“Ever since I was a child, I've been living with my mother abroad. At the beginning, we didn't have a housekeeper. So, she would buy a bunch of snacks and convenient foods to prevent me from starving to death. She eventually became sick of those, and finally hired a housekeeper.” Ouyang Yi shared the story in a light tone as if it was a joke.

Zhou Yilin paused while opening the refrigerator. She recalled Ouyang Yi's parents had divorced when he was only seven or eight. His mother then brought him to live abroad, and it was only recently that his father wanted him back to carry on the business.

“Have you tried cooked instant noodles then?” Zhou Yilin did not probe further into his past.

“Cooked? Like those noodles in soup?” Ouyang Yi was quite curious.

“Yes, but it tastes different. You'll know when you try it.” Zhou Yilin smiled at Ouyang Yi as she turned on the stove to boil the water, and prepared two eggs, some ham sausages and two packets of instant noodles.

Ouyang Yi stood beside her to observe how she used those ingredients to cook two bowls of instant noodles.

The cooked noodles were different from the usual; it had a clearer texture, and it was more delicious. Along with the poached eggs and sliced ham sausages, it was simple but delicious.

They sat on the table and had their meal, slowly enjoying the simple breakfast, which emitted a heartwarming homey feeling.

“Where shall we go today?” After getting into Ouyang Yi's car, Zhou Yilin turned her head towards him.

Ouyang Yi reached over to help her put on the safety belt. They were physically so close that they could even feel each other's breaths. The atmosphere suddenly turned quite wonderful.

Ouyang Yi could sense Zhou Yilin's nervousness and he reached over to squeeze her cheeks, his fingers grazing over the shadows on her face. “Did you not sleep well last night? Take a nap, I'll wake you up when we've arrived.”

Zhou Yilin felt relieved as he returned to his seat. She looked at him before lying in her seat and closing her eyes.

Ouyang Yi kindly helped her adjust her seat so that she could rest more comfortably.

When Zhou Yilin woke up, she saw the beach and the sea.

“I have a vacation house by the seaside. Let's stay here a few days, so no one would be able to disturb us.” Ouyang Yi stood by the car door.

However, Zhou Yilin had some hesitations. She looked down at her injured foot and frowned slightly. “But it's inconvenient for me to go into the water.”

“It's alright. We won't go into the water. Let's just enjoy the wind, or take the yacht out for a ride.”

Zhou Yilin felt relieved, and smiled at him, tight-lipped.

They watched the sunrise, enjoyed the sea breeze, sun-bathed, and drove the yacht out for a spin.

At night, they laid on the sofa watching television shows, laughed, and made fun of each other.

Three carefree days went by, and a call came in on the fourth day.

Zhou Yilin received a call from Zhou Hua, saying that there was a business dinner that she had to attend.