Chapter One Hundred: Entanglement

At some later point, someone inside the room struck her so hard that she was sent flying. From the familiar feel of the blow, Jian An'an thought there was a very good chance it had been Song Wanning.

So this was how she had ended up developing muscle memory from being hit by Song Wanning.

On the other side, Wen Jingxing really did catch Song Wanning in his arms, holding her tightly against him. His mind was muddled, and he murmured, "Why are you so cold? Did you forget to wear shoes again..."

Song Wanning’s body stiffened slightly. Gripping the man’s strong arm, she asked, "What exactly is wrong with you?"

Given that Wen Jingxing really did seem rather seriously ill, she decided not to hold it against a sick man. After all, it was only a hug; it wasn’t as if she would lose a piece of flesh.

But no matter how hard she tried, she could not push the man away. Instead, Wen Jingxing slowly backed her into the doorway, step by step.

Although Wen Jingxing’s vision had already blurred, in his mind he still pictured Song Wanning’s face. A wild thought surged through him: he wanted to pin the person before him down and kiss her fiercely.

But reason warned him otherwise.

Song Wanning did not like him enough yet, nor did she know him well enough. If he acted like this, he would only frighten her away.

Their relationship had only just begun to improve recently. Wen Jingxing did not want to ruin this hard-won balance.

"Wanning, Wanning... I’m so hot..."

Wen Jingxing lifted his head and looked at her with dazed eyes, calling her name again and again.

Song Wanning frowned, worry filling her eyes. "You must have a fever. Go back and lie down. I’ll tell the director and have her bring you some medicine."

She did not think too much of it. She simply guided Wen Jingxing onto the bed and figured that when someone was sick, they should be covered with more blankets. She even intended to give him her own.

Only heaven knew that Wen Jingxing’s whole body was burning hot, as though it might explode, caught in a violent struggle between madness and restraint.

Just now, in order to help Wen Jingxing onto the bed, Song Wanning had ended up practically half inside it herself, bracing herself with both hands on either side of his shoulders to support her upper body.

She was about to pull her hands back when Wen Jingxing suddenly caught one of them. "Where are you going?"

"I’m getting medicine for you."

"No... need."

"You’re this sick and you still don’t want it? You’re a grown man, so be good!"

Song Wanning tried to shake off his hand, but Wen Jingxing only tightened his grip little by little. Using his other hand to brace himself on the bed, he sat up slightly and said, "I have a good method. You don’t need medicine. Covering me up like this will only make it worse."

The distance between them was very small. As Wen Jingxing spoke, the scorching breath from his lips brushed across Song Wanning’s face.

Yet Song Wanning met those large, clear eyes of his and asked in curious earnestness, "What good method?"

Wen Jingxing stared at her immaculate cheeks. In the end, reason still prevailed. His body gradually adjusted to the strange sensation, and he forcibly suppressed the urge to tear the person before him apart and swallow her whole.

Forcing his tone to calm, he said, "It’s fine now. Go back to your room. You don’t need to worry about me."

Song Wanning said, "No. You’re the patient right now. Since we’re partners, it’s only right that I take care of you."

But Song Wanning’s strength was somehow not greater than Wen Jingxing’s. Even when she tried to use a bit of skill, she still could not break free. Wen Jingxing dragged her all the way back to her own room.

"Go back and sleep. I’m really fine now."

Only after Wen Jingxing repeatedly reassured her did he finally seem normal again.

Song Wanning hesitated. He had looked seriously ill just moments ago; how had he suddenly become as though nothing had happened?

"Are you really all right?"

"Really, really."

...

Wen Jingxing, who had reassured Song Wanning with complete confidence, successfully caught a cold the next day after taking a very long cold shower the night before.

As soon as the two met in the morning, Wen Jingxing sneezed no fewer than three times.

Song Wanning, too, had stayed in the seawater too long the day before, and when she got up, her nose was somewhat blocked as well.

In the end, the two of them each received a bowl of ginger soup.

It was given by Li Weiwei, who said that the weather had turned cold lately and she wanted everyone to have a bowl of ginger soup to warm themselves.

But the weather had already been cold for several days.

Although the other guests got some too, the fact that she gave it now, instead of earlier or later, inevitably made everyone think twice.

While eating, Jian An'an kept glancing over at Wen Jingxing and Song Wanning.

The way the two of them interacted seemed no different from before, and yet she still felt that the atmosphere had changed, carrying an indescribable hint of intimacy.

For instance, just now Song Wanning had been eating with her head lowered, a strand of hair slipping loose at her temple, and Wen Jingxing had naturally taken a hair clip from his pocket and pinned her hair up for her.

Jian An'an recognized it. Song Wanning had worn that clip not long ago.

Even a child would know that for a woman, something so personal and intimate could never just appear in another man’s hand.

There had to be something going on between the two of them.

And besides, she had already slipped the drug in yesterday. She did not even know whether Wen Jingxing had taken it. Judging by Li Weiwei’s unusually attentive attitude, could it be that they had already slept together?

She had never tried the drug herself, so she did not know whether it was real, or how potent it was.

But Zhou Xiancheng had told her not to worry, saying it would take effect immediately.

At the thought that the two of them might end up in bed together because of her, Jian An'an felt as though she could slap herself to death.

Song Wanning had also noticed that Jian An'an kept looking over here all day.

However, she merely returned the glance once before looking away.

What was Jian An'an looking at? What was she paying attention to? What was she worried about?

Worried that after the drug was slipped in last night, Wen Jingxing ended up in the same bed as her?

Song Wanning always did things openly and aboveboard, and she had never used such a thing before. But she had spent so long in court that she had naturally seen plenty of it.

Yesterday she had been worried about Wen Jingxing and had not considered this possibility. Later, after returning to her room, she could not sleep at all, and it occurred to her that perhaps he had been drugged.

Once she thought of the well-built woman she had seen on the balcony, the truth practically stood out on its own.

And with Jian An'an acting so strangely today, even walking with an inexplicable limp, the culprit behind it all was all but certain.

Thinking that Jian An'an had remained inside the show and had not gone anywhere, Song Wanning wondered how she had managed to get hold of that kind of drug.

Could it still have been that employee who had secretly helped Jian An'an before?

That employee was named Zhou Xiancheng. Wen Jingxing had told her about him: he had old people and children to support, a wife, and the youngest child was only one year old. The whole family of eight depended on him alone.

Li Weiwei had originally wanted to kick him straight out of the production team, but seeing how hard it was for him to earn money alone, she had not been completely heartless and planned to deal with his dismissal at the end of the year.

Now it seemed that perhaps it really had been that man helping Jian An'an all along. How dishonest...

Song Wanning looked toward Wen Jingxing. From the moment they got up that morning, neither of them had mentioned a single word about what happened yesterday.

But their thoughts were exactly the same: both suspected Jian An'an and Zhou Xiancheng.

I originally wanted to make this a little spicier, but people I know are reading this book, too. So annoying.

Right, right, that woman, Jian An'an, is about to get what she deserves, hehe.

The end of the chapter.