Liu Yun was stunned by the young man’s words. She immediately understood his intention and couldn’t help but feel a surge of annoyance, yet a strange sensation also stirred in her heart…
“You’re cheating!”
They had clearly agreed to be strangers from then on. How could he break that promise just by trying to “re-establish” a relationship?
Besides, she couldn’t…
Lin Xiu merely raised an eyebrow, clearly disagreeing.
“How is this cheating? My dear neighbor, our previous agreement didn’t say anything about not being allowed to form a new relationship, did it?”
Liu Yun was momentarily speechless. She knew she couldn’t out-talk this smooth-tongued brat. She let out a dry laugh.
“Fine. Since you want to be such a rogue, I still have the right to refuse to know you! Let go of the door, or I’ll call the police, report you for trespassing, and have you locked up!”
Faced with a woman acting so fierce, Lin Xiu had no choice but to helplessly release his grip on the door.
In the next instant, the door slammed shut with a loud bang!
Staring at the closed door, Lin Xiu rubbed his nose, a sudden pang of regret hitting him.
‘I really shouldn’t have agreed to those conditions,’ he thought. He had tried to gain an edge but ended up worse off.
However, Lin Xiu wasn’t about to give up. To deal with a woman like her, one had to rely on a single tactic: persistence.
***
Over the next few days, Liu Yun was driven nearly insane by Lin Xiu! She had never met anyone as shameless as this guy.
For instance, early in the morning while Liu Yun was sleeping soundly, she would be jolted awake by a knock on the door.
When she opened it, she would find the young man’s annoying face. He would ramble on about how neighbors should help each other and then borrow some soy sauce.
Not long after, just as Liu Yun was trying to go back to sleep, he would return to ask for two cloves of garlic.
Liu Yun’s temple throbbed. Looking at the youth who was knocking once again, she finally couldn’t take it anymore. She grabbed a kitchen knife and brandished it in front of him.
“If you come here to borrow something one more time, I swear I’ll fight you to the death!”
Lin Xiu ducked his head with exaggerated fear, cleared his throat twice, and said with a serious expression, “Well, Big Sister Neighbor, I’m not here to borrow anything this time. I’m here to return the garlic. I suddenly realized I actually had some at home.”
Liu Yun desperately wanted to bite this bastard to death. She knew he was doing it on purpose, yet she could do nothing about it.
“Keep it! The soy sauce too! Just stop knocking on my door!”
Lin Xiu shook his head and said solemnly, “That won’t do. My old man taught me from a young age that one must return what they borrow to make borrowing again easier.”
Liu Yun scoffed and slammed the door shut in his face.
***
Under the hazy night sky, Liu Yun sat at the counter of a quiet bar, irritably nursing a drink. She didn’t usually visit bars because she knew her alcohol tolerance was low.
But after being harassed all day by the guy next door, she couldn’t take it. He kept finding excuses to bother her, and the worst part was that his excuses were technically valid.
Unable to bear it any longer, she had come to the bar on a whim to have a few drinks.
It was also worth noting that Liu Yun hadn’t used any disguise this time; she had come as herself. This inevitably drew the gazes of several men, making her feel disgusted.
After a few moments of thought, she gave up on the idea of drinking more, settled the tab, and prepared to go home.
However, it turned out that Liu Yun had overestimated her tolerance and underestimated the kick of the drinks she had just consumed.
By the time she reached the elevator, her head was spinning, though she wasn’t quite at the point of passing out.
Except…
“Huh? Why won’t this door unlock? Is it broken?”
Liu Yun stared at the door in front of her. After trying the fingerprint scanner several times without success, she grumbled under her breath.
She even gave the “broken” door a few hard kicks.
“Even you’re bullying me! Bastard! Why does everyone like bullying me…”
Just as Liu Yun was venting her frustrations on the door, it suddenly swung open on its own. Her eyes went wide.
Lin Xiu looked at the woman who had been kicking his door, catching the immediate scent of alcohol. He didn’t know whether to laugh or cry.
Liu Yun was so drunk that she had gone to the wrong place, which was why she couldn’t open the door.
“Sister Yun, you really are handing me an opportunity on a silver platter, aren’t you?” Lin Xiu chuckled, looking at the dazed, drunken woman.
To Lin Xiu’s surprise, the woman stared at him blankly for a moment, shook her head, and then unexpectedly lunged forward to hug him!
“Xiao Xin! You’re finally back! I’m so sorry… woo…”
Feeling the warmth of the woman’s body in his arms, Lin Xiu found it difficult to maintain his composure.
‘She’s mistaking me for her wife?’ he thought. ‘Can she get any sillier?’
Lin Xiu’s eyes darted around as he began to wrap his arms around her, deciding to play along. “You’re sorry? What did you do wrong?”
Liu Yun stayed silent for a long time before she started muttering to herself.
“I… I lied to you. I’m a liar. I’m a bad woman…”
It was clear that during this period of depression, Liu Yun had been bottling up her guilt. If she didn’t let it out soon, she was going to have a breakdown.
Lin Xiu continued, “A bad woman, huh? Since you’re a bad woman, you need to be punished.”
“Punished…”
Liu Yun whispered the word before nodding her head vacantly.
“Yes… I should be punished. I deserve it. Xiao Xin, punish me. Do whatever you want…”
A flash of amusement appeared in Lin Xiu’s eyes.
Standing in the doorway wasn’t ideal, so he scooped the woman up in a bridal carry and kicked the door shut behind them.
“Mm… Xiao Xin, why are you so strong?”
On the way to the bedroom, Liu Yun finally noticed something was off and began to squirm.
“No, you’re not Xiao Xin! Let me go…”
*Slap!*
Lin Xiu remained perfectly calm as he delivered a firm swat to her backside, causing her to let out a pained whimper.
“Liu Yun, I’m indeed not Ning Xin. But I am the person Ning Xin sent to carry out your punishment. You lied to her, so you must be punished, understand?”
Hearing Lin Xiu’s stern voice, Liu Yun went still.
It wasn’t until he tossed her onto the bed that she nodded slightly, looking utterly dazed.
“Oh, so that’s how it is? Right, Xiao Xin would definitely be angry. She probably doesn’t want to see me, so she sent you to punish me, right?”
Seeing that the woman had actually accepted his logic, Lin Xiu coughed awkwardly.
‘She’s so foolish right now that it’s almost hard to bully her…’