C16 Chapter 16

“Hey—wait—” Before Hee Yu could finish, Jiaang Mingyi had already hauled him outside. Sitting in the car, Hee Yu sighed again. Vacation? A beautiful place? With those two around, none of that mattered.

“Bali is for coffee, obviously. I’m taking you to get coffee.”

“Welcome to the sunshine. What do you need?” the barista greeted.

Jiaang Mingyi answered smoothly, “Two cups of your best coffee, thank you.”

“The most expensive? Wow, subtle. What if he brings you the cheapest thing and tells you it’s the best?” He shot him a look.

Jiaang Mingyi hadn’t expected that. He could only shake his head.

“You think just anyone can come in here? If I didn’t bring you, you wouldn’t even get through the door.”

The place was thick with the rich scent of coffee. Woven rattan chairs, glass-topped tables that caught little reflections of light from above. Hee Yu looked up. The ceiling was made of stained glass in a patchwork of colors, fused together like it had been designed that way from the start, giving the whole space an artsy feel. Behind the counter sat jars of all kinds of coffee beans. Somewhere in the background, Bandari’s “Childhood Memories” played softly.

Honestly, sipping coffee and soaking up the sun here didn’t sound bad. The shop’s name—“Sunshine Bar”—fit perfectly. The entire café was washed in warm light.

“Jin, I found a really great coffee place. I’ll take you tomorrow.” No response.

“Jin, will you teach me how to ride a horse tomorrow? I’ve always wanted to learn, but I’ve been too scared to try on my own.” Still no response.

“Jin…” Before he could finish, Yan Jin cut him off.

“Mr. Wenn called for Dr. Jin,” Jiaang Mingyi said.

Hee Yu jumped. I only talked a little—why are they calling a doctor?

“The young master is just overworked. His stomach issue flared up. He needs more rest and lighter food.”

“When he’s not feeling well, he won’t say a single word—he’s like an ice cube.” Jiaang Mingyi explained it to Hee Yu.

“Back in school, his stomach hurt so bad he could barely stand it, and he still refused to say anything. It got so bad he ended up in the hospital.” Jiaang Mingyi went on about what happened to Yan Jin.

Hee Yu glanced at Yan Jin lying in bed and hesitated for a moment.

“Fine. I’ll stay with you for a bit.” As she spoke, Hee Yu lay down beside Yan Jin.

“Honestly, you’re not so bad when you’re asleep.” Her finger traced the bridge of his sharp nose.

“Your mouth is vicious, you’re cold as ice, and you barely talk—ten words a day, tops.” Hee Yu counted off Yan Jin’s flaws one by one, her gaze sliding from his nose to his eyebrows.

“Y-You… when did you wake up?” Hee Yu jolted, startled.

“If I didn’t wake up, how would I hear what my wife really thinks of me?” Yan Jin looked at Hee Yu, his voice flat and chilly.

Hee Yu gave an awkward little smile.

“I made you some porridge. I’ll go bring it over.” She hurried away from the “walking AC unit” the second she finished speaking.

Watching Yan Jin drink the porridge down, Hee Yu asked, “Do you feel any better? I cooked that myself—worked hard on it, too.” She sat by the bed, smiling at him as she spoke.

“Hey, what about me? Do I get any porridge?” Jiaang Mingyi squatted there dramatically, clutching his stomach and looking at Hee Yu with exaggerated misery. “I barely ate lunch. I’m starving.”

“Yeah. It’s in the kitchen—go get it yourself. Mr. Wenn made a big pot.” Hee Yu answered without even looking up.

Jiaang Mingyi could only shake his head at the blatant double standard.

“I’m heading out.” Yan Jin suddenly spoke, threw off the covers, got out of bed, and started getting dressed.

“Stay home and behave. Tonight I want four dishes and a soup on the table.” Yan Jin pointed at Hee Yu, who was sitting by the bed with wide, sparkling eyes, and gave the order like it was nothing.

“I-I’m not your maid.” Put on the spot, Hee Yu shot back immediately.

Yan Jin ignored her complaining. Once he was dressed, he walked out, acting like he hadn’t said a word.

That night, the four dishes and soup Yan Jin had set aside were tucked into a corner of the table. Next to them sat an array of beautifully plated food prepared by the villa’s chef. One look, and Yan Jin knew exactly who had cooked what.

“I already ate out. You guys go ahead.”

“Hee Yu, finish that. No leftovers.” Yan Jin looked at her and said it slowly, word by word.

“That’s what I made for you. My food is over there.” Hee Yu pointed at the dishes the chef had made, complaining.

“If you don’t want it, save it for tomorrow.”

“I don’t like eating old food, and I don’t like wasting food.” Like he already knew what she was going to say, he cut off every escape route.

“You’re seriously going to drive me crazy.” Stuffed, Hee Yu took a slow walk around the villa. Some heartless person had insisted she eat that much—she felt like she’d eaten the whole week’s worth of meals in one night.

“Yan Jin, I couldn’t stop worrying about you, so I came to check on you.”

“I’m fine.”

Hearing voices nearby, Hee Yu slowly moved closer.

“Who’s there?”

“I should be asking what you two are doing.” The people Hee Yu ran into were none other than her husband and Shi Zhixi.

“So Miss Shi is in Bali too,” Hee Yu said with a sweet smile, like she’d just caught them red-handed. “Are you here for work, or on vacation?”

She didn’t call her “Mrs. Yan.” She didn’t want any other woman standing beside Yan Jin—marriage didn’t mean it couldn’t end.

“Then you sneaking around to meet my husband absolutely is my business.” Hearing the jab in Shi Zhixi’s words, Hee Yu deliberately emphasized “my husband.”

“Yan Jin, I’m just here as a friend. I was worried about your health, so I came to see you. I’m afraid Miss Hee misunderstood.” Shi Zhixi still refused to call her “Mrs. Yan.”

“Then next time,” Hee Yu said, folding her arms across her chest and looking at Shi Zhixi with the unmistakable air of the woman of the house, “come in through the front door—in broad daylight.”

“Otherwise, Miss Shi’s manners are going to have nowhere to hide.” Hee Yu went on, making it obvious she meant to leave Shi Zhixi with no way to save face.

“Go back first,” Yan Jin said at that moment.

“Okay. Jin, I’ll come see you again when you have time.” Shi Zhixi bolted as if she were running for her life, leaving immediately.

“Don’t worry, honey. I absolutely won’t tell anyone—but I do have one small request.” Hee Yu spoke to Yan Jin with a thinly veiled threat.

“Otherwise, if word gets out that the CEO of Yan’s Group has been secretly meeting a top actress, what do you think people will say?” Hee Yu looked at Yan Jin with a half-smile that wasn’t quite a smile.

“Is that so?” With one hand, he shoved her against the tree beside them and kissed her hard.

“You can try,” Yan Jin said, looking down at her with contempt. “Before you get a single word out, I can make sure you never speak again.”

“Tsk—” Hee Yu’s clothes tore open.

“Why do you always like ripping people’s clothes?” Hee Yu covered the spot he’d torn.

“Consider it a little punishment.” After that, he stripped away the last bit she had left to cover herself.

Yan Jin’s kisses started at her stomach, traveled up over her chest, and stopped at her collarbone, where he latched on and sucked hard.

“Ah—” Hee Yu cried out.

“People could walk by any second,” a rough, magnetic voice murmured in her ear. “Keep it down—you know what happens if you don’t.”

That damn man—his voice was so sexy it could drive any woman crazy.

Then he pulled Hee Yu deeper under, tossing her through wave after wave, until she finally disappeared into that sea called desire.