Chapter 53: Twice as Clingy (Part 1)

Gu Qianqian’s sweet, shrill cry of "Chen Brother" echoed deeply within Yu Ling’s eardrums like poison-laced sorcery, completely shattering the "trust" that had been precariously glued together by a lease agreement. To her, Zhao Chen’s rhetoric about a "neurotic old acquaintance," "unclear in the head," and "clinging desperately" sounded ridiculously pale, even carrying a sort of clumsy self-exposure.

That night, she was like a soul-less puppet, tightly held in Zhao Chen’s embrace, enduring his kisses on the crown of her head that carried both comfort and a fierce possessiveness, while listening to him repeat over and over, "Don't be afraid, I'm here," and "No one can hurt you."

His embrace was still warm, his heartbeat still steady, yet Yu Ling could only feel a bottomless abyss of cold beneath that warmth, and unpredictable, roaring waves hidden within that steady heartbeat.

She did not question him again, nor did she struggle; she simply closed her eyes stiffly, sealing all her terror, anger, and icy despair deep within the darkest corners of her heart.

The next morning, Yu Ling awoke in Zhao Chen’s arms. He maintained the same posture from the previous night, holding her with his chin resting on the crown of her head, his breathing even and deep, as if the storm of the previous night had merely been a nightmare. Yet the moment Yu Ling opened her eyes, Gu Qianqian’s spoiled, crying accusations and Zhao Chen’s instantly erupted hostility rushed back into her mind, making her entire body stiffen.

She cautiously shifted her body, attempting to escape this suffocating embrace without waking him.

However, the moment she moved, Zhao Chen’s arm tightened instantly. As if prepared in advance—or rather, as if he had never truly fallen deeply asleep—he kept his eyes closed and emitted a lazy murmur from his throat, like a large feline awakened from its slumber. With a sweep of his long arm, he locked her back into his embrace even tighter, rubbing his cheek against the crook of her neck. His voice carried the hoarseness of just waking up and a heavy attachment: "Lingling, sleep a little longer."

Yu Ling’s body instantly tensed like a fully drawn bowstring. She lay there stiffly, feeling his warm breath brush across the sensitive skin of her neck, bringing a wave of shuddering tingles and intense repulsion. She could even catch the clean, refreshing scent on him—a scent that once gave her peace of mind, but now felt like an invisible rope choking the breath out of her.

She remained silent, offering no response.

Zhao Chen seemed to sense her stiffness and silence. Finally, he slowly opened his eyes. There was no sleepy haze within those pupils, only a clear, unfathomable depth carrying scrutiny and probing. He propped himself up slightly, looking down at Yu Ling’s pale, tense profile beneath him. His fingertips gently brushed a stray lock of hair from her cheek, his movement gentle, yet his voice carried a trace of hard-to-detect tension:

"Lingling, are you still thinking about last night?" He paused, deliberately lightening his tone with a touch of helpless indulgence, "Didn't I explain it to you? Just an insignificant old classmate, met while studying abroad, whose family has some background and who was spoiled rotten. She chased me for a while, and when I clearly rejected her, she turned love into hatred and kept pestering me." Casually, he categorized Gu Qianqian as a "pursuer turned vengeful by unrequited love," attempting to downplay all the complicated history.

"An old classmate?"

Yu Ling finally couldn't help but speak, her voice dry and hoarse. Not looking at him, her gaze was hollowly fixed on the ceiling. "What kind of 'old classmate' calls you 'Chen Brother'? What kind would go hysterical because you blocked her? What kind would chase you all the way to New York?"

Her words were like cold stones, striking one by one against the peace Zhao Chen was attempting to whitewash.

Zhao Chen’s brow furrowed imperceptibly before smoothing out again. An expression of annoyance and grievance appeared on his face, as if he were having a headache from being pestered by an unreasonable child. He lowered his head and quickly pecked Yu Ling’s tightly pursed lips, his action carrying a sense of pacification while forcefully cutting off her questioning with unquestionable dominance.

"Lingling, are you jealous?" The corners of his mouth curved into a teasing and indulgent smile, his eyes sparkling as he looked at her as if he had discovered something interesting. "Just because of some crazy woman's wild name-calling? And all that crazy talk?"

Extending a finger, he gently tapped the tip of Yu Ling’s nose, his tone carrying exaggerated grievance. "She did that purely to disgust people, trying to drive a wedge between us! How could you actually take it seriously? Since when did my Lingling become so petty?"

As he spoke, he hugged her even tighter, rubbing his chin back and forth across the top of her head like a spoiled large dog. His voice was muffled, carrying a thick nasal tone and a deliberate display of weakness:

"I don't care! My wife is jealous and unhappy, and it's entirely that crazy woman's fault! I'm injured! I need Lingling's kisses and hugs to make it better!"

Giving her no room to continue her questioning, he forcibly twisted all the clouds of suspicion into a "sweet bout of jealousy" using this nearly rogue-like "spoiled act" and "topic shifting."

Yu Ling was momentarily stunned by his sudden, utterly childish display of acting spoiled. Looking at his handsome face close at hand, written all over with "grievance" and "seeking comfort," and contrasting it with his usual gentle composure or cold dominance, the stark difference left her momentarily at a loss for how to react. The anger and icy chill at the bottom of her heart were somewhat loosened by this shameless clinginess.

Keenly capturing the momentary bewilderment and softening in the depths of her eyes, Zhao Chen immediately pushed his advantage further. No longer satisfied with mere embraces, he began escalating his "clinginess."

The morning "human pendant."

When Yu Ling was brushing her teeth in the bathroom, Zhao Chen leaned against the doorframe, holding an electric razor while his gaze remained glued to her, chattering away:

"Lingling, wear that off-white knit sweater today, okay? It flatters your skin tone. Won't the neckline be too low? Should we switch to the turtleneck instead? Ah! You have foam on the corner of your mouth, let me wipe it for you." Saying this, he closed in with a towel, his movements as natural as if it were the most righteous thing in the world.

The "exclusive driver and jukebox" on the commute.

As the car headed toward Genesis Plaza, Zhao Chen was no longer content with driving in silence. He began playing upbeat pop songs, his slender fingers tapping rhythms on the steering wheel, humming along from time to time while wildly off-key with absolute confidence. Stopping at a red light, he would turn his head to look at Yu Ling with bright eyes:

"Lingling, how's this song? Isn't it sweet? Doesn't it sound like us?" Feeling utterly uncomfortable under his gaze, Yu Ling could only offer a vague "Mm," thinking to herself: Like your head! You're so off-key you've crossed eighteen mountain bends!

The "food bombing" during lunch hour.

Just as Yu Ling and her colleagues sat down in the cafeteria, Zhao Chen's message bombardment arrived:

"Lingling, have you eaten?"

"What dishes does the cafeteria have today? Are they good?"

"I had a friend's restaurant send over a portion of steamed East Star garoupa and crab roe tofu, it should be arriving soon! Give it a try, it's definitely better than cafeteria food!"

A few minutes later, a deliveryman wearing a high-end restaurant uniform indeed carried a delicate insulated food box, delivering it precisely to Yu Ling's table amidst the astonished gazes of everyone in the cafeteria. Upon opening the box, rich aromas drifted out, provoking low sighs of envy from the surrounding tables.

Looking at the teasing glances of the colleagues opposite her, Yu Ling felt her cheeks burn, wishing she could find a crack in the ground to crawl into, while simultaneously harboring a secret, spoiled sweetness within her heart.

The "super glue" after work.

Yu Ling planned to go shopping with her best friend, Su Qing. The moment she stepped out of the company building, Zhao Chen's car appeared as punctually as if equipped with a GPS tracker.

The car window rolled down, revealing his face bearing a gentle smile:

"What a coincidence? I just finished some business nearby. Is Lingling going shopping? I'll drive you girls."

Amidst the helpless yet amused gazes of Yu Ling and Su Qing, Zhao Chen extremely naturally took on the roles of driver, bag carrier, and mobile ATM.

Endlessly patient and without a single complaint, he even offered "professional" (and usually most expensive) advice when they hesitated over which dress to buy. Yet his gaze always clung to Yu Ling like super glue; whenever Su Qing briefly pulled Yu Ling away to look at something else and walked a few steps off, Zhao Chen would immediately follow like a large dog afraid of being abandoned, his eyes carrying a hint of grievance at being left out.

Su Qing secretly whispered into Yu Ling's ear: "Lingling, your guy's clinginess level has upgraded again! Is his protective radius within one and a half meters?"

Zhao Chen's all-around, dead-end-free, and somewhat "infantilized" double-down clinginess surrounded Yu Ling's life completely, like a meticulously planned sweet storm. Depriving her of any space for solitude and thought, he used meticulous attentiveness, exaggerated displays of weakness, and omnipresent existence to forcefully dispel the gloom cast by Gu Qianqian's phone call.