Gently bite the jasmine

Chapter 174 What I want is a response, not a title.

Lin Xi exclaimed in surprise, and Duan Yiheng's heart tightened in fright. He caught a glimpse of a figure out of the corner of his eye, and before he could even think, he instinctively steadied the person.

Lin Xiaoying blushed from her neck to her cheeks, and thanked Duan Yiheng by clinging to his shoulder.

Duan Yiheng's body reacted before his brain. He frowned, pushed Lin Xiaoying away, and met Lin Xi's gaze not far away.

Lin Xi knew that Lin Xiaoying didn't do it on purpose; the pool table was hard, and if she bumped into it, she would definitely get hurt.

But reason is one thing, and emotion is another.

Regardless of the crowds around her or the obstacles and constraints in private, she could only endure and suppress her bitter emotions.

Duan Yiheng threw down the cue stick, which slammed heavily onto the pool table with a loud "bang".

Lin Xiaoying sensed the oppressive atmosphere around him and didn't dare to speak for a moment.

"I took the time to do your filming and interviews, and this is your work ethic? Even a newcomer wouldn't make such a basic mistake, would they?"

The scene was deathly silent. You couldn't even hear the anger in Duan Yiheng's voice. His two light sentences felt like an invisible mountain pressing down on their shoulders.

"I'm so sorry, Mr. Duan, it was our negligence." As the leader of this group, Lin Xiaoying naturally couldn't shirk responsibility. "Why don't you take a rest first? I'll have someone make adjustments right away, and I'll definitely give you the most perfect shooting result."

Duan Yiheng didn't listen to a word she said. He walked towards Lin Xi, stopped in front of her, and said, "Come out with me."

Lin Xi looked up and met his undeniable gaze.

She calmly turned around and left the billiards room with Duan Yiheng. As soon as they reached the first-floor corridor, Duan Yiheng cornered her against the wall and said, "I thought you'd fallen over there."

Lin Xi lowered his gaze: "I was standing eighteen miles away, how did I fall to your side? Did I somersault cloud?"

Duan Yiheng chuckled: "So you're admitting you're jealous?"

"No." Lin Xi silently turned halfway around. "I'm just giving you a reasonable explanation for why I couldn't fall to your side based on what you said."

"Alright, I'll do it again next time," Duan Yiheng said.

Lin Xi: "...No one will throw themselves into your arms all the time."

Duan Yiheng: "Oh, that's a real pity."

Lin Xi pushed him away and turned to leave. Duan Yiheng caught up with her in two steps, wrapped his arm around her waist, and pulled her up.

Lin Xi suddenly took to the air, and after a few seconds of stunned silence, he fluttered in mid-air like a bird.

"What are you doing?" She tried to get down using both hands and feet, but Duan Yiheng's strength was too much to resist.

After passing through the living room and stepping into the corridor again, Duan Yiheng pushed open the door to the tea room, where sunlight streamed through the floor-to-ceiling windows.

Duan Yiheng put her down and pulled her to the French windows to look at the well-maintained plants outside.

Lin Xi's gaze flickered; the snowman was nowhere to be seen under the ornamental tree.

“It melted under the shade of the tree for three days and turned into a puddle of water.” Duan Yiheng’s breath brushed against Lin Xi’s ear. “They are just like me, built up by your own hands, and then shattered into pieces because of you.”

Lin Xi's breathing trembled slightly, and all she could say to him was "I'm sorry."

“I told you, I blamed you at first, but then I felt sorry for you.” Duan Yiheng paused, his tone full of helplessness. “I can’t bear to see you in a difficult situation more than anyone else. I can understand your choice, but I can’t understand why you’re not giving me a clear answer yet.”

Lin Xi clenched her fists and turned her head slightly: "The matter of Uncle Duan and Ke Yu has not been resolved yet. They are always a time bomb planted on your path to power. And you're talking to me about this now?"

Duan Yiheng turned her around to face him and said, "What I want is a response, not a title."

Lin Xi didn't understand what he meant, her eyes filled with confusion: "What's the difference between the two?"

“What I mean is, I’m not forcing you to be with me right now.” Duan Yiheng pursed his lips, his heart racing uncontrollably. “I just want to know if you like me or not, even if I have feelings for you, you’ve never said it.”

When he asked this question, he did not add the qualifier "once".

He was asking about the past, and also about the present.

Lin Xi opened and closed her lips, remaining silent for a long while. Duan Yiheng pushed her against the French window and pressed her against it: "Lin Xi, would saying 'I like you' kill you? What does saying 'I like you' even mean?"

It simply represents an affirmation of the emotions he has poured into him.

Lin Xi lowered his gaze, and Duan Yiheng laughed self-deprecatingly.

He let go and planned to return to the billiards room to continue filming.

"If I didn't like you, would I have gotten together with you in the first place?"

Duan Yiheng paused, then suddenly turned around.

"If I didn't like you, would I let you hug and kiss me?"

"If I didn't like you, would I tell you we should break up? Would I sever all ties with you in front of so many people? Would I worry about you, cry for you, laugh for you, and—"

Her grievances abruptly ended as she was embraced in a warm and safe hug.

Duan Yiheng was tall and strong, and could completely encircle her in his arms.

Lin Xi closed his eyes, tears soaking his shirt and touching the skin of his chest.

"I don't like you..." Lin Xi could no longer hold back, and her suppressed sobs gradually grew louder.

Duan Yiheng pressed the back of her head and said, "You like me."

"I don't like it." Lin Xi pouted.

"Okay, okay, I don't like it," Duan Yiheng coaxed her.

After a long pause, she wiped her tears on his clothes and said, "I like it."

Duan Yiheng froze, wondering if he had misheard.

Lin Xi pushed him away, wiped away her tears, sniffed, and said, "I like you. I've liked you for a long time. Don't ask me about it anymore."

Duan Yiheng touched her face: "Why can't I ask?"

Lin Xi looked at him and said, "Because no matter whether we can be together or not, I will always like you. You know the answer to that question."

Duan Yiheng leaned down to kiss her, but Lin Xi pressed his face down and pushed him away, saying, "We still have filming to do. Your clothes are dirty, you need to change."

Duan Yiheng: "..."

The calm tone made him doubt that he had been hallucinating.

“Saying you like someone doesn’t mean anything, you said it yourself.” Lin Xi met his gaze. “Unless you don’t want Yin Fan anymore.”

Duan Yiheng's eyes were deep and bright as he said to her, "I am determined to get Yin Fan. In this world, money and power will help you protect the people you want to protect. I understood this principle when I was very young, and I only want to protect you."

Lin Xi bit her lip: "I shouldn't appear in front of Editor-in-Chief Lin looking like this. You can go by yourself. Anyway, it'll be over soon."

Duan Yiheng ruffled her hair: "Go upstairs and wait for me. We'll stay here tonight."

Lin Xi suddenly looked up: "You didn't say you were going to stay here for one night."

"Didn't I say that?" Duan Yiheng frowned. "I remember saying that I was busy before, and that I was going to the South District to see the ginkgo trees tomorrow. Don't you want to see them?"

Lin Xi: "..."

"It's settled then." Duan Yiheng didn't give her a chance to refuse and turned to leave the room.