He gently placed An Ke on his large bed, but she tightly gripped his clothes. He couldn’t bear to remove her hand and simply lay down beside her, fully clothed. Looking at her furrowed brows and pale face, a bitter feeling rose in his heart. He pulled her head close to his chest, feeling her breathing, still afraid at this moment. He remembered she had asked him for three months’ time half a month ago, and he had agreed, wanting to use this time to fade his reluctance, not wanting to constantly think about someone. However, he had never regretted more – if he hadn’t agreed then, she wouldn’t have been so hurt.
For a long time, he stared directly at her, as if he had never seen her before, his fingers gently caressing her cheek, finally resting on her lips. He would rather she angrily glare at him, curse him, than have her in this unconscious state.
At this moment, An Ke moved, slowly opening her eyes, tilting her small face and looking at him with watery eyes: “I want to drink water.”
“Okay,” Jun Hao jumped off the bed like lightning: “I’ll bring water right away.” As he spoke, he quickly disappeared through the doorway.
An Ke stared at the door, her gaze sharp and completely different from moments before.
Soon, Jun Hao personally carried a large glass of water, looking at her gently: “I asked the doctor. Plain water is best.”
An Ke let him help her sit up against the headboard. He held the water to her lips: “Be good, drink quickly.”
An Ke said nothing, taking a small sip and shaking her head: “Too bland, I don’t want to drink. I want honey water.”
“Wait,” Jun Hao picked up the cup and ran out of the room.
An Ke no longer looked at the door, simply closing her eyes.
Jun Hao quickly returned, holding a small honey bottle: “Try this first, I’ll add more if it’s not sweet enough.”
“Mm,” An Ke obediently nodded, taking a large sip: “Too sweet.” Tears were about to overflow from her eyes.
“Sorry, I’ll pour another cup,” Jun Hao showed no impatience, only anxiety.
An Ke watched his retreating back, her eyes growing confused. The more he indulged her and showed care, the more she believed he was atoning. She wouldn’t know that downstairs was already bustling, with several doctors having done their best to prepare this cup of water for her.
“If this still doesn’t suit your taste, I’ll make them all reflect on it,” Jun Hao entered and spoke: “Try again.” He held the water to An Ke’s lips, looking at her expectantly.
“Cough, cough…” An Ke spat out the water as soon as it entered her mouth, all over Jun Hao.
Jun Hao didn’t care about the dirty clothes, immediately patting her back: “Be careful drinking, be careful.”
An Ke shook her head again: “I can’t drink.”
Jun Hao looked anxious: “Are you feeling unwell? I’ll call a doctor immediately.”
An Ke gave him a faint smile: “I’m fine, just drank too quickly. Sorry for dirtying your clothes, go change quickly.”
Jun Hao was slightly stunned. Today’s An Ke always made him feel something was off. He touched her forehead again: “What else would you like to drink? I’ll have it prepared right away.”
“I want to sleep,” An Ke turned away from him.
“The doctor said to sleep appropriately, not too much,” Jun Hao frowned.
An Ke smiled again: “Okay, I won’t sleep. Go change your clothes and accompany me to the garden for some sun. Isn’t the winter weather good this year?”
Jun Hao seemed infected by her good mood, gently kissing her cheek: “I’ll go clean up. Be good and wait for me.”
“Okay, I’ll wait for you,” she smiled, watching him enter the bathroom.
An Ke’s expression immediately darkened, her face cold, staring blankly. Fragments she didn’t want to remember surfaced, her hands lightly trembling over her belly. Her eyes alternating between confused, sharp, and vacant.
“An Ke, what’s wrong?” Jun Hao had somehow returned.
“Nothing.”
“Don’t worry, with me here, I won’t let you suffer any grievance,” Jun Hao embraced her, perhaps sensing her difference.
An Ke leaned on his chest, suddenly asking: “Are you willing to marry me?” When asking this, she didn’t look up, not wanting to see his expression, but she still felt his body slightly tremble.
Why would you suddenly ask that?” It wasn’t that he didn’t want to marry her, but he couldn’t tell if she truly wanted to marry him or was just acting on impulse.
“You don’t want to, which I should have realized earlier,” she chuckled.
“No, it’s not that I don’t want to, it’s just…” He didn’t know how to explain. He still had many things to do for her, and this wasn’t the right time to discuss marriage. At least he would make sure those who hurt her would be punished.
“Can I meet your mother?” He didn’t promise her, but she didn’t seem angry at all.
“I will let you meet her, but not now,” Jun Hao took a deep breath, finally understanding the reason behind An Ke’s strange behavior today.
………………………………………..
049 Punishment
In a spacious and bright house, four people were kneeling – three men and one woman. The three men looked gloomy, and the woman was still sobbing softly. Two men in suits stood expressionless by the door.
From far away, a Mercedes-Benz car sped towards them, and two men quickly ran out to open the car door. As the door opened, a man stepped out, wearing a black suit that draped over his tall, slender body, with a perfectly chiseled profile and a sunshine-like smile, resembling a prince from a fairy tale.
The four kneeling people turned their heads simultaneously, looking at him, all sighing in relief. The woman stopped crying.
Jun Hao elegantly stepped into the room and sat on the wooden chair prepared for him. His driver handed him a cigarette and lit it. He slowly blew smoke rings, seemingly oblivious to the kneeling people.
After a while, Jun Hao raised an eyebrow and slowly asked, “Who wants to speak first?”
The four looked at each other, seemingly not understanding his meaning.
The man beside Jun Hao handed him a file: “Boss, here are the backgrounds and three-generation family details of these people.”
Jun Hao waved his hand lightly, and the man threw the file in front of them, shouting, “Quickly tell us who instructed you!”
“Cheng Jun, don’t be so loud. What if you scare them into forgetting an important clue?” Jun Hao’s cheerful voice rang out, playing with his lighter nonchalantly.
“Yes, boss,” Cheng Jun obediently stepped back.
The four looked gratefully at him. The woman spoke first: “Boss, I really didn’t know things would turn out this way. That day, he told me he had a fight with his girlfriend and asked me to help deliver something to An Ke, instructing me not to say it was from him, afraid An Ke would be angry and refuse. He seemed honest, so I didn’t think much and delivered it to An Ke.” The woman pointed at one of the men, tears streaming down her face.
Another man crawled forward, explaining frantically: “Big boss, if I knew those longan fruits were meant to harm someone, I wouldn’t have delivered them. A tall man gave me two hundred yuan to deliver something.”
Jun Hao raised an eyebrow, his voice gentle: “I’m sorry to have troubled you both. My subordinates brought you here without clarifying things, which would be unfair. Landlady, I also want to thank you for taking care of An Ke for so long.”
The landlady bowed as if receiving a royal decree: “Thank you, big boss, for your understanding.”
Cheng Jun took out two pieces of paper, two pens, and an ink pad, placing them in front of the two men: “Sign your names and leave a fingerprint while you’re at it.”
“Why are these blank papers?” Both looked utterly incredulous.
Cheng Jun said impatiently, “Our boss just decided to save you. Where do you expect us to draft a contract so quickly? Besides, do you think we’re going to eat you?”
