Chapter 38 Wearing Nothing at All

Sitting in the back seat of the taxi, the neon lights from outside the window reflected on my face. The heavy traffic had long since subsided, and the drive was smooth, without even a single red light.

Stepping out of the elevator, I was greeted by the familiar, pungent scent of traditional Chinese medicine. I couldn't help but swallow hard and take a half-step back. Lin Xingfan draped an arm over my shoulder, laughing with malicious glee, "No running away now."

Another day of being pinned down for my "punishment."

Ji Leqing was sitting on the sofa watching television. Seeing Lin Xingfan and me return, she stood up and walked over. Immediately, her brows knit together, and she said with displeasure, "Did you two go out for hot pot? You reek of it."

"Lin Xingfan, don't you know Jiang Jian can't have anything spicy, stimulating, or greasy right now? Why didn't you stop him?"

"Leqing, don't be mad. I only had the clear broth, and I didn't eat much. Don't worry!"

Ji Leqing let out a wordless, deep breath, crossing her arms over her chest, which pressed her ample, firm curves together. The collar of her pajamas was unbuttoned today, revealing a glimpse of enticing cleavage and smooth skin.

"Go drink your medicine. It's been kept warm for you."

Under the watchful eyes of Lin Xingfan and Ji Leqing, I braced myself and downed the medicine in one go. I let out a bitter-tasting burp that nearly made me retch. Lin Xingfan had work the next day, so he yawned and headed toward his room. Ji Leqing turned off the TV and prepared to head to hers, but I called out to her.

"Leqing, I need to talk to you."

Ji Leqing turned around. "About what?"

Just as I was about to speak, my phone rang in my pocket. I pulled it out to see it was Lin Lin.

"Hello? What's up?"

"Brother Jiang Jian, nothing much. I was just asking if you got home safely. I sent you a WeChat message, but you didn't reply."

"Oh, I just got back a little while ago. I haven't looked at my phone. You should get some rest."

"Okay, goodnight, Brother Jiang Jian."

"Goodnight."

After hanging up, I looked back at Ji Leqing, only to meet her inquisitive and playful gaze.

"Brother Jiang Jian~"

"Tsk, tsk, tsk. That sounds really intimate. You and Lin Xingfan’s sister are quite close, aren't you? No wonder you came back so late."

"No, no, Leqing, don't misunderstand. We really just played together when we were kids. This is the first time we've seen each other in over a decade!" I explained in a panic, terrified she might think there was something between Lin Lin and me.

"Hmph. A man’s mouth is like a lying ghost. Besides, your private life is none of my business."

With that, Ji Leqing walked straight into her room. I stood there, flustered and unsure of what to do. After hesitating for a moment, I followed her and knocked on her door.

"Leqing, open the door. I have something important to tell you."

Inside the room, Ji Leqing sat on the edge of the bed, feeling annoyed at her own lack of composure. *Why did I say those things? It sounded like I was jealous. How could that happen? Jiang Jian's choice of which woman to be close to has nothing to do with me. I'm just here to help him recover. Get a grip, Ji Leqing!*

Hearing me knock, she took a few deep breaths, patted her face, and went to open the door.

"Come in."

"Leqing, don't be mad."

"I'm not mad, you're overthinking it. I was just annoyed that you went to eat hot pot."

"That’s good."

I sat down next to Ji Leqing and pulled out my phone to show her the defamatory video. We were sitting very close—close enough that I could smell the faint, delicate fragrance on her. I glanced downward. Through her slightly open collar, I saw a beautiful, spring-like view, and my ears began to burn. She wasn't wearing anything under her pajamas.

Although Ji Leqing was my ex-girlfriend, we had maintained a platonic relationship back then, never even kissing, let alone anything more. My mind began to drift toward inappropriate, erotic fantasies, and I only snapped out of it when Ji Leqing spoke.

As she watched, her expression grew increasingly grim. "The person who filmed the first part of this video definitely knows about your secret marriage to Xu Zhixia. It's either someone from her inner circle or a rival who hired a private investigator."

"Could it be that Xu Zhixia did this to take revenge on me?"

I instinctively shook my head. "If Xu Zhixia wanted to take revenge on me, she would usually target me directly. She’d be afraid I wouldn't know it was her. She wouldn't stoop to such low tactics."

As much as I hated to admit it, Xu Zhixia was proud and arrogant. Even when she did those heinous things to me, she was always open and aboveboard about it. Seeing me defend her, the light in Ji Leqing's eyes dimmed for a moment, but she quickly recovered.

"Then it's either someone trying to smear Xu Zhixia and the Xu Group, or someone who holds a grudge against you."

The only competitor Jian Xia had in the industry was the subsidiary founded by Xu Zhixia; there were no other real rivals. So, it was unlikely to be someone from the industry. But I had always been humble in Tianhai and had never had a falling out with anyone. Who could possibly hold a grudge against me?

After thinking it over, I recalled two people—and they knew each other.

"The blond guy at the hospital wasn't the only 'gigolo' I hit. There was a colleague of his before that—an idiot who wanted to humiliate me to please Xu Zhixia. That was the day you and I first met."

"You’re quite the fighter, aren't you, Jiang Jian? Was that how you hurt your hand the first time?"

"Yeah. To curry favor with Xu Zhixia, he staged a 'cuckold game' right in front of me to provoke me. I was pissed, so I hit him."

"He deserved it, but aren't you worried he left evidence?"

I chuckled softly, "Not at all. In the kind of places where Xu Zhixia goes to have fun, there wouldn't be any surveillance. If you want to call it evidence, maybe it’s just the print of my knuckles on his face that day?"

Ji Leqing had rarely seen me smile with such smug, roguish charm. She was stunned for a moment. "Don't ever do that again. You need to take care of your health."

"I know, don't worry."

"Other people have started posting different angles of the video, though they aren't very clear."

"I'm just worried that those nosy netizens will follow the trail and dig you up, which would affect your reputation."

Ji Leqing took my hand, reassuring me, "It's fine. The innocent will clear themselves. Never mind what they say. You should first find those two male models and see if they were the ones behind this."

"Alright."

It was getting late, so I stood up to head back to my room, but my feet suddenly lost strength, and I tumbled back onto the bed. Ji Leqing tried to steady me, but I ended up pulling her down with me. As I rolled over to get up, I heard her let out a sharp cry of pain, and I froze, not daring to move.

"What's wrong, Leqing?"

"Your elbow is pinning my hair. Don't move, let me pull it out."

I didn't dare move at all, only propping myself up over her, watching as she tried to carefully extract her hair. Ji Leqing turned her eyes to meet my gaze and asked, somewhat unnaturally, "Wh-why are you staring at me?"