Chapter 12: A Man and a Woman Alone

The two of them took a taxi back to the apartment complex, and by the time they reached the doorstep, it was already past one in the morning. Chen Erpao carefully helped Wang Xuemei into her apartment, and only then did he have the chance to truly take in the layout of the place.

The entire apartment was tastefully arranged, elegant, like a noble young lady of exceptional grace and poise, giving off a deeply comfortable atmosphere.

“Did you design this? It’s really impressive,” Chen Erpao said, full of admiration.

“Of course! Don’t you know I majored in interior design?” Wang Xuemei replied, her lips pursed proudly.

Chen Erpao chuckled. “Look at you, getting all smug after a few compliments! Alright, get some rest. I’m off to hug my pillow.”

“Hug your pillow? What for?” Wang Xuemei looked puzzled, as if she truly didn’t understand, or perhaps she was just pretending.

“Hugging it to sleep, of course! Honestly, beauty without brains,” Chen Erpao laughed, then quickly made his escape.

Suddenly, a sweet voice called after him, “Chen Erpao, take me to school tomorrow! I’m still injured, you know!”

He paused, then broke into a bright smile. Even though she hadn’t extracted a promise from him, knowing his nature, it would be no surprise to find him waiting outside her door at the crack of dawn.

That night, Chen Erpao was truly exhausted and fell asleep the moment he lay on his bed. Across the way, however, Wang Xuemei tossed and turned, unable to find rest.

The events of the night had dealt a heavy blow to her innocence.

Li Ziyang was indeed her boyfriend, and it was true that he was a notorious playboy at their university. She had always known this, but a woman’s heart is fragile and easily swayed. After persistent courting, countless romantic gestures, she finally agreed to be with this outwardly refined, handsome young man from a good family. Yet, from the start, she set one condition: her first time would only be given in marriage. When with Li Ziyang, their intimacy went no further than hand-holding, kissing, and at most some light caresses. Whenever he attempted to go further, she always resolutely refused.

But Li Ziyang, after investing so much effort to win her over, clearly wasn’t satisfied with mere romance. Given his reputation at school, his true aim was always the same—to possess these women’s bodies. With Wang Xuemei, every attempt to go further was met with resistance, which only fueled his frustration, leading to the events of that night.

Wang Xuemei considered reporting him to the police for attempted assault, a serious charge. But on reflection, she realized she had neither power nor influence, just an ordinary university student, while he was the privileged son of an official. At the time, they were still boyfriend and girlfriend—it seemed impossible to press charges.

Chen Erpao’s sudden appearance was completely unexpected, almost unimaginable, yet it changed everything. Now, Wang Xuemei’s mind was a tumultuous swirl, making sleep impossible.

Time slipped by, and before she knew it, dawn was breaking. Chen Erpao, already awake, relied on years of military discipline for his precise sense of time.

After washing up quickly, he checked the clock and grinned. “Still early. I can have breakfast with her later. Ha!”

By then, Wang Xuemei had also risen. Perhaps because she hadn’t slept well, or maybe because of her injuries, her eyes looked a little swollen, her face still pale.

“Will he really come to take me to school today? Why isn’t he here yet?” she muttered to herself, surprised by her own anticipation.

Knock, knock. Suddenly, there was a knock at the door.

Wang Xuemei’s face lit up with joy as she hurried to the door and called out, “Is that you, Erpao?”

Outside, Chen Erpao beamed at hearing her call him Erpao. His heart swelled with delight.

“Calm down, calm down. Don’t get ahead of yourself. How am I supposed to carry out my plan to train beauties if I get flustered so easily?” he chided himself inwardly.

“Yes…” He was about to answer when suddenly a mischievous, almost lecherous smile crept onto his face. He changed his voice and said, “Police here. We’re conducting a room check. Please open the door.”

Wang Xuemei was taken aback, surprised but not entirely clueless. She didn’t open the door immediately.

“Just because you say you’re the police doesn’t mean you are! Besides, this isn’t a bar or a hotel, it’s a residential building. What right do you have to conduct a room check here?”

“How can you not trust the police? Are you hiding something? Open the door, quickly!” Chen Erpao deliberately raised his voice.

Wang Xuemei was at a loss. After all, she was just a young woman, and these days, it wasn’t unheard of for criminals to impersonate police officers and rob people at home.

At that moment, Chen Erpao’s figure flashed through her mind.

“Got it!” Wang Xuemei giggled quietly to herself.

“Officer, I’m telling you, my boyfriend lives right across the hall. If you don’t believe me, go knock on his door. I’ll only open up when he answers—then I’ll feel safe.”

Upon hearing this, Chen Erpao nearly fainted from exasperation, but he couldn’t help feeling a rare sense of happiness as well.

Noticing that it was getting late and they still had to get breakfast, he decided to stop the game and called out loudly, “Who are you calling your boyfriend?”

Wang Xuemei recognized the familiar tone, her face lighting up with delight before turning instantly to a mask of annoyance. She flung the door open with a huff.

“Hmph, I’m calling a pig my boyfriend,” she declared loudly, putting on a stern face.

“Alright, alright, it’s all my fault, okay? I just wanted to cheer you up today, so I thought I’d play a little trick,” Chen Erpao said, lowering his head with a sigh.

Wang Xuemei had been angry, but at these words, her anger vanished, replaced by a touch of gratitude. Even though she suspected Chen Erpao was just making it up, a young girl’s heart is so easily satisfied.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t know you—” Wang Xuemei started, but Chen Erpao cut her off.

“No need for all that. Just buy me breakfast and we’ll call it even.”

“Deal!” That morning, a radiant smile bloomed on Wang Xuemei’s face.

After a simple breakfast, the two set off on the motorcycle.

Wang Xuemei sat behind Chen Erpao, her cheeks flushing as she shyly wrapped her arms around his sturdy waist, holding on tightly.

In that moment, she felt as though a mountain stood between her and all the world’s storms. Gazing at the broad back in front of her, an involuntary smile curled at the corners of her lips.