MGASC -Chapter 233 I’m Already Like This, and You’re Still Bullying Me

“But… there’s only one quilt?”

Zhang Ling couldn’t imagine how they were supposed to sleep at night. Was he going to sleep in the living room?

Jin Quan snorted. “I’m a single man. If I had two quilts, you’d start overthinking again… Come here. What, are you glued to the wall?”

He had already made the bed for her, yet she was still standing there shyly twisting about, which made him anxious.

He strode over, grabbed her wrist, pulled her closer, and pressed her down onto the bed.

“Hurry up. Take off your clothes and go to sleep! If you don’t move, I will! I’m not exactly gentle…”

Zhang Ling was already dizzy and feverish. Being scolded by him like that made her so angry she felt like her IQ had been completely overtaken by rage.

“Can you go out first?” she said, pressing a hand to her collar, her face as red as an apple.

Jin Quan really had no way with her. He turned and walked out. “Hurry up!”

Taking advantage of his absence, Zhang Ling quickly stripped off her coat, padded pants, and socks. After a moment’s thought, she removed her sweater too, leaving only a light pink thermal top and bottoms. She refused to take off anything more.

Luckily, her thermals were new—no holes, no patches.

In the past few months, Qiao Qiao had paid her a decent salary, so she’d bought some new underclothes. Otherwise, Jin Quan would have laughed at her to death.

Just as she was about to lift the quilt, Jin Quan came back in, carrying a basin of hot water with an old towel draped over his shoulder.

He set the enamel basin on the floor, lifted her slender calves, and placed her feet into the water.

Startled, Zhang Ling cried out, “You… what are you doing?”

“Washing your feet,” Jin Quan said, his rough hands pressing her delicate feet under the water. He glanced up at her with a half-smile. “What did you think? You’re burning like a hot-water bottle right now. Even if I wanted to do anything, I’d have to wait until you’re better. I don’t want you passing it on to me.”

He naturally scooped water over her calves. The heat made her shrink back, but the hand in the water wasn’t exactly well-behaved either, gripping and rubbing her foot, the calluses on his palm scraping lightly against her skin.

Zhang Ling’s face burned. Her heart felt like a tightly drawn string, with a tiny insect crawling over it, making her itch inside.

“I… I can wash them myself…”

She bent forward, trying to reclaim control, but he shoved her back impatiently. “Forget it. Once you’re better, even if you beg me to serve you, I won’t.”

This was undoubtedly the most torturous foot wash Zhang Ling had ever had.

The water was so hot that her forehead began to bead with sweat.

When she finished, Jin Quan wiped her feet with the old towel and lifted her legs back onto the bed. “You sleep first.”

He pulled over a stool and, using the same water, took off his own shoes and socks to soak his feet.

Zhang Ling’s eyes didn’t know where to look.

In the end, she simply turned over, lay down, and pulled the quilt over her head, pretending to be dead.

Drowsy from the medicine, she was just about to fall asleep when she felt the bed dip on one side. The quilt was lifted, and suddenly the space beside her was filled with the strong scent of male hormones and a solid, masculine body.

The bed was old. As soon as Jin Quan lay down and turned over, it creaked loudly a few times.

When his big hand draped across her waist, Zhang Ling instantly woke up.

Heat shot up her back. Her nerves tightened, and her whole body went rigid.

“Go to sleep. If anything’s wrong, call me.”

After saying that, he didn’t move again. Within five minutes, the steady sound of his breathing signaled he was fast asleep.

Zhang Ling didn’t dare move either, afraid of waking him. She lay there stiffly—and somehow ended up falling asleep too.

In the middle of the night, she woke from the heat.

Her whole body was drenched in sweat. Her throat burned painfully. Not just her throat—her body and even her bones ached, especially her lower back, which felt like it was about to break.

At first, Zhang Ling tried to endure it. But between the sweat and the pain, she finally couldn’t hold it in anymore and began to cry softly.

The moment she made a sound, the man behind her woke up instantly. The bedside lamp clicked on.

“What’s wrong?”

He pulled her over to face him. The light was too bright; Zhang Ling raised a hand to shield her eyes. Sweat had dampened her hair, sticking it to her forehead. The tip of her nose was red, and she sniffled now and then. The sight made Jin Quan anxious. He pulled her hand away and felt a jolt in his chest.

Her eyes were brimming with tears.

“Talk to me. What’s wrong?” Jin Quan straddled her legs, shaking her arm, then pressed a hand to her forehead, afraid she’d burned herself silly.

“It hurts…”

“Where?”

“Everywhere…”

Zhang Ling sobbed pitifully like a child. Her clothes were soaked through with sweat. When she reached toward her lower back, Jin Quan flipped her over so she lay on her stomach and lifted the hem of her snug thermal top.

Within his sight was her snow-white, slender back, flushed and damp with heat. On either side of her lower back were two small dimples, and near the edge on the right was a faint bruise.

He pressed his palm there and rubbed gently. “Here?”

She whimpered. He eased his strength and rubbed a little more. “How about now? Better?”

Her crying seemed to lessen. With her face buried in the pillow, she nodded faintly.

Jin Quan patiently continued to massage her.

It was the middle of the night, when the body longed most for sleep. His body was still heavy with drowsiness, but his mind grew more and more alert at the springlike sight before him.

As he rubbed, his attention drifted upward.

A narrow purple bra strap stretched across her back, fastened with two small metal hooks, snug against her skin, outlining alluring curves.

He found the waistband in the way and tugged it down slightly.

A fair hand reached back to cover the curve of her waist. “Don’t…”

“Be good.”

It was useless. He moved her hand aside.

The area he was massaging gradually widened.

In his view were her pale, delicate hands and her slender waist, dipping at its narrowest point before curving into fuller lines.

The more he looked, the more awake he felt.

His rough hand moved to her shoulder. “Does this hurt?”

Then to her leg. “Here?”

He turned her over again to face him.

Truthfully, there were other places he wanted to massage even more. But when he met her aggrieved, reddened eyes, his throat tightened.

Zhang Ling whimpered, full of resentment. “Wuwu… Are you even human? I’m already like this, and you’re still bullying me…”

Jin Quan replied, “Search your conscience. Is this bullying?”

Wasn’t she the one who said she hurt all over?

Fine. He stopped.

He jumped off the bed and went into the bathroom.

Only then did Zhang Ling notice he was wearing nothing but a pair of boxer shorts.

His upper body was defined with eight neat abdominal muscles, broad shoulders, a strong narrow waist, and long, powerful legs that looked as if they held endless strength.

Even in her groggy state, she found herself staring all the way from the room to the doorway.

Men really were different from one another.

Xu Liang didn’t look bad either—but once he took off his clothes, he was nothing but a rack of ribs…

Less than five minutes later, Jin Quan returned. In his hand was a steaming hot towel. Sitting beside her, he lifted and tugged her until her head rested on his thigh.

Then the hot towel pressed against her face—scalding, blazing.

His movements were rough. In a few quick strokes, he wiped her face and hair.

The towel was still hot. He moved to wipe her exposed neck, sliding down along the collar of her clothes.