Chapter 387: Nosebleed

When the three of them emerged from the mall, their arms were full of shopping bags.

Lin Xiaoyue walked between the two men, her heart soaring. Her extreme delight wasn’t just because she had bought pretty clothes, but because she realized that apart from her grandfather, someone else in this world genuinely cared for her.

“I’ll take you back now and pick you up tomorrow morning at seven,” Yang Xun said. He drove the pair back to their breakfast shop, helped them carry their belongings inside, and then drove away.

When he returned to the Xu Family Villa, it was just past noon.

Yang Xun changed into his slippers and walked toward the living room. Before he even reached the doorway, he heard a burst of lively chatter. Peeking inside, he saw Zhao Linglong and Yang Cai sitting on the sofa, huddled together over a phone and giggling periodically.

“Yang Xun! You’re back!” Yang Cai was the first to spot him. She put down her phone and waved at him. “Linglong is here!”

Zhao Linglong was wearing a lake-blue dress with a hem that stopped at her mid-thigh. Her waist looked slender enough to grasp with a single hand, and her long, pitch-black hair cascaded loosely over her shoulders. The young woman exuded a mix of pure innocence and alluring charm, which inevitably made Yang Xun recall the two nights they had shared a bed. If it weren’t for her physical condition, he would have devoured her long ago. He certainly wouldn’t have waited until now.

“Xun,” she called out, her voice dripping with sweetness.

“How is your dad doing?” Yang Xun asked, quickly banishing the inappropriate images from his mind.

“Much better! He’s fully recovered now and has already returned to work at the company, so I sneaked out to have some fun for a few days,” Zhao Linglong replied with a smile.

“That’s good,” Yang Xun nodded.

Sitting off to the side, Yang Cai darted her gaze back and forth between the two of them a few times before suddenly jumping to her feet. “Oh, right! I have some soup simmering in the kitchen. I should go check on it.” With that, she dashed off in a flash.

Yang Xun and Zhao Linglong were the only ones left in the living room.

Zhao Linglong shuffled a bit closer to Yang Xun. Her cheeks flushed red as she whispered, “Xun, the thing we talked about before… when does it start?”

“Whenever I find a suitable time. If you’re not leaving right away, there’s no need to rush.” Yang Xun reasoned that if they did it at the house, they might make too much noise and be overheard. It seemed he would have to book a hotel room for them instead.

After lunch, the two young women went out to have fun.

Murong Wei had her people deliver the medicinal herbs, so Yang Xun began refining the Abstinence Pills. Despite a whole afternoon of hard work, the refinement process completely failed, and he had no idea why. By the time he looked up, the sky outside had already turned dark. He had no choice but to give up for the time being.

Now that the couple’s relationship was growing deeper, they slept in the same room every night.

When Yang Xun returned to the bedroom, Xu Yue was leaning against the headboard, reading a book. She was dressed in a light gray silk nightgown that exposed her pale shoulders and delicate collarbones. Her long, pitch-black hair tumbled loosely over her shoulders, giving her an aura of soft, lazy elegance.

“Done with work?” Xu Yue put down her book and looked up at him.

Yang Xun walked over and sat on the edge of the bed. He reached out to gently embrace her shoulders. “Were you tired today?”

“I’m alright. Things have just been a little hectic at the company lately,” Xu Yue said, leaning into his embrace. Her voice carried a faint, lethargic hum. “But seeing you makes me feel a lot less exhausted.”

Yang Xun pressed a kiss to her forehead before leaning further down to capture her lips. Xu Yue’s response was gentle and natural. Her fingers lightly gripped the hem of his shirt as she deepened the kiss. The warm yellow light cast their intertwined shadows against the wall, swaying slowly with their movements.

The atmosphere gradually heated up. Yang Xun’s breathing grew heavy as his palms caressed and kneaded her smooth skin.

“Mmm…” Xu Yue tilted her head back slightly. Her eyelashes fluttered as soft, breathy moans slipped from her lips.

However, just as Yang Xun was about to take things a step further, he suddenly felt a rush of warm, sticky liquid welling up inside his nose. He paused in surprise. Before he could react, drops of bright red liquid splattered onto Xu Yue’s snow-white shoulder.

Noticing the anomaly, Xu Yue opened her eyes and glanced down at her shoulder. “You’re getting a nosebleed!” she exclaimed.

Only then did Yang Xun belatedly reach up to wipe his face, his fingertips coming away stained bright red.

“I’m probably just suffering from a bit of stress and inflammation lately. It’s nothing.” He rolled over and sat up, grabbing a tissue to pinch against his nose. He tilted his head back, his voice muffled by the tissue.

Xu Yue sat up beside him. She pulled out a few more tissues and handed them over, her brow furrowing with concern. “Have you been pushing yourself too hard lately? Between the business trip, preparing to open the new clinic, and running to the bathhouse every single day, how could your body possibly handle it? You should go to the hospital tomorrow to get checked out.”

“I’m a doctor myself. I don’t need to go to a hospital,” Yang Xun replied, flashing his white teeth. With a wad of tissue stuffed up his nostril, he leaned down to try and kiss her again.

“No way. Stop messing around for tonight,” Xu Yue said, quickly pushing him away with a worried expression.

“I’m honestly fine.” Yang Xun swapped the bloody tissue out for a fresh one, and his nosebleed soon stopped.

He leaned against the headboard with his head tilted slightly back. Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed Xu Yue still sitting next to him. Her beautiful eyes were fixed on him unblinking, as if she were afraid he would collapse at any second.

“Don’t look at me like that. I’m honestly fine.” He couldn’t help but chuckle. “I’ve just been too busy lately. Once Yangyuan Residence is up and running, I’ll take a couple of days off to rest, and I’ll be good as new.”

Seeing that he truly didn’t look seriously ill, Xu Yue finally relaxed a little. Still, she reached out to brush a stray lock of hair from his forehead. “Then you need to go to sleep early tonight. No staying up late.”

“As you command, my lovely wife,” Yang Xun said, obediently lying down and turning on his side to look at her.

Even if they couldn’t do anything else, he still wanted to hold Xu Yue’s soft body in his arms. The two lay side by side, their breathing gradually evening out into a steady rhythm. As Yang Xun closed his eyes, he could still taste the faint, coppery tang of blood lingering in his nasal cavity. He couldn’t help but feel genuinely puzzled by the sudden nosebleed.

At seven the next morning, Yang Xun punctually parked his car in front of Lin Youfu’s breakfast shop.

Lin Xiaoyue was wearing the new white floral dress she had bought the day before. With her hair tied up in a high ponytail and her brand-new backpack slung over her shoulders, she radiated an aura of pure, vibrant youth. Lin Youfu had also made a special effort, changing into a brand-new dark gray jacket and combing his hair neatly into place.

As soon as she saw Yang Xun’s car pull up, a bright smile bloomed on Lin Xiaoyue’s face. “Yang!”

“Hop in.” Yang Xun stepped out to help her load her suitcase into the trunk, then opened the passenger door for the old man. “Grandpa Lin, you should sit up front. It’ll be more comfortable.”

The car pulled away, driving smoothly in the direction of Zhonghai University.

The university gates were bustling with people. Most were freshmen and their parents dragging heavy suitcases and carrying bulging backpacks, while numerous upperclassmen stood by holding brightly colored orientation signs. As Yang Xun’s car slowly pulled over to the side of the road, the five-million-yuan luxury vehicle instantly drew countless eyes. Looking at the campus, he was reminded of his own long-lost dream of attending university. Sadly, he had missed his chance—a regret that would stay with him for a lifetime.

The three of them stepped out of the car. Lin Xiaoyue looked up, her eyes full of curiosity as she took in the grand entrance to the university. She was incredibly beautiful. As the gentle early autumn breeze brushed against her bangs, her eyes crinkled into a sweet, crescent-shaped smile. Bathed in the sunlight, she seemed to glow with a warm, radiant halo, leaving more than a few onlookers absolutely stunned.