Shadowed Love: A Lover Who Refuses to Let Go - Chapter 27.1

The warmth between them gradually spread as their shadows stretched long under the streetlights, entwined. Yin Yunzhu was held tightly by Jiang Menghe, her hesitant hand finally settling on the other woman’s back.

It felt like gathering the faintest traces of moisture, as if the wind and dust had rushed in to settle on their coats.

“So many people are watching.” Unsure of what was happening, she murmured softly against Jiang Menghe’s shoulder.

Hearing this, Jiang Menghe finally loosened her embrace, studying Yin Yunzhu’s face with visible relief. “Why didn’t you take a flight here?”

“It was too crowded, and the distance wasn’t that far, so I drove.” Countless words piled up in her chest, but Yin Yunzhu knew this wasn’t the place for conversation. She let Jiang Menghe lead her inside.

Truthfully, she disliked flying, the constant drone of the engines made her eardrums ache, and it was too easy to miss messages from others.

The fabric of her clothes brushed against the scrapes from her fall, and she let out a muffled groan.

“What’s wrong?” Jiang Menghe turned back, noticing her furrowed brow, and instinctively pushed up her sleeve.

Dried blood had left behind thin, dark brown streaks, several clustered together in a way that tugged at the heart.

“How did this happen?” Jiang Menghe angled her body to get a better look under the light.

“I fell while carrying luggage from the underground parking lot.” The mention of it made Yin Yunzhu even more embarrassed, her voice barely above a whisper.

“At your age, you should watch where you’re going. I’ll get you some medicine.” With that, Jiang Menghe turned to leave but was promptly stopped.

“I already bought some.” Yin Yunzhu said softly, then guiltily averted her gaze. “And some cold medicine for you too.”

Soon after retrieving the medicine, Jiang Menghe carried her suitcase as they entered the room. Once the door was securely closed, Yin Yunzhu turned on the air conditioning, cranking the heat to the highest setting.

“If you hadn’t come, I wouldn’t have even known you were waiting for me at the airport.”

She boiled water, mixed it with mineral water to cool it down, then brought it to the couch, popping out a few of the newly purchased capsules.

Jiang Menghe shed her coat and leaned against the sofa, replying to messages.

“Thanks,” she said, accepting the water and medicine. “I wanted to surprise you, but it turned into more of a scare.”

Steam rose, warming her cheeks, but her face was flushed with an unnatural redness, her voice weak.

The flu had been spreading lately, and many around her had already fallen ill. Dressed too lightly and having traveled for hours, she was numb from the cold.

“How was I supposed to know?” Yin Yunzhu grumbled. “You didn’t exactly seem thrilled about me coming.”

Her tone and attitude at the time had made Yin Yunzhu feel like nothing more than a spoiled, unreasonable canary in a cage.

“Who said that?” Jiang Menghe finished the medicine, then pulled Yin Yunzhu close by the waist, guiding her to the sofa. “It’s colder here than in Quancheng. You just got over a cold, how could you handle the chill?”

Her sweet words came effortlessly, carrying such sincerity that even when her eyes held a cold sharpness, it was hard to doubt her.

“You should’ve told me in advance. If you don’t take credit for your efforts, who’ll notice all the things you do quietly?” Yin Yunzhu stared into her eyes, mischief stirring as she reached up to pinch Jiang Menghe’s cheeks.

Soft and pleasant, without the tautness of someone too thin. She couldn’t resist, growing bolder as she poked a few more times.

Jiang Menghe indulged her, her gaze holding Yin Yunzhu’s curious expression with a fond smile.

Growing self-conscious under the scrutiny, Yin Yunzhu awkwardly withdrew her hand and asked, as if casually.

“Are you leaving soon? It’s already very late.” She glanced out the window at the pitch-black night, dotted with scattered lights along the distant coastline.

With a hint of reluctance and selfishness, she quickly added before the other could respond, “You’re not feeling well, and it’s cold outside. Why don’t you just stay?”

Her words came out urgent, the carefully hidden thoughts surfacing in an instant. Jiang Menghe watched Yin Yunzhu’s flustered speech quietly before suddenly smiling.

“If you behave, I won’t leave.”

The tone sounded like a patron speaking to a lover as if only by being “obedient” could she earn Jiang Menghe’s company and affection.

Instinctively rejecting this dynamic, Yin Yunzhu deliberately defied, “And if I don’t behave?”

“Then I still won’t leave.”

Jiang Menghe picked up the nearby medicine bag, taking Yin Yunzhu’s wrist to carefully tend to her wound. “I want to stay. If you refuse, I’ll just stubbornly remain.”

After packing their things, the two took turns freshening up in the bathroom. The night’s exhaustion weighed heavily on them, and unlike before, they didn’t simply sleep in each other’s arms.

This rare tenderness wasn’t driven by desire but felt more like newborn kittens nestling close, breathing in each other’s familiar scent, foreheads touching as they drifted off.

But by midnight, Yin Yunzhu, holding Jiang Menghe, felt her burning up like a piece of hot iron.

She quickly turned on the bedside lamp, the dim yellow light illuminating the woman beside her. Jiang Menghe’s long lashes fluttered rapidly, her breath thick with congestion. Curled under the covers, she weakly lifted her eyelids at the disturbance.

“What’s wrong?” Yin Yunzhu knelt beside her, patting her cheek.

Getting no response, she hurried barefoot to the TV cabinet, rummaging through the drawer for a thermometer.

“Cold,” Jiang Menghe managed a single word, pulling the blanket higher.

The reading showed 38.3°C, a fever.

With nearby clinics closed and the hospital in the city center, the trip would only worsen Jiang Menghe’s condition. After some thought, Yin Yunzhu grabbed her coat and dashed to the nearest pharmacy for fever reducers.

Returning, she split the small white pill in half and boiled water to a drinkable temperature. Turning back, she saw the bundled figure on the bed, a small mound under the covers.

“Get up and take this.” Yin Yunzhu sat on the edge, helping Jiang Menghe sit up.

Even as she swallowed the pill with a frown, Yin Yunzhu remained uneasy. In her memory, Jiang Menghe had always been composed and self-reliant rarely showing vulnerability.

The woman in her arms exhaled deeply. “Get some rest. We have filming tomorrow.”

“In this state? Give me your phone, I’ll ask for leave.”

Jiang Menghe wanted to argue, but her condition left no room for persuasion. Seeing Yin Yunzhu’s stubborn determination, she finally relented.

“Fine, you win.”

Unlocking her phone, she opened the chat with Ye Xiyang and handed it over.

Playing it safe, Yin Yunzhu requested a day off. But when the reply asked for their location, she hesitated, turning to Jiang Menghe.

“Should we tell her where we are?”

After all, outsiders were involved, and with Jiang Menghe’s public status plus the uproar from last time, another scandal was the last thing they needed.

“Go ahead, Sister Ye knows about you two.” The woman leaned against her shoulder, her eyes fixed on the screen.

A strange feeling welled up inside, like a cube of sugar dissolving in bitter tea, leaving an odd aftertaste. She feared others discovering their relationship yet also dreaded it remaining hidden.

After sending their current address to the other party and setting down her phone, she saw Jiang Menghe smiling softly at her.

“What are you looking at me for?” Yin Yunzhu lowered her onto the bed and covered her face with the blanket.

“Not even allowed to look?” The woman pushed the blanket aside, her slender fingers resting on the edge.

Perhaps illness always made people appear fragile even her hands looked gaunt, almost unrecognizable. Yin Yunzhu held them, crouching by the bed to meet her gaze.

“Can’t sleep?”

Soft light traced her features, her round eyes like fluffy marshmallows when she looked at someone, evoking a sweet warmth in the heart.

“Want to tell me a story?” Jiang Menghe chuckled, tilting her head.

She reached out from under the covers, her fingertips gently tracing Yin Yunzhu’s face from her brows to the bridge of her nose, then to the curve of her lips.

Back when Yin Yunzhu hadn’t yet settled in Quancheng and lived with Shan Songyue and the others, she would often read fairy tales to Yin Xuan when the girl couldn’t sleep.

Prompted by the suggestion, she actually dug up an old recording on her phone.

“I’m professionally qualified for this.” Yin Yunzhu tugged at the blanket and climbed into bed, pressing close to Jiang Menghe, feeling the heat radiating from her.

Yin Yunzhu’s voice was clear and articulate, but under the cover of night, it took on a soothing, drawn-out cadence, lulling the listener toward sleep.

Her eyelids grew heavy, but just as she was about to drift off, a sudden knock echoed from the hallway.

Jiang Menghe startled awake, and the two exchanged a glance. Yin Yunzhu got up, throwing on a coat for modesty, and went to answer the door.

It was Ye Xiyang, whom they’d seen just days before.

The woman’s shoulders were damp, clearly having rushed over in a hurry. The moment she saw Yin Yunzhu, she froze, clearing her throat awkwardly before averting her gaze.

Assuming the two had been engaged in something private, the agent didn’t barge in recklessly.

“Come in, she’s inside.” Flustered, Yin Yunzhu gripped the hem of her coat and stepped aside, as if to prove her innocence.

The warmth of the room was diluted by the chill the uninvited guest brought in, and the leftover water in the paper cup turned cold. Jiang Menghe weakly propped herself up, pressing a hand to her forehead.

“Sister Ye.”

“How could you be so careless?” Ye Xiyang walked past and sat on the sofa.

It didn’t take a genius to guess why she’d fallen ill. As Jiang Menghe’s agent, it was hard not to blame Yin Yunzhu inwardly.

Still, out of courtesy, her words were tactful.

“I’ve already taken medicine. I’ll probably be better by tomorrow, it won’t delay the filming schedule too much,” Jiang Menghe replied.

“I’ve already spoken to the director. Focus on recovering fully before returning to work. Don’t push yourself and risk a relapse from the wind.” Here, Ye Xiyang paused, giving Yin Yunzhu a meaningful look. “Your health comes first. Don’t get carried away playing around, and cut back on those questionable meds.”

Hearing this, Yin Yunzhu nervously twisted her fingers together, staring at the floor.

Ye Xiyang had misunderstood her as having a differentiated gender believing the excuse at the hotel was just a cover and assumed she and Jiang Menghe relied on stimulants for mutual comfort, hence the warning.

If she knew Yin Yunzhu was a Beta, she’d surely advise Jiang Menghe to cut her losses.

But no one would believe such things even if spoken. Yin Yunzhu decided to remain silent, standing quietly by the television.

Pingcheng, located north of Quancheng, had temperatures dropping below zero. Aside from the traffic-jammed roads, hardly a soul could be seen outdoors. The next day, with Jiang Menghe resting at the hotel, Yin Yunzhu didn’t have the chance to go out either.

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