The Person I Love Who Has Been Missing For Three Years - Chapter 43

Chapter 43: Being Pinned Down and Forcefully Kissed Like That…

Dinner was not peaceful because of the two chattering people.

Song Xiangwan talked about things happening on the show, who tried to snatch someone else’s spot, or who argued with staff over an unsatisfactory costume and makeup.

Initially, her core idea was to show that this circle is so annoying, I don’t want to be in it anymore.

Unexpectedly, Ming Jin didn’t respond at all. Instead, Lin Rong was enthusiastic: “Really? That sounds quite interesting.”

Song Xiangwan: “…” What part of that was interesting?

“When you shoot costume dramas, can you really fly around in the air?” Lin Rong asked with genuine curiosity.

“Yes, although half of it is a green screen, we still have to be hoisted up by wires. It’s so dangerous. The first time we saw it, a wire actually snapped.”

“Sometimes we have to jump down directly from tens of meters up, secured by just one rope. It’s genuinely dangerous.”

The core idea: It’s very dangerous.

Ming Jin quietly ate her meal with her eyes lowered. Lin Rong, however, continued the conversation: “Free bungee jumping. Sounds like a lot of fun.”

Song Xiangwan: “…”

“Are you afraid of heights? Do you like bungee jumping?” Lin Rong continued to ask.

“I’m not afraid of heights,” Song Xiangwan shook her head. “But… I’m not overly fond of extreme sports like that…”

“Want to try it?” Lin Rong looked at her, her arched eyebrows slightly raised, clearly trying to tempt her.

“Ignore her,” Ming Jin picked up a shrimp and placed it in Song Xiangwan’s bowl. “Eat quickly, or the food will get cold.”

“What do you mean, ignore me? CEO Ming, I’m a guest, after all,” Lin Rong’s tone rose slightly, showing some displeasure.

“Haven’t you already considered yourself the host?” Ming Jin wouldn’t be stopped by a single remark from her.

“If you want to bungee jump or skydive, find a professional organization. Write your will before you go, and you are not allowed to take Wanwan with you,” Ming Jin stated.

Song Xiangwan was very obedient and nodded repeatedly: “Yes, yes, yes, I won’t go.”

“It’s so boring going alone…” Lin Rong mumbled softly, poking the rice in her bowl with her chopsticks.

She tentatively said: “Xiangwan, next time you film a costume drama, can you let me try the feeling of being harnessed to a wire?”

“Wait, you haven’t even been harnessed to a wire, yet you’re thinking about bungee jumping and skydiving?” Song Xiangwan clearly felt that this person was unreliable.

“She’s very timid. She wouldn’t dare,” Ming Jin said softly. “She’s been running away from home for two years, and she has only a few plans, none of which she has been able to implement.”

“Who says I haven’t?” Lin Rong raised an eyebrow. “Running away from home—isn’t that bold?”

“If you’re like this, I really wouldn’t feel comfortable entrusting Ah-Yan to you. It’s a wise decision that Ah-Yan doesn’t like you,” Ming Jin said flatly.

Lin Rong, the only daughter of the Lin family, was raised in the palm of their hand from childhood, educated strictly according to etiquette and rules, a paradigm of a wealthy socialite.

When Ming Jin investigated Lin Rong’s identity, she was astonished. On one hand, her background was immense; on the other, the rumored Miss Lin was supposed to be beautiful and intelligent. How was she such an unreliable, seemingly eccentric person?

Over the past two years, Ming Jin gradually understood.

The Lin family managed her too tightly, making her rebellious. She was like a horse that had broken out of the stable, impossible to rein in, galloping wildly out of control.

While Ming Jin did not prevent Lin Rong from liking Xu Zhiyan, she never thought about facilitating their relationship.

Lin Rong was kind-hearted, but her state of mind was uncertain.

Her current affection didn’t seem like genuine love; it seemed like rebellion.

She was forbidden to climb high places before, so now she aspired to extreme sports and even bought a flashy, obnoxious purple Porsche.

Whether her affection for Xu Zhiyan was genuine or just a way to express her rebellion, Ming Jin couldn’t figure out.

None of this was important to Song Xiangwan. She wasn’t interested in this Dr. Lin and had no intention of trying any extreme sports.

Her main point was that she originally wanted to talk about the dangers of the entertainment industry to lay the groundwork for her plan to leave, but she had been completely sidetracked by this Dr. Lin.

After dinner, Song Xiangwan followed the wheelchair and squeezed into Ming Jin’s bedroom.

She scanned the room. The bedroom had been modified, adding many auxiliary handrails, and the height of the desks and cabinets had been changed.

She noted it down, planning to ask Cao Xin to find a construction team to tear down and refit Clear Water Bay tomorrow.

“Done looking? Can you go back and rest now?” Ming Jin’s voice interrupted her thoughts.

“This bed is huge, bigger than the hospital bed. I like this bed,” Song Xiangwan plopped onto the bed, staring eagerly at Ming Jin.

“Then I’ll sleep in the guest room,” Ming Jin wasn’t flustered. She turned and wheeled herself toward the door.

“Ah-Jin…” Song Xiangwan immediately stood up, her eyes moist as she looked at Ming Jin, like a small, pitiful, abandoned animal.

After working in the entertainment industry for so many years, her acting skills were always up to par, and she knew exactly how to manipulate Ming Jin’s heart.

But this time, Ming Jin didn’t seem to soften, nor did she give her a chance: “You sleep in the guest room, or I’ll sleep in the guest room. Your choice.”

Her tone was flat, but the fingers gripping the armrest of the wheelchair tightened slightly. She certainly craved the gentleness in Song Xiangwan’s arms, but Song Xiangwan’s health was more important.

Her body was weak now and needed rest. Sleeping with Ming Jin would require her to attend to Ming Jin’s discomfort, and she wouldn’t get a proper night’s sleep. How could that be acceptable?

Once a matter of principle was involved, no amount of coaxing from Song Xiangwan would work.

So, in the end, she sheepishly left and returned to her own room.

She took a shower, dried her hair, and sprawled out on the bed like a star, staring blankly at the ceiling for a long time.

It was still early, so she suddenly sat up, pulled a random script from her bag, and scurried down the stairs.

“I know, I know, I’ll be careful on the stairs.” Although she said this, her speed didn’t slow down as she rushed past.

The hem of her nightgown fluttered in the breeze. Her hair carried a faint floral scent mixed with water vapor, fresh and pleasant, like passing through a spring morning flower patch.

Her face held a joyous excitement. Her light, nimble footsteps scurried past Sister Qiu.

Sister Qiu stood on the second-floor corridor, leaning on the railing, watching Song Xiangwan run quickly toward Ming Jin’s door. Her dark hair cascaded down her back like a thick, dense waterfall. The ends swayed gently, partially concealing the outline of her slender waist.

Sister Qiu couldn’t help but be slightly stunned, and then the corners of her lips curled up.

She seemed to understand why Ming Jin would like this Miss Song. The entire house was like a dormant cemetery where a single red rose had suddenly bloomed.

Stunningly beautiful, captivating, firmly drawing the attention of everyone around.

Who wouldn’t want to pluck such a gorgeous and moving flower?

Ming Jin didn’t want to right now. She just felt like this flower was rooted beside her, impossible to chase away.

She did knock, but she didn’t wait for Ming Jin to say “come in.” She just pushed the door open. No one in the entire Ming family had ever dared to be so presumptuous.

Then, she hopped onto the bed with a script: “The light in my room isn’t bright enough. It’s brighter here. I’ll read the script here for a while.”

Ming Jin: “…” She wasn’t aware that the light in her room was so bright.

It was still early, so Ming Jin didn’t immediately turn her away. She opened the files on her side and began reading through them one by one.

Time slowly passed. Song Xiangwan, noticing in her periphery that Ming Jin wasn’t looking at her, subtly scooted closer to her.

Then, she scooted closer again, without showing any emotion.

Ming Jin looked up, and Song Xiangwan immediately buried her head, pretending to be engrossed in studying the script.

A mischievous cat, when discovered, pretends to stretch innocently…

Ming Jin didn’t expose her. She lowered her eyes and continued to read the documents seriously.

Occasionally, she used her pen to circle a few numbers within the text.

Song Xiangwan had scooted right up next to her, quietly leaning her head over: “What are you reading?”

Ming Jin looked up, her light brown eyes clear and shallow, resting on that face: “Don’t push your luck.”

“Is it classified? Can’t I look?” Song Xiangwan was unfazed. She crawled forward a bit, leaning close to Ming Jin. “Don’t worry, I won’t look.”

“When I said ‘don’t push your luck,’ I wasn’t referring to this,” Ming Jin said helplessly. “A moment ago you were on that side of the bed, and now you’ve already crawled over here…”

“Really? No, I don’t know what you mean.” The classic trio of feigned ignorance.

Ming Jin slightly adjusted her sitting posture, increasing the distance between herself and Song Xiangwan: “If you want to stay here, be a little more disciplined.”

However, the person would not be disciplined. She shifted again, moving closer to Ming Jin: “Isn’t leaning on the pillow uncomfortable? Why don’t you lean on me?”

As she spoke, one hand reached out and settled restlessly on the area of Ming Jin’s lower back, gently applying pressure and massaging.

The fingers gripping the document instantly tightened. The pen, intended to circle data, veered, leaving a crooked, caterpillar-like line on the paper.

“Should I lighten the pressure?” Song Xiangwan lowered her voice immediately.

She didn’t dare to use any force. This person was like a cracked porcelain piece; one light touch, just one, and she might shatter.

But based on her experience from the past few days, if the stiff muscles could be rubbed out before sleep, Ming Jin could sleep soundly for a while.

She slowed her pressure, and as she prepared to continue, her wrist was seized. Ming Jin said in a low voice: “I’ve said it many times. Don’t you understand?”

She forcefully pulled Song Xiangwan’s hand away. The force was heavy, and it pulled across her lower back, a jolt of pain like an electric shock that made her entire spine tingle.

But she showed no expression of pain, only her face was frighteningly dark: “I don’t need you to do these things.”

“You only need to stick to the content of the contract and do what you’re supposed to do.”

Her jaw seemed to tremble slightly, a faint clicking sound, then her lips were sealed, instantly enveloped by the faint floral scent.

“You…” A slightly angry voice escaped Ming Jin’s lips. “Song Xiangwan…”

The sound was incoherent, swallowed between her teeth. Because she opened her mouth for those few words, Song Xiangwan’s tongue immediately slid in.

Ming Jin didn’t dare to clench her teeth, afraid of hurting Song Xiangwan.

Her whole body was firmly restrained. She lifted her head, her lips slightly parted, helplessly allowing that force to invade, sweeping away the air, stirring up a faint wet sound.

Song Xiangwan ended the kiss, pressing her thumb against the slightly pale corner of Ming Jin’s mouth, gently wiping away the moisture, and said softly: “Ah-Jin…”

The end of her voice rose and lingered, full of lingering charm, similar to the tone she used when begging for forgiveness and coaxing Ming Jin years ago.

“You’ve done this, and you still dare to coax me?” Ming Jin’s voice was uneven, and her chest heaved violently.

How dare she? How dare she?

In her entire life, CEO Ming had never been pinned down and forcefully kissed like this.

Ming Jin felt her heart racing rapidly. She didn’t know why—was it anger, or something else…

Song Xiangwan knew she had gone too far. She looked at Ming Jin with an obedient expression, cautiously placing her hand on Ming Jin’s chest to soothe her breathing: “Are you okay?”

“Don’t be angry, how about…”

She paused, then finished her sentence: “How about you kiss me back? I promise I won’t resist.”

Ming Jin felt her vision go dark, then dark again.

She still remembered the first time, when Song Xiangwan trembled all over with nervousness, looking at her timidly, like a lamb awaiting slaughter.

It seemed she had been spoiled for too long. At some point, the little lamb had climbed onto her, turning into a big bad wolf.

Of course, Ming Jin couldn’t kiss her back. She closed her eyes to regulate her breathing for a while. When she opened her eyes again, the light brown irises were calm.

“Get out,” a flat voice, a voice that pushed people away a thousand miles.

Song Xiangwan didn’t move.

Ming Jin, however, sat up, reaching for the wheelchair by the bed.

This action pulled a sharp, tearing pain. Her breath hitched, an involuntary sound of painful endurance.

“Slow down! What are you doing?” Song Xiangwan’s heart clenched. She quickly embraced Ming Jin’s waist.

But Ming Jin didn’t stop moving. She managed to drag the wheelchair closer, closed her eyes to bear the wave of pain, and said coldly: “Either you leave, or I leave.”

Chased out, Song Xiangwan left the room, but she couldn’t help but gently purse her lips.

She had wanted to do that for a long time—just disregard everything and kiss her…

But having done it, she was now worried about Ming Jin’s heart.

She hurried over to knock on Lin Rong’s door. There was no response from inside. Song Xiangwan knocked twice more. Just as she was considering breaking down the door, it opened from the inside.

Lin Rong was wearing apricot-yellow loungewear, her legs casually crossed, leaning languidly against the doorframe. The glass she held contained amber-colored liquor, and a faint smell of alcohol hung in the air.

She gently rotated her fingers. The ice cubes in the glass rattled softly against the rim, making a crisp sound.

Drinking late at night—Ming Jin was right, she was not normal.

Song Xiangwan didn’t comment. She just said, “Dr. Lin, please go check on Ah-Jin.”

“What’s wrong?” Lin Rong’s arched eyebrow lifted. Seeing the redness on Song Xiangwan’s lips, she leaned closer. “Oh, what’s this…”

Song Xiangwan flinched back, lightly wiping her lips with her thumb, and whispered, “It’s nothing. Please go check. I’m worried…”

“Relax, she’s fine,” Lin Rong smiled. “Her tolerance is stronger than you think.”

She was so enduring normally; this kind of thing wouldn’t be enough to knock down CEO Ming.

“But if you’re worried, I’ll go check.” Lin Rong casually shoved the glass into Song Xiangwan’s hand, adjusted her clothes, and went downstairs.

But she didn’t forget to remind her on her way out: “Don’t secretly drink my wine. Put it back on the table for me.”

The wine glass in her palm felt cold.

Song Xiangwan still had a dull ache in her stomach and wouldn’t be foolish enough to drink alcohol.

She walked in with the glass, placing it on the table in Lin Rong’s room. Her eyes scanned the room, noticing an open bottle of wine and scattered medicine boxes on the table.

She had no intention of prying into private matters. She didn’t look closely, turning to leave, and waited by the door.

She didn’t wait long before Lin Rong returned. With a wave of her hand, she said, “It’s nothing. Go back to sleep.”

Recalling the suppressed patience in Ming Jin’s expression and her obviously fluctuating heart rate, Lin Rong smiled, patting Song Xiangwan’s shoulder as she walked past: “Keep up the good work.”

This vibrant person was stirring up the stagnant water, and for the current Ming Jin, this was a good thing.

Song Xiangwan slept very well that night, so well that she had a dream.

It might have been certain memories stirred up after not tasting a kiss for a long time.

It seemed to be in the bed at Clear Water Bay. The scent diffuser on the table slowly spread a sweet, sensual aroma. The projector light flickered on the screen.

Song Xiangwan reached for the remote control by the bedside: “Turn off the projector…”

But the words had barely left her mouth before they were suppressed by a heavy breath. The fingers clenching the remote control were curled and pale.

Her wrists trembled slightly. Intense heat radiated from their entwined skin. She loosened her grip, and the remote control fell.

A light kiss landed on her forehead. She was completely embraced. Ming Jin’s voice, accompanied by heavy breathing, whispered into her ear: “No, don’t turn it off. This way there’s light.”

The light from the projector was hazy, making things indistinct. In the blur, contours were vaguely visible, like shadows plated with a soft glow.

She felt like she was drowning in Ming Jin’s voice, confusedly dragged into the giant waves. Ming Jin’s cool fingers pushed her to the point of no retreat.

The CEO Ming who was so proper in public tore off that cold, detached mask in bed, burning her like she was tumbling in a heatwave.

Song Xiangwan lifted her head, gently kissed her neck, then lightly pressed her teeth, not using much force, her tongue circling slightly.

Her hair was damp, sticking to her back. Song Xiangwan sharply gasped and opened her eyes.

It wasn’t entirely a dream. She was truly drenched in sweat, feeling sticky all over.

The air lacked Ming Jin’s scent, and she felt insecure. She reached for the other pillow on the bed.

She pulled it into her arms, hugging it tightly, curling up, completely wrapping the pillow in her legs.

She wondered if it was her imagination. When she pressed her nose against it, she thought she smelled a faint, elusive aroma inside the pillow core, very similar to Ming Jin’s scent. But if she tried to smell it closely, it wasn’t there—it was fleeting, vanishing after a slight touch on her nose.

“Ah-Jin…” She couldn’t help but whisper. She gently rubbed against the pillow in her arms.

In the past three years, she had occasionally had dreams like this. A long dream, followed by an empty bed upon waking, which left her with a subtle sense of detachment.

Today’s kiss felt like it had lit a fuse. She couldn’t control it. She missed Ming Jin, very intensely.

She missed her so much that her whole body felt hot and feverish, her heart hollow with emptiness, and her eyes were slightly red.

Song Xiangwan got up, turned on the shower, closed her eyes, and let the water run over her for several minutes from head to toe. She shivered slightly, shaking herself awake.

When she woke up the next morning, Ming Jin didn’t seem to be awake yet.

She didn’t disturb Ming Jin. She quickly ate breakfast and went out.

To the hospital, for the IV drip.

She had eaten this breakfast in a hurry, not wanting Ming Jin to wake up and notice.

A few bottles of medication would take at least two to three hours. There was no need for Ming Jin to suffer the inconvenience of accompanying her.

Of course, what she didn’t know was that Ming Jin had been awake for a long time. She hadn’t slept well last night, tossing and turning because of that burning kiss.

It was like being submerged in the deep sea, a tranquility that made her want to sink into it, into Song Xiangwan’s attempt to reconcile.

But she held onto a fraction of her sanity. She couldn’t. She mustn’t…

In the end, she managed to suppress her thoughts and spent the night looking at documents.

The consequence was dizziness when she woke up early. The persistent low blood pressure worsened again.

When she forced herself to stand up, she almost fell out of bed. Later, she called Lin Rong, not daring to move again.

Lin Rong performed a basic check, recorded the data to the cloud, and said: “I recommend you take some medication today to control your blood pressure. Don’t go anywhere. Get proper rest.”

“Has she left?” Ming Jin asked, pressing her fingers against her forehead, trying to alleviate the dizziness.

She didn’t want Song Xiangwan to know, so she hadn’t made a sound even when she almost fell off the bed.

Lin Rong couldn’t help but sigh. She truly couldn’t do anything about this person.

“She left. She left a while ago. Said she was going for an IV drip this morning and rehearsal at the Central Dance Academy this afternoon. She won’t be back all day. You can rest properly,” Lin Rong said.

“Are you not going to see the psychologist?” Ming Jin frowned, sounding slightly displeased. “You can’t keep putting it off…”

Even at this moment, she remembered this matter.

Ming Jin stood up, reaching for the wheelchair beside her.

“What else are you doing?” Lin Rong was startled and quickly reached out to support her. “The psychologist is scheduled for tonight. She said she’d be back by then.”

“I apologize. I genuinely don’t have the strength. Please help me,” Ming Jin, rarely, asked for help in front of an outsider.

Lin Rong couldn’t help but slightly frown: “Are you going out?”

“Going to the company. There’s a meeting today,” Ming Jin’s tone was flat, as if this matter wasn’t worth much attention.

“The young lady said before she left…” Lin Rong began, meeting a pair of cold eyes.

Ming Jin was seated in the wheelchair, her expression normal. Aside from her overly pale complexion, there was no sign that she was enduring pain or resisting dizziness.

She pointed to the documents by the bed: “Dr. Lin, please help me take those out to the car. Thank you.”

A stack of documents, all financial reports of Ming Corporation.

Lin Rong’s eyelid twitched. No wonder she was in poor spirits—did she stay up all night reading files?

However… Xu Zhiyan had said before leaving that if Ming Jin had the energy, she could represent her at the meeting. If she didn’t have enough energy, the meeting could be canceled.

Moreover, when Xu Zhiyan was around, no one dared to put documents in front of Ming Jin.

Lin Rong glanced around. Ming Jin wasn’t paying attention to her.

She quickly flipped through a few pages of the documents. She had also been trained as an heir to the Lin family, so she naturally understood them.

The deceit in these documents and the piercing accuracy of Ming Jin’s annotations.

With Ming Jin recuperating and Xu Zhiyan being inexperienced these past two years, the company had seen a lot of internal deception.

Lin Rong flipped through a few documents and guessed Ming Jin’s intention.

She intended to create a commotion today. While Xu Zhiyan was present, Ming Jin couldn’t fully flex her muscles.

She wanted to take advantage of Xu Zhiyan’s absence to completely overhaul the company.

With swift and decisive action, she would heavily punish a group of people, then leave room for Xu Zhiyan to grant favor upon her return, allowing Xu Zhiyan to win people over.

It was a standard tactic used by a former leader to pave the way for the next one.

Ming Jin’s plan was thorough and without fault, except that she never factored in her own physical condition.

Lin Rong wanted to stop her, but this Buddha was a formidable warrior. She couldn’t be stopped.