169: Unscrupulous

"No need..." Before Ning Yutong could finish her sentence, Yu Heng had already stood up and sat down on the sofa next to her.

He turned sideways and pressed his hand directly onto the back of her neck.

Ning Yutong's body instantly froze.

Her whole body felt like it had been hit by an electric current, going numb from her neck down to her spine.

"It really is a bit stiff." Yu Heng's voice was very casual. "Does it hurt here?"

"Mm..." Ning Yutong squeezed the sound out of her throat.

She didn't dare move, fearing that moving would make things seem even stranger.

Yu Heng pressed with moderate pressure; his technique was actually quite decent.

Ning Yutong bit her lip, her eyes involuntarily glancing toward the kitchen.

But none of them were paying attention to this side.

She breathed a slight sigh of relief, but her body remained tense.

After massaging for about two or three minutes, Yu Heng's hand slid down her spine a bit and stopped at her shoulder.

Ning Yutong subconsciously swallowed her saliva.

"How about here?" Yu Heng asked.

"A little bit too..." Ning Yutong said.

Her voice was a bit weak.

Yu Heng's hand pressed on her shoulder.

It was going well at first, but then it suddenly started moving downward.

Her pajamas were loose, and his fingers easily slipped inside.

Ning Yutong's entire body shuddered.

"Don't..." she whispered, her voice trembling violently.

Ning Yutong shrank forward, trying to get away, but the sofa was only so big; if she moved any further, she would fall off.

"Yu Heng..." She turned her head to look at him, her eyes filled with pleading.

Yu Heng didn't speak; his only response was to continue his movements.

Ning Yutong bit her lip tight.

"Don't..." she said in a breathy voice, her eyes glancing toward the kitchen again.

Ning Yutong buried her head in a throw pillow, her teeth biting into the fabric.

She felt like she was going crazy.

She knew clearly that there were people in the kitchen, and she knew clearly that this was wrong.

Yu Heng finally spoke.

"Keep it down," he said in her ear, his voice very low. "Don't let them hear you."

Ning Yutong couldn't speak; she could only nod.

——

She struggled like someone drowning.

Her ears were buzzing, her vision was turning white, and every thought had vanished from her mind.

Yu Heng waited for her to recover, and after a long while, Ning Yutong finally relaxed slowly.

She lay on the throw pillow, her face buried in the fabric, not daring to look up.

The sound of cooking in the kitchen stopped, and Shen Yueling's voice came through: "Time to eat."

"Coming," Yu Heng replied, patting Ning Yutong's shoulder. "Go wash your face."

Ning Yutong slowly sat up, her legs still weak.

She kept her head down, not daring to look at him, and hurriedly stood up to go to the bathroom.

Yu Heng looked at her back, the corners of his mouth curling up.

In the bathroom, Ning Yutong turned on the tap and splashed her face with cold water.

The person in the mirror had a flushed face, watery eyes, and lips that were slightly swollen from being bitten.

She covered her face and took several deep breaths.

Once the heat in her face had subsided a bit, she wiped her face and walked out of the bathroom.

In the dining room, Shen Yueling and Bai Xinran had already set out the bowls and chopsticks.

Four dishes and one soup were steaming hot.

"Sit down," Shen Yueling glanced at her, her tone normal.

Ning Yutong pulled out a chair and sat down, her hands on her lap, her fingertips still trembling slightly.

Bai Xinran served her a bowl of rice: "Eat more."

"Thank you," Ning Yutong said softly.

Yu Heng sat down opposite them and picked up his chopsticks to grab a piece of rib.

"Try the braised ribs A Ling made," he said. "They're better than the ones in restaurants."

Ning Yutong picked up a small piece and put it in her mouth.

The taste was indeed very good, but she couldn't taste anything right now.

She kept her head down throughout the meal, eating in small bites and rarely speaking.

It was as if what happened in the living room just now had never occurred.

Ning Yutong peeked up at them.

Shen Yueling's expression was very natural, as was Bai Xinran's.

Did they really not notice? Or did they just not care?

She didn't know.

After finishing the meal, Ning Yutong helped clear the table.

"I can do it myself," Bai Xinran took the plate from her hand. "Go rest for a bit."

"It's fine, I'll help you," Ning Yutong said.

The two of them stood by the sink washing dishes while Shen Yueling wiped the table.

Yu Heng sat on the sofa playing with his phone.

The water splashed in the kitchen; as Ning Yutong washed the dishes, her mind was still a mess.

If the last time in the car was tacit consent, then this time was an agreement made while looking into each other's eyes.

What should she do? How many more times would things like this happen?

Ning Yutong thought to herself that next time she must push him away and refuse him!

Something like this could not happen again!

——

The dishes were neatly stacked in the cupboard. Bai Xinran closed the cabinet door and turned to look at Ning Yutong.

"Yu Tong," she said softly, "do you have plans for this afternoon?"

Ning Yutong was drying the water off her hands with a towel, and her movements paused at the question.

"No," she said. "Why?"

Shen Yueling walked over, holding her phone.

"Yu Heng said he wants to watch a movie later." She looked up at Ning Yutong. "Do you want to watch it with us?"

Watch a movie?

She remembered the last time Yu Heng watched a movie, and her ears grew hot again.

"I..." She opened her mouth.

Bai Xinran walked past her to the living room to turn on the projector.

Shen Yueling was still standing at the kitchen door, waiting for her answer.

"What movie?" Ning Yutong asked.

"I don't know," Shen Yueling said. "Yu Heng said something about 'Ready Player One'?"

After saying that, she also turned and walked toward the living room.

Ning Yutong stood where she was. If she went, she was afraid something would happen again.

If she didn't go, it would make her look like she had a guilty conscience.

She bit her lip and followed them.

The curtains in the living room were drawn, and the light dimmed.

The projector screen slowly descended as Bai Xinran crouched in front of the TV cabinet fiddling with the equipment.

This thing hadn't been used since they moved in; she didn't know why there was a TV, and the landlord had even installed a projector in the living room.

Yu Heng leaned back in the center of the sofa, his legs stretched out on the coffee table, holding the remote control and scrolling through the library.

Shen Yueling sat to his left and picked up a throw pillow to hold in her arms.

Ning Yutong hesitated for two seconds before sitting on the far right of the sofa, furthest away from Yu Heng.

Bai Xinran finished setting up the equipment and walked over to sit on the carpet to Yu Heng's right, leaning her back against the sofa.

Ning Yutong leaned forward slightly, her elbows propped on her knees, her eyes fixed on the screen.

She wasn't actually taking it in.

All her attention was on Yu Heng's side.

"A Ling," he spoke, "go get something to drink."

"Okay." Bai Xinran got up and walked toward the kitchen.

Ning Yutong breathed a sigh of relief.

Bai Xinran quickly brought back four bottles of drinks; she first handed one to Yu Heng, then to Shen Yueling, and finally to Ning Yutong.

"Thank you." Ning Yutong took it; it was a bit cold.

Bai Xinran sat down next to Yu Heng, and Yu Heng's hand rested on her leg.

The room was very dark, and Ning Yutong peeked out of the corner of her eye.

That hand moved, and Ning Yutong bit her lip. Yu Heng was actually being so unscrupulous right in front of everyone?