"Tao, it's me!"
Zhou Zhijun had made a trip to the melon field earlier, only managing to exchange a few words with Chuntao outside the shed without even touching a finger on her. His heart itched as if covered in ants, his whole body burning with a restless heat.
He impulsively jumped into the river dam for a bath, but the cool river water couldn't douse the fire in his heart at all; instead, it seemed to grow fiercer, leaving him unable to sit still.
Unable to suppress that longing any longer, he quietly slipped back to the melon field.
Even if he did nothing, just being able to talk with her alone for a few words would be enough. Unexpectedly, as he neared the shed, Chuntao actually walked out.
Hearing Zhou Zhijun's voice, Chuntao couldn't tell if she felt joy or sorrow in her heart.
If it were any other man, out here in this wilderness, she would surely be in trouble tonight.
But this was Zhou Zhijun. He would also "bully" her, but that bullying was different from others', his domineering always wrapped in an indescribable warmth.
Zhou Zhijun bent down, hoisted her onto his shoulder in one motion, and started walking towards the low slope to the south.
"What are you doing? Put me down!" Chuntao pleaded in a low, tearful voice, both startled and afraid.
Her small fists pounded against his solid back, soft as cotton hitting stone.
Her legs kicked frantically, her toes brushing against his hard, burning-hot lower abdomen.
"Be still!" Zhou Zhijun gritted his teeth, his voice cold and hard, laced with a strained, repressed intensity.
He gently laid her flat on the grass. The hazy moonlight spilled over her delicate face, making her skin appear even more dewy.
Zhou Zhijun leaned down, his tall frame completely enveloping her small body. His gaze was fixed on her face, staring with a rapt, infatuated expression, unable to look away.
Chuntao avoided his eyes, not daring to meet his gaze. She struggled to get up, but his rough hand pressed down on her shoulder.
The calluses on his palm pressed against her through the thin fabric, yet he dared not use too much force.
His arms braced on either side of her, his body not pressing down, his voice hoarse beyond recognition, "Don't be afraid. I just want to look at you, kiss you..."
"Are you crazy? Xiaohong is still in the shed. What if she wakes up..."
Chuntao's voice was tearful, tears rolling down her cheeks.
She was terrified, afraid that Wang Xiaohong would wake up and come looking for them—then everything would be ruined.
She reached out to push him but touched his bare chest, hard and burning, startling her into pulling her hand back instantly.
Zhou Zhijun's eyes were bloodshot.
He knew this would frighten her, but once the longing in his heart surfaced, it grew wildly like vines, tightly entwining him, making him feel like he was dying.
He had fancied her from the first moment he saw her. Four whole years—he had endured for four years, and he simply couldn't hold back any longer. "Tao, tell me the truth. Haven't you felt even a little something for me?"
The words hit Chuntao's heart like a heavy hammer. She turned her face away, tears flowing even harder. "I have a husband. I can't..."
"He left you in an empty room for four years, only coming back after becoming an invalid. How much longer are you going to wait for him?"
The redness in Zhou Zhijun's eyes deepened, his tone filled with resentment and heartache. "He can't give you anything. I'll give it to you. I'll cherish you. I don't want you to suffer like this anymore!"
His scorching lips came down, the hot breath he exhaled making one's heart tremble.
Chuntao's sobs caught in her throat. The grievance in her heart tangled with that secret flutter, making it hard to breathe.
She wanted to call him shameless, wanted to accuse him of being overbearing, but her mouth was firmly captured by his; she couldn't utter a word, only intermittent sobs remained.
...
Zhou Zhijun feasted on the soft mounds as if he could never get enough, as if trying to pour out all the longing of these four years in one go.
"Don't... let me go..." Chuntao whimpered in pain, suppressing her sobs.
The man panted heavily, suddenly releasing her, his hot breath spraying behind her ear. "That thing you promised me last time, do you remember?"
"What thing?" Chuntao's heart trembled, a bad feeling washing over her. Zhou Zhijun had taken it seriously after all. She regretted ever agreeing that night.
"You promised me... you'd let me..." He didn't finish, but the words carried an unmistakable searing heat.
"Uncle Zhijun... I beg you, don't do this. If Xiaohong finds out, I really might as well die..." Chuntao's voice pleaded, her tears falling harder.
"Let her find out!" Zhou Zhijun's voice was stubborn. "Then I'll take you away, leave Wangjia Village, never suffer this injustice again!"
"No, I can't leave..." Chuntao shook her head, tears blurring her vision.
Zhou Zhijun didn't want to say anything more now. His mind was fixated on one thing, something he had thought of day and night.
"Tao, I can't wait any longer. I want it tonight, or I'm really going to explode..."
His breathing grew more rapid and ragged, the force of his body bearing down a bit heavier, pressing uncomfortably against Chuntao.
Chuntao didn't dare move anymore, could only sob and plead: "Uncle Zhijun... no... Brother Zhijun, good Brother Zhijun, please don't do this..."
"Then how?" Zhou Zhijun's voice held a restrained urgency.
"I... I don't want it to be so rushed... It's still my first time..." Chuntao's voice was as faint as a mosquito's hum, filled with shame and helplessness.
Zhou Zhijun's heart jolted violently, his movements freezing instantly.
How could he have forgotten? Although Chuntao had been married for four years, she had kept an empty room for four years. In the end, she was still an untouched maiden.
Apart from the brief intimacy just now, no one had ever thoroughly touched her body.
For such a lovely young woman, her first time was so precious. To hastily take it here in the wilderness would truly be wronging her.
But the pity in his heart lasted only a moment before being overwhelmed by a surge of impatience the next second.
No. He had missed several chances already. Tonight, no matter what, he had to succeed. Let her taste the sweetness of being a woman, and maybe then she wouldn't want to leave him.
His movements pressed forward again, with the impatient urgency of someone determined to prevail.
Fear threatened to devour Chuntao, as if she might suffocate in the next second.
Instinct for survival made her lose composure. Using all her strength, she drove her knee upwards hard.
A sharp pain shot up from his lower abdomen. Zhou Zhijun's whole body stiffened, a choked "Ugh—!" forced from his throat.
He instantly released her hands, clenched his teeth, his body curled up like a shrimp, both hands instinctively covering his groin.
His face contorted in pain, veins throbbing on his forehead. His breathing was as heavy as a broken bellows. He gritted out a few words through his teeth: "Damn... you silly girl..."
Seeing his pained expression, Chuntao felt both afraid and panicked in her heart.
She hated his earlier domineering behavior, hated that he would pressure her regardless of the situation, yet her mind couldn't help but flash to all the kindness he'd shown her.
Buying her nutritional supplements, steamed buns, braised meat, sanitary pads.
On hot days, letting her rest while he braved the scorching sun to sell watermelons for her on the street.
When Wang Haichao bullied her, he gritted his teeth and warned, "If you dare lay a finger on her again, I'll cripple you."
For these four years, she had kept every bit of help he had given the Wang family in her heart.
Zhou Zhijun wasn't entirely a bad person. Remembering these things, Chuntao felt a complex mix of emotions and was deeply distressed.
She bit her lip, hesitated for a long while, then slowly sidled over, reached out and gently took his arm, her voice tearful: "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to... Are you all right..."
Zhou Zhijun jerked his head up, his eyes still tinged with a lingering crimson. "You dare come near me?"
