Chapter 1605

This time, Ye Heng'an didn't hold much hope for his friend's "brilliant idea," but he still turned his gaze toward him with reluctant cooperation. Niannian gave him a sly wink and said, "If you can't bear to use certain medicines on her, then use them on yourself! Go find her—do you really think my sister would stand by and watch you suffer, given how much she cares about you? If she actually refused to help, well... I'd have to advise you to give up right then and there. My sister... if she truly doesn’t like something, forcing it won’t do any good." Ye Heng'an shot him an exasperated look. "You really do come up with the worst ideas." Niannian shook his head helplessly and sighed. "Look at you. You can't handle my sister on your own, yet you dismiss every suggestion anyone gives you. Aren’t you just asking to stay miserable?" Listening to his words, Ye Heng'an could only shake his head again before silently taking another swig of his drink. Even after they finished their drinks, not a trace of a smile appeared on Ye Heng'an's face. After reminding Niannian to return to school early the next day, he dropped him off at a hotel. On the drive back, Ye Heng'an stared at the passing city lights outside his window, his mind replaying the look in Nuannuan’s eyes and the words she had spoken earlier. His brow furrowed deeper. He pulled out his phone and made a call... Back in her hotel room, Nuannuan had finally managed to fall asleep after much tossing and turning—only to be abruptly awakened by a knock at the door. Groggy and irritated, she pulled the blanket over her head. But the knocking persisted. With a frustrated sigh, she sat up and called out sharply, "Who is it?" "Nuannuan, open the door." At the sound of Ye Heng'an's voice, the drowsiness instantly evaporated from Mu Nuan’s mind. This guy... how did he even find her here? "Nuannuan." The voice of Ye Heng'an came from the door again, and Mu Nuan immediately responded, "I'm already in bed. Whatever it is, we can talk about it at school tomorrow. You should go back now." "I can't go back to school, Nuan Nuan. Open the door, please." At first, Mu Nuan remained unmoved, thinking that if he couldn’t get her to open the door, he might eventually leave. But Ye Heng'an was determined—he wouldn’t give up until he saw her. By the time the clock struck past one in the morning, the guest across the hallway had been disturbed and opened his door, urging Ye Heng'an to keep it down. Without hesitation, Ye Heng'an tossed him a card and told him to switch rooms. The man, who could afford a presidential suite, was clearly not short on money. Insulted by the gesture, he nearly came to blows with Ye Heng'an. Hearing the commotion outside, Mu Nuan could no longer stay put. She quickly got out of bed and yanked the door open. She saw Ye Heng'an being grabbed by the collar, yet he made no move to defend himself—completely out of character for him. Unless… he actually wanted to get hit. Her expression darkening, Mu Nuan swiftly stepped between them, pulling the man’s hand away and shielding Ye Heng'an behind her. She nodded apologetically. "I'm so sorry, sir. We didn’t mean to disturb your rest. I’ll take him back now." The man gave them a once-over and muttered, "If you can’t hold your liquor, don’t drink. Ruining people’s sleep like this." Once the man retreated into his room, Mu Nuan turned and looked up at Ye Heng'an, about to speak—only to be abruptly pulled into a tight embrace. Frowning, she pushed against him. "Hannah, what on earth are you doing?" "Nuan Nuan… I… I feel awful." As soon as he spoke into her ear, the heavy scent of alcohol hit her. She pushed Ye Heng'an away from her. Whether it was due to drunkenness or something else, he staggered back a few steps before collapsing to the ground. Mu Nuan froze for a second, then quickly rushed forward to help him up, her voice tinged with concern. "How much did you drink?" Ye Heng'an just kept staring at her, his expression pitiful. "I feel awful... I need water." Mu Nuan stood and headed inside, intending to grab a bottle of water for him before sending him downstairs. But the moment she stepped into the room, Ye Heng'an had already struggled to his feet and stumbled in after her, closing the door behind him. Mu Nuan watched as he braced himself against the wall, swaying unsteadily before collapsing onto her bed. She marched over, irritation flashing in her eyes. "This is *my* room." "Nuan Nuan," he groaned, his voice strained. "It feels like tiny bugs are crawling all over me... I'm burning up." Burning up? Mu Nuan instinctively glanced at the thermostat—25°C, a perfectly comfortable temperature. *Could he actually be sick?* Hesitating, she approached and pressed a hand to his forehead. His temperature seemed normal. Suddenly, Ye Heng'an seized her wrist, his eyes half-lidded as he pulled her down effortlessly. Before she could react, she tumbled onto him. His arms locked around her waist, preventing her from struggling free. His gaze burned with unmistakable intensity. "I think... someone drugged me." Mu Nuan stiffened. *What?* "Nuan Nuan," he murmured, his voice rough. "Something's wrong with me... I can't control myself. I think someone spiked my drink earlier..." With that, he swiftly flipped their positions, pinning Mu Nuan beneath him as he leaned down to capture her lips in a searing kiss. Mu Nuan’s mind was a whirlwind of confusion, but even as the intensity of the kiss left her breathless, she managed to raise a trembling hand and press it against Ye Heng’an’s shoulder. No—this couldn’t happen. Ye Heng’an had a girlfriend. She couldn’t cross that line. Pushing him away, she scrambled off the bed and grabbed her phone. "I’ll call Kang Yao for you," she said firmly. Ye Heng’an caught her wrist, shaking his head. "Kang Yao isn’t my girlfriend. She’s the granddaughter of a business partner, here on vacation. The old man asked the Nelson family to look after her while she’s in the country. I barely know her. The only reason I let her hang around was to make you jealous." At his words, Mu Nuan wrenched her hand free, anger flashing in her eyes. Make her jealous? Was this some kind of joke? All this time, she’d been carefully avoiding him because of this very issue—only to find out it had all been part of his scheme? Oh, he was something else. He’d learned a trick or two, hadn’t he? Now he was playing mind games with her. Clenching her jaw, she snapped, "I don’t care about any of that." Without hesitation, she dialed Kang Yao’s number. The call rang for what felt like forever before it was finally answered. She had expected Kang Yao to be asleep by now, but instead, the deafening pulse of a nightclub blasted through the receiver. Mu Nuan’s voice was sharp and deliberate. "Kang Yao, it’s Mu Nuan. Come to Room 909 on the 9th floor of the New City Grand Hotel. Ye Heng’an isn’t feeling well—he needs a woman to help him out." On the other end, Kang Yao let out a carefree laugh. "Aren’t you already with him? Why call me?" "I'm not his girlfriend either." "Neither am I, Nuan Nuan! It was all fake. I went to your school to find him today, but I think I ended up causing a misunderstanding between you two. He even yelled at me—it was terrifying! I don’t want to get involved in your mess anymore. His problem, you deal with it yourself. I’ve got things to do, so I’m hanging up now." The dial tone buzzed in Mu Nuan’s ear, and her expression darkened. *What’s wrong with these two idiots?* When she didn’t need them, they were playing lovebirds just to annoy her. And now that she *did* need them, they were treating her like some kind of antidote? She turned to look at Ye Heng’an, whose face was flushed with feverish color. His gaze was hopeful yet hesitant as he watched her, his Adam’s apple bobbing slightly. If this had happened before the incident with Kang Yao, Mu Nuan might have helped him without a second thought—after all, she had already come to terms with her own feelings. But now…