Living Only For Myself: Make Those Who Hate Me Regret It

Chapter 440 - 438: Can You Put My Mind at Ease?

Xu Su had even forgotten that she didn’t know how to ride a horse in this lifetime. She galloped freely across Namu Lake, nearly five thousand meters above sea level, feeling utterly exhilarated.

However, the price for her exhilaration was the skin on her inner thighs getting chafed raw...

By the time they reached the campsite that evening, one look at Xu Su’s strange gait was enough to tell what was wrong.

She was granted priority use of the showers.

After showering and returning to her tent, Xu Su received a call from Zhou Mochen. The moment she saw his name on the caller ID, she felt a strange sense of pressure.

It was the same kind of aversion a kid feels when, in the middle of a wild vacation, they’re suddenly reminded that they’re a student and will have to go back to school soon.

That was just like Xu Su. After being so awestruck by the magnificent landscapes of her homeland that she had forgotten all her troubles, the sudden sight of Zhou Mochen’s call inevitably reminded her of all the messy business back in Beijing.

A shadow involuntarily fell over her cheerful mood, but she quickly pushed the feeling aside.

The reception at the campsite was quite good, so Xu Su and Zhou Mochen talked for a long time. She gushed about the beautiful scenery from the day, how much fun everything was, and how she was enjoying herself so much she almost didn’t want to go back.

Zhou Mochen could naturally hear the joy in her voice. He stood before a floor-to-ceiling window, gazing down at the endless stream of traffic below, his eyes dark and heavy.

’Eight days. She’s been gone for eight days.’

’For him, each day felt like a year, growing more unbearable than the last. And yet, she didn’t seem to miss him at all...’

’If he hadn’t taken the initiative to call, she wouldn’t have even thought to contact him.’

If Zhou Mochen had been standing in front of Xu Su, she might have noticed his bad mood. But over the phone, she was completely oblivious to her boyfriend’s delicate sensibilities and was still enthusiastically describing the beauty of the Holy Lake.

This continued until a voice came from outside the tent—Si Xuan’s. It was a young man’s voice, clear and pleasant to the ear.

He said, "Xu Su, are you in there?"

Si Xuan’s voice wasn’t loud, but in the open space of the campsite, it was still clearly audible—at least, Zhou Mochen heard it loud and clear.

The man on the other end of the call’s breathing hitched. His knuckles whitened as he gripped the phone tighter...

Completely oblivious, Xu Su put down her phone, got up, and pulled back the tent flap. She poked her head out and asked the man standing there, "Do you need something?"

Her long hair was still wet, dripping strands sticking to her face. Si Xuan, who had been about to speak, froze for a moment. "You didn’t bring a hairdryer?"

"Yeah," Xu Su nodded, confused. "What’s wrong?"

Not only had she not brought one, but Sika hadn’t either.

When they were staying in guesthouses, the hosts had naturally provided them, but for the past few days at the campsite, she had been borrowing a hairdryer from Liu Yun.

But today, Zhou Mochen had called right as she got back from her shower, so she hadn’t had a chance to go borrow it yet.

Si Xuan said disapprovingly, "It gets cold at night. With your hair still wet, you should go back inside. I’ll bring a hairdryer over for you in a moment."

He handed her a small box. "I noticed you seemed to be injured. This medicine is quite effective. If you don’t want it to affect your plans for tomorrow, remember to apply the ointment."

Xu Su took the ointment and, seeing that it was brand new and unopened, couldn’t help but look up and ask, "How much was this? I’ll pay you for it."

"Just try it and see first. Don’t worry about the money; we can talk about that if it works well," Si Xuan said with a slight smile, gesturing toward the tent. "Get back inside. It wouldn’t be good if you caught a cold."

Xu Su had also noticed how cold it was getting outside. She waved at Si Xuan, ducked her head back into the tent, and quickly found a thick, dry towel to wrap around her hair. Only then did she pick her phone back up. She said "Hello?" a few times, but the other end was silent.

Staring at the screen, which indicated the call was still connected, she was just starting to think the reception had gone bad again when Zhou Mochen finally spoke. "Where did you get hurt?"

Xu Su paused. ’I didn’t think his hearing would be that sharp.’

There was nothing to hide. "I was learning to ride a horse for a bit today," Xu Su said, "and my legs got chafed."

"I see..." Zhou Mochen grunted, then asked coolly, "So, which guy is this now, running over to bring you ointment and kiss up to you?"

The sourness in his words was so thick you could almost smell it through the phone. Xu Su found it both amusing and exasperating.

"He’s the Sect Leader, and also the leader of this activity. How is showing concern for a team member ’kissing up’ to me?"

"Sect Leader..." Zhou Mochen was quiet for a few seconds. "That Si Xuan guy?"

"You know him?"

Xu Su thought for a moment but couldn’t recall when the two of them could have possibly met.

Zhou Mochen, of course, couldn’t admit he’d investigated her travel companions. But the anxiety gnawing at him was nearly uncontrollable, and his voice unconsciously took on an urgent, commanding tone. "Stay away from him, Xu Su. First the ointment, now a hairdryer—he obviously has ulterior motives. Don’t you dare tell me again that he’s just an ’ordinary friend.’ Do you hear me?!"

Normally, she wouldn’t have put up with him using that tone with her, but the mention of ’ordinary friend’ inevitably brought Shen Chen to mind...

Traveling really did relax the mind. Having escaped that environment, Xu Su found that when she thought of Shen Chen now, she could no longer recall the feeling of her emotional breakdown that day.

With Shen Chen, she had been the one who hadn’t maintained proper boundaries, giving him an opening. That’s why Xu Su didn’t take offense at Zhou Mochen’s tone.

She said in a placating tone, "You’ve never even met the guy, why are you jumping to such wild conclusions? It’s not like Si Xuan doesn’t know I have a boyfriend. No normal person would want to be the other man, right? You think everyone is a pervert like Shen Chen?"

"Susu!" Her casual attitude made Zhou Mochen’s voice suddenly deepen. "Then just say I’m being petty. I can’t accept other men getting close to you. Can you just put my mind at ease for once?"

"..."

Although she thought Zhou Mochen was being paranoid, Xu Su was always mindful of her boyfriend’s "jealousy fiend" Attribute and decided it was best to just coax him.

Xu Su said with a laugh, "Don’t worry, Zhou Mochen. I promise you, I’ll keep my distance from all other guys. I only like you, okay?"

’As for Shen Chen... thinking about it now, their interactions really had been a bit too close for comfort. But Si Xuan? She’d barely had any physical contact with him at all.’

’She was being much more careful about boundaries now. Aside from that one time she was still adjusting to the altitude and Si Xuan had helped steady her, there had been no other contact.’

His girlfriend’s patient placating was very effective.

The anxiety in his heart was quickly smoothed over, replaced by a rising tide of intense longing. His Adam’s apple bobbed. "Susu, do you miss me?"

"Of course,"—having been heavily influenced by Sika the last few days, Xu Su couldn’t resist teasing him with a grin—"especially at night. I really miss you then."

On the other end of the line, the man’s breathing suddenly grew heavier. "Then I’ll come and get you, alright? Susu, I’ll come and get you tonight..."

His voice was husky and captivating. Xu Su’s mouth went dry, and she swallowed. She had been teasing him on purpose, but now she was the one getting worked up, starting to want...

Just as she was about to say something, a figure once again appeared outside the tent. Si Xuan had returned with the hairdryer.

The temperature was dropping fast now that it was night. In that short time, Xu Su could already feel the chill seeping in through her wet scalp.

Standing outside the tent, Si Xuan asked, "Xu Su, may I come in?"