Fake dating my enemy, The playboy billionaire

JUN’S POV

I want her to talk. I want her to bicker, fight back, do anything—just don’t leave me in this suffocating silence. It’s killing me. I’m worried. So damn worried.

Suyin has checked her over—physically, she’s fine, just a few bruises—but I can’t shake the urge to tear Chris apart for even putting a finger on her. But more than that, I hate myself. I should’ve known better. I thought the Chapter with Chris was over. I thought I was done with him, and I never warned my security about the bastard. If I had, they would’ve alerted me the moment he stepped on this property.

Earlier, while I was talking with Xion, I got the call. I thought she was calling to ask for a tampon but what I got was her muffled screams followed by Chris’s disgusting voice.

Xion acted fast, like he always does. He ordered his men to move. Meimei, quick on her feet, bugged everyone’s phones in the restaurant so they wouldn’t work at all. It barely took five minutes—smooth, efficient, and no one noticed anything out of place. Not even the three women in the washroom. They didn’t see Yiren’s face. But we took no such precaution with Chris. Everyone saw how he was dragged away...

Looks like he forgot the lesson I taught him, and now he’ll pay for it.

"Yiren," Ning caresses her head gently, her voice soft. "I want to go home."

I’m already on the move. "LET’S GO. I’ll take you back." I stretch my hand out, but she doesn’t take it. Instead, her gaze locks with Ning’s.

"With you," she says quietly, the words hanging heavy in the air.

Ning and Kai share a quick glance, clearly unsure. They don’t have a place in the city, and right now, they’re staying in the hospital accommodation Shishi arranged for them.

"Of course," Ning says.

Before I can respond, Shishi places a hand on my shoulder and shakes his head, subtly signaling me not to say anything.

Yiren looks at me then, her lips curling into a smile that doesn’t reach her eyes. She’s still shutting me out, still retreating into herself. And it’s killing me.

I watch as she leaves the restaurant with Ning. Kai wants to join them, but Yiren insists on finishing the work here. She is talking to everyone, but not to me. Why? Have I done something wrong?

"Bro, why did you stop me?" I ask, once Yiren is out of earshot, my voice low and frustrated.

"Because she doesn’t need you right now. Let her be with her sister. Don’t you come to us for comfort?"

I have no words for that. I’ve done that more times than I can count—gone to them for comfort, hoping they’d give me the answers I’m looking for. But now, I want to be her comfort.

"Yiren," I call.

I pick up Bear, who is running from her to me and her, looking torn about which side to join. I hold him out to her. "He can’t sleep without you." And me, I want to add, but I can’t bring myself to say it aloud.

****

Yiren’s pov

Ning’s house smells of medicine and baby fragrance. It’s a small studio apartment with an island kitchen and a dining space that doubles as a living room. Unwashed clothes are stacked haphazardly on a chair, and papers are spread out on the dining table, probably Kai’s work related.

I let Bear down from my arms...

Ning starts to clean up, but I stop her, instinctively knowing she shouldn’t strain herself. She’s been through so much, and the last thing she needs is to tire herself out more.

"Sit down. I’ll do it," I say softly.

She gives me a look but complies, sinking into the chair with a grateful sigh. As I begin tidying up, it’s giving me a much-needed break from the thoughts spiraling in my mind. Jun.

Any sane woman would be shaken by what happened—crying, curled up in a ball, completely overwhelmed. But what scares me most is that, while Chris was doing all that... my mind was on Jun. All I could think of was him, his reputation, and how this is going to hurt him.

My heart kept screaming for him. Even when Chris was trying to manipulate me, instigate doubt, I didn’t waver. I knew—deep down, I knew—that Jun would never leave me.

And that’s what scares me the most. Since when did I start putting that much faith in a man? How did I get here, trusting him, relying on him, more than I ever thought I would?

Ning comes up behind me, gently tugging at my sleeve. "Come with me." I frown, "You’ve already added half the packet of detergent." I look down, and sure enough, I’ve done that—lost in my thoughts, distracted and absentminded.

Without saying anything, she drags me into the small bedroom, guiding me toward the bed. She wraps her arms around my shoulders, pulling me close in a comforting embrace.

"Ah, big spoon!" I sigh, "Jun always hugs me like this."

I bite my tongue, fighting the surge of emotions that threaten to flood me. Again, him. Jun. It’s as if his presence haunts every moment, even when I don’t want it to.

Ning’s chest vibrates with quiet laughter. "I see Uncle Juju is on little bunny’s mind too much, and that’s scaring her."

Tears well up in my eyes, slipping down my cheeks before I can stop them. Damn Ning and her ability to understand me so well.

"It is," I admit, my voice trembling. "What started as fake is no longer fake, Ning. No matter how much I say it’s fake, deep down, I know it’s changed. It’s become something more."

The weight of my own words hits me harder than I expected.

"I can see that," Ning says, her voice gentle but knowing. "And I feel it’s mutual from both sides."

She pauses for a moment, searching for something deeper. "I’ve seen the way his eyes linger on you, more than I’ve ever seen Kai’s eyes move on me. And the way he jumped to save you, the fight with Chris—none of that was fake. That was real."

Her words land like a heavy truth, sinking in deeper than I want them to.

"But the question here is, why it’s scaring you?"