Chapter 29: Kiss Through the Car Window—He Fell for Her

The voice and tone were all too familiar. Han Rao thought, even without checking the caller ID, she knew it was Zhao Jichuan.

Han Rao took a light breath and glanced at Han Ting, who was thrown on the bed with his legs still dangling off the edge. She walked to the bathroom with her hands on her hips, closed the door, and lowered her voice, “What’s wrong? Little Ting drank too much. I might not be able to leave.”

Han Rao now focused all her attention on Han Ting, even pushing aside the trending topic about her and Su Wan.

In her subconscious, career was important, but family far outweighed those fleeting worldly achievements.

Zhao Jichuan fiddled with something in his hand, his tone unreadable. “Just come down if I tell you to. It won’t take long.” The man chuckled softly. “If you don’t want to come down, I can always come up to you.”

Sure enough, threats always worked like a charm on her. He had her completely figured out—knowing she didn’t want him to run into Han Ting.

Han Rao had no choice but to hesitate for two seconds before letting him wait for her downstairs.

Han Rao came out of the bathroom and asked Vivi to look after Han Ting for her, saying she would be back soon after going downstairs.

Vivi also guessed that Zhao Jichuan was looking for her, so she didn’t ask further and patted her chest, saying, “Don’t worry, sis. Han Ting is in my hands.”

Han Rao smiled at her and immediately took the elevator downstairs.

Zhao Jichuan’s car was still parked downstairs, in the same spot as before. At this moment, the engine was off, with neither hazard lights nor headlights on, resembling a beast lurking in the depths of the night.

Han Rao walked straight over and pulled open the car door. The man, upon seeing her, gave a rare smile—gentle and faint, unlike the usual terrifying grin that sent chills down one’s spine.

He patted the seat beside him and said, “Get in.”

Han Rao’s eyes softened as well, smiling with a spring-like tenderness in her gaze. She thanked him for bringing them back while gently closing the door.

Zhao Jichuan wrapped his arm around her waist, cupping her delicate face in his hands, studying her carefully under the dim light. He reached up to tuck a stray lock of hair behind her ear.

Han Rao instinctively closed her eyes, thinking he was about to kiss her.

The anticipated kiss never came. Instead, she heard the man chuckle lowly, his tone laced with amusement, “Han Rao, what were you thinking, hmm?”

Han Rao opened her eyes and raised an eyebrow, “If you’re not going to kiss me, why did you call me down?”

Zhao Jichuan seemed to have no choice but to humor her. He brushed his fingertip against her nose, then slipped something into her hand.

“What is it?” She spread her palm and looked down.

“Ointment, for reducing swelling. Apply it.”

A surge of warmth flooded Han Rao’s heart. As she descended the stairs, she had imagined hundreds of possible reasons he might have called her down—yet never anticipated it would simply be to hand her a tube of anti-inflammatory ointment.

Han Rao slightly lifted her chin, her eyebrows arching playfully. “Then you apply it for me.”

She thought she had been far too indulgent.

There was no helping it—he was too good today, making her knowingly cross the line and push her luck.

Zhao Jichuan actually didn’t refuse her. He took the ointment from her hand, applied it to his palm, spread it out, then gently pressed it against her face and rubbed it in evenly.

Han Rao opened her eyes wide, staring intently into his gaze, and said, “Zhao Jichuan, are you being unusually nice to me today?”

“When have I ever treated you badly?” he retorted.

Han Rao pursed her lips and actually began to seriously consider this question.

She asked herself—Zhao Jichuan had indeed treated her quite well.

He was generous, willing to give her resources and money. His skills in bed were exceptional, capable of bringing her to the brink of ecstasy, lifting her to the clouds.

Except for when they were quarreling, most of the time he was still quite tolerant and indulgent toward her.

He was usually a person with a terrible temper, but today he was unusually gentle, even willing to provide her with so-called emotional support.

Han Rao shook her head; she couldn’t think of any flaws in him, nor could she recall a time when he treated her poorly.

As a sugar daddy, he has indeed done enough.

“You’ve been really good to me.”

She was content; one must be content to be happy.

After applying the medicine for Zhao Jichuan, he casually pulled out two boxes of tissues to wipe his hands and moved on from the topic. “By the way, when is your brother leaving?”

“Tomorrow, I’ll make sure he leaves tomorrow.” Mentioning Han Ting, Han Rao recalled the scene in the car earlier and couldn’t help adding a few more words. “Sorry about earlier, I caused you trouble. Han Ting always gets like this when he’s drunk—completely out of it, stumbling all over the place.”

“Hmm, you siblings are quite alike—one stumbling all over the place, the other making veiled criticisms.”

Han Rao choked for a moment and muttered, “That was so long ago, how can you still remember it so clearly?”

Zhao Jichuan took her hand and gently pressed his lips to hers, slowly savoring the kiss.

He didn’t explain, nor could he even articulate why he remembered every detail about her so vividly.

Even the first time they met, he remembered every word of the two sentences she had scolded him with.

This was the first time Zhao Jichuan had such a premonition—a very ominous one.

He was probably going to fall for this woman.

He did many things for her that he would have scorned before.

For example, this tube of ointment in his hand—he had Sun Hao find someone to buy it immediately after leaving her room.

Zhao Jichuan didn’t know when Han Rao had become like a poisoned wine, seeping into every aspect of his life, capable of stirring his emotions.

He no longer wanted to treat her with the same malicious, playful attitude as before.

He wanted to pamper her and treat her sincerely well.

Even in the end, he still had to let her leave him.

Zhao Jichuan felt a tightness in his chest and gently stroked Han Rao’s hair again. “Do you need someone to help take care of your younger brother?”

Han Rao shook her head and said with a smile, “No need, he’ll behave once he falls asleep.”

The atmosphere suddenly turned cold.

Han Rao glanced at him, “Zhao Jichuan, do you have anything else? If not, I’ll go upstairs first. I’m afraid Vivi can’t take care of Hanting.”

“Mm.” He handed her the ointment.

Han Rao clenched it in her hand, stood up, and was about to leave—she had already stepped out of the car.

But she still felt reluctant, so she walked around to the other side of the car and knocked on the window.

Zhao Jichuan rolled down the car window, and Han Rao leaned in through it. She hooked her arms around his neck, kissed him passionately, then quickly pulled away.

Han Rao shook the ointment in her hand at him, then turned and left.

Zhao Jichuan watched her retreating figure and broke into a genuine smile.

　　-

After Han Rao went upstairs, she told Vivi to go back to sleep, saying she could take care of Han Ting alone.

Han Ting fell asleep and became quiet, so Han Rao took out her phone to browse Weibo and check the online trends.

The moment she opened Weibo, private messages flooded in like a tidal wave. Since she wasn’t famous before and few people knew her, her Weibo followers were pitifully few, so she hadn’t disabled private messages.

Because of this incident, she was caught up in the storm, and her Weibo account received an unusually large number of private messages—mostly from Su Wan’s fans, who hurled malicious insults at her. There were also some neutral bystanders, possibly her own fans, who sent messages of support.

Han Rao glanced over it casually, not paying much attention, then checked the trending topics again. To her surprise, Su Wan’s studio had issued a clarification and sent legal notices threatening to sue netizens for online harassment and spreading rumors.

The clarification letter roughly stated that the slapping incident was purely malicious speculation by netizens, and Su Wan’s actions were solely for the sake of filming. She even dragged the director into it, claiming both the director and Han Rao had agreed to real slaps. Additionally, Su Wan’s team mentioned she had always maintained a good relationship with Han Rao off-camera, even presenting her with small gifts upon joining the production.

Han Rao raised an eyebrow and finished reading the clarification letter with an impassive expression. She knew this was the standard PR tactic in the entertainment industry—simply deny any wrongdoing to the bitter end.

This kind of thing isn’t black and white, nor does it adhere to absolute right or wrong. Both sides are simply using the internet as a courtroom to force netizens to take sides and manipulate public opinion.

Han Rao glanced at the trending topics again and noticed that the director had also stepped in to clarify for Su Wan.

The director wrote a short essay, incidentally praising how diligent, professional, and kind-hearted Teacher Su Wan is as an actress.

The director’s essay perfectly aligns with the persona Su Wan has been cultivating online.

Su Wan has always been the image of a “dumb beauty” in the eyes of her fans—simple, kind-hearted, straightforward, and completely devoid of scheming or hidden agendas.

How could someone like her possibly bully newcomers?

Online, people once again launched widespread attacks against Han Rao, calling her a scheming bitch.

Han Rao couldn’t quite grasp the situation, so she sat on the sofa and called Hu Shengnan, asking whether she should continue playing dumb or step forward to play the victim.

After all, the opposing team came on strong, public opinion online was unpredictable, and the barrage of online criticism was nearly drowning her.

Hu Shengnan couldn’t help but raise an eyebrow when she received the call. She asked, “Didn’t President Zhao go to see you?”

“What?” Han Rao was puzzled.

Is there any necessary connection between the two?

Hu Shengnan chuckled softly, “Han Rao, you’ve kept your lips sealed tight. If it weren’t for this matter, I wouldn’t have known you were acquainted with Zhao Jichuan.”

Hu Shengnan had always thought there was something between Han Rao and her boss Fan Peng, especially since Fan Peng kept emphasizing that she should take good care of Han Rao.

Han Rao suddenly felt at a loss, “Our relationship…”

Hu Shengnan cut him off, “Alright, you don’t need to explain the details to me.” She was sharp enough to have already figured it out and stopped Han Rao from speaking to preserve her dignity.

“To be honest, Han Rao, as an older sister, I want to tell you this. Zhao Jichuan is indeed a big tree—if you hold onto him tightly, your path as an actress will become much easier. Some people truly serve as good stepping stones, capable of solving your immediate problems. But in the end, this road must be walked by yourself. No one can be relied upon forever. Do you understand what I mean?”

Hu Shengnan knew she really shouldn’t have said these things to Han Rao. Han wasn’t someone she had mentored from the start—from their very first encounter, Han had been “the one with connections.”

But perhaps Han Rao resembled her younger self in some ways, which made her unable to resist warning Han Rao—using a man as a stepping stone was fine, but she shouldn’t delude herself into falling for a man like Zhao Jichuan.

Zhao Jichuan is the kind of man with overwhelming charisma. Just by standing there, he radiates an irresistible charm that could easily dazzle young girls, making them fall head over heels in love and desperate to follow him.

Yet people like him are precisely the most heartless, the most profit-driven. When they start weighing pros and cons, women are often the first thing they discard.

Han Rao couldn’t help but tighten her grip on the phone upon hearing this.

Hu Shengnan’s words were like a sudden awakening, pulling her back from the brink of losing her way.

Han Rao felt a pang of bitterness in her heart.

After a long pause, she softly replied, “Mm,” and said, “Thank you, Nan Jie. I understand.”

Hu Shengnan smiled, “I know you understand. You’re smart, and smart women have an easier path ahead.”

“Yes.”

Han Rao’s face showed no emotion as she glanced at the still-sleeping Han Ting with drooping eyelids, then changed the subject: “So, Nan Jie, what should I do about Su Wan’s matter?”

Hu Shengnan couldn’t help but laugh. “Didn’t Zhao Jichuan already go to you? See what he plans to do. His methods are harsher than mine—I can’t intervene now.”

A cold glint flashed in Hu Shengnan’s eyes, “Su Wan is really unlucky this time—who else to provoke but you? You don’t seem like someone easy to bully.”

Han Rao knew Hu Shengnan was talking about appearances.

Han Rao’s appearance leans towards the sharp and shrewd type—aggressive, with sharp eyebrows that clearly mark her as no demure girl.

Han Rao helplessly tugged at the corner of her lips, the image of that somewhat ferocious face flashing through her mind as she closed her eyes.

Indeed, Hu Shengnan was right—Su Wan initially did not bully Han Rao. The two were quite amicable when rehearsing scenes on set, and it was also true, as mentioned in Su Wan’s clarification letter, that she had even given Han Rao gifts.

Alas, this stable relationship crumbled on Su Wan’s birthday.

Half a month ago, on Su Wan’s birthday, the crew specially arranged a birthday surprise for her.

Han Rao and the other actors sincerely wished her well, and the atmosphere was pleasant. They took many photos together, and like everyone else, Han Rao also took two solo shots with Su Wan.

However, an “uninvited guest” arrived midway—

Lin Siliang.

The moment Han Rao saw him, bad memories instantly overwhelmed her completely. She felt as if she had plunged into an icy abyss, her breath caught in her throat, unable to exhale.

All she wanted was to escape—to shrink away and flee, to disappear entirely.

Yet Lin Siliang had noticed her.

The man gently helped birthday girl Su Wan cut the cake, but deliberately handed the first slice to Han Rao.