Song Yu stopped and took a deep breath before turning around slowly.

She laughed bitterly when she saw Jian Yi’s painful expression, “What do you want from me? You want to be with me but at the same time, you’re unwilling to let Qi Chengyue go? She will be the one that people see and I’ll need to hide in the dark. Is this what you’ve planned in mind?”

Jian Yi did not speak as if he was in silent acquiescence.

“Slap!”

Song Yu gave him a hard slap, “Jian Yi, shame on you! How dare you think of such things in front of me! I won’t stop you from liking me, but I will never fall for you again. From now onwards, stay away from me. If you really can’t control your heart and really like me that much, do it discreetly. You don’t have to make me aware of it!”

Song Yu flung the hand that was grabbing her other arm off and walked out of the restaurant hastily.

She did not return to the office and just walked aimlessly on the street. She was affected by Jian Yi’s words just now and felt even more uncomfortable.

Song Yu remembered that incident where she had fallen into the water when she was young, and it was Jian Yi who discovered and saved her.

When she regained consciousness, Jian Yi was guarding her beside the hospital bed with a pale expression and bloodshot eyes.

Guan Xiaolin said that Jian Yi stayed by her side the entire night without eating or drinking a sip of water.

Jian Yi was so worried that he almost cried when he carried her out of the water and saw her lifeless expression.

That was also the first time where Jian Yi expressed his feelings in front of her. He hugged her tightly in his arms the moment she was awake and mumbled, “You scared me to death, I almost died on the inside. Thank goodness you’re okay. You’re not allowed to be in such a dangerous situation anymore!”

She could feel his kiss on her hair, and her ears on his chest could hear his heartbeat thumping rapidly.

At that time, his chest was still quite bony. The scent of grass and moisture lingered on his shirt, but the pair of lips on her hair was burning hot.

After that, Jian Yi suffered from a high fever.

It was due to the fact that he never left her side since the moment he saved her up until when they were in the hospital. His clothes were drenched after jumping into the water, but he did not leave her for a second to change or even close his eyes for a minute. He was beside her the whole time.

When she was unconscious, he already felt that his body was not feeling well. However, he tolerated and waited until she woke up. Only then, he could be at ease and that was when he fell sick.

Even during the fever, he was still calling out her name, “Song Song… Song Song…”

One after another.

That incident assured her belief that he liked her, even though he had never confessed to her.

What else could it be when one was willing to help to such an extent?

However, at this moment, Song Yu could only shake her head in distraught as she had no clue anymore.

Maybe, she did not know anything about Jian Yi’s true feelings.

Her thoughts were brought back by the growling sounds of her stomach.

Song Yu rubbed her hungry tummy as she turned around. After looking left and right, she just walked into a snack bar and ordered a plate of fried noodles.

…

…

When it was about time to leave for work, Song Yu received a call from Yu Qianyin who asked her to go home for dinner.

When Song Yu took her keys out to open the door after she reached home, she could hear the sounds of chit-chat inside.

Song Yu froze in place when she heard Yu Qianyin called out “Jian Yi” again and again.

She secretly closed the door before anyone noticed and turned around to leave.

On her way out, she called Yu Qianyin, “Mum, I can’t go back tonight as I need to work overtime.”

“What happened? I thought you said there’s no overtime tonight when I called you earlier?” Yu Qianyin asked, “I finished preparing dinner and I’m just waiting for you!”

“I received the notice at the very last minute,” Song Yu sat in her car. She pinched the corner of her eyes wearily when she felt a migraine building up.

“Song Yu, I asked you to come home because I have something to ask you,” Yu Qianyin spoke in a more serious tone.

Song Yu felt her migraine worsen, waves after waves of pain hit her temples.

She shut her eyes and said weakly, “Mum, if you have anything to ask, just ask me now. It’s not good to hold it in.”

“This child!” Yu Qianyin had gotten slightly angry after being stifled by her, but she calmed down and continued, “I heard that you are quite close to Qi Chengzhi these days?”

“Mum, who told you about this?” Song Yu opened her eyes. She thought of the chatters in her house that she heard by the door, “Did Jian Yi told you?”

“This…” Yu Qianyin hesitated for a moment and said, “You don’t have to bother who told me, it this true?”

Song Yu glanced to the window and saw that she reached her destination. She stood up and alighted hurriedly.

“Mum, our company has business relations with Qi Chengzhi. My meetings with Qi Chengzhi to discuss work will be inevitable. There’s nothing more than that, don’t make unnecessary assumptions. To be in this line of work, it would be impossible if you want me not to meet people from the Qi family.”

“I know, just that…” Yu Qianyin stopped halfway, “Forget about it, it’s fine if there’s nothing between you two. Not to mention that you canceled your marriage with Qi Chengji. If you get together with the elder brother of the person you canceled your marriage with, it’ll be bad if rumors start to spread. The Qi family’s snobbish attitude towards us when our family had some issues were not very nice. Avoid dealing with that family if you can.”

“I know that, mum. It’s strictly business only. He’s currently a big customer of our company. I will be fired if I mistreated him.”

“Hai!” Yu Qianyin let out a sigh from the other side of the phone. Song Yu knew that she was still worried.

After Song Yu went up the stairs, she took her keys out to open the door. She walked in and slumped onto the sofa in exhaustion and said, “Mum, it was Jian Yi who told you I have a relationship with Qi Chengzhi right? Did you invite him over to our house for dinner tonight as well?”

“This…”

“Mum, if you invite Jian Yi over for dinner next time, please don’t ask me to come home,” Song Yu said coldly. She felt no obligations to hide things for the sake of Jian Yi.

“This child! How can you say that? Did you quarrel with Jian Yi? It’s not necessary to act like this over an argument! Only Jian Yi can tolerate your bad temper!” Yu Qianyin nagged.

“Mum, you still want me to be together with Jian Yi?” Song Yu laughed bitterly.

“Why, you think he’s not good enough for you?” Yu Qianyin followed up quickly.

“Do you really want me to be with him even if he already has a girlfriend? He was dating Guan Xiaolin throughout four years of college. His study fees and expenses were all sponsored by Guan Xiaolin. He’s dating Qi Chengyue now. They started dating two years ago and he hid it from us. Of course, he probably thought that there was no need to inform us. However, he still came and told me he likes me even though he is still involved with Qi Chengyue.”

“He can’t bear to break up with Qi Chengyue. In other words, he wants me to be his secret lover. Are you sure that you want me to be with someone like him? Do you know how humiliated I felt when Qi Chengyue came to find me and told me that I’m a mistress? Do you still believe his words about Qi Chengzhi and me? I don’t know what was his intention when he told you, but one thing I’m sure about is that I’m never going to believe this guy anymore.”

“Mum, you’re a smart woman. Please think through this thoroughly.” Song Yu hung up right after she finished.

Yu Qianyin was on the balcony staring at her phone blankly. She turned around and looked at Jian Yi who was playing chess with Song Donglin through the window in between the balcony and the living room.

She sighed and went back into the house. After that, her attitude towards Jian Yi became much more mannered and distant, not as friendly as before.

Yu Qianyin also let her guard down about Qi Chengzhi after hearing what Song Yu had mentioned.

…

…

The groundbreaking ceremony of Qilin’s seven-stars leisure hotel was held at the construction site. Both Qilin and Chengshi were attending.

Qilin invited a huge bunch of reporters, as well as an actress named Shu Li. She was crowned with the title of a goddess after she earned her fame by participating in a teen film.

Qilin publicized the rendering of the leisure hotel. It looked so majestic that all the reporters present were in awe.

Song Yu was introduced as the designer of the leisure hotel as well.

No one expected that Qilin would find a local architect for this leisure hotel project, not to mention she was still such a young novice.

This showed that Qilin was very bold in their decision. They were confident enough to promote a local architect who was a new talent as well, which was not what companies would usually do. This alone was able to catch the attention of others.

Not only was Song Yu’s hotel design mature and bold, but she was also a beautiful lady. This made her the topic of interest, which gained the attention of the reporters. They started asking her questions.

However, everything changed after Shu Li arrived.

The reporters redirected their focus to Shu Li.

Shu Li and Qi Chengzhi arrived together. Both of their arrivals were quite eye-catching.

They looked good together. Qi Chengzhi was well known for his striking appearance, while Shu Li’s image as a youthful beauty was also deeply ingrained in the public eye. She had a fair complexion and delicate features. When she smiled, two tiny dimples could be seen. She stood beside Qi Chengzhi with blushing cheeks, looking ever so shy.

Song Yu looked at these two who looked so compatible with each other, especially the shy smile on Shu Li’s face. She felt a little stuffy even though it was in the middle of the winter season.

“Miss Shu, the sources of a magazine showed a picture of you dining with Young Master Cheng last night. Are you two currently dating? Did you come to support because of Young Master Cheng?” a reporter asked.

Shu Li’s cheeks were getting redder and her dimples started to show faintly when she smiled. She said shyly, “Young Master Cheng and I are still friends. He’s a very thoughtful person. He knew that I rarely come to B City, and he heard that I haven’t eaten since I alighted from the plane. He was just carrying out the duties of a host. There were other colleagues present last night, as well as my assistant. We didn’t dine alone.”

Even though Shu Li explained, the reporter was very sharp and caught on to the word “still”.

“Still friends, meaning there’s a possibility for future relationships. Is that what you’re trying to say, Miss Shu? You two looked very compatible when you stood beside each other. Do you have feelings for Young Master Cheng?” the reporter followed up with another question.

Shu Li blushed in embarrassment and discreetly glanced at Qi Chengzhi shyly as if she had something to say but held it in.

She had to raise her head in order to see his face due to Qi Chengzhi’s tall physique.

He stood beside her as if he had blocked all the chilling winds for her. She felt a warm sensation when she went near his arm.

She thought of Qi Chengzhi’s background status. He had a celebrity-like physique, but he did not have the superiority that most of the other celebrities had.

Every move he made exuded calmness and intelligence.

Naturally, Shu Li’s heart fell for Qi Chengzhi.

Probably no one would ever reject the opportunity to be his girlfriend. They would most likely be ever so eager to jump into his arms.

What actresses like her wanted most was just to find someone with high social status, and Qi Chengzhi was the one at the top of the circle.

If she managed to be his girlfriend, she would be admired by most of the people.

Qi Chengzhi had never been involved in any scandals because he always kept his distance from women. He would take it really seriously once he gets involved with a woman.

Shu Li understood this very well.

Shu Li’s silent acquiescence caused excitement among the reporters as this would be a juicy material.

However, the corner of Qi Chengzhi’s lips curled upwards and spoke into the microphone, “Miss Shu is not my type.”

This caused an uproar at the scene. The reporters were shocked as they did not expect Qi Chengzhi to be so heartless to reject her straight away.

Did he not notice Shu Li’s embarrassed expression?

It was obvious that it was one-sided—while the falling petals pined for love, the merciless brook babbles on.

Shu Li’s face turned pale instantly and her smile froze. She stood there awkwardly while she tried to maintain her faltering smile. The corner of her mouth kept twitching.

However, she dared not say a word even if she had to bear such humiliation because it was Qi Chengzhi.

“Just like what Miss Shu had mentioned, the senior management of Qilin were all present yesterday. We wanted to show our sincerity in inviting Miss Shu to endorse us. Our relationship is professional,” Qi Chengzhi said indifferently.

“What is your type then, Young Master Cheng?” the reporter asked immediately.

Not sure if she was hallucinating, Song Yu could feel Qi Chengzhi’s gaze turned towards her direction and said, “You guess.”

“…” The reporter almost blurted out saying that, ‘You can guess if I’m willing to guess or not.”

…

…

After the groundbreaking ceremony was over, they had a banquet dinner at Dynasty.

Qi Chengzhi entered his Range Rover and Chang Lai drove him back to the city from the construction site.

If it was not for his words, Shu Li would have been thick-skinned and taken the initiative to ask for a ride from Qi Chengzhi.

Nonetheless, she was just humiliated by him. Even if she wanted to, she still had to slow down and catch her breath. She directed her anger towards the reporter who asked such unnecessary questions and entered the car that Qilin prepared with an unhappy expression.

The difference between the groundbreaking ceremony and banquet dinner was that the former was only attended by Qilin and Chengshi, but many industry insiders were invited to the latter event.

Almost all of Chengchi’s employees attended, including Guan Xiaolin who was on the list of invitation.

Song Yu and Ruan Danchen sat in the car that Chengshi sent over. Song Yu’s cell phone vibrated with a ‘beep’.

She took it out and saw a message from Qi Chengzhi, “How was my answer just now?”

In actual fact, Song Yu was quite happy about it, but she would never admit it. She answered him as if nothing happened, “It’s okay if Young Master Cheng feels the same.”

Qi Chengzhi chuckled after he saw her message and replied, “Aren’t you curious what’s my type?”

Song Yu saw the reply and gave a thought before writing, “I better not guess what Young Master Cheng is thinking.”

“She’s too old, I like younger ones,” Qi Chengzhi answered.

Song Yu looked at Qi Chengzhi’s text and wonder what Shu Li would feel if she saw this.

Shu Li gained her fame in the later years of her career. She would be twenty-seven years old this year according to Wikipedia. She was not that old.

Qi Chengzhi was already a thirty-four-year-old man. How young would he want his partner to be?

Song Yu had no idea how to reply to this message of his.

She rubbed against the screen, retrieved the keyboard, and turned it off again while she stared blankly at the screen.

Before she could even answer it, Qi Chengzhi followed up with a message, “I like the one that is younger than me by nine years old.”

“…” Song Yu’s heart skipped a beat. It was not that she wanted to gloat but Qi Chengzhi’s words made her mind thought of something else.

She could feel a gush of heat rushed up to her face. Song Yu put down her phone with a blushed face.

Ruan Danchen, who was right beside Song Yu, asked curiously, “Song Yu, why’s your face so red?”

Ruan Danchen, who was right beside Song Yu, asked curiously, “Song Yu, why’s your face so red?”

“The wind outside caused it,” Song Yu answered with a blank expression.

Qi Chengzhi was satisfied with what he said and before he said it out loud, he scrutinized his words repeatedly and anticipated Song Yu’s reaction.

He was quite pleased even though she did not respond any further.

…

…

Soon enough they reached Dynasty. To keep herself warm, Song Yu wore a ankle-length black dress paired with a fur shawl.

Although the banquet hall had air-conditioning, it was difficult to avoid feeling cold due to the weather outside.

“Look at Shu Li. She has the heart of a warrior. Qi Chengzhi made it so obvious but she’s still shamelessly trying to get close to him. You just can’t help praising these female celebrities for their incredible persistence,” Ruan Danchen whispered in Song Yu’s ear.

Upon hearing that, Song Yu looked over and saw Shu Li standing in front of Qi Chengzhi yet again. She laughed while talking to him.

Shu Li was giggling away engagingly, but Qi Chengzhi’s expression was the complete opposite. He listened to her unemotively and only said a few words here and there. Despite not knowing what he was saying, it was clear from his expression that he found her rather hard to deal with.

All of a sudden, Qi Chengzhi looked over and met Song Yu’s gaze.

He raised an eyebrow and curled the corner of his lips ever so slightly as if pleased that he caught her staring at him.

Song Yu’s face reddened; she froze and did not know what to do.

Turning her head away right then would make it seem like she was lacking in confidence.

Maintaining the gaze, however, felt somewhat too brazen.

Neither of them turned away and Qi Chengzhi continued looking at her as before, but his smile became progressively more obvious.

With champagne in hand, Jian Yi seemed to be the only one there who noticed the exchanging of glances and the small gestures between the two. His face turned sullen as he pressed his fingers so hard against the glass that his fingernails turned pale, almost white, because of the blood restriction.

Just as Song Yu was stuck in the gaze, she heard Guan Xiaolin’s voice. “Song Song.”

Song Yu’s gathered herself and saw Guan Xiaolin – whose appearance seemed faintly desolate – coming toward her.

Beside Song Yu, Ruan Danchen wondered how Song Yu managed to get acquainted with the Guan family’s elder daughter. Even more surprising was how evidently close they were based on how Guan Xiaolin addressed her.

Ruan Danchen left silently without asking her anything.

“Song Song, I know you’re mad at me. At that time, I wasn’t thinking straight . I fell for him, but hiding it from you wasn’t done on purpose,” Guan Xiaolin spoke pitifully and seemed to be on the verge of tears.

Song Yu shook her head. “Miss Guan, we’re in public. Please don’t insist on grabbing me. It’s unbecoming.”

“Song Song, you’re not willing to forgive me, are you?” Guan Xiaolin not only refused to release Song Song, she gripped even harder.

“This has nothing to do with forgiveness.” Her face remained impassive as she forcefully pulled her hand away. “Us no longer being able to remain friends has nothing to do with Jian Yi. But it has everything to do with your conduct, which has left me bitterly disappointed. I don’t know what else you’d be willing to do to me, and I’m afraid to trust you again. In the future, let’s just nod if we meet. Don’t ever greet me so intimately in the future.”

“Song Song, I was angry when I said all those words that day, I…”

Song Yu has had enough of it. If she did not hear those words the other day, she would never have found out what Gaun Xiaolin really thought of her; she would never have known that Guan Xiaolin treated her as competition and had such a tremendous opinion against her.

“I’m sorry, I have to go to the toilet. Excuse me,” Song Yu replied frostily. She could care less about Guan Xiaolin’s face as she turned her back and left.

She did actually go to the restroom, but not to do any business; she simply wanted to hide away from people and collect her thoughts.

It would have never occurred to her that attending a banquet could bring up so much heart-breaking things.

Song Yu sighed and massaged her temples, being careful not to ruin her makeup. She then left the restroom.

As soon as she opened the door, she ran into the embrace of a man.

“So…” Before she could finish uttering the word ‘sorry’, she lifted her head and her voice came to an abrupt halt.

“Song Song.” Jian Yi hugged her, pressed his lips against her hair, and mumbled.

A faint alcoholic scent was on him and Song Yu’s stiff body could not move. “You’re drunk. Let go of me.”

“I won’t let go. Song Song, don’t leave me, I beg you,” Jian Yi said in a low voice, “I hate it when I’m only able to see you from afar. I hate it when we drift apart. Song Song, I worked hard and climbed up just so I can be together with you. I never wanted to lie to you.”

“Jian Yi, aren’t you afraid that someone might come in the toilet, see you hugging me, and pass the word on to Qi Chengyue?” Song Yu said coldly.

Jian Yi froze for a moment and hesitated before slowly letting her go.

Song Yu sneered. “A mere mention of Qi Chengyue’s name and you’re already scared. And you want to be together with me when you’re like that? Your version of being together is wanting me to go around with you in secret? If I was really that important to you, how could you do that to me? If it’s like this, you’ll never be on par with me.”

“Don’t get involved with me anymore!” Song Yu said determinedly. “Don’t come to my house and look for my parents. Where did you get the audacity to meet them? You slander me in front of them like a coward, but to what end?”

“That day…you went back?” Jian Yi asked softly. His fist which hung beside his body tightened before relaxing.

“Yes. The second I heard your voice, I left. This is my attitude. Don’t make me hate you even more than I do now.” Song Yu stared at him scornfully and took two steps back. Once there was some distance between them, she walked right past him.

When she did so, she immediately walked along the other side of the corridor wall. It was the one further from him, since she felt disgusted if she was near him.

Jian Yi followed her with his gaze. He looked as she walked along the opposite wall, as if wanting to stay as far away from his as possible. Jian Yi’s eyes began tearing and balled his hands into fists.

If he wanted he could take one stride forward, extend his hand, and hold her.

However, he did not. With a hurt expression and an aching throat he looked at Song Yu with his eyes wide open. Every step she took, she became more and more distant.

…

…

Song Yu walked out of the restroom corridor and was about to enter the banquet hall, but she was obstructed at the entrance leading up to the hall.

Qi Chengyue, dressed in a Western-style gown that was far more expensive than the long dress that Song Yu wore, was standing proudly there.

Song Yu had no intention of crossing her path too often. Perhaps because of her status as the Qi family’s young lady, she was used to being pampered as a child, and in turn, it caused her to develop a crafty and unreasonable attitude.

Coupled with the incident at Shengyue, Song Yu’s unfavorable impression toward Qi Chengyue had peaked.

She surmised that Qi Chengyue was obstructing her way on purpose.

Song Yu nodded indifferently and greeted, “Miss Qi.” Then she decided to walk past her and back to the banquet hall.

Qi Chengyue shifted her position and once again blocked Song Yu from leaving.

Such unnecessary altercations made Song Yu truly angry. She did not look pleased with Qi Chengyue.

She pursed her lips tightly and shot Qi Chengyue a cold stare.

Qi Chengyue’s expression turned even colder after being provoked by Song Yu’s attitude. Song Yu was a bankrupt who could only afford to wear a cheap long dress to a formal event, and yet, she was pretending to be all high and mighty! Not to mention her annoyed and indignant attitude toward Qi Chengyue at that moment!

With her hands crossed in front of her bosom, Qi Chengyue remarked coldly, “Song Yu, you don’t seem to care at all about what I told you the other night. You’re blatantly seducing Jian Yi in public! Are you really that unashamed?”

“Miss Qi. Please watch your words. I never contacted Jian Yi since meeting you the other night. I despise being a mistress, especially that of men like Jian Yi. I didn’t fall so deep in love with him that I’d be willing to sacrifice all the integrity I held until now. Furthermore, he’s not that special for me to be willing to care less about everything else in the world.”

“And you, standing here, blocking me, and questioning me like some vixen. How about you consider whether this is befitting of someone whose status is the Qi family’s young lady.” Song Yu pursed her lips unsympathetically and mustered a forced smile.

“Don’t think you can talk about all this and change the subject, Song Yu!” There was a malevolence in Qi Chengyue’s expression when she was angry. In a moment of agitation, she grabbed Song Yu’s wrist and held it tightly.

Song Yu felt pain and frowned. “Let me go!”

“I just saw you coming out before Jian Yi did. Are you that unwilling to let him go? That in love with him? To the point where you’d want to wrap yourself around him even in public? What did you tell him that made him insist on coming to see you?”

“Song Yu, there’s plenty of men out there. Why must you like another woman’s man? Are other woman’s men really that much better?” Qi Chengyue gripped Song Yu’s hand with added force, but her voice was still kept low, since she feared the humiliation that might befall her if someone heard them.

Song Yu sighed helplessly. No matter what she did, Qi Chengyue seemed incapable of reason and comprehension.

Qi Chengyue was the sole female child in her family. Since young, her parents spoiled her to unheard-of-heights and raised a child that had the temperament of an heiress. She was also incredibly stubborn, and regards everything she says as correct, while others were always wrong.

If she had a strong belief about something, she would not listen to whatever explanation someone else had for her.

“I know you’re bankrupt. You’ve worked so hard to win Qilin’s business. You lack money, don’t you? How much do you want? Tell me. Is a hundred thousand enough? Stay away from Jian Yi, stop being involved with him, and stop bothering us. I’ll give it to you.” Qi Chengyue words revealed her impatience.

She appeared to have been mentally and physically exhausted from Song Yu’s involvement, and was no longer able to stand her.

Song Yu seemed to be utterly exasperated at Qi Chengyue’s one-sided dialogue, and was unable to speak any words of her own. She raised up the hand that Qi Chengyue held and used all of her force to shake off the grip. Song Yu was able to break free of it partly because Qi Chengyue loosened her grip moments ago.

Song Yu sneered and straightened her posture. “Miss Qi, don’t go wild with your imagination. All this while, I didn’t get involved with him. I was avoiding him! He was the one who secretly followed me and kept me from leaving. I hope that you can take better care of your boyfriend, and don’t always let him get involved with me. I feel trapped!”

“Also, rather than always coming for me, why don’t you keep your boyfriend in check and stop him from finding other women. If he can look for me today, he can look for someone else tomorrow. With so many women out there, can you control him? There will definitely be someone who wouldn’t mind being a mistress, so rather than going out and searching for his women, you’d be better off nipping it in the bud.”

“Miss Qi, you have quite the guts to trust such a man and be with him, but I don’t.” Song Yu finished her sentence and walked off into the banquet hall, abandoning Qi Chengyue, whose face was distorted from anger by then.

Qi Chengyue was still standing outside, but Song Yu could care less about what the former was feeling.

Song Yu felt somewhat irritated, perhaps because the temperature inside the banquet hall was much warmer than that outside. At that moment she felt especially thirsty for something cold, or maybe even immersing herself in some cold water.

A surge of warmth began filling her eyes. She closed them and felt the tears within.

She held it in for fear that she might disappoint herself and cry at that moment.

After a long while, she controlled her emotions to the best of her ability and once again opened her eyes.

Scanning the surroundings for Ruan Danchen, Song Yu finally noticed her hiding in a corner where she was holding a plate and eating. The plate was filled with fresh seafood from the buffet table.

Seeing that Ruan Danchen was rather comfortable being alone, Song Yu did not go over. She went past everyone and headed for the balcony instead.

The banquet hall’s balcony protruded out, with the railings extending through opposite ends of the banquet hall, forming an indented shape 1 . Consequently, the space was somewhat cramped, but at least it was able to offer a chance to view the scenery.

She did not go to the more concealed area of the wall, but she avoided positioning herself directly in front of the balcony’s entrance. She rested her forearms on the railings and surveyed the nightscape outside Dynasty. However, she was not truly absorbing and enjoying the vibrant colors exhibited in the night.

She was simply staring blankly at the distance. The cold wind reached her eyes and made them sore. Tears began flowing, but she did not know whether they were the tears that she held back earlier, or whether the tears were caused by the wind.

With her shawl around her shoulders, her fingers gently wiped the tears away to prevent ruining her eyeliner.

While the cold might be bone-chilling, she felt that it was doing her good by giving her restless mind some clarity.

“Jian Yi, come with me!”

“Chengyue, it wouldn’t be nice for people to see us going to the balcony. They’ll gossip.”

“I’m not afraid of gossip! What are you so scared for?!”

“No, Chengyue, the balcony is where banquet guests have their secret rendezvous, we…”

“Jian Yi, if you don’t want to be alone with me, just tell me already!”

“No, I don’t mean that. Forget about it, let’s go.”

Song Yu heard their low voices coming nearer and nearer. She looked back hurriedly and discovered that they were heading in her direction.

Song Yu was not in the mood to see either one of them, let alone the both of them together.

In a frenzy, she took a step back and hid in the concealed place behind the wall.

Right when she squeezed in she bumped into a solid chest.

Song Yu looked up in astonishment and saw Qi Chengzhi, whose face was obscured in the dark.

“You…”‘Why was he there!’

Qi Chengzhi hugged her before she could finish her sentence. Both his arms locked around her waist, and she could even feel his hands through the thin fabric of her dress. The heat from his hands transmitted onto her skin, warming her, and leaving her feeling flustered.

The next second, he carried her and turned her around so her back was facing the icy wall. She was trapped between the wall and his chest.

He pressed himself onto her and exerted some amount of force to keep her pressed against the wall. They were so close to each other that there was not the slightest space between them.

Pressed in such a manner, Song Yu was unable to retreat. Jian Yi and Qi Chengyue were right outside, and if she went out, she would meet them. In addition, Qi Chengzhi was being difficult and if she actually did step out, the ensuing scene would be ridiculously unimaginable.

Song Yu felt confused. As her head leaned back against the wall, Qi Chengzhi still continued pressing forward, up until his chest was against her face.

Such contact would cause a lipstick stain to remain on his white shirt, and those who saw it would definitely think that something was up.

Song Yu did not dare to move. Her heart was beating violently, it felt as though it would jump out from her throat at any time.

Her face was pressed firmly against his chest, and a stain was left on his white shirt.

Her face was pressed firmly against his chest, and a stain was left on his white shirt.

His body was cold as a result of staying outside for quite some time. On him was the smell of frost and a faint whiff of tobacco.

She never liked the smell of tobacco; of the reasons she used to like Jian Yi so much was because he was not a smoker. His smell was always light and fresh, with a sunny feel to it.

However, the faint smell of tobacco emanating from Qi Chengzhi’s body was pleasantly muddled. It had the sexiness of a mature man.

She did not know how long Qi Chengzhi was there, but she was sure that he was there from the moment she arrived. He was simply keeping quiet all along.

Smelling the scent on his body made her even more flustered.

She could feel his warm energy radiating all over her face and she could smell the scent of his tobacco.

Her heart began beating even faster and more erratically. She could clearly feel the closeness between them, but she did not dare to lift her head.

She subsequently felt his dry, warm lips landing on her temples. They rubbed gently against her temples while he exhaled on her reddened ears.

Goosebumps raised on Song Yu’s neck, and his gentle strokes caused her to shiver intensely.

Her hands – which were placed on his chest – made an attempt to push him, but he would not budge. All she could do was whisper softly, “Don’t be like this…”

“Shh…” His lips reached and pressed against her ears. A breath was exhaled into her ears and he softly said, “Don’t talk. They might hear you.”

Song Yu suppressed her desire to moan by biting her lips. She was truly afraid to make a sound and Qi Chengzhi’s lips were left to roam between her earlobe and cheek.

She looked as the places touched by his lips became redder and warmer. Her cheek, baked by his warmth, began emanating a richer scent.

“Jian Yi, do you still have feelings for Song Yu? She walked to the bathroom and you followed right behind her! Aren’t you concerned that people might gossip since you’re doing it so publicly?” Qi Chengyue’s questioning voice resounded. Song Yu’s body stiffened because of it and there was even a gradual drop in Song Yu’s body temperature.

Jian Yi’s expression could not be seen, but his patient voice could be heard. “There’s nothing between us anymore. It was a coincidence. When we met at the corridor, all I did was nod at her.”

“Is that the truth?” Qi Chengyue seemed distrustful and there was still some doubt in her voice. However, her voice was no longer as hardened as before and began to be sound more peaceful.

“Yes. She’s nothing but a childhood friend. She’s having some difficult times and because she helped me back then, I’m now helping her as much as I can. There’s nothing between us. You’ve really misunderstood our relationship,” Jian Yi patiently explained. He walked over to Qi Chengyue, wrapped his hands around her arm, and pulled her into his embrace.

“Didn’t I tell you already? I was worried you’d misunderstand and get jealous.”

Qi Chengyue had a shy smile. Her fingers, with their exquisitely painted nails, fiddled with the shirt buttons closest to his stomach. In a soft-spoken and sweet manner, she asked, “You said that you and Song Yu are just friends who grew up together, what about me?”

“You?” Jian Yi’s voice seemed to be cheery but somewhat vague. “You are the one and only woman that I want in this life.”

Qi Chengyue cuddled happily into his embrace. She lifted her head and said coquettishly, “Say you love me.”

“I love you.” Goosebumps formed all over Song Yu’s body upon hearing Jian Yi’s words of adoration spoken in his sickening voice.

Subsequently, the two of them became quiet but footsteps of them leaving were not heard.

After about two seconds, she heard Qi Chengyue’s faint breathing and urgent moans.

Song Yu’s face turned pale and her eyes were filled with loneliness.

She knew early on that Jian Yi would cover up the truth from Qi Chengyue, but she still could not bear to hear it coming directly from him.

Song Yu – somewhat mockingly – wondered whether it was an improvement to hear Jian Yi upgrade her from being a client to a childhood friend.

He was afraid to even admit that he liked her. What grounds did he have for confessing to her and begging her to never leave him?

Song Yu smiled bitterly. Despite saying that she would sever all ties with him, there remained the undeniable fact that for thirteen years, he was the only man in her heart. Letting go was easier said than done.

Even though she was disappointed with him, hearing his words still had an effect on her.

Qi Chengzhi noticed her painful expression and closed his eyes. All of a sudden, he lowered his head and kissed her on the lips.

The back of her head was pressed hard against the wall, and her lips were strongly pressed against his. His fiery tongue pried her lips open and entered her mouth, making its urgent and intense assailment.

A startled Song Yu then tried pushing him, but to no avail. He was holding her in a firm grip.

His hand, which held her waist, traveled upward and grabbed her left breast. Her dress was the only thing separating her breast from his hand.

She felt as though her heart was burning because his hand was positioned where her heart was.

His clean, fresh taste flooded her mouth. His overpowering and potent kiss weakened her resistance. Unwittingly, she became obedient.

She lost herself unintentionally in his overbearing assault and was red from head to toe.

His kisses traced slowly across the corner of her lips to her earlobe, then they softly reached her neck and collarbone. He moved her shawl aside.

All Song Yu felt was a chilliness in her front. She looked down and saw him stretching her collar to bury his head in her breasts.

The chilliness, coupled with him pouncing on her, jolted Song Yu awake. In a flash, her face turned as red as a well-done piece of shrimp. With anger and shyness, she pushed him, “Qi Chengzhi!”

“Shhh, don’t let them hear us,” Qi Chengzhi said softly without moving from his position. His lips rubbed gently against her skin as he spoke.

Song Yu was speechless. She bit her lip while her body trembled like a sieve. Suddenly though, she felt that something was not right: it had been quiet outside for quite some time.

At some point in time, Qi Chengyue and Jian Yi had long left.

Song Yu voiced out in anger, “Qi Chengzhi, you rascal, there’s no one outside anymore!”

Qi Chengzhi finally looked up and straightened his body. He then lowered his head, pressed tightly against her lips, and lifted her up with both his hands.

The raging heat just beneath his pant zipper was embedded between her thighs, separated only by her dress. His hips gyrated slightly and he said, “Don’t you just love it when I’m being a rascal toward you?”

Song Yu and her reddened face was not able to deny it.

Being in his embrace with a reddened, near-drunk expression, and a near-lustful look, any denial would not have been persuasive in the slightest.

Furthermore, her whole body was weak, a surge of wetness was reminding her how much of an effect he had on her. No matter how guilty she felt, she was unable to utter a single word to deny him.

Her bashful appearance invoked a passion within Qi Chengzhi. He lowered his head to kiss her, but was stopped by a voice. “Eh? You’re here too, Young Master Cheng?”

Qi Chengzhi acted quickly to block Song Yu from view. He pressed the back of her head and buried her face deep in his embrace. Song Yu did not notice, but at some point, he had messed up her long hair and caused it to drape over her cheek in order to obscure her face from the other party.

He turned his head and saw that the other party was the son of a real estate company’s boss: someone who also attended the banquet that night. With a woman in his arms, it seemed that he, too, decided to have a romp in the balcony.

Qi Chenghi pursed his lips and remained silent. His face did not seem remotely happy at the interruption.

Song Yu froze in shock. She buried her face tightly against his chest and pulled tightly at his shirt because she was afraid that they might recognize her.

The other party reacted smartly by saying politely, “Since Young Master Cheng is here, I won’t be a bother.”

Once he finished that sentence, he brought his lady friend away immediately without daring to see the woman whom he was sheltering in his embrace.

If Qi Chengzhi could go to such lengths to protect that woman, it was definitely not something to be curious about.

Qi Chengzhi helplessly let out a breath. It was not the kind of place where he should be getting intimate with Song Yu, so he let her go and gently held her in his arms to prevent her from collapsing.

Song Yu’s body was dripping in cold sweat because of the scare, but she gradually regained her cognition.

She saw his crumpled suit, the lipstick stain on his lips, and another lipstick stain on his white shirt. All of it resulted from the both of them rubbing against each other during the hug.

As for herself, she knew she was in no condition to see anyone else despite not having a mirror to see herself.

Her hair was messed up, her lipstick was gone, and her face was insanely red.

In such a condition it was no good for them to leave the balcony.

Even if they went out one after the other, someone might notice. If they connected the dots by seeing their appearance, it would be fairly obvious that something had happened there between them.

“Us, like this…we can’t go in…” Song Yu’s lips were still swollen and numb as though she ate something spicy. Even the tone her of voice had changed.

“Do you want to leave?” Qi Chengzhi asked. His burning gaze made Song Yu feel rather unbearable.

If she went with him, she did not know if she would be able to go home in one piece.

If she did not, she remained in a condition where she was not able to see anyone and she also did not have the faintest intention of loitering around in the party anymore.

She might even vomit if she saw Jian Yi and Qi Chengyue.

Just when she hesitated, Qi Chengzhi had already jumped out of the balcony and stood on the grass outside.

The banquet hall was on the first floor, so it would be easy to jump over the wall.

Qi Chengzhi stood outside of the railings. He looked up at her and extended the well-defined fingers of his hand. “Coming?”

Song Yu stood where she was and looked at him hesitantly.

He was still wearing his glasses, but his hair turned messy because she had tousled his hair in her moment of disorientation. In turn, it made him look much younger than his age of thirty-four years.

The eyes which looked at her were provocative, making him seem even more irreverent and unruly. He looked rebellious all of a sudden.

Song Yu could not help but wonder just how unrestrained was he during his rebellious youth.

Back then, Qi Chengji mentioned to her before that Qi Chengzhi, together with Wei Ziqi, were famous for being uncontrollable.

Seeing how calm he was in recent years, she found it hard to imagine that he went through such a period.

At that moment, however, his look was one that vaguely resembled his earlier days.

“If you’re not coming, I’m leaving.” Qi Chengzhi twitched a brow and retracted his hand. He was about to turn around and leave.

“Wait!” Song Yu blurted out without thinking carefully.

When she saw him turn and begin to leave, she understood that she did not want him to leave her alone and go off.

The moment she saw him turn around, her heart became somewhat frenetic, as if she was about to lose the only thing she could hold on to.

Like making an important decision she knew what the future might hold for her if she left with him then: it was highly likely that her life would turn upside-down again.

Her expression seemed quite serene as she stepped forward and stared at him with both her eyes.

The corner of Qi Chengzhi’s lips curled slightly, and he once again extended his hand to her.

She looked down at his clean palms with complex lines and his long and well-defined fingers.

She lowered her hand slowly to his and was pulled to the railings by him.

Then, he let her go. Subsequently, his hands held her tightly on the waist and lifted her whole body up.

Song Yu matched the motion of her legs with the rhythm and she finally crossed over the railings.

Her body failed to steady itself when she reached the ground, and she involuntarily fell forward into his embrace.

Qi Chengzhi stood firmly and without taking a half-step back, he safely guided her down.

Song Yu pressed both her hands on his shoulders and steadied herself.

When her face bumped gently onto his chest, his pure and raw fragrance came crashing toward her, her fuzzy brain fell into a dizzy state.

His warm hands – which had a searing hotness to them – held both sides of her waist, but all of a sudden, they shifted to her back. His hands ran under her shawl and came into direct contact with her exposed skin.

Song Yu was jolted by those warm, burning palms.

Immediately after that Qi Chengzhi hugged her abruptly and gave no chance for her to react. His hands wrapped tightly around her body and caused her cheek to press against his slightly chilly shirt. Her ears were pressed against the buttons of his shirt.

There was some slight pain in her ear due to the shirt button, and also due to being hugged tightly by him.

His hug was so incredibly tight that it agitated her.

A strong, lustful, and quiet force transmitted to her through the hug. She could feel his lips landing on her head and touching her hair; kissing, smelling.

His moist, warm lips were tangled in her hair, and he began kissing her from the top of her ear, making his way down to the earlobe, then to her neck.

Those light kisses tickled her and made her shiver.

She felt cold at first, but after that, she felt almost unbearably hot.

Hearing him inhale the scent of her neck and feeling him gently rubbing her itch – all in between his breaths – made her skin turn completely red.

Song Yu clenched her teeth and stayed completely still. Her head was buried in his chest and she did not say a single word.

She gripped his black wool jacket tightly and was unable to control her faltering voice. “Qi Chengzhi, please don’t.”

Qi Chengzhi applied pressure to her lower back, allowing her abdomen to come into contact with him so she could feel the shocking heat through his pants. “You feel it too, don’t you?”

Song Yu bit her lip and suppressed a moan that nearly escaped her mouth.

He sighed softly, as if rueing that they were not at the right place. His light, warm breath brushed over her cheek, causing it to turn even redder than before. She felt as hot as how it would feel to be inside a stove. By then, the heat was insufferable and she was close to exploding.

His lips remained plastered against his cheek as they parted open to speak. They rubbed against her skin in the process. “We’ll leave here.”

After hearing those words, both legs suddenly left the ground, as if her whole body was levitating.

She let out a soft, startled gasp, but her whole body had already been lifted up horizontally.

“I can walk by myself, put me down!” Song Yu exclaimed in astonishment. She not only felt incredibly hot, she felt incredibly limp too.

“That’s loud of you. Do you want someone to see us?” Qi Chengzhi lowered his head and raised his eyebrow slightly.

“I’m not.” Song Yu immediately quieted down. She looked down and was afraid of looking at Qi Chengzhi, “Please put me down. It won’t be good if anyone saw.”

Qi Chengzhi let go abruptly, causing Song Yu to fall and nearly expose her bottom to him.

She gasped and jumped up in shock. Her hands were not holding onto anything before, but at that moment, they were wrapped tightly around his neck while her body was pressed onto his.

“Hang on tight.” Qi Chengzhi’s deep and steadfast voice sounded from the top of her head. It was as if his lips were tightly pressed against her head as he spoke.

His low-pitched voice turned into tiny electric currents, creeping across her scalp and entering her body, causing goose bumps to form.

As long as she heard his voice, her heart would become calm, every single time. Whatever fear or nervousness that she had would disappear immediately.

As long as she heard his voice, her heart would become calm, every single time. Whatever fear or nervousness that she had would disappear immediately.

Song Yu raised her head and saw Qi Chengzhi’s stern but handsome face from the side. At night, Dynasty was fully lit with lights, but no matter how brightly it shone, it was no match for day time because the duskiness of the night was still present.

Under the luminous light, the shadows appeared to enhance the contours of his face.

She did not know when he took off his glasses, but the interweaving of light and darkness on his face made his eyes look even more enigmatic.

From her point of view, he was like the painting of a great master who skilfully used lighting to its best effect.

As Song Yu stared blankly, Qi Chengzhi lowered his head abruptly and kissed her lips while walking.

Song Yu opened her eyes in bewilderment and felt his tongue tunnelling in. She was a hapless recipient of the kiss, but her hands unwittingly grabbed the back of his head tightly.

She actually wanted to push him away, but for some reason, she pressed on the back of his head and allowed him to kiss even deeper.

After what seemed like a long time, he released her, leaving both of them gasping frantically for air.

His face was close to hers, so both their breaths were entwined with one another.

Looking up, she saw a fire burning wildly in his calm eyes, and it made her shudder uncontrollably.

…

…

Back at the banquet hall Jian Yi could not resist searching for Song Yu. He searched and searched, but was unable to find her.

After searching the place once, he noticed that Qi Chengzhi was gone as well.

Jian Yi’s face turned sour. How coincidental that both of them were not there. He could not help but let his imagination run wild.

With a malicious expression, Jian Yi followed Qi Chengyue around. He allowed her to introduce him to all the company bosses or their sons.

“Where’s my big brother?” After a round of introductions, Qi Chengyue decided to formally introduce Jian Yi to Qi Chengzhi, but not in the capacity of superior and subordinate. She wanted to introduce him as a future addition to the Qi family: as her boyfriend and fiancé.

They searched for quite some time but were unable to locate him so she pulled over Cheng Dongge and asked.

Jian Yi’s ears perked up. Cheng Dongge glimpsed furtively at Jian Yi and replied calmly, as though he knew nothing, “A client just called him upon arriving at B City. It’s a really important client, so Young Master Cheng left to make a personal visit.”

Once he heard those words, Jian Yi’s expression gradually relaxed.

Qi Chengyue did not notice that Qi Chengzhi was gone. She did not respond to Cheng Dongge but turned to wrap her hand around Jian Yi’s arm. She pouted and said amorously, “I wanted to formally introduce you to my big brother, so he’ll stop treating you as an ordinary employee. Seems like there’s no chance for me to do so today.”

“There will be another chance in the future.” Jian Yi smiled plainly and touched her hair gently. “Anyway, everyone here already knows about us, right?”

“You’re right.” Qi Chengyue then giggled happily. “How about, you come home with me for the Lunar New Year? On the Lunar New Year’s Eve, we’re all going to our grandfather’s place, so when we’re celebrating there, I’ll formally introduce you to my family.”

“I’m alright with that, but I’m just worried about your family’s impression toward me. I’m worried that they might think I’m using you and claiming connections with the high-class people in your family.” He smiled nervously.

“They won’t.” Qi Chengyue shook his arm. “My grandfather is a good person. He won’t be biased toward any familial status and he especially likes those youngsters who make progress through their hard work. My elder uncle and my parents, they’re a bit stern, but my parents loved me dearly since I was a child. My parents were really frightened when my third brother was murdered by his wife, so they won’t force their children to get married. So, as long as I like you, they won’t say no.”

“Okay.” Jian Yi smiled with warmth in his eyes.

…

…

Ruan Danchen held her plate and sat at her corner, observing Qi Chengyue pulling on Jian Yi intimately and introducing him to all the upper-class figures. She also saw how they acted with each other as if no one was around them: Qi Chengyue was almost throwing herself on top of Jian Yi.

She frowned because she always thought that Song Yu and Jian Yi were together. Even if they never openly mentioned it before, there were certainly some feelings between them, because no man would ever care so much for someone who did not matter to them.

However, from what she saw that day Jian Yi seemed to be together with Qi Chengyue!

The both of them had even announced their relationship publicly.

Almost immediately, Ruan Danchen remembered when Jian Yi blocked Song Yu earlier that afternoon. Song Yu’s face was unhappy, as if dreading to see Jian Yi.

Soon enough, Ruan Danchen connected the dots. Her face sunk and she muttered, “Heartless rat.” She then ceased looking at Jian Yi and Qi Chengyue. She feared that if she continued to do so all the delicious and expensive seafood that she ate might be vomited out.

…

…

Qi Chengzhi drove to Song Yu’s apartment building. His presence in the car was undoubtedly strong, his aura was still as dense.

Throughout the journey, Song Yu failed to calm herself down. Instead, her heart turned even more frenetic, her brain could not resist but to replay the scene of their kiss.

Her skin remained warm, the feeling of his lips on his skin was still very much clear. Even at that time, it felt to her as though his lips were pasted warmly and moistly against her skin.

Having endured the journey with great difficulty, she hurriedly unbuckled her seat belt.

However, his influence made her hand tremble severely. In that moment the seat belt – which she usually would have managed to take off with ease– appeared to oppose, making it hard for her to unbuckle it no matter what she tried to do.

The more anxious she became, the more flustered her heart was. It caused her hand movements to become more and more jittery. She was quivering from head to toe. No matter what she did, the seatbelt would not come off.

All of a sudden, she felt him come closer, and a thick shadow was cast over her head.

His breath brushed against the top of her head, her scalp felt so warm that it could blow up at any time.

Song Yu’s breathing turned urgent, heavy, and panicky. She need not lift her head to know that he was staring at her with a heated gaze.

As his breaths landed on her forehead, she felt unable to open her eyes.

With heavy eyelids, she saw his slender hands reach out and touch her hand.

Song Yu retracted her hand as though she came into contact with something scalding. With a simple ‘pa-ta’, Qi Chengzhi released the seatbelt for her.

“Thank…” She lifted her head to thank him but her voice was suddenly halted. Her next word, which was ‘you’, had been eaten up by Qi Chengzhi’s gaze.

Her gentle lips trembled for a moment, she then gulped abruptly. Her body motioned backward unconsciously, but she still felt trapped.

Qi Chengzhi’s gaze was dazzling and luminous in the night; it had a strong, intrusive quality to it, causing her to feel like she was clutching a piece of driftwood in the middle of a stormy sea.

“Young Master Cheng…” Song Yu mustered up the courage and called out stubbornly. She kept her head low and did not dare to see him.

“Back at Dynasty you called me Qi Chengzhi. Now, you’re calling me Young Master Cheng. Are all women this fickle?” he muttered. His breath touched her lips, which was then filled with his energy. Nothing she did could make it go away.

“We…we can’t do this.” Her breathing became irregular because she was unable to avoid his scalding breath.

“We can’t do what? You and I are both single. What is it that we can’t do?” Qi Chengzhi stared intently at her. His deep voice turning seductive and sweet-sounding as they go into the night.

He looked at Song Yu’s half-lowered face, the entirety of which was flushed with red. Her long lashes covered her water-filled eyes gently. They were capable of enticing people, but she was unaware of that quality.

Her lower lip was still swollen and tinted with blood. Qi Chengzhi saw them and felt restlessly frisky; his Adam’s apple slid up and down his throat and the fire in his heart was shouting at him to devour her.

The redness of her cheek caused two sets of vigorous flames to form in Qi Chengzhi’s eyes.

“There’s the fact that I was engaged to Qi Chengji in the past. You’re his elder brother. It wouldn’t be nice for word of our relationship to be made public. Also, my current family background is wholly incompatible with you. One day, you’ll get married to someone who is on the same level as you. As for myself, I’ll take it very seriously if there’s feelings involved. I’m not someone who wants to play around. If Young Master Cheng simply wants to relieve his boredom…”

“If I were you I’d shut my mouth right now.” Qi Chengzhi’s voice turned cold. Song Yu’s head still remained low but she could feel that his gaze had turned frigid.

Qi Chengzi released his seatbelt and subconsciously fished for a cigarette. His hands were already placed in his pocket but they came out empty handed.

“I’ll send you up.” Qi Chengzhi’s voice remained indifferent. It was vastly different from the passion he previously had. Which led Song Yu’s body to also turn cold as a result.

“No need. I’ll go up myself,” she declined.

As soon as those words escaped her lips Qi Chengzhi’s stone-cold eyes looked at her.

It was that precise gaze that she feared, where there was nothing but silence and the deep stares of his abstruse eyes. The stare was firm, unblinking and sufficient to make a person yield in surrender.

Song Yu’s mind became a mess from his stare. She dared not reject any further then simply looked down and opened the car door.

She heard the sound of another door closing behind her and she knew that he had gotten out of the car.

She walked straight on and entered the building without looking back. She heard footsteps behind her but didn’t need to look back to know that he was following her as she can smell the scent of his fresh fragrance.

In truth, she used to be afraid whenever she went home by herself.

The building was empty and there was always a possibility that some unsavory character was lurking in the darkness.

With Qi Chengzhi following behind her though, she felt unnaturally calm.

Once she reached her home on the fourth floor she searched for the key in her handbag, which she used specifically to complement her dress. The handbag was not too big and the space inside was small, so there was only some money, her cell phone, and her keys inside.

However, her hands searched around for quite some time even though it was a simple item.

Qi Chengzhi stood closely behind her and held her shoulders. He did not make any sound and yet she was incredibly nervous.

Song Yu swallowed her saliva, as if wanting to push her nervousness back down too.

Finally, she found the keys but no matter what she did, she was unable to properly place the key inside the keyhole.

After another long period of time, she finally managed to insert the key.

Before she could open the door Qi Chengzhi held her shoulder and turned her around.

He pushed her back against the door and his cold, dry lips came surging forward. His tongue had just touched the corner of her lips when she opened her shivering lips involuntarily.

Her submissiveness aroused him greatly and he used even more force to kiss her. The back of her head was pressed tight against the door and she was unable to move. His tongue was possessing her wilfully.

Sometime later, he loosened his grip and was about to release her.

However, she moaned helplessly and that made him so excited that he kissed her with all his might once again.

Qi Chengzhi kissed her to the point where he was unable to breathe properly. His forehead was lightly touching hers and he looked down at her graceful, bewitching, and lustful expression. Unable to control himself, he looked down again, saw her reddened cheek, then kissed her again and again.

The more he kissed, the redder her face became, and it seemed as though he could not stop kissing.

“You and Chengji were only engaged back then. Even if you got married but you divorced, do you mean to say that I can’t chase after you if I wanted to?” His lips were plastered against the corner of hers, and breathed deeply as he murmured.

The gloomy and near-tantalizing voice turned much hoarser. The sudden change to maturity tugged at her heartstrings.

“Think about it carefully. After all these years, has there ever been a woman by my side? If I wanted to play around, why would I wait until this moment?” he uttered softly. In between words, his breath landed on and entered her lips.

It was not only his breath that made Song Yu’s heart confused. It was his words too. She was trembling in his embrace like a sieve.

“About this new hotel, I personally wanted to be responsible because you were the architect that Chengshi sent over. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have personally stepped forward, even if it were a seven-star hotel.” Both his lips were rubbing against the corner of her lips, and she felt that the exact spot was particularly hot.

“When Wang Liwei took the business away from you, I chose not to sign the contract with Chengshi and even sent word that I won’t be working together with Chengshi. If Qilin decides to run Chengshi to the ground, many companies will side with Qilin, so Director Zhao and Wang Liwei had no choice but to apologize and give the business back to you.”

“But I was worried that other people might gossip about you and say that you got the business by some underhanded means. They might ask why I insisted on you and rejected Wang Liwei. They might ask why I immediately signed the contract when you were reinstated. In light of that, I made it look like it was a fair competition and brought you on a business trip.”

“At night, Guan Xiaolin looked for me and told me her innermost thoughts, but I sent her on her way. Like I said, if I wanted to, there’s plenty of women who would offer themselves to me. They’d be willing to even if it wasn’t business related. Guan Xiaolin was one of them, but I didn’t want it.”

“Zhao Rongcheng’s wife came back to the country yes? How do you think she knew about Wang Liwei?” Qi Chengzhi could not resist kissing her soft lips once more.

As both their lips touched each other, he softly muttered, “Song Yu, I said a lot of things. Think about them. And also, think about why you’re standing here earnestly and letting me kiss you. Think about all that. Think clearly.”

He kissed her a few times before standing up straight. His hand went across Song Yu’s waist and he held the key that was inserted into the keyhole. With a turn, the door was opened.

“Go in then.” His voice was hoarse, but there was also a touch of gentleness within. It was like the mumbling of a lover.

Song Yu had long lost her sense of reason from hearing the words he said. She was unwittingly pushed into her house, but she did not hear the door close behind her.

Qi Chengzhi took out the key from the keyhole and with one smooth movement and placed them into his pants pocket as he turned to leave the building.

A smile formed at the corner of his lips and there was an indescribable happiness to his mood.

…

…

Song Yu seemed to have lost all her senses as she walked unfeelingly into her bedroom.

It was only when her legs came into contact with her bed sheet that she fell onto the bed.

Qi Chengzhi’s words had left an explosion in her heart.

It was like he had cast a net and gathered it back when she was slowly caught in it.

‘You and Chengji were only engaged back then. Even if you got married but you divorced, do you mean to say that I can’t chase after you if I wanted to?’

Did it mean that he was chasing after her?

In order to chase her, he expended a considerable amount of energy to move each chess piece to get close to her.

Song Yu was ineffably shocked. What did she have that was worth that much of Qi Chengzhi’s effort?

He could even bring back Director Zhao’s wife.

Although Wang Liwei suffered a terrible downfall, Song Yu had no pity for her, because such a predicament would not have befallen her if she did not willingly become a married man’s mistress. For that, she only has herself to blame.

Although Wang Liwei suffered a terrible downfall, Song Yu had no pity for her, because such a predicament would not have befallen her if she did not willingly become a married man’s mistress. For that, she only had herself to blame.

However, did Qi Chengzhi really do all that for Song Yu?

Song Yu’s heart became more confused and irritated. She flipped her blanket and hid under it.

Qi Chengzhi’s taste was all she could taste in her mouth, and she could still feel the heat from his lips on her face. She felt a numbing heat, akin to coming into contact with electricity.

She did not know what her feelings toward Qi Chengzhi were.

It was evident that she liked Jian Yi for many years, but even though he had let her down, it seemed only natural that Jian Yi should remain in her heart.

However, Song Yu was completely unable to resist Qi Chengzhi when faced with his kiss.

Song Yu never dared to get too close to him, simply because she was afraid that he was the kind of elder son from a prestigious family who did not take feelings seriously.

She could never predict his actions or understand his thoughts, but then again, she also never had the courage to ask.

However, Song Yu could not help but wonder if Qi Chengzhi meant what he said that night.

If he was really serious about going after her, she knew that she was no match for him. Even though she did not know how long he would keep up his efforts toward her, she knew that she could not resist him for long. Eventually, she would surrender and run straight into his sweet trap.

Furthermore, knowing Qi Chengzhi’s character, if he did not get her, he would never give up.

Could it be that she was about to run submissively into his arms?

Song Yu tossed and turned on her bed in agitation. The blanket stifled her breathing, so she opened it and popped her head out for some fresh air before covering herself back again.

After a while, she started shuffling in her cocoon of a blanket. She sat up abruptly and pushed the blanket down to her waist.

She rubbed her face in irritation and went to the toilet.

Water from the shower flowed all over her body and along the lines of her fair, supple skin.

Her water-soaked hair stuck against her shoulder and her chest. The water flowed from the tips of her hair and formed tiny rivers—they flowed past her back, but never through her cleavage, though they converged right in her valley-like bush.

Her own bodily wetness still remained. It was especially thick and silky, and it was showing no sign of ceasing.

It was especially so when she popped her head out from the blanket and was unable to sleep. Qi Chengzhi was all that she thought of. Whenever he popped up in her mind, his face—which had a way of making a person fluster—seemed to appear and magnify right in front of her eyes.

His appearance and his thin lips were portrayed in her mind like a large close-up photo.

Every single time she thought about his lips, she would recall his kiss. Once she thought of everything that he did to her, her wetness could not contain itself, and even until then, it was surging out continuously.

Song Yu looked down and felt somewhat ashamed. When did she thirst so hard for a man?

…

…

The next day, Song Yu woke up at about five in the morning. Being utterly unable to fall asleep, she tossed and turned the whole night. Qi Chengzhi would appear in her thoughts whenever she closed her eyes, and irrespective of how many times she brushed her teeth and how meticulously she bathed, her mouth and body still had Qi Chengzhi’s scent. She was unable to rid herself of it.

Since she was unable to sleep, she did not have a good night’s rest, and it affected her energy levels.

Fazed and bemused, she went to the toilet. She saw her face in all its naturalness—complete with dark eye bags—and was given quite the shock.

She splashed some cold water on her face to wake herself up. Just as Song Yu was applying concealer on her eye bags, her phone vibrated and hummed on the table.

Placing the concealer down, she clicked on the message. When she saw the name Qi Chengzhi, her subconscious mind only thought of tossing it away.

Finally, she opened it and saw Qi Chengzhi’s succinct question, “Did you think it through?”

If she did think it through, would she have had a sleepless night?

Her heart was feeling frustrated right from the beginning, but seeing his text added to the frustration.

She placed the phone down without replying and continued applying makeup.

Song Yu looked much more presentable when she was done. After a simple breakfast of milk and a few slices of bread, she took her bag and headed for the door.

Her habit before leaving was to take the key from the shoe cabinet beside the door, but when she searched for it, the key was not there..

Song Yu then realized that she only remembered inserting the key into the keyhole. She did not recall having opened the door herself.

How did she enter, then?

The previous night, her mind was rattled because of Qi Chengzhi’s kiss. Once she remembered that, she could not prevent herself from remembering that he kissed her by pressing her onto the door.

Subsequently, it seemed as though he was the one who turned the key and opened the door, before pushing her in and closing the door behind her.

She did not touch the key throughout the sequence of events.

Song Yu opened the door hurriedly, but there was no key in the keyhole. Could Qi Chengzhi have taken it?

She grumbled. Her original intention was to ignore him, but because of the key, she had to contact him sooner or later.

Song Yu located her spare key from the television cabinet and headed for work.

Wang Liwei’s absence made the office seem that much more harmonious—it was like the air became fresh again.

Ruan Danchen looked left and right, then slid her chair over to Song Yu.

“Song Yu, what’s up with you and Jian Yi?” Ruan Danchen asked softly.

Song Yu had just turned on her computer when she heard Jian Yi’s name, and although she felt embittered, she kept a straight face and pretended she did not mind. “Why?”

“When you were gone last night, I saw Qi Chengyue bringing him around. He was being introduced to all the bosses there. They seemed too close to simply be colleagues. It was clear that Qi Chengyue seized the opportunity to make their relationship public.” Ruan Danchen frowned.

“Before this, Jian Yi was always looking for you. He’d even help you with this and that. I always thought he liked you, but how did he end up with Qi Chengyue? What’s he up to?” Ruan Danchen asked unhappily.

“It was my misunderstanding. In fact, he’s been with Qi Chengyue for two years,” Song Yu explained briefly without going too much into detail. Qi Chengyue’s accusation that she was his mistress was not something worthy of bringing up.

Song Yu had no intention of remembering what happened that night. It would always remain a stain in her heart.

“If you were the only one who thought he liked you, that’d be a misunderstanding, but even I thought the same. Everyone thought the same. Have all of us fallen into the same misunderstanding?” Ruan Danchen’s expression sank. “Since he has a girlfriend, he shouldn’t have done anything that would cause people to misunderstand. Was he planning on two-timing? On one hand he could win over Qi Chengyue and climb up the corporate ladder. On the other hand, he’d have a hold on you.”

“You could say that Qi Chengyue gives him a career, while you are his love. He wants to get both career and love.”

Ruan Danchen’s comparison led Song Yu to a realization.

He got together with Qi Chengyue for the sake of entering the Qi family. It was all for his future.

When he looked for Song Yu, it was probable that he meant what he said, that he liked her.

Regardless, his love for her was not strong enough that he would let go of his bright future.

Song Yu shook her head and smiled bitterly. Her sudden realization led her expression to turn much brighter.

“Your comparison is quite on point.” Song Yu smiled.

“Why don’t you look sad?” Ruan Danchen was curious.

Ruan Danchen asked that question not because seeing Song Yu happy was unbearable, but because Song Yu undoubtedly liked Jian Yi, and for Song Yu to be lied to by a man she loved, how could she still smile and be at ease?

“I couldn’t take it at first, but after thinking about it, why should I suffer like hell for someone like him when he wouldn’t even take me to heart? And also, it would be impossible for us to start over. Even if he broke up with Qi Chengyue and came for me again, I wouldn’t dare to promise him anything. It’s not worth the suffering.” Song Yu smiled and shrugged her shoulders. A tiny voice in her reminded her: did she suffer that much lesser after Qi Chengzhi appeared?

“I never expected that you had it all figured out.” Ruan Danchen felt much less tense after knowing that Song Yu was not terribly affected by it. “Hmph! Last night he even had the guts to ask me where you went!”

“Luckily, I was smart enough to notice that both of you had issues. I immediately told him off, ‘Aren’t you afraid that Qi Chengyue might notice you snooping around in search of Song Yu?’” Ruan Danchen mimicked the expression she had when dealing with Jian Yi the night before.

“You should’ve seen how fierce he looked at me at that time! I immediately felt odd. How could a wretched rat like him show me that kind of expression and blame me?” She rolled her eyes the instant she thought of Jian Yi.

“Then I said, if you don’t like the atmosphere in the banquet tonight, you’re free to go. He didn’t say anything after that.” Ruan Danchen batted her eyelids and looked at Song Yu.

Song Yu felt like she was no longer able to evade Ruan Danchen’s eyes.

Ruan Danchen’s brain was quick—Song Yu barely mentioned anything about Jian Yi’s situation, but Ruan Danchen was already able to guess the full story.

Before Song Yu could find an excuse to slip away, Ruan Danchen leaned closer once more. Her eyes seemed to be probing around, and her stares intimidated Song Yu.

“You said you went to the restroom last night. But after that, I didn’t see you come back. Where did you go? Not to mention, you look exhausted when you came into the office. Your concealer isn’t doing a good job of concealing your eyebags. Who did you fool around with last night?” Ruan Danchen looked at Song Yu from head to toe in suspicion. “Even though your face looked tired, your eyes seem to have a bit of passion…”

Ruan Danchen then squinted suddenly. “Last night, Qi Chengzhi also disappeared halfway through the party. Could the two of you have been together?”

Without waiting for Song Yu to explain, Ruan Danchen nodded knowingly. “No wonder you’re not sad about the whole Jian Yi thing. It seems you’ve found someone better.”

“Danchen, you’re mistaken. I didn’t…” Song Yu rushed to explain, but the reality was that Ruan Danchen guessed everything correctly. Even if Song Yu wanted to explain, it would not be convincing. At that moment, she could not come up with a good excuse, and when she thought about how Qi Chengzhi hugged her the night before, her face turned red.

By then, Ruan Danchen was doubly and triply certain.

She looked at Song Yu with the consoling expression of an old friend and gave the latter a gratified pat on the shoulder. “I finally got everything straight. I always felt that Qi Chengzhi had naughty intentions toward you, I finally saw it from you! He’s much better than Jian Yi, and if you went out with such a high-quality man, you’ll be sending everyone else on their way. If Jian Yi knew, he’ll hate it so badly!”

After finishing her sentence, she slid back to her desk on her chair and did not give Song Yu any opportunity to explain.

Not long later, they were both called to a meeting, and during the meeting, Qi Chengzhi sent another message with the same five words, “Did you think it through?”

Irritated, Song Yu switched off her phone.

When the meeting ended, she was worried that a client might call, so she switched it back on. She breathed a sigh of relief when she saw that there were no further messages from Qi Chengzhi.

During lunchtime, her phone buzzed yet again on the table. Song Yu opened, and saw that it was Qi Chengzhi, with the same five words, “Did you think it through?”

Along with those five words, the image of his annoying face popped up in her mind.

He was usually a man of few words, but why did he do things in such a clingy and irritating manner?

“Who messaged you? Qi Chengzhi?” Ruan Danchen was still chewing on her chicken thigh. She noticed that Song Yu looked displeased, but at the same time, her face was reddened, making for a very contradictory expression.

“No. It’s an advertisement.” Song Yu was ruffled, and she dared not look at Ruan Danchen. She simply looked down and ate her curry rice.

Ruan Danchen was having none of it. She chewed on her chicken thigh a few more times and gulped it down hurriedly. Then she asked, “If it’s an advertisement, why’s your face red?”

“The advertisement is for Durex Extra Ribbed.” Song Yu kept her head low and continued eating.

“Why did you receive such an advertisement out of the blue? Have you bought it before?” Ruan Danchen’s mind caught on rapidly.

“…” Song Yu decided that she was digging her own grave if she continued talking—she was better off keeping quiet and eating her lunch.

…

…

Before she got off work, Song Yu was clearing up the things on her table. Then, another message came.

Seeing that it was from Qi Chengzhi, Song Yu already knew what the message was without even clicking it—it would still be the same five words, “Did you think it through?”

Did he not consider the fact that him constantly bugging her gave less time to think?

When she really did click in, it was still those five words. In addition to the previous messages, they formed a nice, neat line on her phone screen.

As soon as she exited the messages, Qi Chengzhi called her. Upon seeing his name on the screen, Song Yu’s heart turned frantic. Before she could think clearly about what she wanted to do, her finger shuddered, and she declined the call by accident.

Although it was an involuntary action, Song Yu still breathed a sigh of relief.

However, barely two seconds after she calmed down, the landline phone on her work desk began ringing.

Although the caller’s number was displayed on the phone, Song Yu never made it a habit to see those digits. The long line of numbers made her eyesight blurry, and it was not like she would know who the caller was anyway.

Nowadays, a person’s number could be recorded in a phone’s address book, and few people would take the time to remember a phone number.

So, Song Yu picked up the phone without even looking at the number. “Hello, this is Chengshi Infrastructures.”

“Why did you reject the call?” Qi Chengzhi asked disgruntledly.

“My hands trembled. It was an accident,” Song Yu said. It was the truth, but it did not sound convincing.

“…” Qi Chengzhi remained silent—clearly, he did not believe her words. “The messages I sent you, why didn’t you respond?”

“…” How should she respond? She simply kept quiet.

Since she did not answer, Qi Chengzhi said impatiently, “Since you’re off work, why don’t you come down already.”

“You…came to the company?” Song Yu could not imagine that he would actually come to her. Did he not understand the word restraint?

“…”

When she did not hear an answer from him, she assumed that he silently affirmed it and felt no need to answer her.

Song Yu did not realize that she was beginning to understand Qi Chengzhi more and more.

“I need to work overtime today.” Song Yu took out the stuff she packed in her bag and placed them back on the table. She dilly-dallied and foresaw that she would be wasting her time in the company.

The sound of Qi Chengzhi’s scoffing could be heard through the phone. He then said, “Do I need to give Zhao Rongcheng a call?”

Song Yu pursed her lips immediately. In her mind, she knew that there was no way out, so she sighed and answered, “I’m going down now.”

She hung up, grabbed her bag, and intended to head out, but then she sat back down again.

She waited until the office was almost empty, then she walked out.

Once she was out of the company, she did not spot Qi Chengzhi’s Range Rover on the strip of road closest to the company entrance. She subsequently directed her gaze to the opposite road.

As expected, the Range Rover was parked there.

There were no traffic lights around her vicinity. If she wanted to make use of a traffic light and cross the road, she would have to walk much farther.

All Song Yu could do was carefully avoid the oncoming cars as she walked across to the opposite side of the road.

When she walked to the front passenger side of the car, she looked left and right. Satisfied that there was no one she knew, she got into the car as fast as she could.

The car heater was turned on, but the window on Qi Chengzhi’s side was wound down.

He was not wearing his glasses—they were placed on his dashboard.

He wore a camel-colored, sheep’s wool overcoat on top of his black suit. His left hand held a cigarette. He squinted and took a puff from it, then he placed it out the window and flicked it.

Even though the window was open, the car still smelled of tobacco.

Song Yu was appealed by Qi Chengzhi’s smoking because it was very manly, but she did not like the smell of smoke.

The tobacco smell and the stuffiness inside the car made Song Yu’s eyes felt rather sore, so she could not help but frown.

Upon noticing her reaction, Qi Chengzhi opened the car door quietly and threw the cigarette onto the floor. He extinguished it with the sole of his shoe and proceeded to shut the door. He waited until the smoke dissipated from the car before winding up the window.

“What took you so long?” he turned and asked.

Ten minutes ago, she hung up and said that she would be coming down immediately. He waited and waited but she had yet to appear, so he lit a cigarette out of boredom.

He had never waited that long for anyone. He would have been long gone if anyone had kept him waiting for more than a minute.

On that occasion, Qi Chengzhi felt somewhat impatient after being made to wait for so long, but the instant he saw her walking out of the company entrance, his mood turned calm for some reason.

Wrapped in a white-colored, sheep’s wool overcoat, she stood with grace and neatness—her purity was a beautiful sight.

In a flash, he felt as though he was transported back to the time when she was still in high school. Back then, she was beautiful, quiet, and had the innocence of youth.

The years passed by in the blink of an eye and she became much more beautiful.

Qi Chengzhi felt satisfied when he saw her search around and walked slowly over to him.

Some people were worth the wait.

Moments ago, when she stood by his car and looked around suspiciously and carefully, Qi Chengzhi already knew what she was thinking.

He understood, but he was still unable to prevent his feelings of shame and depression from surfacing.

When he asked her the question, Song Yu looked nervously at him, as if thinking about whether she should tell him the truth.

“I was afraid someone from the company might see me and gossip about it,” she looked down and answered softly. She nervously looked up at him because she feared that he would be angry.

At times, Qi Chengzhi had little consideration.

His face remained unemotive and he said nothing. His eyes stared at her and made her feel unnerved because she could not see whether he was angry or not.

Although he was gloomy because it seemed like it was something bad, he was actually glad that Song Yu told him the truth instead of concocting something simply to please him.

As a result of that contradictoriness, all of a sudden, Qi Chengzhi moved closer to her.

Instead of rejecting his advances, a frightened Song Yu became particularly nervous. She unknowingly held her breath and leaned backward, causing the back of her head and her body to press tightly against the car seat.

Instead of rejecting his advances, a frightened Song Yu became incredibly nervous. She held her breath unknowingly and leaned backward, causing the back of her head and her body to press tightly against the car seat.

His face was almost plastered against hers. She breathed in the faint and indescribably intoxicating amalgamation of tobacco and cologne.

Simply smelling that scent was enough to make Song Yu’s face redden. It sent her heart into a frenzy, and she was unable to resist its effects on her.

The absence of his glasses enabled his thick lashes to be displayed right in front of her eyes.

His eyelids gently tremored, and his eyelashes moved too. A gentle shadow was produced beneath his eyes, and it made her unable to control herself from touching him.

It took a lot of effort for her to restrain herself, but her gaze—which had a mind of its own—shifted to his lips. Reminiscing the passionate intensity with which he kissed her, it felt so familiar to her, as if it happened just moments ago.

Song Yu’s lips began heating up and they trembled involuntarily.

Noticing his outstretched hand nearly coming into contact with her cheek, Song Yu closed her eyes intuitively.

However, she did not feel his warm hands even after some time had passed. Puzzled, she lifted her eyelid ever so slightly and noticed a smirk on Qi Chengzhi’s face. He pulled the seatbelt from across her body and buckled her up.

Song Yu was so embarrassed that her face turned red in that instant. He laughed at her because she had allowed her vivid imagination to run wild.

Although the seatbelt had been fastened, Qi Chengzhi still remained in the same position. His right hand, which was originally grasping the seatbelt, shifted rapidly to her waist. He brushed aside her wool jacket and gently caressed her waist. Her thin, skin-tight sweater was the only thing separating them.

Song Yu trembled from the scalding heat. Afraid to lift her head up, she looked down but did not close her eyes.

Sporting a high ponytail, she looked just like a young and innocent student. Although she was wearing a pure-white wool jacket, it was no match for the fairness of her near-translucent skin. Her cheek, however, was flushed pink due to the chilliness of the wind that blew on her face moments ago.

Below her straight and beautiful nose, her pink lips were moist and enticing.

Locked quietly in his embrace, her submissiveness made him feel as though time paused right in the middle of that tranquil moment.

Qi Chengzhi lowered his head slowly and pressed his lips gently on hers. His soft strokes tempted her to lose herself and open her mouth; his tongue then made its assault by parting through her lips and her pearly white teeth.

As his tongue was assailing, he suddenly applied more pressure to his kisses. The back of her head was pressed hard against the chair and rubbed against it, creating a scratching sound.

His kisses became more intense and forceful, as though the word gentle was not in his dictionary. He was a man who acted on his own volition.

Song Yu lost all sense of herself when he was kissing her. He was the one who lead the way. Both of Song Yu’s hands were unable to resist moving over to his chest. Separated only by the fabric of his shirt, she could feel his body heat and the rapid thumping of his heart.

She was in a daze because his kisses made her brain somewhat lacking in oxygen. She felt him release her gradually, but he did not immediately break away.

With his forehead pressed against hers, his lips still appeared to be rubbing against hers.

Their breaths were released onto their lips, and they were both so warm that they could not feel the cold wind outside.

“I take it that you thought it through,” Qi Chengzhi said hoarsely. His lips were still sticking to hers, and it felt like his hoarse voice was entering her mouth.

Even after he sat back on his seat, Song Yu still did not come back to her senses. She had no idea what had just happened.

When her brain finally started to work again and she collected her thoughts, she remembered the words he said. By then though, it was too late, and a considerable amount of time had passed since then.

‘I take it that you thought it through.’

Did she think it through?

What exactly did she think though? The man was simply making decisions on her behalf.

Her face still remained warm and she had yet to recover from the effects of the kiss.

His warmth and taste lingered on her lips and teeth. The taste of his tongue was delicate, and it had a hint of tobacco.

Her disconcerted thoughts had no order to them, and she simply looked down. All of a sudden, a large hand appeared.

His sturdy, slender hand extended over and held her hand.

Song Yu looked down at his exquisite hand. It was like the meticulous sculpture of an artist.

It was fair, slender, and had an unwavering steadfastness to it.

The nails on his fair and well-defined fingers were clipped neatly, but his manly scent still emanated even from the tiniest of cracks.

Song Yu glanced at him. He was looking directly in front, but from the side, a relaxed brightness could be seen in his face.

She wanted to pull her hand back, but he gripped it incredibly tightly. Sensing that she intended to retract her hands, he grasped her even more forcefully.

Even if Song Yu had never been with a man before, she clearly understood what Qi Chengzhi was insinuating.

A rush of blood surged to her brain—she was only using her fingertips…to hold his finger, but she saw that his words escalated to lewdness!

It was the last straw for Song Yu. She turned her red, shy, and furious face away. No longer able to take it, she pulled her hand back with all her might. As she did so, she exclaimed shyly and angrily, “Qi Chengzhi, enough already!”

She pulled her hand back forcefully, but Qi Chengzhi was also forcefully holding on to her. He even had a forgiving tone as she replied, “Don’t make a fuss. If you do that, we’ll get into an accident.”

“You…” Song Yu was terribly infuriated, but she could not talk back to him.

She was no match for someone who was not only shameless but could also put on a show of deadly earnestness while inverting right and wrong.

Her thoughts unwittingly floated back to the first time he came over to her house to discuss the design. He sat on her bed, and in complete deadpan, asked if she would sleep with him.

Now that she thought about it, he was blatantly and purposely having his way with her like a rascal. To think that she did not suspect it all it! She had been too innocent back then!

“Alright, stop fussing around. We’re here.” Qi Chengzhi’s voice jolted her back to her senses.

It was then that Song Yu realized they were already at the Red Roof Club.

Although Qi Chengzhi did not mention anything about it, Song Yu took one look at the Red Roof Club and feared that she might have to meet Yan Beicheng as well as the others.

“Don’t be nervous. We’re just having a meal.” Qi Chengzhi stopped the car and only let go of her hand because he needed to take the car keys out.

How could she not be nervous? Song Yu glanced at him and thought for a moment. When she met Yan Beicheng and the others previously, she met them in the capacity of an ordinary architect who wanted to get Qilin’s business. This time around, what would her capacity be if she met them again?

As she was still thinking, Qi Chengzhi had already put on his glasses and opened the car door. Before he got down, Song Yu grabbed his shoulder hurriedly and said, “Wait!”

Qi Chengzhi stopped his motion of getting down the car, turned around, then looked suspiciously at her.

Song Yu fished out a packet of tissues from her bag. She took a piece and gave it to him, remarking uneasily, “There’s still lipstick on your mouth. You should wipe it off before going in.”

Qi Chengzhi looked down at her hand and the tissue, then he looked up at her again. He did not take the tissue, but instead, he grabbed her waist suddenly. He carried her to his lap and hugged her tightly.

She was trapped in between him and the steering wheel. Her back felt rather painful as it was pressed against the steering wheel, so she had no other choice but to lean into his embrace.

She pushed him a good few times because they were in front of the club’s entrance. Guests or attendants might come and go at any time, and it would be terrible if someone saw them like that.

Furthermore, the door to the driver’s seat was still wide open!

Qi Chengzhi did not let go. On the contrary, he hugged her even tighter.

Her high ponytail gave her a look of freshness and purity. Her exposed, fair-colored neck was beautifully and seductively contoured.

Qi Chengzhi lowered his head and placed his lips on the supple skin of her neck, kissing her skin and rubbing against it.

Song Yu felt numb and ticklish from his rubbing, so she pulled back.

Another day had passed, and a new set of stubble had grown. Although they just emerged and it was virtually impossible to measure their length, the rubbing and pricking of her skin were unbearable.

“Don’t rub like that, it’s painful,” Song Yu protested and shifted her neck to the side in order to avoid it.

Qi Chengzhi stopped as she completed her sentence. He raised his head and saw that the lipstick had been rubbed onto her neck.

He looked at Song Yu’s neck. In the beginning, it was fair, but rubbing his freshly-emerging stubble on it made it red, and it did seem rather unsightly.

Qi Chengzhi squinted unhappily. Song Yu was curious: it was he who rubbed her neck until it was red, but why was he was the unhappy one? Was he angry because her skin was too delicate or because his stubble was too rough?

Song Yu watched as his thin lips—which he forbade any stranger from coming into contact with—pursed and became even sterner.

He kneaded his fingertips gently against the redness on her neck, as if he was trying to rub the redness away.

Well, if he did not use his stubble to rub against her, she would not have been sore.

Before she could say that, Qi Chengzhi lowered his head again.

He no longer went and rubbed over her neck. His actions became light touches here and there. He kissed the parts she suffered abrasion with the gentlest of kisses. One after another, the kisses were moist and soft; tender and intimate. Once in a while, the tip of his tongue would lick her wounds.

The numbing, tickling feeling made Song Yu unable to refrain from giggling, but her body was so weak that she could not even generate the slightest amount of strength to avoid him.

However, those tender kisses began turning into more forceful ones, and those light pecks turned into heavy kisses. Somewhere along the line, his hand found its way into her sweater and onto her breast.

Song Yu’s was shocked back to her senses. She began to struggle and frantically pushed him away with all of her strength. “Qi Chengzhi, we’re in public! Stop!”

He remained steadfast and held on to her as though he did not hear a thing.

“Are we going in or not!” Song Yu asked manically. Her body was trying its best to lean backward.

Her back pressed uncomfortably against the steering wheel, and the pressure she applied inadvertently led to the horn being pressed. ‘Ba…’ came the loud, ear-piercing sound.

Perhaps due to the sudden and loud sound produced by the horn, Qi Chengzhi’s mind began to think straight.

He slowly let her go, but the fire in his eyes still remained.

His cheeks were flushed as he took a deep breath and looked at the panic-stricken Song Yu.

After exhaling the breath of air, he placed both hands onto her waist and held her tightly. Gnashing his teeth, he said, “Sooner or later, I’m going to take care of you!”

His sentence choked Song Yu up and made her forget to breathe. Her face turned red too.

His incredible patience could be seen in his stern and rigid facial expression. The threats he uttered were accompanied by a conquering, beast-like radiance that had accumulated in his eyes. Her heart began to palpitate and she was slightly scared.

Qi Chengzhi carried her up and placed her back down on the front passenger seat. He then promptly got off the car.

Song Yu felt weak in her knees. She calmed herself for a moment before opening the car door and getting off. She looked down and dared not glance at Qi Chengzhi’s gaze, which seemed to be rife with the desire to devour her.

She was never one for wearing gloves; it was her habit to place her hands into the pockets of her overcoat.

Qi Chengzhi locked the car and saw her actions. He placed his hand suddenly into her pocket and held her hand, wrapping it in his sturdy palm.

Then, he took her hand out of her pocket and placed it into the pocket of his jacket.

Such a move would inevitably mean that she would be close to him. Their arms intersected, and it was indescribably intimate when his manly fragrance wafted continuously toward her.

His pocket was warm, and his palm was hot. The heat from his palm transmitted to all parts of her body.

Song Yu could not resist looking up at him. His gaze remained fixated ahead, and there was not even the slightest emotion on his face. His intentions were completely unconjecturable, and his expressionless face was completely at odds with his actions.

After walking for a bit, Song Yu, who by then had turned calm after being blown by the cold wind, remembered the incident involving her house key.

“You opened the door for me last night. My house key is with you, isn’t it?” Song Yu lifted her head and looked up at him.

Qi Chengzhi glimpsed at her frigidly and did not reply.

When he did not answer, Song Yu panicked. The hand that was inside his pocket pinched the web between his thumb and forefinger. “Is it with you or not? If it’s been taken by someone else, it’s going to be really dangerous, and I’d have to change my locks!”

Qi Chengzhi once again gazed indifferently at her, and finally opened his mouth and said, “There’s no need to change the locks.”

His words implied that the keys were with him.

Immediately, Song Yu stretched out her other hand—the one that was not being held by him—and placed it palm-up in front of him. “Well, please return them to me.”

“…” Qi Chengzhi gazed down. He glanced briefly at her outstretched palm. Ignoring her question, he continued looking ahead of him.

Song Yu’s hand was still outstretched in front of him, and if she were to keep it up, her hand would turn red from the cold wind.

Qi Chengzhi finally said, “Put your hand back into your pocket. It’s too cold for you to be taking them out.”

“…””Then return my keys to me!”

Song Yu only retracted her hand back when an attendant of the Red Roof Club, who was dressed in the regal clothes of the Qing dynasty, welcomed them in. It was not very nice to be arguing in public.

“Young Master Cheng,” the waiter greeted respectfully as his eyes instinctively darted to Qi Chengzhi’s pocket.

“Young Master Cheng,” the waiter greeted respectfully as his eyes instinctively darted to Qi Chengzhi’s pocket.

Song Yu’s hand was firmly entrenched in Qi Chengzhi’s pocket; their hands entangled. A sweet and loving scene to any onlookers.

The waiter had never seen Qi Chengzhi bring any ladies to their establishment before. Now with Song Yu in tow, compounded with the display of such affection and intimacy, the waiter could hardly be blamed for his double take.

Years working in Red Roof Club, the waiter had seen people from all walks of life, including the female escorts that were commonly brought in by the young heirs of prestigious families or high-ranking CEOs.

Song Yu, however, bore no semblance to those female escorts. She had an air of modesty and innocence with none of the usual pretenses. Her lightly-tinted red lips, along with her fair complexion, gave her a youthful demeanor.

She was like a breath of fresh air after years of musky colognes and overwhelming perfumes.

The waiter allowed his gaze to linger, just to realise Qi Changzhi’s stare fixed on him when he snapped out of it. It was a stare colder than the winter winds.

The waiter shivered and averted his eyes from the young lady. He nodded his head in acquiescence. “Young Master Cheng, this way please.”

They were escorted to a room. As she stood at the door, Song Yu realized that it was the same room she visited when delivering the glasses.

Thoughts of the people beyond the door made Song Yu retract her hand, but Qi Chengzhi quickly tightened his grip in response, holding her hand captive.

Simultaneously, he scowled at her.

The sternness of his look quelled any resistance from her end.

Song Yu felt slightly guilty at this, as if she had done something wrong. Her hand remained obediently in his pocket, accepting its fate of being held.

The waiter gave the door two perfunctory knocks before opening it. Qi Chengzhi entered the room with Song Yu in tow and the waiter quietly shut the door.

Qi Chengzhi halted his footsteps right after the doorway and regarded the crowd inside with amusement.

It was the same old crowd as last time. Yan Beicheng and the others were seated around the round table, leaving one empty chair clearly meant for Qi Chengzhi.

The meal was not served, which probably meant that they were all waiting for Qi Chengzhi.

Their initial gaze fell on Qi Chengzi, then to Song Yu beside him, and finally to the linked hands between them.

Disbelief crossed their faces,. ‘How long have they been together? Is it confirmed now that they’re holding hands?’

As the initial shock faded, their expressions molded into enjoyment. ‘Qi Chengzhi truly is a lady-charmer! Didn’t take him long to get the girl.’

Under scrutiny of the men, Song Yu resisted the urge to hide behind Qi Chengzhi.

It would be embarrassing if she could not even handle this modicum of attention.

Song Yu steeled her resolve as Qi Chengzhi nonchalantly pulled her to the table.

The empty seat was between Qi Chenglin and Chu Zhaoyang. Aware of the situation, Qi Chenglin and Wei Zilin both shifted one seat to allow Qi Chengzhi and Song Yu to sit together at the table.

Song Yu was glad that she was seated beside Qi Chenglin, whom she felt was friendlier than Chu Zhaoyang.

Across the table, Yan Beicheng whipped out his phone and started texting furiously.

After a moment, he put his phone away. With glee in his eyes, he spoke, “Song…”

“Sister-in-law.” Qi Chengzhi interrupted with a tone that brook no dissent.

Yan Beicheng nearly choked on the air he breathed. That girl Song Yu looked to be only seventeen or eighteen years old. The thought of calling someone that young ‘sister-in-law’ was unsettling.

“Sister-in-law!” As Yan Beicheng was struggling to get the words out, Qi Chenglin happily obliged.

Yan Beicheng cursed Qi Chenglin under his breath. He was a man of thirty odd years, calling a girl as young as Song Yu ‘sister-in-law’ with all the willingness and eagerness of a young child.

Right after Qi Chenglin’s salutation, Wei Zilin followed suit as if not wanting to lose out. “Sister-in-law!”

Song Yu was growing steadily uncomfortable by each greeting. She did not think that Qi Chengzhi would introduced her as such.

Just last night, she was wondering if this was just a game for Qi Chengzhi.

Now, however, it seemed that he was actually serious about this.

If all of this was just a fling, he would not have brought her to meet important people like them. He would not have insisted that they should call her ‘sister-in-law’ and acknowledge her status.

The salutation ‘sister-in-law’ was not easily uttered by these powerful men.

Song Yu involuntarily looked to Qi Chengzhi. The man was casually flipping through the menu.

Feeling her gaze on him, Qi Chengzhi shifted his attention from the menu to her.

Caught off guard, Song Yu was paralyzed by the warmth in his look.

This time, she was sure of it. Staring straight at him, the affection never left his eyes.

The warmth and affection in his eyes felt like aged wine, one sip of it and one would be drunk on it.

Song Yu felt her face reddened and her heartbeat quicken.

Her downcast eyes showcased those long eyelashes that fluttered like a butterfly’s wings. Qi Chengzhi swallowed the urge to kiss the lashes.

Yan Beicheng cursed again under his breath, “The f*ck.” He called out to Wei Zilin, “Wei Zilin, have you lost your principles? Qi Chenglin calling her sister-in-law is premature, but she could eventually marry into the family. But you? You’re not even their family.”

The idea of marriage startled Song Yu. ‘Would that really happen?’ she thought.

In her distraught state, she had a mind to ask Qi Chengzhi for the answer.

When she looked up, she could see the corners of his mouth tugging into a smile, his eyes still regarding her with fondness.

Song Yu looked away and felt her heart race like a horse on a racetrack. She was not used to the level of affection he was showing.

‘What’s going on with him today? Is he sick?’

She could not even hold his usual calm gaze, let alone this.

As she was deep in thought, a hand came and rested on top of her fingers that were worrying her pants. The strong hand held firm and the slightly calloused thumb rubbed gently at her palm.

She gradually allowed herself to relax and gingerly intertwined their fingers.

Qi Chengzhi showed no outward emotions at her tightening grip but a hint of a smile graced the edges of his eyes. He gently squeezed her hand.

Seeing her hand grasped in his, Song Yu could not believe this was real. In the background, Wei Zilin spoke out, “I have a sister-in-law who’s of the same age as Song Yu. When she married into the family, she was only eighteen. Song Yu here is twenty-five. I don’t see anything weird about that. I’m used to it by now, so I don’t know what principles are you talking about?”

Yan Beicheng huffed and looked at Chu Zhaoyang.

Chu Zhaoyang’s face betrayed nothing. Qi Chengzhi was not much of a talker, but his words could cut.

Chu Zhaoyang was basically a mute, expecting him to say a few words was just hope wasted.

Even though Qi Chengzhi told them to call Song Yu sister-in-law, it was understood that he was excluded from said command.

The fact that he nodded at Song Yu was sufficient to show his acknowledgment of her status.

Yan Beicheng took a cigarette and held it between his fingers. He leaned back in his chair, angling his body to face the couple. With his cigarette hand resting on the table, he looked like a gangster.

Among all the gentlemen present, Yan Beicheng’s stance on the couple was the most obvious.

“Chengzhi, I acknowledge Song Yu’s status. She is my sister-in-law and anyone who dares harm her will have me answer to. But if you want me to call someone so young sister-in-law, I honestly can’t bring myself to do it. When I was running amok, she was still in kindergarten playing with her snot. All you cradle-snatchers. First it was Wei Zilin, now you too. Don’t take advantage of me,” Yan Beicheng ranted off. The cigarette wobbled precariously between his fingers, looking as if it would plunge to its death without ever being lit.

The corner of Qi Chengzhi’s eye twitched as his expression darkened.

Yan Beicheng’s sentiment indirectly pointed out the age gap between Qi Chengzhi and Song Yu.

The age gap between Song Yu and himself had always been a thorn in Qi Chengzhi’s side.

Based on real-world statistics, women outlived men on average, and he was nine years older than Song Yu. In times of idleness, thoughts of the far, far future troubled him.

He debated on whether to write up a will, just in case he died first. A clause would be added beneath all the important details to prevent Song Yu from straying after his death.

He was a selfish man through and through. Even after death, he would want the things that were his to remain as such forever.

Yan Beicheng took out his lighter. Ruffled by the words — more specifically the thoughts and emotions evoked by said words — Qi Chengzhi coldly spoke, “Song Yu doesn’t like the smell of smoke. Hold it.”

Yan Beicheng stopped his actions. He was dumbfounded by Qi Chengzhi’s orders.

“But… most of the gang have some level of nicotine addiction.” The words rushed out of his mouth, though he slowly packed away his cigarette.

Song Yu was feeling apologetic for having them make concessions for her, they hardly knew her. She had a certain degree of respect for these men and did not want them to think of her as such a bother. “It’s okay. Please do as you will and don’t worry about me. I’m not that against smoking.”

Qi Chengzhi turned and looked at her pointedly. “Oh? With them, you’re fine with the smoke but you frown when I light only one cigarette?”

Her face turned red at being called out. Song Yu never verbally expressed her disapproval of Qi Chengzhi’s smoking habits, yet he noticed her body language.

“Haha, we’re not that addicted to nicotine,” Qi Chenglin proclaimed jovially. No one else seemed to be itching for a cigarette, including Yan Beicheng.

Even the quiet Chu Zhaoyang was putting back his cigarette, though no one saw him taking it out in the first place.

…

…

How rare for Qi Chengzhi to be bringing a lady; Song Yu, of all ladies. This was the first formal introduction and Qi Chengzhi was not shy about it. All in all, it was a happy occasion and they ordered a generous amount of alcohol.

That night, Qi Chengzhi was the man of the hour. No one dared to pressure Song Yu to drink, so they let her have her fruit juice in peace. Qi Chengzhi on the other hand, they were not able to let pass.

“Finally someone wants Qi Chengzhi. After so many years of bachelorhood, it must have been difficult,” Yan Beicheng howled.

Holding his beer, Qi Chenglin joined in the fun. “After all these years, I finally know how my sister-in-law looks like.”

A tremor went through her hand that was holding the chopsticks, almost making her drop the cutlery.

Hearing Yan Beicheng and Qi Chenglin’s words, could it be that Qi Chengzhi had never dated?

Impossible.

The man never cared for his reputation and took every opportunity to behave like a hoodlum. She doubted that he could stay single.

Song Yu chanced a glance at Qi Chengzhi. He seemed to be in a fairly good mood, despite knowing his buddies were goading him to drink. They were coming up with all sorts of weird facts and reasons to invite him to drink and he did not decline. One glass after another, Qi Chengzhi downed the alcohol.

Although he drank excessively, Song Yu stayed mum. She trusted him to know how to pace himself and not get flat-out drunk. She figured trying to stop him in front of his friends would only kill the mood.

The drinking went on and one by one, the grown men rushed in and out of the restroom to relieve their bladders.

When it was Song Yu’s turn, she found Qi Chenglin hogging the ensuite restroom.

She decided to go to the restroom outside and informed Qi Chengzhi.

Despite the heavy drinking, Qi Chengzhi appeared to be quite sober, his clear eyes were attentive.

“I’ll accompany you.” He put down his chopsticks and proceeded to get up.

“It’s fine.” Song Yu quickly pulled him back to his seat. “I can go myself.”

Fearing that he would push the matter, Song Yu hastily left the room.

As she escaped, the forgotten phone on the table started to ring.

Qi Chengzhi looked sharply at the foreign number on the screen. His lips pursed at the offending call.

He picked up the phone after a few rings, swiping the phone with his long fingers. He put the phone to his ear but said nothing.

“Song Song, it’s me.” The longing voice of Jian Yi sounded from the phone.

Anger flashed in his eyes. Qi Chengzhi had blocked Jian Yi’s original number, yet here he was with a new number.

Qi Chengzhi hung up, not wanting to him a chance to elaborate. He skillfully dragged this number into the block list. He wondered how many new numbers would Jian Yi use to get to Song Yu.

Jian Yi stared at his phone screen, the words ‘Call ended’ was a clear sign of rejection. His heart filled with sorrow as he leaned against the cold corridor wall.

‘Now she doesn’t even want to speak to me?’ he thought.

She used to love chatting with him.

No matter how late, knowing that it was him calling would enliven her, the drowsiness in her voice replaced with enthusiasm.

Jian Yi could almost taste the bitterness in his mouth. He turned around to walk back and that was when he saw Song Yu walking in his direction.

For a second, he thought he was hallucinating.

‘If Song Yu is here, then who was that on the phone?’

“Song Song.” Jian Yi gravitated toward Song Yu. “Why are you here?”

Song Yu did not expect to run into Jian Yi here. Clearly fate was playing tricks on her.

She nodded impassively and greeted, “Mister Jian.” Then, she brushed past him and left.

Song Yu used to smile whenever they met and look where they stand now. Jian Yi could not stand it.

He attempted to grab Song Yu’s arm, just to talk to her, but he was a step too late. Song Yu had quickened her steps and slipped through his fingers.

He thought about chasing after her but was interrupted by a voice behind him, “Jian Yi, what are you doing outside? We’re leaving now.”

Qi Chengyue walked up to Jian Yi, following his line of sight but seeing nothing. Song Yu had already fled the scene.

“What are you looking at?” Qi Chengyue asked as she linked arms with him. Dazed by the turn of events, a slight frown formed on his face.

“Nothing. Just came out for some air.” Jian Yi shifted his focus to Qi Chengyue. He put on his best fake smile to placate the girl.

Qi Chengyue was born with delicate and attractive features that rivaled that of a post-cosmetic enhancement celebrity. However, Jian Yi just could not replicate the feeling of affection that he had for Song Yu.

Song Yu had always been his dream girl, ever since he was a young boy. She represented the part of him that was pure and innocent.

Qi Chengyue smiled sweetly and laced her fingers through his hand.

“I understand that you’re not used to this and you may not like their company, but they are the young generation of the families. Socializing with them will only benefit you,” Qi Chengyue encouraged him in a soft tone.

“I know. Don’t worry about me.” Jian Yi gave her a gentle look. He caressed her face and gave her a kiss on the forehead.

This whole time Song Yu was standing at the corner of the corridor wall and listened in on Jian Yi and Qi Chengyue’s conversation. She shook her head and decided to leave.

Song Yu cautiously peeked around the corner. There was no signs of Jian Yi and Qi Chengyue. She overheard Qi Chengyue’s words about leaving and figured that they would have been gone by now.

She did not want to confront the couple, especially since Qi Chengyue thought the world of Jian Yi and believed that every girl was out to steal him. Her ego was too much for Song Yu to handle.

Checking that the coast was clear, Song Yu made her way back. As she was approaching their room, a group of five was being led down the corridor by the waiter.

Song Yu knew the five people. They were her schoolmates back in Jixia High School and among them were Li Qianyi and Wu Lijun.

Due to the unfortunate incident at Shengyue, Song Yu knew that the two would not let her off the hook so easily.

Song Yu sighed, fate was truly not on her side.

‘Should have stayed home today. First I run into Jian Yi and Qi Chengyue, now it’s this bunch of people.’

Song Yu internally debated on the ways to extricate herself from this social encounter. Retreating back to her corner seemed unfeasible, especially after Li Qianyi called out, “Song Yu! What a coincidence!”

Song Yu exhaled a deep sigh and forced the corners of her mouth to rise to the occasion. She walked over to them. “Yeah, what a coincidence indeed.”

“What are you doing here?” Li Qianyi gave her a cursory look over, not even bothering to hide her disdain and contempt. “Here to entertain guests?”

The last time they met at Shengyue, Song Yu was accompanied by Qi Chengzhi. That day, Li Qianyi was courteous toward her for fear of reprisal. She even went and ask Guan Xiaolin about them.

Now that Qi Chengzhi was not around, Li Qianyi had no reasons to play nice.

Back in the old days, Song Yu used to be the leading light in Jixia High School, her reputation stifling all the female student population. Now that her star had faded, Li Qianyi could hardly wait to rub salt in the wound.

Standing next to Li Qianyi, Wu Lijun giggled behind her hand. The demeaning look she gave Song Yu was as if she stumbled upon obscenity. “Song Yu, even though you lost your status as a lady from a notable family, that face of yours still gets you to places huh? Shengyue, now Red Roof, you just keep climbing up the ranks. Your employer must like you a lot to bring you to Red Roof Club, this place is not cheap.”

Standing next to Li Qianyi, Wu Lijun giggled behind her hand. The demeaning look she gave Song Yu was as if she stumbled upon obscenity. “Song Yu, even though you lost your status as a lady from a notable family, that face of yours still gets you to places huh? Shengyue, now Red Roof, you just keep climbing up the ranks. Your employer must like you a lot to bring you to Red Roof Club, this place is not cheap.”

Song Yu’s expression sunk thoroughly. The insinuation behind Wu Lijun’s words were so clear-cut that there was no way Song Yu could have missed the underlying meaning.

“Don’t say stuff like that, Lijun. Maybe the circumstances in Song Yu’s life were so dire that she had to no other choice. Back in the day, she was the noblest and most beautiful girl in the school, and yet today she’s facing such hardships. What she’s doing is no more than sitting around the drinking table, laughing and befriending her clients, and now she’s…” Li Qianyi put on a hesitant appearance.

She paused her sentence halfway and shook her head in dismay. “Song Yu, if you really need help, tell us. We’re all friends and I’m sure there’s something we can do to help. Don’t degrade yourself. Secrets can’t be kept forever and if your reputation turns bad, how’re you going to marry next time?”

From the looks of it, Li Qianyi’s words seemed to show concern toward Song Yu. In actuality, each of those sentences slandered her by saying that she made a living through sleeping with and befriending guests.

Song Yu’s expression turned stone-cold and an uncontrollable anger was burning within her heart.

At first, these people had nothing to do with her so there was no need for her to explain anything to them or clear her reputation. She wanted to just nod and make sure she never cross path with them again in the future. After hearing their words, though, she was unable to resist firing back some of her own.

She became blank, however, just as soon as she wanted to speak.

Standing a mere few steps behind them was Qi Chengzhi.

There was a cigarette in between his lips. His suit jacket had been left inside the room and his dress shirt was folded up to the elbows, revealing his strong forearms.

His necktie – the tail end of which was stuffed into the placket of his shirt – was loosened considerably and three of his shirt buttons were opened. His left shoulder leaned against the wall, supporting his lean figure. Such a pose made his legs look much longer than it normally was.

Having listened to Li Qianyi’s words, Qi Chengzhi squinted. His clean, well-defined, and slender fingers reached for the cigarette; a puff of smoke was then exhaled from his stern-looking lips.

Even in such a time, Song Yu still became absent-minded when looking at him. She felt that he had a bad-boy look. She began to feel worried for Li Qianyi and her group as she saw he squint.

She did not notice when he arrived, how long had he been standing there, or how much of their conversations had he heard.

Nonetheless, her heart calmed down the instant she saw him. The anger she previously had disappeared and she realized that Li Qianyi’s words were undeserving of her wrath.

Her heart had something to rely on and the thing she wanted to do most was to run right into his embrace.

During the moment where Song Yu went blank and was unable to refute them, a man behind Li Qianyi said, “Song Yu, why waste yourself on them? The men you befriend must be rather old, right? They’d have a wife. And since they’re middle-aged, their body, their looks, not to mention their stamina, won’t be any good.”

“If you wanted to find someone, you might as well find me. It won’t be a one-off transaction with me. Cars, houses, and just about everything, will be yours if you become my woman. I guarantee you’ll be as well-off as you were previously. And if you go out with me, no one would dare to look down on you,” Gao Jingqiu proclaimed arrogantly. His gaze swept across Song Yu’s face but he was not able to contain the redness of his lust and desire.

In truth, he liked Song Yu ever since they were in Jixia High School.

At that time, however, Song Yu was betrothed to Qi Chengji and there was no way he could offend the Qi family.

He knew that plenty of guys in high school liked Song Yu, but no one dared to hit Song Yu up because that would be interfering with the Qi family.

The opportunity came when the Song family went bankrupt some time later. It was a pity, though, because by then, he lost contact with Song Yu.

Song Yu remained in Gao Jingqiu’s heart for a long time. Although he feared that he would not see her again in his lifetime, the feelings he had for her were kept buried in his heart.

He did not expect the heavens to look kindly upon him, for it was to his surprise that he met her there. Naturally, he would not let go of this opportunity.

Li Qianyi and the others seemed to suggest that Song Yu had slept with many men. Despite feeling disgusted, he saw how Song Yu’s pure and beautiful face looked seventeen or eighteen instead of twenty-five. Then, he felt as though he did not care how many men Song Yu slept with, all he cared about was to sleep with her.

After all, it did not matter if she was pure and clean, he would not marry her anyway. Even so, it was enough for him if he could make sure that he was her only man in the future.

It was such a coincidence that Song Yu lacked money. Was that not a sign that the Almighty was on his side?

Gao Jingqiu became more and more pleased. The corner of his lips could not resist curling up into a confident smile, as though he already had Song Yu eating from the palm of his hand.

Song Yu was so infuriated she did not know whether to laugh or cry. From the very beginning, she did not even say a single word, but those people had already drawn up their own conclusions for her. They completely disregarded the truth and they simply decided that whatever came out from their mouths was the correct version of events.

It was laughable to see them believing that they were infallible.

“Whose kid is this? So stupid that they’d flirt with my girl right in front of me.” Qi Chengzhi’s cold voice was heard just as words were about to spill from Song Yu’s mouth.

He threw the cigarette onto the floor and crushed it with his feet before walking toward her.

Placing his hands into his pant pockets, he walked over leisurely, with a confidence that seemed to stem from having everything in control.

She looked at Qi Chengzhi and then at the group who was in front of her. They were about the same age as her, around twenty-five. Gao Jingqiu alone had a distinct temperament, since he was the pampered son of a wealthy family. However, when compared to Qi Chengzhi, he was nothing but a naïve kid who could not possibly be on par with Qi Chengzhi.

If it were any other day, Qi Chengzhi would not have even looked at them.

Qi Chengzhi walked over to Song Yu’s side and placed his hand over her shoulders. He glanced at Gao Jingqiu and sneered suddenly, “I don’t have a wife, neither am I middle-aged. As far as I know, my looks, my body, and my stamina isn’t too bad. And I never knew that for one to become my girlfriend would be self-degrading.”

Gao Jingqiu’s face turned red immediately. Qi Chengzhi’s askance gaze and that brief mocking laughter was a clear indication of how lightly Qi Chengzhi regarded him.

Nevertheless, Gao Jingqiu was afraid to refute him.

Faced with Qi Chengzhi, he had no right to even raise his head.

There was an inevitable and vast change to their expressions. Once the redness of his humiliation began to subside, a pale white expression was all he had on his face.

He never imagined that Song Yu’s current boyfriend was Qi Chengzhi!

His words seemed to show that he was not simply playing around with Song Yu. In effect, he said that she was his girlfriend!

His hopes of getting her were all but dashed. Those days, when she was still engaged with Qi Chengji, he did not dare to try and win her over. What more when her man was replaced by the even more frightening Qi Chengzhi?

He was still clueless how she ended up with the elder brother after breaking up with the younger one. Surely it would not be nice if words had spread out?

However, he was not thinking of all that at the time. He thought about the words that he said previously and was not only anxious, but scared too. With no idea how Qi Chengzhi would deal with him, he was afraid to look directly at Qi Chengzhi.

There was none of that arrogance he displayed previously. In place of it was a petrified look that was absolutely disgraceful.

Li Qianyi and Wu Lijun were even more nervous. ‘Didn’t Guan Xiaolin say that Qi Chengzhi and Song Yu were not involved with each other?!’

All they hoped for was that Qi Chengzhi came late and did not manage to hear what they said.

Pale-faced, their singular intention was to keep their heads low and leave; a far cry from their prior enjoyment of laughing at Song Yu’s misfortune.

Song Yu saw how nervous they were but was not at all sympathetic toward them. Sympathy was reserved only for those deserving of it. If Qi Chengzhi did not appear, they would not have let her go and if that happened, the embarrassed party would have been her.

In light of that, Song Yu ignored their anxiousness without feeling burdened by it. She turned and looked at the reliable person beside her – the handsome, sculpture-like man – and said, “Why did you come out?”

Qi Chengzhi ignored them as well. He looked at Song Yu and saw her calm expression. He noticed happiness in both her eyes but he did not overlook the anger and frustration that was present when she was targeted by those people.

The warm hand that he wrapped behind her back held her even more firmly as he massaged her slender shoulders. His expression was reserved. “You went to the bathroom for a very long time. I was worried that you ran into some trouble, so I went out to look around.”

Qi Chengzhi’s enigmatic eyes then looked up at the regally-dressed attendant – who was preparing to escort Li Qianyi and co back into their room – and ordered, “Call Yan Beicheng out.”

Afraid to slight him, the attendant deserted Li Qianyi’s group and ran into Qi Chengzhi’s room without even knocking the door.

Not long later, Yan Beicheng came out while smoking his cigarette.

Sans tie, three buttons of his navy dress shirt were unfastened and his sleeves were folded a few times right up his arm. Both his hands were placed inside his pant pockets.

If Qi Chengzhi looked like a bad boy with a cigarette between his lips, Yan Beicheng would look as though he was itching to explode; his squinted eyes and relaxed smoking suggested it.

At first, she thought that Yan Beicheng would come out only by himself. Surprisingly, a few steps behind him were Qi Chenglin, Wei Zilin, and Chu Zhaoyang.

They either had a cigarette between their lips or between their fingers. They were taking advantage of her absence in the room to smoke a couple of rounds, it seemed.

Very consciously, they threw down and extinguished their cigarettes once they walked along the corridor and stood behind her.

As they stood behind her, they made for such an intimidating line-up that one would dread to open one’s eyes. Li Qianyi and her friends trembled immediately upon seeing them.

Li Qianyi’s group were not a match for even one person in Qi Chengzhi’s group.

It scarcely crossed Li Qianyi and her group’s mind that Song Yu would be involved in such an elite circle.

“What is it?” Yan Beicheng looked at Qi Chengzhi and Song Yu, then at Li Qianyi and the gang. He squinted his eyes teasingly.

Just by looking at the anxiously-pale expression that adorned the faces of Li Qianyi and her friends, Yan Beicheng surmised that Qi Chengzhi found them bullying Song Yu.

“Have your club’s standards dropped so low that anyone can enter? Didn’t your club stipulate from the beginning that only those of the upper class are allowed? Why is it that those who simply have the money can also pass themselves off as being upper class?” Qi Chengzhi looked askance at Yan Beicheng.

Li Qianyi and her group were thoroughly insulted by his words but they did not speak even though they were angry.

“Did they pick on our sis-in-law?” Yan Beicheng squinted. Back in the room, he clearly could not bring himself to call her his sister-in-law but it came out so naturally then. Evidently, he was giving Song Yu face by calling her that in front of those people.

As a result of Yan Beicheng’s words, Li Qianyi’s and Wu Lijun’s lips trembled slightly. Even those who were utterly brainless would know the significance of someone like Yan Beicheng calling her his sister-in-law.

Qi Chengzhi was serious with Song Yu?

Qi Chengzhi did not speak. Without needing to display his anger, his sternly-pursed lips and expressionless face was enough to make the other party feel nervous.

“My sis-in-law was wronged on your turf. You decide how to settle the situation!” Qi Chenglin placed both hands into his pant pockets and remarked frigidly.

Wei Zilin chuckled softly and snickered, “Your club seems to be less and less picky in choosing guests. Since today’s good spirits has been ruined, perhaps our bros can’t have their fun anymore in the future?”

Chu Zhaoyang, a man of few words, simply had a stony expression when summing up everything in three words. “Such low standards.”

Yan Beicheng chuckled a simple ‘Hehe’ and turned to the attendant. “Send these five people out. Remember their names, their faces, and ban them for life from this club.”

The expression of all five changed drastically into a contorted ugliness as a result of the insults.

Gao Jingqiu had enough. How could he take such relentless insults!

He lambasted, “We are paying guests of the club. Young Master Yan, is this how you treat your guests?”

“Guest or not, you have to follow my standards. Guests of our club must fulfil the prerequisite of being those who have attained certain social status. Do you and your bunch of family-dishonoring jokers fulfil that requirement? If no, then please leave immediately. Don’t tarnish our club by being here.” Yan Beicheng waved his hands, as if to shoo off a fly.

Noticing them standing still with their ever-changing expressions, Yan Beicheng’s temper flared up. In a moment of impatience, he ordered the attendant, “Call security! Throw them out!”

“No need, we’ll go,” Li Zhuoan said calmly while standing beside Gao Jingqiu. He had listened to the jibes aimed at Song Yu earlier on but he neither stopped Li Qianyi nor participated in the insults.

He seemed to be the brains of the group, since no one refuted him when he said those words. On close inspection, he did seem more level-headed and more mature than the others.

Furthermore, if they really were escorted out by security, the ensuing ruckus would be massive and it would be even more humiliating.

Knowing that Yan Beicheng was not playing the fool, all that Li Qianyi and her group could do was preserve the last shred of their dignity and head down with Li Zhuoan.

Li Zhuoan took a few steps forward past Li Qianyi and stopped in front of Song Yu.

“They were taking things too far with what they said just now. It was a misunderstanding, I’m sorry,” Li Zhuoan said softly. His clear eyes, under his long eyelashes, looked at Song Yu’s fair-skinned face.

Before Song Yu could say anything, Qi Chengzhi squinted and said amorously, “Let’s go.” He placed his arms around Song Yu’s shoulders and walked past the room that Li Zhuoan and the gang was previously in, leaving the latter stranded awkwardly without hearing a reply from Song Yu.

Li Zhuoan smiled bitterly and turned around to look. Li Qianyi and the others were still reeling from the blow and no one noticed what Li Zhuoan had done.

Qi Chengzhi hugged Song Yu even tighter, so tight that her shoulder was beginning to feel sore from the grasp of his large hand.

He looked at her beauty and could not help but feel a surge of anger. Such a fickle woman! A simple trip to the bathroom was enough for her to attract other men!

The mere thought of it sent his blood boiling. He could care less if there was a hoard of people looking at him, he simply lowered his head and planted a fierce kiss on her lips.

“Ngh…” Song Yu was shocked because she never imagined he would kiss her so abruptly as to whenever he felt like it; they were still walking when the kiss happened.

Pressure on her lips forced them to open involuntarily. The taste of tobacco and hard liquor surged forth with force. After a bout of unbridled slurping and stirring, he released her.

She did not resist even though she knew she was shy. His kisses left her redder than a plum. With her lips still tender and moist, she found that her breathing turned heavy. Qi Chengzhi’s anger subsided and was replaced with an upbeat feeling. The corner of his lips curled up unknowingly.

Song Yu simply felt confused because she did not know what was it that came over him. His feelings were just like a thunderstorm, coming in bursts and bursts.

Song Yu just felt confused because she did not know what was it that came over him. His feelings were just like a thunderstorm, coming in bursts and bursts.

Yan Beicheng insisted on watching the five of them leaving, just in case something happened.

The others began walking; they followed behind Qi Chengzhi and went into the room.

Li Qianyi’s clique did not notice Gao Jingqiu 1 ‘s incongruous behavior, but Qi Chenglin and the group sure did.

It was especially so when Qi Chengzhi kissed Song Yu; Gao Jingqiu’s [1] face tensed up in bitter agony.

Qi Chengzhi slew his rival in love with almost no effort.

Of course, the facial expressions on Li Qianyi and her other friends were no better than Li Zhouan’s and it made for a splendid sight.

After Yan Beicheng came back to the room, everyone’s mood seemed unaffected by everything that happened just moments ago outside. After all, they would scarcely have taken the matter to heart if those small fry were regarded as insignificant people.

No one suggested to continue having fun at some other place after dinner. The addition of Song Yu felt like any other day to them. They were not the kind of people who would go to nightclubs just to find women to frolic around with, since each of them were boastful and proud people.

Previously, when Yan Beicheng just came back to the country, a bunch of rich entrepreneurs’ kids 2  hosted a welcoming reception for him in a bar. In the private room of that bar, all of them immediately engaged in an orgy. Yan Beicheng was disgusted. Even though he did not leave, he sat by himself at a corner and was bored to death. One of the women tried hitting him up but she was asked to leave him alone.

Qi Chengzhi remembered that Song Yu had work tomorrow and should not be going to bed too late, so he called Chang Lai to bring the car over.

The others, after having some drinks themselves, called their own drivers as well.

Before going up the car, Qi Chenglin and Wei Zilin shouted, “Bye, sis-in-law!”, causing Song Yu to feel embarrassed.

…

…

On the car, Song Yu felt bored, so she took out her phone and logged into her WeChat to see if there were any messages for her.

To her surprise, Ruan Danchen’s message was the first thing she saw after logging in.

[Song Yu! I saw you getting on a Range Rover! It’s Qi Chengzhi’s isn’t it? Come on little girl, you think no one would see you if you left the office late? I knew there was something going on when you were trying to drag your time in the office!] 3

Song Yu heart thumped madly, and she had something of a guilty conscience. The feeling was not unlike that of getting caught in an affair.

The way Qi Chengzhi kissed her after she went up the car made her feel especially guilty, despite the fact that the car windows’ tint being thick enough that Ruan Danchen could not have possibly have seen it.

She snuck a peek at Qi Chengzhi and saw him sitting primly. He looked especially sanctimonious then, perhaps because his driver, Chang Lai, was in the car.

Looking at the side profile of his face in the duskiness of the car, he seemed sterner and graver, like a carving from one of the great masters.

Song Yu’s face reddened as she withdrew her gaze. Before she could think clearly, her brain typed feverishly and she sent a simple [Mm…].

Ruan Danchen seemed to have her WeChat open constantly, for she replied with loads of exclamation marks barely moments after Song Yu’s message was sent.

[ ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ]

[You’re really getting close with him???!!!]

Before Song Yu could even reply, Qi Chengzhi was already looking in her direction. He asked in a deep tone, “Why is your face red?”

“Nothing, maybe the car’s air-condition is a bit warm,” Song Yu mumbled as she beat around the bush.

Her expression, though, was nothing short of guilty, so Qi Chengzhi squinted his eyes and looked unemotively at her.

His look only served to make her even more sheepish. She hid her gaze and dared not look at him.

“Who are you texting with?” Qi Chengzhi asked. His expression seemed displeased.

‘Her face became red just from texting, is she texting with a man?’

“A colleague.” Afraid that he might misunderstand, Song Yu added, “Ruan Danchen, actually.”

Qi Chengzhi raised an eyebrow. ‘Why the hell would her face be so red if she was talking with a woman?’

“What are you talking about?” He leaned closer to try and peek at it.

Noticing his presence inching ever closer, Song Yu covered the screen hurriedly and kept her phone.

“Nothing!” She was quite embarrassed to let him see what Ruan Danchen said, especially in light of her indirectly admitting her relationship with Qi Chengzhi. It made her seem rather thick-faced.

However, Qi Chengzhi was one step ahead of her and he managed to snatch the phone away.

“Don’t take it!” Song Yu grabbed his arm, but no matter what she did, her arm was no match for his.

“Why can’t I see it? What’s so shameful?” He held the phone and stretched her arm out so she would not be able to reach it.

Song Yu remembered that Chang Lai was in the car. She was embarrassed to make too much of a fuss and she also could not stick herself directly into Qi Chengzhi’s chest. All she could do was to release her grip resentfully and let her feelings sink into despair.

She sat there uncomfortably with her reddened complexion and dared not look at what Qi Chengzhi’s reaction would be after he read the text. Her head was lowered to the point where her chin was nearly touching her collarbone.

Looking at how she stopped grabbing and instead lowered her head as if having a guilty conscience, Qi Chengzhi snickered in his heart and proceeded to read the text.

Like dark clouds opening up to reveal a clear sky, his countenance brightened up considerably.

By and large, it was her reply, “Mm…”, that made his lips curl up even more.

“How do you plan on replying?” He smiled and looked askance at her. His gratified low voice were like tentacles that tickled her heart.

“I’ll reply tomorrow!” Song Yu blushed and took the phone back.

His expression seemed to suggest that he was teasing her for being so thick-faced. It made her feel very much ashamed.

Qi Chengzhi sneered gently and glanced at her phone. He asked insipidly, “What app is that?”

Song Yu turned and looked at him in shock, with her mouth wide agape. It never crossed her mind that Qi Chengzhi would ever ask that kind of question. “It’s WeChat. Don’t you know what that is? Everyone’s using it, from eighty-year-old ladies to three-year-old children. Even my parents use it every day at home! You really don’t know about it?”

It was obvious that Qi Chengzhi was being looked down upon. His expression was sullen and he remained silent; his simply looked ahead and sat still.

Knowing that his pettiness had acted up, she ignored him. Both of them remained silent and simply sat there, causing Chang Lai to feel great psychological pressure.

After a moment of silence, a cell phone was suddenly thrown over to Song Yu’s lap. As soon as she looked down, she heard Qi Chengzhi say, “Download it for me.”

Song Yu knew what to do next from her brief, prior experiences. Saying nothing further, she downloaded WeChat for him and once the download was complete, she prodded his arm with the phone.

Qi Chengzhi looked down and she said, “You have to create a password yourself.”

He looked at her. Instead of taking the phone, he said, “You create one for me. Use my birthdate and yours.”

“Well, you should do it yourself. I don’t know when your birthday is,” Song Yu said without thinking much.

The creases of Qi Chengzhi’s thin lips formed a line, while the deepness of his gaze produced numbness in her head. “March seventeenth. Remember it.”

Like an obedient student, she nodded in silence and entered his desired numbers.

As soon as it was logged in, it was only natural that Qi Chengzhi had no friends. He twitched his lips and said, “Add your number.”

Song Yu fiddled with the phone and showed it to Qi Chengzhi. “Done.”

“Are you Feather 4 ?” Qi Chengzhi saw the screen pop up with a close friend. Her icon was even that of a cartoon feather.

“Yup.” Song Yu nodded. Qi Chengzhi was still Qi Chengzhi, as he had yet to set his nickname.

“Change your name.” His bony fingers tapped his knee a few times. “Change it to ‘The Qi Family’s Xiao Yu’.”

“…” Song Yu dawdled for some time before mumbling, “That… I have lots of friends and also colleagues from the company, they can easily make the connection. They’ll gossip if they saw that name. Even from the very beginning, people thought I got the business in exchange for sleeping with you. If they saw such a name, I can’t imagine what else they’d say.”

“Also, my parents are on WeChat too. My mom once warned me not to get involved with you. If she saw it, she’d definitely intervene.”

Qi Chengzhi pursed his lips again and looked intently at her.

It was a look that always caused her scalp to feel numb, as though she had committed some great misdeed.

Song Yu held his arm immediately to try and curry favor with him. “We can change the settings for this. If you want, I can change the settings so it becomes something only the two of us can see. The result will be the same.”

Qi Chengzhi remained silent for some time but nodded reluctantly in the end. “Mm.”

Without further ado, Song Yu immediately set the name to ‘The Qi Family’s Xiao Yu’. When she logged in, she felt as though her phone was exceptionally warm. Looking at those five words made her heart go wild.

When Song Yu was setting up everything for Qi Chengzhi, he took her phone silently and opened the chat with Ruan Danchen.

Song Yu had yet to reply Ruan Danchen’s question.

It took only a few simple taps for Qi Chengzhi to understand how WeChat worked.

He chose a shy emoji and added another word behind it. “Mm.”

After sending the message, he took advantage of Song Yu’s inattentiveness and slyly slipped the phone beside her thigh.

“Done.” Song Yu handed Qi Chengzhi’s phone back to him. Beside the icon of the cartoon feather, the word ‘Feather’ was replaced with ‘The Qi Family’s Xiao Yu.”

Qi Chengzhi’s mood turned exceptionally good. The sullenness in his expression dispersed and there was a twinkle in his eyes as he saw those five words. The more he looked at them, the more he liked it.

He raised his eyebrow and looked at Song Yu. Then, he pointed at the screen of her phone and said, “Change your settings for my name too. Change it to ‘My Boss’.”

“If I change it to that name, what if I mistake it for Director Zhao’s text?” Song Yu said that on purpose because she felt that his name change request was too intimate!

“…” Qi Chengzhi looked intently at her, causing her to wonder if he knew the destructive effect of such gazes toward her.

He pursed his lips and snickered. “You added Zhao Rongcheng as your friend?”

“No, of course not,” Song Yu blurted out the truth without thinking. She regretted it immediately after finishing her words and seeing Qi Chengzhi squint at her.

Qi Chengzhi said nothing but simply scoffed. His mocking tone was obvious.

Song Yu looked down and kept quiet. Then she changed the settings earnestly.

…

…

The car stopped right below the apartment. Song Yu felt awkward. It was not the first time that Qi Chengzhi sent her home, but it was the first time that he did so with their new status.

“Well… I’ll be heading up. Take care on the road,” Song Yu looked down and said. She was slightly afraid to look at him. Her reddened face was illuminated by light that shone through the dark car windows.

She fluttered her eyelashes and opened the car door immediately to get down.

Right after that, she heard the sound of another car door closing behind her. Qi Chengzhi had followed her down.

She thought that Qi Chengzhi would follow her up and she was just about to decline, since she knew that it would spell trouble for her to invite Qi Chengzhi into her home.

To her surprise, he simply stood in front of her and held her hand.

“You’re just going to go up like that?” Qi Chengzhi’s low voice seemed to tickle her itch as it resonated in her mind.

Song Yu looked up. Her momentary confusion turned to clarity of understanding once she saw the burning fire in his eyes.

She hesitated for a while and looked into the car. The tint was much darker in the night and she could not see a thing.

“Chang Lai won’t look.” Qi Chengzhi squeezed her palm and urged.

‘Could this man stop being so smart?’

Song Yu was not too happy after being exposed just like that.

She had never initiated a kiss before. If she did so at that moment, it would amount to affirming her relationship.

By bringing her to meet with Yan Beicheng that evening, he was quietly trying to set her mind at ease and show that he was serious. Even so, she was not completely at peace and there was always the slight feeling that everything was unreal. She was afraid of jumping to conclusions too early with the relationship, and at that moment, she could not contain her shyness.

After much holding back and hesitation, she could no longer withstand his fixed eyes and penetrating stare. She felt numbness in her mind. His appearance as of then seemed to force her into making a decision and prevent her from shying away.

Song Yu closed her eyes while her heart was beating madly. She summoned up the courage and lightly kissed him.

With that kiss, it felt like that chapter had been closed and she had – by her own volition – acknowledged their relationship.

Qi Chengzhi’s eyes looked even more intense and pulled her abruptly into his embrace in order to give her a solid kiss on the lips.

His arms were wrapped tightly around her waist. In her nervousness and anxiousness, she felt her lower belly pressing against the heat below his belt. She could feel the heat getting more intense with the utmost clarity.

Being much taller than her, he was lowering his head to kiss her, so much so that there was even a slight hunch to his back. Her head was made to curl backward and such an action was quite intimate in nature.

His released her from his lips only when she was shivering from his heat.

He pressed on her lower back with his warm palm and pinned himself to her lower belly. He rocked his hips and placed his lips close to her ear. His voice was hoarse and the warmth of his breath caressed her ears. “Can you feel it?”

Song Yu was afraid to move and she also did not dare to touch him. It never crossed her mind that a simple kiss could elicit such a reaction from him.

“I need to go up…” Her voice was as soft as a mosquito’s hum. It was soft, as if she was weak and had little strength.

Her hands did not dare to push him, and the fact that he was pressing on her lower abdomen made her dread simply moving her hands around. All she could do was remain still in his embrace.

Her blush traveled all the way up to her ears, then down toward her shirt collar.

Seeing all that made Qi Chengzhi’s heart flutter. The arousal that he had was simply indescribable.

His moist lips shifted slowly from her ear to her cheek, rubbing gently against them once in a while. He saw as her cheek became redder and redder, while she felt hotter and hotter.

Her drooping eyelashes made her seem exceptionally beautiful under the moonlight.

With an unrelenting sigh, he finally let go of her. His voice was filled with regret as he said, “Go up then.”

Song Yu did not hesitate because she knew that if things continued as before, she was afraid she would not be able to control herself from getting lost in his seduction.

Feeling anxious, she turned around and ran for home without even managing to bid him goodbye.

Qi Chengzhi could not help chuckling and shaking his head as she disappeared into the building as though she was running for her life.

It was only when the lights in her apartment were lit up that he went back in the car and asked Chang Lai to begin driving.

…

…

Song Yu laid down on the bed with her face still warm. It was like she was roasted over fire while having a fever.

Beside her hand, her cell phone was vibrating constantly and the notification light on the top left corner was also blinking incessantly.

She tapped into her WeChat and saw a screenful of messages from Ruan Danchen. All of them were exclamation marks.

Ruan Danchen’s endless slew of messages still continued to pop up on the screen.