"Would you like to?"

Zuo Tingyue's brow-bones lifted slightly, his dark gaze holding a hint of fragmented amusement. With his haughty and self-possessed demeanor, the words spoken aloud were nevertheless full of erotic ambiguity.

"How hard is it?"

His voice was low and hoarse. A shirt button had popped open, revealing that touch of dissolute true nature, powerful muscles hidden beneath the thin shirt, and an aura full of hormones.

Xun Yuan kept her arm hooked around his neck without loosening it, pressing her face close against his chest. She came to a halt right over the position of his heart, rubbing against it in a daze-a posture that sought a sense of security and extreme trust and reliance.

Beyond a doubt, Xun Yuan let down her guard around him to a great extent, enjoying this bit of tacit understanding between adults.

She also wanted to try being an ordinary woman in front of him, the kind of ordinary that came with liking someone.

"How come your heartbeat didn't change at all?"

"Don't you have any emotional fluctuations whatsoever?"

Xun Yuan muttered softly, her crisp voice laced with the hazy blur of drunkenness and a faint softness. She was complaining that he was too calm, and how could this kind of calmness be anything other than a lack of warmth.

The person who fell in liking first always had to rack their brains a little.

Zuo Tingyue smiled faintly, freeing one hand to straighten her head. He lowered his gaze to watch her, the expression in the depths of his eyes impossible to make out clearly in the dim surroundings.

"What kind of emotional fluctuations do you want?"

With every single word and phrase, he let out a soft laugh, lowering his voice as he continued:

"The kind where your adrenaline spikes?"

His low voice in the night was like slender fingers gently plucking zither strings-delightfully pleasant, and seductive enough to draw one in deep.

Xun Yuan's gaze was hazy, brimming with intoxication. Within her cool dark pupils, a few shattered lights gleamed, and her eyes were bright. Her eyes were born extremely beautiful, the kind of beauty that could hook a person's soul.

"Would you like to?"

Her low, gentle voice was like an incantation tempting one to break the rules and steal the forbidden fruit.

Her boldness today was perhaps an indulgence of the wine-not to the point of being completely senseless, but just that precise degree of tipsiness where one was on the verge of getting drunk.

When the night grew deep and quiet with no one around, the desires in the depths of the heart were always prone to being magnified, shedding the constraints of daytime status and destiny to sweep over in a wanton rush.

Zuo Tingyue did not reply. The hand pressed against her waist moved, his fingertips scraping across the dimple of her waist. Tsk, he kind of wanted to smoke.

Xun Yuan gave a soft laugh, then raised her head-

And kissed his Adam's apple.

Her pearly teeth nibbled lightly, without using much force; it was purely intentional.

Zuo Tingyue let out a low curse. Maintaining this posture, he slanted his head right beside her ear.

"Don't bite."

If this kept up, he was going to lose control.

He murmured a few words right by her ear, whispering.

Xun Yuan's body stiffened, a trace of clarity surfacing within her hazy gaze. She stopped stirring up trouble and wanted to climb down from him to return to the front passenger seat, but the arm around her waist was exceptionally strong.

"Let go of me, then," she coaxed playfully.

Zuo Tingyue put her back in the front passenger seat, then rolled down the car window, lit a cigarette, and slowly smoked it to the finish.

Xun Yuan did not urge him on, instead straightening her disheveled hair and cheongsam, and gathering her shawl around her shoulders.

The Bentley with four eights drove out of the parking lot and headed straight for the hotel.

Inside the direct elevator, the mirrored interior walls reflected the cold, sharp lighting. Xun Yuan and Zuo Tingyue stood on opposite sides.

The young master was probably truly exhausted, leaning sideways against the wall as he stood in a lazy mess of a posture, his eyelids seemingly closed to cover a pair of cool, thin eyes.

With things having reached this stage, Xun Yuan's slight drunkenness had basically scattered completely. Earlier, she had simply been borrowing the wine to act fierce.

The environment was too tranquil. Xun Yuan looked at his weary and languid features, silently swallowing back whatever words she had.

With a "beep," the elevator stopped. Xun Yuan and Zuo Tingyue stepped out toward the top-floor hotel suite, which possessed exceptional privacy.

Zuo Tingyue tugged at Xun Yuan's wrist, pinching the bones of her hand as he walked forward. Her hand was soft, with a very nice feel.

All the way until they entered the suite and the door clicked shut, Zuo Tingyue pinned her against the door panel. The heavy and archaic scent of millennial sandalwood pressed in alongside the force of his kiss, bearing down entirely upon Xun Yuan. He kneaded her waist, making an unbridled intrusion into her territory so that the clear, light fragrance on her body would be stained with his scent.

The two auras blended together. The drunken intoxication on Xun Yuan's body completely faded away, replaced instead by another heart-scratching and lung-scraping sensation that felt even more drifting and ethereal.

Heat rose. The moonlight outside the window filtered through the floor-to-ceiling glass, solitary and desolate, casting interlaced and entangled shadows upon the wall.

"Snap."

The indoor lights clicked on. The interaction between the adults was too intense for this minor interlude to interrupt them.

The silk wrap hanging from Xun Yuan's shoulder gradually slipped down, and Zuo Tingyue's suit jacket fell to the floor. He picked Xun Yuan up and carried her into the bathroom.

Water poured down in a torrent from overhead; he could not wait.

High heels and a belt lay scattered in utter disorder, a mess beyond description.

The frog buttons of the cheongsam were difficult to untie. After managing to undo a single button, he found it too troublesome and simply tore the garment apart. There was no tenderness to be found-it was pure tyranny.

Xun Yuan found a chance to draw a breath. "The clothes are ruined."

"I'll buy you a new set."

Zuo Tingyue's voice grew low and hoarse to the point of being raspy, possessed of the sexiness of one sinking into the romantic winds and moonlight.

After that, there was only a long talk that lasted the whole night.

True to expectations, Xun Yuan overslept the next day. When she woke up and saw the marks on her body, she covered her face for a moment. Honestly, it was rather unspeakable-he was far too fond of leaving marks.

Her phone was lying to the side. She picked it up and saw a pop-up notification, which made Xun Yuan remember that she had an appointment with President Zhang today to give him the porcelain vase.

She typed out a reply giving an agreed-upon time.

"If you don't mind, would dinner time be alright? My wife likes you very much and would like to invite you to join us for a simple meal."

Upon seeing the message sent over, Xun Yuan deleted the words she had already typed out and typed again.

"Alright."

Xun Yuan got up, washed up, and prepared to leave the hotel. As she passed the dining table, she noticed a room card placed upon it. It was quite conspicuous-guaranteed to have been left for her.

"Ding-"

"Miss Xun Yuan, the boss had a transnational video conference to attend this morning, and he instructed me to leave the room card for you on the table."

Special Assistant Lin's message.

Xun Yuan raised an eyebrow and typed a reply: "Special Assistant Lin, your boss know how good you are with your words?"

Special Assistant Lin: "I only do what falls within my duties."

Xun Yuan: "How much does your boss pay you in salary?"

He was certainly skilled at covering for his boss and offering placation. A transnational video conference?

Xun Yuan thought that the meeting being real was just as true as him not really paying much attention.

Xun Yuan met with Mr. and Mrs. Zhang at a high-end Chinese restaurant.

The moment Xun Yuan sat down, Mr. and Mrs. Zhang arrived. After a brief exchange of pleasantries, Xun Yuan opened the box containing the restored cultural artifact to have its quality verified on the spot.

The Qing dynasty enamel-painted porcelain vase was nestled inside a box, embedded in velvet cotton cloth.

The restored enamel-painted porcelain vase was completely intact, without a single trace of its previous damage visible. Its workmanship was exquisite, its colors brilliant, and it looked magnificent even without deliberate lighting.

Mrs. Zhang was clearly extremely satisfied, speaking warmly and affectionately with Xun Yuan.

"Your craftsmanship is so good. Not a single flaw can be seen, and I love it particularly."

Hearing this, Xun Yuan smiled. "This is simply my work. As long as Mrs. Zhang likes it."

"I am a few years older than you. If you don't mind, might I call you Xunxun?"

Xun Yuan went along with the flow: "Alright."

Mrs. Zhang was in high spirits this evening, chatting with Xun Yuan about a great many things and hitting it off wonderfully. Mr. Zhang occasionally chimed in from the side, playing the part of an invisible man.

After the meal, Mr. and Mrs. Zhang departed. It was only when Xun Yuan walked out of the restaurant that she discovered a drizzle drifting through the night sky.

Mist and rain filled the air. The instant Xun Yuan lifted her gaze, she locked eyes with a man's deep and aloof gaze.