"Out of Practice"

Looking at him, Xun Yuan only then noticed that he was wearing a bathrobe, his hair still wet and desire thick in his expression. He had probably heard the noise just after his shower and come over.

"Oh," Xun Yuan said.

Her gaze swept over his handsome brows and eyes, traveling downward with naked, blatant scrutiny before settling on his half-bared chest. Deliberately, she said, "What a shame."

"Hmm?"

Her lips moved slightly as she said in an affected tone, "A beautiful man fresh from his bath, and I missed the first glimpse. Of course it's a shame."

Zuo Tingyue pressed his arms down on either side of her quilt, pinning her body beneath it, an unrestrained curve lifting his thin lips.

"Looking for trouble?"

Pinned beneath the quilt, Xun Yuan could not move her body. Only her hands, which were outside it, could move, and she refused to back down.

Her pale fingers traced his prominent Adam's apple, lingering over his collarbones and chest. The numb fear in her eyes vanished, replaced by a gradually enlivening allure.

Zuo Tingyue caught the hand about to slip into his bathrobe and forcibly pressed it down at her side.

"Don't want to sleep anymore?"

His voice was low, steeped in the rainstorm outside, its timbre sounding rich and pleasing to the ear, and all the more intimidating.

Xun Yuan shook her head against the pillow. "I want to sleep."

"Are you going to sleep in another room?"

"Throwing me out?"

"No."

Xun Yuan answered without the slightest hesitation. To prove her words, she used her free arm to lift the quilt on the other side.

Zuo Tingyue found it amusing. A low, husky laugh vibrated from his chest, enough to make her ears tingle.

"An arsonist of women's hearts," Xun Yuan muttered.

"What did you say?" he asked.

Without batting an eye, Xun Yuan said, "I told you to dry your hair."

Zuo Tingyue got up from over her, walked out, then came back with a towel in his hand and held it out to Xun Yuan.

"Help me."

Xun Yuan glanced at him, then took the towel from his hand, had him sit on the bed, and actually got up to dry his hair.

Neither spoke. There was only the soft rustling of the towel against his hair.

Holding the towel, Xun Yuan worked her fingers through his hair. Its texture was lovely, not coarse at all, nothing like the man himself: cold, hard, and heartless, indifference seeping into his bones.

Sometimes, Xun Yuan inevitably wondered just what it would take to make everything perfect, whether she could even think about the future. She had never been one to make things difficult for herself; she believed in living in the moment.

Especially in her circle, where the winds and clouds of fame and fortune shifted unpredictably, and in the arena of romance, who would win and who would lose remained anyone's guess until the very last moment.

The powerful were fighters by nature, each wielding the power of life and death. He would not linger for her, just as she would not linger for him.

In the end, there simply was not enough affection.

When feelings and interests were placed on a scale, it would always tip toward interests and family.

If the same benefit could be obtained through either a safe path or a risky one, people would favor the safe option.

It was human nature, something that could not be helped, all the more so for people like them, born into prominent families.

Lost in thought, Xun Yuan did not notice that the towel in her hands had shifted. The man's strong hand caught her wrist, his voice cool and detached. "You're going to blind me."

Xun Yuan's thoughts were instantly pulled back to the present. She smiled, a little guilty. "Out of practice."

Zuo Tingyue took the towel from her hands and said flatly, "Go to sleep."

Xun Yuan nodded and slipped under the quilt.

Zuo Tingyue did not leave. He turned off the lights, lay down on the other side of the bed, and held her as they fell asleep.

Outside, fierce winds and torrential rain raged; inside, they slept in each other's arms.

That night, in a rare occurrence, Xun Yuan slept fairly well despite the thunderstorm.

She slept straight through until morning. The next day, before she had even left her room, she heard activity outside.

In the sitting room outside, all the team members from yesterday were present, with Special Assistant Lin there as well, all standing before Zuo Tingyue with their heads lowered.

"Boss, Leap won't agree. They're asking us to adjust the original figure by ten percent before they'll agree to the acquisition."

The man who had been dressed in a sharp suit yesterday spoke with his head lowered, not daring to look up at his expression.

Unhurriedly, Zuo Tingyue tapped out a cigarette. The flint-wheel lighter clicked, and the cigarette caught. Wisps of smoke rose, shrouding his handsome face in an unfathomable depth.

"Draw up the contract as I instructed yesterday."

The man wanted to say something, but when he looked up and saw his boss's cold, merciless expression, the little resolve he had mustered instantly vanished like smoke.

Special Assistant Lin signaled to the team with his eyes, telling them all to leave, and followed them out.

Outside the suite, the man looked troubled as he asked Special Assistant Lin in a low voice.

"Special Assistant Lin, what does the boss mean? Give me a hint."

Special Assistant Lin said, "What did the boss just say?"

The man recalled, "Keep drafting the acquisition contract."

Special Assistant Lin's tone was mild. "Then do as he says."

"As for the rest, is this your first time seeing how the boss devises his strategies?"

With that, Special Assistant Lin turned and left. After pausing where he stood for a few seconds, the man understood and left with the team.

Inside, Xun Yuan stood at the corner. Seeing Zuo Tingyue's cold, brooding air, she did not go in and even considered turning back to her room.

"Come here."

His bass-rich voice traveled across the space and reached Xun Yuan's ears, making them tingle.

Who knew when he had noticed her? Xun Yuan had no choice but to turn back and walk slowly over to him.

She was again wearing an elegant qipao that was not easy to pull off, in a pale shade that was not overly ostentatious. Yet paired with such a strikingly beautiful face, it dazzled the eye.

From above, Xun Yuan looked down at Zuo Tingyue on the sofa. Amid the drifting smoke, his expression was detached, a cigarette held between his fingers. His casual posture carried an indescribable depth and weight; two alluring qualities, rakishness and haughty reserve, blended perfectly in him.

Her voice was clear. "Unhappy?"

Zuo Ting's expression seemed disdainful, his tone flat. "I wouldn't say that."

Xun Yuan studied him. It was that haughty air of finding something beneath his notice, the bearing of someone in power who did not think it worth even lifting his eyes.

He raised his eyelids slightly and asked casually, "Bored?"

Not understanding what he intended, Xun Yuan gave an equivocal answer. "It's all right."

Zuo Tingyue said, "I'll take you out on a cruise ship."

Xun Yuan nodded in agreement. "Sure."

And so, that evening, as dusk closed in, the two boarded a cruise ship in Shen City.

The luxury cruise ship was brightly lit, its warm yellow lights swaying.

There were few people aboard. Apart from their party, there were several men in sharp suits. Judging by their appearances, the older ones were in their fifties or sixties, and the younger ones in their thirties.

Xun Yuan had a good memory and found them familiar. They seemed to be the heads of companies in Shen City.

She did not know what Zuo Tingyue intended by meeting this group, but it was probably related to the acquisition.

After they boarded, Zuo Tingyue discussed business with those men while Xun Yuan fished with Special Assistant Lin.

At first, Xun Yuan had simply been bored and wanted some amusement to pass the time.

Special Assistant Lin thought, Bored? I don't feel bored.

Later, Special Assistant Lin found fishing equipment somewhere and gave it to Xun Yuan so she could fish.

"Special Assistant Lin, the fish aren't biting."

Xun Yuan's hands hurt from holding the rod for so long, and her patience was wearing thin.

Special Assistant Lin: ...

"Then how about we stop fishing, Miss Xun Yuan?"

Xun Yuan gave a soft laugh. "Do you go back on your word like this at work too?"

Special Assistant Lin felt helpless. How was that the same? Work was nowhere near as difficult as placating a woman.

"Miss Xun Yuan, if there's anything you need help with, please just say so." He considered himself tactful.

The words circled at the tip of Xun Yuan's tongue before she swallowed them back. "Nothing," she said coolly.

It would not do for her to meddle too much in other people's affairs.

With that thought, she focused on fishing. Another fifteen minutes passed without a single fish taking the bait. Xun Yuan no longer wanted to fish. It was boring.