Stealing pleasure amid the bustle

In an understated, luxurious suite, a man stood by the window, looking down from above, just in time to take in the scene at the hotel entrance.

The young man had parked at the entrance, his gaze following the woman's retreating figure intently. Only after a long while did he slowly drive away.

With a muffled thud, the door opened and closed.

The instant Xun Yuan saw Zuo Tingyue, something flickered in her eyes, and her steps briefly faltered. The crown prince wore his bathrobe loosely, his ink-black hair soaking wet. He stood tall and elegant before the floor-to-ceiling window, languor practically spilling off the screen.

"You're awake?"

Xun Yuan took off her silk shawl and asked casually.

An "Mm" rumbled from the man's chest, his voice low and husky.

"Come here," he called softly.

Xun Yuan raised her brows slightly and walked up to him. He immediately wrapped an arm around her slender waist, her deep-purple skirt draping over his pure-black bathrobe in a sumptuous, intimate tableau.

"Where did you go for fun?" the man asked in a low voice, his dark eyes fixed on her as his fingertips stroked her waist through a thin layer of fabric.

"I wandered around. Sydney's scenery is beautiful."

She deliberately gave him a hard time. "I watched an opera. Are all you men heartless, born without affection?"

Xun Yuan slipped her pale hand into the overlapping folds of his collar and tapped his chest with her fingertips. The touch was light, like flirtation, yet it genuinely conveyed a little displeasure.

Zuo Tingyue chuckled, the corners of his lips curving upward as he lowered his eyes, utterly casual.

"Nonsense. Watch your opera, but why compare it to me?"

Laughter flowed through his eyes, his Adam's apple bobbing, his rakish abandon impossible to conceal.

There really was no comparison: neither his wealth and status nor his masterful strategizing, much less his cold-hearted rationality.

"You don't even spend time with me," Xun Yuan said softly, her voice lifting at the end with a touch of coquettishness.

He had brought her along only to busy himself with work. How was that fair?

"Aren't I spending time with you now?"

Zuo Tingyue countered, referring to this very moment, switching the terms without a shred of guilt.

Xun Yuan could not be bothered to argue. Her fingers wandered over his chest. His bathrobe was disheveled, the exposed muscles sharply defined. He lacked none of a mature man's surging masculinity; the black bathrobe amplified the desire rolling off him and the thick, palpable tension.

In the small hours, Zuo Tingyue took a call and left. Who knew who had arranged to meet him this time, choosing this particular hour? He really did have boundless energy. Then again, he had caught up on sleep during the day.

Xun Yuan slept until she woke naturally. When she went out, she found the assistant waiting to escort her with a respectful manner.

"Miss Xun Yuan, the boss sent me to pick you up."

Xun Yuan was a little surprised, wondering what had gotten into Zuo Tingyue. She questioned the assistant with her eyes.

The assistant merely smiled. He was just an employee who did as he was told. How would he know what his boss was thinking?

In the end, Xun Yuan got into the assistant's car. He did not say where they were going, and she did not ask; she would find out soon enough anyway. The assistant parked at a sports club, and someone guided her along to the golf course.

From far away, Xun Yuan spotted Zuo Tingyue playing golf, club in hand. He was still in a suit, though he had taken off his jacket and rolled up his shirtsleeves, bunching them below his elbows to expose his sturdy forearms.

He swung the club with perfect form, the raised veins tracing sexy curves over the skin of his arms. Xun Yuan knew just how strong those arms were.

Xun Yuan dismissed her guide and approached alone. Only then did she notice the fine sweat seeping from his skin, dampening his collar just a little. That tiny detail lent a trace of desire to his abstinent air, a hint of rakishness to his noble bearing.

That was how he was, both proper and languid, contradictory and seductive.

Zuo Tingyue stopped and motioned for Xun Yuan to sit. A middle-aged foreign man was with him, also playing golf.

Once the two men finished playing, they sat down and began discussing a collaboration. Xun Yuan listened on and off without speaking, quietly keeping them company. Only when the foreign man went to the restroom did she say her first words to Zuo Tingyue.

"What did you call me over for?"

"Didn't you say I wasn't spending time with you?"

Zuo Tingyue enunciated his reply, then pressed the call button to have a server bring towels, food, and drinks.

When everything arrived, Zuo Tingyue motioned for the server to place the food and drinks before Xun Yuan, then took a towel himself to wipe away his light sweat.

The snowy-white towel swept over his skin. Such an ordinary movement, yet when he did it, it always had an indescribable quality. Looking across a crowd, he was always the one who caught the eye.

After the foreign man returned, they resumed their earlier topic, talking for a long time. Waiting beside them, Xun Yuan grew a little hungry. She had come without eating breakfast. She sipped the water before her but did not touch the food, afraid of disturbing their discussion.

At one point, Zuo Tingyue glanced her way with a dark, unreadable gaze that Xun Yuan did not understand.

Within a few minutes, she heard Zuo Tingyue tell the foreign man that he was taking her to eat, and they would leave things there for today.

Puzzled, the foreign man asked with a warm smile, "I hadn't heard that you were married, Mr. Zuo?"

Zuo Tingyue merely smiled without speaking, the look in his eyes cool and distant.

Xun Yuan stood and turned to the foreign man, replying with easy composure, "I'm not his wife."

Feeling he had been presumptuous, the foreign man smiled apologetically. "Sorry."

Xun Yuan smiled.

Zuo Tingyue picked up his suit jacket and draped it over his arm, then said his goodbyes. His other strong, sinewy arm rested behind Xun Yuan's waist, his posture protective and indulgent.

The pair left together ahead of him, the woman's flowing skirt brushing against and parting from the man's crisply tailored trousers, their entanglement weaving a prelude to intimacy.

Watching their retreating figures from behind, the foreign man suddenly recalled an ancient Chinese idiom-

A talented man and a beautiful woman.

The assistant was waiting in the car. After getting in, Xun Yuan asked Zuo Tingyue, "Where are we eating?"

"Quay."

The assistant started the car and drove toward the restaurant.

The enclosed car was silent. The assistant had tactfully raised the partition as soon as they set off. In the back seat, the cool, faint sandalwood scent on Zuo Tingyue drifted intermittently to her nose, slightly bitter and subtle, mingling with his chill to form an indescribable depth.

Xun Yuan tilted her head slightly to look at him. He was resting with his eyes closed, his body leaning against the seat, his whole posture relaxed. There was a faint languor and weariness about him. Only at such times did he reveal a little dishevelment.

When they reached Quay, a server came to escort them. Only then did Xun Yuan learn that he had already reserved a table.

They had the best window-side dining seats overlooking the sea. Beyond the enormous panoramic floor-to-ceiling windows stretched a magnificent ocean view with no end in sight. The chef's food was rich in flavor, and the two ate quietly.

"Have you been here before?" Xun Yuan asked.

"No. Peter recommended it," Zuo Tingyue said mildly.

Peter was the middle-aged foreign man from earlier.

"Oh," Xun Yuan said. Sure enough, the crown prince liked to save himself trouble. There were plenty of better things he could do with that time.

Zuo Tingyue pushed a dessert on the table in front of Xun Yuan. "Try it."

Xun Yuan took a bite as instructed. It tasted quite good, sweet and icy cool, filling her mouth with a light sweetness.

The midday sun was lovely. Sunlight streamed through the glass onto them, dappled light and shadow falling over the dining couple, lending an inexplicable warmth, as though the years were peaceful and all was well.