Acting spoiled with drink, cold-hearted

During their week in Sydney, Xun Yuan followed Zuo Tingyue around on business every day. Whenever he spoke with anyone, she stood beside him as a human ornament.

Eventually, even Xun Yuan found it dull. Somehow, she started organizing documents and taking meeting minutes for Zuo Tingyue, practically taking over his assistant's job.

When Xun Yuan handed him the contract, she whispered into his ear, "Shouldn't the boss pay me too?"

She gazed at Zuo Tingyue with a beaming smile, her warm breath brushing his skin as she asked for compensation.

Zuo Tingyue signed without hesitation, his unrestrained, wild strokes in slender gold script sinking forcefully into the paper, free and uninhibited.

He handed the document to the business partner across from him, tilted his head, and enunciated clearly, "Haven't I paid you?"

Xun Yuan knitted her brows in confusion.

The man chuckled softly in his deep voice. "Didn't I just pay you last night?"

Meeting his gaze, Xun Yuan understood at once. His eyes held teasing amusement, his dissolute charm that of an utter rogue.

For a moment, his naked gaze seemed to scald her. Unbidden, she remembered last night. He had always been indulgent in such matters, insisting on tormenting her until her nostrils were filled with the faint spice of his hormones.

Xun Yuan's expression stiffened a little, her ears burning. Mindful of the business partner opposite them, she could hardly lash out, so she fled with the excuse of going to the restroom.

When Zuo Tingyue came out and found no sign of her, he asked the assistant behind him, "Where is she?"

The assistant dared not look at his boss's expression. Lowering his head, he said, "Miss Xun Yuan left first."

Zuo Tingyue paused, cast him a sidelong glance, and strode away. The breeze lifted his hem into a sharp, chilly arc.

Xun Yuan had not returned to the hotel. She had gone to a nightclub instead. She had long heard how lively the bars here were and wanted to see for herself.

Lights swayed over the dance floor, where mature men and women moved among the crowd to the rhythm of the music. Xun Yuan did not join that wild dance of demons, ordering a drink and sipping it slowly instead.

Flushed with alcohol, Xun Yuan's lips were vivid, her shifting eyes veiled in a hazy sheen. Her long black hair fell over her shoulders, half concealing her exquisite profile, and a blush stained her fair skin-a naturally seductive vision.

In the nightclub, someone was bound to notice this sight. A beautiful, alluring Asian woman-every element invited lingering looks and stirred temptation.

"Miss, this is from the gentleman over there."

A server came over with a drink and pointed to a man near the bar.

Xun Yuan followed his gesture. The foreign man wore casual clothes, with a high nose bridge and fair skin. He was quite good-looking.

She smiled without taking the glass from the tray, murmured something to the server, and gave him a tip.

A little later, the server ordered a drink at the bar, brought it to the man who had ordered earlier, and whispered something in his ear.

The foreign man glanced at Xun Yuan, regret and amusement in his eyes.

Xun Yuan had been there for quite a while. When Zuo Tingyue arrived, she was just about to leave.

He glanced at the glass in front of her, his tone unreadable. "Had enough?"

Xun Yuan stared at him for a few moments, then stood and seized his tie. Smiling brightly at him, she gave it a slight tug to force his head down, rose onto her toes, and bit his lip.

Looking at the mark on Zuo Tingyue's lip, Xun Yuan giggled like a child whose prank had succeeded, adorable and wicked at once.

"Xun Yuan." Zuo Tingyue spoke her name in a lowered voice, his expression cold.

"Here," she answered softly, her alcohol-laced voice sweet and spoiled.

Zuo Tingyue tried to pull her hand away, but Xun Yuan refused, struggling until her arms wound around his neck.

His expression grew a little icy. "Xun Yuan."

"Mm." Xun Yuan still answered obediently.

Just as Zuo Tingyue's patience was about to run out, the woman held his neck and said quietly:

"Zuo Tingyue, don't be mean to me."

"How am I being mean?"

Zuo Tingyue answered him in a low voice as she burrowed restlessly into his arms, reeking of alcohol.

Her antics stirred his temper, and he scolded her, "Drunkard."

Zuo Tingyue carried her out of the nightclub.

With the alcohol going to her head, Xun Yuan took the opportunity to act fierce, lightly biting the skin of his chest through the thin fabric.

Her teeth against his body did not hurt. She had used little force, and with the layer of fabric between them, it felt more like a tingling itch. That sensation left him suspended between relief and frustration, unbearable and stirring wave after wave of desire.

"If you can't control that mouth, I'll pull your teeth out."

The low, husky voice fell heavily from above her head. Xun Yuan gave a "Hmph."

Back in the car, Zuo Tingyue set Xun Yuan down and told the assistant to drive. The roads grew quieter and quieter. They were heading to the airport; he was taking her diving.

Tired, Xun Yuan fell asleep in the car. After they boarded the plane, the assistant looked at his boss with embarrassment, hesitating. "Boss, your shirt..."

Zuo Tingyue looked down to see lipstick marks on his white shirt, rubbed onto it when he carried that woman earlier. Their vivid cherry red was suggestive enough to make faces flush and hearts race.

When Xun Yuan woke, she was on a cruise ship. She was a little speechless. How had she gone from land to sea after a single nap?

The room was empty, so she went outside to look for someone. On deck, beside the railing, the man stood in the breeze without a jacket, a dark black shirt wrapping his firm, powerful chest. Xun Yuan had seen the knotted muscles beneath his clothes, steeped in the flavor of lust, surging enough to set her heart churning.

The wind and waves were strong at sea, billowing his shirt. He stood there, unmoving.

Xun Yuan watched for a few seconds, then slowly approached his side without a word.

"Sober now?"

Zuo Tingyue's pleasing, magnetic voice reached Xun Yuan's ears on the wind, his mood impossible to discern.

Xun Yuan considered her response. "Mm, I am."

"Still remember what you did?"

His question came heavily, with a chill that seeped into the bones, cold enough to inspire fear at a glance.

Xun Yuan's head ached, and a chill crept down her back.

Was she afraid?

It seemed she was.

Why was she afraid?

Xun Yuan thought it was because she had expectations of him. She did not want to upset him or let a rift grow between them. Even now, she had not thought of ending things.

Though she had not given much thought to the future either.

Xun Yuan tugged at his sleeve, extending just two fingers to pinch it gently. Tilting her head, she lifted her face to him, her eyes brimming with genuine feeling.

Tender affection lingered.

The strong wind reddened her eyes and swept a little dampness into them.

Zuo Tingyue lowered his head and saw the woman's tender white fingers clutching his sleeve as though boneless. Her hair flew in the wind, adding a disheveled, fragile beauty.

She said nothing, simply fixing those lovely eyes on him. From his angle, he could see her expression, her appearance, completely, with nowhere for her to hide, as though she had placed everything in his hands.

She was always good at feigning weakness to soften his heart and make him let her off.

But in truth?

She was clearly a fox, a tiger, a wolf-anything but the fragile creature she appeared to be now.

"Let go," Zuo Tingyue said quietly.

Stubborn as she was, Xun Yuan was even less likely to obey him now.

"Why should I?"

The woman's retort lacked some confidence, but she stubbornly refused to bow her head.

"Let go," Zuo Tingyue repeated coldly.

Xun Yuan said softly, "I only kissed you a couple of times. What are you angry about?"

Zuo Tingyue's brows drew together slightly. Not bothering to argue, he pushed her hand away.

Caught off guard, Xun Yuan's hand fell into empty air. In that instant, a strange emotion arose in her eyes. Her throat shifted, and she silently pressed it down.

With a sudden soft laugh, Xun Yuan brushed back her wind-tousled hair and left the deck without looking at him again.

Her steps remained unhurried, her retreating figure proud and aloof, possessing the bearing of an old, distinguished family, never bending its integrity.

The cruise ship did not reach the Great Barrier Reef until the small hours. Xun Yuan had already fallen asleep and was woken by knocking.

"Xunxun, we're at the Great Barrier Reef."

Someone outside was calling her name.

The knocking came intermittently, accompanied by more talking.

"Xun Yuan, open up."

His racket left Xun Yuan thoroughly awake. She had no idea who had summoned him here to howl in the middle of the night.

Jiang Yulin, just wait for your death.

She dressed and came out. Jiang Yulin and Lou Jing were both on deck, along with Zuo Tingyue, still wearing that black shirt and staying up late again.

The moment she appeared, Xun Yuan attacked. "Jiang Yulin, is your skin itching for a beating?"

Jiang Yulin wore his usual cheeky grin. "Don't be angry, Xunxun."

"It wasn't easy flying from Harbor City to see you. A connecting flight, then out to sea, worn out from all that travel. Calm down."

He smiled as he made excuses, refusing to admit he had come for fun and to join the excitement, insisting he had come to see her.

Xun Yuan smiled. As if she would let him have his way.

Once everyone had changed into diving suits, Xun Yuan kicked him into the water from behind.

With a splash, Jiang Yulin disappeared beneath the waves.

Lou Jing gloated from the side. He loved watching Jiang Yulin suffer a setback.

"Aren't you going down for some fun?" Lou Jing asked him before entering the water.

Cool and indifferent, Zuo Tingyue waved a hand, with no intention of going into the sea.

Ignoring the two of them, Xun Yuan put on her gear and jumped into the water.

The Great Barrier Reef had world-famous coral colonies. She liked looking at such things and dived down to see the clusters of coral deep beneath the sea.

Colorful coral was visible to the naked eye from the surface too, but she simply wanted to dive down and look. Seeing the magnificent coral up close felt completely different from seeing it from the surface.

Only when the oxygen in her tank was nearly exhausted did she emerge from the sea and return aboard.

Jiang Yulin and Lou Jing had already come out. They had only looked for a little while, mostly there for the diving.

"Xunxun, you really are ruthless," Jiang Yulin said with a smile.

"Did anything happen to you?" Xun Yuan countered.

That one question left Jiang Yulin speechless.

With the highest level of safety precautions, nothing could go wrong. It could not have been safer, and he was experienced too. How could anything have happened?

Leaving that remark behind, Xun Yuan returned to her room. Getting up in the middle of the night-she was no owl, nor was she like those people outside.

"Who upset her?" Jiang Yulin asked Lou Jing.

Lou Jing shook his head. They had entered the water almost at the same time as Xun Yuan and come back earlier. He had not noticed any problem.

After taking off his diving suit, Jiang Yulin sat in front of Zuo Tingyue and asked tentatively, "Did you upset her?"

Holding a glass, Zuo Tingyue drank without acknowledging him, his face expressionless and his eyes dark. Two buttons were undone, revealing a few red marks above his chest, an air of desolate, dispirited disarray about him.

Other than Zuo Tingyue, no one would dare upset her, he thought.

Feeling sorry for Xun Yuan, Jiang Yulin tried to offer some advice. "Tingyue, Xun Yuan is young. You should give way to her when you can."

Zuo Tingyue downed a glass, but his eyes remained clear. He glanced at him without a word.

Jiang Yulin tried again. "Tingyue, you..."

"Have you got nothing to do?"

Zuo Tingyue delivered the cold question in a hoarse voice, his tone impatient.

They stayed at sea for three days. If there was anything these young masters from Harbor City excelled at, it was having fun: diving, surfing, fishing...

There was a chef aboard. They had him clean and grill the fish they caught, then sprinkled on the simplest seasonings, savoring the ingredients' natural flavor. The rest went into fish soup, wonderfully fresh and savory.

These people had been raised on delicacies from land and sea since birth. What they ate was not about expense, but refinement. They ate only good things.

"Life at sea is pretty interesting," Jiang Yulin remarked, reclining on the sofa.

"You'd get bored before you'd spent a month here," Lou Jing undercut him.

Jiang Yulin chuckled. Thinking about it, that was true. He was not the sort to stay in one place for long.

Lack of constancy was a defining trait of their crowd.

"We're going back tomorrow, right? Why haven't those two made up yet?" Jiang Yulin whispered to Lou Jing.

Lou Jing shook his head. "How would I know? Each has a stronger mind of their own than the other."

Jiang Yulin grew irritated. "Can't Tingyue coax her a little?"

Lou Jing scoffed and asked, "Have you ever seen him bow his head?"

Expect Zuo Tingyue to bow his head?

What a joke. When had he ever bowed his head? Women had always coaxed him; others were the ones who had to accommodate him.

Xun Yuan had showered and was drying her hair with a towel when someone knocked.

"Who is it?"

"Miss Xun Yuan, it's me."

It was the assistant's voice outside.

Xun Yuan tossed down the towel, smoothed her hair a couple of times, and went to open the door.

"Miss Xun Yuan, the boss asked me to bring these to you."

Several people followed behind the assistant, holding things, including a coral ornament, quite large and beautifully colored.

There were pearls too, both black and white, large and round, all exactly the same size.

Xun Yuan's gaze rested on the items for a few seconds. She knew quality and could tell they were all fine things.

But did she lack such things?

She looked at the assistant, expressionless. "What is this supposed to mean?"

The assistant inwardly lamented. He did not understand his boss's intentions either. He smiled bitterly. "Miss Xun Yuan, please don't make this difficult for me."

"The boss must have his reasons. He's trying to coax you."

Xun Yuan could not help laughing, though there was little warmth in it.

Coax her?

"Where's your boss?"

"In his room."

"Bring those things and follow me."

Leaving those words behind, Xun Yuan headed straight for Zuo Tingyue's room.

She did not enter, simply asking from the doorway, "What do you mean by having people bring me gifts?"

Playing it straight.

Zuo Tingyue had just woken up and was a little irritable, his eyelids drooping. He wore a robe with the neckline half open, languid and casual.

He raised a brow and glanced at her, frivolous and rakish, an air of unbridled indulgence suffusing him.

"Don't like it?"

Naturally, Zuo Tingyue saw the few people following behind Xun Yuan, their heads lowered as they played quail.

Xun Yuan ignored his question, insisting on an answer. "I asked you what you meant."

Zuo Tingyue smiled. Clearly, his expression had not changed, yet the air around him was different. There was not a trace of warmth in his eyes; his smile did not come from the heart, much less his sweet nothings.