Refusing to lose

Calling it a kiss wasn't remotely fitting. He was plainly biting her, with enough force to tear the flesh right off her lips.

He was brutally rough, without a shred of tenderness.

Xun Yuan pushed him in pain. Taking advantage of his height and strength, Zuo Tingyue pinned her restless wrists, refusing to let her resist.

The elevator stopped on the ninth floor, and its doors opened again. Zuo Tingyue wrapped one arm around Xun Yuan's waist and led her out.

"Were you born a dog?"

Given a chance to catch her breath, Xun Yuan cursed at him angrily.

Her lips hurt so much they had gone a little numb, and her face was flushed from emotion and holding her breath.

She had fair skin and vivid lips. With her raven hair and red lips, she looked utterly fragile, while the upturned corners of her eyes spilled just the right measure of allure. She was especially eye-catching.

Sure enough, even an angry beauty was a feast for the senses.

Xun Yuan glanced at Zuo Tingyue, then suddenly strode forward, wrapped her arms around his neck, and kissed his lips. It was exactly like the kiss before, fierce with biting and a battle for dominance.

For businesspeople, pursuit and combat were instinctive. Their shared refusal to lose was on full display at that moment.

Zuo Tingyue didn't resist, letting her do as she pleased. When Xun Yuan pulled away from his lips, fine traces of fresh blood seeped out. Paired with that face of his, they brimmed with decadent beauty and sensuality, while an air of unrestrained rakishness spread around him.

Ignoring the wound on his lips, he curved them into a smile.

Xun Yuan's breath caught. Inwardly, she cursed him as a male temptress who did nothing but use that face to seduce people, drawing bees and butterflies.

"Satisfied?" he asked, his voice low and husky.

Xun Yuan had calmed down by then, too. Her anger had vanished without a trace after she bit his lip open. She looked away from his face and stared behind him, her tone returning to its former indifference.

"You bit me just now, too." He simply hadn't broken the skin.

"We're even," she finished.

Even?

How were they even? His lips were still bleeding. Unreasonable.

"Fine." He let out an amused laugh and answered hoarsely.

He took a cigarette case from his pocket, flipped it open, tapped out a cigarette, lit it, and took a drag.

Gray smoke drifted through the space, and they fell silent again, as though the earlier passion had faded, leaving only the indifference of facing each other without a word.

It was more like reason returning. Clearheaded people had let their emotions take over and done something impulsive and wild, then, once reason returned, both reverted to their former selves without a word.

Zuo Tingyue silently finished a cigarette while Xun Yuan stayed beside him without speaking.

Smoke wreathed his deep-set eyes and brows, blurring the view. He undid his shirt buttons with one hand, exposing his sharply defined collarbones. There was always something inexplicably sexy about him when he smoked.

Xun Yuan had never felt much about men smoking before. After meeting Zuo Tingyue, she had developed other thoughts. Ordinary movements, when performed by him, always took on his languid, indolent air. That utterly unbothered composure and weightiness were outrageously sexy.

He lifted his eyes to Xun Yuan and said to him, "Let's go up."

Xun Yuan's lashes fluttered, and she murmured, "Mm."

When Yun Tang came out, Special Assistant Lin was there to pick her up.

It was Yun Tang's birthday, and she had drunk quite a lot. She fell asleep in his car. They went back to Special Assistant Lin's home, and when they reached the entrance, he carried her out of the car.

Half-awake, Yun Tang asked, "Are we here?"

"Yes, we're here. Go to sleep." Special Assistant Lin soothed the woman in his arms.

After going inside, Special Assistant Lin laid Yun Tang on the bed, tucked her in, and left the room.

Special Assistant Lin had been working overtime until now. There was a company project he had to handle, and he still hadn't eaten dinner, so he went to the kitchen to cook some noodles.

As he was boiling water, Yun Tang came in and hugged him around the waist from behind, a gesture of warmth and trust.

Special Assistant Lin asked, "Why are you up?"

Yun Tang said, "I don't want to sleep anymore. I wasn't comfortable."

"Are you cooking?"

"Yes, just some noodles." Seeing the water boil, Special Assistant Lin put the noodles in.

"Do you want some?"

Yun Tang's eyes lit up, and she nodded. "Yes."

Special Assistant Lin patted her hands and said gently, "Go wait outside."

Yun Tang obediently sat down at the dining table and watched him cook the noodles.

This man could actually cook noodles. That was quite a novelty. In truth, Yun Tang didn't particularly want noodles; she just wanted to see what his cooking tasted like. She had never imagined he knew how.

She was used to seeing Special Assistant Lin at work, mature and steady in his suit and dress shoes. This took some getting used to. As Yun Tang watched him, a phrase she had seen online suddenly popped into her head. More precisely, it was a description-husband vibes.

It was rather funny. She and Special Assistant Lin weren't even dating, yet that phrase had come to mind.

Yun Tang herself couldn't quite explain how things had begun between them. It had clearly started as an accidental sexual encounter. Later, as those accidents multiplied, they gradually grew familiar with each other.

He was good in bed, handsome, had a nice body, and a reasonably good temper. As they spent time together, Yun Tang didn't dislike him; she was even a little tempted.

Once the noodles were ready, Special Assistant Lin carried out two bowls and pushed one toward Yun Tang. "Try it."

Yun Tang took a bite and praised him. "These are really good. So you know how to do this, too."

Special Assistant Lin smiled and lowered his head to eat his noodles.

Xun Yuan spent another few days busy in her studio, finishing the small cultural relic the elderly gentleman had given her, then delivered it herself. There was no helping it; the relic was too delicate. Besides, they were both in Harbor City, so making the trip was convenient.

When Yun Tang called, Xun Yuan had just gotten into her car. Yun Tang wanted her to come along on a blind date.

The location was an upscale restaurant, where Yun Tang was waiting for her.

"Why the sudden blind date?" Xun Yuan asked.

"My parents picked him out for a marriage alliance. Apparently, he's a PhD who returned from overseas, and he's good-looking, too. He's also the second son, so he doesn't have to represent the family. The expectations wouldn't be as high as for the eldest daughter-in-law, so life would be more comfortable."

Yun Tang spoke irritably and downed a cup of tea.

"What do you think, then?" Xun Yuan asked, looking at her with amusement.

"Xunxun, I don't want an arranged marriage, much less to meet some blind date. If my family hadn't pestered me until I had no choice, I wouldn't have come."

Yun Tang spoke frankly.

"Then turn him down clearly. Don't give him the wrong impression, and don't make either family lose face."

"That's what I was thinking, too."

Afterward, Yun Tang went to her blind date by herself while Xun Yuan waited nearby. She ordered an Americano and sipped it slowly.

"Miss Xun Yuan, what are you doing here?"

Xun Yuan turned her head. It was Special Assistant Lin, along with... Zuo Tingyue. Several middle-aged men and secretaries were with them as well.

They must have been discussing a business partnership. Harbor City really was small, for them to run into each other even here.

She stood, her lips curving upward, and smiled. "Waiting for someone."

Special Assistant Lin didn't ask any further questions, leaving it at a greeting.

One of the business partners with them insisted on asking, "Who is this?"

Xun Yuan put on a professional smile. "Hello, my name is Xun Yuan."

Within a few exchanges, the man was inviting Xun Yuan upstairs with them. She didn't want to go. She glanced at Zuo Tingyue and blinked her lovely eyes, the hint in her gaze unmistakable.