You smell like a woman
"Sss."
The faint sound was especially distinct in the silent corridor.
Xun Yuan's fingers trembled slightly, and her lashes fluttered with them, like the beating wings of a butterfly, beautiful and fragile, ready to fly away at any moment.
She stared unblinkingly at the man before her, catching sight of Zuo Tingyue stubbing out his cigarette from the corner of her eye.
How wicked. He was stubbing out a cigarette at a time like this, clearly on purpose, openly teasing her and wearing down her patience.
Yet strangely, Xun Yuan felt no disappointment.
She had known he never played by the rules. If he had been too easily stirred by "desire," that would have been unusual instead.
Who among them hadn't grown up with a golden spoon in their mouth? The crown prince of Harbor City had always swept all before him in the arena of fame and fortune.
Just as she was about to push him away, Zuo Tingyue cupped the back of her head. A weight settled around her waist as his other arm wrapped tightly around her.
He lowered his head and kissed her.
His kiss was much like the man himself: oppressive and fierce, without the slightest tenderness or gentle sweetness, only plunder and control.
The oxygen was squeezed from her chest, a tingling ache spread across her lips, and Xun Yuan's heart beat exceptionally fast.
Shadows slanted across the wall, their two silhouettes entwined.
Around the corner, a figure approached.
Zuo Tingyue tightened his arms, lifted Xun Yuan into the restroom, and pressed her against the door, following it with a lingering, close-woven kiss.
When he drew back, Xun Yuan inhaled slowly. Crimson clouds had stained her pale face, and a haze had gathered in her eyes.
She thought, rather inappropriately, Good thing I didn't put on lipstick today. Otherwise, how would I face anyone?
"Learned how yet?"
Xun Yuan stiffened, remembering their earlier exchange.
-Try it.
-How?
He really did take learning by doing far enough.
With only a wall between them, Xun Yuan heard playful laughter and scolding outside.
-"What are you doing?"
-"Baby, give me a kiss."
The woman's cloyingly sweet voice and the man's sappy endearment made her scalp prickle.
A pain pinched her waist. She looked down; Zuo Tingyue was deliberately pinching her.
She looked up at him and saw the playful look in his eyes. He was clearly displeased by her distraction.
She draped her arms over his shoulders, brought her face closer, and whispered into his ear:
"What if I say I haven't learned?"
Her voice was quiet, even soft and delicate, yet the words she spoke were filled with provocation.
Utterly untamed.
As Xun Yuan finished speaking, the amusement in Zuo Tingyue's eyes deepened.
He lifted her chin, his gaze resting on the exquisitely beautiful face before him.
Cool, pale skin; beautifully shaped brows like distant mountains brushed with dark pigment; a fine jade nose; perfectly shaped lips whose slight upward curve was just right. Most striking were her eyes, with long, curling lashes and a gaze like autumn waters, slightly upturned inner corners, full, flowing contours, and long, narrow outer corners. When she smiled faintly, her eyes sparkled with a haziness like smoke and mist.
Especially when she gazed at you, it was as though she were offering up her whole heart, radiant and tender, teasing your heart into an itch.
He answered Xun Yuan with action.
Their lips and tongues met, his approach as plundering as ever.
Hurried panting filled the small space, their fierce kissing charged with intimacy and the smell of gunpowder.
"Clack."
Xun Yuan's black hair tumbled down in a great sweep, its ends circling through the air in a lovely arc before falling loosely down her back.
The pin holding up her hair had fallen.
Just how fierce had it been?
That clear little clatter not only failed to interrupt their kiss, but made Zuo Tingyue take a mile when given an inch.
The kiss lasted far too long.
By the time they parted, not only was Xun Yuan's breathing unsteady, but her eyes were visibly brimming with moisture, their outer corners vivid and alluring, even the tip of her nose slightly red.
Her qipao was still fairly neat, but her hair was disheveled, with several strands even clinging to her temples.
At a glance, she brimmed with seductive charm, her captivating allure drawing the eye.
It was the sort of look that made anyone think something had happened.
"Learned how yet?"
Still the same question.
His voice truly was deep and hoarse.
One word described it-sexy.
Xun Yuan spoke, but about something else.
"My hairpin broke."
She spoke of the hairpin, but her eyes stared straight at Zuo Tingyue.
"I'll replace it."
His low voice held a smile. His thin eyelids lifted, amusement coloring his brow as he looked at her.
"All right."
Xun Yuan answered languidly.
She had been away long enough. Luckily, no one had come looking.
Zuo Tingyue returned to the private room.
Xun Yuan left in the opposite direction, taking the emergency stairwell out through the back door. She encountered no one along the way.
Back in her car, Xun Yuan took out her phone and messaged Yun Tang.
"Something came up. I'm leaving first. You guys have fun."
After sending the message, she pulled down the visor.
In the mirror, her features were flushed with crimson beauty, her hair falling in disarray behind her head. Her lips were deeply colored and slightly swollen, and a trace of springtime lingered in her eyes.
She pushed the mirror back up, the amusement in her eyes gradually fading into nothing, a faint indifference stealing into those beautiful eyes.
The road of love stretched on and on, the way ahead obscured.
Using her fingers as a comb, Xun Yuan slowly tidied her hair, then turned the steering wheel and drove back to Repulse Bay.
Zuo Tingyue returned to the private room. Lou Jing sat fairly close to him, the rich, potent scent of liquor before them.
Lou Jing deliberately chose a convenient moment to talk and lowered his voice:
"What are your plans for that parcel of land in the south of the city?"
Zuo Tingyue was nonchalant. "Sounding me out?"
Lou Jing's heart tightened. "Just asking in advance."
Zuo Tingyue curled his lips, but there was little amusement in his eyes, his voice cool. "Want a piece?"
Lou Jing understood his domineering, languid temperament well enough. He was used to having the final say. Don't test him; say what you mean.
"Can I?"
Lou Jing hastily added, "Not for nothing. The Guangdong Bay Area project."
Zuo Tingyue swirled the red wine in his glass, its deep, sumptuous color so like the allure at the corners of that woman's eyes.
Intoxicating, rich, with a long, lingering finish.
"Clink-"
He set down his glass, his voice cool and faint. "Have your secretary talk to Special Assistant Lin tomorrow."
Lou Jing clapped his hands and said with a smile, "Straightforward."
Relaxing, Lou Jing made an idle remark.
"What's that scent on you?"
He sniffed. It was sweet, cool-toned, clear and delicate, faint yet piercing straight into the heart.
How to put it? It refreshed the heart and soul, with an endless aftertaste, alluring in just the right measure.
"A woman's scent?"
He asked softly, sneaking a glance at this crown prince, hoping to catch a crack in his expression.
Unfortunately, his expression did not change at all.
Such composure.
Zuo Tingyue had no interest in discussing the subject with him. He picked up his suit jacket, rose, and left.
As he passed, his distinctive aged sandalwood scent intertwined with that clear, delicate fragrance, winding and entwining.
You had to admit, it really did smell good.
Special Assistant Lin was waiting downstairs. Zuo Tingyue got into the car.
The car started. Outside, the streetlights shone brightly, their blazing white light slanting through the window onto his pronounced brow, casting a dim shadow over his profile, an air of careless languor about him.
A woman's scent?
It had to be that woman's scent, close-woven and lingering, leaving not a gap.
Light streamed in from outside in succession. Between light and shadow, his expression was cool as he gave a quiet instruction:
"Find a few top-quality jade hairpins."