Xingzhou City (8)
Under Huo Qiaonan’s constant adding of portions, this late-night meal left all three of them uncomfortably full.
Lau Pa Sat wasn’t far from the Xingzhou City Hotel, so they simply took their time, walking back slowly with the night breeze brushing against them.
Tan Guhong had already danced all night in high heels and was exhausted to begin with. If she kept walking, her feet really couldn’t take it anymore. In the end, she steeled herself, slipped off her shoes, and stepped barefoot onto the road.
“Let’s go!” She looked up and smiled. “Good thing we’re in a tropical city.”
Even in the middle of the night, the streets weren’t cold.
Luo Jingming shook his head helplessly, stepped forward, and lifted her straight into his arms.
“Even if it’s not cold, what if there are stones that hurt your feet?”
“Put me down, you can’t carry me...”
Startled, Tan Guhong struggled to get out of his arms, glancing at Huo Qiaonan, afraid he might notice something.
But Huo Qiaonan was completely oblivious. He even kindly picked up her shoes for her.
“Yeah, even if you don’t get hurt, they’ll get dirty. Just let my cousin carry you. I can’t carry you anyway. Xiao Hong, you’re too heavy. You should exercise more, build up your strength. Want me to tell you my weight-loss secrets?”
“Shut up! And don’t call me Xiao Hong!”
Turning back, Tan Guhong met Luo Jingming’s smiling gaze. He lowered his voice.
“I can’t carry you? Did you forget what I said? You’re not even as heavy as a brown bear.”
She reluctantly gave in, wrapping her arms around his neck. There was a trace of unease in her chest, and also a strange sense of relief, as he carried her all the way back to the hotel.
Once inside, she wanted to get down and walk on her own, but Luo Jingming refused to let go. Meanwhile, when Huo Qiaonan left, he had taken her shoes along with him and forgotten to put them down. Left with no choice, Tan Guhong buried her face in Luo Jingming’s chest, hoping they wouldn’t run into anyone they knew along the way.
On edge the entire time, they finally made it back to the room. After the door closed, she heard him tease softly by her ear:
“Miss Ostrich, you’re safe now.”
Only then did Tan Guhong lift her head, about to speak, when she realized this wasn’t her room, but his.
“What are you plotting this time?”
Still carrying her, he walked toward the bedroom. Only when they reached the bed did he set her down. Leaning over, he pressed a kiss to her lips and let out a low laugh.
“What I’m plotting... do you really not know?”
She snorted. “Mr. Gigolo who runs off at daybreak, I’m not very interested in patronizing you anymore.”
She was referring to what happened that night in the Maldives.
“Pretty lady, don’t be so harsh. The real economy hasn’t been doing well lately. Think of it as supporting my business.”
He really leaned into the role, slowly unbuttoning his shirt while coaxing her in a flattering tone.
“Since you’re a regular, I can give you a discount.”
She suppressed a laugh. “What kind of discount? Twenty percent off, or buy one get one free?”
He took off his clothes, slipped off his watch, and came over, bare, pressing down over her. Biting lightly at her lips, his voice turned hoarse and low.
“That depends on whether it’s your one time... or my one time.”
She tried to retort, but the words broke apart before leaving her mouth. With a soft sound, she wrapped her arms tightly around him.
It felt as though she had returned to the Queen Anne, back to the boundless sea.
Memories buried deep within her soul surged up like a rising tide, hotter, more fervent. She was like a traveler drowning in the ocean, rising and sinking with the waves, without end. Other than clinging tightly to the piece of driftwood beside her, there was no other way to survive. And helplessly, she followed him as he led her to explore that strange world, a place that was both hell and heaven.
Their last time in the Maldives had not been satisfying. She could feel his restraint then, and with what happened afterward, it could be called setting out in high spirits and returning disappointed. It had not been particularly pleasant.
But this time, perhaps because so much time had passed, neither of them said anything, yet their bodies betrayed them. Even the slightest touch sent a tremor through the depths of their souls, and once desire arose, it was impossible to contain.
He no longer held back. He embraced her with such heat and fervor, coaxing, persuading, half-forcing her to sink with him, to fall together.
When it was finally over, she was so exhausted she didn’t want to move even a finger.
Luo Jingming carried her into the bathroom and into the soaking tub. The moment the warm water touched her skin, she leaned forward against the edge of the tub and let out a long breath.
The person behind her gave a low laugh by her ear.
“Tired?”
She glanced back at him, too lazy to respond.
Her fair skin had been flushed soft and rosy by the steam, her brows and eyes still holding the languid fatigue of that intense pleasure, as if intoxicated, as if sighing.
That single glance made his throat tighten, his gaze darken. The fire deep inside him, not yet fully extinguished, threatened to rise again.
He took a deep breath and forced it down. He knew he had been too rough just now. If he went again, she really would turn on him.
Though he had decided to let her off, he didn’t let go completely. His palm moved slowly over her body, massaging her.
A warm strength spread across her back. Her eyelids trembled slightly.
“What are you doing?”
He let out a low chuckle.
“Relax.”
As that movement and pressure gradually spread through her body, the warmth around her slowly rose. The soreness in her muscles eased to some extent, and she simply half-closed her eyes, letting him do as he pleased, half-joking:
“Mm, not bad technique. How many times have you practiced before this?”
“First time. Please bear with any shortcomings.”
It was unclear whether he meant this time or the last.
She let out a light scoff. With him, it was hard to tell what was true and what wasn’t. One bowl of sweet talk after another, as if he truly intended to deceive her from body to heart before he was satisfied.
He seemed to understand her reaction and chuckled softly.
“Seems like someone’s been saying quite a few ‘good things’ about me in front of you.”
“They have,” she drawled, a smile not quite a smile. “They said you’re…”
She stretched the words out. “A little liar!”
“Is that so?”
He gave a low laugh, leaning in from behind. His bare chest pressed against her back as he reached out, covering the hand she had resting on the edge of the tub, letting her chin rest on his forearm. He spoke slowly:
“If you want to know anything, I’ll tell you everything.”
Since the day she met him, he had said this line countless times, but she had never believed it.
“I only want to ask you one question.”
After a brief silence, she spoke slowly.
“In April, when you appeared in Ecuador, were you really there to find Mr. Moreno?”
During the lunch she had shared with Moreno in Barcelona, she had asked him casually whether his trip to South America had been pleasant, whether Ecuador had been beautiful. Mr. Moreno had replied that South America was indeed beautiful, but he had not gone to Ecuador. He had gone to Peru.
The Liang family was like a vortex, like a swamp, too complicated. She did not want to get even the slightest bit entangled in it. She did not care how much Old Master Liang wanted her to become a daughter-in-law or granddaughter-in-law. She only wanted to know why Luo Jingming had met her in Ecuador.
After her question fell, there was a long silence with no response.
She could not help but turn to look at him, but suddenly he pulled the arm that had been supporting her head away, picked up the bath towel beside him, wrapped it around his lower body, and stepped out of the tub, turning away as he left.
The warm water around her seemed to gradually turn icy cold, and Tan Guhong’s heart slowly sank.
But the next second, Luo Jingming appeared again in front of her. In his hand was a glass of red wine.
He smiled and asked, “Do you remember I said I would demonstrate it to you?”
“What?”
She didn’t react at first. She watched as he downed the entire glass of red wine in one go, and only then did she understand what he meant. He had been referring to demonstrating that he truly was allergic to alcohol.
“You’re insane?!”
She stood up abruptly, looking at him in disbelief.
Allergies could be minor or severe, at best swelling and redness, at worst suffocation. Why would he treat his own life like a joke?!
“No need to worry. I’ve tried it many times before. I know how much I can handle.”
He was still smiling faintly as he spoke, stepping into the bathtub and slowly walking toward her.
As he approached, his pale, bare skin rapidly flushed red in large patches, like red plum blossoms in snow, peach blossoms beneath frost. It only made his already handsome, deep features look even more bewitchingly dangerous.
In an instant, an indescribable pressure and impact rushed toward her. Tan Guhong felt her breathing quicken and her heartbeat accelerate.
“You…”
Finally, he reached her. He pressed her against the edge of the tub behind her, lifted her slightly, and kissed her, swallowing her startled cry.
The kiss carried the mellow sweetness and intoxication of red wine, hot, intense, domineering, gentle, and unquestionable.
She felt as though her soul itself were being battered to pieces, her thoughts scattering with nowhere to go.
“I told you, this is a secret. It’s not time to tell you yet. But I promise you, I have never lied to you.”
He kissed beside her ear, speaking so softly it was almost inaudible:
“My lady bird.”
…
Aside from that drunken night at the Palermo winery, the two of them had never spent the night together. Sleeping in the same bed as intimate lovers sounded romantic, but for someone used to being alone, it was practically a disaster.
That night, Tan Guhong repeatedly tried to break free from the person beside her and sleep alone, only to be dragged back into his arms by Luo Jingming again and again. They tussled from the head of the bed to the foot of it, and by the second half of the night she was almost ready to take a pillow and sleep on the living room sofa.
At that point, she sincerely felt that his disappearing at dawn after that night in the Maldives had been absolutely the right decision.
Half asleep and half awake, she finally drifted off, and when she opened her eyes again, it was already morning.
She glanced at the bedside clock: 8:30 a.m.
The moment she sat up, her wrist was grabbed, and she was pulled back down into that familiar embrace.
She looked up. He hadn’t opened his eyes, but there was a faint smile at the corner of his lips.
“Stay with me a little longer.”
His voice was hoarse with morning sleep, sending a tingling sensation straight from her ears into her chest.
“Do you think I’m a pillow? If you want to sleep, sleep by yourself!”
She answered irritably, shook off his arm, and rolled out of bed.
The dress she had worn last night was made of delicate fabric. After being thoroughly “mistreated,” it was naturally beyond saving. She angrily threw it aside. After putting on her underwear, she simply grabbed Luo Jingming’s shirt and put it on over herself.
She was tall, but lightly built. His shirt hung down to her thighs, loose and oversized on her.
Luo Jingming was lying on the bed with one arm propping up his head. Seeing this, he couldn’t help but let out a soft laugh. He got up as well and followed her out of the bedroom.
Barefoot, Tan Guhong walked into the kitchen, poured herself a glass of warm water, and leaned against the counter as she drank it in big gulps. She was parched now, her throat dry, her waist and back aching. She didn’t know whether it was from last night’s “battle for the bed” or what came later in the bathroom. In any case, it was all thanks to someone.
Luo Jingming leaned against the kitchen doorway, watching her silently.
The white shirt and black underwear created a stark contrast, and the morning light filtering through the oversized shirt outlined her slender figure with striking clarity. As she tilted her head back to drink, he could clearly see, in silhouette, the soft rise and fall of her chest. In that moment, he too felt a dryness in his throat, and the already lingering morning heat inside his body stirred restlessly again.
Men are visual creatures. He was no exception. On such a quiet, beautiful morning, watching her wearing his shirt, still carrying his scent and his traces on her, there was no way he could remain unmoved.
So he followed his impulse, walked over in long strides, lifted her up, and set her on the dining table. Without a word, he lowered his head and kissed her, immediately taking the moisture from her mouth without hesitation.
The sudden kiss left Tan Guhong dizzy. The glass surface beneath her felt cold against her body, while the kiss on her lips and teeth was scorching hot. The contrast of cold and heat made her shiver instinctively.
After a long while, the passionate kiss finally ended, but he clearly had no intention of letting her go. He stroked the tender skin at her waist and kept lowering his head to peck at her lips again and again, his voice hoarse:
“You look good like this.”
She wrapped her arms around his neck and said unhurriedly,
“Of course. Oversized clothes in a larger size are very popular these years. It’s called the boyfriend style.”
“What style?”
“Boyfriend...”
She paused, suddenly realizing something, and looked up at him.
He gave a low chuckle and asked slowly,
“Am I?”
Their eyes met. Words lingered unsaid between them.
She could clearly see her own reflection in his eyes, and suddenly felt her heartbeat quicken.
After hesitating for a moment, biting her lip, she was just about to gather the courage to answer when suddenly, a sharp phone ringtone tore through the silence. Both of them instinctively looked up toward the sound.
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