Chapter 31

The car drove along the East Third Ring Road, with a long line of vehicles flashing by.

After dinner, they went to the club to play cards. At 2 AM, the group dispersed, some continuing to seek fun, while others headed home.

Zhao Pingjin drove Xi Tang home and, in a calm voice, asked, “Why didn’t you refuse him?”

Xi Tang silently watched the dazzling lights outside. “I thought... I was afraid it would be awkward.”

Zhao Pingjin’s hand rested on the steering wheel, his long, pale fingers clearly defined, smooth like jade. “Huang Xitang would be afraid?”

Xi Tang stared at him for a while, then reluctantly moved her gaze away and smiled gently. “Actually, it’s not a big deal. Our manager, Xin Hui, once went to play the role of a Qing Dynasty Empress at a coal magnate’s birthday banquet, and after the celebration, she bought ten bags at the Peninsula Hotel while sulking.”

Zhao Pingjin’s voice carried a warning tone. “You’ve done that too?”

Xi Tang modestly replied, “Not yet, I haven’t become famous.”

Zhao Pingjin asked, “Is this kind of work managed by Ni Kailun?”

Xi Tang answered, “Yes.”

Zhao Pingjin looked ahead, breathing a sigh of relief. “Then that’s fine.”

Xi Tang glanced at him. “What are you going to do?”

Zhao Pingjin slid his hand on the steering wheel, and the car sped up, turning right at the green light on Tonghui River’s northern road. “None of your business.”

Xi Tang didn’t care about him. She knew she wouldn’t get any benefits from competing with Ni Kailun.

Zhao Pingjin smiled calmly, his voice inscrutable. “Old Si spoke up for you.”

Xi Tang could only smile. She didn’t dare respond.

Zhao Pingjin gave her a displeased glance. “What? Is it ‘a hundred days of grace for a couple’?”

Xi Tang softly pleaded, “Enough.”

Zhao Pingjin finally stopped talking.

When they arrived home, Zhao Pingjin took off his coat and began untying his tie. He was tired and had been holding back an unnamed anger all night. His patience had run out. He yanked at the elegant silk tie, knotting it into a tight mess.

Xi Tang walked over. “Let me do it.”

Zhao Pingjin watched her approach, slightly tilting his head. Her delicate face carried a faint fragrance, and her slender hands moved deftly beneath his shirt collar. He stood still, his body stiff, feeling warmth rising from within.

Xi Tang’s fingers were a little warm, occasionally brushing against his neck. After untying the double-crossed knot, she pulled the tie down from his shirt collar, smiled faintly, and turned to walk away.

In that instant, Zhao Pingjin suddenly reached up and cupped her face, kissing her deeply.

Xi Tang, caught off guard, couldn’t breathe. She felt the slight prick of his stubble against her face, sending a tingling sensation like a current, followed by the heat of his lips pressing down on hers.

Zhao Pingjin slowly lowered his head, capturing her lips and teeth. Then, with both hands, he held her back tightly, pulling her into an embrace.

His strong arms wrapped around her, and Xi Tang felt as though she were almost lifted off the ground, pressed tightly against his chest.

Tears welled up in her eyes, and she closed them, carefully raising her hand to gently stroke the back of his neck.

This tender touch almost made Zhao Pingjin lose control.

...

They were both so desperate, entangled in each other’s embrace like a dried-up riverbed that had been parched for a thousand years. At the moment the Earth was about to perish, the snowmelt from the mountains flowed slowly, soaking through.

Zhao Pingjin finally began unbuttoning the satin knots on her qipao one by one, revealing a vast expanse of skin as white as snow, making anyone who looked at it mesmerized. He tore off her underwear, and it was at that moment that he saw the scar on her shoulder.

On her right shoulder, at the clavicle, there was a glaring cross-shaped scar from surgery.

He was struck as if by lightning, suddenly halting his movements.

In that moment, Xi Tang felt that as they intertwined... at the very last moment, he softened.

Zhao Pingjin buried his head in her shoulder, completely still, not saying a word.

Xi Tang, slightly worried, asked, “Zhao Pingjin, you’re not really... done, are you?”

Zhao Pingjin suddenly stood up, grabbed his coat from the sofa without a word, stumbled a few steps, and opened the door.

He went to the bar on the 65th floor to drink.

After just two drinks, a girl approached him, wearing a pink spaghetti strap dress and bright eye makeup. “Sir, are you alone?”

Zhao Pingjin glanced at her. All these girls were the same. After she left, he saw one after another, all the same, useless. None of them were Huang Xitang.

The girl said, “I’m Bunny, a student at the Communication University.”

Zhao Pingjin replied indifferently, “If you’re a student, why aren’t you going back to school?”

The girl blinked her innocent eyes. “It’s too late. The buses have stopped running.”

Zhao Pingjin pulled out a few bills. “Take a taxi back.”

The girl moved a little closer, her voice gentle. “Do you have something that’s bothering you?”

“No.” Zhao Pingjin placed his glass lightly on the bar.

Zhao Pingjin looked at her coldly. “Don’t try to get involved with people like us. It won’t end well for you.”

The girl awkwardly walked away.