IJLHTW - 28

“Go on, why did you stop?”

Huo Ci stared at him, her long curled lashes trembling slightly. Her narrow, upward-curving eyes were bright and moist, filled with a layer of astonishment and innocence, as if she didn’t understand what he was saying.

Yi Zecheng’s gaze deepened instantly.

A flame shot up from his lower abdomen, burning fiercely and uncontrollably. Desire hit him so suddenly—he wasn’t a man driven by lust. Otherwise, over the years, he wouldn’t have gone without a woman by his side.

But at this moment, he acutely felt the presence of desire.

Then, a soft, delicate hand touched him, separated only by a thin layer of fabric.

He knew how tender those hands were—when held in his palm, they felt boneless. Only the fingertips were slightly rough from her years of using a camera.

Sunlight streamed through the balcony, illuminating the entire room brightly. Their expressions were clear as day to each other. She leaned against him, tilting her head slightly. From his angle, looking down, her lashes trembled, and her lips were slightly pursed, as if pondering or restraining herself.

Countless images flashed through his mind: Huo Ci pinned under a car, bloodied and unrecognizable; her nearly translucent skin in the bathroom; and outside the operating room, holding him tightly.

These vivid scenes were like an injection in the afternoon, landing heavily on his heart.

A string in his mind tightened slowly.

Until Huo Ci tilted her head to look at him. Those eyes weren’t calm and clear as usual but tinged with longing.

Her lips parted slightly as if about to say something when snap , the string in Yi Zecheng’s mind broke.

Yi Zecheng lowered his head, biting her lips. His fingers cupped her cheeks, not too light nor too heavy, immobilizing her. Gradually, the pressure on her lips increased until his tongue forcefully pried open her lips, enveloping them. The air grew thin, their warm breaths intertwining intensely.

Huo Ci was kissed dizzy, her breathing becoming labored after a while.

Only then did she realize that her previous attempts at seduction were nothing.

She wore a long dress, and Yi Zecheng’s hands traced down her spine. Beneath the thin dress, it was smooth and flat, and his hands paused. Then he slightly pushed back, abruptly ending the heated kiss. Huo Ci looked at him, bewildered.

His amber-like eyes, now deep and dark, fixated on her as he said, “Not wearing a bra, huh?”

That breathy tone again made Huo Ci bite his chin fiercely, growling, “You’re the one who deliberately seduced me.”

She was like a provoked little beast, biting his lips and kissing him wildly without any finesse. Although Huo Ci was bold and shameless in front of Yi Zecheng, when it came to the real act, she revealed her inexperience. Struggling for breath, clumsily colliding into him, exuding a raw awkwardness.

Yi Zecheng lifted her up, pinning her against the door once more.

“Huo Ci, don’t stop,” he licked her earlobe, making her whole body stiffen.

It was unbearably ticklish and thrilling, an indescribable sensation.

Her reaction pleased the man before her, and then her thin dress was bunched up around her waist.

Her snow-white legs blatantly stimulated his vision.

Huo Ci bit her lip, and then one hand directly slipped in from the edge of her panties. Both froze, her hand grasping something hot and scorching, which twitched under her touch, rigid and hard.

No words were exchanged, but their breathing had already become uncontrollably erratic.

Huo Ci looked into his eyes—they were no longer cold or indifferent, but deep and fiery, burning like flames.

Her delicate hand moved up and down, eliciting a low groan from him.

It was pleasurable.

Huo Ci lowered her eyes, but the next moment, Yi Zecheng lifted her chin, their lips entwining again. The kiss was so deep that Huo Ci couldn’t catch her breath.

“Huo Ci, are you there?” The door behind them was knocked, and Xu Siyang called out from outside.

Both stiffened simultaneously, staring at each other. The afternoon sunlight was thick and intense, reminiscent of a summer vacation during youth when young lovers secretly indulged in forbidden fruit, only for elders to unexpectedly return home.

Yi Zecheng looked at the door behind her, the corner of his mouth lifting slightly as if about to speak.

Huo Ci impulsively covered his mouth, unsure why she reacted this way.

“Huo Ci, I brought some lunch for you. Do you want to eat?” Xu Siyang asked again.

Then another voice sounded—it was Ye Mingshi, saying, “Maybe she’s not here.”

Separated by just a door, this stimulation was too much even for Yi Zecheng. Huo Ci’s whole body trembled as he lifted her up, pressing her against the door, suspended mid-air, supported only by his hands under her knees.

Her thin dress bunched at her waist, until his scorching heat pressed against her.

“This kid really likes running around,” Xu Siyang shook his head knowingly.

Until Ye Mingshi asked, “Isn’t Senior Brother in his room either?”

Reminded, Xu Siyang realized and angrily said, “Do you think they might have sneaked out to have some fun?”

Fun...

His heat pressed against her, separated only by thoroughly soaked panties, until he slowly began to move. She bit her lip tightly, not daring to make a sound.

There were people outside the door, but inside, it was just him and her.

Ye Mingshi giggled softly, playfully saying, “Don’t talk like that; Senior Brother isn’t that kind of person.”

Then Huo Ci looked up, seeing him watching her.

...

Outside fell completely silent, the knocking on the door growing louder. She clung tightly to his shoulders, her whole body resting breathlessly against him.

Yi Zecheng hadn’t fully entered her.

But Huo Ci trembled all over, ground and squeezed, sensations rising wave after wave from her lower abdomen—sensations she had never experienced before: shivers, tingles, and endless pleasure.

When she was laid on the bed, exhausted to the point where she couldn’t lift a finger.

Yi Zecheng got out of bed and fetched her a bottle of mineral water.

After she finished drinking, he lay beside her, playing with her long hair. Huo Ci quietly watched him, and after a moment of thought, Yi Zecheng opened his mouth to explain.

Just as she said, “This is wrong.”

They were here to work, and this place, this situation, deviated from their plans.

The sunlight remained intense, the hum of the air conditioning buzzing in the room, and Huo Ci’s eyelids grew heavy. Yi Zecheng didn’t sleep, lying beside her, quietly watching her.

Her cheeks were small and delicate, and with her eyes closed, the usual coldness disappeared, leaving behind an incomprehensible softness.

________________________________________

When Yi Zecheng returned to the room, Xu Siyang was on the phone. Seeing him come back, he waved and quickly hung up.

He complained, “Where did you go? You scolded Huo Ci for wandering off earlier, but I see you’re not exactly worry-free yourself.”

Yi Zecheng walked to the table, picked up the cigarette box, and took one out. After lighting it, he took a deep drag and asked, “Why haven’t you left yet?”

Xu Siyang: “...”

“Aren’t you supposed to be going to Senegal for the rally? I’ll have someone transfer five million to you today,” Yi Zecheng exhaled calmly, his expression composed.

Xu Siyang had come here specifically to ask him for money.

But now that Yi Zecheng was actually giving him the money, he became infuriated, shouting, “Is this how you dismiss your beloved little uncle?”

Yi Zecheng glanced at him: “Don’t want it?”

Xu Siyang wilted under his gaze, mumbling, “I want it. You offered it voluntarily, so no backing out.”

Yi Zecheng walked to the balcony to make a call, and Xu Siyang followed him, asking, “Where did you go just now? I went to find Huo Ci, but she wasn’t there either. Did you two go out together?”

At the mention of Huo Ci’s name, Yi Zecheng’s eyes darkened, a dangerous look flashing across his face.

Seeing his expression, Xu Siyang was so scared he didn’t dare speak.

In the evening, Xu Siyang treated them to dinner at the hotel restaurant. Though they had only known each other for a few days, a farewell dinner was still necessary.

Huo Ci was the last to come down, dressed in long sleeves and pants, covering herself completely. When she arrived, only two seats were left—one next to Xu Siyang and one next to Yi Zecheng. Ye Mingshi had already sat on the other side of Yi Zecheng, speaking softly to him.

“Huo Ci, you’re here. Come sit down quickly,” Xu Siyang patted the chair next to him.

Yi Zecheng looked up at her. Earlier, Xu Siyang had tried to sit next to him but was chased away. Now feeling resentful, he deliberately called Huo Ci over.

Childish, Yi Zecheng inwardly sneered.

Until Huo Ci gracefully sat next to Xu Siyang, who happily poured her a glass of red wine, smiling and saying, “Though I’m leaving, we can meet again when I return to China.”

Xu Siyang even winked at her teasingly, chuckling, “Don’t forget about me.”

“Xu Siyang, you’re being unfair. You’re only sweet-talking Huo Ci,” Ye Mingshi pouted playfully from the side.

Xu Siyang snorted, “Well, Huo Ci is a beauty, after all.”

The implication was that Ye Mingshi wasn’t beautiful enough.

Though it was just a joke, Ye Mingshi immediately became a little upset, nudging Yi Zecheng’s elbow, “Senior Brother, you should say something to Xu Siyang.”

Yi Zecheng had been texting with his head down, lightly tapping send.

Then he raised his head, looking at Huo Ci across the table, softly saying, “Oh.”

What did “oh” mean?

Xu Siyang burst out laughing, shouting, “See, see, even my Chengcheng agrees with me!”

At that moment, Huo Ci’s phone on the table rang—it was a text message.

She picked it up, unlocked it, and saw an unfamiliar name appear in her messages for the first time.

She had saved his number as “Ice Mountain Yi” after getting his phone number.

“Leave the door open for me tonight.”