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1420 Words
Despite her soaked skirt still being wet, Lin Yiwei dared not wear Xie Bo's racing jacket.
Unless she wanted to be the headline on Feige University's BBS as soon as she stepped out of the art center.
Moreover, the ambiguous relationship between Xie Bo and Chi Xiyu, though not officially announced, was almost universally acknowledged...
If Lin Yiwei wanted to get close to Chi Xiyu, she had to keep a safe distance from Xie Bo.
That night, just thinking about it made her feel crazy.
For nineteen years, Lin Yiwei had lived a disciplined life.
In front of her brother, she was the obedient and well-behaved little sister. In the eyes of her neighbors, she was an ambitious and sensible girl...
Even when faced with her uncle and aunt's sarcastic remarks, she never uttered a word of complaint.
Her sharp edges were hidden beneath a compliant exterior, and compliance was the protective color of the weak.
Lin Yiwei knew how to protect herself.
The only time she acted impulsively and out of bounds was the night she met Xie Bo.
That night in the bar, the singer lazily sang folk tunes.
To her left sat a couple kissing passionately, and to her right was a voluptuous woman in a V-neck sequin dress, occasionally glancing at Lin Yiwei with upturned eyes.
Half a glass of Margarita in her stomach, light makeup couldn't conceal the flush on her cheeks. The neon lights around her became blurry, making everything seem to spin and shine.
The tipsy feeling was wonderful.
The woman approached with a cocktail, trying to flirt with Lin Yiwei.
She had a strong, sensual fragrance of Forbidden Rose, which Lin Yiwei found pleasant, but since she wasn't a lesbian, she politely declined.
The woman understood and reluctantly glanced at her, whispering in her ear, "Your face can charm both men and women. If I were you, I wouldn't be here drinking alone at night."
After speaking, she indicated with her eyes for Lin Yiwei to notice the many men around who were eyeing her with predatory gazes.
Lin Yiwei knew the woman meant well and replied, "Thank you, sister."
The woman gave her a light kiss on the cheek, grabbed her bag, and gracefully left.
Being liked by a woman felt much better than being ogled by men a thousand times over; the latter only made her feel nauseous.
With the courage from the alcohol, Lin Yiwei sent an audio recording of her sleazy landlord asking her to spend a night with him in exchange for half a month's rent to his wife.
She might be kicked out tomorrow.
With a month left before reporting to Feige University, Lin Yiwei needed to find another place to stay during this time.
A pile of life's trivialities, her missing brother, and constant harassment made Lin Yiwei feel a heavy, suffocating sensation in her chest, like drowning.
She needed complete relaxation and joy to soothe the wounds of real life.
Perhaps...
Men could hunt; why couldn't women?
Lin Yiwei raised her drunken eyes, looked around, and regretted that none of the men in the bar caught her eye.
Her brother Lin Xie was a cold beauty, his looks rare and ethereal.
Over the years, Lin Yiwei's standards had been elevated by Lin Xie, and she didn't care for ordinary handsome men.
She put down her glass, got off the high stool, grabbed her bag, and staggered out of the bar.
As she exited, she stumbled and almost fell.
Someone happened to be nearby and caught her.
Lin Yiwei looked up and saw a man whose features perfectly matched her aesthetic.
The neon night accentuated his fair skin, black clothes, a hard and sharp side profile, a few strands of hair hanging over his eyes, and moonlight silver rimless glasses. He looked...
Gentle yet refined.
At that moment, desire surged under the neon lights.
The alcohol gave her courage.
"I've had too much to drink. Can you take me home?" she said bluntly. "It's not safe for me to be alone."
Xie Bo glanced at her.
Single eyelids, a delicate face, a cheap letter necklace highlighting her slender neck, thin arms and legs, and a small frame.
She had a small, crimson mole in the middle of her forehead, reminiscent of a recently popular online term—pure and seductive.
Xie Bo lit a cigarette, and in the rising white smoke, his lips curved into a smile. He flicked the ash off his well-manicured nails. "I have plans with friends."
Lin Yiwei took this as a refusal and didn't feel embarrassed.
If it didn't work out, so be it; they wouldn't see each other again anyway.
She turned to leave.
But the man didn't let go of her—
"But they won't mind waiting a little longer."
Lin Yiwei hailed a cab, and Xie Bo got in.
Her rented apartment was in a high-rise building on the 46th floor. The building housed nail salons, escape rooms, studios, saunas, and massage parlors. It was a mixed bag, and during peak hours, waiting for the elevator could take over half an hour.
Even late at night, the elevator was crowded. Lin Yiwei held onto Xie Bo's sleeve, as if afraid he'd run away.
There were heavily made-up women in the elevator, their smoky eyes lingering on Xie Bo before looking at Lin Yiwei with envy.
Reaching her floor, Lin Yiwei pulled Xie Bo out of the elevator, through the narrow, dim hallway, to her door.
"Thank you for bringing me home."
"Sober now?"
"Not yet. Are you drunk?"
"I didn't drink."
"Oh, that's... better."
Lin Yiwei subtly moved closer to him.
He had a faint cedarwood scent, with a touch of coldness.
Lin Yiwei leaned into his neck to take a deep sniff. The scent, once it faded, was gentle and pure, not sharp.
She hesitated for a few seconds, seeing he didn't shy away, then stood on tiptoe, her soft lips brushing against his thin lips.
Seeing no reaction, she bit down, awkwardly sucking.
Opening her eyes, Lin Yiwei saw his eyes darken, but he didn't make a move.
Such a well-behaved boy.
Lin Yiwei licked her lips and kissed him again.
Once wasn't enough; she kissed and kissed, sucked and sucked, like tasting candy.
And he... never made a move.
This made her feel the man in front of her was inexperienced and controllable.
Finally, she hooked her arms around his collar, pulling the obedient boy into her home.
...
Actually, Xie Bo had already noticed Lin Yiwei in the bar.
She sat alone at the bar, sipping her drink, rejecting four or five men and... a woman.
She was stunning in her tipsy state, drawing the gaze of many men, including Xie Bo, who was in a foul mood.
Xie Bo sneered, thinking a girl like her daring to drink alone in a bar with no guard up, didn't she know how hard she'd fall in the hands of a man?
But when she really stumbled, and several men tried to take advantage, his body acted first, stepping forward to catch her.
The girl leaned softly against him, seeking his "help."
If Xie Bo had been in a good mood, he might have teased her.
But tonight, he was in an extremely bad mood.
Informed by Xie Sizhuo about the "marriage alliance," he "gladly" accepted, promising to seize the opportunity.
After enduring and laying low for so long, the vast kingdom of the Xie Group, Xie Bo wanted more than just a share.
Wearing the mask for so long, he was forgetting his true self.
Feeling a bit irritable.
He didn't want to go home, nor did he want to deal with this girl drinking alone.
Glancing back at the bar, he saw several men had followed them out, pretending to look around.
Clearly, they all eyed the "prey" he held, ready to snatch her for a "feast."
Surrounded by wolves, if he let her go now, some man would step up to take over.
Xie Bo would get to see this foolish beauty brutally stumble in society, falling miserably.
But instead of doing that, he acted differently.
He didn't call his driver, hailed a cab, and took her home.
When she kissed him at the door, Xie Bo realized that excellent hunters often presented themselves as prey.
Did she think she was smart, skillful, in control?
He almost laughed.
Her kiss was clumsy; he guessed it was her first time kissing a man.
- Writer
