The gathering at Yun Que ended quickly.
Gu Chengyu couldn't wait to wrap his arm around Su Qianqian and help her up.
His mind and eyes were now completely filled with the soft, delicate woman in his arms; he only wanted to find a quiet place to be alone with her.
"Leaving," he announced casually to his friends, half-shielding her as he led her straight out of the private room door.
The corridor lights were dim and suggestive.
Su Qianqian nestled obediently at his side. She could feel his arm around her tighten, his steps more hurried than usual, carrying a clear and unmistakable ill intent.
In the shadows at the corner where the corridor ended, Lin Shu stood, her fists clenched so tightly her nails nearly dug into her palms.
She watched Gu Chengyu lead Su Qianqian out, saw the tenderness on his profile as he looked down, witnessed his protective stance over that woman...
Her hanging heart finally died; the last shred of hope vanished.
It really was her! That little assistant she had never even deigned to notice!
Jealousy and humiliation burned her eyes red. As if possessed, she followed them.
Gu Chengyu didn't head towards the elevator lobby but turned into a private lounge on the other side of the corridor.
The door was nudged shut with his foot, not latching completely.
Holding her breath, Lin Shu cautiously approached the door.
Trembling, she pressed her eye to the narrow crack, peering inside through the sliver of light.
The lounge was softly lit.
Gu Chengyu had Su Qianqian pinned against the wall by the door, his head lowered, his nose brushing against hers, his breath scorching.
"Don't, Chengyu, we're outside..." Su Qianqian's voice was clear and soft, laced with resistance, her small hands pushing weakly against his chest.
"No one would dare come in," Gu Chengyu's voice was low and husky, thick with unmistakable desire and an air of command that brooked no refusal, yet his tone was coaxing. "Be good, let me kiss you."
He cupped her face, lowering his head to claim her moist, red lips.
Su Qianqian turned her face slightly away, her voice tinged with a petulant grievance. "No... you smoked earlier, the smell is so strong..."
If any other woman dared reject him like this, Gu Chengyu would have lost patience long ago.
But now, looking at her slightly pouted lips and that delicate, timid, yet disdainful expression, he only felt an unbearable itch in his heart, unable to muster even a flicker of anger.
He chuckled lowly, admitting fault with good grace. "My mistake. I won't smoke next time, alright?"
As he spoke, he actually pulled back a little, but the arm around her waist didn't loosen; instead, it tightened, pressing her soft body firmly against his.
He murmured by her ear, his voice a mix of seeking praise and seduction. "I stood up for you today, humiliated that Lin Shu woman thoroughly, got your revenge. Shouldn't Qianqian reward me?"
Outside the door, Lin Shu stiffened at those words, her blood running cold.
The way he had treated her... was it all just to please this little bitch?
Su Qianqian seemed moved by his words, or perhaps weakened by the hot breath against her ear; her resistance lessened considerably.
She tilted her head back slightly, her eyes watery as she looked at him, asking softly, "Really? Just to stand up for me?"
"What else?" Gu Chengyu lowered his head, nuzzling the hollow of her neck, inhaling the clean, sweet scent of her skin with obsession.
"Who told her to bully you? How dare she touch my woman?"
He said it as if it were the most natural thing in the world, the protectiveness and favoritism in his tone completely undisguised.
Su Qianqian seemed satisfied. Her slender arms wound softly around his neck as she whispered, "Then... just one kiss."
Gu Chengyu let out a triumphant laugh and immediately captured her lips with his.
Outside the door, through the crack, Lin Shu couldn't see everything.
She could only see the blurred silhouette of the two embracing, the man's back completely enveloping the girl, the girl's slender, upturned neck, and her shoulders trembling slightly from being kissed breathless.
And those faint, fragmented, delicate sounds that escaped through the door crack, piercing Lin Shu's heart, leaving it bloody.
What shattered her even more was Gu Chengyu's attitude.
That arrogant, domineering man who never bowed his head was now using a tone of gentleness she had never heard before, patiently coaxing, enticing, even with a hint of pleading, all just to beg for a kiss.
When had he ever treated her like that? What he gave her was only cold material things and commands.
Why? What did Su Qianqian have that she didn't?
Lin Shu clamped a hand tightly over her mouth, stifling the sob threatening to escape.
Jealousy gnawed at her heart like a venomous snake. As she watched the entwined figures inside, her gaze gradually grew wild and venomous.
She wouldn't let this go!
Never!
Inside the lounge, during a brief pause for breath, Su Qianqian lazily glanced towards the door.
The corner of her lips curved upward ever so slightly before she was once again captured by the man's scorching kiss.
She responded to him softly, emitting even more seductive sounds, perfectly audible to the woman listening outside the door.
