The next morning, sunlight streamed through the window, casting warm patches of light on the floor.
The walk-in closet still carried a faint trace of sweet, lingering musk in the air.
In the master bedroom, Su Qianqian was roused awake by a familiar ache deep in her waist.
Her eyes fluttered open drowsily, and the first thing she saw was the sharp line of a man’s jaw and the subtle movement of his Adam’s apple.
Gu Chengyu had been awake for a while, lying on his side with one arm possessively wrapped around her slender waist while the other propped up his head. His dark, hooded eyes rested on her face, brimming with lazy satisfaction and undisguised admiration.
Still half-asleep, Su Qianqian’s mind was foggy, her almond-shaped eyes hazy with lingering drowsiness.
But the moment her gaze met Gu Chengyu’s deep, amused phoenix eyes, memories of last night’s shameless scenes flooded her mind.
Under dim lighting, her legs—once pale and steady—had gradually lost their strength, trembling until she could no longer stand.
Yet even when she collapsed weakly onto the floor, he had followed, relentless.
He had done those things to her—things that sent shivers down her spine, reducing her to nothing but breathy, pleading whimpers.
A furious blush exploded across Su Qianqian’s cheeks, staining them the color of ripe peaches.
With a flustered whimper, she abruptly turned her face away, burying half of it into the soft pillow, leaving Gu Chengyu with nothing but the back of her tousled head and the delicate, pink-tipped shell of her ear.
"Awake?" Gu Chengyu’s voice was low, roughened by sleep.
His arm around her waist tightened slightly, pulling her closer.
"Don’t touch me!" Su Qianqian’s muffled protest came from the depths of the pillow, laced with unmistakable petulance.
She even squirmed, trying to wriggle free from his hold, her small hands pushing weakly against his chest.
The effort was half-hearted—less a rejection and more a coquettish complaint.
Gu Chengyu chuckled, the sound rumbling through his chest.
He knew exactly why she was acting so coy.
Instead of releasing her, he tightened his grip, effortlessly hauling her resisting little body back against him, locking her firmly in place.
"What are you hiding from?"
He dipped his head, his breath skimming the curve of her ear, voice laced with teasing amusement. "Embarrassed?"
"You were so well-behaved last night. Weren’t you?"
"Shut up!" Su Qianqian burned even hotter at his words, desperately pressing her face deeper into the pillow as if it could shield her from his laughter and those scandalous memories.
Her voice came out muffled and indignant. "You’re the worst! Don’t mention last night! Don’t you dare!"
"Fine, I won’t."
Gu Chengyu humored her, his tone indulgent—but his actions told a different story.
He turned her toward him with ease, one hand lifting to cup her chin, tilting her flushed face up with unyielding authority.
"Then let me kiss you?"
His gaze dropped to her glistening, flustered eyes, his Adam’s apple bobbing as his voice dipped into something darker, coaxing. "Just one. A good morning kiss?"
"No!"
Su Qianqian refused instantly, shaking her head like a stubborn child, her eyes darting everywhere but at him.
"Go away. Don’t come so close. Just seeing your face makes me—" It made her remember all the things that made her legs weak.
"Seeing my face makes you what?"
Gu Chengyu arched a brow, deliberately pressing, his smirk deepening with wicked delight. "Remember something? Hmm? Like where I touched you? Or how you—"
"Ahh! Stop talking!" Su Qianqian nearly shrieked, her hands flying up to clap over his mouth in a frantic attempt to silence him.
Gu Chengyu caught her wrists effortlessly, his large palm engulfing her delicate limbs.
Her skin was smooth as jade, her bones so slender they seemed fragile enough to snap.
He pressed a searing kiss to the center of her palm.
"Nn—!" The contact sent a jolt through her, the lingering soreness in her waist flaring anew. How could just a kiss on her hand make her react like this? Her body was utterly traitorous.
She tried to tug free, but he only held her tighter.
"Really won’t let me kiss you?" Gu Chengyu studied her—flushed, pouting, adorably stubborn—and felt his restraint fray.
He leaned in until their noses almost touched, their breaths mingling. "Ungrateful little thing. Who was it last night that clung to my neck, whimpering and begging for more? Hmm?"
"You—!" Su Qianqian’s eyes welled up, humiliation and frustration turning them glassy. "You’re the one who forced me! You said we’d just look, but then you—! My waist still hurts because of you!"
"Your waist hurts?"
At that, Gu Chengyu’s hand slid down, his fingers pressing into the dip of her lower back with just the right amount of pressure.
"Here?" His touch was firm yet soothing, his lips brushing her forehead as he murmured, "Better now?"
The massage did ease the ache, and Su Qianqian couldn’t help a soft, pleased sigh—like a pampered kitten.
But then she caught herself, stiffening as she tried to salvage her dignity.
"A little. But you still can’t kiss me!"
Gu Chengyu’s chest swelled at the sight—her eyes fluttering shut in pleasure even as her lips pursed in protest.
Chuckling, he relented, bypassing her mouth to trail kisses along her forehead, the bridge of her nose, the tip of her ear.
"Fine, no kiss. No good morning kiss for me."
His lips skimmed lower, grazing her collarbone before murmuring, "Then where does my Qianqian want to be kissed?"
Su Qianqian melted under his touch, her resistance crumbling as his tender yet relentless affection overwhelmed her.
She sagged against him, her lips parting in soft, shallow breaths, like a flower unfurling under morning dew.
Gu Chengyu watched her—pliant, flushed, utterly yielding—and felt something primal stir in his chest.
He pulled her closer, resting his chin atop her sweet-scented hair with a sigh of contentment.
"Little jealous one. Spoiled, stubborn brat…"
"You’re the only one who can make Young Master Gu so helpless."
Meanwhile, Lin Shu curled up on the wide couch of her apartment, still wrapped in the beige trench coat from last night—clearly having not slept a wink.
Her beautiful face was blank, save for the bloodshot veins in her eyes and the dark circles beneath them.
The cold glow of her phone screen reflected in her unfocused pupils.
Her fingers moved mechanically across the search bar, typing keywords over and over:
[Lin Shu Gu Chengyu]
[Lin Shu nightclub]
[Gu Chengyu new lover]
[Su Qianqian]
