Once Bella realized who it was, she sharply averted her gaze.
"Look at me, sweetheart."
Ye Jinzhi caught sight of the crimson blush spreading all the way to the tips of the young woman's ears. Her inescapable shyness clearly pleased him.
He deliberately softened his tone, teasing her with a hint of amusement:
"Why won't you look at me?"
Bella turned her back to him, squeezing her eyes shut, and forced out a sentence through gritted teeth:
"You... put your pants on first!"
She thought saying this would make him restrain himself a bit, but before her voice even faded, a strong arm suddenly wrapped around her waist.
With a swift pull, she lost her balance. Bella cried out in surprise as the workbook and water cup in her hands crashed to the floor.
The next second, she fell squarely into his broad embrace. Ye Jinzhi pulled her sideways onto his lap.
His half-naked body radiated a scorching heat. He lowered his head slightly, his slightly sweaty nose rubbing affectionately against Bella's tender neck as his arms tightened around her waist like iron bands.
"Baby, I missed you so much..."
His murmur, accompanied by his warm breath, sent a wave of numbness tingling through Bella's entire body.
The man's intensely aggressive aura washed over her overwhelmingly, making her chest feel tight.
Bella squirmed uncomfortably, shifting awkwardly on his lap in an attempt to put a little distance between them.
But before she could move much, Bella froze, her struggles instantly intensifying:
"You... let me go!"
"No."
Ye Jinzhi buried his face in the crook of her neck. A muffled chuckle escaped his throat, and his scalding breath trailed along their touching skin, sending shivers down her spine all the way to her fingertips.
Unable to bear it, Bella let out a faint, broken whimper. The hands that had been pushing against his shoulders slid down his chest. Like a drained kitten, she could only grip the front of his shirt to barely keep herself together.
"Didn't my baby miss me?"
Feeling that heat, Bella took a deep breath, forcing herself to speak calmly: "I think you really need to cool down right now."
"You'll have to tell 'him' that. It's not something I can control."
Ye Jinzhi's words carried a hidden meaning. Bella turned her head in surprise, playing right into his hands.
The man's lips curled into a triumphant smirk. His face was bewitching, his slightly cool lips almost brushing against hers:
"He's saying hello to you. Do you want to meet him... and scold him personally?"
Bella completely lost her voice, even forgetting to breathe. Her spine slumped weakly against his shoulder, her entire body turning to mush.
Ye Jinzhi's thin lips curved slightly before he captured her mouth without another word.
At first, his kiss was not only devoid of gentleness but carried an almost savage sense of plunder.
It was as if he wanted to draw out every drop of moisture from her lips and teeth. His large hand cupped the back of her head with such force that it felt like he wanted to swallow her whole.
Displeased, Bella raised her hand and dug her nails fiercely into the side of his waist.
The sudden pain made Ye Jinzhi pause slightly, a brief, low chuckle escaping his throat.
Instead of letting go, her resistance only excited him more. With a hint of vindictive grinding, he pried open her teeth, invading her mouth and throwing all her breathing into chaos like a conquering warlord.
His sucking was almost like biting, full of aggression, leaving Bella with nowhere to hide.
Only when he felt the person in his arms growing softer and softer did he finally show mercy and slow the pace.
His movements became careful, even carrying a trace of tenderness.
He eased the pressure on the back of her head, his thumb gently caressing her swollen lips.
His bewitching face pulled back slightly, but as if unsatisfied, he leaned in again amidst their mingling breaths, licking and pecking lightly, swallowing her trembling whimpers, transforming all his previous ferocity into a watery tenderness.
"Stop... stop kissing me."
When Bella spoke, there was a clear sob in her voice. Her broken tone hid a soft sweetness she didn't even notice herself.
Ye Jinzhi casually pulled back half an inch, his nose still affectionately nuzzling her cheek:
"What's wrong? Is my baby unsatisfied with my kissing skills?"
Bella's pupils shrank in shock. Terrified that this madman would do it again just to prove himself, she quickly shook her head, imitating a rattle drum.
"Then why is my baby rejecting me?"
His slender fingers lightly traced her flushed cheek, his smile full of temptation. "Clearly... you felt really good just now, didn't you?"
That word felt like a heavy hammer, directly smashing Bella's forced composure.
The overwhelming pleasure and delayed physical tremors hadn't faded yet; how could she dare to reply?
She could only quickly raise her hands and cover her mouth tightly.
She simply shut her eyes tight and played dead.
Say it out loud?
She would have to be crazy.
Her fingertips were trembling, her soul felt like it was floating out of her body, and she had even had a physical reaction.
If she opened her mouth to say it, he would probably escalate and devour her completely.
She could even imagine the man's excited, wicked, and somewhat sick expression if she did.
Seeing her looking like a little quail preferring death to surrender, Ye Jinzhi lowered his head.
He no longer obsessed over the girl's tightly shut mouth. Instead, he turned his head and trailed down her jawline, grinding heavily against the warm, delicate skin of her neck.
Bella was forced to tilt her head back, her breathing turning chaotic once more.
Calling it a kiss would be an understatement; it was more like branding her. Every deep suck carried a ruthlessness as if he wanted to swallow her flesh, forcibly eliciting waves of tingling numbness on that expanse of snow-white skin.
Bella frowned in pain. Under the man's deliberate actions, the tender skin on her neck quickly bloomed with glaring red marks.
Bella really wanted to say, stop kissing me.
She was afraid she might accidentally get a game over because of her carotid sinus; after all, she had seen news stories like that before.
Their rapid breathing gradually calmed down.
Taking advantage of the moment he relaxed his grip, Bella slid off his lap.
While looking down to straighten her messy skirt, she frantically picked up the water cup and workbook from the floor.
With a click of the light switch, glaring light instantly filled the room.
Bella squinted at her surroundings, only belatedly realizing that this was actually the bedroom she had slept in before.
Ye Jinzhi glanced at the workbook clutched tightly to her chest, a hint of amusement flashing in his eyes.
He didn't speak, just casually grabbed a bath towel from the bed and turned into the bathroom.
Soon, the pattering sound of running water came from inside.
Bella thought he would be showering for a long time and was planning to take the opportunity to lie flat on the bed and play dead, but before her limp feeling of exhaustion could dissipate, the bathroom door opened.
The man approached, bringing with him a damp, cold mist, and pulled Bella up without a word. "Let's go."
"Where to..."
Bella muttered softly. The struggle just now had drained all her energy; at this moment, even her toes felt a lazy, aching weakness.
Ye Jinzhi didn't take her far. Just around the corner, he led her into the study.
The man pulled out the chair behind the desk and pressed her directly into the seat.
"Review."
He tapped on the desk, his tone so flat that it was as if the fierce, ravaging man in the bedroom just moments ago hadn't been him at all.
Bella let herself sink into the oversized chair, still clutching the workbook tightly in her hands as she looked up at him with a bewildered expression.
