"Go change."
Bella froze in place, looking at him with astonished eyes.
A faint, almost imperceptible curve tugged at the corners of Ye Jinzhi's lips, as if he were admiring her futile struggle.
Ultimately conceding defeat, Bella angrily grabbed the stockings, turned around, and headed out the door toward the walk-in closet, leaving behind an exasperated remark:
"Fine, I'll change!"
"While you're at it, put on the clothes and shoes in the closet too," the man's voice sounded behind her.
Bella deliberately stomped her feet, making loud thuds on the floor to vent her dissatisfaction.
Pushing open the door to the walk-in closet, she immediately spotted a pair of black patent leather high heels with red soles lying quietly on the floor.
Sharp stiletto heels, eye-catching red soles—she picked them up and saw that they were her exact shoe size.
This man had clearly planned this.
Bella gritted her teeth, steeled her heart, endured her embarrassment to change into the clothes, and stepped into those stilettos.
She walked back toward the study, the high heels clicking against the hard floor, echoing through the empty corridor and adding a touch of tension.
The study door was gently pushed open, and Ye Jinzhi still maintained his original sitting posture.
The moment he clearly saw the person entering, even his usual nonchalance cracked a little.
After Bella got a clear look at his attire, she was a bit surprised. It was late at night, yet he was wearing a dress shirt, suit pants, and a tie.
She didn't quite dare to look at him, standing there somewhat awkwardly.
The silk shirt clung to her figure, subtly rising and falling, while her slender waist was tightly cinched by the black pencil skirt—perky, full, with a tension that seemed almost ready to tear the fabric.
Further down, those long, straight legs were seamlessly encased in stockings, the sheer texture shimmering faintly under the light.
As she walked, the narrow slit of the pencil skirt offered fleeting glimpses, almost burning away his reason.
Ye Jinzhi's gaze roamed over her body without any avoidance. Darkness surged in his eyes, and deep within his pitch-black pupils flashed an almost morbid crimson, making him wish he could dismantle and devour her right then and there.
Bella felt chills all over from his stare.
The man's eyes gave her an absurd and shameful illusion.
It was as if he didn't even need to touch her; just with that scalding, clinging gaze alone, he had already viciously "licked" her from head to toe.
You could hear a pin drop in the study; the stifling air was almost suffocating.
Bella stood stiffly, and due to extreme tension, a small, awkward swallow escaped her fair throat.
This subtle sound, in Ye Jinzhi's ears at this moment, was no different from the most vile seduction.
His gaze, locked onto those long legs, finally moved. His Adam's apple bobbed, and greedy, morbid restraint wildly tugged at the depths of his eyes, like a beast holding its breath right before a meal.
Ye Jinzhi closed his eyes, his voice hoarse. Forcing down his desire, he patted his thigh neither lightly nor heavily:
"Come here."
Bella wasn't stupid; going over at a time like this was simply walking into the tiger's den.
She stood frozen in place, her toes awkwardly curling inside her shoes.
Seeing the young girl's guarded appearance, Ye Jinzhi let out a lazy, teasing low chuckle:
"What, didn't you want me to tutor you? Can you see clearly from so far away, Darling?"
Bella continued to bite her lower lip, her face screaming "I don't believe you."
"Come here."
Ye Jinzhi took a deep breath, raising his hands as if in surrender. He hid that touch of crimson deep in his eyes, his voice carrying a hint of coaxing.
"I won't touch you."
Hearing this almost "pardoning" promise, the tight string in Bella's mind loosened a bit.
She was, after all, still preoccupied with that unsolvable math problem, and she actually started inching closer.
She didn't dare to sit directly on his lap; instead, holding her breath, she sat on her original chair.
The two were extremely close, and the air was filled with that cold yet scorching scent unique to Ye Jinzhi.
Ye Jinzhi opened the workbook, but his other hand fell extremely naturally onto her knee.
Through that cicada-wing-thin layer of stockings, the scalding heat of the man's palm almost burned Bella's skin.
Yet he acted as if nothing was wrong, his palm lightly caressing it while he spoke in a serious tone:
"The first step to this problem is to apply this formula..."
Bella completely froze. How could she think of any formula? Her mind was filled entirely with the heat radiating from his palm.
Unable to bear it any longer, she abruptly turned around to glare at him, her voice tinged with the anger of being deceived:
"Ye Jinzhi! You just said you wouldn't touch me!"
"I won't touch you?"
Ye Jinzhi paused, then advanced instead of retreating.
Using the momentum of the swivel chair, his tall frame instantly pressed over, trapping Bella between the desk and his chest.
Slowly leaning in close to her neck, his warm breath accompanied his deep voice,
"Darling..."
He wickedly curled the corners of his lips, dropping a faint, almost imperceptible peck on her skin, his tone dangerous.
"Did you forget that, to me, there are many definitions of 'touch'?"
His fingertips applied slight pressure, pinching into that touch of black, his voice hoarse:
"Unless I make you cry, it doesn't count as really touching you, hm?"
"You!"
Bella was furious.
"You... you hooligan!"
Bella was so infuriated by his "many definitions" remark that her pretty face flushed red. In a mix of shame and anger, she didn't even think; she just lifted her leg to kick him.
Who knew she kicked so hastily that her shoe dropped onto the carpet with a "clack."
Not only did her foot fail to kick him, but due to the momentum, the chair slid back and pressed against the man's lower abdomen.
Ye Jinzhi paused; even through the suit fabric, he could feel that warm little foot trembling slightly.
The man let out a pleased, muffled chuckle, relaxing his body and leaning back into the chair, presenting a completely defenseless posture.
His eyes swept over that touch of black, his slender fingers tapping in the air, his tone full of morbidity:
"Come, Darling, use a little force."
Bella: "?"
Seeing him like this, Bella was embarrassed to the extreme, and actually gritted her teeth...
Taking advantage of the moment the man let out a muffled groan, she quickly pulled her leg back. Without even bothering to pick up her shoe, she dashed across the floor in her stockings like a gust of wind, running out of the study without looking back.
The veins on Ye Jinzhi's forehead throbbed, unable to distinguish whether it was pain or some secret pleasure.
Seeing that slender figure truly disappear in the doorway, a flash of panic crossed his eyes.
Disregarding his image, he picked up the shoe from the floor and chased after her, his voice extremely soft, carrying obvious placation:
"Darling? I was wrong, don't be mad."
He humbly coaxed and carried her back to her seat. To divert her anger, he reverted to that aloof demeanor, pointing at the problem in the workbook and saying seriously:
"Alright, I won't mess with Darling."
"These types of problems all follow this routine, and they have a very high probability of appearing as the final question in past years.
I'll give you a few similar variation problems to practice with. If you still get them wrong, I'll..."
Sensing Bella's murderous glare, his strong will to survive made him swallow the second half of his sentence, changing it to:
"I'll explain it to you again."
I'm scared.
I've heard that the stream of consciousness style is pretty popular right now. I think I'll give it a try next time.
