He had one hand clasped around her wrist and the other braced behind her head, trapping her firmly in his arms as an overwhelming sense of pressure descended upon her.
The first thing to invade his senses was the scent of peach-scented body wash mingled with the girl’s fragrance.
There was also a faint natural scent, as light as a feather brushing gently across the tip of his nose.
Jiang Zongyan’s body instantly tensed, and his breathing came to an abrupt halt.
He lowered his head, his gaze involuntarily sweeping over the open neckline of her bathrobe. Tiny droplets of water still clung to her fair collarbone, sliding down its graceful curve before disappearing beneath the robe.
His eyes lingered on her collarbone for two seconds. His Adam’s apple bobbed heavily before he lifted his head and met her damp, frightened-deer-like eyes.
Zhou Suisui felt her scalp prickle beneath his gaze.
His eyes were terrifying—like a beast staring at its prey, filled with intense possessiveness and aggression, as though he might tear her apart and swallow her whole at any moment.
Brother, help me!
“Do I like men?”
Jiang Zongyan slowly bent down, his gaze settling on her face. His dark eyes were murky, like the sea before a storm.
His voice was low and hoarse, carrying a dangerous undertone that made her knees go weak. “Don’t like women?”
Zhou Suisui opened one eye and met the dangerous man’s gaze. Frightened, she quickly closed it again and hurriedly shifted the blame. “I didn’t say that! Tiantian did!”
Was he going to hit her?
She was afraid of pain! Boohoo!
Seeing her with her eyes tightly shut and her eyelashes trembling wildly, Jiang Zongyan felt the small flame of anger inside him burn even hotter.
His gaze slowly swept over the delicate skin of her cheek before finally stopping on her cherry-pink lips.
Their color was pale and glossy, like flower petals jeweled with morning dew.
Would they taste sweet if he licked them?
As if bewitched, Jiang Zongyan swallowed hard and moved closer.
Their breaths mingled as the distance between them narrowed, their noses nearly touching.
Just as his lips were about to land on hers—
Urgent knocking sounded on the door once again.
Fu Jie: “Young Miss, can you open the door?”
Zhou Suisui suddenly snapped back to reality. She opened her eyes and shoved Jiang Zongyan away with all her strength.
“Finance Director Fu, go back for now. I’ll come find you later!”
“It’s all right. I can wait.”
Fu Jie’s voice remained gentle, but there was a stubbornness in it that brooked no refusal.
Zhou Suisui frowned anxiously.
Why did none of them understand plain speech?
She wasn’t in a position to open the door right now!
But she couldn’t keep refusing to let him in forever…
Resigned, Zhou Suisui gathered her bathrobe and turned to open the door.
“Stop.”
Jiang Zongyan caught her by the wrist. His fingertip rested against her smooth skin as he looked at her darkly. “You’re planning to go see him dressed like that?”
Zhou Suisui lowered her head and glanced at the bathrobe she was wearing. The neckline was indeed a little loose, but it covered everything that needed covering.
She pursed her lips and shamelessly argued, “It’s not revealing. I’m too lazy to look for clothes.”
Looking at her completely unapologetic expression, Jiang Zongyan sighed helplessly. In the end, he surrendered. “I’ll get them for you.”
With that, he turned and walked toward the suitcase beside the bed.
“Wait, don’t!”
In a split second, Zhou Suisui suddenly remembered something and panicked. She hurried over and pressed down on his hand.
She had just remembered that the very top of her suitcase contained her underwear, along with a few other personal items belonging to a young woman…
Their palms pressed tightly together.
Scorching heat radiated from the point of contact, shooting through their bodies like an electric current.
In an instant, her heartbeat thundered.
A flush rapidly spread across Zhou Suisui’s cheeks. Flustered, she snatched a few pieces of clothing from the suitcase and rushed into the bathroom without looking back.
“…”
It wasn’t until the bathroom door slammed shut that Jiang Zongyan leisurely withdrew his gaze.
He lowered his head and glanced at the back of the hand she had pressed. It seemed to retain the soft sensation of her palm.
The corner of his lips lifted slightly, but his eyes remained fixed on the closed door.
His expression settled, and he rose to walk toward the room’s entrance.
The door opened with a click.
Fu Jie stood outside, a warm smile on his face.
“Young Miss…”
The moment he saw that the person who had opened the door was Jiang Zongyan, he froze.
Jiang Zongyan’s cold gaze swept over the bag in his hand, and he spoke in a mocking tone.
“These days… does the Finance Director also moonlight as the Young Miss’s personal attendant?”
The two men faced each other across the threshold.
Their gazes collided in the air, sending sparks flying.
After a brief moment of surprise, Fu Jie returned to his usual calm and composed demeanor.
“Mr. Jiang, please move aside.”
Jiang Zongyan had no intention of moving.
He stretched out his long leg and planted it boldly across the doorway.
Looking down at Fu Jie, he gave him a warning look filled with displeasure.
Fu Jie leisurely raised a hand and pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose.
“It’s my honor to be of service to the Young Miss. Unlike Mr. Jiang… the Young Miss is only nineteen, barely an adult. There are reporters all over the hotel. You staying in her room and refusing to leave might not look very good if word got out, don’t you think?”
A faint smile curved his lips, carrying unmistakable provocation.
Jiang Zongyan’s eyes narrowed dangerously.
The air was thick with the scent of gunpowder.
Just as the two men faced off, neither willing to yield, the bathroom door opened from the inside.
Zhou Suisui stepped out.
Seeing the two men standing at the entrance, a trace of speechlessness crossed her face.
Were these two comparing heights at the doorway?
“Young Miss, I’ve brought you some things.”
At the sound of her voice, Fu Jie immediately withdrew his gaze and walked into the room.
The next second, he froze completely.
When the Young Miss said she wasn’t in a position to open the door, she had been taking a shower?
And Mr. Jiang had been in her room the whole time without making any effort to hide it.
He was a man. He understood.
The look Jiang Zongyan had given him just now was unmistakably the look of a man staring at a romantic rival.
His loss of composure lasted only a second.
In the blink of an eye, he had returned to normal.
So what?
The Young Miss was naturally charming, and plenty of men liked her. In the end, it was still uncertain who would come out on top.
He curved his lips into a slight smile, his manner respectful and his tone gentle.
“Young Miss, this is mosquito repellent, this is sunscreen, and… this is a pass for the scenic area downstairs. You can ride water scooters or take a cruise…”
As he spoke, he took the items out of the bag one by one as though performing a magic trick.
April was the height of the tourist season in Haishi.
With the summit being held there as well, the number of visitors had surged.
Unless tickets had been purchased a week in advance, they were impossible to get.
When Zhou Suisui had first entered the room and seen the lively scene out on the water, she had been genuinely tempted by the water scooters.
“Thank you.”
Zhou Suisui was just about to reach out and take them.
Suddenly, a hand shot in from the side. Moving faster than she did, it snatched everything away first.
“…”
Zhou Suisui turned toward him in astonishment—
