Song Xinya sat up from under the covers, gazing at the half-exposed coin peeking out from the pages of a book. Her watery eyes were hazy, looking somewhat entranced.
The two zeros exposed were strikingly conspicuous.
She remembered the one-yuan coin she had left for that man a year ago; its minting year was 2000, and the last two digits were also zeros.
A desire to explore welled up from the bottom of her heart.
The bedroom door was pushed open from the outside, and Qin Yuhe walked in.
He had taken off his suit jacket. Dressed in a white shirt and black trousers, his exquisitely tailored shirt was buttoned all the way to the top and tucked neatly into his pants. His ascetic appearance somehow exuded an extreme, deadly temptation, noble, handsome, and impeccably immaculate.
Song Xinya looked at Qin Yuhe with a hint of surprise, having originally thought he would return very late tonight.
Mr. Qin, are you done with work?
Qin Yuhe looked toward the woman on the bed.
In the dim, yellow glow of the bedside lamp, she leaned back on her hands against the bed, her chest thrust forward, making her already full curves appear even more prominent and alluring.
Perhaps because she had just sat up from under the covers, her nightgown hung loosely on her. The thin straps had slipped off her shoulders, dangling over her slender arms.
She was very fair. The shimmering champagne-colored nightgown she wore accentuated her ethereal, innocently seductive aura, making her look like a piece of fragile, porcelain-white jade.
Qin Yuhe walked toward her, his fingers reaching his collar to start unbuttoning his shirt.
Work is never entirely finished, but today's work ends here. The rest is left for tomorrow.
Song Xinya nodded slowly, completely agreeing with this statement.
Even a low-level employee like her had endless work every day, let alone him, the CEO of a conglomerate.
Work after work, there was just so much work.
Don't ever think about finishing all the work in one day, because it's simply impossible.
Song Xinya glanced at that half-exposed coin and voiced the question in her heart: Mr. Qin, why do you use a coin as a bookmark?
A ripple of emotion flashed through Qin Yuhe's eyes. I am used to using that coin as a bookmark.
Using that coin.
Not just a coin.
What he cared about wasn't the millions of other coins out there, but that specific one.
An object itself has no value; it only gains meaning when endowed by someone who cherishes it. It was a vessel for his emotions, carrying a certain sentiment of his.
What makes an old item precious isn't the item itself, but the memories attached to it.
Song Xinya roughly understood that the coin represented a certain part of his past.
She thought that the coin must be related to a woman.
Mr. Qin and a woman shared some sort of past.
By the time Qin Yuhe reached Song Xinya's side, his shirt was mostly unbuttoned. His collarbones were sharp and refined, and the lines of his chest muscles were half-concealed, half-exposed, clean, incredibly powerful, and exuding an explosive, robust, and lean sexiness.
He looked at her, his eyes deep and dark. At this hour, it's time for bed.
Song Xinya's heart pounded fiercely a couple of times.
Qin Yuhe placed his palm on the shoulder where her strap had fallen and asked, Have you showered?
Song Xinya felt as if a ball of fire was resting on her shoulder. I have.
Qin Yuhe's palm slid from her bare shoulder down to her arm.
With a low hum of acknowledgment, he picked up his sleepwear and went to the bathroom to shower.
Song Xinya's tightened heart relaxed. Listening to the pattering sound of water in the bathroom, and the faint rustling of him drying off and getting dressed after the tap was turned off, her heart grew tense once again.
Soon, Qin Yuhe walked out of the bathroom.
His footsteps approached from a distance, heading straight for the bed.
The mattress dipped, the covers were lifted, and a cold, profound aura washed over Song Xinya, piercing to the bone, dominant, powerful, and highly aggressive.
It was branded with Qin Yuhe's unique personal signature.
As usual, the two of them occupied opposite sides of the bed.
The bedroom was so quiet you could hear a pin drop, and they could hear each other's breathing.
After lying quietly for a while, Song Xinya asked, Mr. Qin, should we turn off the lights?
Qin Yuhe: Leave them on.
Under the covers, Song Xinya's nightgown was pushed up, and his hand touched her thigh.
He hadn't touched her last night.
Although Song Xinya had never had a boyfriend before and didn't fully understand the species known as men, it didn't hurt that she had a best friend who knew an awful lot.
Tiantianquan once told her that a man who had tasted the forbidden fruit was like a dog in heat, thinking about doing it from morning till night.
Previously, Song Xinya thought this saying was overly exaggerated.
Now, Song Xinya felt it might actually be true.
His action of touching her thigh was full of suggestive undertones.
His scorching palm wandered up and down along the delicate skin of her inner thigh.
The rough calluses on his palm brushed against her tender skin, making her tremble involuntarily.
Song Xinya's breathing quickened.
Her heartbeat drummed in her chest, echoing so loudly it made her eardrums buzz.
Mr. Qin...
Mm...
Snakes naturally favor the shade and love to burrow into damp places.
The large hand between her legs was now like an agile snake, eager to cross the final barrier to burrow and nest.
An enchanting yet dangerous atmosphere fermented in the air, ready to ignite at a single touch.
Song Xinya frantically turned over, shifting from lying flat to lying on her side with her back facing him, trying to escape that venomous snake-like hand.
The next instant, his palm covered her back and pushed her forward with force.
Song Xinya let out a gasp of surprise as her delicate body fell flat against the bed.
The thin silk blanket was thrown aside by Qin Yuhe in one swift motion, landing crumpled at the edge of the bed.
His firm knee nudged her legs apart. His hands gripped her slender ankles and pushed them upward, forcing her faintly pink knees to rest against the bedsheets.
Song Xinya supported herself on her forearms.
Qin Yuhe knelt between her legs, one hand gripping her slender, soft waist.
A phrase from Tiantianquan drifted through Song Xinya's mind, try not to let him take you from behind.
Alarm bells instantly rang in Song Xinya's heart.
Mr. Qin, let's not tonight...
Qin Yuhe's body pressed against her from behind, scorching hot and heavy.
Are you unwilling?
Song Xinya's supporting arms trembled. I am willing, it's just...
Qin Yuhe's caressing paused, and his invasive actions stopped.
He quietly listened to what she had to say next, letting her finish.
Song Xinya: That night was too intense, and I haven't fully recovered yet...
The vigorously burning flames in Qin Yuhe's eyes were instantly doused by a bucket of cold water, turning into a pile of helpless embers.
He sighed heavily in his heart.
Song Xinya was kneeling down on her forearms and couldn't see his expression at the moment.
The hand gripping her waist didn't let go, but he made no further moves.
After hesitating for a moment, she crawled forward a little.
His hand on her waist slid down.
Seeing that he wasn't restraining her, she grew a bit bolder and rolled over to face him.
Qin Yuhe's expression couldn't be called good, but it wasn't exactly bad either. It was a kind of, how to put it...
Song Xinya weighed her words and felt the following phrase fit perfectly.
Sexually frustrated.
She pretended not to notice his expression and looked down to tidy her rumpled clothes.
Qin Yuhe reached out and grasped the hem of the skirt bunched at her waist.
Song Xinya's hand, which was pulling her skirt down, trembled.
I don't mean anything else. I'm just helping you fix your clothes, Qin Yuhe said, pulling the hem down smoothly.
Since she said she hadn't recovered yet, he couldn't exactly force himself on her.
It was just that...
Qin Yuhe forced down the fiery surge of desire coursing through his body. His deep, dark eyes locked onto hers as he murmured, "Aren't you a little too delicate?"
Blushing with a racing heart, Song Xinya replied, "All women are like this."
Is that so?
Qin Yuhe raised an eyebrow. He had never discussed such things with other women, so he really wouldn't know.
The two of them lay back under the covers, retreating to opposite sides of the bed.
To avoid provoking him into getting any more ideas, Song Xinya slept pressed right against the edge of the mattress.
Her slender frame teetered dangerously, looking as though she might fall off at any second.
"Ah—"
Losing her balance while turning over, she actually began to tumble off the edge.
Qin Yuhe's reflexes were razor-sharp. He shot out an arm, scooped her up by the waist, and pulled her flush against his chest, holding her securely.
"Just to keep you from falling out of bed, you're sleeping in my arms tonight."
