The aftermath of the party was a mess, but the cleaning crew had it all tidied up in record time.
Some people had stayed overnight at the villa, and as if by unspoken agreement, everyone only stirred around noon.
Chi Yu had arranged for lunch to be served on the first floor for everyone, though he himself wasn’t present.
At the elegant, ornate long dining table sat Huo Xiaoyang, Lu Qian, Chi Mingyu, Xu Yanxi, Chen Feifei, and a few female companions.
Everyone was in good spirits after a night of revelry.
They ate and chatted casually, their conversation drifting in and out.
Chi Mingyu said to Lu Qian, “My brother and sister-in-law haven’t come down all night, right?”
Huo Xiaoyang was taken aback. “What sister-in-law?”
Xu Yanxi also paused mid-bite and looked at Chi Mingyu.
Chi Mingyu clicked his tongue and laughed. “You guys follow my brother around all day, and you don’t even know this?”
Chi Mingyu smugly teased, dragging it out to whet their appetites, until Lu Qian finally spoke up. “Xia Shuran.”
He looked at everyone at the table and said slowly, “She’s been up on the fifth floor all night without coming down.”
Some expressions instantly froze.
Everyone knew that aside from the cleaning staff and his most trusted assistant, A Ming—
Chi Yu had never let anyone up to the fifth floor.
Chi Mingyu grinned and raised an eyebrow. “My sister-in-law, heh heh, she’s officially my sister-in-law now.”
Huo Xiaoyang was still nursing his hangover and reacted a beat late. “Xia Shuran?”
Lu Qian was exasperated. “Your ‘beautiful sister.'”
“…!!!” Huo Xiaoyang jumped up in fright.
Lu Qian twisted the knife further. “By the way, just so you know, she saw you with a girl on each arm last night too.”
Huo Xiaoyang wailed, “Nooo!!”
The scene descended into chaos, with everyone reacting in their own way.
Chen Feifei kept her head down, eating in small bites. At this table, she didn’t even have the right to speak.
But inwardly, she was even more shocked. That woman Xia Shuran had actually managed to win over Chi Yu.
Impressive.
She would never provoke her again—that woman was ruthless.
Xia Shuran was woken by the sound of someone outside her door.
“Do you need room service?” Chi Yu’s annoyingly smug voice came through repeatedly.
Xia Shuran sat up in bed, her hair a wild mess, her voice still husky with sleep. “No, I don’t!”
Chi Yu’s tone carried a lazy smile. “Ah, you’re awake. Since you’re up, come out soon—I’ll be waiting outside.”
Like anyone who’s been abruptly woken, Xia Shuran found she couldn’t fall back asleep, so she got up in a huff.
She went to the bathroom in her room, brushed her teeth, and washed her face. Just as she was about to do her makeup, Chi Yu knocked on the door again. “Fell back asleep?”
“No, I just washed up. I’ll be out in a second.”
Chi Yu was sitting on the sofa in the center of the main hall.
His legs were spread apart, his body slightly leaning forward, elbows resting on his knees. He held his phone, swiping through something on the screen.
Hearing her footsteps, he lifted his gaze.
Xia Shuran didn’t know what expression to put on, so she simply smiled and met his eyes.
Chi Yu raised an eyebrow, put his phone away, and stood up. “Ready?”
“Yeah.”
Chi Yu walked closer. “Coming down to have lunch with me?”
Xia Shuran followed behind Chi Yu, quietly watching his back.
His shoulder-to-head ratio and head-to-body ratio were both exceptional.
Today he was dressed simply again—a black short-sleeved shirt and dark cargo pants.
Broad shoulders, narrow waist, long legs—he was a natural clothes hanger.
Cargo pants…
That night, he’d been wearing something similar.
She had a reasonable suspicion he was doing it on purpose.
As they entered the elevator, Chi Yu stood by the buttons, his gaze slightly lifted as he watched Xia Shuran walk in. His eyes were calm, but utterly brazen.
Xia Shuran, who had spent years perfecting the art of “ignoring stares,” suffered a crushing defeat today.
She felt self-conscious under his gaze and couldn’t help but mentally review her makeup, wondering if anything was off.
Please don’t let there be lipstick on my teeth.
Refusing to back down, Xia Shuran stared straight back at him.
Chi Yu carried a faint, teasing smile, his handsome face incredibly alluring.
He walked over.
In this spacious, empty elevator, the two had originally occupied opposite corners.
But now, Chi Yu was invading Xia Shuran’s territory.
“Am I good-looking?” Chi Yu bent down to meet her gaze at eye level, blinking like a puppy.
So that’s all he was doing. Xia Shuran breathed a sigh of relief.
She reached out and patted his head, deliberately teasing him. “Passable, I guess.”
Chi Yu’s eyes held a teasing glint as he slowly leaned close to her ear, his voice lazy and amused. “Then why are you blushing?”
The man’s warm breath lingered by her ear. Xia Shuran wanted to shrink her ear away, but unfortunately, she didn’t have that superpower, so she could only hunch her shoulders and lean to the side to dodge.
She muttered stubbornly under her breath, “I’m not.”
Chi Yu straightened up, a hint of a smile playing at his brows and eyes. “If you say so.”
His silhouette loomed over her, his eyelids lowered as he looked at her face, which refused to lift.
It was a very ambiguous distance.
He drawled lazily, “Look at me.”
Xia Shuran refused.
But the next second, Chi Yu reached out and grabbed her chin, effortlessly tilting her head up so she had no choice but to look at him.
Chi Yu’s gaze darkened. She could only look at him.
What a terrible habit—grabbing people at every opportunity.
And that night, he’d grabbed her neck too.
Xia Shuran was certain now—Chi Yu was the person from that night.
Xia Shuhao said irritably, “So I looked at you. And then?”
Chi Yu put on an obedient expression. “No ‘and then.’ I just wanted you to look at me.”
He added slowly,
“It would be even better if I could get another kiss.”