Shen Nanci’s vision went completely dark. The instinctive reaction to the sudden loss of light made her instinctively wrap her arms around the man’s neck, seeking a sense of security and dependence.
Amidst the rapid heartbeat, tension, and confusion, her lips were fiercely captured by the man’s kiss.
The man’s hands gripped her waist.
As if sensing he had used too much force and hurt the person in his arms, Li Hengyan gently massaged CiCi’s waist while continuing to kiss her lips, his mouth tenderly enveloping hers.
…
She didn’t know how long the kiss lasted.
The second layer of lipstick Shen Nanci had applied was smudged again. Her eyes were moist as she leaned against Li Hengyan’s shoulder, breathing lightly.
Her lips no longer felt like her own.
They were numb and slightly sore.
“CiCi.”
In the darkness, Li Hengyan’s hoarse voice carried a hint of suggestive desire, yet it also brought Shen Nanci, who was struggling to adjust to the pitch-black environment, a sense of reassurance.
“Li Hengyan, what… what kind of place is this?”
Shen Nanci’s voice was very soft. “It’s too dark. Can we… leave first?”
Li Hengyan held Shen Nanci close, gently stroking her hair, and suddenly let out a low chuckle near her ear.
“My precious CiCi is afraid of the dark.”
As soon as he finished speaking, his shoulder throbbed with pain.
He had been punched by CiCi.
Li Hengyan smiled softly. Relying on his memory and night vision, he fumbled through the darkness, carrying Shen Nanci and placing her on an empty rectangular table.
His hand slid through Shen Nanci’s long hair.
Slowly, he cupped the back of her head.
With his other hand, he lifted Shen Nanci’s chin.
Gently tilting it upward.
Li Hengyan whispered, “Don’t be afraid, I’m here.”
After saying this, he leaned down once more, capturing Shen Nanci’s lips in a kiss that was both tender and domineering.
…
When the two of them finally left, Shen Nanci walked with her head lowered, her long hair loose and covering most of her face.
It wasn’t out of shyness.
Nor was it because she had been kissed to tears.
Rather, her lips… were swollen.
Anyone who saw her would immediately guess what had happened without needing to ask.
As they reached the roadside, a black Rolls-Royce pulled over.
The driver stepped out and opened the car door.
“Master Li, Miss Shen.”
Li Hengyan was wearing a black shirt, with the top button undone. Upon closer inspection, it was unclear where the missing button had gone.
The man’s shirt was slightly wrinkled.
Master Li’s clothes were usually impeccably neat.
And Miss Shen’s lips seemed…
The driver’s expression remained neutral, but inwardly, he had a suspicion—and a certainty—that the missing button from Master Li’s collar had undoubtedly been torn off by Miss Shen.
The car started.
It headed toward one of Li Hengyan’s villa estates.
Originally, she had planned to go to a bar for a drink.
She was in a bad mood.
But Li Hengyan had stopped her, refusing to let her drink.
In the car, Shen Nanci was still feeling the soreness in her lips. Having been kissed by Li Hengyan until she cried before he finally let her go, she was a little angry and didn’t want to acknowledge this domineering, overbearing dog of a man!
The weather wasn’t cold.
The car window was open, letting in a gentle breeze.
Perhaps it was too comfortable, but Shen Nanci’s eyelids grew heavy. She wanted to close her eyes and rest for a moment, but she ended up falling asleep directly.
Li Hengyan extended his arm.
Gently pulling her into his embrace.
Li Hengyan instructed the driver, “Drive slowly.”
The driver responded, “Yes, Master Li.”
When Shen Nanci woke up, she caught the familiar scent of sandalwood—clean and crisp.
Mixed with the sweet fragrance of pear.
A woman’s perfume.
Hers.
As her mind cleared, she realized she had fallen asleep, though she didn’t know for how long, and she was still nestled in Li Hengyan’s arms.
They had kissed many times already.
Even if it still felt unfamiliar, she was gradually getting used to it.
Shen Nanci straightened her back and sat up, not being overly dramatic, just feeling a bit embarrassed.
The driver was still there.
Brushing the hair stuck to her face aside, she couldn’t see the road conditions outside clearly. Shen Nanci asked the man beside her, “How long did I sleep? Where are we?”
Li Hengyan: “Almost home.”
Hearing this, Shen Nanci was taken aback.
Home.
Oh, not her home.
She had no home now.
The apartment she lived in had been taken back by Shen An, and the property management, without her permission, had packed up her clothes and belongings and thrown them out.
She heard it was Shen An’s order.
Shen Nanci forced a smile.
Honestly, her current situation was pretty miserable.
Even her own father wanted to drive her to the brink.
Leaving her no way out.
These past few days, Shen Nanci had nowhere to go. She had originally planned to ask Song Shinian or Lu He to let her stay with them for a few days.
But Li Hengyan didn’t give her any freedom at all, using various excuses to take her to his place.
There was a big house to live in.
Good food and drinks every day, and a large bed to sleep in at night.
No one came to scold or bother her.
When they arrived at Li Hengyan’s villa residential area, before Shen Nanci even got out of the car, she saw a woman in a white dress standing at the entrance of the villa from afar.
The woman was tall and slender.
Her long hair cascaded over her shoulders and back.
The woman held a phone in her hand, seemingly making a call. Unable to get through, she looked anxious.
Noticing the approaching car, the woman turned her face.
In the next moment, a look of joy appeared on her face.
Shen Nanci recognized who it was.
Su Qingnuan.
Shen Nanci instinctively glanced at her legs. Weren’t they seriously injured from falling off a horse? How could her legs have recovered so quickly in such a short time?
The driver spotted Su Qingnuan.
“Mr. Li, Miss Su is here.”
Li Hengyan opened his eyes, glanced indifferently out the window, and instructed the driver, “Take another route, enter through the side gate.”
The driver responded, “Yes.”
Shen Nanci said nothing.
After circling halfway back, Shen Nanci went upstairs first, while Li Hengyan made a call downstairs, instructing someone to release news about Cheng Yuqiao.
“Pear Blossom Fall” should be prepared as soon as possible and put on the schedule. There was no need to wait until mid-June to start filming.
It could begin by the end of May.
After taking a shower, Shen Nanci went to sleep.
The next day, when she woke up, her phone was flooded with webpage push notifications, as well as messages from Song Shinian.
Song Shinian: 【CiCi, have you seen the news online? What’s going on between your Mr. Li and this actress Cheng Yuqiao? Are the two of them…?】
【CiCi?】
Shen Nanci hadn’t seen the online news yet.
Puzzled, she wondered what was going on.
Only when she checked the exposed news online did she realize what major event had happened overnight.
Actually, it wasn’t exactly a major event.
Just the usual affairs between a powerful figure in the capital and a newly debuted actress.
The powerful figure was Li Hengyan.
The newly debuted actress was Cheng Yuqiao.
The news claimed that Li Hengyan, the CEO of the Li Group, had gone on a date with Cheng Yuqiao. Late at night, the two returned to a hotel together and stayed inside all night, spending a pleasant evening together.
There were even photos.
In the photos, Li Hengyan held Cheng Yuqiao in his arms.
The two were intimately close.
At first, when Shen Nanci saw the photos, her heart skipped a beat, and an uncomfortable feeling stabbed at her.
But upon closer inspection of the photos and the dates…
What Cheng Yuqiao?
Wasn’t that her?
Although one photo showed Cheng Yuqiao’s face alone, wearing a dress similar to hers and with a similar height.
But Shen Nanci was certain.
The woman Li Hengyan was holding was her.
And that night, she was right by Li Hengyan’s side.
Sleeping under the same roof.
What dates, what spending the night together.
What nonsense!