Jiang Youwan hadn’t yet figured out how to respond.
The man’s fingers gently brushed her cheek, his deep voice carrying a sigh.
“Am I that unworthy of you, Wanwan?”
“Or am I so shameful that I’d embarrass you?”
“No!”
The girl’s soft, delicate tone rang out, her rebuttal exceptionally firm.
“Mr. Huo is the best person I’ve ever met. Anyone would feel honored to be with you. No matter who you’re with, you would never make anyone feel unworthy.”
As soon as these words, akin to a confession, left her lips, the temperature on Jiang Youwan’s face grew even hotter.
But unexpectedly, this time Huo Linyuan remained silent for a long while.
Those narrow, noble eyes gazed directly at her, seeming to hold countless emotions within them. The light reflected in his eyes resembled a placid, deep pool adorned with stars, shimmering brilliantly.
The fingers resting on her cheek shifted slightly, sliding down the curve of her face until they hovered near her lips.
His gaze lowered along with his hand, his long lashes casting large shadows beneath his eyes. His dark pupils, tinged with intensity, fixed unwaveringly on her mouth.
At such close proximity, it seemed that if either of them leaned forward just a little, their lips would meet.
Jiang Youwan’s heart pounded like a drum.
As if confirming her suspicions, the next second, the man’s fingertips moved gently, the slightly rough pads of his fingers settling at the corner of her mouth.
“Is that so?”
His scorching breath brushed against her lips, and Jiang Youwan finally belatedly caught a faint whiff of alcohol. Huo Linyuan must have had drinks during his evening social engagement.
His intensely present gaze remained fixed on her mouth, his deep voice carrying a slight huskiness that sounded particularly alluring.
“In Wanwan’s heart, am I really that good?”
Jiang Youwan wanted to say yes.
But Huo Linyuan was holding her too tightly, and his mouth was too close to hers.
Jiang Youwan even suspected that, given their current proximity, if she so much as uttered a single word, the intoxicated Mr. Huo would kiss her without hesitation.
Her heart raced wildly, and her mouth grew dry with nervousness.
Meeting his gaze, she simply gave a slight nod.
“Why aren’t you speaking?”
The man’s fingers traced lightly over her lips before his well-defined hand settled beneath her chin, tilting her face upward.
It seemed like a posture even more conducive to kissing.
Not to mention how compromising their current position already was.
Jiang Youwan’s pretty face had long since flushed crimson from her vivid imagination.
Over the past few days of interaction, she had already developed vague feelings for Huo Linyuan. Usually, she could maintain distance by upholding their respective roles, but now Mr. Huo seemed to be under the influence of alcohol, deliberately teasing her like this.
Jiang Youwan felt so flustered by his advances that her mind was nearly short-circuiting.
With her pure yet alluring pink-and-white face, she pointed toward the direction of the door under his watchful gaze.
Huo Jinchen’s voice drifted in from outside, rambling on incessantly.
—“Baby, nothing happened between me and Mu Jia’en. She was the one trying to seduce me, but I’ve remained faithful to you all along.”
—“Baby, believe me, baby!”
—“You know Mu Jia’en has been chasing after me for a long time. If I liked her, I would’ve been with her ages ago. Why would I still be pursuing you, Wanwan?”
“That day, it was Mu Jia’en who deliberately caused trouble. She confessed to me again, but I rejected her. She held a grudge against me, so she deliberately tried to sow discord between us…”
“…”
Outside the door, Huo Jinchen rambled on incessantly.
Inside the door, Huo Linyuan held her waist firmly, his scorching breath falling on her lips, his voice seemingly carrying an unspoken desire.
“He calls you baby.”
Though his tone was straightforward, Jiang Youwan faintly sensed a hint of jealousy.
She shouldn’t have explained so much, but under the man’s dark, resentful gaze, she couldn’t help but speak up.
“N-No…”
“He insisted on calling me that. I couldn’t stop him.”
The man holding her in his arms merely let out a soft “Hmm,” his eyes deep and unfathomable, his thin lips uttering a few words.
“How many people have called you baby?”
Even though Huo Linyuan had meticulously reviewed every detail of her past, he couldn’t help but ask jealously.
The little one in his arms blushed, her long, curled lashes trembling as if startled by the question.
Her delicate beauty stirred the dark desires in the man’s heart while tempting him to hide his pitiful beloved deep within the villa.
A place where no other man could see her except himself.
The question made Jiang Youwan feel a bit ashamed.
Her soft, rosy lips grew fuller as she pursed them, her cupid’s bow particularly beautiful.
Her gentle voice, tinged with a hint of moisture, answered pitifully and obediently.
“One.”
A pleasant, low chuckle echoed in her ear as Huo Linyuan corrected her.
“Two.”
The little one in his arms froze, as if feeling wronged. Her round eyes widened, and she earnestly refuted him, repeating her answer.
“Really, just one.”
Her soft, red lips parted and closed, her tone inexplicably downcast.
“I’ve only been in one relationship my whole life, even though it ended badly.”
Her adorable demeanor touched the softest part of Huo Linyuan’s heart. The man gently cupped her cheek, his voice filled with a tenderness that warmed the air as he coaxed her.
“It won’t be like that next time. I will—”
“Jiang Youwan—”
Huo Jinchen suddenly raised his voice, wailing loudly. Huo Linyuan’s unfinished words were cut off, and a flash of impatience crossed his dark eyes.
—”Wanwan! Even if you’re still angry with me, you don’t have to keep the door closed, do you?”
—”I’m not here to beg for your forgiveness. I just miss you, baby!”
—”I just want to see you. I haven’t seen you in days, and I’m worried. Just one look is enough…”
Huo Linyuan frowned slightly, tilting his head to glance toward the door.
It was the first time he realized how persistent and dramatic Huo Jinchen could be.
He reached out and grasped the doorknob, the sound of the lock clicking as he pressed down.
The wailing outside grew even more intense.
But the next moment, a soft little hand covered the back of his.
The girl’s cheek was almost completely pressed against his chest. Huo Linyuan turned his head to see the porcelain-like, delicate girl obediently lifting her pretty little face, calling to him in that soft, gentle voice,
“Mr. Huo, this isn’t appropriate.”
A man and a woman, alone in a room.
Huo Linyuan didn’t care about such things, but Wanwan said it wasn’t proper.
He fell silent for a moment, then allowed the girl’s soft, boneless hand to grasp his, releasing the door handle.
Outside, the clamor continued, shouts echoing one after another.
The man with sharp brows and starry eyes wrapped one arm around the girl’s slender waist, completely confining his beloved within his embrace.
His tall figure blocked the light, casting his profile at the edge of shadow and brightness into even deeper relief.
He lowered his head, pressing his forehead against the girl’s.
A faint scent of wine lingered in the air, his narrow phoenix eyes dark and dangerous, like a wolf fixated on its prey.
His rapid breaths drummed like a heartbeat, his low, husky voice carrying a mesmerizing quality that made one’s heart tremble,
“Send him away, Wanwan.”
“Keep only me, alright?”