Yu Qing walked into the room alone.
This VIP lounge was so understated yet extravagantly luxurious it seemed unreal. It came fully equipped with complete facilities, almost resembling a presidential suite in a hotel.
The only difference was that the window position featured a floor-to-ceiling one-way glass panel, directly facing the auction stage outside.
So had he been sitting here earlier watching her look at him?
Before the window stood a leather sofa and coffee table. A man was currently seated on the sofa. Zhou Chuan hadn’t followed her in, and aside from them, there was no one else in the room.
The soundproofing in this room was remarkably effective. After closing the door, almost no sound from outside could be heard.
It was so quiet that Yu Qing could hear the sound of the man’s fingers moving over Buddhist prayer beads.
Yu Qing unconsciously walked softly to the side of the sofa.
Xie Qing Ci was wearing a silver-white Tang suit with subtle patterns today, making his pale complexion appear even more pronounced.
As Yu Qing gazed at the man before her, he finally seemed somewhat like the Emperor Lord who had always worn white robes for millions of years.
“Mr. Xie.”
Yu Qing was the first to break the silence.
Hearing the young woman’s form of address, Xie Qing Ci paused his hand movements and turned to look at her.
“Not calling me Second Uncle anymore?”
The man’s voice was cool, his expression neutral. Aside from Yu Qing, probably no one could detect the teasing mockery in his words.
Actually, Yu Qing hadn’t really discerned it either, but she felt absolutely certain this man was teasing her.
“The engagement has been annulled. Does Mr. Xie still want to take advantage of me?”
Her words carried seventy percent coquettishness and thirty percent provocation.
Even Xie, the young Abstinent Buddha who had maintained celibacy for years with a tranquil heart, felt somewhat unable to suppress the turbulent emotions stirring within him.
Xie Qing Ci seemed to have calmly accepted his second lapse in composure upon seeing the young woman.
Twenty-eight years of self-restraint and adherence to propriety had nearly collapsed completely after just two meetings with her.
[He has developed worldly desires. Look beneath his monastic robes – where is the heart of enlightenment? Clearly, it’s an insatiable abyss of desire.]
After saying those words, Yu Qing casually sat down on the sofa, leaving about one person’s distance between herself and Xie Qing Ci.
On the coffee table were two cups of hot tea, still steaming, likely freshly poured.
Beside the teapot were also mineral water, juice, soda, and even milk…
Yu Qing found it somewhat amusing.
She leaned forward to pick up the cup of hot tea before her, tilting her head to look at the silent man beside her.
The rising steam from the hot tea made the young woman’s charming and delicate face appear somewhat indistinct.
Yet Xie Qing Ci felt that at this moment, she resembled a little enchantress who had cultivated for a thousand years, specifically sent to tempt him, to seduce him into developing worldly desires…
“You’ve just recovered. Drink less strong tea.”
When the man spoke again, none of his previous cool clarity remained in his voice – it had become unbearably hoarse.
Upon hearing this, Yu Qing was also somewhat surprised. Her slender hand still holding the cup of hot tea, she looked at the man with a dazed expression.
The wall in Xie Qing Ci’s heart completely collapsed with a “boom.”
The innocent little enchantress who had inadvertently wandered into the mortal world had captivated the long-cultivated, aloof Buddhist disciple, making his spiritual cultivation vanish entirely.
Xie Qing Ci felt somewhat grateful that he was wearing glasses, which could conceal some of the turbulent waves surging in his eyes.
“Qingqing.” His voice regained some clarity, though still deep.
Little Milk Candy in the Sea of Consciousness secretly clicked its tongue – was this still the Emperor Lord it knew?!
The Emperor Lord who had developed worldly desires was really too…
Yu Qing was also somewhat dazed by him calling her “Qingqing,” murmuring in response: “Hmm?”
“Did you come here today because there’s something you particularly like?”
The man’s voice remained cool, yet his tone was impossibly gentle, carrying a hint of coaxing.
Yu Qing regained some composure at his question, but she hadn’t even glanced at the auction catalog—she’d come specifically to run into this man!
Who knew things would turn out like this…
(ó﹏ò)
The young woman lowered her gaze and took a sip of hot tea, her lips glistening and temptingly rosy from the moisture.
Xie Qing Ci’s dark eyes deepened, his throat moving slightly as he murmured, “Anything you like, I’ll bid for you, hmm?”
Hearing this, Yu Qing chuckled, tilting her head to coo at him, “Is Mr. Xie giving me a gift?”
“Mhm.”
“Anything at all?”
“Anything, as long as you like it.”
Just listen to those words.
Where was the Xie Fozi she knew?
This was clearly a young monk bewitched by a little enchantress, his heart and soul utterly captivated.
Downstairs, the auction had officially begun.
Yu Qing only just noticed how soundproof the room was—the auctioneer’s voice was transmitted electronically.
The first item was a rare 10-carat yellow diamond necklace, cut in a teardrop shape and encircled with white pavé diamonds, dazzling and radiant.
Yu Qing glanced at it briefly before telling the man, “That one, then.”
To her surprise, he didn’t even look at it, softly saying, “That one doesn’t suit you. There’s a pink diamond necklace later—I’ll bid for that one for you, alright?”
The young woman seemed to half-understand, obediently nodding along.
Watching her docile, adorable demeanor, Xie Qing Ci felt his heart melt.
His previous impressions of her had been vague, but after meeting her twice recently, he realized she perfectly embodied everything he cherished.
It made him want to lay the world’s finest treasures at her feet.
Seeing Xie Qing Ci fall silent, Yu Qing didn’t know what to say either. She picked up her now-cooled tea, about to take a sip.
Suddenly, a well-defined hand reached over, firmly taking the teacup from her and setting it back on the table. “The tea’s cold. It’ll harm your health.”
“Oh, alright.”
The corners of Xie Qing Ci’s lips lifted slightly. “How about some warm milk?”
Yu Qing nodded.
The man reached for the milk warming on the side table, poured it into a clean cup, and handed it to her.
The young woman accepted it with both hands, murmuring softly, “Thank you.”
Then she raised it to her lips, taking small sips.
The auction continued outside, but the two inside seemed utterly indifferent to it.
“Are you feeling better now?”
Hearing the question, the young woman looked up, a trace of white milk still at the corner of her lips.
The restraint in Xie Qing Ci’s heart snapped.
He suddenly leaned in close.
Yu Qing was immediately enveloped by the crisp scent of snow cedar. She stiffened, not daring to move, staring blankly at the handsome face now mere inches from hers.
The man’s gaze fixed on the milk residue near her soft lips, his eyes dark and unfathomable.
They were too close, their breaths mingling. The next second, Yu Qing held her breath in nervous tension.
Xie Qing Ci shifted his gaze to her eyes, but the young woman couldn’t meet his stare, lowering her eyelids instead.
Unsure what he intended, Yu Qing started to lean back.
Slender fingers brushed the corner of her mouth. His touch was cool, yet it nearly scorched her.
But he only wiped away the milk stain before drawing back slightly.
Yu Qing noticed the milk stain on the man’s hand, her cheeks instantly flushing crimson…
Like a suddenly flustered little rabbit, she stammered, “You—you—”
Xie Qing Ci was amused by her adorable reaction, a rare open display of emotion from him. Yet Yu Qing was startled by his sudden smile—it was as radiant as sunlight breaking through melting snow and parting clouds.