As dusk fell, Lu Muqian returned to the hotel under the moonlight. Exhausted from a long day’s work, the man leaned his head against the backseat, resting his hand on the car window as the breeze brushed over his palm, his eyes lightly closed in feigned slumber.
The penthouse suite was reserved exclusively for the CEO, occupied only by him.
In the vast hotel suite, Lu Muqian’s heart felt as hollow and empty as the spacious rooms around him, with nothing to fill the void.
Back in his room, weary from the day’s demands, he failed to notice the slight, unusual bulge on the bed. Grabbing the bathrobe prepared by the hotel, he stepped into the bathroom to wash away the fatigue, and soon the sound of running water echoed from within.
…
Fifteen minutes later, he emerged with damp hair, casually drying the strands with a towel. Dressed in a loose bathrobe tied haphazardly around his narrow waist, he exuded an air of nonchalance.
The night had deepened, and a gentle breeze swept through the open window, reaching every corner of the room and causing the curtains to dance in its wake.
Instead of closing the window immediately, Lu Muqian retrieved a bottle of 1982 red wine and a glass. Pouring the wine, he carried it to the window, allowing the cool wind to wash over him as if hoping it could blow away the thick longing for distant places.
He took a small sip, the aroma of the wine lingering around him, impossible to dispel.
The moon had hidden behind the clouds, yet sleep eluded him—perhaps because his fatigue had faded, or maybe because the longing was too intense to allow rest.
Lowering his head, he downed the remaining wine in one go, set the glass aside carelessly, and moved to the door to switch off the glaring crystal light. Approaching the bed, he still didn’t detect anything amiss.
It wasn’t until he lay down that the girl on the bed, sensing the dip beside her, instinctively and drowsily moved closer…
“Who’s there?” Lu Muqian called out sharply, quickly getting out of bed and turning on the warm bedside lamp. When the light illuminated the figure on the bed, his breath caught…
Yinyin?
Wasn’t she in Rongcheng? How could she be here? More importantly, how did she find this place?
The girl on the bed, awakened by the noise, yawned after a full day’s sleep. Rubbing her bleary eyes, she propped herself up and sat, gazing at the astonished man.
She smiled, “Husband, you’re back?”
…
Rewinding to when An Yin had just arrived in Jiangcheng, she refused to believe that Qiao Yi wouldn’t know Lu Muqian’s whereabouts. So, upon reaching Jiangcheng, she immediately sent her location to Qiao Yi, pressing and threatening him to reveal where Lu Muqian was staying.
Unable to bear seeing his boss suffer, Qiao Yi thought, since the madam intended to make amends, why not give things a push? He just hoped that if An Yin couldn’t smooth things over later, she wouldn’t expose him.
Thus, An Yin not only found out where Lu Muqian lived but also managed to enter the room without a hitch.
Having flown for several hours and dealing with the time difference, coupled with poor sleep the previous night, An Yin tidied up upon reaching Lu Muqian’s hotel room and promptly fell into a deep sleep.
She slept so soundly that neither the man’s return from work, the opening of the door, nor the sound of his shower could rouse her—leading to this very scene.
In a low, tense voice, the man demanded, “How did you get here?”
“Of course, I came to find you!”
“How did you find this place?”
An Yin initially didn’t dare to answer, until Lu Muqian let out a cold snort.
“I forced Qiao Yi to tell me. You can’t blame him.”
An Yin silently apologized in her heart: Assistant Qiao, don’t blame me. Lu Muqian’s deathly expression left me no room to think about who told me—I had to give you up first.
“I didn’t know the person I raised would listen to you so obediently?”
Ignoring the sarcasm in his words, An Yin retorted, “What else could I do? You ran off on a business trip so far away for half a month. If he didn’t tell me, how could I explain things clearly to you?”
Just thinking about how Lu Muqian had left without listening to her explanation or believing even a tiny part of her story made An Yin slightly more assertive.
Why hadn’t she realized in her previous life that she’d become so timid whenever Lu Muqian turned stern and cold? Oh right—it was because she’d never had the chance to witness his cold side in her past life.
He deliberately changed the subject. “Go to sleep. I’ll have someone book your ticket back tomorrow.”
Hearing that Lu Muqian wanted to send her away, An Yin panicked.
“No! Lu Muqian, you’re a coward. You don’t dare believe me because you’re afraid I’m deceiving you, right? You’re scared you’ll lose me completely later. Am I right?”
“Mm, if Yinyin says so, then it must be true.”
What did he mean by “if she says so”? If it were true, why didn’t he believe her?
“This is infuriating! Come here…!”
The girl stood up angrily on the bed, hooked her hand forward, and pulled the man unexpectedly close. Cupping his face with both hands, she lowered her head and sealed his habitually silent, cool lips in one smooth motion.
As the warm, moist sensation spread and their lips met, the man reacted, wrapping his large hand around An Yin’s slender waist to prevent her from falling. Then, almost involuntarily, he took control of the kiss…
An Yin held on stubbornly until this punishing kiss ended.
“Lu Muqian, your mouth is for speaking and communicating, for kissing me and deepening our bond—not for angering me, bottling up grievances, and acting mute. Understood?”
“Then… can we kiss again?”
An Yin was speechless—was that the main point? Still, she complied, pecking his lips lightly before asking,
“Are you still angry now? Can you believe me?”
After a long pause, his tone remained tinged with sorrow.
“You have collaborations with him. You’ll inevitably have to meet and interact frequently in the future. I won’t be able to help feeling jealous, and I’ll still want to keep you by my side. Even so… are you still willing to coax me?”Yes, yes, yes—I’ll coax you no matter what. Don’t worry, I’ll let A Yue handle the collaboration. I’ll avoid him as much as possible and keep my distance. If it’s absolutely necessary, I’ll step in only then, okay?”
“Husband~.” An Yin cooed, tugging at the belt of his bathrobe. With a little more force, she could easily undo it.
“See? I traveled all this way to find you—doesn’t that prove I love you? Try trusting me, give me a chance, please?”
The girl batted her pitiful eyes, making it impossible for Lu Muqian to utter any harsh refusals.
“Alright, I really can’t do anything with you.” Since she was willing to coax him, even if it led to heart-wrenching pain or plunged him into an abyss, he’d gladly fall for her all over again.
“Don’t worry, I’ll be good.” And just like that, An Yin had coaxed Lu Muqian back to happiness.
Lu Muqian was indeed going to stay in Jiangcheng for over half a month. He suggested that An Yin return to Rongcheng first, but she refused, insisting on staying to keep him company. The man could do nothing about her stubbornness and let her have her way, though he accelerated his work pace and improved his efficiency as a result.