“You can’t even hold your liquor—why are you drinking?”
Wen Yao knew she couldn’t drink. She usually avoided alcohol completely.
In her subconscious, she hadn’t been drinking at all.
“I didn’t drink. It was peach-flavored juice.”
Xing Yu had no intention of arguing with a drunk person about whether she had been drinking. Lowering his gaze, he noticed she was still clutching his collar, wrinkling it. He placed his hand over hers, trying to free his collar, only to realize her hand was burning hot.
He lifted his eyes to her face and reached out to touch it—it was even hotter than her hand.
“I want to wash my face.” Wen Yao clutched his collar, trying to sit up, but as soon as she lifted herself slightly, she fell back onto the bed from lack of strength.
Xing Yu supported her arm and, with a little effort, pulled her up from the bed.
“I’ll help you.”
Wen Yao only had one thought in her mind—to cool down—so she nodded.
The bathroom was close to the bedroom. After stepping out, they arrived within a few steps.
Xing Yu guided her to the sink and turned on the faucet for her.
Wen Yao cupped the water in her hands and splashed it onto her face. After a while, the heat seemed to subside a little, and she felt slightly more awake.
Only slightly.
She lifted her head and looked into the mirror. Instinctively, she reached for the towel beside her, but in the reflection, she saw Xing Yu behind her.
She rubbed her eyes. He was still there.
Turning around, she saw him standing right beside her.
Startled, she stepped back several steps. Her calf hit the toilet, causing her to fall backward.
Xing Yu reacted quickly, catching her with his arm and pulling her into his embrace.
There was a faint scent of tobacco on him—a familiar smell to Wen Yao. Xing Yu only ever smoked that one brand.
Her mind felt hazy. Was she dreaming?
Otherwise, how could Xing Yu be in front of her?
She often saw him in her dreams.
Over the past two years, so many things had happened between them.
Like a movie, replaying in her dreams.
Her mind seemed to automatically filter out the bad parts, leaving only what appeared beautiful in her eyes.
“Xing Yu?”
Her voice, softened by intoxication, came out low and gentle, the ending almost like a murmur.
Just hearing her voice like that stirred something in Xing Yu.
He felt something was wrong with himself.
Even if he had been abstinent for a long time, it shouldn’t be enough for him to react to a woman’s unintentional allure.
Wen Yao remembered that Xing Yu was her boss—she shouldn’t call him by name.
“I should call you President Xing.”
She thought that since this was just a dream, it didn’t really matter what she called him.
She tried to push him away, but the arm around her waist held her tightly—she couldn’t budge him at all.
Xing Yu looked at the woman in his arms, who kept shifting restlessly. His breathing grew uneven. He pressed her down slightly, his voice low and hoarse.
“Don’t move.”
As soon as he said it, the person in his arms went still, not daring to move again.
Xing Yu thought that as long as she stayed still, he could suppress it—but he soon realized it was useless. Her scent filled his senses, clinging to him at every moment, as if it had a will of its own, beyond his control.
He lowered his head to look at her and saw that she was tilting her face upward. Her soft lips were slightly parted, still glistening with droplets of water—irresistibly enticing.
As if compelled by something, Xing Yu leaned down. The moment his lips brushed against hers, the woman in his arms suddenly gripped his arm tightly.
He snapped back to his senses immediately, annoyed at himself for being affected by her, nearly losing control.
“I’ll take you back to the bedroom.”
Without waiting for her response, he lifted her in his arms and strode out of the bathroom. After placing her on the bed, he barely dared to look at her before turning and heading back into the bathroom, closing the door behind him.
He braced both hands against the sink, fine beads of sweat forming on his forehead.
For some reason, he suddenly recalled what Wen Yao had looked like when they were together before—her eyes misty with tears, her face flushed.
Her soft, uneven breaths seemed to echo in his ears.
The heat in his body didn’t fade—instead, it intensified.
During training in the military, his comrades all thought his willpower was exceptionally strong.
But now it seemed—
maybe it was simply because he hadn’t been with a woman for too long.
That was why he reacted to a woman who looked so much like Wen Yao.
If his comrades could see him like this now, they’d probably laugh at him for finally having such a day.
Xing Yu turned on the faucet, scooped up cold water, and splashed his face. He took out the handkerchief he carried with him and wiped the droplets clean.
Only after the heat in his body subsided did he open the door and walk out.
When he returned to the bedroom, he found Wen Yao already asleep on the bed.
He lowered his gaze, looking at her sleeping face—completely defenseless.
Just a difference of one character in her name.
Similar personality.
Even her appearance was very alike.
Where was Wen Yao now?
Xing Yu closed the bedroom door and looked around the small living room, realizing that Xinxin wasn’t home.
Thinking of her being divorced, he assumed her ex-husband had taken Xinxin.
He had bought two children’s smartwatches—one had already been given to Xu Ziyang.
The other… he hadn’t had the chance to give to Xinxin yet.
Before leaving, Xing Yu made sure the front door was properly closed, then headed downstairs.
The next day, Wen Yao woke up to the sound of her alarm. As she opened her eyes, her head throbbed slightly. She rubbed her temples.
Turning her head to look beside her, she found the spot next to her empty.
For a moment, her mind went blank.
“Where did Xinxin go?”
After a while, she finally remembered—she had asked Teacher Yu to pick Xinxin up yesterday.
Looking down at herself, she realized she was still wearing the clothes from work the day before.
There had been a department dinner last night. She had drunk some fruit wine… and seemed to have gotten drunk.
She vaguely remembered seeing Xing Yu.
Fragments of the night gradually returned—he had been the one to bring her home.
Getting drunk was already bad enough.
And she had run into Xing Yu on top of that.
In his eyes, she probably looked like a troublesome woman who acted crazy after drinking.
Wen Yao wished she could knock herself out from embarrassment.
Since Wen Yao hadn’t picked Xinxin up last night, Yu Qian brought her to kindergarten after breakfast the next morning.
Before doing so, she called Wen Yao to let her know.
After hearing it, Wen Yao felt deeply guilty. She had planned to pick Xinxin up after the dinner—but ended up drunk and never went.
“Thank you, Teacher Yu. Sorry for troubling you.”
“What trouble? By the way, how have things been going between you and Xiao Shen lately?”
At the mention of Shen Cunshu, Wen Yao felt a bit apologetic. “We’ve had a meal together once. Mr. Shen is excellent—he’s a very good person.”
Recently, she had been busy looking for a job, so when Shen Cunshu invited her out, she had declined.
They still exchanged messages occasionally.
But in the past couple of days, he seemed busy too—the messages had become less frequent.
“He has a very good impression of you as well. He said you’re a wonderful woman in every way. You should keep seeing each other.”
“Alright, Teacher Yu.”
After hanging up, Wen Yao got ready, grabbed a carton of milk and a bag of bread, and headed out for work.
Arriving at the company, she pressed the elevator button. After stepping in, she was just about to press close when a tall figure walked in.
The man was dressed in a dark gray tailored suit, his hair neatly styled, every strand in place.
The moment she saw Xing Yu, she immediately recalled everything she had done while drunk the night before.
She wished she could disappear into a hole.
Xing Yu lowered his gaze to look at her.
“Why is your face still so red?”