He was forced by Shi Qing to continue—once, and then again.
She called it forcing him, but Shi Qing was already drunk. If he truly wanted to push her away, it wasn’t impossible for him to break free. He could even have opened the car door directly, left Shi Qing alone inside, and escaped.
Thinking back to the time she had pinned him down in the lounge, with only a single door separating them from his subordinates—
Back then, he had even thought that it wouldn’t matter if someone saw them. His fear of Shi Qing had reached its peak; he couldn’t endure another second. He needed to leave the space she occupied immediately.
But now?
Shen Jiyuan felt like he had gone insane.
Inside the sealed space of the car, he was pressed against the seatback by Shi Qing, kissed, his tie tugged loose, her fingers brushing his throat, leaving him in such a disheveled state.
The streetlights by the roadside and the bright moonlight spilled over the steering wheel, giving the space a faint glow—one that illuminated his disgrace all the more clearly.
What was even more terrifying was that he could see past Shi Qing, through the windshield, to the silent, empty street in the dead of night.
Even knowing the car windows were privacy glass, the illusion of being exposed to the public still sent his body temperature climbing. When Shi Qing noticed, she mocked him:
“What are you getting excited about?”
Excited about what…?
Hearing her say that made Shen Jiyuan’s involuntary tears spill even more fiercely.
Yes—what exactly was he excited about?
In an environment like this, being treated this way… how could he still feel aroused?
More frightening still was that, after being questioned like this, after having his pretense pierced, the excitement entwined with fear didn’t subside—it spiraled upward. His heart pounded violently, his fingers digging into the seat cushion, wrinkling the leather into deep creases.
Just a few hours ago, he had been impeccably dressed, a cold and lofty CEO, sitting at the conference table while more than a dozen executives watched him with reverent gazes.
And now, just a few hours later—simply because he had come to deliver a gift to Shi Qing on his son’s behalf—he was pressed into the car seat and bullied to this extent…
In over twenty years of living by the rules, never making a single mistake, there had never been a night as insane as this one.
And this situation had come about precisely because he himself had failed to refuse.
Even the root of his tongue had gone numb. That familiar yet unfamiliar sensation surged in waves like a rising tide. He barely knew where he was anymore, or what situation he was even in.
Even if Shi Qing went further right here in the car tonight, he doubted he would have the strength to resist.
Shen Jiyuan stared blankly.
Unfortunately—or fortunately—Shi Qing really was quite drunk tonight. She only kissed him and bullied him, and once she had had enough, she retreated back to the passenger seat.
The rich fragrance lingering at his nose, the warmth and closeness of their embrace—all of it vanished from his side in an instant.
The fingers hanging limply at the side of the driver’s seat were still trembling faintly.
He hadn’t even managed to pull himself out of the sensations just now. It was like being thrown into the air, fireworks of white light exploding before his eyes—only for it all to end abruptly, leaving him suspended and unfinished.
No embrace. No scent. The sudden emptiness beside him made his heart feel hollow, an unbearable sensation surging up, urging something unnamed and leaving him endlessly restless.
But this was already his limit.
These few seconds felt unbearably long. Shen Jiyuan remained dazed for quite some time before finally coming back to his senses.
The trembling hadn’t even stopped when the person responsible for all of it left without a shred of attachment, leaving him alone—disoriented and wretched—collapsed in the driver’s seat.
To abandon his dignity and beg Shi Qing to continue?
He simply couldn’t do it.
Besides… continue how, exactly?
Shen Jiyuan steadied his breathing, forcing his rapidly rising and falling chest to calm down. It took quite some time.
Only after barely regaining composure did he realize how inappropriate everything had been—and how pitifully disheveled he now looked.
His glasses lay by his leather shoes. His tie had been loosened. His suit jacket was still on, but the buttons on his shirt were undone.
Shen Jiyuan sucked in a sharp breath. With trembling fingers and a burning face, he hurriedly fastened the buttons. In the process, he accidentally glanced at the rearview mirror.
His cheeks were flushed, his eyes glossy like water, lipstick smeared all over the corners of his mouth and his chin.
Before he could even finish his breath, he drew in another sharp gasp.
He rushed to clean himself up. During this entire time, Shi Qing made not a single sound. When he finally finished and turned to look at her, she was leaning against the passenger seat, eyes already closed.
Her jet-black hair spilled over her body, gleaming even darker under the moonlight. Her profile was soft, thick lashes casting shadows beneath her eyes.
She must have drunk quite a lot tonight—she was already asleep.
Shen Jiyuan had never seen Shi Qing’s sleeping face before. Her skin was very fair, glowing with a crystalline sheen, like a gardenia flower touched by morning dew. When asleep, her aura was especially serene and gentle.
Asleep, she was completely different from when she was awake.
It was precisely this harmless air that had fooled him at the beginning—and caused him so much trouble.
Shen Jiyuan stared unblinkingly at her profile for a long time before silently letting out a sigh.
She was sleeping soundly.
The one left in complete chaos was his car—and himself. And who knew—once the banquet ended, a crowd of familiar faces would probably come pouring out the main entrance.
In the end, the person who had been messed with this badly was the one who had to clean up the entire mess.
What—did she trust him that much?
Countless complaints rose in Shen Jiyuan’s heart, but in the end, he still resigned himself to cleaning up the aftermath.
He took out a wet wipe and gently wiped Shi Qing’s face. Afraid of waking her—and suffering even worse treatment—his movements were extremely light.
As he wiped, his gaze once again drifted uncontrollably to the small mole at the top edge of her dress, lingering there for a long time.
After cleaning her up, he drove away from the place.
Thankfully, he left before the banquet ended. Otherwise, he didn’t dare imagine what kind of rumors would arise if a mutual business acquaintance recognized his car.
Still, this Maybach… he probably wouldn’t be able to overcome the psychological hurdle to drive it again for a long time.
Shen Jiyuan first took Shi Qing home, then drove back to his own place. By the time he arrived, it was around ten o’clock.
At this hour, Shen Shu should already be asleep. But when Shen Jiyuan tiptoed into the living room, Shen Shu suddenly popped out from behind the sofa.
He seemed utterly exhausted, already curled up on the sofa, dozing off, his face still marked with the imprints from being pressed down—like a little kitten, struggling to stay awake while waiting for Shen Jiyuan to come home.
The moment he saw Shen Jiyuan, his eyes lit up. He clicked and clacked in his slippers as he ran up to him, brimming with excitement. “Daddy, did you give her the gift? How did she react?”
Although Shen Jiyuan had tidied himself up before entering, double-checking that there were no traces left behind, a sudden wave of guilt still hit him.
Looking into the child’s clear, bright eyes, his conscience felt like it was being roasted over a fire, and his ears burned.
The gift… when he gave it back to Shi Qing, he seemed to have forgotten it on the back seat of the car.
And as soon as he saw Shi Qing, barely a few words had been exchanged before they kissed—so… what was Shi Qing’s reaction when she received the gift again?
Shen Jiyuan cleared his throat lightly and patted the child’s head. “She… was very happy tonight.”
Shen Shu’s big eyes sparkled, completely trusting. “Really?!”
Shen Jiyuan’s gaze shifted slightly to the side, and he confirmed, “Yes, really. Alright, it’s so late, you should go to sleep now—”
Of course, it wasn’t exactly a lie; Shi Qing had indeed seemed happy tonight… hadn’t she?
He returned the child to his room and read him two bedtime stories until he fell asleep. Only then did Shen Jiyuan go back to his own room. Strangely, despite everything that had happened today, he didn’t feel especially tired.
After washing up in the bathroom and lying in bed, his mind remained alert.
The moment he closed his eyes, the flash of pale skin at the top of Shi Qing’s dress—and that little mole—suddenly appeared in his mind, startling him to open his eyes.
His heart pounded.
His head sank into the soft pillow, surrounded by pitch-black darkness. In this quiet, solitary space, his mind suddenly started to replay memories like a carousel.
Reviewing the day before sleep had been a habit Shen Jiyuan developed over years of self-discipline, but he hadn’t expected that habit to ruin his day instead.
His mind recalled events bit by bit, even remembering tiny details during moments when his consciousness had been confused.
At that time, Shi Qing had suddenly stopped her actions, leaving him in that tense, suspended state—once again coming alive in the night.
After she left, the warmth and fragrance that had vanished brought a feeling of emptiness, and he suddenly found himself longing for the warmth of being tightly held.
Perhaps from the first time Shi Qing had embraced him in the lounge, he had already liked the feeling—being pressed against the soft, fragrant warmth of a woman’s embrace was an unparalleled experience.
Under such stimulation, his body under the covers fell into a daze.
Shen Jiyuan tightly closed his eyes, trying to push away distracting thoughts. But the deeper the night, the quieter the solitude, the harder it was to escape the true thoughts inside him.
Even if he didn’t think about it consciously, his body acted in place of his mind, making choices for him.
Lying in bed, Shen Jiyuan tried to empty his mind. Unknowingly, his fingers brushed against a button on his silk pajamas.
When they touched his chest, he jolted.
Shen Jiyuan had little experience. All his previous sensations had been given by Shi Qing. Even the few times he had tried, she had always taken the lead. Tonight—on his own—was a first.
He forced himself to endure the embarrassment, touching himself quickly a few times. But what he felt was mostly shame; the other sensations were faint, nowhere near what he experienced when Shi Qing had touched him.
No wonder—he had lived over twenty years without such desires. Naturally, he was cold in temperament; if mere touching could excite him, how had he felt nothing during past showers or when changing clothes?
Gritting his teeth, he explored a few other places, only to be disappointed:
Shi Qing was different. Her hands seemed magical, capable of sending a jolt of electricity through him with just a touch. Her touch amplified every sensation a thousandfold.
And her kisses—why were they so practiced, so familiar…
This urgent yet unrelievable sensation transported him back to the car. He only vaguely knew he desperately wanted something, a hollow ache spreading through his chest.
The feeling was unbearable.
Shen Jiyuan felt like a small boat tossed in a raging current. Frowning, he instinctively thought of Shi Qing’s dark, deep eyes.
His breathing immediately became heavier.
After a moment’s hesitation, his fingers slowly traced his lips, rubbing his lower lip, mimicking the sensation of being kissed.
He half-burrowed under the covers, hiding half his face. Only strands of dark hair spread over the pillow. His muffled breaths became intermittent and heavier.
Shi Qing’s little mole and her expression alternated in his mind.
Shen Jiyuan unconsciously clenched his teeth; saliva flowed in his mouth, and the tip of his bitten tongue continued to tingle.
His mind fixed on that moment when Shi Qing had raised an eyebrow at him in mockery, half-smiling:
“Shen Jiyuan, you’re actually thinking of me like this?”
Ultimately, his consciousness exploded into a fireworks-like blankness, his mind buzzing continuously. He gasped for air, tears spilling unknowingly from the corners of his eyes from overstimulation.
He had hated Shi Qing, resented her, feared her, wanted to keep away from her…
Yet all the tangled emotions that had surrounded him for years finally shattered tonight when he thought of Shi Qing comforting him—turning into wet, intermittent breaths under the covers in the dead of night.
Into the little mole on Shi Qing’s pale chest—the image that would flash in Shen Jiyuan’s mind every time he closed his eyes.