Pei Huaijin thought he might have gone mad.
In the thirty years of his life, he had made many important decisions—becoming CEO of Pei Group, acquiring competitors, vetoing the old guard on the board… He had thought each one through carefully, weighed the pros and cons, and never let himself regret a decision.
But tonight, he had made a decision that made no sense at all.
He could have turned around and left, gone back to his hotel, taken a shower, gotten some sleep, and continued his meetings tomorrow.
That was what he should do.
That was what Pei Huaijin would do.
He didn’t know why, but some inexplicable impulse had kept him from leaving.
He was always calm and self-possessed, never losing control. In everyone’s eyes, he was the Crown Prince who kept himself in check and upheld propriety. But tonight, he was about to shatter that public image himself.
He was mad. Completely mad.
Shen Qingyu stood where she was, watching his back as he checked them in.
—Wait.
It suddenly hit her.
Hadn’t he just said, “Change it to a room with a king-sized bed”?
Hadn’t he just said, “For two people”?
He—
Shen Qingyu’s face flamed.
The receptionist handed him the new key card. He took it and turned back to her.
“Let’s go,” he said.
Shen Qingyu looked at him, opened her mouth as if to say something, but nothing came out.
He had already taken two steps forward when he realized she hadn’t followed. He looked back at her.
“What?” he said. “Having second thoughts?”
Shen Qingyu’s mind was still a blur, but his words were like a bucket of oil thrown on a fire.
“Who’s having second thoughts?” She hurried to catch up and grabbed his sleeve. “Fine. Let’s go.”
He said nothing, only glancing down at the hand clutching his sleeve.
His gaze was cool, but she let go anyway.
They were alone in the elevator.
Shen Qingyu leaned against the wall, watching the numbers tick upward. The elevator rose smoothly, without a sound. It was so quiet she could hear her own heartbeat getting faster and faster.
She suddenly regretted not letting him leave. She had never done anything like this before.
Not just this—at twenty-six, she had kept up her Good Girl image so faithfully that she had never even dated.
But tonight—
She didn’t know what had gotten into her.
Maybe it was because of that phone call from her mother.
Maybe it was because of the alcohol.
Maybe it was because of him.
She lifted her head and sneaked a look at him.
He stood on the other side of the elevator, looking straight ahead, his face expressionless. It was as if he were simply taking the elevator back to his room, with no strange woman beside him who was about to sleep with him.
Shen Qingyu suddenly felt a little indignant.
How come he was so calm?
She edged a step closer to him.
He didn’t move.
She edged closer again.
Still, he didn’t move.
Shen Qingyu gritted her teeth and went straight to stand beside him, her arm brushing his.
At last, he lowered his eyes and looked at her.
His gaze was still cool, but Shen Qingyu suddenly had the feeling he was holding himself back.
The elevator stopped.
The doors opened. He stepped out, and she followed behind him.
The hallway was long and brightly lit. The carpet made no sound beneath her feet. She followed him, watching his back, her heart beating faster and faster.
He stopped in front of a door and swiped the key card.
The lock clicked.
He pushed the door open, stepped aside, and looked at her.
“Go on in.”
Shen Qingyu stood at the doorway, looking at the large bed inside.
It was huge.
So white it almost hurt her eyes.
Her heart skipped a beat.
Then she took a deep breath and walked in.
The door closed behind her.
The room was quiet, except for the low hum of the air conditioner.
Shen Qingyu stood beside the bed, unsure what to do.
She had been so bold downstairs, but now that they were really here, she suddenly didn’t know what to do with herself.
She heard rustling behind her.
Turning around, she saw him take off his overcoat, then his suit jacket, then his watch—she recognized the brand. It was expensive.
Once he had removed his watch, he looked up and met her gaze.
“Why are you just standing there?” he said, his tone still as calm as ever. “Go take a shower.”
Shen Qingyu froze.
“Huh?”
“Take a shower,” he repeated, nodding toward the bathroom.
But Shen Qingyu didn’t move.
He glanced at her, the corner of his mouth twitching slightly.
“What?” he said. “Afraid I’ll run off?”
“Who’s afraid?” Shen Qingyu shot back on reflex, then headed for the bathroom.
After taking two steps, she suddenly remembered something and turned to look at him.
He was still standing where he was, undoing the buttons on his shirt cuffs.
“You…” She opened her mouth. “Aren’t you going to shower?”
His hand paused. He looked up at her.
His gaze was cool, but Shen Qingyu couldn’t help feeling there was something else in it.
“You want to shower together?” he asked.
Shen Qingyu’s face flamed.
“Who wants to shower together!” She blurted it out and hurried into the bathroom, slamming the door shut behind her.
Once the door was closed, she leaned against it, covered her face, and felt her heart pounding.
Why had she asked him that?
She hadn’t meant it that way at all—this was mortifying.
The bathroom was spacious, with a separate shower and a large bathtub. Shen Qingyu stood in front of the mirror, looking at her own face, red as could be, and took several deep breaths.
Calm down.
Calm down.
She turned on the tap and splashed cold water on her face.
Then she took off her clothes and stepped into the shower.
As the hot water ran over her, she closed her eyes and let it wash away all the muddled scents clinging to her—the smoke from the bar, the alcohol, the perfume, and—his cedarwood scent.
Was she really going to do this here, with a stranger—
Shen Qingyu took a deep breath.
She showered slowly, not knowing whether she was stalling or trying to clear her head.
After a long time, she finally finished. She wrapped herself tightly in a bathrobe, opened the door, and walked out.
He stood by the window with his back to her, looking out at the night. San Francisco glittered with lights; from here, the view stretched far into the distance.
At the sound, he turned around.
His gaze fell on her—wrapped in a bathrobe, her hair hanging wet around her shoulders, droplets running down from the ends.
His eyes lingered for a moment.
Then he looked away and headed for the bathroom.
“The hair dryer’s under the sink,” he said as he passed her. “Dry your hair.”
The bathroom door closed.
Shen Qingyu stood where she was, her heart pounding.
She had seen the look in his eyes—cool, but with something flickering beneath it.
Suddenly, she felt nervous, and also a kind of anticipation she couldn’t quite explain.
She found the hair dryer and dried her hair. Then she sat on the edge of the bed, unsure what to do.
Water ran in the bathroom.
Her heart beat even faster.
She didn’t know how much time passed before the water stopped.
Then the door opened, and he came out.
He wore only a bath towel wrapped around his waist, his upper body bare.
Shen Qingyu’s gaze landed on him, and she couldn’t look away.
He was in far better shape than she had imagined—broad shoulders and a narrow waist, defined pectoral muscles, a six-pack, and a V-line disappearing beneath the towel. Water droplets still clung to his skin, sliding down along the contours of his muscles.
His hair was wet, making him look much softer than he had when every strand was perfectly in place. A few loose strands fell over his forehead, making him look several years younger.
He glanced at her, picked up the hair dryer, and began drying his hair.
“Had enough?” he asked, his tone still calm.
Shen Qingyu’s face flamed, and she quickly lowered her head.
When he had finished, he came over and lifted her chin with one hand.
She had no choice but to meet his eyes.
They were still so calm, but now the feeling beneath that calm had risen to the surface.
“You can still change your mind,” he said, his voice lower and rougher than before.
Shen Qingyu looked at him, her heart beating so fast it felt ready to leap up her throat.
But she still shook her head.
“I don’t regret it.”
He looked at her for two seconds.
Then he bent down.
His hand braced against the bed beside her. He was so close she could make out her eyelashes—long and thick, casting a small shadow over her eyelids when they lowered.
“Are you clean?” he asked again.
“Don’t worry. It’s my first time tonight, so you’re getting a bargain.” As she spoke, she lifted a hand and hooked it around his neck.
He paused for a second.
Then he kissed her.