The light filtered softly through the tall windows of the penthouse suite.
Xu Meilin stirred slowly, her lashes fluttering before her eyes fully opened. For a moment, she didn't remember where she was. The bed beneath her was too soft, the sheets too expensive. The faint scent in the air,cedar, clean linen, something masculine,was unfamiliar but strangely comforting.
Then it hit her.
The banquet.
The drink.
The car.
Her eyes widened.
She sat up abruptly,too fast,and the world tilted. A groan slipped out as she grabbed the nearest pillow and hugged it to her chest.
"…You're awake," came a deep, calm voice from the corner of the room.
She turned sharply.
Li Zeyan stood by the window, sleeves rolled up, hands tucked into his pockets. He looked as composed as ever… except for the small scratch on his collarbone and the faint, unmistakable tear near the buttons of his shirt.
Her face went completely red.
He raised a brow, amused.
"Well, good morning to you too," he said dryly, walking toward her with the slow, confident gait of someone who had seen things and survived.
"W-what happened?" she asked, already regretting the question.
He shrugged. "Not much. You tried to seduce me, climbed into my lap, kissed me like your life depended on it… oh, and tore my shirt."
She choked on air.
He smirked.
"And here I was, thinking you were shy."
Meilin buried her face into the pillow, groaning. "Please tell me I'm dreaming. Please tell me this is all a hallucination from the drug."
"Oh, the drug was real," he said, now leaning casually against the bedpost, arms crossed. "But the part where you begged me to help you? That was very real too."
She peeked at him from behind the pillow, eyes narrowed. "You're enjoying this way too much."
"I earned it," he said with a straight face. "Do you know how hard it is to have a beautiful woman rubbing against you and still remember your morals?"
She turned crimson again.
"I'm sorry," she said quietly, sincerity shining through her embarrassment. "I wasn't… myself. I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable."
Zeyan looked at her for a moment.
Then his voice softened. "You didn't make me uncomfortable. You made me worried."
She blinked.
"I didn't like seeing you like that," he added. "Not because of what you did. But because someone let it happen."
Meilin's grip on the pillow loosened slightly.
His tone was still light, but the truth underneath it was warm. Steady. Protective.
"Thank you," she said, looking down. "For stopping it… and for not taking advantage of me."
He smiled faintly. "Don't thank me yet."
"Why?"
He stepped back, already heading for the door. "You're buying me a new shirt."