Li Chenyuan's kiss was like a deep-sea vortex, pulling Su Xiaolan into a dizzying abyss with its irresistible suction and searing brand. Unlike the punishment fueled by anger in last night's storm, or the awkward crossing of waters in the Morton restaurant, this kiss was pure, domineering, a predatory declaration!
His lips were searing yet supple, prying open her slightly parted lips in her shock with undeniable force, invading deep! The clean, woody scent mixed with his unique, intensely masculine aura flooded her senses like the strongest liquor, paralyzing her nerves. His arm, a cage forged of steel, clamped tightly around her waist, pressing her delicate body flush against his taut, unyielding chest. The large hand cradling her cheek, its calloused fingertips, unconsciously brushed the sensitive skin behind her ear, sending shivers of electric currents through her.
"You lazybones... have been thoroughly marked... by the cetacean."
His words, like a curse, slipped into her ear canal amidst the tangle of lips and teeth, carried on his scorching breath, pounding fiercely against her chaotic heart.
Su Xiaolan's mind went blank! All thoughts of resistance, calculation, or mischief were instantly crushed under this absolute strength and scorching presence! She was like a tiny boat swept into the deep sea by a giant wave, tossed only by his rhythm. Her body reacted instinctively before her mind could catch up—she weakly clung to his solid biceps, fingers digging deep into the elastic fabric of his vest, seeking an anchor, only to sink herself deeper into his embrace.
The kiss was long and deep, carrying a near-greedy exploration and possession. Li Chenyuan seemed intent on stealing all the air from her lungs, or incinerating every shred of resistance deep within her soul. Only when Su Xiaolan whimpered a frail, pitiful sound from lack of oxygen did he pull back slightly, his forehead resting against hers, their rapid breaths mingling, scalding hot.
His eyes were as deep as the night sky after a tempest, churning with unresolved desire and a dark, nearly satisfied gleam. He gazed at her dazed, unfocused eyes, her kiss-swollen, glistening lips, and her body wrapped in his oversized, dark grey loungewear—looking utterly tempting yet fragile...
"Now," his voice was gravelly, roughened with desire, his thumb lightly grazing her slightly swollen lower lip, his gaze dangerous and focused, "do you understand what wearing my clothes means?"
Su Xiaolan gasped rapidly, her heart drumming wildly against her ribs, threatening to shatter them. She looked at his handsome face so close, at the undisguised possessiveness in his eyes, overwhelmed by a wave of intense shame and the shivering thrill of utter conquest! She struggled violently, like a cornered animal!
"Let me go!" Her voice was thick with tears and belated fury. "Li Chenyuan, you bastard! Who wants your mark?! This is my clothes... not your trophy!" She pushed against his unyielding chest with all her might, but it was like an ant trying to shake a tree.
"Yours?" Li Chenyuan let out a low chuckle, deep and magnetic, yet filled with dangerous pleasure. Not only did he not release her, he tightened his arm, pulling her closer, lowering his head to give her sensitive earlobe a deliberate, not-too-gentle nip! "Bearing my tag, steeped in my scent, wrapped around your body... Su Xiaolan, from the inside out, it screams my name!"
"Ah!" The slight sting and wet heat on her earlobe made Su Xiaolan cry out, her whole body trembling as if electrocuted! Enormous shame instantly reddened her eyes! "You... you shameless!"
"Shameless?" Li Chenyuan lifted his head, his deep eyes locking onto her reddened rims, a wicked curve lifting the corner of his mouth. "Compared to your 'strategic mischief' nearly destroying my billion-euro negotiation just now, who is more shameless?" He leaned in, his warm lips almost touching hers again, his voice a seductive threat, "Or... would you prefer to experience right now what 'creditor's rights' and 'unconventional measures' truly entail? Hmm?"
That final, upward-tilting syllable, like a feather tickling the heart, held endless ambiguity and peril.
Su Xiaolan froze instantly! All her strength to resist was drained by this blatant threat! She had no doubt this man meant every word! Especially now... in this state where he was clearly teetering on the edge of losing control!
Just then, the life-saving doorbell rang again! Still that tentative, probing rhythm.
Both stiffened simultaneously!
The tide of desire churning in Li Chenyuan's eyes receded rapidly, replaced by icy displeasure at the interruption. But the arm holding Su Xiaolan didn't loosen in the slightest.
Su Xiaolan seized the chance, shoving him away hard! Like a startled rabbit, she scrambled frantically out of his embrace! Clutching the oversized, now-burning dark grey loungewear shirt tight around her, her cheeks flushed like boiled shrimp, she bolted towards the door in panic, desperate to escape this dangerously erratic man who made her heart race and her limbs weak!
"Don't open it!" Li Chenyuan's icy command sounded behind her.
Su Xiaolan acted as if she hadn't heard, her hand already on the doorknob. She needed fresh air! Space! Distance... from this whale who seemed ready to devour her whole at any moment!
The door opened.
Outside, as expected, stood Wang Jing again.
Only this time, she wasn't holding a gift box, but two enormous, heavy-looking shopping bags emblazoned with the logo of a top-tier gourmet supermarket. The bags were packed to the brim: fresh vegetables and fruits, premium meats and seafood, even a few bottles of high-end condiments and... an oversized bag of ridiculously cartoonish potato chips?
Wang Jing opened her mouth to speak, but her words died as her gaze landed on Su Xiaolan opening the door.
Su Xiaolan's face was flushed, her hair slightly tousled, her eyes evasive, and she was wearing... a clearly expensive, yet unmistakably men's, dark grey silk loungewear top! The oversized garment hung loosely on her frame, the collar slightly open, revealing a glimpse of delicate collarbone and the faint hint of... ambiguous red marks? Her lips were also unnaturally red and swollen!
Wang Jing's mind instantly flashed with a barrage of "inappropriate!" mental warnings. She felt the shopping bags in her hands weighed a ton! Heart pills! She needed double the dose of heart pills!
"Se... Secretary General Wang..." Su Xiaolan's voice was barely a whisper, her cheeks burning, instinctively pulling the collar tighter.
Wang Jing forced herself to look away, staring fixedly at the celery leaves inside a shopping bag, summoning all her professional composure to keep her voice steady (though the end wavered slightly): "Miss Su... the 'strategic supplies'... Mr. Li requested..." She placed the two heavy bags quickly on the floor of the entryway, moving as if handling explosives. "A... and..." She pulled a small, keycard-like access fob from her pocket and swiftly pressed it into Su Xiaolan's hand. "This... Mr. Li instructed me to get for you... access card for the community gate and underground garage... all permissions... activated..."
Without waiting for Su Xiaolan to react, Wang Jing turned and fled as if chased by ghosts! Her speed was like a gust of wind! Leaving only the phrase "strategic supplies" and the burning-hot access card branded onto Su Xiaolan's palm!
Su Xiaolan: "..." Strategic supplies?! Access card?! Was this whale really turning this place into his permanent base?!
She picked up the two heavy bags, closed the door, and lugged them like two mountains back into the living room. Li Chenyuan had resumed his cold, composed demeanor, sitting back in the armchair as if the man who had dominated her in the bedroom moments ago was an illusion. Only a faint trace of satisfaction flickered deep in his eyes as they swept over the garment she wore.
Su Xiaolan dropped the bags heavily by the kitchen entrance, shot him a glare, and turned to flee back to the bedroom to change out of this "garment of shame."
"Stop." Li Chenyuan's low voice rang out.
Su Xiaolan halted, turning back warily. "What?"
"'Strategic supplies' have arrived," Li Chenyuan's gaze swept over the two large bags, then back to her, his tone calm but carrying an undeniable finality. "As the 'creditor,' I demand the debtor immediately commence fulfilling the 'labor in lieu of debt' obligation." He paused, a subtle, deeply mischievous curve touching his lips. "For example, using these supplies to prepare an edible lunch." He deliberately emphasized the words "edible," clearly mocking his own previous disastrous attempts.
Su Xiaolan choked! Labor in lieu of debt?! And she had to cook?! "Why me?! Can't you cook yourself?!"
"Because of your 'strategic mischief' just now," Li Chenyuan said leisurely, picking up his phone and waving it slightly; the screen seemed to still show the call log with Mr. Schneider, "which created a potential risk of massive commercial loss. As the directly responsible party, you are obligated to provide compensation." His logic was impeccable, like the most precise commercial clause.
"You...!" Su Xiaolan was speechless with rage at his sophistry!
"Or," Li Chenyuan slowly stood up, his tall frame bringing oppressive weight once more. He stepped closer, his gaze lingering on her swollen lips and the skin revealed by the wide collar, his voice low and dangerous, "do you prefer... to provide 'in-depth compensation'... through another 'unconventional' method?" He paused deliberately, the implication in his eyes so blatant it made Su Xiaolan's scalp tingle!
"I'll do it! I'll cook!" Su Xiaolan instantly capitulated, like a cat grabbed by the scruff, the words tumbling out! She had no desire to repeat the "in-depth exchange" from the bedroom!
Seeing her instantly bristle yet surrender so swiftly, the amusement in Li Chenyuan's eyes deepened. He nodded in satisfaction, like a general issuing orders. "Good. I look forward to your 'strategic results.'" With that, he ignored her, turned, and walked towards the living room's only desk (Su Xiaolan's comic-and-snack table), beginning to organize the documents and laptop he'd brought, clearly treating the place as his second office.
Su Xiaolan glared furiously at his retreating back, wishing her stare could burn two holes through it! Resigned, she picked up the heavy bags and stomped into the kitchen, starting to unpack. Premium Wagyu beef, fresh fish and shrimp, vibrant green vegetables, imported fruit... and that jumbo bag of Cheese Seaweed potato chips! Secretary General Wang was truly... "thoughtful" to the core!
She tied on her apron (her own old one—she'd die before touching that creamy white lazybones one!) and began clumsily handling the ingredients. The little figure in her mind cursed Li Chenyuan ten thousand times! Whale! Tyrant! Shameless! All he knew was threats!
The sounds of chopping, running water, and clattering pots and pans filled the kitchen. Su Xiaolan bustled around in circles, occasionally jumping back startled by splattering oil, her flustered movements not seeming much better than Li Chenyuan's previous disaster scenes.
Li Chenyuan sat at the desk in the living room, seemingly focused on the documents on his screen, but the corner of his eye constantly tracked the busy, petite figure in his clothes moving in the kitchen. Watching her clumsily wield the spatula, watching her flinch from spattering oil, watching her wrinkle her nose slightly at the rising steam... A strange, warm sense of satisfaction, like a gentle current, silently flowed over the cold, calculating landscape of his heart.
This scene... seemed to bring him more... pleasure... than signing a billion-dollar deal?
Just as Su Xiaolan was struggling over a pot of bubbling thick soup, wondering how much salt to add, her gaze inadvertently swept across the kitchen windowsill. There, washed clean and pressed flat, its edges a little worn, lay an old potato chip bag—the exact same limited-edition packaging from her favorite flavor in university, discovered by Li Chenyuan last night.
A thought struck her chaotic mind like lightning!
He remembered!
He even remembered such a detail!
When... when did he start... feeling this way about her?
Intense curiosity and a nameless impulse drove Su Xiaolan. She put down the ladle, wiped her hands, and tiptoed out of the kitchen like a thief, heading towards the corner of the living room—where the cardboard box containing her personal items brought from the company sat.
Li Chenyuan looked up, raising an eyebrow at her furtive movements but said nothing.
Su Xiaolan rummaged through the box, finally finding, at the very bottom, a small, password-locked tin candy box. She had treasured this box for many years; it held her most important "treasures."
Holding the box, her heart pounding a little faster, she stole a glance at Li Chenyuan. He seemed engrossed in his documents, paying her no attention. She took a deep breath, crouched beside the box with her back to the living room, and carefully turned the combination lock.
Click.
The box opened.
Inside lay no gold or jewels, only a few unassuming trinkets: a faded photo of her and her parents at an amusement park; a university anniversary commemorative badge; a few pages of lecture notes covered in doodles... and one neatly folded, slightly aged piece of stiff cardstock.
Su Xiaolan's heart beat even faster. Her hands trembling, she picked up the cardstock. It was an old-style library borrowing card, clearly inscribed in blue fountain pen with the cardholder's name and student ID number. The corners were worn, yet it had been preserved exceptionally well.
She took another deep breath, spun around abruptly, and held the borrowing card high, facing the man in the living room—the man who commanded a vast commercial empire yet had invaded her lazybones nest. She shouted, with a courage born of desperation and an uncontrollable tremor in her voice:
"Li Chenyuan!"
"Is this... yours?!"
Li Chenyuan looked up at her call.
When his eyes met the familiar blue borrowing card in Su Xiaolan's hand—a card carrying the weight of distant memories—time seemed to freeze.
The calm on his face shattered instantly! For the first time, shock, astonishment, disbelief, and a trace of youthful, long-buried, and abruptly unearthed... fluttering emotion... surged clearly and violently in those usually unfathomable eyes, eyes accustomed to frost and control!
He slowly rose to his feet, his movements carrying an unprecedented stiffness. He took step after step towards Su Xiaolan, each footfall landing on the long river of their intertwined past. He stopped before her, his tall frame casting an intangible pressure, his gaze locked onto the small card as if trying to see through the thin paper, back into that sun-drenched time filled with the scent of potato chips.
He reached out, his fingertips trembling almost imperceptibly, and gently, with immense care, took the borrowing card from Su Xiaolan's hand. His thumb brushed over the name and string of familiar numbers long etched into his memory.
After a long moment.
He lifted his head. His deep eyes were no longer an abyss, but churning with complex, turbulent undercurrents. He looked straight into Su Xiaolan's eyes, filled with tension, anticipation, and confusion. His voice was low and gravelly, bearing the texture of time, yet he uttered two clear words:
"It's me."
In that instant, Su Xiaolan's heart felt as if seized by an invisible hand, then abruptly released! An enormous wave of sourness mixed with an indescribable thrill engulfed her like a tsunami! Tears welled up in her eyes without warning.
So...
So that person who always watched her from the library corner, unseen...
That person who remembered her love for chips, remembered her silly smiles...
That person who had crossed time itself to crash into her life with such domineering, unhinged force...
Had always been him!
The treasured old chip bag,
The faded borrowing card,
Finally, in this moment,
Pieced together the ultimate code to "favoritism"—
A gaze that began beneath the sun,
Endured the entirety of youth,
And continued, even now,
Still surging,
A deep-sea gaze.