The throbbing pain of a hangover made Xiaochen Yan's morning awakening pure agony. She struggled to get out of bed, fragmented memories from the previous night flooding her mind—the noisy banquet, the pungent alcohol, and... a pair of strong arms holding her in an embrace that was cold yet carried a faint trace of warmth.
Her face flushed instantly. Were those blurry memories real? Did she really... wrap her arms around Qiyu's neck and call him handsome?!
Before she could fully process her thoughts, her phone rang sharply. The caller ID displayed "Demon CEO."
She took a deep breath and answered, her voice still slightly hoarse. "...Mr. Qi."
From the other end came Qiyu's characteristically low and drowsy morning voice, yet it still held an undeniable tone of authority. "Addendum Clause One of your contract: The assistant must provide a 'morning wake-up service' on working days. Get here now."
Without waiting for her response, he hung up immediately.
Xiaochen stared at her phone, so furious she almost threw it. What kind of ridiculous addendum was this?! It was clearly just another form of torture! But then she remembered the enormous monthly salary and her mother's medical bills, and she could only resign herself to getting up, quickly freshening up, and heading out.
Following the address he had sent, she arrived at an ultra-luxury apartment. The code lock beeped as it opened. The interior was decorated in minimalist shades of gray and black—spacious and cold, much like the impression his office gave.
She walked softly to the master bedroom door, hesitated for a moment, then pushed it open.
The heavy floor-to-ceiling curtains were tightly drawn, leaving the room dimly lit. Qiyu lay in the center of the large bed, seemingly still asleep. The soft covers only reached his waist, revealing his well-defined upper body. His sleeping face, devoid of its usual sharpness and coldness, actually looked somewhat... gentle?
Xia shook off the strange thought. Remembering all his previous mistreatment, a mischievous idea sparked in her mind.
She turned and walked into the bathroom, took a clean towel, soaked it in cold water, even added a few ice cubes, then wrung it out until it was half-dry.
Returning to the bedside, she looked at his handsome yet irritating sleeping face and, without hesitation, pressed the icy, freezing towel directly onto his face with a smack!
"Wake up, Mr. Qi!" Her voice even carried a hint of vengeful satisfaction.
The expected outburst of anger did not come immediately.
The person under the towel seemed to freeze for a few seconds.
Then, a large, distinct hand with scorching body heat shot out from under the covers, accurately seizing her wrist before she could pull it back!
The grip was so forceful it made her gasp.
The next moment, her world spun!
With a sharp tug from Qiyu, Xiaochen, completely caught off guard, lost her balance. With a yelp, she was pulled down by his immense strength, tumbling straight into the soft bed!
Before she could struggle to get up, a hot, heavy body agilely flipped over, pinning her firmly beneath him!
A voice, husky from sleep and thick with danger, sounded dangerously close to her ear:
"Looks like... yesterday's alcohol didn't teach you to behave?"
(End of Chapter 9)