129: Dry wood and raging fire

Boom!

A rush of heat surged from the base of Lan Yanran's neck straight to the top of her head.

Her face instantly turned so red it looked as if it could drip blood.

So... so her daughter had caught them that day?!

No wonder... no wonder Qingyu's eyes looked so strange when she looked at her that day!

A mixture of shame and excitement caused Lan Yanran's heart to skip another beat.

Feeling both embarrassed and annoyed, she extended a fist and lightly punched Lin Chao's shoulder.

"You... you're still talking!"

The force was soft and weak, more like flirting.

Lin Chao caught her small hand, kissed it near his lips, and the smile in his eyes deepened.

He lifted her down from the cold coffee table, letting her stand steadily again.

Then, he took her hand, their fingers interlocking tightly.

The two didn't speak again, yet a sticky, lingering ambiguity fermented in the air.

Lin Chao pulled her along, step by step, up the spiral staircase leading to the second floor.

Finally, the two stopped in front of the master bedroom door.

That was Lan Yanran's room.

Lin Chao turned around and gave her a deep look.

Under his gaze, Lan Yanran's heart beat like a drum; she slowly lowered her eyelids, her long eyelashes trembling slightly like two small brushes.

The next second, the door was pushed open.

The two walked in one after the other.

With a soft 'click,' the heavy solid wood door was completely closed, isolating everything outside.

In the hallway, that final soft 'click' was like the scythe of the Grim Reaper, completely severing the last bit of luck in Lan Qingyu's heart.

That door had closed after all.

It isolated them and imprisoned her.

She knew what that meant.

After all, she was eighteen now, not some ignorant girl who knew nothing.

A man and a woman, dry wood and raging fire, together in a room late at night... what else could happen?

Uncontrollably, the scene she had just witnessed downstairs resurfaced in Lan Qingyu's mind.

Mom being held on the table by Lin Chao, kissed so forcefully, so intensely.

That slightly tilted, elegantly lined neck... that silk nightgown shimmering with an inviting luster under the lights... and Lin Chao's aggressive eyes that seemed ready to swallow someone whole... "Ugh..."

Lan Qingyu unconsciously let out a faint moan, her cheeks instantly becoming hot enough to fry an egg.

An inexplicable heat rose from her lower abdomen, quickly spreading to her entire body.

She subconsciously squeezed her legs together, her body curling up slightly.

Too... too stimulating.

She suddenly pulled over the quilt, like an ostrich, burying her entire head inside.

In the darkness, breathing became a bit difficult, but it seemed only this way could she block out those shameful images and fantasies.

However, her ears became exceptionally sharp.

Would the room next door... would some sound come from there?

As soon as this thought popped up, Lan Qingyu's heart leaped into her throat.

She covered her ears tightly, forcing herself not to think about anything, not to listen to anything.

Sleep!

Fall asleep quickly!

Once asleep, she wouldn't know anything!

...The light outside the window finally pierced through the long dark night.

The next day, early morning.

Lan Yanran slowly woke up amidst waves of sore weakness.

The headache from a hangover and the soreness of a body being overused intertwined, making her unable to resist frowning.

It felt... like being taken apart and put back together again.

Especially her waist, it was so sore it almost didn't feel like her own.

She moved, and the man beside her seemed disturbed by her movement, letting out a satisfied sigh as his arm tightened around her.

Only then did Lan Yanran turn her head to look at Lin Chao, who was sleeping beside her.

The morning light filtered through the sheer curtains, softly spilling onto his face.

In his sleep, he had shed his usual sharpness and steadiness; his well-defined face appeared exceptionally quiet, with thick eyelashes casting a shallow shadow under his eyes.

He looked, surprisingly, somewhat harmless.

Who could have imagined that this very man, last night... was like an untiring beast.

Thinking of last night's madness, that passion and boldness catalyzed by alcohol that even she found unfamiliar, a layer of blush involuntarily rose on Lan Yanran's cheeks.

How embarrassing.

She had actually... been so proactive... but... looking at Lin Chao's sleeping face, that bit of bashfulness was gradually replaced by a sliver of sweetness.

She didn't regret it.

Ten years.

These ten years of sleeping alone, ten years of strong pretense, seemed to have been completely shattered by this man last night, only to be wrapped again in a burning warmth.

That feeling of being needed and being filled made her feel incredibly at peace.

Lan Yanran took a deep breath, wanting to quietly get out of bed.

But just as she propped herself up a little, an unspeakable soreness came from her legs, causing her to lose strength instantly and fall heavily back into the soft mattress.

"Hiss..."

She couldn't help but gasp.

Forget it.

She gave up the struggle, lay back as if resigned to fate, and reached out to take her phone from the bedside table.

She opened wechat, found her assistant Zhong Xiao's chat box, and quickly typed a line of words.

[I won't be going to the company today. Call me if there's any urgent matter that can't be resolved.]

Sent.

Just as she put down her phone, before she had time to speculate on what a shocked expression Zhong Xiao would have upon seeing this message, a warm large hand with thin calluses accurately slipped under the hem of her nightgown and covered her smooth, firm waist.

That hand, carrying a heart-palpitating magic, kneaded neither too lightly nor too heavily.

Lan Yanran's body stiffened.

She turned her head and, as expected, met a pair of already open dark eyes filled with a lazy smile.

"Awake?"

Lin Chao's voice carried the characteristic hoarseness of early morning, incredibly sexy.

His eyes, however, didn't have the slightest bit of post-sleep confusion; instead, they were strikingly bright, like a cheetah that was full and satisfied but still wanted some dessert after the meal.

That hand causing trouble at her waist had already begun to move upward unsatisfactorily.

Lan Yanran's heart instantly skipped a beat.

Again?

Spare her!

She quickly reached out, pressed down on that unruly large hand, and lightly slapped it in a mix of shame and annoyance.

"Stop it!"

Her voice was soft and weak, lacking any deterrent; instead, it sounded more like acting spoiled.

"These old bones of mine can't take your tossing and turning anymore!"

"I beg you, let me go!"

Listening to her soft, sweet pleading, Lin Chao chuckled low.

That laughter was like the plucking of a cello's strings, vibrating against Lan Yanran's eardrums in the early morning bedroom.

"Sister Yanran, you're wrong about that."

His voice was right against her ear, his warm breath making her neck itch.

"What old bones?"

"This is exactly a woman's prime age, like a newly ripened peach, full of juice, oozing honey with just a squeeze."

As he spoke, that mischievous large hand actually gave her plump, perky curves a squeeze, neither too light nor too heavy.

"!"

Lan Yanran's body trembled violently, a current of electricity surging from her tailbone to the top of her head.