Her lips were sealed shut.
The man's slightly cold palm slid up her rolled-up nightgown, clasping her waist.
Wen Nuan woke up from her dream.
Every hair on her body stood on end.
"Awake?"
The fresh mint smell was laced with a hint of faint pine scent, accompanying the man's voice. Wen Nuan's spirit that had flown out of her body all of a sudden returned.
All that's left was a heart beating rapidly in fear.
Thump thump!
Thump thump...
"Xie Yuchuan, you bastard!"
Wen Nuan, exasperated, kicked the man hard.
"Hiss!"
Inhaling sharply, the man laughed, "I'm the bastard?"
He kissed her again, fiercer and crueler than before, "Wen Nuan, who's the real bastard? Hmm?"
Faced with Xie Yuchuan's counter-question, Wen Nuan's foggy head cleared substantially.
She suddenly realized, "You, you... weren't you supposed to be in Paris?"
The schedule for Xie Yuchuan was arranged by her. According to the work schedule, he was supposed to arrive at the imperial city airport at 12 noon the next day.
Though he was only more than ten hours early, for Xie Yuchuan, he probably hadn't sleep much in the past two days, just so that he could finish all his work and manage to come back earlier.
Wen Nuan's heart softened, unable to bear pushing or kicking him out.
The man perceived it almost immediately.
Biting at Wen Nuan's nape, his breathing dark and heavy, "Did you miss me?"
"I did not..."
Before she could finish her sentence, the man pressed down on her heavily.
Punishingly, he seized her lips forcefully.
His knee pushed open her legs and slipped between them.
As if guessing what she was about to say, Xie Yuchan tightly held Wen Nuan's slender waist, "I did!"
In his held breath was full of restraint and suppression, the man's voice was dark, hoarse, and deep, "...I missed you a lot!"
The Xie Yuchuan on the bed was different from the one outside, fiercely as if he wanted to swallow her whole.
Let alone being on a business trip, he hasn't touched her for half a month.
Within a few breaths' time, Wen Nuan had melted into a soft puddle.
Fireworks exploded in her mind over and over again.
Complete joy surged over her like a sea, leaving her utterly immersed.
In the end, Wen Nuan didn't find the chance to exchange words with Xie Yuchuan.
The night was long and enchanting.
By the end, Wen Nuan felt as if her waist and legs didn't belong to her.
The man's tender kisses, peppered with stubble, fell gently onto her back.
Wen Nuan found herself drained of energy, down to her fingertips.
In her mind, nothing remained but a blanket of darkness.
When the alarm tinkled, Wen Nuan opened her eyes.
Beside her was an empty space.
If not for the physical exhaustion and softness that followed pleasure, Wen Nuan would have almost thought that last night was only a dream.
Staring at the white ceiling for a while, Wen Nuan got up and went into the bathroom.
She arrived at the office exactly at half-past eight.
She still had half an hour before work - enough time for a leisurely breakfast in the staff cafeteria.
However, she was exhausted from her encounter with the man, and lacked sleep.
Wen Nuan had no appetite, she went directly to the President's office on the top floor.
Arriving at the door, she could hear the commotion inside.
Along with her name.
"So, we're about to submit the year-end bonus review report, is Wen Nuan going to get the most from our secretarial department again this year?"
"Of course... Even though we're all secretaries, she's also balancing the job of warming the boss's bed, isn't it fair for her to earn more for doing more work?"
Laughter filled the room.
Wen Nuan fell silent.
She had worked diligently at Xie Corporation for three years. She was so devoted to her work that even when she had arranged to go somewhere with Xie Yu Chuan after work, she never rode in his car.
Each would go home separately then meet up again.
Two single adults together, fulfilling their own needs.
Even more so when Xie Yu Chuan's appearance and physique were both at the peak of her aesthetic taste.
She was not in a losing position.
Yet, she didn't know how these people had noticed what was going on.
Both were unmarried and she wasn't a homewrecker.
So, they were free to say whatever they wanted.
She wasn't afraid at all.
"I have to say, if I were a man, with a face like Wen Nuan's..."
The sound of clicking high heels interrupted her.
The words abruptly stopped.
In the large office, everyone scattered with an avian flurry after a moment of stupor.
Wen Nuan slowly walked over and sat at her desk.
She turned on her computer and sorted out her files. Her movements were as fluid as clouds and water.
The person who had been speaking was sweating buckets.
In terms of seniority, Wen Nuan was behind her.
But in terms of ability, Wen Nuan was streets ahead of her, about 800 streets ahead, to be precise.
Everyone knew that Wen Nuan entered the Xie corporation as an intern, with top grades from the Imperial University's Foreign Language Department.
After one month of internship, Wen Nuan was clearly in the lead.
She was promoted beyond her years and transferred to the secretarial department.
In just three short years, the former rookie intern had leaped to the position of president's special assistant, stepping firmly on all of them.
"W-Wen... Wen's Assistant...I..."
In the office as quiet as a frozen pond, a person reddened in embarrassment, seeking a retort.
Facing the gaze that swept over, warm and chilled simultaneously, "Out of office hours, freedom of speech. As you wish!"
The word "you," hit like a slap in the face, ruthlessly stinging each and every face in the room.
The office, already silent, became eerily quiet, save for the rustling sounds of flipping files and mouse clicks.
Around nine, the CEO's exclusive elevator went "ding-dong."
A strong figure stood at the entrance.
"Morning, Boss!"
"President Xie, you're back......"
Amidst the surge of greetings, Wen Nuan could feel Xie Yuchuan's gaze resting on her.
As if oblivious to her surroundings, Wen Nuan was concentrating on the documents at hand.
Wen Nuan knew she had no right to be angry.
After all, in this covert relationship, he had always been the dominant one.
She also knew that her current blatant attitude would only affirm others' speculations.
Yet, Wen Nuan just didn't want to look up.
His gaze slid down Wen Nuan's slender neck, seeing her keeping her head down with a frosty expression, he knew he had annoyed her due to his lack of control. Xie Yuchuan glanced around, "Morning..."
Then, he turned and entered the office.
Business Meeting.
Legal Affairs Meeting.
...
Executive Meeting of the Group.
On the first day back from his business trip, Xie Yuchuan had an endless stream of meetings.
When the bustle came to a halt, Wen Nuan turned around, only to realize that the entire sky outside the floor-to-ceiling window was awash with crimson clouds.
By the time the intercom rang, Wen Nuan had completely shaken off her early morning irritability.
After taking the call, she held the meeting minutes she'd compiled and went into Xie Yuchuan's office.
"Mr. Xie, this is what happened today..."
Before she could finish, the man had pulled her into his arms, "Don’t you like the gift I got for you?"
Gift?
Wen Nuan blinked in surprise.
Xie Yuchuan laughed, "Okay, it's all my fault."
He had left the gift on her bedside table. It seemed that she hadn't seen it at all.
"I'll have to swing by the old house for a bit. You go back to the villa and wait for me, I have a gift for you."
Is there something unique about the gift that he has to give one and retain one?
She planned to tell him, "You can give it to me at work tomorrow."
But upon seeing the man's weary eyes, Wen Nuan nodded, "Okay!"
She picked up the documents signed by Xie Yuchuan.
Then, she prepared for tomorrow's work.
With her bag in hand, Wen Nuan was the last one to leave the office.
Just as she drove out of the underground parking lot, her phone started to tinkle.
Seeing the ID "Madam Xie" on the screen, Wen Nuan paused for a moment.
She parked the car on the side of the road and answered the call.
