She remembered that when she was a child, she loved nothing more than listening to Xiao Lanzhi hold her close and whisper these stories in her ear. Who would have thought that now, things had changed so much...
Xia Yan finally managed to get Xiaohan to sleep. She tiptoed out of the room, stood blankly in the third-floor hallway for a moment, and after noticing no light under Lu Zhengting's door, turned and went down to the second floor, back to her own room.
As she pushed open the door, the first thing that caught her eye was Lu Zhengting, fresh out of the shower, lying on the bed in his pajamas. Xia Yan gasped, the breath catching in her throat, almost screaming but stopping herself just in time. She quickly closed the door, pointed at the man watching her from the bed, and said, "Aren't you supposed to be in your room? Why are you here?"
"If you want to stay here, naturally I have to stay here too." Lu Zhengting patted the empty spot beside him and added, "Come here."
"Come here for what?"
"I said come here, so come here."
"I haven't showered yet. I smell."
"I don't mind."
"If I actually get close, I doubt you won't mind." Xia Yan turned, walked to the wardrobe, grabbed a nightgown, and entered the bathroom under Lu Zhengting's gaze. To be honest, even if Lu Zhengting truly didn't mind, she would mind herself. Besides, after a whole afternoon of shopping, she really wanted to soak in a bath to ease the ache in her legs. She was a woman, sure, but she had zero enthusiasm for shopping. Today, for instance, felt like she'd gone three hundred rounds with Lu Zhengting—utterly exhausting. Back in school, Lin Xujia could forget she even had legs when shopping, striding around in heels all afternoon without a care. For Xia Yan, that was pure torture.
Xia Yan waited until the bathtub was nearly full, then stripped off her clothes and stepped in. The moment her legs touched the warm water, she couldn't help but let out a soft sigh. This feeling was just too good. She cupped her hands, splashed water on her face, and the slapping sound made her pause. Why did that sound so awkward? Shaking it off, she put her hands back in the water, closed her eyes, and let the gentle warmth soothe her aching body. The incense burning in the bathroom filled the air with a faint lavender scent. Xia Yan took a deep breath, and a wave of drowsiness washed over her.
Lu Zhengting was half-lying on the bed, propping his head up with the headboard. He glanced sideways at the bathroom door. Xia Yan had been in there for over half an hour. If she didn't come out soon, he'd have no choice but to go in. He looked back at the book in his hands, waited a bit longer, and when there was still no sign of her, he casually set the book on the nightstand. His long fingers pulled back the covers, and his black robe slipped to one side, revealing his sexy collarbone and shoulder.
Standing at the bathroom door, he suddenly remembered the first time he'd walked in and found Xia Yan naked, asleep in the tub. A smile tugged at his lips, and his clear black-and-white eyes were filled with deep affection. He reached out his well-defined hand, grasped the door handle, and gently twisted it. The door swung open...
The bathroom was shrouded in steam, waves of heat rushing toward him. Lu Zhengting pushed through the mist, walked to the tub, and caught the scent of lavender incense. He found it amusing as he looked at the woman asleep against the tub, still naked in the water. The warm water had turned her fair skin slightly pink, and her black hair floated lightly on the surface, creating a contrast of black and white. Whether she smelled something or not, Xia Yan took a deep breath in her sleep. Her chest rose and fell with the movement, and Lu Zhengting's expression shifted instantly. When she let out a soft moan, he felt a pang in his head.
Xia Yan was indeed dreaming. In her dream, she was a domineering queen, and Lu Zhengting was a soft, submissive boy. By some twist of fate, she took a liking to him, kidnapped him like a bandit chief snatching a virtuous woman, and brought him home. Then... though Lu Zhengting was soft and submissive, he refused to yield to her. Furious, Xia Yan ordered her men to tie him up.
The kind of binding used in BDSM.
Later, Xia Yan sent her men out. Now, only the two of them were in the room. She didn't care if Lu Zhengting was willing or not; she forced herself on him, stripping off his clothes... and then... of course, he tried to escape.
"Lu Zhengting, get back here! You dare run? Believe me, I'll make you taste what BDSM feels like?"
Lu Zhengting had only turned to grab a towel when he heard Xia Yan muttering to herself in the tub. Her voice wasn't loud, but it was perfectly clear. BDSM? This woman was into that? He frowned, his face darkening. She dared to make him try BDSM? That took some nerve.
"Lu Zhengting, stop running. You can't escape my grasp. Just let me favor you obediently." Xia Yan waved her arms and kicked her legs, as if she were chasing him in her dream.
And in the dream, that's exactly what happened. Xia Yan was indeed chasing Lu Zhengting, because not only did he refuse her, but he also fought back. As a domineering queen, she couldn't allow that, so of course she had to chase him and make sure he didn't slip away.
Lu Zhengting dried the water droplets off Xia Yan's body with the towel, his deep, unfathomable eyes fixed on her grinning face. He wanted to crack open her head and see what was going on inside. Talking in her sleep about BDSM, telling him not to run—this girl had quite the imagination.
"I told you, you can't escape my grasp..." Xia Yan suddenly reached out and grabbed Lu Zhengting's collar by chance. He was holding her horizontally, but her sudden struggle nearly made him drop her.
"Stay still!"
"Ha, Lu Zhengting, you're in my hands now, and you dare yell at me? Don't you want your manhood?"
Manhood?
Lu Zhengting's face darkened beyond measure. His gaze at Xia Yan was burning hot. He tossed her onto the bed like a projectile, and she landed perfectly in a parabolic arc. The towel covering her came loose, leaving her lying there naked, oblivious to the danger in the room. Suddenly, she turned on her side, grabbed the blanket, clamped her legs around it, and mumbled something. Just as Lu Zhengting wondered what she'd do next, she raised her fist and punched the blanket.
"You bastard, Lu Zhengting! I want to be on top! Get down!" "..."
Lu Zhengting got it now. This woman harbored a dream of being a domineering queen, wanting to pin him down beneath her. He stood by the window, arms crossed, watching her put on her one-woman show.
Xia Yan had no idea danger was coming. As her words grew more outrageous, Lu Zhengting lunged, pinned her down, grabbed her flailing hands, and stared at her from above. "Sweetheart, since you're even dreaming about this, I'd better satisfy you, or you'll be disappointed."
If Xia Yan had been awake, she'd never have said those things, let alone let Lu Zhengting do as he pleased.
Starved for too long, Lu Zhengting launched into a fierce assault that Xia Yan couldn't handle. In her dream, she was baffled to find herself on the bottom when she'd clearly been on top. Wasn't Lu Zhengting the soft, submissive one, and she the domineering queen? The mix of dream and reality left her confused. She half-opened her eyes, glanced at the man still moving vigorously, and saw only a blurry silhouette against the light from above. She blinked. Yeah, this must be a dream.
The next day, Xia Yan woke up to find the sun already high in the sky. Bright light streamed into the room. Squinting, she reached for her phone on the nightstand. When the screen lit up, she jolted awake in shock. Oh no, she'd missed half a day of work!
She dressed as fast as she could, grabbed her bag, and rushed out. Chen Ma, coming back from outside, saw Xia Yan in a frenzy and tried to stop her, but she was gone like a whirlwind, disappearing in a flash. Chen Ma stood there, mouth agape. Young people had so much energy these days. Youth was truly something.
Jiang Mingxiu noticed Chen Ma frozen at the door and called out, "Chen Ma, what are you standing there for?"
"Madam, nothing. I'll head to the kitchen now."
******
Xia Yan knew where Lu Zhengting kept his car keys, so she helped herself to a set, went to the garage, and drove off. She remembered there was an important meeting this morning, and the documents she was responsible for were only where she knew to find them. After running several red lights and nearly causing a crash, she made it safely to the company parking lot. When she entered, she saw a security guard staring wide-eyed at her car, but she ignored him.
She checked the time—five minutes until the meeting. Not daring to delay, she jabbed the elevator button repeatedly. When the doors opened, she calculated she might just make it. The elevator went from the basement to the first floor, and when the doors opened again, people flooded in, surrounding her and making the air feel thin. For some reason, she felt their gazes were loaded with meaning. They exchanged glances, and Xia Yan looked around, puzzled.
With a ding, the elevator stopped at her floor. She was the only one left inside. Taking a deep breath, she walked out calmly and spotted Secretary Zhou coming out of the office with files. She hurried over. "Secretary Zhou, the meeting hasn't started yet, has it?"