After hanging up the phone, Zhang Huichun grew even angrier. She simply couldn’t shake the feeling that Shen Zhirou was no good match for her daughter.
Meanwhile, Shen Zhirou had already hailed a cab to the airport. In just over an hour, she arrived in Linhai City, where Lu Yao was staying. Lu Yao’s assistant, Jiang Chen, pulled up to pick her up.
The experience felt a little special to Jiang Chen too. After all, their CEO Lu had never shown this level of personal investment in anyone before. Business trips were strictly business for her—work was work, with no personal matters ever intruding. Yet Shen Zhirou had somehow become the exception.
Shen Zhirou sat quietly in the back seat, lost in thought as she gazed out the window. The fingertips of her right hand clenched lightly. She missed Lu Yao terribly; otherwise, she wouldn’t have been sending WeChat messages every single day.
Twenty minutes later, they pulled up to the hotel where Lu Yao was staying. After getting the room number from Jiang Chen, Shen Zhirou headed straight for the elevator.
She knocked lightly on the door a few times. It swung open from the inside, and before she could even greet Lu Yao, Lu Yao looped an arm around her neck and tugged her indoors. Shen Zhirou didn’t have a chance to utter a word before Lu Yao’s lips claimed hers.
The kiss burned hot against her mouth, unfurling like fire. Shen Zhirou slid her arms around Lu Yao’s waist, deepening it until Lu Yao finally seemed to tire. Only then did she let go.
Now Shen Zhirou took a moment to really look at her. Lu Yao’s cheeks were flushed from the kiss, her usually cool gaze softened with a watery shimmer. She wore only a sheer black silk nightgown, so thin it clung like a whisper, the hem skimming her thighs. Her long, pale legs gleamed boldly in the light.
A wave of softness washed over Shen Zhirou’s chest. She suspected her Yaoyao wasn’t wearing a thing underneath. The thought turned the tips of her ears pink.
Lu Yao caught her shyness and tightened her hold around Shen Zhirou’s neck, refusing to release her. “Jie Jie, did you miss me these past few days?”
Shen Zhirou swallowed hard, her eyes locking onto Lu Yao’s face and those glistening eyes. She answered from the heart. “I did. I even dreamed about you last night.”
Lu Yao’s eyes sparkled. She melted deliberately into Shen Zhirou’s arms, playing the spoiled child as she leaned in to brush a kiss against the corner of Shen Zhirou’s mouth. “What was I doing in the dream?”
Her gaze rippled with allure as she pressed her lips to the soft white curve of Shen Zhirou’s neck. “Were you dreaming of me wrapped around you in bed… or you holding me close and kissing me? Hmm?”
Her warm breath ghosted over Shen Zhirou’s skin with every word, sending her heartbeat into overdrive.
And Lu Yao wasn’t content to stay still against her—one moment her fingers toyed with Shen Zhirou’s neck, the next she buried herself deeper into her embrace, whispering questions that stirred the imagination. Before long, Shen Zhirou was slick with sweat.
She reached out to pat Lu Yao’s back gently, coaxing her. “Let me shower first before I hold you. I just got off the plane—I’m covered in sweat. Okay?”
Lu Yao clung tighter, her fingertips trailing along Shen Zhirou’s slender neck before brushing her lips. Her gaze lingered meaningfully. “Jie Jie, you weren’t sweaty when you first walked in. How’d you get so much all of a sudden?”
Shen Zhirou’s ears burned hotter as she looked away, guilty. She just wanted this teasing little vixen to let her go wash up. “Must be because the room’s too warm.”
What else could she say? She could hardly admit Lu Yao had worked her up into a sweat.
But Lu Yao latched onto her words, her soft lips grazing Shen Zhirou’s neck as she murmured hotly, “Then I know what you dreamed about last night, Jie Jie. Holding me in the shower?”
Shen Zhirou flushed from head to toe, her pulse thundering. She denied it hastily. “No—I didn’t dream that.”
Lu Yao nestled softly against her, slipping a hand to Shen Zhirou’s chest and asking with feigned innocence, “Then why’s your heart racing like this, Jie Jie? Thinking about it now? If you want to, I’m not saying no.”
Shen Zhirou’s head swam under the onslaught, her eyes drawn helplessly to the little red mole just below Lu Yao’s collarbone. She couldn’t tear them away.
Lu Yao followed her gaze, then kissed the corner of Shen Zhirou’s lips coaxingly. “Jie Jie… do you like it?”
Her fingertip circled the little red mole as she spoke. Shen Zhirou couldn’t take it anymore. She swept Lu Yao into her arms and carried her straight into the bathroom.
Lu Yao didn’t miss a beat, still teasing. “I knew you wanted to take advantage of me. But I’m so good—I’ll cooperate completely.”
Lu Yao spoke as if someone else had just fanned the flames, completely washing her hands of it.
But this time, Shen Zhirou didn’t give her much chance to talk. The moment they entered the bathroom, she pinned her against the cool tiled wall and kissed her. Even so, Shen Zhirou knew her limits and, worried about the wall chafing Lu Yao, cupped a protective hand behind her waist.
By the time Shen Zhirou and Lu Yao tidied up and emerged from the bathroom, it was already past six. Lu Yao lay blissfully in Shen Zhirou’s arms, perusing the hotel menu and planning to order something simple for delivery. As she scanned the options, she whined playfully, “Jie Jie, you have no idea how rough these past few days have been. The mattress here is way too hard. Didn’t I tell you before? My lower back ended up with all these red marks from it. Jie Jie, will you rub it for me later?”
Shen Zhirou had just gotten her fill of sweetness, so she went along with whatever Lu Yao wanted, her voice soft as she replied to the girl in her arms, “Of course. How do you want me to rub it?”
Lu Yao hadn’t expected Shen Zhirou to tease her back. She leaned in and kissed the tip of Shen Zhirou’s ear, her tone warm and pliant. “I want you to kiss me while holding me in your arms and rubbing it.”
The warm puff of her breath tickled Shen Zhirou’s earlobe, making her squirm a little before she chuckled softly. “Alright, whatever you say.”
Lu Yao nuzzled spoiledly into Shen Zhirou’s embrace a few more times, letting her pick out the food while she rested against her.
Shen Zhirou ordered a few dishes, her arm draped around Lu Yao’s waist as she fiddled with her phone on the bed. But Lu Yao kept clinging to her, refusing to let her focus—one moment leaning in to kiss her cheek, the next nuzzling into the crook of Shen Zhirou’s neck.
Even with Shen Zhirou’s endless patience, she was on the verge of giving in to the teasing bundle in her arms. If the hotel food hadn’t been due any minute, she wouldn’t have held back.
They hadn’t seen each other in days, and Shen Zhirou couldn’t help thinking her Yaoyao seemed even clingier in bed than before. She wondered if that icy demeanor would return once they left it.
A dozen minutes later, the doorbell rang—the hotel staff with their delivery. Shen Zhirou started to rise, but Lu Yao clung even tighter, melting bonelessly against her and refusing to budge.
Shen Zhirou pressed a gentle kiss to Lu Yao’s thin, pink lips. When that didn’t satisfy her Yaoyao, she dipped lower and kissed the little red mole just below her collarbone. Lu Yao flushed crimson at the unexpected touch and finally released her.
Propped obliquely against the unyielding mattress, Lu Yao shifted uncomfortably. Shen Zhirou’s body was far more inviting.
No wonder she’d spent her business trip pining for her. In bed, they fit together perfectly. Even Shen Zhirou’s teasing was always so tender, leaving her utterly satisfied. She didn’t even want to let Shen Zhirou head back to Jiangbei City.
Shen Zhirou thanked the delivery staff and turned at the sound of Lu Yao calling her name as she stepped inside.
She set the meal boxes on the coffee table, her gaze softening as it landed on the bed. There was Lu Yao, lounging kitten-like and staring fixedly at her.
Before Shen Zhirou could speak, Lu Yao piped up from the bed. “Jie Jie, this thing’s so hard. Your lap is way more comfortable.”
Shen Zhirou’s eyes crinkled with a tender smile—she knew exactly what her Yaoyao wanted. In a few strides, she reached the bed, scooped Lu Yao into her arms, and carried her toward the coffee table.
Rather than set her on the sofa, she settled Lu Yao directly in her lap, sparing the fragile little kitten from complaining about yet another hard cushion and demanding to use her instead.
Lu Yao melted into Shen Zhirou’s thoughtfulness, nestling softly against her as she watched her arrange the food on the table.
Truth be told, Lu Yao rarely depended on anyone like this. Outside of bed, where she loved sticking close, their relationship had always been one of polite mutual respect. She had no desire to upend that.
As for now? Lu Yao chalked it up to their days apart stirring up her physical cravings—perfectly reasonable. Come next week, when life settled back into routine, they’d return to the status quo. After all, she held the reins on how they interacted, from start to finish.
Drifting in her thoughts, Lu Yao’s gaze drifted to Shen Zhirou’s clear, gentle eyes. Her own vision grew hazy. She really loved those eyes.
Shen Zhirou had already picked out some food for her and placed it in a small bowl to make things easier for Lu Yao. Only when Shen Zhirou handed over the bowl did Lu Yao finally pull her gaze away from Shen Zhirou’s eyes. She nestled softly into Shen Zhirou’s embrace and began eating from the little bowl.
Shen Zhirou ladled a bowl for herself as well, but with Lu Yao still cradled in her arms, eating was terribly inconvenient. Even so, her heart overflowed with sweetness. She loved how Lu Yao clung to her, loved this coquettish girl who could act so spoiled and hold her spellbound, unable to look away.
Shen Zhirou gazed down at the girl in her arms, her thoughts drifting. Surely, this had brought her and Yaoyao even closer. Her Yaoyao, even while away on that business trip, had thought of her constantly. She must feel the same way.
