Xiao Nanchen remained silent for a long time.
He stood up from the sofa.
Following the trail of scattered clothes on the floor, he walked towards his bedroom.
His leg injury had mostly recovered, and he moved like a normal person unless performing strenuous exercise.
He stood before Xia Qiqi, watching her flushed face and rapid breathing.
Clearly, she was quite drunk.
He hesitated for a moment.
Bending down to face Xia Qiqi, he said, "You're in the wrong place..."
Xiao Nanchen's eyes flickered slightly.
Suddenly, Xia Qiqi reached out and hooked her arms around his neck.
Before he realized it, she pulled his whole body onto hers.
Xiao Nanchen struggled to prop himself up with his hands to avoid skin contact, but he failed to notice that Xia Qiqi had already pressed her lips against his.
Their lips met.
Xiao Nanchen's Adam's apple visibly bobbed.
His breathing grew increasingly rapid and heavy.
Xia Qiqi opened her eyes, but her gaze seemed unfocused, lost in a daze.
Her kiss deepened on his lips.
Xiao Nanchen clenched his fists, neither reciprocating nor pushing her away.
Xia Qiqi's kiss grew increasingly passionate.
She clung tightly to Xiao Nanchen's body, and when kissing was no longer enough, she began tugging at his clothes. Her lips roamed from his mouth to his face, neck, and even...
Xiao Nanchen's clenched fists gradually loosened.
The distance he struggled to maintain between them slowly closed.
His head nestled into the crook of her neck.
Unexpectedly, despite the overpowering scent of her perfume, he could still detect her familiar natural scent.
Even after all this time, the memory was still vivid.
His reddened lips, which Xia Qiqi had bitten, finally became active.
The temperature in the room began to rise.
Their breaths grew heavier.
Until...
A sweet, whimpering voice moaned, "Nie Ziming..."
Everything froze in an instant.
All the flames were extinguished.
Xiao Nanchen released the now fully aroused Xia Qiqi.
Her cheeks were even redder, her body more alluring, but to Xiao Nanchen, all he saw was icy chill.
He pulled away from Xia Qiqi.
At that moment, he was even grateful that nothing had happened.
Feeling the weight lift off her, Xia Qiqi grew restless, reaching out to pull the man back, but she couldn't grasp him no matter how hard she tried.
A look of urgency spread across her face.
Her body twisted beneath the sheets.
"Xia Qiqi." Xiao Nanchen stood before her, observing her every reaction.
His eyes were devoid of emotion.
He said, "I am Xiao Nanchen."
Not the Nie Ziming you called out.
After Xiao Nanchen spoke, the previously ravenous Xia Qiqi fell silent.
The alcohol seemed to have worn off considerably.
She struggled to focus her gaze, straining to see the man before her clearly.
Finally, her vision cleared.
She saw Xiao Nanchen standing coldly before her.
She shot up from the bed, clearly startled. "What are you doing here?!"
"This is my home," Xiao Nanchen stated bluntly, "My bed."
Xia Qiqi hurriedly looked around.
Upon realizing her surroundings, she seemed to have sobered up completely.
She couldn't believe she had ended up sleeping in Xiao Nanchen's bed. How did she get here? When did she arrive?
The man she had been intimate with wasn't Nie Ziming, but Xiao Nanchen?!
Damn.
What had she done?
She had always assumed it was Nie Ziming, who had ultimately come back to pick her up out of concern.
She had assumed she was being intimate with Nie Ziming.
How did it suddenly become Xiao Nanchen?!
Xiao Nanchen watched Xia Qiqi's every reaction with cold indifference, devoid of any emotional change.
Earlier, it was probably just a case of being aroused by the sight.
As a man, who could resist a naked woman, let alone an attractive one actively throwing herself at him?
He was only human, after all.
And he had probably figured out what was going on now.
Today at the company, he overheard people privately discussing Nie Ziming's birthday.
They said the usually overtime-working Nie Ziming had left on time, speculating that he was going on a date with Xia Qiqi.
So after being with Nie Ziming for so long, on such an important day, Xia Qiqi must have wanted to be intimate with Nie Ziming. But Nie Ziming, unable to do so due to his company shares, had left Xia Qiqi alone. Xia Qiqi, unable to understand, must have drowned her sorrows in alcohol. When drunk, she tends to lose consciousness, and in her drunken stupor, she ended up at Xiao Nanchen's place, mistakenly thinking she was being intimate with Nie Ziming...
Xiao Nanchen understood.
Yet he showed no emotional reaction.
He simply watched Xia Qiqi's flushed, frightened face turn pale, then turned and left the room.
Xia Qiqi stared at Xiao Nanchen's retreating back.
He seemed so cold, almost icy, that the previous warmth felt like a dream, disconnected from the man before her now.
Had that earlier passion been just a dream or reality?
How could it be reconciled with the current Xiao Nanchen?
Xia Qiqi bit her lip.
In this situation, she didn't know what to say.
She didn't even know what to do next.
How did she end up at Xiao Nanchen's place?
Drinking had caused this mess.
Perhaps she should quit drinking!
As Xia Qiqi berated herself, Xiao Nanchen suddenly returned to the room. He placed her discarded clothes on the bed and told her, "Get dressed."
Xia Qiqi froze.
It was only then that she realized she was completely naked.
Her clothes were strewn all over Xiao Nanchen's place.
Her face flushed again.
Especially when she noticed the blanket had slipped below her waist.
She hurriedly covered herself.
Yet Xiao Nanchen's gaze remained unfazed.
He had seen it all, but his reaction was muted, nonchalant.
Xia Qiqi felt her attempt at covering herself was pointless.
Xiao Nanchen clearly didn't care at all.
This feeling of being utterly ignored was somehow... unpleasant.
But in this awkward situation, Xia Qiqi could hardly explode with anger.
"Get dressed and come out," Xiao Nanchen said, leaving the room again.
This time, he closed the door behind him, giving her privacy.
Xia Qiqi looked down at her haphazardly discarded clothes on the bed.
She felt utterly humiliated, as if she had disgraced herself in front of her ancestors.
She quickly put her clothes back on without a second's delay.
Once dressed, she went out.
