Chapter 5: Do You Miss My Body?

Qiao Xi slowly retreated, but the cramped space behind her left no room to escape. The next second, Fu Yancheng gave her no chance to move further—he leaned in and kissed her, seizing the sweetness of her lips by force.

Terrified, Qiao Xi’s body went rigid. She tried to push him away, but he held her with an almost possessive grip, locking her so tightly in his embrace that she couldn’t budge an inch. It was as if he wished to crush her into his chest, to meld her into himself.

After a long while, Fu Yancheng finally let her go and uttered two words. “Breathe.”

Qiao Xi’s mind went completely blank. All that remained was helplessness and an uncontrollable blush spreading across her cheeks. What had just happened? Had she just... kissed him, truly kissed him?

Heavens!

Zhou Ze, who was driving, turned his face away in silence, pretending nothing had happened.

The car soon arrived at Fu Yancheng’s discreetly luxurious villa on the hillside. As the car glided into the courtyard, Qiao Xi marshaled all her strength to half-carry, half-support the half-drunk, half-awake Fu Yancheng out of the vehicle. Their posture was both intimate and awkward.

The moment Zhou Ze parked, he vanished, nowhere to be seen.

They stepped onto the porch. From within, the heavy front door swung open. The elderly butler, immaculate in his uniform, had clearly been waiting for some time.

He immediately noticed his young master, rarely seen in such a state, leaning heavily on the shoulder of a slender young girl, his arm draped tightly around her, drawing her close to his chest. The girl, her face flushed with exertion, was doing her utmost to support him.

A sharp gleam flashed in the butler’s eyes, a knowing and delighted smile fleeting across his face. Instead of stepping forward to assist, he tactfully withdrew half a step and pressed a discreet button on the earpiece at his ear.

His lowered voice was brimming with irrepressible joy: “Old Master Fu, good news! The young master—he’s just come home!”

There was evident urgency on the other end of the line. “Oh? Why is that good news? Doesn’t he often return at this hour?”

“No, no!” The butler quickly explained, lowering his voice further, but unable to contain his excitement. “The point is, the young master—he brought a girl home! He brought her back himself. The young lady is upstairs in his room right now… Yes, yes, I saw it with my own eyes, there’s no mistake!”

The old master’s interest was instantly piqued; his voice rose in pitch. “Really? What kind of girl? Tell me quickly!”

The butler hurriedly reported in detail, his words tumbling out. He ended the call amid the old master’s praise and instructions.

Elsewhere, Qiao Xi finally managed to haul Fu Yancheng into the bedroom and lay him on the grand bed. Exhausted to the point of collapse, she was about to slip away.

Yet, glancing at Fu Yancheng sprawled on the bed, she hesitated. Eventually, she picked up the warm water and towel prepared nearby, and with clumsy, unpracticed movements, gently wiped the sweat from his brow.

Throughout, Qiao Xi held her breath, keeping her gaze fixed on his closed eyes, forcing herself to ignore the blazing heat of his body and the overwhelming masculine aura that enveloped her.

Just as she tried to pull her hand back and get up to leave—

“Xi Xi…”

Fu Yancheng suddenly sat up and embraced her, his warm breath caressing her ear.

“Don’t you like me?” His words were slurred, as if drunk, yet carried a weight of earnestness.

Qiao Xi froze, unable to answer.

He was nothing like the commanding, in-control president she remembered—this was a different man entirely.

She bit her lower lip, mustered her strength, and forcibly pried his arms from around her. She fled the room as if escaping a fire.

They… were not suited to each other.

The following day, the monthly executive meeting commenced.

At the end of the long conference table, Fu Yancheng sat at the head, fingertips occasionally gliding over the tablet’s reports, his voice steady as he summarized the agenda. His demeanor was calm and assured, with no trace of last night’s hangover.

He wore gold-rimmed glasses; the high bridge of his nose and refined features exuded the magnetic charm of a mature man. All the department heads below sat in breathless silence, careful and respectful.

Qiao Xi’s seat was directly opposite him at an angle. She clutched her pen, her gaze inexorably drifting, inch by inch, toward the man at the head of the table.

She couldn’t shake the memory of his feverish warmth from the night before, of that embrace that seemed to fuse her into his very bones.

And… the way he clung to her, so unlike the cold, exacting, and flawless superior before her now.

The thought made her glance at Fu Yancheng once more.

The sweep of his thick lashes as he lowered his eyes, the subtle movement of his throat as he spoke, the elegant, strong hand resting on the tablet’s edge—

How could a man be so unbearably good-looking from every angle?

“…Regarding the stability issues of the new product.” Fu Yancheng’s voice rang out in the conference room. “Does the R&D department have any further comments?”

Silence. A few department heads looked questioningly in the direction of R&D.

Qiao Xi was oblivious, still maintaining a pose of “serious” concentration, her eyes glued to Fu Yancheng’s hand.

It wasn’t until Director Li Haodong, seated beside her, jabbed her arm hard with his pen under the table that she snapped to attention, meeting Fu Yancheng’s deep gaze.

In an instant, her face flushed crimson, the color spreading all the way to her ears.

Flustered, she dropped her gaze and tightened her grip on her pen.

“Engineer Qiao.” Fu Yancheng’s tone was even. “Prepare the latest stability test report after the meeting and bring it to my office.”

“…Yes, President Fu.”

When the meeting ended, Qiao Xi clutched the newly printed data from the lab and made her way unsteadily to the president’s office.

She took a deep breath before raising her hand to knock on the gleaming nanmu door.

“Come in.” The man’s deep, velvety voice came from within.

Qiao Xi entered. Fu Yancheng was seated behind his desk; the high-backed leather chair only enhanced his commanding presence.

He didn’t look up, instead continuing to review the papers in his hand.

“President Fu, the report.” Qiao Xi tried to keep her voice strictly professional as she placed the report in the most prominent spot on his massive rosewood desk.

Fu Yancheng closed the file in his hands unhurriedly, leaning back slightly in his chair.

He didn’t reach for the report. Instead, his eyes settled on Qiao Xi.

The spacious office was filled with the pleasant scent of cedar.

He suddenly let out a low laugh, breaking the suffocating silence. The sound was soft, with a hint of dangerous allure.

In the next instant, he braced his hands on the desk and leaned forward, closing the distance between them.

Qiao Xi instinctively took a step back, her face burning once more.

He parted his lips, his voice dropping to a low, husky timbre. “Well?”

He tilted his head slightly, the corners of his mouth lifting into a meaningful smile.

“Since the meeting began, you’ve looked at me nine times… Are you longing for my body, or my kiss?”