Guan Yingtang felt as if she had temporarily lost her hearing.
It was as though she couldn’t hear anything at all; the pounding of her own heart drowned out her eardrums, and only the frantic, bewildered thumping echoed in her ears.
She distinctly felt the proximity of Meng Qinghuai, the subtle warmth burning around her lips.
She couldn’t tell if it was his breath or something else. She dared not move, as if the next second would cause her to lose control and kiss him.
She caught the scent again— that familiar smell on the bedsheets.
Moonlight in the snow-capped mountains, a convergence of coldness and tenderness, intoxicating in its purity.
Her mind continued to slip into a sort of shutdown state. She had no idea how long had passed before the strong hands at her waist finally loosened.
“Sorry.” Meng Qinghuai apologized politely. “It was sudden.”
Guan Yingtang lightly fluttered her eyelashes, unsure of what to say. “I understand.”
To prevent Meng Fanchuan from returning, Meng Qinghuai immediately went to inform the pilot and flight attendants to proceed with the scheduled takeoff as soon as possible.
The cabin door slowly closed, and Guan Yingtang found her seat. Her heart still hadn’t calmed.
Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Meng Qinghuai return and quickly lowered her head to pretend she was tidying her hair.
The atmosphere inside the cabin was very quiet— a subtle silence after the chaos, mingled with an indistinct sense of intimacy.
Meng Qinghuai sat down beside her quite naturally, and Guan Yingtang didn’t resist.
When they boarded, they had been seated far apart, each sitting separately. But after a few days, their relationship seemed to be subtly changing.
Just as Meng Qinghuai sat down and was about to speak, his phone vibrated again.
He didn’t even need to look to know who it was.
Sure enough—
Lewis: “Not that bad.”
Lewis: “Is it really that urgent so early?”
For Meng Fanchuan, the shock from what he had just seen was like a planet colliding with Earth— a cataclysm so explosive that even after returning to his own plane, he found it unbelievable for a long time.
His own elder brother had actually abandoned him without hesitation for a woman.
Meng Qinghuai replied coldly, “Mind your own business.”
He then put his phone away and asked Guan Yingtang, “Do you want something to drink?”
Guan Yingtang was indeed a bit thirsty at this moment, though her mind was uncontrollably replaying the scene just now with Meng Qinghuai.
She felt embarrassed.
Strangely, though,
along with the embarrassment came a feeling she couldn’t quite describe.
Perhaps it was curiosity— realizing that hugging a man felt like that, and that a kiss could cause such a tingling numbness throughout the body.
Although, Meng Qinghuai hadn’t actually kissed her.
The sensation of a kiss interrupted, the frantic exchange of breath pressed against the tip of her nose, felt even more intense.
Damn it, no wonder He Zi always said men were the most interesting seasoning in life.
She, this dull girl, had never even been in a relationship before.
Just barely brushed by a kiss, and her heart was racing like a frightened rabbit at 180 beats per minute.
Pathetic.
Looking at Meng Qinghuai again, so calm, acting as if nothing had happened as he casually asked if she wanted a drink.
Guan Yingtang took a deep breath, forcing herself not to think about it, and shook her head. “Why does your brother know me?”
“Your photo.” Meng Qinghuai paused before saying, “My brother and sister have both seen it.”
At that time, Meng Songnian had deliberately chosen a moment when the whole family was present, as if announcing a major family event, and took out a photo of Guan Yingtang, asking Meng Qinghuai what he thought.
Later, the photo was snatched away by their younger sister Meng Wennao to look at, then passed to Meng Fanchuan, and even the butler Mei Yi came to take a peek.
Suddenly realizing that her photo had been passed around the entire Meng family, Guan Yingtang felt a little embarrassed but couldn’t help but be curious. “So, what impression did they have of me?”
Meng Qinghuai tried to recall the scene from that day.
Meng Wennao was lively and had gushed upon seeing the photo, “So pretty! Like a heroine from a poem!”
Meng Fanchuan, on the other hand, glanced over carelessly, “I heard from grandfather about her. Apparently, she’s a model lady of Hong Kong Island. Are you sure you like someone like that?”
Later, the butler Mei Yi praised her, saying, “Miss Guan is obviously from a noble family, gentle and refined, a perfect match for our young master.”
She had received praise from the whole family.
“They all said,” Meng Qinghuai truthfully told Guan Yingtang, “you’re gentle and graceful, both beautiful and talented.”
Guan Yingtang paused for half a second, then forced a faint, unconfident smile. “…Is that so?”
Meng Qinghuai could clearly see through her slight hesitance, but he didn’t think Guan Yingtang was undeserving of these compliments.
She truly had an extraordinary aura and talent, even if some hidden parts of her personality were somewhat prickly.
But—
Who isn’t multifaceted?
He himself wasn’t as gentlemanly as he seemed.
The two fell silent for a moment, until Guan Yingtang suddenly asked softly, “What about you?”
“What was your first impression when you saw me?”
–
The plane ride was long.
When Guan Yingtang returned to the mainland, sleepiness finally crept in. She had planned to nap a bit and sleep more once she got home, but once she closed her eyes, she didn’t even notice the plane landing.
He Yongzhi came to pick her up, parking not far from the tarmac.
Though it was already April, the night was still chilly.
When Meng Qinghuai carried Guan Yingtang out, he draped his coat over her.
Holding her warmly as he helped her into the car, He Yongzhi was on high alert, fearing the road might be bumpy and wake “Yi Jie.”
When they arrived home, she briefly opened her eyes, feeling drowsy and muddled. Her body instinctively leaned toward the warmth, then she peacefully fell asleep again.
Guan Yingtang wasn’t skinny; her figure was well-proportioned and shapely.
The slim parts could be wrapped by a single hand, while the fleshier areas were plump and full. Holding her in his arms gave a light, soft fleshiness sensation.
Soft and somehow making him want to hold her tighter.
Back in the bedroom, Meng Qinghuai gently laid her on the bed.
As the warmth faded, Guan Yingtang instinctively reached out, as if wanting to pull him back down with her in her sleep.
Afraid of crushing her, Meng Qinghuai placed his hands on either side of the bed.
The bedroom light wasn’t fully on; only a warm yellow bedside lamp glowed, illuminating the woman’s face on the bed.
She slept peacefully, long hair silky and spread across the pillow.
One hand lightly tugged at the front of her shirt.
Meng Qinghuai found it difficult not to let his gaze linger on her lips.
Glossy and soft, a pale red, parted slightly— like a fruit inviting to be picked.
After stealing a glance, he lowered his head and moved away.
He helped Guan Yingtang pull up the blanket, then went downstairs and grabbed a glass of water from the kitchen island.
He hadn’t kissed her on the plane out of his inherent upbringing, which didn’t allow him to take advantage of the moment.
Yet Meng Qinghuai couldn’t deny the subtle difficulty in his breath that froze for a few seconds when he sensed the moisture, warmth, and softness of those lips up close.
In the dark living room, that faintly sweet and cloying scent lingered in the air.
Meng Qinghuai tilted his head back, swallowing the water in one go as his Adam’s apple moved up and down.
What he didn’t know—
Was that the moment he left the bedroom, Guan Yingtang’s eyes opened.
She had woken up when being carried from the car but had closed her eyes again, craving the warmth of being held.
Even after being laid down, she was reluctant to let go of that feeling. So, feigning sleep, she reached out and tugged Meng Qinghuai back.
She wanted him to stay.
After all, he hadn’t never slept here before, right?
But—
Meng Qinghuai actually left.
Left???
Guan Yingtang couldn’t believe it. The Number One Heiress of Hong Kong Island, making her first-ever request to share a bed with someone— even if it was a subtle one— was actually rejected!
Was sharing a bed with her really that difficult for him?
At this moment, sleepiness completely overtook her.
Staring at the ceiling for a while, then sitting up stubbornly, she vowed in her heart—
Meng Qinghuai, you’ll never set foot on this bed again!
–
Jet lag disoriented her, and Guan Yingtang didn’t wake until almost noon the next day.
She smelled a faint fragrance in the air. Following it, she got up and saw the bouquet of roses Meng Qinghuai had sent, placed on the round table near the window.
After more than ten hours of flight, the petals were still tender and vibrant.
Guan Yingtang bent over the flowers and smiled softly for some reason, but then thinking of what Meng Qinghuai had done last night, her smile quickly faded.
Just then, Meng Qinghuai’s call came through on time. “Still sleeping?”
Guan Yingtang had just gotten up; her voice was hoarse. “No, are you at work?”
“I’m heading home for a bit.” Meng Qinghuai told her, “I’ve told Uncle Zhi. He’ll take you out to eat later.”
“…”
She didn’t need to be treated like a child who needed to be fed every meal.
“Don’t worry about me. I’m going to see Jiang Peiming later. I’m going to drop off a gift for a friend.”
There was a pause on the other end. “Okay, then be careful.”
After hanging up, Guan Yingtang stared at the roses in her room for a while, then took out the photos she had taken in Barcelona, looking through them repeatedly before realizing—
She might be experiencing travel withdrawal symptoms.
Her body and mind were still immersed in those few days in Barcelona, like a happy, fulfilling dream. Having had it, she was now reluctant to wake.
–