No wonder Chen Huaixu had a split lip and was going on dates… all his strange behavior lately suddenly made sense.

“Didn't you go to find the boss? Where is he?” A colleague's voice snapped him back to reality. Mo Cheng coughed, pulling out a chair and sitting down. “The boss had something to attend to. Let's start eating.”

“Mo Cheng, give us the inside scoop.” The man beside him leaned closer, lowering his voice. “Is the boss unhappy with the report? He said we were here for dinner, but he's barely spoken since we arrived, just staring at his phone and even went out for a smoke. What's going on?”

“If he were unhappy, would he be treating you to dinner? You're overthinking it.” Mo Cheng nudged him. “Eat up, the food's getting cold.”

Meanwhile, on the second floor of the brightly lit, bustling restaurant, an intensely intimate scene was unfolding in a dark, quiet private room tucked away in a corner.

The sounds of panting and kissing mingled with the soft, wet sounds of lips and tongues, punctuated by the man's low, seductive murmurs, fueling the rapidly escalating passion.

Chen Huaixu casually pulled over a chair, sat down, and pulled Yan Zhen onto his lap, facing him. One arm wrapped around her waist, the other hand cradled the back of her head as he kissed her deeply.

Yan Zhen, caught in the kiss, rested her hands on his shoulders, her fingers clenching and unclenching. Her long, black hair cascaded down, falling across his shoulders like delicate silk threads, binding them together and pulling them into the abyss of desire.

“…Enough… Mm… I have to go back…” Between breaths, she gasped, her words fragmented. “No more kissing… Mmm… Chen Huaixu…”

He seemed not to hear, his fingers slipping beneath the hem of her shirt, pushing the soft fabric upwards, revealing a swathe of smooth, pale skin. His palm rested there, caressing and kneading.

Annoyed, Yan Zhen opened her mouth to bite him. Chen Huaixu reacted swiftly, pulling back slightly. He stroked her cheek and asked in a low voice, “Do you want me to go to work with another bite mark on my lip?”

She scoffed. “It's not like I'm the one who'll be embarrassed.”

“Then, want to guess if I'll let everyone know who bit me, hmm?”

He kissed her again, and Yan Zhen, easily swayed, couldn't decide whether to laugh or cry. Her face flushed crimson, and she mumbled a petulant, “I hate you…”

“Yes, you hate me.” He reached down and unbuttoned her shorts, his breath warm against her lips. “But you’re mine.”

He slid her shorts down, leaving her bare legs straddling his lap. Chen Huaixu wasn't in a hurry to remove her underwear; instead, he slowly caressed her bvttocks, his fingers teasingly tracing the faint line where the fabric pressed against the curve of her flesh.

His deliberate slowness made her anxious. She reached for his hand. “Don’t touch…”