Huo Linsheng and Ling Nuan locked eyes.
The former scrutinized, while the latter smiled coyly, with an invitation in her eyes.
It seemed that neither of them was willing to back down.
Ling Nuan made the first move. She averted her gaze and pretended to be relaxed. "As Mr. Huo said, we may indeed lack a bit of fateful bond."
She was taking a gamble.
Due to work, Huo Linsheng had never shown any intention of getting closer to her. The farce at the auction seemed to have changed something in him, but unfortunately, a sneeze had ruined the moment.
Ling Nuan was truly worried that after a night, Huo Linsheng would retreat to his previous defensive stance.
She dropped this line, then actively pushed Huo Linsheng away and jumped off the bar counter. "I'll go back first."
"You've learned the Thirty - Six Stratagems quite well." Huo Linsheng suddenly spoke.
Hearing this, Ling Nuan turned to look at him. "Mr. Huo, don't slander me."
"Advancing by retreating." Huo Linsheng replied. "Fine, I'll take this move."
Before Ling Nuan could react, Huo Linsheng had already pulled her into his arms and resumed the kiss from before.
This time, Huo Linsheng seemed to slow down. It was more like a kind of torture bit by bit. Starting from the kiss on the lips, his lips slowly moved downward. The warmth on his lips was like small flames, igniting a spark wherever they passed.
He had perfected the prelude, allowing her to accept the subsequent tempest in the most vulnerable way.
Huo Linsheng was in control, seemingly able to stop at any time.
Ling Nuan was extremely annoyed by his self - control.
But when he let loose, she was equally annoyed by his lack of restraint.
"I can't take it anymore." Ling Nuan admitted defeat and begged for mercy.
Huo Linsheng kissed the corner of her lips and replied, "It's too late."
At first, Ling Nuan enjoyed it. Huo Linsheng was a very considerate man who would take her feelings into account. But later, she felt like a fish on a chopping block, being fried back and forth.
She was so tired that she didn't even want to lift her hand, but the most real reactions of her body kept crashing into her consciousness.
In the end, Ling Nuan had no idea when it ended. She rolled over and nestled into Huo Linsheng's arms, letting him do as he pleased.
The next day, when Ling Nuan woke up, Huo Linsheng was nowhere to be found.
There was a message from him on WeChat.
"I've asked for a leave for you. Have a good rest. Message me when you wake up."
After a good sleep, Ling Nuan felt refreshed and was in a fairly good mood. She sent an emoji to Huo Linsheng.
Huo Linsheng's message came back quickly.
"Come downstairs and have breakfast."
Ling Nuan was surprised. With Huo Linsheng's strong sense of career, it was impossible for him to have stayed with her until now, right?
Curiosity welled up in her heart. Ling Nuan was about to go downstairs to check. However, when she lifted the quilt, she found that she was naked. As for yesterday's clothes, they had long been torn into pieces and lost.
"Beast." Ling Nuan cursed under her breath. Finally, she found a shirt in Huo Linsheng's wardrobe.
Ling Nuan changed her clothes and went downstairs. Huo Linsheng was dressed in a formal suit and was opening the take - out boxes one by one.
Out of the corner of his eye, he caught sight of Ling Nuan's figure and greeted her without looking up. "Wash your hands and come have breakfast."
Ling Nuan trotted over and naturally threw herself at Huo Linsheng.
Huo Linsheng reacted quickly and caught her.
"I've washed my hands. Mr. Huo, did you come here specially to warm my heart on your way to work?" Ling Nuan joked.
"I had a meeting this morning and couldn't get away." Huo Linsheng explained. Then he carried Ling Nuan and placed her on a chair, asking with concern, "Do you feel uncomfortable anywhere?"
The words were concerned, but his actions were a bit ambiguous.
One hand wrapped around her waist, and the other had already slipped under the hem of her shirt.
"I'm hungry!" Ling Nuan quickly said.
Huo Linsheng raised his eyebrows and replied, "What are you thinking about?"
Ling Nuan really wanted to ask if it was her who was thinking wrongly and not him.
Huo Linsheng hooked his lips and replied, "Just checking."
Checking what?
"I'm not wearing anything."
Ling Nuan: "..."
Her clothes were in such a mess. How could she wear them!
The outer clothes were completely ruined, and the underwear was in a complete mess. What could she wear!
Ling Nuan glared at him dissatisfiedly.
"I've bought some for you. They've been washed." Huo Linsheng said.
Only then did Ling Nuan's expression soften a bit.
After a night of折腾, she was really hungry. Huo Linsheng didn't tease her anymore and let her have a good meal.
After the meal, Ling Nuan wanted to slip away.
However, she didn't succeed.
As soon as she got up from the chair, she was picked up by Huo Linsheng and sat astride on his lap.
"Let's have a talk." Huo Linsheng said.
Ling Nuan paused for a moment and said in disbelief, "You want to talk to me like this?"
Huo Linsheng gave a soft "hmm" and replied, "You'll be more obedient this way."
Ling Nuan: "?"
Did this sitting posture look like they were having a serious conversation? Especially when Huo Linsheng was dressed formally in a suit, while Ling Nuan was only wearing a shirt.
"Was your grandma hospitalized because of Huo Xiao's anger?" Huo Linsheng asked.
The question was indeed very serious.
Ling Nuan's little wild thoughts quickly disappeared under this question.
"Yes." Her voice was a bit low.
Seeing that she didn't say more, Huo Linsheng had to continue to guide. "What did you want me to do when you came to me yesterday?"
Ling Nuan pursed her lips and looked at him carefully.
She still remembered what Huo Linsheng had said yesterday. One shouldn't have any motives. For a moment, she didn't know if she could ask this, and whether he would agree.
As if seeing through her thoughts, Huo Linsheng encouraged her. "Just say it."
"I want... to ask you to find someone to protect my grandma." Ling Nuan finally said it. Huo Linsheng was the best choice she could think of.
Huo Linsheng frowned. "Do you think Huo Xiao will do something to your grandma?"
That crazy woman was capable of anything!
Ling Nuan murmured in her heart, but when she spoke, she still had to save some face for the other person.
"My grandma is old and can't take any stimulation. Sometimes a few words can make the old lady hospitalized. So, if possible, don't let my grandma come into contact with Huo Xiao."
Huo Linsheng looked at Ling Nuan suspiciously.
Ling Nuan pretended to be calm. Her words were half - true and half - false, and she didn't feel too guilty.
Huo Linsheng suddenly said, "I rejected Huo Zhen's proposal to be transferred to the branch in Su City."
Ling Nuan was stunned for a moment.
"Huo Zhen thought I wouldn't do this for no reason, so he came to ask me why. I told him, 'If a son is uneducated, it's the father's fault.'"
He didn't take action against Huo Xiao, but he did something to her father. Huo Zhen would want to discipline Huo Xiao more than Huo Linsheng. And the reason why Huo Xiao came to look for Grandma Xun was probably because Huo Linsheng had just told Huo Zhen about this, and Huo Zhen probably hadn't even had time to figure out the situation.
This was indeed good news for Ling Nuan.
She was also a bit surprised.
"You..."
"When someone does something wrong, they have to pay the price." Huo Linsheng said.
Ling Nuan was a bit silent.
If everyone in the Huo family was as understanding as Huo Linsheng, how could they have raised a self - willed person like Huo Xiao?
"I'll ask her family to discipline her well. As for your grandma, I can arrange someone to take care of her to ensure her safety." Huo Linsheng promised again.
Ling Nuan was a bit touched.
He seemed to be a bit better than she had thought.
But the little bit of touch that had just welled up in her heart quickly disappeared.