"Someone 'accidentally' spilled coffee on President Shen," Li Nanxun said. Her tone was casual, but her emphasis on "accidentally" made it clear this was no mishap.
Song Qi Nian clutched the fresh clothes to her chest as she entered the room, her fingers fidgeting with the fabric. Li Nanxun closed the door behind her and walked away, her footsteps echoing down the hall.
The presidential suite was enormous, with several connecting rooms decorated in understated luxury. Song Qi Nian searched each one, but there was no sign of Shen Chi Yan. Then she heard it – the soft patter of running water coming from the bathroom. Her cheeks warmed at the realization that he was showering.
She stood frozen, uncertain what to do next. Should she just leave the clothes and slip out? Or should she knock and let him know she was here?
While she was still debating, Shen Chi Yan's voice cut through her thoughts, deep and smooth: "Come in!"
She blinked in surprise. How had he known she was there? Her footsteps had been nearly silent. Despite her confusion, her feet carried her toward the bathroom door as if pulled by an invisible thread.
With each step closer, her heart beat faster. Why would he ask her to come in while he was showering? Surely he didn't expect her to... to help him wash?
She reached the bathroom door on unsteady legs, her hand hovering uncertainly over the handle. Before she could even knock, the door swung open. In one fluid motion, Shen Chi Yan reached out and pulled her inside.
Song Qi Nian stumbled into his scorching embrace, the steam from the shower so thick she could barely see. The bathroom was like a sauna, and Shen Chi Yan's skin burned against hers – he must have had the water turned up as hot as it would go.
Before she could catch her breath, his lips crashed against hers, and her clothes fell away.
Once everything is over, she slumped against the bathroom floor, every muscle aching as if she'd run for miles. She could barely move, struggling to catch her breath as Shen Chi Yan walked out without a word. Looking down at herself, she saw the marks he'd left all over her body, like he was branding her as his.
They hadn't spoken once during the encounter. She couldn't have formed words if she'd tried, and he clearly had no interest in talking to her.
A bag landed with a thud on the bathroom floor. "You have three minutes to change into these clothes and come out," Shen Chi Yan ordered, his voice cold.
When she emerged, she found him by the floor-to-ceiling window, cigarette in hand, staring out at the city below. His expression was unreadable. She took a few hesitant steps toward him.
In one swift motion, he grabbed her neck and slammed her against the window. Eighteen floors up, the sudden vertigo made her stomach lurch. Her face went white as paper. She pressed her trembling hands against the glass, trying not to look down – she'd always been terrified of heights.
"Song Qi Nian," he said, his voice devoid of emotion, "tell me – if I pushed you from here, would you splatter on impact, or would you survive as a vegetable?"
His grip was iron-strong, murderous. She had no doubt he meant it. The same man who'd been so intimate with her moments ago now wanted her dead.
Terror gripped Song Qi Nian's chest, making her whole body shake. She could barely breathe. Shen Chi Yan's eyes glinted with cruel amusement as his lips curled into a smirk. When he finally released her, her legs gave out and she crumpled to the floor.
"Scared already?" He looked down at her with icy contempt. "Next time, try to be more convincing."
Song Qi Nian watched his back as he turned away from her.
"I'm attending a banquet later. You're coming with me." Before she could even recover from her fear, he picked up a tie and snapped at her. "What are you standing there for? Get up and tie this for me."
Song Qi Nian bit her lip and got to her feet, still unsteady. Her heart wouldn't stop racing, and her hands trembled no matter how hard she tried to keep them still. She took the tie from him and stretched up on her tiptoes.
The height difference was impossible – she was only 1.63 meters to his 1.88. Even straining upward, she couldn't reach properly around his neck. Shen Chi Yan made no move to help her, and she didn't dare ask him to bend down. She grabbed a nearby stool, but the moment she set it down, he kicked it away.
In one rough movement, he lifted her onto the desk. "Your height is already a miracle of human reproduction. Now hurry up. Waste my time, and you'll regret it."
The desk was high enough that she could finally reach his neck. She wrapped the tie around carefully, focusing on making the knot perfect. This close, she could smell his clean shower scent. Her cheeks burned as memories of the bathroom flooded back. She kept her eyes fixed on the tie, but she could feel his cold stare boring into her.
"Do you know who gave me this tie?" His breath brushed her ear, making her flush even deeper.
"This was Qiuqiu's gift for my eighteenth birthday ceremony."
Song Qi Nian's fingers faltered on the tie before forcing themselves to continue. Making her tie Lin Qiu Tong's gift felt like a deliberate wound.
"If it weren't for you, Qiuqiu would be the one tying this." Shen Chi Yan seized her chin, making her look up at him. His fingers traced her cheek with deceptive gentleness, but his words cut deep. "I only keep you around to satisfy my urges. Your parents are criminals, and so are you. Don't get any foolish ideas."
Song Qi Nian bit her lip hard as the color drained from her face. Don't get foolish ideas? But she already had – so what was she supposed to do now?
Something about her hurt expression made Shen Chi Yan's irritation spike. Watching her teeth dig into her full lower lip, his dark eyes grew dangerous, desire flaring up again. He shoved her chin away. "Does it really take this long to tie a simple tie?"
Song Qi Nian sped up. She'd actually spent hours practicing different tie knots when preparing to become a personal secretary, determined to be qualified for the job.
The moment she finished, Shen Chi Yan turned and walked out without a backward glance.
He'd said they were going to a banquet. It wasn't until they arrived that Song Qi Nian realized it was Lin Qiu Tong's father Lin Xing'an's fiftieth birthday celebration. No wonder Shen Chi Yan had chosen to wear Lin Qiu Tong's tie today.
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