After exchanging some words with Mu Jianyu, a.s.suring him he didn"t need to bother himself to take her home, Shen Zichen and Li Chuntao left the banquet at once. Outside, the same car that brought them to the venue was waiting for them. Shen Zichen allowed Li Chuntao to go inside first, fully aware of how Mu Jianyu was glaring daggers at his back, but he didn"t care at all. It was Li Chuntao who"d chosen him. He didn"t force her to take his side this time.
Once the car drove away, Shen Zichen removed the irritating tie from his neck and glanced at Li Chuntao only to see her busy looking outside.
"You know, Mu Jianyu is such a bad liar. Is he trying to fool me or himself?" She said as she continued to hide her face from him.
"I know but isn"t this your purpose for asking me to attend with you?" Shen Zichen pointed out. The only reason he was here with her was to anger Mu Jianyu with his presence.
Li Chuntao hummed in agreement but didn"t say anything. The drive back to the penthouse was silent as neither of them wanted to acknowledge the elephant in the room.
She still wasn"t sure why he"d kissed her but perhaps Shen Zichen only wanted to add fuel to the fire but how about the second kiss when no one was around to witness it?
The man in question wasn"t sure how to explain his actions to her. The desire to kiss her, to have her… none of these were present when Ying was around, not even when he"d seen her with Mu Jianyu.
So why the h.e.l.l was he so riled up when it was Li Chuntao being taken away by Mu Jianyu? Could it be that he was jealous?
Perhaps, he wasn"t aware of his attraction to Li Chuntao all this time? Or was he confused because she and Ying look the same? But if so, why didn"t he feel the same for Ying before?
Shen Zichen admitted that he was saddened when Ying married Mu Jianyu and wasn"t able to confess his feelings before that. He respected her choice and kept a safe distance, watching over her and Mu Jianyu as Li Chuntao had requested.
Seeing that the situation had now changed, he couldn"t keep his silence anymore. He admitted, only to himself that these unknown feelings he had for Li Chuntao were so strong that he felt a possessive streak clouding his rational mind.
Wasn"t he in love with Ying? Was this the reason Li Chuntao kept reminding him not to mistake her for her dead twin sister?
That makes sense to him. Li Chunato might have considered that this pretense would somehow confuse him. He couldn"t believe that she was able to think this far though, when he had failed to think about the possibility of it.
When the car stopped at the parking lot beneath the apartment building, Shen Zichen escorted her. Li Chuntao gathered her purse and stepped out of the car with Shen Zichen next to her.
Stealing glances her way, he couldn"t ignore the tension building between them.
Was it really ridiculous for him to feel this way for Li Chuntao? Shen Zichen was starting to question if he was really in love with Ying or he"d always felt this way for Chuntao.
Walking to the elevator that was exclusively for the Li twins, Li Chuntao pressed the b.u.t.ton to open its door. As soon as the door closed, Shen Zichen pinned her against the wall, catching her off guard, with her purse dropped on the floor.
Li Chuntao didn"t have enough time to react nor ask him what he wanted from her, as Shen Zichen had already grabbed the back of her thighs and lifted her up. She instinctively wrapped her arms around his shoulder, feeling his chest pressed against hers to brace her back against the elevator"s wall while her thighs wrapped around on his waist.
Their mouths met and Li Chuntao was shocked by the intensity of his kiss this time. It was demanding and fiery. The next thing she knew, he had slammed his lips to hers and nearly sucked all the air from her lungs.
Li Chuntao hardly had a moment to react before he pressed his tongue to the seam of her lips and, at her grant of access, delved inside her mouth. It was a very sloppy kiss with a strong alcohol scent being exchanged in the intermingling of their ragged breaths.
Her arms reached up and encircled his thick, strong neck. In an instant, she had pulled away and arched up towards his broad chest, moaning at the contact of body heat against her own, before she was drawn back to his lips.
She could nearly feel the slight burn of the alcohol, he might have drank earlier as it seemed to roll off her tongue and seeped down her throat with every push of his tongue against hers.
The elevator stopped and Shen Zichen refused to part with her and dragged them outside but pinned her again at the lobby"s wall, which lead to the front door of the penthouse.
Li Chuntao lost control of all thoughts. The sensation of Shen Zichen"s mouth and body pressed dangerously against her wasn"t making it easy for her to think straight.
As his mouth continued to pillage hers, her heartbeat increased so fast that the blood flowing in her veins sang of desire for him. For him to take her, to conquer her…
Their kiss grew more greedy, her mouth locking tighter. The heat flowing throughout her body began to grow as she felt his other hand slide through her cleavage, groping her right breast, it made her moan against his mouth.
They pulled apart and took shaky, shallow breaths. No words were spoken but both understood their need for each other. The swirls of emotion and desire Li Chuntao saw in his eyes made her wonder if she was seeing things.
"Young Master Shen, kissing me three times in a night. What are you up to?" She couldn"t help but ask his motive for this intimate encounter between them.
The corners of his lips curled up, his breath tickling the side of her neck as he peppered it with delicate kisses. He wondered if she was feeling the same as him.
"Isn"t it obvious, Miss Li? We"re having an affair. A love affair."
His fingers gently ran up and down her spine, coaxing s.h.i.+vers out of Li Chuntao. With her cheeks still blus.h.i.+ng, she looked up into his captivating dark eyes. He leaned down, resting his forehead against hers. She watched breathlessly as his eyes studied hers with silent intensity. His warm breath ghosted across her face.
"You better not regret this later," she told him.
Meanwhile, Hou Chen was observing the security footage in the security room where Su Ling usually stayed in when her eyes caught a movement from the camera that was installed near the front door.
Her jaws dropped as she saw two familiar people making out just outside the front door. She rubbed her eyes, wondering if she was hallucinating but it remained the same. There, just outside the penthouse was Young Master Shen making out with Miss Chuntao.