Xue Guangli walked alongside Long Huojin and went back into the main hall, their expressions hard and reserved, unbothered by the glances of those around them.
Voices arose around them.
Long Huojin approached a man who worked for an internet and telecommunications company, not too far from the banquet. "h.e.l.lo, Mr. Liang," Long Huojin greeted the president, a young man in his early thirties.
Mr. Liang greeted him and gazed at Xue Guangli considerably; he had a reputation for being promiscuous, she knew.
Xue Guangli offered him a flattering smile, doing anything to get information from him.
Mr. Liang then shot his attention towards Long Huojin again. "What can I do for you, Mr. Long?"
"I need to make an exchange with you, if you don"t mind," Long Huojin began. "I would like the information in regards to certain correspondences of Xue Gao."
Mr. Liang smiled, "I"m afraid those records are confidential, Mr. Long. The courts owned and sealed those records."
Long Huojin smiled back. But he leaned and whispered, "Mr. Liang, may I remind you that I own a tech company, and according to my reports, you have been using your connections to spy on some of the elite men, and blackmailing them into making some forced investments. I was also a target, but I don"t answer to empty threats," he paused. "Do I stand corrected?"
The president paled. "Mr. Long, I wouldn"t dare—"
"And yet, you attempted. Didn"t you?" Long Huojin snapped coolly.
Mr. Liang tried to smile, but it died.
"Why don"t we resolve the issues?" Long Huojin suggested.
Mr. Liang nodded. "Your reputation proceeds you; I will contact you in that regards," he said.
Long Huojin then straightened out his collar and said, "We"ll keep in touch," before locking arms with Xue Guangli again to entertain themselves.
Xue Guangli walked dazed beside him as he led her to a bar on the third floor, where it was quieter.
Some people were kissing pa.s.sionately against the walls of the halls, but they kept walking pa.s.sed them.
They both sat on stools by the bar, and Long Huojin ordered them soft drinks.
Xue Guangli sipped on her drink, glad of how cold and refres.h.i.+ng it was.
Long Huojin noticed that Xue Guangli didn"t speak. Was it because she saw him act the way he did?
He figured that he should ask. "Thought for a thought?"
Xue Guangli looked up at him and nodded. She released a breath as if she was ready to give him a blow. He prepared for it.
"What you did to Mr. Liang...I thought it was so cool." She began to beam; her eyes glistened softly. "I mean, the fact that you were planning to do something with his company, but instead, you boldly threatened him for the sake of the case." She then smiled with a hint of a blush. "Thank you," she added, genuinely.
Long Huojin"s eyes widened. He blushed helplessly while Xue Guangli looked at him innocently.
"What"s your thoughts?" she said while sipping on more of her drink.
Long Huojin rested his head on the table as he looked at her with a smile.
"I think...that we should go play some darts," he said before grasping her hand and taking her to another area.
"Hey, no fair!" she said.
Long Huojin had asked the staff to not let anyone into the games room and paid them without Xue Guangli noticing. She gazed around the room, astonished.
Xue Guangli practically beamed. There was a pool table, a game of darts, and pinball machines.
Long Huojin had picked up a few darts and threw them accurately towards his targets, he then picked them off the board and pa.s.sed them along to her. She had never played before, but when she threw them, it felt exhilarating.
Xue Guangli began to pick up the pace, but inevitably, Long Huojin won, though she came close.
Soon after, Long Huojin taught her how to play pool, which seemed to be tougher than all the others. She had to place her forefinger a certain way around the cue, and her elbow had to be angled out. Long Huojin hovered behind her, making sure she positioned herself accurately.
As the game progressed, she began to get better. Long Huojin began to drink a lot more, as she had, too.
They played with the pinball machines, and she felt youthful again, the feeling of compet.i.tion, good compet.i.tion at that. Xue Guangli caught herself smiling broadly, and suddenly those encounters she had before with w.a.n.g Weimin and Zi Yingtai, felt far away.
When Long Huojin began to sway, Xue Guangli kept giggling helping him towards the couch, but she accidentally, tripped over him and they both fell on the soft cus.h.i.+ons.
Xue Guangli was on top of him, but her limbs felt heavy, so she stayed put.
Long Huojin reached out and planted a hand on her cheek, caressing it. Dazed and drunk, Xue Guangli stared into his eyes, his cruel eyes. It"s the irises and hues of blue and grey that she gets lost into. She wondered how many women lose themselves over his beauty?
They were close that she could see the slow flutter of his eyelashes, the way he looked at her with focus and want. His eyes lidded slowly, but they remained on her. She s.h.i.+fted on him, and he bit his lip, biting down his desire. Xue Guangli flushed at how tortured he looked.
He then looked at her eyes, blue meeting brown. His black hair tousled, and she pushed the strands away to get a better look at him; he grasped her wrist gently when she did. "I want you," he said with a dry throat.
Xue Guangli"s eyes widened. What?
But she could see the desire in his eyes and the way his supple lips enticed her. Xue Guangli always wanted to know what it feels like to kiss him, even before she dated w.a.n.g Weimin...
"Can I kiss you?" she asked him.
Long Huojin"s throat dried. "Why?" he asked desperately.
"I want to know what it feels like to taste Long Huojin," she said, gazing at his lips.
He did not tear his eyes away from her. "If you"re asking, then I"m willing," he responded.
Xue Guangli smiled, and she pushed him down further, capturing his lips.
Long Huojin"s body stretched beneath her; he opened his mouth, and they both clashed. Never in his life did he expect Xue Guangli to mount him, to conquer; she had grown bolder.
She leaned in closer, pressed against him. Long Huojin didn"t close his eyes, as he watched her kiss him shyly. But he took her head in his hand, deepening it, trapping her tongue with his. She made a sound that made him s.h.i.+ver with desire.
They both kissed each other, hungrily, hastily. Long Huojin matched her pace, locking, tightening. Xue Guangli ground against his body, and suddenly, her mind felt dazed with pa.s.sion. She had never felt like this before, ever.
They began to roam their hands around when Xue Guangli heard the phone ring, she broke apart from him and answered. It was Yin Shou.
"Where are you guys?" he asked.
Breathlessly, Xue Guangli answered, "the third floor."
She hung up the call and realized that she was still catching her breath while Long Huojin was panting.
She couldn"t believe what she had done. She kissed him?
She back away from him and said, "Thank you, that was worth knowing."
Yin Shou arrived shortly after, and looked at the two of them; his cheeks heated after realizing what they may have done, or what they could have kept doing. He realized he was the world"s greatest c.o.c.k-blocker.
He then walked with him down the stairs and drove them home.
Xue Guangli went straight to her room, slumped. She reached up to her lips and touched them.
It was just a kiss, she thought. But why did it excite her?