Long Time No See
Trapping her within a scorching embrace
Shen Man raised her head, looking toward the bar.
The delicate and fragile figure from her memory had grown much taller. The once fresh and innocent little face had become mature and glamorous. From between her exquisite brows and eyes emanated a cold indifference that kept people a thousand li away1, but it didn’t in the slightest diminish the noble pride of a thousand gold eldest miss2.
The Lin Shu of the past was like a rose in a greenhouse, so vivid it seemed about to drip3—pure and proud, carrying a muddled beauty.
Now, she was like a red lotus standing proud and solitary, looking down upon the world from high above.
Someone stood up, carrying a wine glass and approaching the bar.
Before she could speak, Lin Shu swept a cold glance her way.
That person’s heart went gedeng4, her feet turned on the spot, and she walked off to the side.
A faint hook appeared on Shen Man’s lips, and she stood up gracefully.
Watching this movement, Deng Zhen5 raised an eyebrow at Lin Shu. “Big beauty, President Shen is coming over. Seems like she’s looking for you.”
Hearing this, Lin Shu lowered her gaze, her long, slender, and pale fingers gripping the body of the glass tightly.
Her beautiful fingertips turned white, as if she were about to crush the wine glass.
A look of curiosity flashed in Deng Zhen’s eyes.
She looked up at Shen Man and said loudly with a smile, “President Shen, leaving so early?”
Hearing the teasing in her words, Shen Man slowly walked closer.
The expensive high heels made crisp da da sounds on the floor, like a rhythm blending into the music and conversation.
Lin Shu’s eyes were fixed on the deep red color in her glass, all her senses concentrated on her hearing.
That da da sound, one after another, was like a knocking on her heart, disrupting its beat.
The red wine in the glass swirled lightly, creating dizzying and mesmerizing ripples, much like her mood at this moment.
Shen Man stopped, standing before the bar.
Her gaze went straight to Deng Zhen as she said with a light laugh, “Another drink. I seem to recall there’s a type of alcohol called ‘Long Time No See’.”
“‘Long Time No See, and Even Missed’.” Deng Zhen raised an eyebrow, her gaze shifting between the two of them.
Shen Man’s heart seized, but she maintained the smile on her face and said nothing.
Lin Shu’s eyes flickered slightly, and she tilted her head back to down the wine in her glass.
She drank very quickly, and after finishing, she tossed the glass onto the table.
Hearing the ding sound, Shen Man turned to look, reaching out two slender fingers to steady the glass.
She passed it to Deng Zhen and sat down, saying, “Use this glass.”
Deng Zhen gave a knowing little laugh and looked at Lin Shu. “This glass has been used by someone, it might affect the taste.”
“Does President Shen mind?” she said, her eyes looking at Shen Man with an ambiguous meaning.
Shen Man’s lips hooked, and a low laugh escaped from her throat.
Her fingers tapped lightly on the tabletop, the vibrating sensation transmitting to Lin Shu’s fingertips.
Lin Shu raised a hand, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear.
A faint, fresh fragrance wafted over from her side, familiar yet strange.
She turned her head, the corners of her lips rising into a bright and dazzling smile. “Shen Man, long time no see.”
“Long time no see, Shushu.” Shen Man smiled lightly, her eyes and brows as gentle as ever. “I thought we would never see each other again in this lifetime.”
She lowered her voice, the breath that escaped her lips was sexy and alluring.
Looking at the stunningly beautiful face just inches away, Lin Shu’s heart skipped a beat.
She secretly tightened her fingers and said faintly, “This drink is my treat.”
“Thank you.” Shen Man chuckled, her cool and detached expression was like light clouds and a gentle breeze6.
Lin Shu’s eyes turned cold, her meticulously manicured nails nearly digging into her flesh.
Deng Zhen finished mixing the drink and passed it to Shen Man.
Looking at the two of them, she said in a low voice, “There are rooms on the second floor. President Shen is reuniting with an old friend, you must want to find a quiet place to catch up.” After speaking, she took out a room key card.
Shen Man accepted the key card with a natural expression and stood up to walk toward the second floor.
Lin Shu didn’t move.
Her eyes, like cold stars, stared at Deng Zhen as she mocked coldly, “You all are really practiced at this. Shen Man must have paid for quite a few rooms here.”
Hearing the hidden anger and jealousy in her words, Deng Zhen deliberately sighed.
Seeing Lin Shu frowning and staring at her, she said leisurely, “President Shen is very stingy. This is the first time she’s been willing to pay for a room.”
A trace of joy flashed in Lin Shu’s heart.
She suppressed the corners of her lips, which were about to curl up, let out a cold snort, and stood up.
“Second floor, 205,” Deng Zhen said with a smile.
A faint blush appeared on Lin Shu’s little face. She pressed her lips together tightly, walking toward the second floor with a serious expression.
The departure of the two took most of the liveliness of the bar with them.
A woman walked over, shot Deng Zhen a flirtatious look, and asked curiously, “Who was that big beauty just now? To actually make President Shen stay.”
Deng Zhen shrugged. “I don’t know either.”
The woman knew she was unwilling to say, so she glared coquettishly and said plaintively, “No wonder President Shen only drinks. With such a peerless beauty around, of course she wouldn’t look at anyone else.”
“As long as you know.” Deng Zhen said with a smile, winking charmingly and whispering, “A woman like President Shen, whose body and mind are one7, is truly a rare sight.”
The woman let out a puchi8 of a laugh, her eyes full of disbelief. “President Shen looks like the cold and abstinent type, but she doesn’t give off the vibe of someone who can’t play around. With her status and looks, there are more than enough people throwing themselves into her arms9. How could she possibly hold back?”
“If you have doubts, why don’t you go ask her yourself?” Deng Zhen raised an eyebrow.
The woman shook her head hastily. “I wouldn’t dare.”
As they spoke, they looked at each other and smiled, a shared curiosity in their eyes.
Shen Man stood before the mirror in the room, staring fixedly at the face that had been settled by time into something even more mature and coolly detached.
The corners of the mouth of the person in the mirror were raised, and her usually serious brows and eyes were relaxed, as if she had encountered something worthy of extreme joy.
She tried to press down the corners of her lips, to reveal a cold expression.
But the severe and cold features she maintained at work were relaxing uncontrollably, the corners of her eyes and brows revealing a faint hint of a smile.
A knock suddenly sounded on the door.
It knocked only once, then stopped.
Shen Man knew that the person she hadn’t seen in three years was, at this moment, standing right outside the door.
And the meaning of getting a room was self-evident.
Her heart began to beat uncontrollably fast, the blood in her whole body turning scalding hot, rushing against the nerves in her brain.
Shen Man took a deep breath, suppressing the surging excitement in her heart.
She steadied her steps and slowly walked toward the door.
The door was opened.
Lin Shu’s vision went black. Before she could even see the room’s layout, an overwhelming force on her arm pulled her inside.
A fresh, fragrant scent instantly enveloped her, and a tall figure trapped her within a scorching embrace.
The moment she entered, her soft lips were savagely plundered.
After a moment of stunned shock, Lin Shu’s dark vision gradually reflected that familiar yet strange face.
She let out a soft sneer, her snow-white, shell-like teeth biting down hard on those warm, soft lips. Her voice was soft as she mocked, “In such a hurry?”
Shen Man felt a sharp pain on her lip and stopped, her deep, dark eyes gazing at the hazy figure before her.
Even though she couldn’t see clearly, that delicate, proud little face was already carved into her heart.
“Shushu…” Shen Man called out the name, her voice slightly hoarse. She leaned down and once again captured those red lips.
“Mm…” Lin Shu let out a soft cry, a pair of soft, pale jade arms slowly wrapping around Shen Man’s neck.
She closed her eyes, her red lips slightly parted.
Shen Man’s kisses grew more urgent.
One hand wrapped around the beauty’s slender waist, the other pressed against her lovely neck, as if imprisoning her, forbidding any escape.
The temperature in the room gradually rose.
Lin Shu licked the moisture from her lips, her slender waist swaying lightly.
She leaned against Shen Man as if she had no bones, and said with breath like an orchid10, “Let’s go to the bed.”
Just four short words, her voice extremely soft, yet it carried a high-and-mighty posture. It was like a flame, teasing Shen Man’s reason, scorching every inch of her skin.
A low, hoarse laugh escaped Shen Man’s throat. She lifted Lin Shu’s soft body and placed her gently on the bed.
She covered her, and their four eyes met.
Within two distinctly different pairs of eyes was the same scorching heat and urgency.
Shen Man could clearly feel that the beauty in her arms had blossomed from a bud waiting to bloom11 into her most beautiful form.
The freshness and muddled innocence of the past were gone. Her soft body had become proactive, and those eyes, with a coldness in their depths, seemed to want to control everything.
The delicate, fresh little beauty had grown into a glamorous, mature big beauty, becoming ever more beautiful and enchanting.
Making one unable to resist sinking into depravity.
Shen Man turned on the light.
The glaring light illuminated everything in the room.
Lin Shu subconsciously raised her fingers to shield her eyes.
Through the gaps between her fingers, she saw distinct red marks imprinted on Shen Man’s exposed skin.
They were extremely obvious against the snow-white expanse, and some spots even had traces of blood.
She looked down at her own fingernails.
There were faint traces of blood on the index and middle fingers of her right hand, almost invisible if one didn’t look closely.
“Shushu, drink some water.” Shen Man poured a glass of water and placed it on the bedside cabinet.
Lin Shu lowered her hand and took the water with a cold face, her eyes unconsciously glancing at Shen Man’s body.
“I’m going to shower first,” Shen Man said softly, her eyes and brows gentle.
Her familiar and natural posture was just like before, but everything was already different.
The bathroom door was closed.
Lin Shu sat up from the bed. Looking down at the crimson marks on her body, she couldn’t help but blush.
She paused for a moment, her expression turning cold, and picked up the dress from the side of the bed to put it on.
The sound of high heels echoed in the room.
Immediately followed by a pa sound, as the door was forcefully shut.
Standing in the bathroom, Shen Man clearly heard the sounds from outside.
She let out a soft laugh, leisurely and contentedly cleaning her body.
The warm water flowed down her delicate collarbones, and a very faint pain bloomed on her chest.
Shen Man clearly remembered that these were the marks Lin Shu had uncontrollably left on her when she was moved by passion.
She hadn’t held back either, and had likewise left her own marks on Lin Shu’s body.
Now that Lin Shu had gone out wearing an off-the-shoulder dress like that, anyone could tell at a glance what she had just experienced.
The corners of Shen Man’s lips rose, her mood becoming joyful.
After her shower, she opened the door. Her gaze fell upon the bed, and her eyes narrowed slightly.
An off-the-shoulder dress lay forlornly on the corner of the bed, looking as if it might slide off at any moment.
And the clothes that should have belonged to her were already gone.
Shen Man laughed in spite of herself.
She walked to the bedside and folded Lin Shu’s dress neatly.
She picked up her phone, wanting to call Lin Shu, only to realize she had forgotten to ask for her new number.
Shen Man rubbed her brow and dialed her secretary’s number. “Wen Lan, help me buy a long dress. It needs to have sleeves, and the higher the collar, the better. Have it delivered to the second floor of the Tianxin Bar12.”
“Yes, President Shen. I will be there within half an hour,” Wen Lan said seriously.
She understood the meaning behind Shen Man’s words and was curious about the woman who could make President Shen get a room, but she was tactful enough not to ask.
Shen Man waited for twenty-five minutes before the door was knocked.
She opened it to see Wen Lan standing outside, holding a brand-new designer dress.
“President Shen, here are the clothes you requested,” Wen Lan said with her head lowered, handing over the bag with both hands.
Shen Man took the bag, a faint smile on her coolly detached face. “Wait for me outside for five minutes.”
“Yes, President Shen.” A trace of surprise flashed through Wen Lan’s heart, but she didn’t show it.
Shen Man changed her clothes and opened the door.
Wen Lan entered the room, her eyes unable to help glancing at the bed.
Everything in the room was neat and tidy, except for the multiple creased areas on the bedsheet, like marks left by fingers that had been gripping it tightly.
The air still seemed to carry an aura that would make one’s face flush and heart race.
Wen Lan quickly averted her gaze, lowered her eyes, and stood ramrod straight to the side.
Seeing Wen Lan’s tense posture, Shen Man knew this secretary had figured everything out.
Twenty-five minutes was enough time for her to clean up all the traces.
But she hadn’t. She had only tidied up simply.
“Wen Lan, help me investigate someone,” Shen Man said, her voice low, a relaxed smile between her brows.
“Please speak, President Shen,” Wen Lan said respectfully.
“Lin Shu, the thousand pieces of gold13 of the Lin Corporation. I want her information from the last three years.” Shen Man let out a long breath, leaning back comfortably against the headboard.
Within those deep, shrewd eyes was an interested confidence, like that of a hunter devising strategies within a command tent14.
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