Hong Kong Nights of Passion

Chapter 12, the second trip.
The bathroom suddenly fell silent; even the air seemed to freeze.

The oppressive aura emanating from the man and the sound of his breathing became increasingly clear. Wen Jinnian stiffened and pushed him again, causing his suit jacket to rip open.

She took a step back, and the next second, her back was pressed against the cold tile wall. When she looked up, she was met with Chi Yige's smiling face.

Chi Yige's lips curled up, revealing a dimple on his right cheek so deep it could drown a person.

She quietly looked away, but still said sincerely, "Thank you!"

Chi Yige chuckled softly, the muffled sound of his chest vibrating particularly clear in the quiet bathroom.

He slowly straightened his slightly disheveled suit, just as he was about to utter a word, when the bathroom door was suddenly kicked open.

An angry female voice, accompanied by the static of the speakerphone, rang out: "Fan Jian, why did it take you so long to answer the phone?"

"I'm in the restroom!"

Fan Jian retorted impatiently.

"I got splashed with water in the bathroom, and my phone is almost out of battery. Can you bring me some clothes?"

"What? You fell into the toilet?"

"Fan—Jian!" Fan Tong's furious cursing echoed in the bathroom.

Wen Jinnian was standing by the sink when she saw Fan Jian striding towards her with his phone in hand. In a panic, she grabbed Chi Yige's wrist and stumbled into the nearest stall.

With a "thud," the cubicle door slammed shut on the latch.

Fan Jian turned around abruptly upon hearing the sound, hesitated for a moment, and finally muttered, "Did someone just come in?"

Then came the rapid sound of zippers and the noise of water hitting the ceramic basin.

Wen Jinian pressed herself against the cold partition, while Chi Yige's breath was hot beside her, his smiling gaze practically glued to her face, forcing her to look away in a panic.

The embarrassment of being stared at closely is more disorienting than being trapped in a narrow space.

Chi Yige reached out and covered her ears with both hands, and the surroundings instantly fell silent.

She looked up and met the other person's gentle, comforting gaze.

His eyes were beautiful, or rather, they were incredibly expressive and almost magical.

After an unknown amount of time, Chi Yige moved his hand away, and Wen Jinnian coughed lightly: "Um, excuse me!"

"This is the second trip."

Wen Jinnian didn't react for a moment, then heard Chi Yige speak again.

"I hope that next time Wen's thank you will be more substantial."

Chi Yige gave a sly smile.

Just as Wen Jinian was about to roll her eyes and retort, the phone rang.

It was Fu Yiyi calling.

After the call connected, the other end said anxiously, "Niannian, where did you go? We're waiting for you in the lobby."

"I... I have a stomachache, it'll be over soon." After saying a few perfunctory words, Wen Jinnian hung up the phone, pushed open the door of the cubicle and walked out, with Chi Yige following behind her at a leisurely pace.

He raised his eyes and saw the woman in front of him carefully open the door a crack. After confirming that no one was outside, she immediately darted out like a startled rabbit.

Chi Yige couldn't help but chuckle as he watched her walk into the outer room, then let out a long sigh of relief.

As soon as Wen Jinian sat down, she looked up and saw Fan Tong in front of her, wearing an oversized men's suit, her wet hair haphazardly hanging over her forehead, and her once exquisite makeup ruined. She suppressed a laugh, picked up her teacup, and took a sip.

At this moment, Jiang Beisen was whispering something to Fu Yiyi. After a while, he thanked her for the gift she had prepared and walked towards the entrance of the Peninsula Hotel.

Following Fu Yiyi's lingering gaze, Wen Jinnian glanced back at Jiang Beisen's retreating figure and teased, "What exactly is this between you two? More than friends, but not quite lovers?"

"How can Niannian compare to you! We are the real deal, not quite lovers yet."

Fu Yiyi's coquettish tone trailed off, making Wen Jinnian burst out laughing.

Seeing Fu Yiyi suddenly frown and look troubled, Wen Jinnian asked curiously, "What's wrong?"

"I have a little surprise to tell you. If my brother were willing to invest in my studio, it would definitely be a sure thing to make a profit."

Fu Yiyi bit her lip, her eyes filled with trepidation, "But now... I'm afraid of my brother, and there's only a 50% chance I can convince him."

Wen Jinian raised an eyebrow, "There's someone else you're afraid of?"

“Yes, he is cold-blooded and ruthless, and his word is his bond.” Fu Yiyi rattled off a list of his accusations, while Wen Jinnian was a little curious about what kind of person he was.

Just as Wen Jinian was about to speak, Fu Yiyi's cell phone, which was on the table, suddenly rang.

Wen Jinnian noticed that her expression changed instantly. Then, Fu Yiyi shushed her and whispered, "Don't mention it. It's like speaking of the devil and he appears."

Wen Jinnian couldn't help but nod, finding the coincidence quite amusing.

Fu Yiyi quickly picked up her phone, took a deep breath before answering, and tried to appear calm: "Brother, how did you know? Yes, we were having afternoon tea."

Wen Jinnian noticed Fu Yiyi's expression change again, and then she said, "Really, brother? Weren't you worried that my studio wouldn't be able to open?"

"Of course I'm with my best friend. You never asked me about this before. I just found a helper; she's really good at drawing."

It was unclear what was being said on the other end of the phone, but all that could be heard was Fu Yiyi showering the other person with compliments, praising them to the point of being unparalleled.

This was completely different from what she had said earlier, when she had launched into a tirade against her brother in front of them.

Wen Jinnian smiled slightly and lowered her head to eat the snack in front of her.

The call lasted less than three minutes before Fu Yiyi hung up, her eyes lighting up with excitement. "Niannian, my brother is willing to invest in me! He's investing 500 million upfront, and it's in RMB!"

"Yes, that's definitely good news, congratulations."

The two clinked their teacups together as if they were drinking wine.

“So,” Fu Yiyi changed the subject.

"Niannian, you have to help me. With your painting skills, we can definitely work together and be invincible."

Wen Jinnian, unable to resist her pestering, could only reply, "Okay, after the Qingming Festival, I'll go and take a look at the training venue you chose."

At this moment, Fan Tong, who was not far away, watched the two of them chatting enthusiastically, her eyes full of malice, staring straight at Wen Jin Nian.

Wen Jinian actually noticed the unfriendly gaze, but she didn't want to ruin her good mood because of such a person, so she didn't take her seriously at all.

The two had finished their conversation and prepared to get up and leave.

Unexpectedly, just as they reached the door, Fan Tong and the others followed them out.

Fan Tong took a step forward, staring directly at Wen Jinnian, and demanded aggressively, "Was it you?"

(End of this chapter)