Fatal Desire

Chapter 154 I Won't Let You Choose One of Two
As the deep night receded, the first rays of sunlight silently peeked through the gaps in the clouds, and the moment the first pale gold appeared, dawn broke.

Song Xi woke up groggily, still half-asleep, her voice slightly nasal: "Brother?"

Zhao Yansen hummed in agreement, gently stroking her face, his voice hoarse and magnetic: "Sleep a little longer."

Song Xi closed her eyes, snuggled closer to his chest like a little animal, and mumbled, "You're in my room... what if we find out?"

Zhao Yansen understood her concerns, pulled her into his arms, and said gently:
"I won't give you a choice between two options."

He knew how much Song Yunyu meant to Song Xi.

After her parents passed away, her aunt gave up many things to take care of her.

For Song Xi, Song Yunyu was a blood relative and the warmest harbor; she would never betray her aunt.

Song Xi suddenly opened her eyes, reached out and hugged Zhao Yansen's neck, her fluffy head gently nuzzling against his neck:
"Brother, how can you be so kind?"

She tilted her head up, pressed her cheek against the man's face, and said coquettishly, "I like you so much, I like you so much, darling."

After saying that, she leaned in and kissed his lips, like a woodpecker that gets up early to find food.

Zhao Yansen couldn't help but chuckle, cupped her fair face in his large hands, and placed a kiss on her forehead.

For some reason, some images from last night surfaced in Song Xi's mind. He slapped her buttocks again and again, his lust palpable.

She felt shy and buried her head in Zhao Yansen's chest, inhaling his cool and pleasant scent. After a moment, she looked up, blinked, and asked:

"Was my brother jealous yesterday?"

Zhao Yansen raised an eyebrow slightly: "Why would I be jealous?"

"They're jealous of me and Gu Beixiao."

Song Xi's dark eyes darted around, her thoughts wandering. "Why does the word 'jealousy' have the 'woman' radical?" she asked, pursing her lips. "I don't like it."

Zhao Yansen smiled and curled his lips.

Song Xi is very emotional, and she doesn't watch her words when she's around her elders, often saying sweet nothings. One day she'll be clinging to her grandmother's arm and acting all cute, the next she'll be hugging her aunt and snuggling up to her Samoyed, saying how adorable it is...

Every time Song Yunyu reminded her not to act like a spoiled young lady at the company, she would retort confidently: "It's too tiring to act the same way at home as outside."

“Brother.” Song Xi lifted her chin from Zhao Yansen’s arms, her eyes slightly dazed, similar to her shouting last night.

"Ok?"

"If it were my aunt and the others—"

Song Xi paused, as if considering his words.

"No." Zhao Yansen knew what she meant. "You just need to stay by my side and don't need to worry about anything."

“Okay,” Song Xi replied obediently.

He was seven years older than her; he was her lover and also her elder.

Unlike Gu Beixiao, who had no familial connection with his elders.

Their bodies and souls were intertwined like a spiral, inseparable. She could trust him completely, just as she had relied on him for the past fifteen years.

I slept half an hour longer than usual.

After Zhao Yansen finished dressing, Song Xi slowly sat up, yawning sleepily without saying a word.

Zhao Yansen pinched her chin with his long fingers and rubbed her eyes and cheeks, saying, "Eat breakfast and then go back to sleep."

Song Xi shook her head: "I have to go to the company."

"The little princess has turned into a workaholic," Zhao Yansen commented.

Song Xi pressed on, forcing the camera to start: "I promised to take care of you in your old age, so I can't just slack off!"

Zhao Yansen chuckled softly, bent down, and helped her put on her slippers: "Didn't I refuse?"

Song Xi: "I didn't refuse, you're mistaken."

Zhao Yansen didn't refute her, but took her hand and pulled her up: "Go wash up."

"Okay, see you at the restaurant then, brother." Song Xi slipped into the bathroom like a little rabbit, wearing slippers.

Half an hour later, Zhao Yansen and Song Xi arrived at the restaurant one after the other to have breakfast.

Their seats have been next to each other for many years, at a distance that is neither too close nor too far.

Song Yunyu glanced at her well-behaved niece, then at the man beside her, a hint of suspicion creeping into her mind.

When did you get back? Last night? Or this morning?

Yesterday was Xixi's birthday, but he unusually didn't show up.

As Song Yunyu was pondering, she heard Song Xi say, "Auntie, the company will be busy next week, but I will try my best to come back."

"Don't overwork yourself, you're too busy with work." Song Yunyu always said the same thing: health is more important than work.

Song Xi agreed and asked expectantly, "Can I skip taking the medicine?"

Song Yunyu: "I'll have someone come and brew the medicine for you."

It means "no".

Song Xi could only lower her head and slowly sip the bitter medicine soup with a spoon. After breakfast, Zhao Yansen had to leave first. Song Xi wasn't in a hurry to go to the company and played chess with Zhao Chengyou in the living room with great interest.

She was relaxed, and even when Zhao Chengyou was struggling with what to do next, she could still find time to browse her phone.

Zhao Chengyou, mature beyond his years, sat upright and reminded her, "Sister Axi, please respect your opponent."

“Brother Chengyou, please respect your older sister,” Song Xi mimicked him.

"Respect what?" Zhao Chengyou picked up a black chess piece and asked.

Song Xi replied without batting an eye: "I respect my freedom to take a break and play on my phone."

Zhao Chengyou: "..."

Seeing this, Song Yunyu couldn't help but laugh and said, "How old are you? Still acting like a child."

Zhao Chengyou disagreed: "I'm already eleven years old, not a child anymore."

Song Xi readily accepted: "I'm a child, you can be naughty with me."

Watching the heartwarming scene of the siblings playing chess, Song Yunyu felt as if her heart was filled with warmth, like a fountain gushing forth to nourish her entire being.

The antique clock hanging on the wall pointed to ten o'clock. Song Xi said goodbye to her aunt and brother and got into the car to go to the company.

Busy days flew by, and the project between Morningside and China-Switzerland was progressing smoothly. The online uproar caused by the bombing incident had increased Morningside's exposure to some extent, and the company's reputation was rising.

On Thursday evening at seven o'clock, Song Xi was still engrossed in her work in the lab until the phone rang.

"Not over yet?" came a deep male voice from the other end of the phone.

Song Xi then glanced at the time: "Ah, I'll be right out."

These days, Zhao Yansen has been picking her up from get off work to take her back to her little apartment in Xiziwan, and today was no exception.

Song Xi sat in the passenger seat, her eyes and brows radiating genuine joy.

Zhao Yansen looked her over: "So happy today?"

"The project has made a breakthrough." Song Xi fastened his seatbelt. "Good news always puts me in a good mood."

Zhang Ma would deliver medicinal meals to Song Xi every day and also cook a meal, so Song Xi would usually eat dinner at her apartment.

As for whether he was worried about Zhang Ma complaining, he wasn't worried at all. When Zhao Yansen arrived, Zhang Ma had already left.

While waiting at a red light, Zhao Yansen held the steering wheel with one hand, the veins on his arm winding like distant mountains, brimming with immeasurable power.

His sharp eyes swept across the rearview mirror, his expression calm.

The car drove into Xizi Bay, but stopped in front of an apartment building.

"Aren't you going to drive into the underground parking garage?" Song Xi turned her head in confusion.

The car window rolled down silently.

Zhao Yansen leaned closer, his warm hand cradling the back of her neck, and lightly kissed her lips: "You go up first, I'll be there in a bit."

I suspect something important has happened.

Song Xi nodded: "Okay."

She pushed open the car door, got out, and walked gracefully up the steps.

Zhao Yansen's eyes followed her every step.

Song Xi suddenly turned around and came into the man's view. She put her right hand to her lips and made a kissing gesture, then winked playfully.

Zhao Yansen's lips curled into a slight smile.

Inside the Bentley not far away, Song Yunyu's complex expression was reflected in the car window. She took in the whole scene, but her lips were tightly pressed together.

They actually...!
Some people questioned, "Song Xi doesn't need Zhao Yansen to admit that he loves her, so why is she still so concerned about whether he loves her or not?"

The answers are all written in the text, but I will summarize them here again.

There is no causal relationship between them, and they cannot be viewed in the context of ordinary male-female relationships.

1. Their relationship is complicated and not simply love.

2. What truly broke her down was not that he didn't love her (it was that she herself destroyed the bond between them) (it's okay if he doesn't love her, but he has to keep her by his side).

3. She harbored resentment; the lack of love was merely the trigger. The deeper reason was his denial of everything she had for him (he didn't believe her and remained unmoved by her pleas). [On the surface, it seems like it was because of love, but in reality, the bridge connecting them had broken.]

In conclusion: Xixi's dilemma about whether she loves him or not is a separate issue from whether she forgives him.

There is something more important between the two than love.

[I think that's clear enough. If anything is still unclear, please point it out.]
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P.S.: Also, please do not mention other works here, and especially do not mention this book in other works.

The protagonists in each book have different environments, experiences, personalities, and styles of doing things. The core ideas/content expressed in each book are also different.

You are welcome to offer suggestions and express your opinions, but please do not use the behavior of the male and female protagonists in other novels to judge this book. Thank you.

Of course, if you don't like the female lead, you can just give up!

Mutual respect, thank you.