The antique girlfriend of a chaebol heir

"The chopsticks at this hot pot restaurant... aren't very good quality."

After a long while, Yin Kuo finally managed to squeeze out a dry sentence.

Ignoring the probing gazes of those around him, Jiang Duo slowly pulled out a tissue to wipe his hands, then picked up his phone from the table and said in a calm tone, "You guys eat first. It's a bit noisy in here. I'm going upstairs to make a call."

After saying that, he got up and left, his tall figure quickly disappearing around the corner of the stairs.

A moment later, Shen Ci's phone, which was on the table, vibrated slightly.

She picked up her phone, and a WeChat message popped up on the screen.

The message contained only three words—

"Come to the second floor."

Shen Ci stared at those three words, her fingertips pausing slightly.

She put down her phone, turned to her roommates, and whispered, "My stomach is a little upset, I'm going to the bathroom."

"Go ahead, go ahead, do you want me to come with you?" Li Yueran asked with concern.

"No need, I'll be back soon." Shen Ci smiled, got up and walked towards the stairs.

The second floor was much quieter than the first floor, and the lights were also much dimmer.

As Shen Ci walked up the steps, before she could even get a good look at her surroundings, a hand suddenly reached out from the shadows and grabbed her wrist.

The force wasn't heavy, but it carried an overwhelming power that left no room for escape.

She was pulled into a private room next door, and the moment her back hit the door, she heard a soft "click" behind her—the door was locked.

The lights in the private room were off, with only light coming in from the window.

Shen Ci's heart suddenly raced. She turned around and looked at the silhouette of the man in front of her.

"...Jiang Duo." She called out his name tremulously, her voice as light as a feather.

Jiang Duo remained silent.

He lowered his head slightly, his gaze fixed intently on her face, as if scrutinizing her or confirming something.

After a moment, he spoke slowly, his voice low and slightly hoarse:

"What's wrong?" His voice was low, as if it resonated from his chest, with a dangerous huskiness, "Don't you recognize me?"

He leaned slightly forward, his eyes unfathomable, like two ancient wells frozen solid, their surfaces calm and still, yet burning with a hidden fire beneath.

"Why don't you call me 'senior' anymore?"

Shen Ci's back was pressed tightly against the cool wooden door, with nowhere left to retreat.

Jiang Duo's tall figure then loomed over her, completely enveloping her in shadow.

His warm breath fell on her face without reservation, carrying an extremely aggressive sense of pressure.

Shen Ci turned her head away involuntarily, trying to avoid the suffocating closeness, and whispered, "My roommates were here just now, I don't want them to know about our relationship."

Hearing this, Jiang Duo almost laughed out of anger.

A dark emotion welled up in his eyes as he coldly said, "You were afraid your father would find out about our relationship before, and now you're even trying to hide it from your roommates. What, am I that shameful?"

As he spoke, he reached out, his cool fingertips pinching her chin, forcefully turning her face towards him and forcing her to look directly into his eyes.

"You were the one who begged me to be your boyfriend, and now you're starting to look down on me?" His voice was low and laced with a hint of gritted teeth.

Shen Ci's two arms were easily pinned together by him with one hand, pressed firmly against the door panel, and he could not move.

She could clearly sense the dangerous aura emanating from him, like an enraged beast; the more silent he was, the more dangerous he became.

She quickly thought it through in her mind, her eyes reddening first, her voice trembling with a sob: "No...it's not disgust, it's fear."

Jiang Duo frowned, loosening his grip slightly: "What are you afraid of?"

"I was so arrogant before," she lowered her eyes, her long eyelashes casting a small shadow on her eyelids, like a wronged rabbit. "I only realized after coming to this school that you are the moon in the sky, and countless girls in the school like you."

She looked up, her eyes glistening with tears, and said pitifully, "I'm afraid they'll talk behind my back that I'm overestimating myself, and I'm afraid others will ostracize me."

"What's there to be afraid of?" Jiang Duo's voice deepened. "Don't you think I can protect you?"

"But you have your own things to do and can't always be there for me." Shen Ci looked up at him, her eyes glistening with tears. "So let's just keep it quiet like this, without letting anyone else know, okay?"

Jiang Duo stared at her silently.

He couldn't figure out what the girl in front of him was thinking.

But he knew she was a little liar, her words were three parts truth and seven parts lies.

She feared him, but not entirely because of his admirers; she wanted to hide, but not entirely for self-preservation.

But he couldn't bear to see her like this.

Her eyes were red and her voice was soft, like a little animal drenched in rain. You wanted to meld her into your very bones, yet you also wanted to lock her up and not let anyone see her.

He pressed his face even closer, his nose almost brushing against hers, his voice low, like a sigh: "Okay."

Just as Shen Ci's eyes were about to light up, she saw his gaze darken, and his slender fingers touched her cheek—the very spot where Chu Xuanxuan had just kissed her.

"But I need to collect some interest first."

His thumb rubbed heavily across her cheek, as if trying to erase some mark that wasn't his. Then he pinched her chin and kissed her.

This kiss was even more violent than the one in the car last time.

He pried open her teeth and conquered her territory, like a beast that had finally broken free of its chains.

Shen Ci's head was pressed against the door panel, with nowhere to retreat, and she could only endure his possessive plunder.

Her breath was taken away, and the air in her lungs was slowly squeezed out... After an unknown amount of time, he finally released her.

He pressed his forehead against hers, breathing heavily and restrainedly in her ear, his voice still carrying lingering desire.

A warm breath brushed against her swollen lips, her voice hoarse beyond belief: "I really like today's sachet."

He said in a low voice, "If you have time, embroider one for me."

The girl in his arms lowered her head, her voice barely audible: "...What kind of pattern do you like?"

Jiang Duo pressed his lips against her ear, brushing against her sensitive earlobe, his voice as tender as a whispered dream—

"Of course, it has to be a pair of mandarin ducks."

Shen Ci had just caught her breath when she spoke in a trembling voice, "I...I don't know how to embroider mandarin ducks, I only know how to embroider flowers."

Jiang Duo did not answer immediately.

His hand slipped under the hem of her T-shirt, inch by inch climbing up her skin. His fingertips, calloused, sent shivers down her spine wherever they touched, like an electric current shooting up her spine.

Shen Ci froze completely, the hairs on the back of her head stood on end, and even her breath caught in her throat.

His fingers stopped in the middle of her back, touching the row of thin bra hooks.

"Are you really sure you won't?" His voice was low, as if it were coming from his chest, carrying a dangerous tenderness.

Shen Ci shook her head, tears welling up in her eyes, almost falling.

She dared not move, dared not make a sound, and could only feel the warmth of his fingertips, like a branding iron pressed against her back.

"Click—"

One of the hooks has been unhooked.

The bra suddenly loosened, as if some kind of defense had been quietly breached.