Chapter 53

Chapter 53

Pei Chuzhi hadn’t brought her phone into the living room, so she reached for the tablet on the bedside.

Knowing Xing Ye was still asleep, she lowered the brightness to the minimum before opening a search page.

【If I sleep with a man while he’s drunk, am I legally responsible?】

The results were all over the place. The top comment, in the tone of an experienced veteran, said: 【Any man you manage to sleep with clearly isn’t truly drunk.】

“???”

Pei Chuzhi quietly glanced at Xing Ye. Morning sunlight spilled across his face; his long eyelashes shadowed his eyes, and even asleep, he looked handsome—though she couldn’t tell if he was hungover.

She hesitated briefly, then decided to change her approach.

【How should you act after having sex with a work partner?】

The search results were even more detailed: some suggested “just start dating,” others “act as if nothing happened,” and some even wrote, “both parties had a great experience, so we just became regular FWB afterward.”

Every answer was long, some even wrote little essays about that romantic night, using bold and provocative language, making Pei Chuzhi feel like she’d wandered onto an adult website.

Clearly, these weren’t serious netizens.

Pei Chuzhi put the tablet aside, yet she couldn’t erase the phrase “both parties had a great experience” from her mind.

She didn’t know how Xing Ye felt, but honestly, she thought last night had been extremely comfortable and enjoyable. Aside from slight soreness in her waist and legs, her body had no discomfort at all.

Thinking back carefully to the dim night: Xing Ye’s every expression, the fluid lines of his muscles, and the low, husky murmurs he made when aroused…

Her face burned red. She pulled the bedsheet up to cover the lower half of her face, thinking: No wonder netizens always rank Xing Ye as the top male celebrity they want to sleep with—the aftereffect of this night was just too strong.

After tossing and turning for a while, Pei Chuzhi’s sleepiness vanished.

She quietly got out of bed, and when she saw the pile of clothes on the floor, her eyelids twitched; her weak legs shivered. She hastily put on her skirt, dug through the wardrobe for clean clothes, and finally hid in the bathroom to wash up.

She was careful not to wake Xing Ye, moving silently throughout.

But as she gently closed the bathroom door, the man on the bed opened his eyes without warning, his gaze clear and sharp.

Xing Ye sat up, the sheet sliding down with his movement, just covering the shadows of his abs.

A slight sting came from his shoulders and back; he didn’t need a mirror to know those were marks left by the woman beneath him during the most intense moments of last night.

It didn’t hurt much, just like a light scratch from a kitten.

He ran his hands through his messy hair, noticed the tablet still by the pillow, and casually picked it up, glancing at the open search page.

After a moment, he curved his lips into a silent smile.

Waiting a little longer and seeing Pei Chuzhi still hadn’t returned, he got out of bed, put on his clothes, and walked to the bathroom door, knocking.

Inside, bottles and jars clattered as she finished up.

A few minutes later, the door cracked open, revealing Pei Chuzhi’s clean, beautiful face, her eyes showing a mix of panic and guilt.

“You’re awake?” she asked softly.

Xing Ye: “Can I come in?”

“Sure,” she thought he just wanted to use the bathroom. She opened the door and tried to step aside: “I’ll go out first.”

Xing Ye wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her back inside.

Alarm bells rang in Pei Chuzhi’s mind. She couldn’t tell if he was going to get revenge or what he intended, and instinctively pursed her lips.

The long skirt she had just changed into was held in her hands, the hem slightly lifted, revealing her slender, fair ankles.

Xing Ye’s things had already been taken out yesterday.

He moved methodically as he washed up, and Pei Chuzhi stood beside him without moving.

If it weren’t for her guarded expression, the scene would have looked like an ordinary, warm morning in a cohabiting couple’s life.

Pei Chuzhi lifted her eyes, and their gazes met in the mirror.

In a flash, she suddenly remembered a serious question—did the contract she had signed with Xing Ye as a “contract couple” include any compensation standards in case they had sex during the contract period?

She estimated Xing Ye’s current worth and almost imagined Song Shiqing’s eyes glittering with greed for money, surrounded by a massive legal team from Asia Film, charging over to her apartment.

Xing Ye, of course, had no idea what strange thoughts were running through her mind. After finishing his wash, he set the razor on the counter, didn’t turn around, and looked at her in the mirror: “Didn’t want to see me?”

“Of course not,” Pei Chuzhi shook her head, then hesitated and asked, “In this situation, should we report it to the company?”

At least tell the manager.

But thinking about even the private developments being known to others made her frown slightly. She didn’t really want to tell Tang Dong.

This was a secret belonging only to her and Xing Ye.

“Speaking of the company…”

Xing Ye’s low voice finally sounded. “Tang Dong once said something.”

“What did he say?”

Xing Ye’s tone was calm, with a teasing undertone: “He said I’m your idol. Even if I lent you a hundred courage points, you wouldn’t dare to defile me.”

Whether it was the rhythm of his words or Pei Chuzhi’s guilty conscience, she couldn’t help feeling that the word “defile” carried a hint of teasing.

Xing Ye leaned on the sink, eyes downcast, looking at her reflection: “But actually, I’m not your idol. So you dared?”

His gaze seemed warm, slowly and intensely studying her expression.

Pei Chuzhi felt her legs go weak under his stare.

She kept giving herself mental reassurance: we already slept together; since time can’t be turned back, she might as well act like a responsible adult!

So she braced herself: “Last night I accidentally drank too much and then got tempted by you.”

Xing Ye raised an eyebrow.

She continued: “I do feel a bit guilty. If you’re angry now, we can terminate the contract early. It can even count as my breach, and I’ll pay compensation—though it might take some time. But don’t worry, I’m not someone who defaults.”

The last few sentences became quieter and quieter.

Not because she was embarrassed about money, but because if Xing Ye nodded now, then they really would never intersect again.

A single crossing of the line would wake her from her dreamlike fantasy.

Though unwilling in her heart, she was fully aware now; it was just that the end had come a bit earlier.

Xing Ye was silent for a few seconds, then turned to face her: “Squeak.”

Pei Chuzhi took a deep breath.

“I wasn’t drunk last night.”

He stepped forward two steps, one hand pinning her between the wall and his chest, the other lifting strands of hair from her face, “I was fully aware.”

The complex emotions in Pei Chuzhi’s eyes gradually unified into surprise.

Xing Ye bent down, his thin lips kissing her flushed earlobe.

He smelled faintly of aftershave, softening the oppressive aura of his tall frame, making even his breathing gentle.

Pei Chuzhi parted her lips, wanting to ask what he meant by “fully aware.”

Were adult men and women simply indulging under the influence of alcohol? Or, like her, did he want to leave some memories for the time after their contract ended?

Xing Ye’s kisses traced down her earlobe, densely falling along her neck and shoulders.

Last night’s memories resurfaced, making Pei Chuzhi’s heartbeat skip several beats.

She felt as if she were split in two: one half craving Xing Ye’s body, wanting to indulge with him, the other half enchanted by his soul, wanting to stay by his side.

Either way, it was her selfish desire she didn’t want to let go.

She wanted, with all her love, to claim this man—adored by millions—entirely for herself.

Her hands rose uncontrollably, wrapping around his neck.

Pei Chuzhi bathed in the morning sunlight, sharing an even more lingering deep kiss with Xing Ye.

When the kiss ended, both of them were breathing a little unevenly.

Pei Chuzhi thought, this is crazy—if Tang Dong found out, he would definitely scold her to death.

But she still ran her tongue over her lips, and when she smiled, the full bloom of spring radiance shone through, her voice soft and enchanting: “I was actually sober last night too.”

Xing Ye let out a low laugh.

Pei Chuzhi blinked, about to say something more, when suddenly she heard the doorbell ringing from the living room.

She froze, snapping back to reality as if waking from a dream.

Had this man just cast a spell on her?

Unfortunately, there was no time to figure out whether Xing Ye was some kind of enchantment master. The doorbell rang again and again, like an alarm striking at her ears.

Xu Lei knew Xing Ye was at her place, so she wouldn’t have come so early.

The only remaining possibilities…

Either Tang Dong, or Ruan Li, who lived in the same complex.

Pei Chuzhi’s mind went blank. Realizing it, she had already pulled Xing Ye out of the bathroom. She glanced around, brought him into the bedroom, and without thinking, used a bit of force to push him behind the curtains.

Then with a “bang,” she closed the door.

Xing Ye: “…”

Pei Chuzhi walked to the front door and peered outside through the peephole.

Ruan Li, dressed flamboyantly, was pressing the doorbell with a worried look.

Pei Chuzhi quickly composed herself, and when she opened the door, she exclaimed with feigned surprise: “Ruan Li, what are you doing here?”

Ruan Li withdrew her hand from the doorbell and said softly: “Didn’t you see my message?”

Indeed, she hadn’t.

After all, from last night until now, she had been busy with other things and hadn’t touched her phone at all.

“Uh, do you need something from me?”

Pei Chuzhi still stood by the door, unsure whether to let her in.

Ruan Li looked increasingly confused: “Zizi, are you okay? Didn’t we agree to go to that newly opened beauty salon this morning?”

For a female celebrity, maintaining beauty comes at a high price.

For Ruan Li, this was especially important.

She had just returned from filming and, through a friend, learned that a pretty good beauty salon had opened in Yancheng. The owner was also someone from the industry, so she wanted to try it out.

But her friends who were well-connected in the industry were all busy, and after asking around, only Pei Chuzhi said she had free time after finishing the last episode of Who is the Murderer.

Pei Chuzhi uttered an “ah,” realizing she had completely forgotten about this plan.

Who says only a temptress can make a king skip court?

Swap in the hormone-filled Xing Ye, and he could just as easily make her lose all sense of time.

Ruan Li didn’t dwell on it and asked directly: “You haven’t finished getting ready? Then can I come in and wait for you?”

“Uh, well… it’s a bit inconvenient.”

Pei Chuzhi felt embarrassed. Ruan Li wasn’t visiting her for the first time, but it was the first time she tried to stop her at the door.

Ruan Li was clearly shocked: “Do you have someone hiding at your place behind my back?”

She stood on tiptoe to peek inside, then suddenly realized something. Lowering her voice: “No way… you’re hiding someone at home? But aren’t you with Xing Ye? Zizi, are you crazy?”

“No, come in.”

Pei Chuzhi didn’t want her to keep misunderstanding, so she turned and stepped aside.

Ruan Li changed into slippers in the entryway, clicked across to the living room, and immediately spotted the two red wine glasses still on the coffee table and the decorative throw in disarray on the sofa.

She turned her head, her expression saying clearly: Friend, this is a little intense.

Pei Chuzhi cleared her throat and put the wine glasses away in the kitchen: “My assistant was here yesterday.”

She silently mocked herself—why feel guilty at all?

Everyone outside assumed she was dating Xing Ye. Even if Ruan Li noticed that Xing Ye had spent the night at her place, aside from slight embarrassment, it wasn’t a big deal.

But she couldn’t overcome her inner shyness.

Especially at the thought of having been physically intimate with Xing Ye—she felt flustered, worried that the aggressive scent in the bedroom hadn’t fully dissipated.

Ruan Li shook the chain bag in her hand: “Something feels off… you’re not secretly keeping a pretty boy at home, are you?”

Pei Chuzhi’s scalp tingled. She returned to the living room and grabbed her phone from the table: “Can you stop imagining things? Okay, let’s go. What time was the appointment again?”

A phone rang somewhere in response.

Pei Chuzhi’s nerves jolted: “Maybe Xu Lei left her phone here.”

Before she could finish, the bedroom door opened from the inside.

Xing Ye’s face showed no extra expression. In Ruan Li’s shocked gaze, he calmly walked out and even nodded slightly in her direction.

He followed the sound, bent down to pick up the phone that had fallen behind the sofa, swiped, and answered.

The man’s low, steady voice filled the air.

Golden sunlight fell around him, glaringly illuminating the ambiguous yet clear kiss mark on his neck.

Ruan Li: “…”

Pei Chuzhi: “…………”