Xiao Yu narrowed his eyes as he looked at Ye Yanxi and, with mock solemnity, declared, “No money — what use would your life be to me?” The little speech, delivered as if he were making a noble sacrifice, made the corner of his mouth twitch upward.
A seductive whisper curled by her ear. Ye Yanxi flinched. She thought for a moment, then said seriously, “Well, apart from a life, I don’t have anything worth much. If you don’t want it, then fine.”
His expression darkened; his eyes went sly, fox-like. “Not entirely useless.” His fingers wandered insolently along her waist. Alarm bells rang through her — what did he mean by that?
Before she could process it, Xiao Yu rolled over and pinned her.
“What…what are you doing?” Her voice was small as she swallowed.
“You tell me. No money and one life on the table…” He trailed off and lowered his head, pressing soft, lazy kisses to her brow, to the bridge of her nose. He moved down slowly, gently, until he nipped at the base of her throat.
Ye Yanxi yelped from the sting and scowled at him. “Are you a dog or something? You bite at the drop of a hat. Get off me.”
But he had no intention of getting up. If anything, he escalated, taking possession with a greedy calm that left her powerless to resist.
Midway between bewilderment and desire, Ye Yanxi had a ridiculous, mortified thought: she’d be exhausted tomorrow, probably late to work — all because someone’s stamina outlasted common sense.
Before she could complain further, Xiao Yu murmured close to her ear, low and warning, “Don’t do that again.”
Only after a beat did she remember what he was referring to and muttered, “He was the one pushing me.”
Xiao Yu interrupted her. “Bullies get theirs. If someone else had seen you then, it could have been bad. Don’t take risks with little stunts like that.”
He waited. “Did you hear me?”
Warmth swelled in her chest — he’d been worried. She nodded. “I know.” Then, half scolding, half pleading, she added, “Slow down, okay? Ugh.”
The next morning she was jolted awake by the alarm — for the seventh or eighth time. She felt as if she hadn’t slept at all. Xiao Yu, by contrast, seemed bright-eyed and composed, as if nothing untoward had happened, and shot her off with the faintest look of disdain.
Downstairs, when Xu came to pick up Xiao Yu, he saw Ye Yanxi behind him and called cheerfully, “Miss Ye, you’re back.”
“Morning, Xu,” she managed with a small smile.
The moment Xiao Yu climbed into the car, the interior temperature seemed to plummet. He was literally a walking icebox — who needed air conditioning when he was around?
Xiao Yu’s low voice instructed Xu to drive, and the car slid out of the underground lot into a city bathed in morning sun. The gentle warmth must have relaxed her; as the car hummed along, sleep crept back over Ye Yanxi’s eyelids. She had no idea what time Xiao Yu had run them ragged the night before, but somewhere she had simply collapsed into a stupor.
How long she dozed she couldn’t say. She was roused by a jolt and an indistinct voice in her ear. “Don’t fuss, I’m trying to sleep,” she mumbled.
“Company’s here!” The voice was lower this time.
Like a thunderclap. She snapped awake — she was supposed to be at work. She moved to stand reflexively, only to bump the car roof with a muted thud and flop back down, clutching the sore spot. A glance at the window made her panic: they were in the company’s underground garage.
She was supposed to get off at the subway, not here. Her heart thudded as colleagues passed by outside, laughing as they headed for the stairs. She slid down in her seat and hugged the lower edge of the window, trying to disappear. She needed them to move on so she could get out unnoticed.
Her furtiveness annoyed Xiao Yu. This was his reputation at risk — not hers. He opened his door, ready to step out. If he did, everyone would see her.
In a heartbeat she yanked his hand back and planted a leg in front of his knee to prevent him from getting out. He had to sit back down, held fast by her grip.
After a moment, Xiao Yu swung his leg in a small concession and said, “They’ve passed.”
Relief made her peep up and scan the surroundings. Satisfied there was no one near, she slid the door open and bolted for the elevator.
“Xiaoxi.” He called after her.
“Don’t say anything!” she snapped without turning.
“Your bag.” He waved it at her.
Only then did she realize she’d left it behind in the scramble. Flustered, she hopped back, snatched the bag, and broke again into a sprint for the elevator. Her legs felt leaden from the night’s wear; she muttered a curse under her breath at Xiao Yu.
The office was in a flurry — an Italian delegation was visiting, and the company had been busy. Ye Yanxi had expected to translate as usual, so when she arrived at the meeting room and saw He Qiuyang there she paused, puzzled. If He Qiuyang was handling this, she could slip away.
She turned to leave, but He Qiuyang’s eyes locked on her and he called out warmly, “Ye, you’re here — come in!”
His smile was oddly effusive. Ye Yanxi frowned; she couldn’t remember the last time He Qiuyang had been so friendly. He’d usually treated her like she owed him something, or at least kept a frosty distance and jockeyed to get ahead of her. Why the sudden cordiality?
She masked her confusion with a polite smile. “I didn’t know you’d been assigned. Since you’re here, I’ll head back.”
“Nonsense.” He tucked a loose strand of hair behind his ear and smiled, every bit the practiced charmer. “I only took over yesterday. I wasn’t at the briefing, so there are things I’m not clear on. I’ll need your help.”
The director, overhearing, motioned for her to come in. “Since He’s already said that, Ye, you should stay. Help her if there’s anything she misses.”
“Of course,” Ye Yanxi replied. It was hard to refuse with all those eyes on her, so she went inside and took a seat.
Then He Qiuyang, with an easy smile, handed her his cup. “Ye, could you get me a glass of water?”
For a beat Ye Yanxi stared. He was asking her to fetch water — in front of everyone. The plea sounded casual, but the message under it felt pointed.
He kept smiling, the room watched, and she couldn’t very well refuse. She took the cup and stepped out.
On her way to the pantry another employee hurried after her, leaning close to whisper. “That He Qiuyang — what right does she have to hog the team lead’s seat? You ought to be in that spot. Don’t you know… she’s got connections. I heard she knows the Italian client’s rep, so they insisted she be the translator this time.”
Ye Yanxi smiled and let the gossip wash over her without comment. She’d never been one to trade barbs in the corridors. Better to keep her head down. She was only contracted for three months; when the term was over she’d go back to school. As long as they didn’t launch an overt attack, she’d pretend nothing had happened. She didn’t want trouble, nor did she want to put Xiao Yu in an awkward position.