Duan Yiheng hadn't expected Lin Xi to actually come. His gaze fell on her tightly clenched fingers; it was clear she'd mustered considerable courage.
Lin Xi didn't dare look at him, but her heart was pounding. She knew what knocking on a man's door at night meant. Duan Yiheng turned to the side: "Come in." Lin Xi stumbled in, finally stopping by the bed. "What are you doing standing there?"
Duan Yiheng reached out to her, "Didn't you come here to sleep?" Lin Xi bumped into his arms, wrapping her arms around his waist. Duan Yiheng chuckled, patting her slender back: "Why do you seem so nervous?"
Lin Xi awkwardly pretended to be dead against his chest; of course she was nervous about being embraced. Taking advantage of the height difference, Lin Xi whispered a denial: "No." Her warm, light breath brushed against Duan Yiheng's chest, tickling him slightly. He held Lin Xi tightly, whispering in her ear,
"Shall I turn off the light?" "Yes." "Get into bed first." Duan Yiheng released her, pulling back the thin blanket. Lin Xi climbed into bed, making room for Duan Yiheng. The light was off, the room darkened, and Duan Yiheng got into bed, pulling her into his arms.
The face-to-face position wasn't comfortable, but Lin Xi didn't want to let go. "Whose heart is beating so fast?" Duan Yiheng chuckled, his breath brushing against the top of her hair. Lin Xi pressed her fingertips against his heart, her tone slightly playful: "Yours."
Duan Yiheng pulled her up slightly, making her look him in the eye, his voice deep and gentle: "Whose?" They were too close; Duan Yiheng's handsome features were too striking for Lin Xi. She bit her lip, finally giving in: "Mine."
Duan Yiheng's gaze darkened, his hands gripping her slender waist as he thrust forward and kissed her fiercely. He had wanted to do this all day. Lin Xi clung to his back, like a moth drawn to a flame.
Duan Yiheng's arms tightened, suffocating Lin Xi, who could only utter meaningless syllables. The heat rose in the blankets, making Lin Xi feel like a steamed bun. "Duan Yiheng."
Duan Yiheng noticed her trembling, gently pulling away from her lips, a barely audible breath escaping his throat: "Are you cold?" Lin Xi shook her head: "No." She was even a little warm. "Then why are you trembling?"
Lin Xi became mute at that moment. Duan Yiheng lifted her chin, his gaze intense: "What are you thinking about?" Lin Xi swallowed slightly, saying, "I'm thinking...when will you kiss me?"
Duan Yiheng's hand returned to her waist, this time, the thin fabric was gone. Lin Xi was startled, letting out an uncontrollable groan. The bedroom was so quiet that the sticky sounds of their lips amplified, filling the air with an ambiguous atmosphere.
Although the floor lamp under the bed was dim, it was enough for Lin Xi to trace Duan Yiheng's silhouette in her mind. She raised her slender arms and wrapped them around Duan Yiheng's neck. Duan Yiheng paused in his kissing, then turned her over, placing her beneath him, deepening the alluring kiss.
This time, it was gentle yet forceful. A small flame traveled along her waist to her back and chest, and Lin Xi, enduring her shame, offered herself to him. Duan Yiheng was startled and stopped. "What's wrong?" Lin Xi's breath still carried his scent.
Duan Yiheng, slightly out of breath, sat up, using the dim light to see her clearly: "Something's wrong with you." Lin Xi panicked for a moment: "Nothing." Duan Yiheng chuckled: "Oh? So you just want me?" Lin Xi blushed from head to toe: "Can you not say?"
"Just sex?" Duan Yiheng raised an eyebrow, "But there's nothing in the room." Lin Xi looked at him: "What is it?" Duan Yiheng flicked her forehead: "You'd be sold without even knowing it, there are no condoms."
Lin Xi awkwardly withdrew her arms from his, then turned over. Having already taken the initiative once, and after he made it clear there were no protection measures, she couldn't do it a second time. Lin Xi, with her back to Duan Yiheng, was overwhelmed by shame. Duan Yiheng turned her around, patiently saying:
"It's not time yet, Lin Xi, you haven't even acknowledged my identity." Lin Xi was taken aback. What did he mean? "You don't even acknowledge me as your boyfriend, so what kind of relationship do we have after sleeping together?" Lin Xi suddenly turned around, looked at him for a long while, and then said:
"When we got together, it wasn't as boyfriend and girlfriend. What are you pretending to be stupid for?" Duan Yiheng said, "Because I knew you couldn't accept it, I could only say that. It's better than you distancing yourself from me."
"At the time, I was thinking, with Duan Mingxuan and then Zhou Zheng, when would it be my turn?"
"I asked you to treat this as an adult game, so tell me honestly, did I treat you like a lover?"
"Don't say anything more."
Lin Xi remembered the purpose of her trip, and helplessness and pain turned into worms gnawing at her heart. "It was here that Meng Huaishan brought Tan Qi." Duan Yiheng cupped her face, "He asked me why I couldn't accept Tan Qi. What do you think I answered him?"
Lin Xi bit her lip and shook her head: "I don't know." "I said…" Duan Yiheng's fingertips caressed her cheek, his eyes filled with doting tenderness, "I can't sleep with someone I have no feelings for."
Lin Xi was stunned, opening her mouth as if to say something, then hesitated and fell silent again. "That answer is crude. The correct answer is that I only sleep with partners I like, with whom I have a normal romantic relationship. Do you understand?" Lin Xi silently lowered her gaze.
"I didn't mean to force you." Duan Yiheng's palm gently massaged her neck. "I just wanted to tell you why I rejected you." "Getting condoms is easy; one phone call and the butler will bring them up.
But he didn't want to, at least not yet. His relationship with Lin Xi was ambiguous. He had originally planned to confirm it with her on her birthday, but something went wrong, and the old man found out. And tonight, she wasn't acting right either, so Duan Yiheng had to bring it up early.
He felt a little disappointed, but her reaction was expected. Especially now that he had lost his position as president of Yinfan Technology, Lin Xi was like a drifting dandelion seed, unsure where to land. Duan Yiheng hugged her tightly and patted her back: "Sleep."
Lin Xi buried her face in his neck and whispered, "Can I keep holding you?" "Won't it be uncomfortable?" Duan Yiheng chuckled. "No." "Okay, hold me." Duan Yiheng assumed she was insecure. After everyone fell silent, the bedroom became even quieter.
Lin Xi didn't even know when she fell asleep. When she opened her eyes again, she found herself tightly held in Duan Yiheng's arms. She moved her half-stiff body and carefully removed his hands. Lin Xi stepped barefoot onto the floor and went to the French windows.
She pulled back a corner of the curtains, intending to admire the beautiful morning light, but instead, the world was covered in a layer of white. Lin Xi was stunned for a moment, then immediately turned and called to the still-sleeping Duan Yiheng: "Duan Yiheng, it's snowing!"