The icy grape rolled between Gu Nianzhi’s teeth. It was cold to the touch, but she could feel Huo Shaoheng’s lingering warmth on it.
Her white, perfect teeth bit into it, instantly filling her mouth with sweet grape juice.
It was aromatic and sweet, with an underlying hint of acerbic bitterness. She carefully tasted it again, and the bitter taste had turned into an intoxicating wine. It was what love tasted like…
Gu Nianzhi was feeling light-headed. It was just a single grape, but she felt as though she had just downed a bottle of wine. Her cheeks were flushed; her eyelids lowered seductively over her luminous, starry eyes. It was the look of undisguised adoration and unconditional love.
Huo Shaoheng smiled faintly. His sturdy hand held her head in place as he kissed her again and again. His tongue, feeling lonely and restless, pried open her lips and slipped inside her mouth to taste the fresh grape juice.
Gu Nianzhi was being kissed so thoroughly she hardly knew where she was. Her dark jade eyes were dim, as though a thin veil had been drawn across them. She could not get her bearings; she felt as though she were soaking lazily in a hot spring, too comfortable to get out. But a single phrase continued to echo inside her head: “…This is how I feed my girlfriend.”
Was he saying that she was now officially his girlfriend?
Gu Nianzhi slowly came to her senses. She asked shyly: “…So you admit I’m your girlfriend now?”
Huo Shaoheng hesitated, before saying with a smile, “Don’t get ahead of yourself. You haven’t succeeded in seducing me.”
“What do you mean, I haven’t succeeded?” Gu Nianzhi was annoyed. She put her hands on Huo Shaoheng’s chest and tried to push him away. She lowered her gaze, her long lashes fluttering furiously. “But you just said that’s how you feed your girlfriend grapes…”
Huo Shaoheng let go of her neck. He moved his hand to her slender waist and calmly said, “That was just a demonstration of the sort of privileges my girlfriend will get to enjoy.”
Gu Nianzhi’s brain immediately went into forced shutdown mode. “…What? You’re kidding me!”
Huo Shaoheng pulled her tight against him. He pressed his lips to hers and whispered seductively, in between kisses, “Want to be my girlfriend?”
Gu Nianzhi’s brain had turned into mush.
“Yeah…” There was a hint of self-pity and indignation in Gu Nianzhi’s voice. She was like a child staring forlornly at a sweet that was forever beyond her reach.
“Do your best to seduce me, then. Once you succeed, all these privileges will be yours, and yours alone…” Huo Shaoheng’s voice was low and seductive. Gu Nianzhi found it irresistibly sexy.
She took a few deep breaths. It was now or never.
She stood on tiptoe as she slid her arms around Huo Shaoheng’s neck. He was still kissing her, but she had decided it was time to fight back. “You want me to do my best? Well, you have to show me a little sincerity, too…”
“Sincerity…?”
“Yes. For example, what other privileges are you offering? Feeding me grapes isn’t enough.” Gu Nianzhi was feeling devilishly mischievous; she wondered if this was what it felt like to tempt Adam into taking a bite out of the apple. “You should demonstrate the correct method of stroking your girlfriend’s hair. And what about the correct method of taking an intimate, post-coitus photo with your girlfriend? You should demonstrate that, too.”
Gu Nianzhi’s voice was tender, sweet, and barely a step above a moan. She did not know it, but her misty eyes and the soft, hazy look of love on her face was irresistibly seductive. She was a young, innocent girl, and also a mature, sexy woman—the lethal combination was enough to send Huo Shaoheng over the edge.
His lower abdomen seemed to be burning up. His arms shook as his body tensed; he was hard as iron, and every fiber in his being was screaming “let’s give her a proper demonstration.” Just as he was about to snap and lose control, Zhao Liangze’s nervous voice sounded over his Bluetooth headset: “Sir, please come over, quickly. We have a situation…”
Zhao Liangze’s voice was a warning bell; Huo Shaoheng snapped out of it, right before he gave in to his desires. It had been a close call.
He slowly let go of her lips. He traced her swollen lips with his thumb and said in a low, husky voice: “Once you succeed in seducing me, I’ll teach you the correct way to feed me grapes…”
“…Is it different?” Gu Nianzhi’s misty eyes widened with curiosity. She gave a wry smile. “Didn’t you just show me?”
“Of course there’s a difference.” Huo Shaoheng couldn’t help laughing. He whispered into her ear: “…I’m talking about a different ‘grape’ here…”
“What…?” Gu Nianzhi wasn’t sure what he was talking about, but her face had grown as red as tomato. The deep blush on her cheeks reached all the way up to the corners of her eyes.
“Be a good girl now and go eat your dinner. I have other business to attend to.” Huo Shaoheng’s superhuman self-control was back in place. He quickly collected himself. He let go of Gu Nianzhi, tousled her hair affectionately, and hurried out of her bedroom.
In a few moments, he had arrived at the secret sever room situated behind his residence. He stood behind Zhao Liangze and asked impassively: “What happened?”
“Sir, this is the live video feed from the Prime Minister’s residence. Have a look for yourself…” Zhao Liangze stood up to make way for Huo Shaoheng.
Huo Shaoheng sat in Zhao Liangze’s chair. His face darkened when he saw what was happening in the video feed, and there was a murderous glint in his eyes. But in the next second his face was back to its usual calm, unperturbed expression. He was a mighty mountain, capable of weathering every storm.
…
As soon as Huo Shaoheng left, Gu Nianzhi’s phone began to ring.
She entered her bedroom before checking her phone: it was the phone number for the C City Special Operations Forces.
Was this related to the “other business” Huo Shaoheng mentioned?
Gu Nianzhi immediately took the call, but no one spoke. A moment later, she received a link to a live video feed.
Gu Nianzhi’s finger hovered over the “accept” button. After a split second’s hesitation, she pressed it.
A live video feed began to play on her phone screen. It showed the hall of the Prime Minister’s residence.
Gu Nianzhi recognized the venue at once: she had just left the place, after all, and the New Year’s Day decorations that had been specially set up for the dinner party were easily recognizable.
She did not spend much time checking out the other details, however; her attention was immediately drawn to the massive screen.
The screen almost took up an entire wall.
She guessed that the screen was on the eastern wall of the hall. There was a row of flower baskets before the wall, bursting with large, gorgeous Bulgarian roses. Gu Nianzhi could make out the drops of dew on their delicate petals.
Standing before the screen was Dou Qingyan, looking irresistibly lovely in a cheongsam.
The screen was showing a slideshow of her personal photos. Her older brother, Dou Haoyan, stood beside her on the stage.
Suddenly, the audience burst into loud cheers and unrestrained clapping. The screen was now showing intimate photos of Dou Qingyan and Huo Shaoheng together—the very same photos Dou Qingyan had shown to Gu Nianzhi to trick her into thinking they had been lovers!
Gu Nianzhi’s eyes widened in shock. She almost dropped her phone.
She had confiscated these photos! She was sure of it!
Dou Qingyan’s phone was now in their possession. Where had the photos come from?!
Had Dou Qingyan kept a backup of her photos elsewhere?
Just as Gu Nianzhi was mentally going over the possibilities, she saw Dou Qingyan’s expression change into one of complete mortification. Dou Qingyan immediately turned, saw the photos on the screen behind her, and quickly covered her mouth before she could scream. She was even more surprised to see the photos than Gu Nianzhi.
Dou Haoyan turned around; his face paled when he saw what was going on. He quickly spoke into the mouthpiece of his headset.
A moment later, the video was abruptly cut off. The screen was now black as ink.
Dou Qingyan was trembling all over; she could hardly stay on her feet. She had been careful to lock the photos behind a password—how did they end up in her travelogue slideshow?
Up on the stage, Dou Qingyan and Dou Haoyan had turned white as a sheet; down below, the Prime Minister and his wife were just as pale and panic-stricken. Dou Aiyan was the only one who had not caught on to the severity of the situation; she giggled and said to He Zhichu, who was standing beside her, “Aww, look at that, Lawyer He! I had no idea my sister and General Huo are a couple… And they were pretending to be strangers just now! That’s so funny—I wonder if they’re trying to keep their relationship a secret?”
He Zhichu smiled slightly. He plucked a grape and popped it into his mouth. His voice was cool and clear as he said: “You’ll have to ask your sister and General Huo. I haven’t heard a thing about this.”
“Congratulations, Mr. Prime Minister!”
“What a surprise! I was wondering why General Huo was single for so long—now I see he was waiting for Miss Dou!”
“Miss Dou just returned from her studies abroad. I assume that means wedding bells are in the air?”
“Congratulations, Mrs. Yan! Looks like you’ll have a son-in-law soon. Don’t forget to invite us to the wedding dinner!”
The photos had the effect of a massive asteroid from space, causing an unexpected tsunami as it crashed into the ocean.