Chapter Forty-Four: Thirsty

As they left the club, Li Yaodong's car was parked at the entrance, and his driver, Lao Chen, tactfully rolled down the window: "Hello, Miss Cheng."

Cheng Yin smiled and nodded, then turned to Li Yaodong: "I have other matters to attend to at my company..."

"I'll give you a ride," Li Yaodong said, opening the back door. "We can talk about the project while we're at it."

He Jingwen was pulled by Lin Shirong to say goodbye to President Wang, while President Wang was still winking and saying, "Director Cheng, have a good rest tomorrow!"

The car door closed, shutting out the noise from the outside world.

Li Yaodong finally loosened his tie and let out a long sigh: "I'm exhausted."

Looking at his tired profile, Cheng Yin asked softly, "Was it hard to pretend?"

"From the moment I saw you last night," Li Yaodong turned to look at her, "every second has been torture."

As the car drove towards Cheng Yin's apartment, she gazed at the fleeting scenery outside the window and suddenly said, "I thought you wouldn't come looking for me again."

Li Yaodong was silent for a moment. "I've tried," he said in a low voice. "The first thing I do every morning when I wake up is resist the urge to call you."

Looking back now, the "L" on those orders wasn't Lin Shirong, but Li Yaodong.

"Why Parrot Island?" Lai Yiu-tung asked. "Why choose this place?"

Cheng Yin looked out the window: "It's close." She paused, then added, "It's less than an hour's drive to Haojiang."

Li Yaodong then realized that she had actually left him a way out; if he couldn't resist, he could see her in an hour...

The car came to a smooth stop in front of Cheng Yin's apartment building. She unbuckled her seatbelt, but Li Yaodong suddenly said, "I'm thirsty."

Cheng Yin turned to look at him. Li Yaodong's expression was calm, only his slightly tense jawline betrayed his nervousness: "Could we go upstairs for a glass of water?"

Old Chen tactfully closed the car window: "Brother Dong, I'm going to buy a pack of cigarettes."

Cheng Yin nodded and led Li Yaodong upstairs.

As the apartment door opened, a faint scent of jasmine wafted out.

This place lacks the extravagance of a luxury mansion in Haojiang, but it exudes Cheng Yin's aura everywhere.

"Water." Cheng Yin came out of the kitchen and handed him a glass of warm water.

Li Yaodong took the glass and drank it all in one gulp. The glass was placed on the coffee table, making a slight clinking sound.

The room was so quiet you could hear each other breathing.

"You..." Cheng Yin had just opened her mouth when Li Yaodong pulled her into his arms.

His kiss came quickly and fiercely, greedily capturing her breath. She tilted her head back, enduring his almost brutal kiss.

Li Yaodong's palm was placed on her waist, and the heat came through the thin fabric of his shirt, making her shiver slightly.

His lips slid from the corner of her mouth to the side of her neck, leaving a trail of warm, wet marks.

"Li Yaodong..." Cheng Yin called his name softly.

"Hmm?" Li Yaodong stepped back slightly, staring intently at her.

Cheng Yin pointed gently: "The bedroom is over there."

Li Yaodong's Adam's apple bobbed. He bent down and scooped her up in his arms, Cheng Yin wrapping her arms around his neck. Li Yaodong strode towards the bedroom, knelt to open the door, and gently placed her on the bed.

Sunlight streamed through the sheer curtains, casting dappled shadows on the bed.

Li Yaodong knelt on one knee on the edge of the bed, leaning down to look at her: "Are you sure?"

"Mmm." Cheng Yin reached out and touched his face. "I want to do this."

He suddenly grabbed the back of her head and kissed her, her clothes falling to the ground one by one: her suit, tie, shirt, and finally, her black lace lingerie.

Lai Yiu-tung's kisses traveled down her collarbone, leaving marks on every inch of her skin, as if confirming that this was not a dream.

"Cheng Yin..." he called her, his voice trembling with disbelief, "You're really back."

Cheng Yin tilted her head back and kissed him, sealing this bitter confession between her lips. Li Yaodong's hand caressed her waistline; she was fuller than a year ago, no longer the skinny girl she once was.

His movements were so careful and gentle, as if he were handling fragile porcelain.

"No need..." Cheng Yin hugged his neck, "You don't need to be so careful."

Li Yaodong's restraint finally broke down, and he grabbed Cheng Yin's waist, beginning to truly possess her.

The mattress creaked softly, and Cheng Yin's fingernails left red marks on his back. Li Yaodong kissed away the moisture from the corner of her eyes and whispered obscene words in her ear, making Cheng Yin's ears turn bright red.

Li Yaodong didn't lie to her; he did like to be fierce... but it was this kind of vulgar fierceness.

As the sun set, the room gradually darkened. Li Yaodong turned on the bedside lamp, its warm yellow light outlining Cheng Yin's flushed skin.

She nestled in his arms, her hair disheveled, her lips slightly swollen and red.

"Are you alright?" Li Yaodong gently kissed the top of her head.

Cheng Yin nodded, her voice muffled against his chest, "Mmm."

"That..."

"Li Yaodong!"

Li Yaodong didn't lie to her; it was possible that someone would die... but, it wasn't entirely possible that someone would die.

It was completely dark when Cheng Yin's stomach started to rumble in protest. Only then did Li Yaodong stop, pick up his phone from the bedside table, and order some takeout.

Cheng Yin sat up, wrapped in a blanket, her long hair hanging over her shoulders, revealing fresh hickeys on her collarbone.

"What are you looking at?" She noticed Li Yaodong's gaze.

"Look at you." Lai Yiu-tung reached out and brushed the stray hairs from her forehead. "'You're absolutely stunning.'"

Cheng Yin pursed her lips and suddenly asked, "You called me."

Li Yaodong was taken aback: "What?"

"On my birthday," Cheng Yin looked at him, "it rang for thirty seconds at three in the morning."

Li Yaodong's expression became complicated: "You...didn't answer."

"I answered," Cheng Yin said softly, "but you didn't say anything."

After a moment of silence, Li Yaodong finally spoke, "I'd been drinking, and I was afraid that if I opened my mouth, I'd beg you to come back." He gave a bitter smile, "After I came to my senses, I threw my phone into the sea."

She couldn't help but laugh out loud; it was a faint, but beautiful laugh.

Li Yaodong gazed at her: "Come back to Macau with me. Not an accountant, not a debtor, not a mistress..." His voice was low and firm, "Just you, Cheng Yin."

"Every day without you feels like being in prison."

Cheng Yin looked at his red-rimmed eyes and nodded gently, "Okay."

Outside the window, the lights of Parrot Island and Haojiang stand facing each other across the sea, like two stars that have finally met.

[End of article]