Chapter 18. Gin and Tonic kissed her from the back of her neck all the way down to her earlobe...

"What, you missed me that much after only half a day?"

Along with the man's voice came a pleasant, faint scent of cedar.

Jiang Shiyu approached and sat down in front of the two. He held a pale yellow cocktail in one hand, while the other hand was casually draped over his lap.

The waiter tactfully withdrew.

His gaze never left Chen Cen. After a long while, he suddenly spoke:

"You look great today."

"Cough cough cough..."

Wen Jie was caught off guard and was suddenly bombarded with a display of affection. She then looked at Shen Cen, her eyes conveying the message: Have you two already progressed to this stage?

Shen Cen winked, tilted his head, and mouthed: I don't know either!

After exchanging glances with Wen Jie, she turned to Jiang Shiyu and said, "Um... thank you for the compliment."

"This pink dress really suits you," Jiang Shiyu said, taking a sip of his drink.

Shen Cen's earlobes turned even redder. "You have good taste; you chose this dress."

"Hey, you two, have some consideration for how a single guy like me feels, okay?"

Wen Jie interrupted the two of them, asking, "What's going on? Why are there subtle hints of romance between these two?"

Jiang Shiyu raised his wine glass and nodded to Wen Jie: "Miss Wen, it's been a long time."

"Long time no see." Wen Jie also raised her glass and clinked it with Jiang Shiyu's.

“I have friends upstairs, do you want to come and play together?” Jiang Shiyu said, then looked at Shen Cen, and then shifted his gaze to the two of them, asking for their opinion.

Wen Jie has an outgoing and cheerful personality and loves making new friends. Upon hearing this, she was very happy to agree.

"Okay, okay, let's go together, little Cen!"

Before receiving a reply from Shen Cen, Wen Jie pulled her up.

The two followed Jiang Shiyu to a private room on the second floor.

The private room was large, serving as both a karaoke room and a drinking room, with golden lighting that wasn't too bright.

Shen Cen saw two men sitting inside. Both were exceptionally handsome, comparable to television stars. However, their styles were completely different; one appeared sunny and cheerful, while the other seemed mature and composed.

"This is Cheng Jingyan, and this is Fu Cheng. They are my friends since childhood," Jiang Shiyu introduced to Shen Cen.

After saying that, he solemnly introduced them to the two of them:

"This is my wife, Shen Cen."

The word "wife" was uttered loudly and forcefully, and the two syllables silenced the room for a few seconds.

The man's expression was obscured by the shadows of the lamplight, and Shen Cen couldn't see it clearly. But she guessed that when he said those words, he wasn't as casual and nonchalant as he usually was.

"This is Ms. Wen. She is the deputy editor-in-chief of the most famous magazine in China for its in-depth interviews with people." Jiang Shiyu did not overlook Wen Jie beside him, and in just a few words, he pointed out what was most admirable about Wen Jie.

The group nodded politely.

Unlike the usually composed and aloof Fu Cheng, Cheng Jingyan was a gossipy and talkative person. He usually couldn't get anything out of Jiang Shiyu, but today he wanted to seize the opportunity to find out more from Shen Cen.

"Sister-in-law, I have a question that I may ask."

Jiang Shiyu cast a cold glance at him, "You know it's presumptuous of you to ask?"

Shen Cen knew that Cheng Jingyan would not ask any excessive questions, so he smiled and said, "It's okay, just ask whatever you want."

Cheng Jingyan knew that Shen Cen's words were a "get-out-of-jail-free card" in front of Jiang Shiyu, so he ignored Jiang Shiyu's murderous gaze and boldly asked:

"I heard that your sister-in-law and Brother Yu had a whirlwind marriage?"

All he knew was that Jiang Shiyu, who had always been indifferent to women, suddenly threw a marriage certificate into their group chat one day and announced, "I'm married."

His first thought was that Jiang Shiyu was being pressured into marriage by his grandmother, or perhaps driven mad by the arranged marriage, and had actually forged a certificate to fool everyone. He only found out later, after verifying with Fu Cheng, that it was true.

Shen Cen didn't find the question presumptuous and nodded: "Yes."

"Then it must be Brother Yu who proposed the marriage?" Cheng Jingyan asked again.

Since getting married, Jiang Shiyu's sentences revolve around his "wife" in two out of three. Cheng Jingyan and Jiang Shiyu grew up together and know Jiang Shiyu's character best. It's clear that Jiang Shiyu really likes his wife, whom he married in a whirlwind romance.

After saying that, he glanced at Jiang Shiyu discreetly and saw a smile of interest on Jiang Shiyu's face. Suddenly, he felt that something was wrong.

Could it be...?

"Actually, I was the one who proposed," Shen Cen admitted.

Before the proposal, the two had only met a few times.

Our first meeting was at Siji.

At the time, Wen Jie heard that the owner of the newly opened Siji Bar was incredibly handsome. A customer accidentally showed Jiang Shiyu's face for two or three seconds in a video taken at the bar, and even though the video quality was very blurry, it caused quite a stir online, with the video receiving over a million likes.

The comments section is full of people saying, "The boss could debut right now!!"

She called Shen Cen to the bar, and it was then that Shen Cen met Jiang Shiyu for the first time.

She had to admit that Jiang Shiyu was truly handsome, the most dazzling presence in the crowd, making everyone else pale in comparison.

However, Shen Cen couldn't remember what happened afterward. She had accidentally ordered the strongest liquor, and after drinking it, she became completely dizzy. Wen Jie had to carry her back.

The next day, she found a new person named Jiang Shiyu in her WeChat friend list. Wen Jie said that almost all the customers had left that night. She suddenly took her phone, walked to the bar, and said to Jiang Shiyu, who was wiping glasses:

"Give me your WeChat!"

The two met for the second time the day after their trip to Siji. She realized she had left a bracelet at Siji, and after messaging Jiang Shiyu, he told her to come to Siji that day to pick it up.

The third meeting was a few days later, at the entrance of Shencen residential area.

That evening, when Shen Cen returned home, she was stopped by Chen Zhao, who had been waiting for her at the entrance of the residential complex. Just then, Jiang Shiyu's black Maybach passed by. Perhaps out of chivalry, Jiang Shiyu got out of the car and chased Chen Zhao away for her.

She was so frightened that tears streamed down her face, but Jiang Shiyu stepped forward and gently embraced her.

She didn't resist the man's embrace; on the contrary, the scent of cedar on him made her feel at ease.

She felt a close connection to a man she had only met once in real life and chatted with a few times online, as if he were an old friend.

He told her she could confide in him. She couldn't resist and poured her heart out to him.

She remembered that his last words that day were that if she needed someone to pretend to be her boyfriend, she could contact him.

She hadn't initially considered the man's suggestion, but Fu Meihua, knowing she'd broken up with her boyfriend, frequently arranged blind dates for her, which made her reconsider. After some time, one afternoon she went to Siji and ordered the same drink they'd made for her on their first meeting.

After drinking, she mustered up the courage to go find the man, and unexpectedly overheard him on the phone.

From the phone call, she learned that Jiang Shiyu's grandmother had cancer, and her grandmother's wish was to see Jiang Shiyu get married and start a family.

So, what started as "Do you want to pretend to be my boyfriend?" eventually turned into "Do you want to marry me?"...

She will always remember the night of the proposal. The bar was dimly lit, the singer sang love songs in a hoarse voice, and the overall atmosphere was tender and ambiguous.

Jiang Shiyu was leisurely wiping the glass in his hand, looking incredibly handsome. Hearing her words, Jiang Shiyu merely raised his eyes slightly, his tone nonchalant, "Miss Chen, are you really sure?"

Shen Cen subconsciously interpreted it as a sign of failure, leaving only a brief "sorry" before hastily fleeing.

Unexpectedly, the next second, the man grabbed her wrist, his deep eyes flashing with a hint of light.

"If you've thought it through, we'll go get our marriage certificate tomorrow."

-

Halfway through the conversation, Wen Jie went outside to answer a phone call. When she returned, she looked unwell: "There's a problem with one of the interviews, and I need to go back to the magazine to help resolve it."

Shen Cen asked worriedly, "Is everything alright?"

"Don't worry, there's nothing I can't handle when I'm in charge."

After saying that, she specifically instructed Jiang Shiyu: "Jiang Shiyu, please take good care of Xiao Cen for me."

Jiang Shiyu: "Miss Wen, don't worry."

Midway through, Cheng Jingyan and Fu Cheng both left due to other commitments, leaving only Jiang Shiyu and Shen Cen in the private room.

Shen Cen knew he couldn't hold his liquor and his behavior when drunk wasn't great either, so he only drank one glass of mint julip and didn't get drunk.

However, Jiang Shiyu was drunk.

He leaned back on the sofa, a few buttons undone on his white shirt, his half-closed dark eyes sparkling with starlight, the corners of his eyes tinged with crimson, making him look even more unruly than usual.

Seeing that it was getting late, Shen Cen wanted to wake Jiang Shiyu up so they could go home together.

"Jiang Shiyu? Jiang Shiyu?"

No matter how she called out, Jiang Shiyu didn't move. Instead, he reached out and messily pulled the hair that was covering his eyes to the side.

"She's blocking my view of her," he said out of the blue.

Seeing him talking in his sleep, Shen Cen wanted to tease him, "Who are you looking at if you're blocking my view?"

"The person I like." Jiang Shiyu's voice wasn't loud, but Shen Cen heard it very clearly.

Who is he interested in?

Shen Cen's heart skipped a beat. After a moment of inner turmoil, she thought about how Jiang Shiyu wouldn't remember what happened today when he woke up tomorrow, so she tentatively asked, "Who do you like?"

“It’s her.” Jiang Shiyu muttered softly, poking Shen Cen’s cheek with his finger.

He seemed really drunk. Shen Cen smiled helplessly, yet inexplicably found Jiang Shiyu's drunken appearance somewhat adorable.

She patted his shoulder: "Lie down for a while, I'll go down and find someone to carry you into the car."

"Don't go."

Suddenly, Shen Cen's hand was pulled forcefully by the man, and she felt a sense of weightlessness. She cried out in fright and accidentally fell into the man's arms.

Even through the thin white shirt, Shen Cen could clearly feel the man's strong abdominal muscles, hard and hot, and her face instantly turned red.

"Please don't go, okay?"

The man's hand wrapped around her waist, and with a slight pull, he held her tightly in his arms, his attitude somewhat forceful, yet his tone was gentle and pleading.

"Okay, okay, I won't leave, please let go."

Shen Cen tried to pry open the warm hands around her waist, but as soon as her hand touched Jiang Shiyu's hand, he held it tightly, and she couldn't move.

The man's palms were burning hot, as if the suppressed heat in his heart was about to burst forth from them.

"I don't believe you, Shen Cen, you're a liar."

As he spoke, Jiang Shiyu suddenly lowered his head and bit Shen Cen's nape, but the bite was very light, more like a kiss taken on the spur of the moment.

The back of her neck was a sensitive spot. The moment the man's soft lips touched her, an electric-like sensation flowed through her body all the way to her throat.

She felt a tightness in her throat, and her voice trailed off: "Jiang Shiyu, you...you're drunk."

Jiang Shiyu's lips kissed her from the back of her neck down to her earlobe, making Shen Cen feel a tingling and itchy sensation. She lay limply against Jiang Shiyu's body. She could have pushed the man away, but for some reason, she was somewhat intoxicated by it.

She didn't reject this kind of contact; on the contrary, she kind of liked it.

Finally, Jiang Shiyu stopped and whispered in her ear, "Chen Cen, I'm not drunk."

As he spoke, the man's breath was damp and moist, making Shen Cen's neck itch even more. She forcefully pulled her hand away from the man's grasp and touched the spot where she had just been kissed.

Jiang Shiyu left a kiss on her hand, saying, "Your hand is so soft."

"Jiang Shiyu, you..."

Shen Cen turned her head, only to be met with the man's magnified face.

That handsome, almost otherworldly face made her heart pound wildly.

Shen Cen nervously swallowed, swallowing the words that were about to come out.

At this moment, their bodies were almost touching, completely sealed together. The man's burning skin seeped through the two layers of clothing, making Chen Cen tremble all over. She wanted to push Jiang Shiyu away, but found that her hand was right in front of his abs, and she was too embarrassed to touch them.

“Chen Cen…” he called her name.

The man's lips were naturally red, and when moistened with wine, they resembled a cherry plucked from the water, glistening with a subtle sheen, making one want to take a bite.

She suddenly had a strong urge to kiss him.

Once the thought came to mind, it was impossible to shake it off.

However, Shen Cen was not drunk; she could not allow herself to act recklessly.

But what if she's drunk...?

After a few minutes of silence in the private room, Shen Cen suddenly picked up a brand-new glass next to him, poured half of the wine he hadn't finished, and then drank it all in one gulp.

That half-glass of wine was what Jiang Shiyu hadn't finished. The wine was indeed strong; after only drinking half a glass, she felt dizzy and everything around her was shrouded in a thin mist.

At this moment, the man's lips, those glistening with moisture and still bearing the delicate kiss marks on her neck, were even more alluring in the hazy mist.

She leaned down and left a light kiss on the corner of his lips.

Let's get drunk this time.

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Author's Note: President Jiang: A man's three parts drunkenness will make you cry [doge emoji]

Oh right! I have to put on a clipboard tomorrow, so updates will be moved to around 11:30 PM. After that, updates will still be at 9 PM as usual. There won't be any breaks before the main story is finished, so don't worry! [Sprinkling flowers]