Chapter 45

The days went by like this, becoming warmer and hotter day by day in the cold winter air.

The trip to Suzhou ended successfully after meeting both sets of parents and receiving their satisfied blessings. After returning, Lin Qi, half-jokingly and half-seriously, excused himself from moving things around, completely emptied out his own little nest and officially moved into Chen Yan's home.

Their relationship quickly heated up with this unreserved and thorough integration.

Lin Qi seemed to have unleashed some kind of barrier. In front of Shen Yan, she became softer, more coquettish, and more clingy. She no longer called him "Chen Yan," but invented various nicknames for him that she would use when they were alone. When she was happy, she was the soft and sweet "Brother Yan." When she needed help from him, she would call him "Brother Chen" with a hint of flattery.

Of course, there are exceptions.

For example, when Chen Yan broke the agreement between them because of work.

It was a Friday night. He had promised to watch a newly released movie with her, but because of an impromptu multinational meeting, he completely forgot the time in the study.

At half past ten, the door of the study was gently pushed open.

Lin Qi did not come in with milk or hot tea as usual, but just leaned quietly against the door frame.

"Chen Yan."

She called his full name, her tone calm, no emotion in her voice.

Chen Yan's heart skipped a beat, and he immediately looked up, seeing the expression on her face that said, "I'm not angry, but you'd better give me a reasonable explanation." He subconsciously glanced at his watch, and then he reacted instantly.

"I'm sorry," he immediately closed his laptop, stood up, and walked over to her, "I lost track of time and the meeting just ended. My bad."

She looked at him and said nothing.

"Alright," Chen Yan pulled her into his arms and coaxed her with a tone that was almost surrendering, "Punish me, okay? Punish me by having me watch a movie with you all day tomorrow and cook delicious food for you all day."

Lin Qi finally burst out laughing in his arms, and punched his chest with his hand: "That's more like it."

The crisis was finally resolved.

But more often than not, Lin Qi is more like a smart kitten who has figured out all of his owner's temperament and character.

She knew when to soothe him and when to... "seduce" him.

It was a weekend afternoon, and Chen Yan, as usual, was sitting on the sofa in the living room, reading a rather dull industry analysis report. Lin Qi emerged from the bedroom, wearing only a thin silk suspender nightgown that barely reached her knees. Barefoot, she walked slowly towards the kitchen to pour herself a glass of water.

She didn't look at him the whole time, as if he was just a transparent person, as if she was just thirsty and needed to drink water, it was as natural as it could be.

But Chen Yan could no longer turn to the next page of the book in his hand.

His eyes followed her uncontrollably, from her fair, slender neck to her delicate collarbone, and then to the beautiful curves of her body faintly visible under the silk.

When she finished drinking the water, holding the cup and preparing to walk back to the bedroom as if nothing had happened, Chen Yan finally put down the book in his hand.

A second before she passed by him, he reached out, accurately grasped her wrist, and gently pulled her, causing her to fall into his arms.

She exclaimed "Ah!" and he steadily caught the cup of water in her hand and placed it on the coffee table.

"Student Lin," he held her in his arms, letting her sit astride his lap. He lowered his head, his nose almost touching hers, his voice hoarse from suppressed emotion, "Are you... deliberately testing Teacher Shen's self-control?"

"I'm testing your concentration to see if you're reading seriously. Sure enough... you're pretending to be serious." Lin Qi teased.

Hearing her sly and sly teasing, Chen Yan burst out laughing.

His arms tightened a little, making it impossible for her to escape from his embrace. He lowered his head and gently nuzzled her nose with the tip of his nose, his eyes filled with complete and undisguised admiration and desire.

"My concentration," he said, looking into her eyes, his voice hoarse than ever because he was deliberately lowering it, "has always been good."

"It's a pity..." He continued slowly, "The 'test question' that Lin asked is really beyond the scope of the syllabus."

The hand that was holding her wrist slowly moved upwards, and his fingertips gently stroked her smooth, slightly cool arm.

"However, since it's a 'test,'" he looked into her eyes, his lips curled up in a deep, dangerous arc, "just watching without doing doesn't seem to be in line with Teacher Shen's usual teaching style."

"so,"

He didn't give her any chance to refute. His other hand had already touched the back of her neck, and he pressed her towards him without giving her any room to argue.

"I have decided to personally..."

He finished the unfinished words at her lips in a whisper that only the two of them could hear.

"... Check to see if our classmate Lin's 'exam prop' is as... foul as it looks."

The moment she finished speaking, Chen Yan silenced all her protests with a deep kiss, and completely ignited this dangerous yet sweet game that she had started with her own hands.

That deep kiss, without the slightest hesitation, was filled with the desire and plunder that was known to all adults.

The living room was very quiet, with only the sounds of their breathing becoming increasingly heavy and rapid, and the slight rustling sound of the silk nightgown rubbing against each other.

His hand slid down from the back of her neck, into the loose slip dress, and caressed her warm and smooth back. He could clearly feel the instant tenseness of her body under the touch of his palm, and the subtle tremor that followed.

She didn't resist, but instead clung to him more tightly like a vine that had found support. Her hand slipped from his neck into his hair, responding to his demands with a touch of awkwardness, yet with immense devotion.

This kiss lasted for a long time.

Until they were both almost out of breath, he slightly pulled away and rested his forehead against hers. In the dim light, he saw her cheeks flushed, and her eyes were filled with a thin layer of mist and a hazy charm.

"Brother Yan..." She called him unconsciously with a soft, nasal voice that sounded almost like a dream.

This sound was like a lit fuse, completely breaking the last string of "reason" in his mind.

He didn't say anything else, but just picked her up by the waist.

She subconsciously wrapped her arms around his neck and buried her face in the crook of his neck. He held her in his arms and walked with steady but eager steps into the bedroom that had long belonged to them both.

He laid her gently on the bed, then leaned over, supporting himself on both sides of her body, and looked at her with an extremely aggressive, scrutinizing gaze.

"Now," his voice was hoarse, "Teacher Shen is going to start the formal review of the 'exam questions'."

He reached out his hand, his fingertips gently slid across her collarbone, and then hooked her thin suspenders.

He looked into her eyes and very slowly, bit by bit, peeled off the only fragile bond from her shoulders.

The silk fabric slid down the beautiful curves of her body like water.

The afternoon sun outside the window filtered through the gaps in the blinds, casting mottled shadows on her smooth skin, which was slightly flushed with nervousness.

It is so beautiful, like a work of art that should not exist in this world.

His breathing was completely disordered.

He leaned over and whispered his "inspection report" in her ear in a hot voice that only she could hear.

"Lin Qi..."

"...Your foul was really bad."