Chapter 74: Drunken Promise (Part 2)

Yu Ling's heart trembled suddenly! It was like being brushed by the softest feather, or burned by the hottest brand! A huge, warm current of emotion and sadness instantly rushed to her eyes, making her nose sore. She hugged his hot body tightly, buried her face in his neck that smelled of alcohol, and choked with sobs: "Yeah! I know!"

Zhao Chen seemed relieved after receiving her response. He buried his burning cheek back into Yu Ling's neck, nuzzling her contentedly like a child who had finally found home. His hot breath brushed against her skin, and his drunken mutterings drifted out intermittently:

"I'll give you everything..." His voice became lower and lower, more and more vague, as if he was talking in a dream, "The castle... is for you... I'll pick the stars for you too... okay..."

Castle? Stars?

Yu Ling listened to these exaggerated drunken words that sounded like a fairy tale, and finally couldn't control her tears and rolled down her cheeks.

She hugged the man, who was completely drunk but still promised her to "reach for the stars," tightly. She felt both heartache and amusement, her heart filled with a full, bitter happiness. She knew it was just drunken talk, but the sincerity wrapped in it, the desire to hold the whole world in front of her, was so real that it broke her heart.

"Okay..." She choked and laughed with tears in her eyes. She tightened her arms around him, as if she wanted to rub herself into his bones and blood. "Give it all to me... I want them all..."

The car moved smoothly through the night. In the cramped backseat, only the mingling of their breathing and his warm embrace remained. Yu Ling held him, feeling as if she were embracing a vast, fragile dream.

In her dream, there were castles and stars, as well as the cold shadow of the countdown to the agreement and Gu Qianqian's dazzling smile that filled the screen with luxury. The interweaving of sweetness and unease made her feel confused.

Back at Room 1601, Building 1, Genting Highlands, the driver, Ah Cheng, helped Yu Ling peel off the "human-shaped pendant" and helped Zhao Chen, who was drunk and almost unconscious, to the bed in the master bedroom.

Zhao Chen lay on his back on the enormous king-size bed, his brows still slightly furrowed, his breath hot from the alcohol. He had unconsciously ripped a few buttons off his expensive shirt, revealing a sturdy chest and distinct collarbone lines, which shone seductively under the soft wall lamp.

Yu Ling dismissed Ah Cheng, wrung out a hot towel, and sat down beside the bed. Carefully, she unbuttoned the remaining buttons of his shirt, revealing his muscular torso. The warm, damp towel gently wiped his burning forehead, neck, and chest... Her movements were as gentle as if they were fragile porcelain.

As the towel brushed against his sleek collarbone, Yu Ling's gaze paused involuntarily. The image of the antique necklace on Gu Qianqian's Instagram, along with the line "He said it perfectly complements your collarbone," flashed uncontrollably in her mind like a ghost. Her fingertips paused, and an indescribable pang of pain and bitterness passed through her heart.

She forced herself to look away and continued wiping. The warm steam and her movements seemed to make Zhao Chen feel more comfortable. He moved slightly, and a vague gurgling sound came from his throat.

Yu Ling leaned over, wanting to help him adjust the pillow. The moment she approached——

Zhao Chen's eyes, which had been tightly closed and filled with drunkenness, suddenly opened without any warning!

His eyes were hazy and distracted, as if covered by a thick fog, and it was difficult for him to focus on Yu Ling's face, which was so close to him. But deep in his eyes, there seemed to be an extremely clear and sharp light, like lightning that cuts through the fog, flashing away in an instant! So fast that Yu Ling thought it was an illusion.

He stared at her for three full seconds, the air seemed to freeze.

It was because Ling was frightened by his sudden "awakeness" and subconsciously wanted to retreat -

Zhao Chen suddenly raised a hand. It was a little weak from being drunk, but it grasped Yu Ling's wrist holding the towel with precision and irresistible force!

His palm was scorching hot, like a branding iron! The scorching heat made Yu Ling's wrist tremble!

"Lingling..." He began, his voice hoarse, heavy with intoxication and a strange, almost pleading vulnerability. His misty eyes locked onto hers, as if to suck her soul in.

"Hmm?" Yu Ling's wrist was grabbed by him, her heart beating like a drum, and she could only respond stiffly.

Zhao Chen grabbed her wrist, exerting a little force and pulling her closer. Their noses were almost touching. The strong smell of alcohol and the hot masculine scent of him completely enveloped Yu Ling.

His blurred gaze slowly and with a heart-shaking concentration slid from her eyes to her lips, and finally... landed on her chest which was slightly heaving with nervousness.

Then, he spoke, and said something that made Yu Ling's blood freeze instantly:

"Then..." His voice was low and hoarse, with a strong sense of drunkenness, but strangely clear, like a magic spell, knocking on Yu Ling's eardrum with every word, "Give your heart back to me... okay?"

Give his heart back to him?

Yu Ling's mind went blank! It was like being struck by thunder! The blood in her body seemed to flow backwards, then rushed madly to her head the next second! She stared in disbelief at the handsome face before her, so close yet full of drunkenness and vulnerability. The overwhelming shock and absurdity made it almost impossible to breathe!

He... what was he talking about? What heart? Gu Qianqian's heart? Or...his Zhao Chen's heart?

A chill ran from the soles of my feet straight up to the top of my head! All the sweetness and touching moments in the car just now turned into the sharpest irony at this moment!

So… so his drunken confession of love, his words of “I’ll always protect you,” “I’ll give you everything,” and even that fairy tale of “picking stars”… were all a prelude to this single phrase: “Give me your heart back?”

The immense humiliation and cold despair entangled her heart like a venomous snake! She exerted force, trying to pull back her wrist!

"You...let me go!" Her voice trembled with anger and hurt. "What do you mean? I don't understand what you are saying! Let me go!"

Zhao Chen's hand, like an iron clamp, gripped her wrist tightly, unmoving. A flicker of confusion seemed to cross his hazy eyes, then was immediately overshadowed by a deeper, stubborn intoxication. As if dissatisfied with Yu Ling's struggle and resistance, he raised his other hand, and without warning, gently and scorchingly, it touched Yu Ling's chest.

His fingertips, through the thin velvet fabric, precisely touched her heart.

"Here..." He applied a little pressure with his fingertips, and through the clothes, he seemed to feel the frantic beating of her heart. He raised his misty eyes and looked deeply into her panicked eyes. His voice was low and tender, with a heartbreaking grievance and determination:

"my heart……"

He paused, his thick eyelashes drooping, hiding the fleeting, all-seeing glint in his eyes. Only a drunken fragility and... a deep, almost sacrificial affection remained.

"It was stolen by you a long time ago..."

Boom——!!!

Yu Ling felt her world flip upside down in an instant! The immense impact completely robbed her of her ability to think! All the strength in her body seemed to be drained away in an instant! She froze there, motionless, letting his scorching fingertips touch her heart, letting his misty yet deeply affectionate gaze hold her tightly.

Stole...his heart?

Not Gu Qianqian? Is it...her?

This sudden, absurd turn of events was like the most violent hurricane, sweeping away all of Yu Ling's anger, humiliation, and despair in an instant! Only huge, unreal shock and... an overwhelming, almost suffocating ecstasy remained!

She looked at his handsome face so close to her, looked at the unpretentious grievance and affection in his drunken eyes, looked at his thin lips that were slightly red from being drunk...all the storms just now turned into a sweet whirlpool that surged violently in the lake of her heart!

Zhao Chen seemed to have exhausted his last bit of strength. After saying that, his eyelids drooped heavily, and his grip on Yu Ling's wrist loosened. His body softened, and he fell back into the soft pillow. His breathing became even and long, and he fell into a deep sleep. It was as if the earth-shattering confession just now was just drunken ravings.

Yu Ling remained stiffly seated on the edge of the bed, maintaining that position. The warmth of his fingers still lingered on her wrist, and the spot on her heart where his fingertips had touched her still bore a scorching mark.

She slowly lowered her head, looking at the man sleeping on the bed. His face was peaceful as he slept, stripped of the control and occasional sharpness he had when sober, and the fragility and charm he had when drunk, leaving only pure handsomeness and defenselessness.

The warm yellow wall lamp cast a soft shadow on his deep profile.

After a long moment, Yu Ling finally seemed to regain her breath. Slowly, slowly, she leaned over, her fingertips trembling with an almost reverent touch as she gently brushed across his brow, which was slightly furrowed by drunkenness.

The skin beneath my fingertips is warm and full of real vitality.

She looked at his sleeping face, her eyes filled with an extremely complex light - shock, ecstasy, sweetness, confusion, and a hint of bewilderment after being overwhelmed by great happiness. In the end, all the emotions settled down and turned into an extremely soft sigh with a strong nasal sound.

She lowered her head, and her soft lips, like feathers, fell extremely gently on his smooth forehead.

Then, in a nearly silent whisper that only she could hear, she uttered two words to his sleeping face, filled with endless love and a hint of helpless anger:

"…fraud."