Chapter 3

The cold wall pressed against Xia Wan's back, its chill unable to penetrate the scalding blood beneath her skin. Alcohol coursed through her veins like molten lava, colliding with her temples. Everything in her field of vision was shrouded in a swirling, grotesque mist. She lowered her head, her tangled hair a fragile barrier, attempting to block the scrutinizing gaze from above. The air seemed to solidify into thick syrup, and every breath tugged at the frantically beating heart in her chest, bringing waves of suffocating, dull pain.

Embarrassment surged like a tide, nearly drowning her. She could even imagine Jiang Yu's expression at that moment—a slight frown, a look of displeasure at being interrupted and a subtle hint of...disdain? After all, the one who had always been so embarrassed and unmanageable in front of her was Xia Wan, hiding in the corner, not the "ordinary classmate" who might have long since faded from his memory.

Time seemed to stretch infinitely long, and every second felt like being tortured on hot gravel.

Finally, a very light breathing sound, almost a sigh, came from above my head, followed by the gentle sound of leather shoes stepping on the smooth floor tiles, approaching.

A bony, slender, and powerful hand reached out before her, its palm facing upward, its fingers clean and its nails trimmed short and neat, exuding an almost cold simplicity.

"Can you get up?"

Jiang Yu's voice rang out, a bit deeper than it had been in the banquet hall earlier. Emotionless, it sounded like a routine inquiry. There was no concern, no sarcasm, just a statement of fact.

Xia Wan's body was as stiff as a rock. She stared at the hand so close to her. The clean, sharp lines seemed to carry a scorching heat, making her breath stop. She didn't dare touch it. This brief contact would leave a mark on her skin like a branding iron, reminding her of her current state of disgrace and misery. She would rather crawl back to the bustling banquet hall, or even crawl into a crack in the ground.

She shook her head violently, so violently that her already dizzy head spun. She struggled to prop herself up with her limp arms, but her knees gave out. She barely moved away from the wall before collapsing back down with a dull thud.

“Tsk.”

A faint, clearly impatient tsk rang out from above. Xia Wan's heart sank, as if it had fallen into an icy cave. As expected... he was too bothered.

The next second, an irresistible force came from her arm. Jiang Yu didn't give her the chance to hesitate or refuse. He leaned over, firmly grasping her upper arm with one hand, and with the other hand, he passed through her legs and, with an almost forceful gesture, lifted her up from the cold floor!

"Ah!" Xia Wan cried out in surprise, her body momentarily suspended in mid-air. The dizziness of weightlessness made her instinctively reach out and, in a panic, grasp the front of his open suit jacket. She felt the delicate touch of the high-quality wool blend, and... through the thin layer of shirt fabric, she could feel the solid warmth of an adult male's body and the faint beating of his heartbeat.

This sudden, overly intimate contact made Xia Wan's blood rush to her head, her cheeks burning hot. She froze in his embrace, not daring to move. The sharp scent of his aftershave and the faintest hint of tobacco lingered in her nose, blending into an aggressive male hormone that further clouded her already chaotic mind.

Jiang Yu didn't seem to mind her stiffness and panic. He held her in his arms, walking steadily down the hallway. He wasn't heading towards the bustling banquet hall, but towards the elevators leading to the hotel rooms. His movements were quick and decisive, and he held her as if he were simply lifting an insignificant object. The muscles in his arms were tense, revealing an undeniable sense of strength, but his face was expressionless, his jawline tense.

"Jiang... Jiang Yu?" Xia Wan finally found her voice again, with a heavy nasal tone and trembling disbelief, "Put me down... I... I can walk by myself... to the banquet hall..." She spoke incoherently, and just wanted to escape from this embrace that made her heart almost explode.

"Shut up." He didn't even pause, not even looking down at her. His thin lips spat out two cold words, with an air of command that brooked no argument. "You go back like this, do you want to be the center of attention, or do you want to be beaten by Wang Qiang and the others a few more times?"

His tone was like an icy blade, mercilessly slicing through her last vestiges of hopeless fantasy and struggle. Xia Wan was speechless, all her excuses choking in her throat. He was right. Going back now, with flushed cheeks, smudged eye makeup, and a shaky gait, would only draw more inquiring and provocative glances, especially from Wang Qiang, who yearned for unrest.

The elevator door dinged open, revealing an empty room. Jiang Yu carried her inside and pressed the key for the penthouse suite. In the small space, the silence was magnified. Xia Wan could clearly hear his steady breathing and her own heartbeat. She leaned stiffly against his chest, her gaze fixed on the blurry figure reflected in the elevator door—he was holding her, as if he were holding a lifeless package. This realization brought a sharp wave of bitterness and self-mockery to her heart.

She seemed like a nuisance. A nuisance that needed to be dealt with.

The elevator rose silently and rapidly. The numbers kept jumping, and Xia Wan felt her nerves tense up with the number. When the number "28" came on, the elevator door opened again, revealing a quiet, softly lit corridor of a luxury suite covered in thick carpet.

Jiang Yu carried her out and walked straight to a heavy, dark wooden door. He held her in one hand and with the other, he skillfully pulled out a black room card from his suit pocket and swiped it lightly on the door lock sensor.

With a soft "beep", the door opened.

He carried her inside and closed the door behind him.

"Bang." The sound of the door lock closing was like a dull judgment, blocking out all the noise outside and completely trapping Xia Wan in this space that belonged only to him and was filled with a fresh air.

The room was spacious, a suite with a stunning city view. Beyond the enormous floor-to-ceiling windows, the city's nightscape, a dazzling galaxy, streams of light and colors, silently unfolding beneath our feet. The room's decor was understated and luxurious, and the air was filled with the clean, chilled air of a high-end hotel.

Jiang Yu didn't turn on the headlights. He only relied on the city light coming in through the window and the dim glow of a wall lamp at the entrance to walk straight towards the white bed that looked extremely large and soft.

He leaned over, his movements not gentle but rather agile, as if he had unburdened himself, and placed her on the edge of the bed. The moment her body sank into the soft duvet, Xia Wan felt she had regained the ability to breathe, but her tense nerves did not relax.

Jiang Yu stood up and looked down at her. In the dim light, his outline was a little blurry, and only his dark brown eyes seemed particularly sharp and deep in the weak light, like a nocturnal animal surveying its territory.

"The room card is on the bedside table. The bathroom is over there." He pointed to the back of the room, his voice still flat, as if he was explaining the ownership of an item. "When you wake up, leave on your own. No need to tell me."

He didn't even linger for a second, as if looking at her any longer would be a waste of time. He turned around, striding towards the door, ready to leave this awkward and isolated cage he had just created.

That resolute back, that cold confession, was like a rusty, blunt knife, slicing another, slow, sharp cut into Xia Wan's already tattered heart. Ten years of humble, secret love now fermented into the most turbulent, desperate impulse, fueled by alcohol.

Just as his hand was about to touch the door handle——

"Jiang Yu!"

Xia Wan suddenly sprang up from the bed. The alcohol had completely broken down her rational dam, leaving only instinct and a decade of pent-up courage blazing. She stumbled, practically lunging forward, using all her strength to cling to his slender waist from behind.

Her arms were wrapped tightly around him, her cheek pressed against his broad, taut back through the thin fabric of his shirt. The warm, firm touch, the familiar, haunting scent, instantly overwhelmed her. Tears welled up without warning, the scalding liquid quickly soaking the fabric of his back.

"Don't go..." Her voice was broken, filled with tears and desperate pleading, like a drowning person grabbing the last piece of driftwood, "Please... don't go..."

Jiang Yu's body suddenly stiffened the moment she rushed over and hugged him!

Like a stone statue frozen in an instant. Every muscle was tensed to the limit, filled with incredible shock and a sense of offended anger. He could clearly feel the trembling coming from his back, the wetness of his shirt soaked by his hot tears, and the slender arms around his waist, exerting all their strength, almost breaking his grip.

Time seemed to have completely stopped at this moment. The bright lights outside the window flickered silently, and the only sounds in the room were Xia Wan's uncontrollable, intermittent sobs and his own suddenly heavy and suppressed breathing.

He inhaled sharply, his chest heaving violently. The rage he'd been forcibly suppressing, along with a more complex, chaotic emotion, seemed poised to burst forth. His hands, hanging by his sides, their knuckles white from the force of their clenching, the veins faintly visible on the back of his hands.

"Xia Wan," he said, his voice squeezed out from between his teeth. Every word was filled with ice, bitingly cold. He tried to use the most stern warning to wake her up. "Let go. Now."

This cold command was like a bucket of ice water. Far from extinguishing the fire in Xia Wan's heart, it only inflamed it, fueled by the alcohol and despair. The love, grievances, and resentment she had pent up for a decade, never dared to express, and the pain of being completely ignored, erupted within her like a volcano.

"I won't let go!" She practically screamed, her arms tightening around his waist with a resoluteness on the verge of collapse, as if she were embedding herself into his flesh and blood. Tears welled up like a dam breaking. She raised her head recklessly, and with a desperate urge to let go, she stood on tiptoe. Her hot lips, stained with salty tears, pressed haphazardly and clumsily against the exposed, cool skin of his neck!

It was a kiss without any skill, even rough. It was more like a sign of desperation, a desperate declaration of possession.

"boom--"

The tense string in Jiang Yu's mind completely broke.

The soft, hot, tear-soaked touch on the back of his neck was like a thunderbolt wrapped in electricity, instantly splitting all his restraint and rationality! The darkness and violence hidden in his heart, aroused by alcohol, were completely ignited by this sudden, almost provocative touch!

He turned around suddenly! His movements were as fast as a cheetah pouncing on its prey, with a devastating force.

Xia Wan only felt a huge force coming at her, and her arms that were wrapped around her were instantly shaken away. Her body staggered backward uncontrollably, and her back hit the cold wall heavily, making her groan and see stars in front of her eyes.

However, the expected scolding or shoving did not come.

The next second, a large, scorching hand suddenly grabbed the back of her neck, nearly crushing her bones with such force that she tilted her head back. Another hand fiercely grasped her chin with an undeniable grip.

Xia Wan's eyes widened in terror. Through her tear-blurred vision, she could only see Jiang Yu's face, so close. His deep eyes swirled with a dark, almost violent, storm she had never seen before. They burned with offended rage, alcohol-fueled lust, and a hint of... a bottomless, complex emotion she couldn't fathom, a dangerous, heart-wrenching intensity. His usual calm and aloofness was gone, replaced by an aggressive, primal, oppressive aura.

"Do you know what you are doing?" His voice was terribly low and hoarse, and every word seemed to be ground out from deep in his chest, spraying on her face with hot breath.

Xia Wan was completely frightened by the storm in his eyes. The fear and belated shame made her tremble all over, her lips quivering, but she couldn't say a word.

Her silence, the tears and panic in her eyes were like the strongest accelerant.

The last ray of rationality in Jiang Yu's eyes was completely extinguished.

He suddenly lowered his head, and with a punishing and irresistible force, fiercely grabbed her slightly trembling, tear-stained lips!

That's not a kiss.

It was more like an invasion to capture cities and plunder land.

His kiss was fierce, domineering, and carried the force of a desire to devour her completely. His teeth were easily pried open, and his scorching tongue plunged in, sweeping through her mouth with undeniable possessiveness, conquering every inch of it. The refreshing scent of aftershave, mixed with the strong masculine scent and the hint of alcohol, overwhelmed her.

Xia Wan's mind went blank. All her struggle, resistance, even her ability to think, was crushed by this violent kiss. The world spun, leaving only the suffocating, plundering sensation between her lips and tongue, and the hand at the back of her neck, hot as a branding iron, holding her captive, unable to escape.

He is no longer the distant and alienated Jiang Yu.

He was the center of the storm, the abyss that ignited all her senses and destroyed her last bit of sanity.

At the last moment of complete sinking, Xia Wan, through her tearful eyes, could only see the cold, dazzling city galaxy outside the window, falling silently.