Chapter 132 Which Me Do You Like?

In the living room of the seaside villa, the crackling of the fireplace dispelled the morning chill.

Ruan Yao nestled in Huo Yanzhi's arms, covered with a soft cashmere blanket, sipping the milk he had just warmed.

Having survived the ordeal, let's treat each other with honesty.

That thrilling confrontation seemed to have exhausted the strength of two lifetimes.

At this moment, after the extreme exhaustion, there is an unprecedented peace and tranquility.

Ruan Yao leaned against his strong chest, listening to his steady and powerful heartbeat, her heart filled with a sense of security and warmth.

She turned her head to the side and looked up at the man beside her.

Morning light streamed in through the huge floor-to-ceiling windows, falling on his sharply defined profile.

He was no longer the polite yet aloof CEO Huo who always seemed shrouded in mystery.

Having shed all pretense, his expression exuded a relaxed and languid ease.

Noticing her gaze, Huo Yanzhi lowered his head and gave her a light kiss on the lips.

"What are you looking at?"

"Look at you." Ruan Yao smiled, her eyes crinkling, and poked his firm abs with her finger. "I was wondering, does Oscar owe our CEO Huo an Oscar?"

"Hmm?" Huo Yanzhi raised an eyebrow, feigning ignorance.

"Pretending to have amnesia, pretending to bump into each other, pretending to be drunk—especially every time I saw you talking to other men, you had to act like you didn't care at all. It almost suffocated me."

Ruan Yao burst out laughing.

She leaned over, hooked her arms around his neck, and gave him a quick kiss on the chin.

"Serves you right! Who told you to lie to me!"

Huo Yanzhi chuckled softly and hugged her even tighter.

"Then... how does Her Majesty intend to punish me?"

Ruan Yao rolled her eyes and gave a deliberately deep "hmm".

"I'll punish you..." she drawled, "I'll punish you by making you never lie to me again! Not even a single word!"

"Okay." Huo Yanzhi agreed without hesitation.

“And another thing!” Ruan Yao remembered something else, “Qin Feng has already confessed to me.”

"Back when I was in junior high, those thugs who blocked my way every day, and that rich kid in high school who wrote me love letters, were they all 'dealt with' by you?"

A very subtle hint of unease appeared on Huo Yanzhi's expression.

He coughed lightly and admitted it somewhat vaguely.

"They scared you."

The implication is that anyone or anything that makes her even slightly unhappy should disappear from her world.

Ruan Yao felt a mix of sadness and tenderness in her heart.

She was the rose he kept in a glass dome.

This time, however, she did it willingly.

"Huo Yanzhi." Ruan Yao suddenly called his name seriously.

She cupped his face in her hands, forcing him to look into her eyes, "When exactly did you start liking me?"

Huo Yanzhi put his arm around her, resting his chin on the top of her soft hair.

"From the moment you put that candy in my arms."

It wasn't love at first sight that caught your eye.

It was in his darkest, most wretched abyss that she, like a goddess, offered him that little bit of sweetness.

Ruan Yao's heart was warmed by this simple and direct answer.

She lifted her head from his embrace, tracing circles on his chest with her fingers, like a contented kitten.

"Well... I'll ask you a question, and you ask me one too."

Huo Yanzhi grasped her fingers that were wandering across his chest and tightened his grip slightly.

"Then..." He lingered his fingertips on her soft lips intimately, "Does Yaoyao prefer the old me or the current me?"

His question was tinged with ulterior motives. Once he shed his disguise, his deep eyes revealed an undisguised possessiveness and aggression, like a long-dormant beast finally revealing its claws.

This question made Ruan Yao's cheeks flush red instantly.

In her past life, there was Huo Yanzhi, who was strong, domineering, and could bully her in bed until she cried and begged for mercy.

In this life, Huo Yanzhi is gentle, considerate, and always restrained and polite.

She bit her lower lip, met his expectant and inquisitive eyes, steeled herself, leaned close to his ear, and spoke softly and sweetly in a voice that could be heard only by the two of them.

"When I'm under the bed, I like you to be like this, so gentle."

Her breath, carrying the sweet scent of milk, brushed against his ear, instantly raising his body temperature.

Then she added, her voice even softer.

"In bed... I like it the way it used to be."

Huo Yanzhi's breathing became disordered because of those words.

Those dark eyes instantly became incredibly deep, like a wildfire that had been ignited, so intense it almost consumed her.

Without saying a word, he picked her up and strode up to the bedroom upstairs.

Ruan Yao was startled by his sudden action, but his kiss silenced all her sounds.

The cashmere blanket slipped to the floor, and the firelight from the fireplace cast the intertwined shadows of the two people on the wall, both ambiguous and intense.

Huo Yanzhi's hand, burning hot, slipped under the hem of her pajamas, roaming unrestrainedly over her smooth, delicate skin, igniting clusters of trembling flames.

"Huo Yanzhi... um..." Ruan Yao was so dizzy from his kisses that her mind went blank, and she could only let out soft sobs.

Just as the atmosphere was spiraling out of control and everything was heading in an indescribable direction—

"Ring ring ring—"

A shrill cell phone ringtone abruptly shattered the tranquility of the room.

The two paused.

Ruan Yao glanced at the caller ID; it was Ruan Sheng.

Her cheeks flushed crimson, and she quickly patted Huo Yanzhi's chest: "Put me down, he's my brother!"

Huo Yanzhi reluctantly put her down and kissed her on the cheek.

Ruan Yao cleared her throat and answered the phone.

"elder brother?"

"Ruan Xiaoyao! Where have you gone?! Do you know you've been out of contact for two days?! Your parents are going crazy with worry and are about to call the police!" Ruan Sheng's roar came through the receiver, making Ruan Xiaoyao's ears ring.

"I'm so sorry, I'm so sorry," Ruan Yao quickly apologized. "I...I'm fine. I just had something to do and came out to clear my head."

"Going for a walk? You went for a walk so much that you turned off your phone and couldn't be reached? You scared me to death!"

Huo Yanzhi leaned closer, displeased, and bit Ruan Yao's earlobe, his warm breath spraying onto her neck.

"I...I came to see Yanzhi." Ruan Yao shrank back from the tickling, quickly covered the microphone, lowered her voice and glared at him reproachfully, then explained with a forced smile, "He's away on a business trip, and I missed him, so I came to see him."

Ruan Sheng remained silent for a full three seconds on the other end of the phone.

"I really can't stand you two anymore! Alright, alright, since you're with your brother-in-law, I'm relieved. I'll talk to Mom and Dad. You two have fun, and be careful, cough cough, especially... your personal safety."

"Ruan Sheng!"

Before Ruan Yao could react, the phone was already busy.

Ruan Yao angrily put down her phone, and when she turned her head, she met Huo Yanzhi's eyes, which were filled with intense desire and dissatisfaction.

"Um...shall we continue?" she asked.

Huo Yanzhi lowered his head, about to continue, when another cell phone rang.

This time, it belongs to Huo Yanzhi.

Caller ID: Huo Jing.

The two: "..."

Huo Yanzhi took a deep breath and answered the phone, his tone returning to its usual calm: "Auntie."

"Where the hell have you been?!" Huo Jing's forceful and urgent voice rang out. "Do you know that Yao Yao is also missing?! Let me tell you, Huo Yanzhi, if you keep disappearing like this, your wife will run off with someone else sooner or later! Get back here right now!"

Before Huo Yanzhi could speak, Ruan Yao, who was in his arms, leaned closer and softly called out into the microphone, "Little Aunt?"

The other end of the phone went silent instantly.

A few seconds later, Huo Jing's voice rang out again, instantly becoming eight degrees gentler.

"Oh my, it's Yaoyao! You... what are you doing with this guy? What's going on?"

Huo Yanzhi calmly picked up the conversation, continuing Ruan Yao's lie: "There was a sudden emergency in Europe, so I had to leave in a hurry. Yao Yao missed me, so she flew over to be with me. I just finished up and am planning to go back tomorrow."

"Oh—I see!" Huo Jing suddenly realized, her tone full of "I understand" teasing. "Oh dear, you two are really something, why didn't you tell the family about such a big thing? You made us worry for nothing."

"Alright, alright, I know you two are all lovey-dovey." Huo Jing's tone was full of teasing. "I won't bother you anymore. Have fun and come back soon."

After hanging up the phone, the living room finally returned to silence.

Ruan Yao and Huo Yanzhi exchanged a glance, both seeing a mixture of helplessness and amusement on each other's faces.

It seems their thrilling elopement can no longer be kept secret.

"What should we do?" Ruan Yao nestled in his arms and poked his chest. "The whole family knows we've been secretly seeing each other."

Huo Yanzhi took her mischievous hand, kissed it, and spoke in a deep, pleasant voice.

"Perfect, saves me from having to come up with another excuse to lure you out."

He bent down and picked her up again, his hot breath brushing against her cheek, carrying an irresistible force.

"Before they find us..."

The man chuckled softly, showering her neck and collarbone with hot kisses.

"Honey, we need to hurry up and finish what we didn't do earlier."