Chapter 50: Favored by Fate, Blessed by Heaven

Cheng Hexi felt her heart pounding violently.

In the quiet hotel corridor, the strong heartbeat signaled her good health and an irrepressible flutter of excitement.

She reached out and grabbed the hem of You Yue's shirt, instinctively hugging him back.

She held him tightly, letting him share her heartbeat.

The door was open behind them, and they embraced at the doorway.

The scent on You Yue was very familiar. Cheng Hexi closed her eyes, reached out and touched his heart to see if he was equally agitated.

His embrace was light, as if he were holding a precious, fragile treasure. Cheng Hexi, however, hugged him tightly, as if she had received some unexpected joy and wanted to meld him into her very being.

He lowered his head, his nose brushing against the hair of the person in his arms. He didn't hear Cheng Hexi speak, but he wasn't in a hurry. He let her arms hug his waist. After a while, he straightened up slightly and looked down at her with extremely tender eyes.

Cheng Hexi also happened to look up.

The next second, their eyes met.

Although they had been apart for less than a week, the longing for each other flowed through their veins, making them feel hot all over.

Cheng Hexi's eyes flickered as she stared intently at the person in front of her. Suddenly, she stepped forward, grabbed his tie, and with a bit of force, stood on tiptoe and kissed him.

She has a long-term lease on the presidential suite here, but since she's traveling with Xilin and the others, she naturally won't be staying in the presidential suite by herself. Everyone is staying on the same floor of the hotel, and it's lunchtime, so someone might come into the corridor at any time.

But Cheng Hexi couldn't care less about that anymore.

In that instant, she wanted to kiss him.

When soft lips covered his, You Yue's heart skipped a beat. The usually composed man was almost taken aback, but the next second, pleasure spread across his eyes.

He cherished Cheng Hexi's unprecedented initiative. He wrapped his strong forearm around her waist, took the initiative to lick her lips, and then probed her teeth with his tongue to taste her flavor.

Absence makes the heart grow fonder, and the two kissed passionately.

A moment later, the lock on the door to the next room suddenly clicked.

You Yue had excellent hearing. After hearing it, he pushed aside the person in front of him, used some strength to easily lift the person in his arms, and the two of them went into the room together.

The door closed tightly behind them, shutting them out of everything outside.

The room key fell to the ground with the movement and was ignored.

You Yue lifted Cheng Hexi onto the entryway cabinet, where the two were almost at the same height.

He held the back of the person in his arms with one hand and lifted her chin with the other, kissing her skillfully and gently.

Black stilettos brushed against the luxurious fabric of his trousers as their bodies pressed extremely close together, their body temperatures mingling.

When the kiss ended, their lips parted slightly, but their noses still touched.

You Yue pressed his lips to hers, wiping away the traces of her lips, and smiled: "Who lives next door to you, hmm?"

Cheng Hexi was trying to catch her breath, feeling that her lips were swollen from the man's kisses, so she turned her face away, buried her face in his shoulder, and ignored him.

After a week apart, they both missed each other dearly, and their kiss just now was filled with tenderness and reluctance.

After calming down, Cheng Hexi was momentarily surprised by her own reaction, as if she had never understood herself.

She never knew she would have such an uncontrollable moment, nor did she know she would have such intense emotions. Her heart was still beating very fast, a testament to what she had just done.

You Yue lowered his eyes and saw Cheng Hexi's slightly flushed face, his heart filled with overwhelming emotions.

He was such a perceptive person that he instantly sensed the unusual emotions in the person in front of him from her forceful embrace and proactive kiss.

Cheng Hexi remained calm, rational, and emotionally stable throughout.

The day after we slept together, she told him not to let her interfere with his work, and when she talked about the hurt she had suffered in the past, it was as if she were telling someone else's story.

This trait makes someone reliable and charismatic at work, gives them an advantage in decision-making, and makes them a perfect and outstanding leader in the company, yet it makes You Yue feel heartbroken.

She was like a lustrous, dazzling pearl encased in an oyster.

Oysters have hard shells.

Now, her emotions are so intensely affected by him.

Is he going to get this pearl that belongs only to him?

-

Cheng Hexi's slender heels hooked onto his suit trousers, their movements intimate and ambiguous.

The two hugged quietly for a while, waiting for her breathing to catch up.

A moment later, she looked up from You Yue's shoulder and met the man's gaze, only to realize that he had been watching her the whole time.

You Yue was not as at ease as usual.

The shoulders of his suit and his tie were somewhat disheveled.

Cheng Hexi realized her mistake and felt a little embarrassed.

You Yue instantly realized what she was thinking, released his hand from her waist, took a half step back, and looked down at his tie.

Cheng Hexi looked up, understood what he meant, smiled, and reached out to help the man tie his tie.

She had never tied a tie for anyone before, but she often did it herself and considered herself skilled, yet she became somewhat distracted at this moment.

Swimming's Adam's apple bobbing is incredibly sexy.

The buttons below his Adam's apple were neatly fastened, and his tie knot was already tied, making one want to destroy it.

You Yue had no idea what was going on behind her calm and composed expression. Watching her long, slender, white fingers move in front of him, his gaze softened, and he finally remembered to ask her, "What are you planning to do when you go out?"

"...Let's go to a restaurant and get something to eat."

"You didn't even have breakfast?" You Yue asked back, his tone lower than before.

Cheng Hexi paused, then reached out and tugged at his tie.

We were kissing passionately just now, and now that I'm enjoying her services, am I supposed to give her the cold shoulder?

You Yue could tell what she was thinking, and continued, "You just don't take me seriously, that's why you don't care about your health."

He had thought about this before, and today he's putting it out there.

Cheng Hexi opened her eyes wide, knowing that he was doing it on purpose.

However, when I was discharged from the hospital, the doctor specifically instructed me to eat three meals a day, especially breakfast.

She knew she was in the wrong, so she didn't mind admitting it: "I won't do it again next time..."

You Yue looked up at her, and Cheng Hexi tentatively asked, "Husband?"

He smiled slightly.

As she spoke, she had already tied her tie. You Yue found it very pleasing to the eye, thinking it looked much better than his usual tie.

He complimented her, leaned in and kissed her ear, then casually said, "Will you tie my tie next time?"

Cheng Hexi's ears are a sensitive spot.

No one knows this better than You Yue.

He liked to kiss her ears in bed, something he didn't usually do.

The moment her sensitive area was stimulated in this way, her lower back felt numb almost instantly.

Knowing that the man was doing it on purpose, Cheng Hexi kicked him and stopped talking.

The toe of the shoe has a certain aggressiveness, but Cheng Hexi used the body of the shoe to make this move, which was very light and almost flirtatious.

You Yue, in a good mood, moved away from her warm lips, then kissed her forehead, lifted her down from the counter, and even tidied her slightly messy hair.

"Let's go." He took Cheng Hexi's hand and said, "Pack your luggage."

"Huh?" I still need to pack my luggage?

Cheng Hexi looked up at him: "Where are we going?"

You Yue smiled and said, "It's for your birthday."

"I've come all this way, I can't exactly hold you while we sleep in the hotel, can I?"

She then realized that You Yue hadn't even taken a suitcase.

She stopped asking where they were going and confidently placed her hand in his.

-

Both of them are people who like to do everything themselves, and they never ask others to help them pack when they go on business trips. It is not difficult for them to pack.

The luggage was packed quickly.

You Yue pulled the suitcase with one hand and held her hand with the other.

As fate would have it, they had just opened the door when they heard a faint conversation coming from not far down the corridor.

Almost everyone who had come to New York to discuss the merger was there, from the vice president to her assistant. The group came out of the elevator and bumped right into the two of them.

Cheng Hexi could openly deliver flowers to Hongsheng's front desk, but she wasn't used to behaving so intimately with You Yue in front of her subordinates, even though they had been intimate countless times in private.

Their marriage was a big topic of gossip back then, and seeing it suddenly now, everyone couldn't help but feel surprised and curious.

Tang Ying, as a senior assistant, reacted very quickly and was the first to greet them, and the others followed suit.

You Yue, on the other hand, remained calm and exchanged a few pleasantries with them in a very good manner.

Cheng Hexi kept her little quirk to herself, but acted as usual in public, asking them if they had gone to eat.

Tang Ying said she hadn't eaten yet; she had just been playing Texas Hold'em upstairs.

She nodded, leaving Tang Ying with some instructions. The others suppressed their gossip and went to their own rooms.

You Yue let go of her hand and walked away a few steps.

From a distance, it was unclear what Cheng Hexi was saying to Tang Ying. Her expression was calm and composed, while Tang Ying listened attentively, occasionally nodding in agreement.

She showed no trace of the emotions she had just displayed when she kissed him.

After Tang Yingye left, Cheng Hexi walked back to You Yue's side.

He had already pressed the elevator button.

"Why is it the top floor?" she asked, puzzled.

"Let's go get something to eat first," he said. "Don't let the birthday person go hungry."

Cheng Hexi smiled helplessly.

If she had known he would fly directly here, she would never have skipped breakfast.

The elevator arrived, and the two stepped into the car side by side, their sleeves rubbing together.

No one knows who took the initiative, but their hands ended up holding each other without them even realizing it.

His gaze had lingered on Cheng Hexi so many times that he naturally noticed her slight awkwardness in front of Xilin and the others. Knowing full well that she wasn't used to being so intimate in front of strangers, he still tried to tease her.

"Were you embarrassed just now?" You Yue curled his lips and asked again, "You didn't think I was unpresentable, did you?"

"..."

Cheng Hexi glanced at him and knew he was doing it on purpose.

You Yue made a move and intertwined his fingers with hers.

“You’ll need to get used to it,” he said quietly. “You’ll also have to kiss in public at your wedding.”

Cheng Hexi lowered her eyes and smiled, obediently inserting her fingers between the man's slender fingers, and said, "Okay."

-

After they ordered their food, You Yue's bodyguard came up to them and took Cheng Hexi's suitcase.

You Yue suddenly asked, "You're so good at Texas Hold'em, why didn't you play with them?"

"How did you know?" Cheng Hexi asked in surprise. "I never said that."

“I guessed.” He chuckled. “Aren’t you good at math?”

The financial industry loves playing Texas Hold'em, especially those who have returned from overseas; Cheng Hexi couldn't possibly not know how.

Based on You Yue's understanding of her, she would do an excellent job with anything she was capable of.

Cheng Hexi sat in a viewing spot at the top-floor restaurant, looking at You Yue with bright eyes.

You Yue knew he had guessed correctly.

In fact, You Yue is also very good at Texas Hold'em, but he knows that he relies mostly on luck.

He seems to have always been lucky; he always gets what he wants in the end.

After realizing that he was interested, You Yue remained calm and composed, neither agonizing nor rushing, nor eager for a response. He approached it like any other project or investment, taking his time and laying the groundwork for the future.

The difference is that he wasn't determined to win.

He knew that there was a possibility that Cheng Hexi would never fall in love with him.

But she started responding, started caring. That was the greatest gift.

Fate smiled upon them; the heavens favored them.

-----------------------

Author's note: In my outline, this part of the plot should be a smooth one, but I've been stuck for two days, scrapped 2,000 words, and still haven't gotten to the key point. Ugh.

However, our relationship, which is characterized by mutual respect and affection, is 98% complete, which is wonderful news!

Thank you all for your company during this busy year-end period. My readers are all angels... Love you all!