45. A Farewell Kiss on a Winter Night
When Cheng Boyan felt his belt buckle being unbuckled by her, his breath caught in his throat. He pulled away from her lips slightly, his hot breath brushing against her earlobe, his voice hoarse and low: "So soon?"
She tilted her head back, a rare mischievous glint in her eyes: "Fine, don't take it."
He gazed at the delicate collarbone peeking out from the neckline of her cashmere sweater.
"Wait a minute." He said in a low, husky voice, deftly unbuckling his seatbelt.
The wind was biting cold outside. He went around to the passenger side, opened the door, and carefully helped her out of the car, shielding her head with his arms.
After they sat down in the back seat together, he wanted to ask Wen Xueyan why she was suddenly being so proactive, but before he could finish speaking, her fingertips were already pressed against his lips.
Cheng Boyan suddenly picked up Wen Xueyan and let her sit on his lap.
His burning hot hands slipped under the hem of her cashmere sweater, caressing her smooth, slightly cool lower back. The delicate touch made his Adam's apple bob, and he couldn't help but press her even closer to him.
Wen Xueyan closed her eyes in his arms, letting herself indulge in this last moment of tenderness. She felt his burning kisses move from her lips to her chin, then down her neck, lingering on her collarbone.
His long, slender fingers unbuttoned her cashmere sweater one button at a time.
Beneath the cashmere sweater was her fair skin, which gleamed like porcelain under the dim streetlights.
Cheng Boyan's fingertips lightly traced her shoulder line.
He took off his cashmere sweater.
Cheng Boyan's breathing gradually became heavy. He couldn't help but lean down and kiss her cheeks and neck, then pulled off her bra strap.
"Wait. No." He suddenly stopped, his voice hoarse, trying his best to control himself. "I don't have any condoms in my car. If you get pregnant, my divorce case isn't over yet, and I can't marry you for the time being."
Wen Xueyan quietly took a square package out of her handbag and handed it to him.
Cheng Boyan was stunned, feeling that Wen Xueyan was acting strangely today. He wanted to ask her something, but her fingertips lightly brushed his shirt collar, untied his tie, and then kissed his Adam's apple.
This kiss instantly ignited his long-suppressed desire.
These past few days, Cheng Boyan had been taking care of his own needs when he had them, but now, faced with Xueyan's gentle advances, he felt he was losing control.
Cheng Boyan wrapped his arms around her slender waist, helping her adjust her position so she straddled him. This position brought their eyes level, and he saw something unusual in her eyes.
Soon, her lips were on mine. The kiss carried the chill of the first snow of winter, yet it was more urgent than usual.
"Boyan," she whispered in Cheng Boyan's ear, her voice as soft as melting snow, "hold me tight."
A thin mist gradually condensed on the car window, blurring the figures inside into a warm glow.
...
Wen Xueyan opened her eyes and saw him in the dim light, his gaze seemingly aggressive. She wrapped her arms around his neck, humming softly. Hearing this, Cheng Boyan felt his blood rush to his head…
Half an hour later, the car fell silent again.
Wen Xueyan buried her face in the crook of his neck. Cheng Boyan turned on the overhead headlights and looked at her. Too many questions swirled in his mind: why was she being unusually proactive tonight?
As she buttoned up her cashmere sweater, she suddenly said, "Let's break up."
Those words instantly extinguished his previous enthusiasm. Cheng Boyan grasped her wrist: "What?"
At that moment, he saw that her almond-shaped eyes, clear as a lake, were now veiled with tears.
Cheng Boyan's heart sank, but he did not loosen his grip on her face.
"Xueyan?" he called to her. "Tell me, what's wrong?"
His gaze seemed to see right through her feigned courage. Under his focused stare, Wen Xueyan was almost completely exposed.
Outside the car window, the winter night had completely fallen, and the cold wind swirled withered leaves.
"I resigned from the company."
Cheng Boyan's hand paused. A hush fell over the car.
"Why? Am I not good to you? Or are you tired of me? Or is someone making things difficult for you?"
“Grandma Xu came to see me today.” She leaned on his shoulder, not looking into his eyes. “She told me not to be a third party, otherwise she would make a scene in the media and might even go to my mother and my relatives.”
Cheng Boyan released her hand and leaned heavily back in the seat.
“I didn’t want to tell you, but the judgment came down today.” He began, “She and I couldn’t get a divorce. I was thinking of filing for divorce again and telling you after the divorce was finalized, although I knew I couldn’t hide it for that long.”
Wen Xueyan's heart sank. Although she already knew, hearing it with her own ears still made her feel a cold liquid spread from her heart to her limbs.
"The court believes that the relationship has not broken down." Cheng Boyan gave a bitter smile. "How ironic, this situation is what you call the relationship not having broken down? I suspect the other party may have bribed the judge, but I don't have any evidence yet, and I'm still sending people to investigate."
He hugged Wen Xueyan again, his embrace was very tight, and Wen Xueyan obediently leaned against his chest, listening to his steady heartbeat, her nose filled with his refreshing scent.
Cheng Boyan tightened his grip on her arm: "I'm sorry, I'll try to find a way to stop the Xu family from harassing you."
Wen Xueyan gently pushed him away and looked him straight in the eye: "This is difficult. Bo Yan, this is the last time we will see each other."
His pupils suddenly contracted.
"The next court hearing won't be for at least six months, so let's break up completely. At least before you get divorced," she said, uttering a line she had rehearsed countless times.
“No, Xueyan, you can’t leave me like this,” he whispered in her ear. “I know I’m selfish, I know I shouldn’t have you in my current situation, but I can’t imagine life without you. In the past six months, you’ve truly been like a ray of clear light in my gray life.”
Tears welled up in Wen Xueyan's eyes. Wasn't she the same? This man, who occupied her entire heart, was the one who rescued her from her previous life, giving her warmth and confidence.
"Let's break up." She interrupted him, then choked out, "Hold me tight, just tonight, let me forget everything."
"Do you really want to break up?" He almost blurted out the question. He stared at her profile, outlined by the light and shadow, a thousand words churning in his throat.
Cheng Boyan wanted her to wait, wanted to promise her a future, wanted to tell her that they could hold hands openly after the lawsuit ended. But promises require confidence, and he wasn't sure when the divorce proceedings would end. His lawyer had told him that in real-world cases, divorce lawsuits involving listed company bosses had sometimes lasted three to five years.
Today it's my mother-in-law coming over; before, it was my brother-in-law keeping watch; who will it be tomorrow? Why should she wait anxiously, filled with uncertainty? What gives me the right to keep her trapped?
"Will you go back to your ex-husband Song Tiancheng?" he asked.
Wen Xueyan shook her head, "No."
"That's good." His voice was slightly hoarse. "I was always worried that he would hurt you again. If you ever need my help in the future, my number will always be available for you."
After saying that, Cheng Boyan's eyes turned into an almost frantic obsession. He suddenly leaned down and kissed her fair neck.
This kiss was not as tender and lingering as usual; instead, it carried a desperate sense of plunder, as if trying to prove through this kiss that she still belonged to him.
Wen Xueyan tilted her head back, letting him kiss her freely, thinking that she should linger in this warm embrace a little longer.
Just then, his phone rang.
He answered the phone; it was his secretary, Qiao Lanyue.
“President Cheng,” Qiao Lanyue’s voice was urgent, “Our Jingjiang No. 1 project has been the target of malicious accusations. The other party claims that the main structure uses substandard building materials. The news has just spread across major platforms, and some homeowners have gathered on-site demanding refunds.”
Cheng Boyan asked calmly, "Is General Manager Zhang from the real estate company already on site? Has an emergency command team been established?"
"Yes. Mr. Zhang is currently on-site talking with homeowner representatives, but he needs decision-making support from the group level."
"Notify the public relations department to activate the highest level of response, and the legal department to immediately secure evidence of all procurement processes." His voice was calm. "I'll be back at the company within an hour."
Wen Xueyan looked at his handsome profile. This was the man who, even when faced with a crisis that could destroy the entire project, could still issue orders with clear and logical thinking: "Contact the Quality Inspection Bureau to file a record simultaneously and release all construction records. Notify the Legal Department to prepare counterclaim materials as soon as possible."
Wen Xueyan felt a subtle flutter in her heart. She loved Cheng Boyan's composed demeanor, his unwavering steadiness in the face of storms, and even more so, the fleeting tenderness in his eyes as he inadvertently glanced at her.
The moment the call ended, Wen Xueyan gently pulled away from his embrace. The action was so natural, yet so resolute.
He turned to look at her, his previously sharp gaze gradually softening: "Xueyan..."
She lowered her head gently, suppressing all her emotions deep inside.
"I'll take you back." He pushed open the car door, and a gust of cold wind immediately rushed into the car.
He insisted that she get out of the back seat and sit in the passenger seat.
When Cheng Boyan's hand covered her fingertips, Wen Xueyan felt that familiar warmth, like the last leaf in winter that refused to wither.
“Jingjiang No. 1 is the group’s flagship project this year,” he said to Wen Xueyan, gazing at the road ahead. “All building materials have undergone triple quality inspections; this is a premeditated commercial attack.”
Wen Xueyan listened quietly.
A dozen minutes later, the car stopped downstairs at the apartment building. He turned to her, grabbed her fair wrist again, and kissed her fingertips.
"Take care. Goodbye." Wen Xueyan broke free.
Cheng Boyan watched the receding figure until it disappeared around the corner of the apartment lobby, as if trying to etch this moment into the depths of his memory.
Then, he drove back to the company, the last trace of warmth in his eyes vanishing, replaced by a sharpness honed through the ups and downs of the business world.
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