Chapter 82 Why Not Early or Late?
After ending the call with Lin Weiwei, Ruan Yao's heart was still pounding.
Half of it was because of the impending revenge, and the other half was because of the thrill of taking control of one's destiny again.
She needed something else to calm her down.
For example, Huo Yanzhi.
Ruan Yao got out of bed, slipped into the kitchen in her slippers, took out some fresh fruit from the refrigerator, carefully cut it into small pieces, and arranged it in a pretty glass bowl.
She carried the crystal plate and tiptoed upstairs.
The study door was ajar, letting in warm yellow light.
Huo Yanzhi was sitting behind his desk, a document spread out in front of him, his brows slightly furrowed, his expression focused.
Hearing the noise, he looked up and saw that it was her; the coldness between his brows instantly melted away.
"Why aren't you asleep yet?"
"I'll give you some vitamins," Ruan Yao said with a smile.
He paused for a moment, his face expressionless, but his tone was gentle.
"come over."
Ruan Yao placed the fruit plate on the coffee table, picked up a strawberry, and offered it to his lips.
Huo Yanzhi ate from her hand, his Adam's apple bobbing, a hint of a smile appearing in his dark eyes.
Just as he was about to say something, the phone on the table rang.
He answered the phone, listened for a few words, and replied, "I'll go get it."
After hanging up the phone, he said to Ruan Yao, "I'll go get a document."
He stood up and ruffled her hair.
"You eat first, I'll be back."
After saying that, he turned and left the study.
Ruan Yao sat obediently on the sofa and ate a strawberry herself, which made her squint her eyes from the sweetness.
She ate fruit listlessly, her gaze casually sweeping across the study.
This study is completely different from my memories of my past life.
In this lifetime, everything here has changed.
It has become more humane, more like a real place for working and relaxing.
That strange feeling resurfaced in Ruan Yao's heart.
She stood up as if possessed and walked behind the large ebony desk.
She remembered that in her previous life, the bottom right drawer of this desk was locked.
She had opened it by chance once, and it was filled with information about her, from elementary school photos to her university transcripts, a thick stack.
It was precisely because she discovered these things that she believed Shen Yu's claim that "Huo Yanzhi had been plotting this for a long time."
That was the beginning of all her misunderstandings and fears.
But now, that drawer isn't locked.
Ruan Yao squatted down, feeling a strange tension, and almost unconsciously pulled open the drawer.
There were no piles of documents inside, only a few expensive fountain pens, a spare bottle of ink, and some miscellaneous office supplies.
Clean, tidy, and as ordinary as it gets.
There wasn't even a single piece of paper containing any information about her, let alone any data about her.
Ruan Yao was somewhat stunned. She rummaged through the drawer to make sure it wasn't there before closing it, standing up. The doubts in her heart didn't dissipate; instead, they grew stronger.
Why is this drawer completely different from the one she remembers?
With no clue what to do, she turned around listlessly and looked at the bookshelves that covered the entire wall.
The bookshelf is full, covering a wide range of topics.
This bookshelf didn't exist in my study in my previous life.
She looked up curiously, wanting to see what Huo Yanzhi usually read.
Finance, history, business... most of these were subjects she couldn't understand.
Her fingertips glided across the spines of the books, finally settling on a picture book about the history of ancient Greek architecture.
Her fingertips were just about to touch the spine of the book.
A warm, large hand suddenly covered her from behind, enveloping her small hand completely.
Huo Yanzhi returned at some point. His tall body pressed against her back, and the warmth of his chest seeped through her thin nightgown, carrying a heat that made her heart race.
"Interested in this?"
His voice was low, close to her ear, and his warm breath tickled her ear.
Ruan Yao's cheeks flushed instantly.
Before she could answer, Huo Yanzhi grabbed her hand, pulled her away from the bookshelf, and then turned her around, pinning her against the edge of the large desk.
"Reading is so boring."
He braced himself against the edge of the table with one hand, trapping her between himself and the desk, and lifted her chin with the other.
"How about we watch something more interesting?"
Ruan Yao stared blankly at Huo Yanzhi, who suddenly looked like a fairy, somewhat at a loss.
Is he... seducing her?
The next second, she was turned around by a force, her back gently bumping into the bookshelf behind her, and she was pulled into his arms.
The kiss landed.
"Hmm..."
Unlike the usual fleeting goodnight kisses, this kiss was intensely aggressive and forceful, leaving no room for refusal.
He pried open her lips and teeth, conquering and seizing territory.
His unique, refreshing scent, mixed with a hint of fruit, instantly overwhelmed all of Ruan Yao's senses.
Ruan Yao was completely captivated.
Helplessly, she clung to his shoulders, enduring his sudden enthusiasm, and awkwardly responded to him on tiptoe.
All her doubts about the study and the strangeness of the drawers were shattered and melted into a pool of spring water during that deep kiss.
The atmosphere in the study heated up quickly with that kiss.
Ruan Yao was so captivated by his rare enthusiasm that her body went limp.
Just when she thought something was going to happen, a familiar, sharp, cramping pain suddenly came from her lower abdomen.
She hissed, a warm stream flowing down her thigh, and her body instantly froze.
The next second, she pushed Huo Yanzhi away.
"Wait...wait!"
"I...I think I've started my period."
Ruan Yao's voice was barely audible, and her cheeks flushed bright red at a visible speed, wishing she could find a crack in the ground to crawl into on the spot.
The enchanting atmosphere was instantly shattered.
Why did they have to come at this exact moment?
Is God deliberately working against her?
Huo Yanzhi paused for a second, the dark desire surging in his eyes quickly fading away, replaced by obvious worry.
"Does your stomach hurt?" He helped her up, his voice softening unconsciously.
"Um... a little." Ruan Yao was on the verge of tears.
She covered her face, not daring to look at him, and turned to run away.
"It's nothing, I... I'm just going to the restroom!"
She fled the study like a startled rabbit.
With a "bang," the door slammed shut.
Silence returned to the room.
Huo Yanzhi stood there alone, slowly exhaling a breath.
She raised her hand and touched her lips with her fingertips, as if her sweetness and softness still lingered on them.
He turned around and looked at the bookshelf.
A few seconds later, he suddenly chuckled softly.
He recalled her flushed face and her expression of shame and indignation, which made him feel so adorable that his heart softened.
The tension in his body completely relaxed.
Huo Yanzhi did not return to the bedroom, but turned around, went downstairs, and went straight into the kitchen.
He skillfully rummaged through the cupboard and pulled out a packet of ginger brown sugar. He opened it, poured some into a mug, added hot water, and stirred it gently with a spoon.
The unique caramelized, sweet, and spicy aroma of brown sugar and ginger filled the quiet kitchen.
He stared at the deep red liquid in the glass and the rising steam, his mind filled with the image of her nestled in his arms, her eyes full of dependence.
very nice.
He closed his eyes, once again forcefully suppressing the crazy speculation about crabs in his heart.
No, it won't.
How could this girl, who blushes and her heart races at his kiss, and who runs away in embarrassment because of her period, possibly be the same Ruan Yao from his past life who was filled with fear and hatred towards him?
He must be overthinking all of this.
He couldn't, and didn't want to, believe that terrible "what if".
Huo Yanzhi picked up the warm mug, feeling the warmth seep into his body little by little from his palm, and a dark look surged in his eyes.
He wanted to hold onto this stolen happiness.
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