Chapter 1
Two years later, Beijing Capital International Airport.
Zhao Jinglu sat in a chair in the terminal, her fingertips swiping across her phone screen, checking a summary of materials she would use in a meeting. Flight information streamed over the radio, and the air was filled with the unique rush and anticipation of travelers.
Her phone rang. It was a partner calling to discuss the last details. As she answered, she subconsciously looked up, her gaze darting across the large flight information display screen not far away.
At that moment, all her thoughts and unfinished words were stuck in her throat.
A tall, straight figure was walking towards her from the opposite direction. He was wearing a simple black T-shirt and casual trousers, and his face was slightly tired, but the outline between his eyebrows and eyes, the familiarity that penetrated deep into her bones, she could imagine it even with her eyes closed.
It’s Ling Peng.
His eyes were originally on the phone screen, as if he was confirming something, and then he casually raised his eyes and glanced ahead.
Suddenly, his gaze also froze.
Across the empty but crowded hall, their eyes suddenly met in the air.
Time seemed to be vacuumed up, frozen, compressed, and then the past two years were suddenly pulled closer and spread out. All the dusty emotions, thought to have been buried for a long time, suddenly rekindled like dry wood encountering a spark.
Zhao Jinglu even forgot about the phone call next to her ear and just stared at him blankly, her mind blank.
The shock in Ling Peng's eyes faded away quickly like the tide, replaced by an extremely complex emotion - disbelief, a sense of being in another world, and a deep, almost overflowing, painful tenderness.
He moved first. Without hesitation, he stretched out his long legs, step by step, firmly towards her. Each step seemed to tread heavily on the two years they had missed, emitting a silent but deafening echo.
He sat directly in the empty seat next to her, so close that she could smell his faint, familiar scent.
His eyes greedily swept over her eyebrows, nose, and lips inch by inch, as if eagerly confirming that this was not an illusion.
"...Long time no see." Finally, he was the first to speak. His voice was deeper and hoarser than he remembered, but it carried a strange, calming power that could penetrate the clamor.
Zhao Jinglu suddenly snapped back to reality, her heart belatedly pounding, nearly bursting out of her chest. She hurriedly said to the person on the other end of the line, "Sorry, I'm in a hurry. I'll call you later," and hung up. She could feel her cheeks burning uncontrollably.
"Long time no see." She heard her voice tighten, even trembling slightly. "Where are you... going?"
"I have a cooperation project with the airport, so I'm here for a meeting." Ling Peng replied, his eyes still glued to her face. His eyes were so hot that they almost burned her. "What about you? Are you going on a business trip?"
"Yes, I'm going to Shanghai for a meeting." After this brief exchange, the air once again fell into a tense silence, filled with so many unspoken emotions and past events.
Ling Peng looked at her. She was still as gentle and charming as he remembered her, even more mature. Every detail of her hit the nail on the head for his aesthetic, and also touched the softest and most painful part of his heart. The burning longing and the long-suppressed impulse in his heart threatened to break through the dam of reason.
He had lost her for two years. He didn't want to wait any longer, didn't want to miss any chance.
He mustered up his courage, almost desperately, and asked in a hoarse voice, "Are you still alone now?"
Zhao Jinglu was caught off guard, stunned, and her cheeks flushed even more. She hadn't expected him to ask such a direct question less than three minutes after their reunion. She subconsciously avoided his burning gaze and nodded gently, "Yes, alone."
Ling Peng's heart felt like it was suddenly clenched and unclenched, shaking with hope and panic. He practically held his breath as he asked more carefully, his voice lowered, "So... is there anyone else you like?"
Zhao Jinglu's heartbeat was out of control at his questioning, and she felt a little overwhelmed. She subconsciously turned her head to look at the planes taking off and landing outside the window. The lines on her face tightened slightly, and her voice was so soft that it was almost a whisper: "...No."
These two words are like the final pardon, and also like the last spark that ignites the powder keg.
Ling Peng stood up suddenly and grabbed her wrist before she could react! His palm was hot and strong, with unquestionable determination.
"What are you doing?!" Zhao Jinglu tried to break free in shock.
He said nothing, his face tense, and strode towards the side, pulling her along. With a clear purpose, he pushed open a door with a sign that read "Staff Lounge (Not Available)" and dragged her inside. He then slammed the door shut and quickly locked it!
There were only the two of them in the small space, and the air was filled with the smell of dust and disinfectant.
"Ling Peng, you are crazy..." Zhao Jinglu's exclamation was completely blocked.
He suddenly pressed her against the door panel, and a hot and domineering kiss followed, capturing her lips without any rejection.
This kiss carried with it all the longing, pain, reluctance, and desire that had accumulated over the past two years... It was a punitive plunder, a desperate demand, a scorching declaration, and an even more brutal desire for her to remember this touch, this scent, this emotion that almost devoured him!
Zhao Jinglu was completely stunned, her brain deprived of oxygen, and she could only struggle instinctively. She pushed hard against his hard chest, punched his shoulders with her fists, and a muffled protest emanated from her throat. But the power disparity between the man and the woman was so great that her resistance fell on deaf ears, unable to shake him in the slightest.
In desperation, she bit his lower lip cruelly.
Ling Peng gasped, his movements paused for a moment, and a faint taste of rust lingered between his lips and teeth. But he didn't stop. Instead, as if stimulated by the pain, he deepened the kiss, his force shifting from pure dominance to a subtle, pleading tenderness.
Because of his momentary pause and that suppressed groan of pain, Zhao Jinglu's heart felt like it was pricked by a needle, and suddenly softened. The heartache that made her tense nerves and body unconsciously relax for a moment.
That moment of letting go of her guard was enough to unleash the complex emotions she'd suppressed for years. Resentment, longing, love, reluctance... all these emotions mingled, overcoming her rational defenses. Her struggles gradually faded, and the hand that had been pushing him away slowly grasped the hem of his shirt at his waist.
Feeling her softening, Ling Peng's kiss suddenly changed from violent and stormy to deep and lingering. With endless tenderness and the shudder of loss and recovery, he carefully traced and sucked, as if confirming the integrity of the treasure.
In this gentle touch that made her lose herself in passion and almost completely indulge, Zhao Jinglu's remaining sanity suddenly returned.
She remembered the cold decision made two years ago, the pain of separation, and the real gaps that could not be easily crossed.
No... we can't make the same mistake again!
She suddenly used all her strength to push him away again!
"No...we can't do this." Her breathing was unstable, her chest heaving violently, his warmth and slight stinging still lingered on her lips, and her voice was filled with a hint of panic and determination.
Ling Peng was pushed back a step, breathing heavily, looking at her with deep eyes, which were filled with unsettled emotions and the pain of rejection. He looked at her flushed cheeks, watery eyes and lips that were slightly swollen from being kissed, and his Adam's apple rolled violently.
In the small space, the only sounds were the two people's rapid breathing and silent confrontation.
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