Cracking open an eye, Zhi Xun felt extremely hung over. She recalled slightly the events that had transpired the night before with a sexy stranger in the party, and how she had completely lost herself to the moment. She had waited for him for so long, and kept herself pure like a nun in his absence. The night had been so satisfying, but it was time to return to reality, to being Huo Zhi Xun. What time had it been?
Two arms were wound around her tightly. She realised the sexy stranger was still in bed with her. She found it surprising, as in her understanding, the man didn't have a need to stay. Unless, of course, if he was a sleepyhead like her. Or did he simply want more action between them? She shuddered at the thought, and tried to move, but the soreness from 'partying' all night long was inhibiting her from making any movement. She groaned. It had been just too long since she last had intercourse, and suddenly being in action had felt so strange to her.
She tried to pull open the man's grasp on her, but as she did, he stirred and stared right at her, into her eyes. But what shocked her had been the face of the man himself.
She was looking straight into the face of Gao Tian Yu.
"What are you doing here?" she demanded. "How did you come into the room?"
Tian Yu shook his hair, and grinned cheekily. "Miss Huo, did you forget what happened last night? I am sure, you were much satisfied with my performance."
Zhi Xun could not believe what she had just heard. Enraged at the fact she had just slept with her former lover, she pushed him aside and tried to get up, flinching from the pain.
"Sore...again?" He ridiculed her.
"That's not your business," she snapped at him as she tried to get up forcefully, but he pinned her on the bed.
"Who was begging for more last night?" He teased, a mischievous grin across his face. His hand stroked her thighs mercilessly, and she felt her body responding to his teasing. Before he knew it, her palm flew across his face, slapping him hard on his cheek. She picked up her dress and quickly threw it over her nude body.
Tian Yu embraced her from behind, holding her tightly. "Please, Xiao Xun. Don't go. Give me a chance to explain myself."
"I won't give you a chance to hurt me ever again," she said adamantly. How could she have not recognised him or his voice last night? She blamed it on the effects of alcohol clouding her judgement.
"Can you just listen to me before you go?" he said, with his arms still wound around her waist. There was a sad tone in his voice, and Zhi Xun felt a slight pain in her heart.
"Let me go," she said. He released his hold on her, and she immediately ran to the door. To her surprise, the door wouldn't open. Tian Yu couldn't open the door either. As the room had no windows, they had no apparent means of leaving.
Zhi Xun shouted for help, but after fifteen minutes of shouting, nobody had came to their help. "It's no use," Tian Yu said. "The partiers would have already left at this time." He reached for his phone, only to realise that it had run out of battery. "Xiao Xun, can I borrow your phone to make a call to Kanthorn?"
"I can call her too," Zhi Xun said. After fifteen minutes of fishing for her smartphone from the bottomless pit of feminine items in her huge tote bag, she realised that her smartphone was also out of juice. Tian Yu seemed pleased to see that she was still using the smartphone he had given her.
"Great luck, we're stuck here," Tian Yu grunted. Then his eyes twinkled. "So since we'll be stuck here probably for the next few days, perhaps you could listen to my explanation?"
She lifted her hand up. "If I don't strike you down first."
"If it makes you feel better, punch me then. Vent your anger and frustration for the last few years on me." He took her hand and held it to his chest. They both looked at each other as Zhi Xun realised he was still holding her hand. Thinking of their past memories, her eyes brimmed with tears. She balled up her hand into a fist, throwing a few punches on his chest, then promptly stopped.
"I was angry with you," she said. "But that was then. It's been three years, Gao Tian Yu. I have no strength and no time to waste to be angry with you anymore. It can't deny that it hurts. But in this three years, I've realised something. Nothing is more satisfying than achieving what I can with my own strength. I've depended on you for too long, Tian Yu. It's time I spread my own wings and flew on my own."
She had grown up, he thought. Her mature air was so attractive and enticing. "I'm sorry, Xiao Xun. But listen to me, I had my reasons." Seeing that she did not turn away in the narrow room, he moved his face closer to her and planted a gentle kiss on her lips. She was taken aback, placing a finger on her lips where he had just kissed her.
"I thought Su Mo was the best for you then. He declared a competition with me for you. At that time, I just knew about the financial issues my parents' companies were going through. I lost my business, and a couple of my parents' companies. The condo is gone, too. I knew I couldn't give you the life you needed, so I left without telling you. I know how wrong I've been. Please, Xiao Xun, don't cut me out of your life."
"Why didn't you tell me?" she asked. "I would have understood."
"I thought that he was more capable than me of giving you a better life," Tian Yu explained. "I believe in fate. If we were meant to be, we would be together. But I know what you need, Xiao Xun. And that time, I wasn't capable of giving you a comfortable life. That's why I left."
"But why did you go missing for three years?" she asked. "
"Your news with Su Mo was making the waves online. I didn't want to come between you. Actually, I've returned a few times, and every single time I looked for you, you were with him. So I left each time." He looked down to the floor as he spoke.
"I was never with him." Zhi Xun placed her hand on his back as she listened to him. "Xiao Xun, is there nothing I can do to make you change your mind?" he asked. She remained silent. "I'll wait for you," he finally said after a few minutes of silence. "You don't need to give me an answer now. I know I've erred. But what I can tell you is although I left, I have been doing my best to build up a future for us."
She returned his gaze with a strange look in her eyes, as if she was trying to digest what he had just told her. Deep down, she knew she still possessed feelings for him, and that was why she had been reluctant to start a relationship with another. Initially, she had tried to forget him and accept Su Mo due to her gratitude to him, but she had failed. After that, she had rejected any person who wanted to start a relationship with her. All because she had been waiting for him. Even now, her heart was still wavering for him.
"Do you not like me anymore, Xiao Xun?" he asked. Tian Yu felt bad for asking her this question. After all, it had been him who had left her in the lurch when he had tried to salvage his parents' businesses. Finally after more than two years of struggling, he was starting to show some progress, and the companies were finally making money again. He had met Kamthorn while striking a business deal with a Thai client, and that had been how he had gained access to her private parties. It had been Kamthorn herself who had informed him of Zhi Xun interviewing her, and this had led to her being given a special pass to the party. He immediately recognised her eyes under the mask she was wearing. He wasn't surprised she was as needy as before, and he had made sure to satisfy every of their needs before she had fallen asleep. However, he hadn't expected that the door handle would have got stuck or that they would be stranded alone in the castle.
Zhi Xun listened to her heart, and she knew the answer. She still loved him, but she was afraid to trust again, especially after he had left her for so long. "I suppose no," she said, and he felt like she had just stabbed him in the heart with a dagger. "I'm sorry, Xiao Xun," he said, moving away from her and heading to a corner of the room to sit in silence.
"Wait," she pulled on his hand to stop him. "We don't know how long we can survive in here. Keep me company." As much as she wanted to hate him, a part of her heart wanted to forgive him and be with him. But there wasn't much that could be done now. They were stuck in some old castle, and they didn't know when help would come to them. She might as well make as much as she could out of the time they had together. Although they were no longer together, they did have memories after all.
"Kiss me properly," she commanded, closing her eyes as she felt his passionate his lips on hers. For some reason, the kiss had felt so much fiercer and thrilling than the kisses that he had given her when they were a couple.
............................................................................
Tian Yu watched over Zhi Xun as she slept. She had seemed so peaceful, with her head in his lap. They had been so engrossed in conversation that they had lost track of time. She had suddenly fallen asleep while they were talking about their respective lives. Two days had passed, and they had survived solely on snacks that she had in her bag, and some water he had brought in his bottle. Did that meant she had forgiven him? He wondered.
He had been making a honest living, away from the luxurious life he and his sister had used to live. Tian Yin had been living in the student dormitory ever since he left for a new life overseas. This was not the life he had wanted Zhi Xun to live. Even if she didn't mind, he did mind. But in three months from now, he would have saved enough to give Zhi Xun a decent life. The question was whether she would give him another chance for them to cast aside their past and restart their relationship. But she had a successful career now, so mature and independent that she didn't need him in her life any longer, unlike in the past.
"It's been three days," Zhi Xun said in the morning. They were running out of things to do. In the last two days, she had got to understand for herself how Tian Yu had changed as he lived a more frugal and 'commoner' life. She understood from him how he had worked to restore the failing companies to their former state, and business had been thriving. He had insisted that during the three years and six months that he had not seen her, he had not had any other woman and was not seeing anyone now, either. Circumstances had changed them both for the better.
She joked that he was free to use his right hand to relieve himself if he had needs, and she would look away. He teased her back saying that he didn't need to do that now that she was there before him, and she responded by turning red and looking away. He caressed her hair gently and whispered in her ear that he was there to accompany her. She couldn't help but feel more attracted to him as day after day went by. With their proximity of sleeping together in the same bed for days, she felt that things were heating up between them. Since being with him, she knew that he had the capability of turning her on unlike any other, and she was desiring him still. Her sexual needs were driving her crazy for the past two days, and there was one way she would handle it. She would wait for him to fall asleep, and try to tackle him herself. She recalled from an incident in the past how he was trained, and she decided she would take the risks.
She looked at her watch. It had been almost an hour since he had fallen asleep, and it would be her chance. She took off her dress and let it fall to the floor, and removed her underwear before creeping under the sheets and removing his trousers and boxers as well. As she began rubbing his member, one of his eyes flew open.
"You could have asked," he said, and rolled her on her back. In a flash, he was devouring her mouth with his furious and passionate kisses. That had been the start of a very busy night for the two of them and a no-strings attached relationship between them.
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