Chapter 12 Long Time No See

• Cen Yao looked at the man standing across her, “I’ve got something important to discuss with you. It’ll only take a few minutes.”
• She paused briefly, then as though reminding him, subtly professing, “It’s about the incident last week.”
• Yu Fei turned his head, looking quizzically inside.
• Everyone seemed to be waiting for him to make a statement. Cen Yao was waiting for him to break this stalemate too. He quickly stubbed out the cigarette from between his fingers and stood up. Running inside, Yu Fei announced, “Everyone, please give Mr. Shang a few minutes.”
• Walking over towards her while covered in the dim yellow light emanating from the room, the man’s physique appeared to be taller in height, while an especially alluring aura exuded from his presence. In the end, he stopped before her. The two were so close that she could scrutinize the silk necktie on his neck, which was right before her eyes. Above the necktie was the man’s sexy and attractive Adam’s apple. Staring at him in a daze, it had completely slipped her mind to step out of the way. Hence, the man had ended up standing extremely close to her, outside the private room door.
• “I haven’t seen you in quite a while.” The person who took the lead to speak was him, Shang Tingli.
• With one hand in his pocket, he gazed at her from above. Cen Yao then came to her senses. As she breathed through her nose, it got filled with the man’s faint scent while he imparted both a sense of proximity and distance likewise, adding to his mystery.
• She quipped jokingly, “I thought you had forgotten me.”
• “You gave me such a strong impression that I couldn’t forget it even if I’d tried,” he seemed to be smiling.
• Reminded of the abuse that she had inflicted upon him the other day, Cen Yao got a little embarrassed, wondering whether the bite marks had yet to heal.
• She asked, “Mr. Shang, may I ask you a question?”
• “Go ahead.”
• “What exactly is your profession?”
• Cen Yao felt that something was amiss because not a single person in the private room today had seemed like an average Joe. Yet, from the way that everyone had treated him deferentially, it seemed as though he were their leader.
• “Is that the important question you’ve had for me?” he raised his wrist to check the time before looking at her, “Haven’t you long concluded what it is that I do?”
• He used a rhetorical question to evade answering hers effortlessly.
• This man was undoubtedly defensive.
• Cen Yao had a sense she was too offensive. For people who were total strangers, it was inappropriate for her to inquire about his private matters. Shaking her head, she then gazed into his eyes and changed her question, “Do you usually have a loose sex life then?”
• Shang Tingli was caught by surprise that she would abruptly ask something as private as this, causing his expression to freeze momentarily, “Why such a question?”
• “I went to the hospital for a full-body checkup after that day,” she admitted straightforwardly.
• “Full-body?” he had an inkling and nodded his head, “By full-body, how extensive was it?”
• “Everything. All the results were negative, but the doctor said…” When she got to that, Cen Yao paused, seemingly worried it might injure his pride, she explained, “I don’t mean to shame you. Still, the doctor has said that there were incubation periods for most diseases, so the best thing would be to ask you about your condition personally.”
• So… Was she suspecting that he had a sexually-transmitted-disease?
• Narrowing his eyes, Shang Tingli leaned in further towards her, gazing at her with his deep eyes, “You came here today just to ask me whether I’m healthy?”
• Cen Yao nodded her head.
• As the man suddenly approached her, she got startled and moved back out of reflex. But her legs remained firmly rooted to the ground because he had wound his arm around her waist. His unusually captivating face had magnified right before her very eyes, causing her mind to go blank, stopping her attempt to retreat.
• In a twinkling, their lips locked as the man kissed her swiftly, causing her heart to constrict while her eyelashes quivered hard. The man nimbly pried her lips apart with the tip of his tongue. Instinctively, she had ought to push this man away, but his breathing, as well as the intensity of his hands, all seemed laced by opiates, gradually draining her of all strength whilst drawing her in uncontrollably. This sensation was poles apart from the repulsive feeling that Bu Ziang had given her. With that being said, this man was like a fatal attraction to her on the other hand.
• It was too dangerous!
• It was too unbecoming as well.
• Clinging onto her last ounce of reason, Cen Yao pulled herself away from the kiss as she took a breath and asked, “What are you doing?”
• Her misty-eyed countenance had a hint of feminine appeal. Although the four words had undeniably added up to make a question, her lack of confidence had made it more like a seductive moan. The man released her. Compared to the daze that she was in, he appeared far more composed, “Who told you that this could transmit sexual diseases?”
• “…” Cen Yao’s could not wrap her mind around it, “What?”
• “Go back,” he told her to leave.
• Turning his head slightly, with his lips almost touching her earlobes, he whispered, “So, you truly are a virgin.”
• His husky voice, combined with the breathing in her ear, made Cen Yao’s face turn flushed. As her mind slipped into confusion, she gazed back at him, at a loss. In spite of that, he had swung around, returning to the private room. The conversation that they had at the door, as well as the kiss that had ensued, all happened without the private room’s door being shut. Now that he had gone back in, the others had all begun to tease him with their sexual innuendos.
• “Tingli, when did you find a girlfriend?” As everyone was aware of Shang Tingli’s temperament, it was just too rare of a sight for them to witness him kissing a woman!
• He answered moderately, “You’re not even close.”
• “You behave like that, even if you aren’t close. Won’t it burn with passion the moment you are?”
• “Haha. When young people socialize, they’ve got so many fresh ideas. Old men like us can’t compete with them!” The suggestive jokes that got passed around, left them laughing uproariously, while he seemed unconcerned with explaining himself.
• When Cen Yao came to her senses, she was thoroughly exasperated. The man was openly flirting with her this time!
• She glanced at him from a distance, but his eyes did not land on her again.
• Asshole!
• How could Cen Yao take this silently?
• Smothering her rage, she sophisticatedly smoothed her hair before walking unhurriedly towards Yu Fei’s direction, where she had opened her purse to remove a wad of bills passing it to him.
• Yu Fei looked at her in a perplexed manner.
• “Please give this to the man standing in the center. These are fees for his service, and it’s the same price as the last time,” her voice was audible enough for everyone in the private room to gather. Raising her chin slightly, she uttered, “While you’re at it, please tell him that he was quite unprofessional, and I’m very displeased.”
• Huh?
• Her words had astonished everyone.
• Service fees? Price? Professionalism?
• Hahaha! Did the prominent Mr. Shang become a high-end male prostitute at a nightclub, now coming with a price?
• Also, it was apparent that the woman was deeply dissatisfied with his service. Yu Fei’s lips twitched.
• This time, Cen Yao was the one who did not cast him a single glance as she strutted out in her high heels, taking each step with unparalleled grace.
• “Tingli, this girl is incredible!” everyone teased.
• “Assistant Yu, you’ve got to save the money for your boss well. It’s hard-earned money. Hahaha!”
• Everyone’s bantering made the previously somber atmosphere lighten up, becoming enlivened instead.
• Taking a sip of wine, Shang Tingli subtly gazed at her from behind, laughing to himself.
• This little woman.