Coward

11:05 PM.

Shangri-La Hotel, 18th floor.

The corridor was covered with a thick wool carpet, and the air was filled with the scent of premium aromatherapy.

This kind of environment easily brought to mind certain indescribable scenarios.

Chen Zhi stood at the door, took a deep breath, and tried his best to calm his emotions.

Even a clay Buddha has a bit of a temper; did this wicked woman really think he was a pushover?

If she dared to cross the line tonight, he would drop the act of being a perfect gentleman.

Knock, knock, knock.

Chen Zhi raised his hand and knocked on the door.

No response.

"Pei Ningxue, open the door," Chen Zhi called out in a low voice. "I know you're in there."

Still no response.

Just as Chen Zhi began to suspect that this woman was deliberately playing with him, tricking him into coming over only to leave him hanging in the hallway, the door lock clicked softly.

The door cracked open.

The lights inside weren't turned on. It was pitch black, outlining the faint and suggestive silhouettes of the room.

"The door is unlocked."

A lazy voice drifted out from the depths of the darkness, sweet enough to make one's bones go soft.

Chen Zhi hesitated for a second.

Why did this feel like a trap?

But since he was already here, he chose to go inside anyway.

Chen Zhi pushed the door open, flipped the switch for the entryway light, and closed the door behind him.

Click.

Warm yellow light instantly flooded the room.

It was a luxurious executive suite.

In front of the massive floor-to-ceiling windows, Pei Ningxue was sitting on a single velvet sofa.

Chen Zhi's breath hitched for a half-second.

Because at this moment, she was only wearing a black silk slip dress.

The spaghetti straps, so thin they looked like they would snap with a single tug, hung over her smooth, fair shoulders. Her collarbones were deep, and a large expanse of snowy skin glowed with a porcelain luster under the light.

The hem of the dress was very short, barely covering the tops of her thighs.

Those long legs he had seen in the photos were now crossed brazenly. Her toes hooked onto a fluffy slipper, dangling it back and forth casually.

Innocent yet wildly seductive.

Gulp.

Chen Zhi subconsciously swallowed hard.

Did this woman really not know the meaning of the word danger?

Seeing Chen Zhi enter, Pei Ningxue didn't get up. She merely tilted her head slightly, staring at him with a half-smile.

"You're five minutes late, good brother."

Chen Zhi forced himself to tear his gaze away from those legs, strode over to her, and held out his hand.

"Card."

Concise and utterly devoid of emotion.

I am a pure love warrior, I have a girlfriend, I cannot make a mistake. Chen Zhi chanted these three sentences frantically in his mind.

"In such a hurry to leave?"

Pei Ningxue set down her wine glass and leaned forward slightly.

In that instant, her cool fragrance completely enveloped Chen Zhi.

"Just finished having hotpot with your little girlfriend? You reek of Haidilao beef tallow. Don't you want to wash up?"

Chen Zhi's heart skipped a beat.

Does this woman have the nose of a dog?

"Cut the crap." Chen Zhi kept a straight face, trying to overpower her with his presence. "I still have to go back to campus to make my bed. Give me the card quickly and stop messing around."

"Go back to campus?"

As if hearing a joke, Pei Ningxue pointed at the wall clock.

"It's 11:10 PM, student Chen Zhi."

"As far as I know, the Peking University dorms lock their doors at eleven. If you go back now, are you planning to feed the mosquitoes by Weiming Lake all night?"

Chen Zhi was speechless.

Of course he knew he couldn't go back.

But he would rather spend the night at an internet cafe than stay in this succubus's den. It was way too dangerous here.

"That's my business, no need for you to worry," Chen Zhi said stiffly. "Where is the card?"

Pei Ningxue didn't speak.

A wicked smile tugged at the corners of her mouth. She extended a finger and gently tapped the inside of her smooth thigh.

"Here."

Chen Zhi followed her finger with his eyes.

The Peking University ID card bearing his photo was resting quietly on her thigh, right near the edge of the black lace hem.

The red card stood out glaringly against her snow-white skin.

If he reached out to take it, he would inevitably touch that soft skin.

Furthermore, if his hand trembled even a little, or if his gaze strayed just a bit...

This was a total freaking trap!

"Pei Ningxue, do you find this amusing?"

"Very much so."

Pei Ningxue shifted her posture, resting her chin on one hand, watching his frustrated expression with great interest.

"I just love seeing you look like you want to destroy me but can't do a thing about it."

Her eyes fluttered, her gaze sweeping over Chen Zhi before finally settling on his bobbing Adam's apple.

"What? Too scared to take it?"

"Or could it be..."

Pei Ningxue suddenly stood up.

With her movement, the campus card slid down her leg and fell onto the carpet.

But she didn't bend down to pick it up.

Instead, she advanced on Chen Zhi step by step, forcing him back until he had nowhere left to go, his back pressed flat against the wall.

"Or could it be that you're afraid you won't be able to control yourself?"

The distance between them was less than ten centimeters.

Chen Zhi looked at the breathtakingly beautiful face so close to his, and saw his own flustered reflection in her eyes.

This woman was truly out of her mind today.

"Pei Ningxue." Chen Zhi took a deep breath, trying hard to maintain his composure. "Don't play with fire. I'm running really hot right now."

"Oh?"

Far from being scared, Pei Ningxue grew even more excited.

She reached out, her fingertips lightly tracing across Chen Zhi's chest, drawing circles over his beating heart right through his shirt.

"How hot?"

She leaned close to his ear, breathing out a sweet fragrance.

"How about... I help you cool down?"

Just as the words left her mouth, that mischievous finger began to slide downwards.

Chen Zhi couldn't take it anymore.

To hell with being a pure love warrior.

Since she wanted to play, he would play along to the very end.

Chen Zhi suddenly reached out and grabbed her slender wrist.

His grip was strong, making Pei Ningxue frown slightly, but the amusement in her eyes only deepened.

"What? Want to get physical?"

"Chen Zhi, do you dare?"

Pei Ningxue tilted her head back, her long neck forming an elegant curve.

"Watch me."

Chen Zhi let out a cold sneer.

The next second, the world spun.

Pei Ningxue only felt a tightness around her waist before she was lifted completely into the air.

Chen Zhi clamped one arm around her incredibly narrow waist and slipped the other behind her knees, sweeping her right off her feet. He took long strides toward the large double bed.

"Ah! Chen Zhi, what are you doing!"

Pei Ningxue cried out in shock, instinctively wrapping her arms around Chen Zhi's neck while her legs kicked wildly in the air.

The fluffy slipper fell to the floor with a soft smack.

"What am I doing? Didn't you say you wanted to help me cool down?"

Chen Zhi reached the edge of the bed and unceremoniously tossed the woman in his arms onto it.

The Shangri-La's mattress had excellent bounce.

Pei Ningxue sank into the soft bedding. Her black dress flared out around her like a black rose blooming in the snow.

Before she could even react, Chen Zhi was already leaning over her.

But he didn't do anything out of line. Instead, he knelt on the bed with one knee, planting his hands on either side of her body, and stared down at her from above.

The posture was incredibly suggestive.

Pei Ningxue lay on the bed, her long hair in disarray, her chest heaving heavily.

She looked up at Chen Zhi.

At this moment, Chen Zhi had shed his usual playful grin; his gaze was dark and profound.

Pei Ningxue's heart suddenly skipped a beat.

"Cat got your tongue?"

Chen Zhi leaned down, his nose almost touching hers.

"Weren't you acting tough just a moment ago? Didn't you want to play with fire?"

Pei Ningxue bit her lip, her competitive streak flaring up again.

She reached out and willingly wrapped her arms around Chen Zhi's neck, her eyes giving him a seductive look.

"I do want to play with fire."

She tilted her head slightly, her red lips parting. "Then why don't you start the fire? All talk and no action... or can't you handle it?"

Fuck.

If he could just endure this, Chen Zhi felt he might as well castrate himself and become a monk.

"Fine."

Chen Zhi laughed out of pure frustration. "Pei Ningxue, you asked for this."

He abruptly lowered his head and fiercely kissed that chattering little mouth.

"Mmph..."

Pei Ningxue's eyes widened, her body instantly tensing up.

She hadn't expected Chen Zhi to actually dare.

An intense masculine scent instantly overwhelmed her, and the clash of their lips and teeth carried a hint of pain.

All of Pei Ningxue's rationality was burned to ashes by the kiss.

She instinctively tried to push him away, but her hands, pressed against his chest, were soft and completely devoid of strength.

Gradually, her resistance turned into compliance.

Her fingers threaded through Chen Zhi's freshly cut buzz cut.

The air in the room felt as if it had ignited, the temperature rising steadily.

It was hard to tell how much time had passed.

Just as Pei Ningxue felt she was about to suffocate, having even mentally prepared herself for what was about to happen next...

Chen Zhi suddenly stopped.

He released Pei Ningxue, panting heavily, a fine layer of sweat forming on his forehead.

Her eyes hazy and her cheeks flushed red, Pei Ningxue looked at him in a daze.

"Why..."

Chen Zhi took a deep breath and abruptly rolled off the bed.

"I'm taking a shower."

With that, he rushed into the bathroom without looking back.

Bang. The bathroom door was slammed shut.

Immediately after, the sound of running water came from inside.

Pei Ningxue lay on the bed, listening to the shower, stunned for a good few seconds.

Then, she suddenly buried her face in the pillow, her shoulders shaking.

"Pfft..."

"Coward."

She burst into laughter.

She laughed so hard her whole body shook.

What a wimp.

The bastard had the dirty thoughts but not the guts.

The arrow was already drawn on the bowstring, yet at the very last second, he actually ran off to take a cold shower?

Pei Ningxue rolled over, her fingers gently tracing her still-burning lips.

Chen Zhi's warmth and scent still lingered there.

"Chen Zhi, oh, Chen Zhi..."

Pei Ningxue looked at the blurry silhouette through the frosted glass of the bathroom door, her gaze turning somewhat complex.

"Do you have any idea... if you had actually gone through with it just now, I might have..."

"Actually clung to you for the rest of my life."