Chapter 203
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Huo Shaoheng kept his eyes on the top of the antique wooden bed when he asked the question . He did not look at Gu Nianzhi .
He waited for Gu Nianzhi's reply, but it never came .
He turned to look at her—and discovered she had actually fallen asleep .
Huo Shaoheng looked at her for a long moment . He leaned over and kissed her on the forehead .
He could almost feel a spark of electricity shoot through him when his warm lips pressed against her fair skin .
Huo Shaoheng let his lips linger for a moment, before slowly moving away . He touched Gu Nianzhi's face . When he stood up, there was a pained, conflicted expression on his face .
To a young, innocent girl like Gu Nianzhi, love was a simple matter: you either liked someone, or not .
But it took much more than that to build a relationship .
Huo Shaoheng adjusted his collar . He opened the door and went out of the resting room .
Outside the door, Xue Jingjiang and the others had already returned, and were in the middle of a passionate karaoke session .
Huo Shaoheng walked to the sofa and sat down . Hong Ziqi hurried over to chat with him . "Huo Shao, quick question: are you a close friend of Gu Yanran, the billionaire lady from Barbados?"
"No," Huo Shaoheng answered bluntly . "Why do you ask?"
"She's going to be moving her assets over to our country, isn't she? She'll be investing heavily in a few areas . I have this project with Big Xue and Little Cui, actually, and Gu Yanran's representatives have already come over to check it out . They like it, and want to invest in it . However, none of us actually know her, so we thought of asking you—we heard you got her out of a jam a while ago," Hong Ziqi said in a long breath, before adding, "but don't feel pressured . We're not trying to get you to pull a few strings for us, or anything like that . Business is business . We just want to know if she's legit—it would be so embarrassing for all of us if she turns out to be some kind of scammer . "
"Oh . " Huo Shaoheng nodded . "She's not a scammer . The Barbados Gu family is extremely wealthy, rich enough to call the shots in their country . You have to keep in mind that Barbados is a small country, though, so their influence isn't actually as impressive as it sounds . "
Cui Bowen and Xue Jingjiang overheard them talking about business matters, and walked over to join the conversation . Bai Tianqun sat nearby, but did not say a word .
When they had finished discussing business, Bai Tianqun wiped his face and said to Huo Shaoheng: "Huo Shao, do you know what happened to my Second Uncle?"
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"No . Why, what's wrong?" Huo Shaoheng replied without missing a beat . His act was so convincing it would have fooled even Yin Shixiong—had Yin Shixiong seen him now, he would have wondered whether he had hallucinated his mission with Huo Shaoheng .
Bai Tianqun said with a pained expression: "It's just that a few of my family think that his body should be allowed to return to the country . Second Uncle made a huge mistake, don't get me wrong, but he's dead now… surely he can be laid to rest in the family burial plot . It pains me to think that his spirit is now drifting aimlessly in foreign lands, never to be reunited with the rest of his family . "
Huo Shaoheng's eyes narrowed and gleamed imperceptibly . He lowered his eyes and shook his head as he rhythmically tapped a finger upon his thigh . "No use telling me about it . You should be asking the main branch of the Bai family for mercy since they're the ones calling the shots . "
He was referring to Bai Yueran's family .
They were vehemently opposed to the idea of collecting Bai Yusheng's remains .
Bai Tianqun knew that was the end of the matter . He shrugged helplessly . "Oh well . Second Uncle went too far . He crossed the line, so I guess it serves him right . Anyway, I've done my bit—I can go back to my family with a clear conscience now . "
Huo Shaoheng smiled in reply . He turned to Xue Jingjiang to ask about their project .
The men were soon engrossed in their discussion, and lost track of time .
Gu Nianzhi woke up and discovered that it was already past four o'clock in the afternoon . She was still feeling light-headed; her nap had not actually helped with her hangover .
She was still lying on the bed when she heard the door open . It was Huo Shaoheng .
"Oh, you're already awake? Go eat your dinner, they've prepared it for you outside . " Huo Shaoheng stood before the bed and looked down at her .
Gu Nianzhi blinked blearily . She tried to remember what she had said and done before falling asleep, but her brain was a pile of mush . Nothing seemed to make sense .
"All right, stop shaking your head, I get it . We'll go home once you've had your dinner . " Huo Shaoheng reached out and pulled her by the hand .
She tumbled forward, right into Huo Shaoheng's arms .
Huo Shaoheng did not know how to react—something seemed off with Gu Nianzhi .
Gu Nianzhi smiled . She slid her arms around Huo Shaoheng's waist and hugged him . In the next second, she had already released him, and was making her way towards the door with a hand against the wall .
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She was unsteady on her feet, but it did not look like she was in danger of tripping and falling on her face .
She exited the resting room, and saw there were now two tables outside .
The men would be dining at one table, the women at another; this separation was necessary because they would be eating traditional herbal dishes tailored to the needs of their respective sex .
Gu Nianzhi sat at the table and began eating her dinner with Mrs . Cui, Xue Xinran and Guo Huining . The three older women were drinking red wine .
"Nianzhi, this is a Lafite from '82 . It's pretty good . " Guo Huining poured a small glass of wine for Gu Nianzhi . "It's sweet, I like it . "
Gu Nianzhi had been drinking Moutai, a baijiu, earlier in the afternoon . They were now offering her red wine; she wanted to refuse the drink, but Mrs . Cui and Xue Xinran were watching her eagerly . The men, on the other hand, were deep in conversation among themselves; she did not have Huo Shaoheng to help her this time . Gu Nianzhi steeled herself, and downed the glass .
Shortly after, it became evident that the baijiu was still in her system—now mixed disastrously with the red wine .
Huo Shaoheng eventually realized what was happening and came over to stop her from drinking any more wine, but she was already hopelessly drunk by then .
Mrs . Cui and Xue Xinran were extremely embarrassed . "It's our fault, we didn't know Little Gu wasn't used to drinking . "
Guo Huining, who had been enthusiastically plying Gu Nianzhi with wine, shrank in her seat, too mortified to say anything .
"It's not how much she drank, but what she's been drinking . She's had baijiu and red wine, and the high-quality stuff at that—not even the best drinker would be able to stay on his feet after drinking those . " Xue Jingjiang sighed, and called for a waiter to order a traditional hangover soup for Gu Nianzhi .
Huo Shaoheng checked the time: it was almost six o'clock . He held Gu Nianzhi in his arms and said, "Don't worry about it . I'll take her home . It's been a long day, anyway . "
It had been supposed to be a simple shopping trip to buy gifts for his mother, Song Jinning . Before they knew it, it was already dark out .
Huo Shaoheng had been drinking, and could not get behind the wheel in his condition . He was forced to call Fan Jian and have him pick them up from the Scion Square parking lot .
Gu Nianzhi was completely out of it .
She did not remember getting in the car, or how she got home .
The only thing she remembered was how there had been a cozy warmth for her to nestle into whenever there was a cool evening wind making its way into the car .
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Her thoughts, previously interrupted and scattered by her impromptu afternoon nap, suddenly fell into place again .
In her drunken stupor, Gu Nianzhi remembered her unfinished conversation with Huo Shaoheng .
Huo Shaoheng put an arm around her shoulder and guided her into their suite on the first floor .
Gu Nianzhi clung to his arm and said drunkenly, "Huo Shao, you want to know who I like, don't you? You were asking about it, I remember . . . "
Huo Shaoheng did not reply . He hurriedly led her into his room .
Gu Nianzhi's restless fingers reached for his cheek, before sliding towards his lips .
She traced his lips with her fingers as she whispered dreamily, "It's you, you're the one I love . Uncle Huo… Huo Shao… Shaoheng…"
As soon as she finished saying his name, Huo Shaoheng kicked the door shut and pinned her arms above her with one hand . His other hand slid into her hair . He pushed her into the wall and kissed her passionately on her pouty lips, over and over again .
Gu Nianzhi's attempt at seduction had been laughably juvenile; for him, however, it had been the most difficult test in his life .
The moment she called him by his first name, she had become the most powerful weapon in the world . She had shattered all of his defenses .
Huo Shaoheng had lost control and was now hungrily devouring Gu Nianzhi's lips . He pressed his mouth forcefully against hers, licking and kissing her lips .
The tip of his tongue pried open her fragrant mouth and slipped boldy inside it, stealing her breath away .
His lips and tongue attacked her . He kissed her thoroughly, inside and out, but it was still not enough for him . He began to suck and nibble on her lips, the tip of her tongue—he latched onto them and did not let go .
Gu Nianzhi had been completely awake and alert the moment Huo Shaoheng leaned in to kiss her .
She had been pushed up against the wall, her hands above her in a strained position, and was now passively receiving his kisses .
She trembled from head to toe . She was no longer in control of her body or mind .
She could not believe this was really happening . Was she dreaming? Everything was possible in a dream—it would explain why Huo Shaoheng was now kissing her so furiously, the way she had secretly fantasized every night .
But this was even better . It exceeded her wildest dreams . Everything was perfect .
He's kissing me!
He's kissing me!
He's actually kissing me!
Gu Nianzhi's entire body shivered violently, from head to toe .
She tried to respond . She wanted to feel him; she wanted to know whether this was real, or just a dream .
But Huo Shaoheng held her captive . She could not move .
He had complete control over her . Her breath, her lips, and her tongue belonged to him now . The tip of his tongue slipped in and out of her mouth, stirring waves of aching numbness .
But she did not feel smothered, nor that she was she in pain . She wanted only to submit to his unbreakable shackles, to be imprisoned by his love . She was willing to be his prisoner, now and forever .
Huo Shaoheng's lips tasted like sweet wine . There was also the scent of cigarettes from his fingers, as they held her face up to his .
Oddly enough, these scents were not at all unpleasant when mixed together . They came together to form a cocktail of indescribable masculinity, one that Gu Nianzhi found to be extremely appealing . It made her think of smoke over a vast desert, of river sunsets; she imagined him to be a general on horseback, dressed in ceremonial attire: a bow in his hand, a wine pouch hanging from his waist, and his quarry slung across his horse .
Gu Nianzhi's legs were turning to jelly; she could no longer support herself on them . She wrapped her legs around him, like vines clinging to a sturdy tree .
She would have collapsed onto the floor by now, had Huo Shaoheng not pinned her wrists up high on the wall with his powerful hand .
After a while, Gu Nianzhi's arms began to ache .
She mewled plaintively and began to struggle .
Huo Shaoheng finally ceased his violent flurry of kisses . He released her lips and arms . He lowered his head, buried it into her neck, and gradually recovered from his labored breathing .