Chapter 6
An Office Filled with the Scent of Red Wine
The silver-blue sedan slowly came to a stop in front of the luxurious yet understated private dining restaurant.
Qi Xing had assumed that what came next would be a long-awaited reunion and a private lunch for two with Huo Shaoyan, filled with the scents of red wine and roses. But when the car door opened and Lin Zixiao's foolishly grinning face shoved its way into view first, the little tyrant's curved lips instantly drooped halfway.
“Oh my, President Huo! Thanks to Xingxing, I never dreamed I'd get to eat an exclusive private-dining meal you reserved yourself in this lifetime!” Completely oblivious to the palpable gloom radiating from Huo Shaoyan, Lin Zixiao cheerfully opened the front passenger door.
Shen Linfeng parked the car and walked over, giving Huo Shaoyan a warm, helpless smile. “Shaoyan, when Zixiao heard you were treating us, he got so excited on the way over that he almost tore the roof off my car. You don't mind two extra place settings, do you?”
Mind? He damn well minded. Huo Shaoyan's face darkened as his razor-sharp gaze sliced over the two uninvited third wheels.
But before he could open his mouth to kick them out, a slender, fair hand naturally slipped around his arm.
“Forget it. They're already here.” Half his body went soft as Qi Xing leaned against Huo Shaoyan. His almond-shaped eyes tilted slightly, and he smiled with lazy resignation. “Just think of it as bringing along two little sidekicks. Shaoyan, I'm starving. Let's go inside.”
Feeling the soft warmth against his arm, Huo Shaoyan swallowed the icy retort that had reached his lips.
He glanced down at Qi Xing's slightly pale face, let out a cold snort, and allowed the little tyrant to cling to him as they walked inside.
By the end of the meal, the promised “world for two” had completely turned into a chaotic four-person free-for-all.
Throughout the meal, Qi Xing fully demonstrated what brazen indulgence looked like.
“Shaoyan, the black-truffle wagyu is too far away. I can't reach it.” “Shaoyan, this crab has a shell. Help me with it.”
Huo Shaoyan complained, “Didn't you grow hands?” Yet his movements were incomparably practiced as he precisely piled peeled crabmeat and bite-sized pieces of wagyu into Qi Xing's bowl.
Across from them, Lin Zixiao stuffed premium foie gras into his mouth while watching the usually lofty and merciless President Huo serve Qi Xing like a willing personal manservant. He was so shocked that he nearly swallowed his tongue along with the food.
Shen Linfeng, meanwhile, simply held his teacup and watched it all with an amused, silent smile.
After the meal, outside the private dining restaurant.
“Big Brother Shen, Lin Zixiao, thanks for getting me lost and then joining us for lunch. But Shaoyan and I still have some ‘business’ to take care of, so we won't see you out.” Qi Xing smiled sweetly and waved at them, swiftly issuing his dismissal.
“Got it, got it! We're leaving right now. Wouldn't want to disturb your world for two!” Lin Zixiao gave Shen Linfeng an exaggerated wink and dragged him away at top speed.
Once the two thousand-watt third wheels were gone, the world finally fell quiet.
Huo Corporation headquarters, the CEO's office on the top floor.
Ordinarily, this place was forbidden ground for the entire corporation—stern, cold, and filled with the frigid feel of high technology.
But when Qi Xing wandered in wearing clothes that were a little too large for him, the atmosphere changed in an instant.
Qi Xing shamelessly curled up in Huo Shaoyan's exclusive leather office chair, his impossibly long legs crossing elegantly.
He reached out and unwrapped the box of dark-chocolate mousse cake he'd carefully protected all the way there. Its rich bittersweet aroma immediately bloomed throughout the spacious office.
Huo Shaoyan stood before the desk. He had just set down his briefcase and turned around when he saw the little tyrant propping up his chin with one hand and holding a sparkling little silver fork in the other, precisely scooping up a piece of dark-chocolate mousse.
“Come here.” Qi Xing crooked a finger at him, his voice sticky and sweet, like melted sugar.
Huo Shaoyan raised a brow, slipped both hands into his suit-pants pockets, and strode over on his long legs. Looking down at him, he said, “What?”
“I'm feeding you.” Qi Xing lifted the silver fork, coated with tempting chocolate sauce, to Huo Shaoyan's lips. Tilting up his exquisite face, his bright eyes brimmed with certainty and flirtation. “It's the house specialty. Slightly bitter. I know you hate things that are too sweet. Open up.”
Huo Shaoyan stared at the cake, then at the smiling eyes watching him.
Under that focused gaze, he lowered his head as if possessed and bit the mousse from Qi Xing's hand.
The rich, slightly bitter cocoa burst across his tongue. It was indeed a flavor he could accept.
“Is it good?” Qi Xing asked, tilting his head.
“It's all right. Not sweet.” Huo Shaoyan gave his flat assessment, though a tiny crumb of dark-chocolate cake had accidentally stuck to the corner of his lips.
He was just about to straighten up and get a tissue when a sudden force caught his collar.
At some point, Qi Xing's slender fingers had grabbed the lapel of his suit. Drawing on a little of the cultivation circulating through his body, he gave it a forceful yank downward—Huo Shaoyan lost his balance, instinctively bracing both hands against the arms of the office chair as his entire body was forced into a deep bend.
The next second, a slightly cool, soft sensation pressed against his thin lips without warning.
“Mmm...” Qi Xing tilted his head slightly, his beautiful eyes willfully wide as they locked straight onto Huo Shaoyan's suddenly dazed black eyes.
He deftly extended the tip of his tongue and gave the corner of Huo Shaoyan's slightly pursed lips, where the dark-chocolate crumb clung, a nimble, suggestive lick.
The damp, faintly ticklish sensation traveled from the corner of Huo Shaoyan's lips straight into his taut nerves.
“Boom!” The rich red-wine pheromone could no longer be suppressed. Like a tsunami, it exploded through the CEO's office.
Huo Shaoyan's pupils contracted sharply, and the knuckles of the fingers braced against the armrests went white with strain.
He was about to turn the tables and kiss him fiercely, to devour this little tyrant who had provoked an Alpha's dignity time and again. But just before the scent of red wine could completely envelop him, Qi Xing spitefully pulled away.
The little tyrant lightly leaned back, his exquisite lips gleaming with alluring moisture.
He narrowed his eyes and let out a satisfied sigh, as though he'd just tasted some unparalleled delicacy. “Mmm... So sweet.”
Qi Xing looked at the tips of Huo Shaoyan's ears, already flushed beneath his neat buzz cut. A triumphant, seductive smile played at the corners of his lips, and his voice was as light as a feather, yet every word struck Huo Shaoyan squarely in the heart.
“This cake... tastes like you.”
At that moment, the rose scent and red-wine scent in the air completely lost control and intertwined, transforming the entire cold CEO's office into a dizzying, blush-inducing abyss of sensuality.