At eight in the evening, in the prestigious and exclusive Gold Dust Club of River City, where membership is required and even wealth may not guarantee entry, the atmosphere on the top floor was in stark contrast to the lively scenes below.
Exclusive Elevator doors opened, revealing a pair of long legs clad in black trousers. The man, tall and slender, stepped onto the dark carpet. His tailored, wrinkle-free suit accentuated his handsome face, making him appear even more aloof and cold.
An intangible aura of nobility and dominance emanated from him.
Zhou Yi was still shouting on the other end of the phone: "Back in the country, right? Where are you? The guys are all waiting for you at Gold Dust. You have to come; its been ages since we last had a drink together. Dont forget, after midnight, its your birthday."
The grueling work and long flight had left Cen Yan feeling a rare sense of exhaustion. Finding Zhou Yis chatter irritating, he frowned slightly and replied in a hoarse voice, "Got it."
With that, he hung up the phone, his expression indifferent.
The seductive movement of his throat was followed by him reaching for his tie, loosening it, and unbuttoning the top two buttons of his shirt before pushing open the door to his private room at Gold Dust, intending to rest for a while.
As soon as he entered, his gaze sharpened abruptly, exuding a chilling aura.
Someone was there.
A woman.
His thin lips pressed together, he turned on the light, and almost simultaneously, a pair of delicate hands wrapped around his waist, hugging him.
The scent of alcohol mixed with an unfamiliar perfume invaded his senses. Cen Yans eyes flickered with deep disgust as he was about to grab her wrist and throw her out, when the womans hoarse voice, slow and alluring, rang out clearly in his ear...
"Mmm... baby, youre so late. Ive been waiting for you... for so long..."
The voice was...
Cen Yans eyes suddenly turned unusually dark.
It was Shi Ran.
Shi Ran, who had disappeared for four years.
"Baby..."
Not hearing a response after a long time, Shi Ran became unhappy.
Struggling to open her dazed eyes, she turned around to face the person, hooking his neck with one hand and poking his face with the other, her moist and bright red lips slightly pouting: "Im talking to you."
At such a close distance, the perfume on her that was completely different from before was even more noticeable, seeping into all of Cen Yans senses.
He looked down.
She was also looking at him, her eyes clear as a mountain spring, full of water, innocent yet with a unique seductive confusion from being drunk.
Her face, as bright and beautiful as ever, was unmatched in beauty.
It was her.
Shi Ran.
"Baby, whats wrong, not talking..." The alcohol was surging, making Shi Rans thoughts chaotic. The only thing she could barely discern was that her baby seemed unhappy and not saying a word, "Baby?"
She poked, no response.
"Hey..." She touched the face in front of her, tried to open her eyes to look, and suddenly stood on her tiptoes to get closer, humming, "I said, Im back now, why... ah!"
A low exclamation.
Her wrist was suddenly and forcefully grabbed.
It hurt.
Raised with tenderness, Shi Ran couldnt stand a bit of pain. The sudden action left her fair skin immediately flushed with red marks. She felt wronged and a little annoyed: "What are you doing, I..."
Her voice trailed off as her chin was abruptly pinched, an indescribable chill sweeping over her, and the surrounding air pressure dropped to an extreme low in an instant.
Her eyelashes fluttered incessantly, Shi Ran was confused.
"Baby..." She foolishly called out.
Subconsciously, she reached for the hand, feeling something strange when she touched it, but she couldnt describe it. The strange feeling flashed and disappeared, and with her mind not clear, she didnt realize that the person who came was not the one she was waiting for.
She looked at him, her eyes inexplicably innocent and ignorant.
Cen Yans throat suddenly rolled.
"Baby?" His fingertips lightly traced her skin, his tone cold and dangerous, his lips slightly curving as if smiling, but the smile did not reach his eyes, "Your baby? Who? Hmm?"
The strong alcohol surged wave after wave, her brain was dizzy, and everything in front of her seemed to be swaying, blurry and increasingly unstable.
Hot...
She thought uncomfortably, why was it suddenly so hot?
Hmm?
Its so cool here.
What is this?
Shi Ran unconsciously held Cen Yans hand, wanting to press his hand to her face to dispel the heat, but she couldnt move it.
Suddenly, she vaguely saw thin lips, very sexy, her mind even more confused, as if a voice was tempting, get closer, just a little closer, as long as you get closer, you will be comfortable.
Thinking this way, her eyes became more and more blurred.
Driven by that voice, she couldnt help but stand on her tiptoes again.
"Let me kiss..." She murmured, "Hmm, you look so much like..."
Closer.
About to touch.
Just...
"Ah!"
Her wrist was suddenly and forcefully pinched, the dull and numb pain spreading instantly, Shi Ran winced, her eyes filling with tears instantly.
"Baby... ah!"
She stumbled and almost fell.
...
Without any mercy, Cen Yan dragged her straight into the bathroom, glanced at her, and then threw her into the bathtub.
"His..."
It hurt.
Her knee hit the bathtub, and Shi Ran immediately panted in pain, her eyes red in an instant, wanting to get up, wanting to complain, but the next second, the cold water directly poured on her!
"Ah!"
Shi Ran felt the piercing cold, she screamed, and her body shivered directly.
"...Cold! What are you doing!" Lifting her somewhat embarrassed face, she tearfully accused.
No response.
Her heart was filled with layers of anger, and Shi Ran tried to get up with her hands and feet.
"Ah..."
She fell in the bathtub.
Climb again, be pressed down again.
After several times, Shi Rans remaining strength disappeared, and her brain became more and more confused. The only feelings left were cold and hot, and the lingering anger.
Bastard!
Before falling asleep in a daze, she instinctively scolded in her heart several times.
...
Its still that dream.
In the dream, its dark, there is no light, Shi Ran cant find a way out, the feeling of despair is getting stronger, her body is at its limit, she is about to hold on.
Suddenly, she heard the sound of "creak".
A ray of light seeped through.
Too dazzling, she closed her eyes reflexively, and when she wanted to open them to adapt, she was grabbed by a big hand in the next second.
Then...
"Qiao Yue..." Shi Ran suddenly opened her eyes, her forehead was covered with cold sweat.
Her heart was beating very fast.
Uncontrollable.
She put her fingers into her hair, closed her eyes, and lowered her head.
After a long time, her emotions were finally restrained.
And it was not until then that she realized something was wrong.
There is a smell of smoke.
A faint mint tobacco smell.
Belonging to a man.
The surroundings are dark, no lights are on, but the lack of vision makes other senses extremely sensitive. Without looking up, Shi Ran can feel a gaze coming from the front.
It seems very light, but its presence is undeniable.
Cold, strong.
She looked up.
A flickering scarlet came into her eyes.
The white smoke vaguely shrouded the mans face, blurred and indifferent, and magically entangled with an indescribable coldness, and an not-so-obvious frivolity, but quite desolate.
Holding a cigarette, the fingers must be well-knit and slender, absolutely enjoyable for hand control, and the lips holding the cigarette are very thin. It is said that men with thin lips are the most unemotional and indifferent.
As for the face...
The outline is deep and noble and indifferent.
Shi Ran suddenly smiled.
"Its Cen Four Brother..."
Her slender white fingers casually combed her hair, curved the corners of her lips, and she laughed heartlessly, her tone lazy and careless to the extreme.
A "Cen Four Brother" is no longer a brother, nor is it the same as before. Whats left is just indifference and nothing else.
Cen Yan smoked quietly, his dark eyes unfathomable, and no one could guess what he was thinking.
The smoke slowly spread.
Silence spread.
The room seemed to have no temperature at all.
Shi Ran vaguely remembered that there was an exaggerated joke in the circle, saying that as long as Cen Yan was there, as long as he was silent, the scene would inevitably be chilling