Xia Ning woke up the following morning, feeling completely wasted. The spot next to her was empty. She then recalled hearing him say goodbye when she was half-awake.
Both of them went a little wild the previous night and the activity lasted until after midnight. She had to beg him in tears to make him stop.
When she saw the love bites all over her skin, Xia Ning sighed in resignation. She still had an event to go to. How was she supposed to cover those marks up?
Xia Ning left her room after she got dressed. Lu Chuan was already waiting for her outside.
He looked her up and down. “Ready to go?”
Xia Ning found his look rather odd. She quickly checked herself, then asked, “What is it?”
“Nothing. We only have one event to go to today and I thought you can take some rest here tonight and go back tomorrow.”
Xia Ning didn’t know what to say. For some reason, she felt that there was more to his actual words.
Lu Chuan seemed to sense Xia Ning’s gaze and he cleared his throat. “I saw Mr. Qiao yesterday.”
Xia Ning stared at Lu Chuan in surprise. “When?” Did he see him when they got back together? No, it couldn’t have been. She had walked in first and Qiao Yu had waited for a moment after her.
“Mr. Qiao got to the hotel to find you not here. He contacted me through the front desk. That’s how I knew he was here. Then, this morning, I saw him leaving your room…” Lu Chuan gave Xia Ning a knowing smile and didn’t finish the sentence.
Xia Ning was embarrassed. The corner of her mouth twitched when she looked at Lu Chuan. “You’re an early riser!”
“Not that early.” Lu Chuan grinned. He then leaned closer and whispered in Xia Ning’s ear. “When is the wedding? Do send me an invitation.”
Xia Ning rolled her eyes at Lu Chuan. “You’re not the only one who knows secrets. Shall I enlighten you sometime?”
Lu Chuan was speechless. That was an effective threat.
“Alright, your secret is safe with me! I’ll zip up!” Lu Chuan chuckled. He was only joking. No matter how well-connected Xia Ning was, she was still his best friend.
The event finished before noon and Xia Ning went back to the hotel to catch up with some sleep. She received a phone call from Qiao Yu at three in the afternoon.
Xia Ning opened her eyes and picked it up. “Yes? What’s up?”
“Open the door.” Qiao Yu’s deep voice came from the other end.
Xia Ning was fully awake right away. Eyes widened, she looked in the direction of the door. “You’re outside my room?”
“That’s right. Open up.”
Xia Ning went to the door immediately. She opened it to find Qiao Yu outside, wrapped in his black coat and she blurted out. “Why are you here? Didn’t you leave just this morning? Aren’t you tired of driving back and forth like this?”
Qiao Yu frowned when he saw Xia Ning in her nightgown. He walked in, closing the door behind him.
“Don’t answer the door like this in the future!” Qiao Yu frowned. He then saw the hickeys on Xia Ning’s neck and the look in his eyes changed. He recalled the way she moved under him the night before. There was something different about her; she was more active. The memory made his mouth dry.
“Alright.” Xia Ning nodded, looked away, and turned around to pack her things. Since he was here, she should go back home with him.
A pair of arms wrapped around her waist all of a sudden and his chest was pressed against her back. She then heard his soft murmur in her ear. “Honey, let’s stay here for a bit longer.”