President Ji got off work on time today, just as the clock struck five-thirty, Le Tong heard the sound of the door opening behind her.
Le Tong quickly stood up and turned around, "President!", she thought Ji Rui was going to assign her some work.
Instead, she saw Ji Rui holding a bag in one hand, with a suit jacket draped over his arm, nodding slightly towards her as a greeting, and in the blink of an eye, he slipped into the elevator and was gone.
It took Le Tong a moment to realize that she didn’t need to work overtime today!
She packed up the documents on the desk, picked up the large bag of items Yang Sheng had brought back for her, and left Ji Mansion.
As winter approached, the weather was becoming increasingly cold. Having just recovered from an illness, Le Tong took extra care of her health. Before leaving, she put on a large and thick down jacket over her work clothes and wrapped her face tightly with a scarf before stepping out.
The wind whistled past her forehead, leaving it icy cold. Updates are released by Novᴇl_Fire(.)net
The items Yang Sheng’s wife had asked him to bring back were many and heavy, causing Le Tong to tilt sideways with the bag full of stuff.
She hadn’t walked far before a car screeched to a halt beside her.
Before Le Tong could react, the car door opened, and a familiar voice came from inside.
Le Tong stood frozen, instinctively wanting to refuse.
"Afraid I’ll kidnap you?"
A cold voice floated from the car, more chilling than the icy wind.
Le Tong thought to herself, what makes me worthy of being kidnapped by the President?
Le Tong was the type to avoid trouble, and recently, her instincts frequently sounded the alarm: President Ji was big trouble, and she needed to steer clear. Hence, she hesitated by the car for several seconds but ultimately didn’t follow Ji Rui’s command.
"President, I want to take a slow walk, thank you for your kindness."
Le Tong bent down and said to Ji Rui, closing the car door casually.
She thought that this would surely make Ji Rui angry enough to leave her alone.
But she still underestimated Ji Rui. Just when she thought the car would drive away, the door she had personally closed opened again.
"Get in the car if you don’t want to be fired!"
Le Tong was astonished; was this considered mixing personal and business affairs?
Le Tong stood outside the car, and inside, Ji Rui seemed in no hurry, simply sitting quietly without urging her and with no indication for the driver to leave.
The two remained at a standoff, and Le Tong seemed to hear a "tick-tock" timer in her ears. Finally, she couldn’t win against the man and got into the car like a reluctant cat.
After Le Tong got in the car, the driver said nothing and drove directly toward her residence.
It was rush hour, and the car didn’t get far before it was stuck in traffic.
Le Tong silently regretted it, wondering why she softened. What should have taken ten to eight minutes to get home would now likely take half an hour.
After she got in the car, Ji Rui reclined against the seatback without speaking or looking at her, just slightly turning his head to watch the scenery outside the window.
Le Tong was happy with the silence and didn’t bother to start a conversation.
Talking with someone could be enjoyable, but if the two sides had differing interests and opinions, then silence was better. At least it avoided hearing hollow laughter and empty flattery.
Stuck in the middle of the road, all she could see out the window were various vehicles clogging the street.
Le Tong stared at the different cars for a while, and when she turned back, her gaze inadvertently landed on Ji Rui, who was holding his stomach and frowning slightly.
Le Tong immediately realized that President Ji hadn’t eaten lunch.
She wanted to say, serves you right for hurting, acting like a child despite being thirty-something.
Thinking it but not daring to say it, "President, is your stomach hurting?"
Ji Rui didn’t respond, just blinked, probably a silent affirmation.
Resignedly, Le Tong took out a box containing medication from her bag, rummaged through it, found some stomach medicine suitable for Ji Rui, poured two pills into her palm, and offered them to him.
"President, take this medicine."
Ji Rui glanced at her but remained motionless, not even lifting a finger.
Le Tong thought, great! He’s stubborn with me!
Yet clearly, it wasn’t her who was in pain, but she couldn’t bear to ignore him.
She grabbed a bottle of water, unscrewed the cap, and forcibly placed it in Ji Rui’s hand. Then she took his hand, opened it, and tried to pour the medicine into his palm.
His palm was warm, unlike hers which was as cold as ice.
As her fingers pressed into his palm, he finally lifted his eyes to look at her.
"Why are your hands so cold?"
Le Tong was taken aback, quickly responding, "Do you think everyone has a chauffeured car like you do, President?"
President Ji probably didn’t realize that the temperature difference between the car and the cold wind outside was at least over twenty degrees. Her constitution was naturally cold; walking on an open road near freezing, how could her hands not be cold?
Le Tong playfully teased Ji Rui with her words, but suddenly, her cold hands were wrapped up in Ji Rui’s large, warm hands. The moment their coldness met warmth, Le Tong’s hand felt as if struck by a bolt of electricity, numbing and sending tingles cascading through her body like wildfire.
Le Tong’s heart suddenly skipped a beat, flustered, she lowered her eyes and tried to withdraw her hands, but Ji Rui casually enveloped her hands with his larger ones, gently rubbing them back and forth.
Le Tong yelped, unable to pull her hands away, and shifted her body closer to the car window.
Ji Rui seemed oblivious to his bold behavior, merely tugging her hands and softly kneading them, "Get a hand warmer!"
Ji Rui kept his gaze down, his eyes fixated on her delicate, snow-white hands.
In a trance, these hands, once rested on his shoulders, his back, tightly hugging him, embracing him, the silky touch sliding down his neck to his back...
The memory of that night, the intoxicating sensation, came rushing back!
Ji Rui suddenly raised his head and locked eyes with Le Tong’s panic-stricken gaze.
"Are you scared?" Ji Rui propped himself up, slowly moving closer to her.
Ji Rui was very pleased, realizing that this woman was indeed afraid of him!
Compared to her indifference towards him, he would rather she be scared of him!
Why did he have such thoughts?
Perhaps every man has a tendency for dominance, some people just can’t resist bullying and teasing her!
Relentlessly wanting to unsettle her, to see her lose composure because of him, only then, could that demon-like heart find solace and redemption!
Le Tong’s panic rose, desperately pressing against the car window, but the limited space and Ji Rui’s towering figure moving towards her made her feel like she would soon be plastered against the glass like a lizard.
He was right, at this moment, she was truly scared!