Fortunately, I Met You

Regardless of how long Lu Chenzhou had been there, he must have heard Lin Fan's question because he directly asked, "What shield? And who's 'he?'"

When Lin Fan heard these questions, he turned around, a little shocked.

Cheng Xi was now standing between the two men, trying hard to balance her emotions. She opened her mouth.

"……"

She didn't even have time to utter a single word before Lin Fan interrupted her. "The 'he' we're talking about is you. Cheng Xi once told me that the two of you weren't romantically involved, and that you were only using her as a shield."

"……"

Lu Chenzhou seemed very perplexed by Lin Fan's answer, but his eyes remained fixed on Cheng Xi. "Why would I have to use you as a shield?" His tone was calm, and he spoke with a slow and methodical cadence that he normally only reserved for when he was being accommodating. He asked one question after another. "Haven't we slept together? Haven't I kissed you? Isn't our relationship intimate enough?"

Cheng Xi couldn't even think of a response.

All she could do was try her hardest to act dull and lifeless.

But Lin Fan was shocked, and his face turned red. After a few moments of silence, he left without another word.

Only Cheng Xi was left to face Lu Chenzhou. She didn't know what to say. Lu Chenzhou's face was still wearing that ever present cool expression of his. He didn't even glance back when Lin Fan departed; he had only ever looked at Cheng Xi from start to finish, even as he slowly said, "Your idol's gone."

That unhurried tone, without any hint of mockery, made Cheng Xi subconsciously blush.

She stiffly responded with an "Oh" as she tightly clutched the cup in her hand. The night's wind blew at her until she started to feel dizzy, which made her so uncomfortable that she almost wanted to vomit.

Lu Chenzhou didn't forget to remark, "He ran away too easily. He really has no combat strength!"

"……"

Cheng Xi rubbed her temples, as she even felt more drunk after the nausea caused by the blowing wind. Her brain was still wooden, but a fire and anger had been lit in her heart by his mocks and taunts. Without thinking, she stretched out her hand, pinched his forehead, and maliciously said, "And what about you? Getting a cold and a severe allergic reaction… Ah!"

Cheng Xi tripped. Though she flung her hand out quite quickly, Lu Chenzhou's body responded even quicker. She barely touched a clump of his hair, but for some reason, maybe she had used too much strength or something, it had made her fall forward and almost hit the ground head-first.

The reason it was only "almost" was because Lu Chenzhou had caught her in time.

He had grabbed her from the back, one hand snaking underneath her armpit and clutching her chest, and the other firmly grasping one of her… breasts.

The chest of a young woman was plump and luxurious, with a wonderful elastic feel to the touch. Lu Chenzhou found it quite nice, and didn't let go even after he pulled her up. Instead, he actually began squeezing it harder and harder.

Cheng Xi looked at his hand in a somewhat delayed fashion. "You….."

She only had enough time to say one word before he grabbed one side of her face, forcibly tilted it to the side, and then kissed her.

Cheng Xi didn't know how she was supposed to react after this plot twist—had they discussed anything ever like this before?

And even at this time, she was still pondering if she was even fluent enough to speak. After all, she still hadn't spoken a full sentence tonight without being interrupted.

Lu Chenzhou's kiss was somewhat rough because of his inexperience. At first, Cheng Xi didn't feel good at all, but she wasn't able to break free this time. The alcohol had left her whole body feeling woozy, weak, and lazy.

As her struggles weakened, Lu Chenzhou relaxed his grip, and the hand pulling on her face became much gentler as it stroked her long and thin neck. This part of her body was beautifully sculpted, the curve reminiscent of a swan's: pretty and long, and white as jade. Lu Chenzhou had wanted to touch it the first time he laid eyes on it, and he could finally fulfill that desire tonight. He felt a warm and satiny response from his fingertips, and continued to fondle it admiringly.

Cheng Xi didn't feel anything in particular from his kiss, but his touches made her scalp tingle. His palm was quite large, his fingers cold. As his cold fingertips slowly and lazily drifted across that little area of skin, electric shocks coursed through her whole body, from the tip of her head, through her heart, and then to her toes.

She slumped into his embrace as she moaned out, "Lu Chenzhou……"

Even she couldn't even tell if she was trying to stop him or entice him further.

The surge of both emotional and physical numbness gave her a few moments to reflect on her actions, but that quickly all turned to shame—goodness, who would have known that her neck was her sensitive spot!

All this time, Cheng Xi had devoted herself to reading and working, to liking and waiting for Lin Fan. She had excelled at the theoretical aspects of relationships, but in practice, she had never entered into a real relationship before, and especially not one with such intimacy. She was getting quite nervous, but she was unable to break free. So what could she do? Only close her eyes, accept it, relax her body, and slide down with gravity.

Unable to prevent it herself, she could only pretend to be drunk.

Lu Chenzhou had originally been hugging her, and when he felt her body sag down, he conveniently lifted her up—it wasn't easy to pretend to be drunk, especially with someone like Lu Chenzhou who always acted unusually.

He picked her up and then sat down where she had originally been sitting. Now, his two legs were clamped against hers, one hand pulling her waist in, and the other very impolitely slipping into her clothes though the space between her breasts.

"……"

Cheng Xi immediately sat up and stretched out her hand to clutch that hand of his.

Lu Chenzhou lowered his head and lightly nuzzled her face with his as she smiled and asked, "You've woken up from your stupor?" Then he even breathed lightly into her ear and, with an unusually happy tone, said, "You were as nice to touch as I expected."

"……"

If not for him trapping her legs with his on and him also clutching her hands, she really would have wanted to knee his groin and then punch his face.

But it was just a thought. Since she was unable to actually do it, she could only concede. "Stop messing around," she said with a sigh. "We're at someone else's house."

Lu Chenzhou didn't listen to her; his entire being was too stimulated, his breathing heavy, his eyes slightly reddened. Cheng Xi turned her face, ready to persuade him again, but all she saw were his scarlet lips, swollen from their kiss, and his deep brows and distinct features. His eyes were shining with delight, just like a rippling pool of water. The wind had blown his usual coldness away, and his whole body radiated a bottomless adulation.

"I want to woo you." He lightly pecked her lips, pressed his forehead against hers, and then softly said, "Without a contract, and without you feeling any obligation towards me. Just me and you, a man and a woman."

Lu Chenzhou's words made Cheng Xi's heart skip a beat. Only after a while did she finally ask, "Why?"

He pulled her hand into his chest and asked, "Can you feel it?" His burning gaze was focused solely on her, and she could clearly see his slightly inclined face under the contrasting illumination of the lambent lamplight in the garden. His lips curved slightly up, his smile for once somewhat warm and refined with a few glints of gentleness that made it hard to resist. "It's beating very quickly, isn't it?"