Falling into the Capital's Radiance - Chapter 15

Obedient?

But the thing Shen Jingni was least skilled at was being obedient.

However, if the benefits were good enough, she could be persuaded.

“Then what would happen if I accidentally wasn’t obedient?”

Shen Jingni was still rather cautious. Even if she was negotiating with a tiger, she had to first test the tiger’s temperament and probe his attitude.

Meeting Zhao Zonglan’s cool gaze, she sheepishly added, “I mean, by accident, not on purpose.”

He stared at her fresh, harmless face, and when he smiled, his eyes curved slightly, captivating and seductive.

Zhao Zonglan’s Adam’s apple bobbed as he irritably took another drag of his cigarette, his arm around her slender waist, his crimson lips nearly brushing her earlobe.

His voice was husky and dangerous: “Then you’ll be locked up.”

Lazy in tone, just a few simple words, yet they sent a chill down her spine.

Shen Jingni shivered.

She cursed him as a lunatic several times in her heart.

But her good upbringing wouldn’t allow her to curse Zhao Zonglan out loud, so she could only express her discontent in other ways.

“Cough, cough… your smoke is getting to me.”

She faked a cough, turned her head, and shifted her body away, acting a bit disgusted.

In truth, Zhao Zonglan’s cigarettes weren’t particularly pungent or overpowering.

People like them, from prestigious families, only smoked the finest brands that ordinary folks had never even heard of-every origin and brand carefully chosen, some even custom-made.

Shen Jingni knew nothing about cigarettes, but she felt that Zhao Zonglan’s brand carried a subtle blend of tobacco and a unique woody fragrance-barely noticeable and not at all unpleasant.

In fact, it was somewhat similar to the cologne he wore.

Zhao Zonglan narrowed his eyes, a hint of displeasure glinting in his dark pupils.

So delicate.

He took another leisurely drag but didn’t exhale. Instead, his defined fingers pinched her chin, suddenly sealing her lips with his.

Smoke flowed from his kiss into Shen Jingni’s mouth.

She frowned in discomfort, her porcelain skin flushing red, her fingers unconsciously gripping his shirt.

But Zhao Zonglan didn’t let go-instead, he pressed her deeper against himself.

He pried her teeth open, his tongue tasting of heated tobacco as it confidently and thoroughly claimed his prey.

Then he tossed the cigarette into the ashtray, his lips barely leaving hers before he dipped down to kiss the fair nape of her neck.

The marks he’d left days before had faded away.

His warm breath caressed her skin, making Shen Jingni tremble.

When she entered earlier, she’d already removed her jacket, wearing only a thin, form-fitting dress with a small V-neck.

After their tussle, the dress was already wrinkled and loose, the faint curve of her chest peeking through.

“My clothes,” Shen Jingni whispered.

But Zhao Zonglan ignored her.

His eyes were heavy with desire, a wild restlessness inside.

He seemed determined to mark her there once again before he’d be satisfied.

After a tingling jolt of pain, Shen Jingni finally broke free from his embrace.

She gasped for breath, her delicate collarbones rising and falling, her gaze shimmering like water as she glared at him in complaint: “You’ve messed up my clothes.”

At the mention of clothes, Zhao Zonglan thought of what he’d seen a few days ago.

She had worn another man’s jacket.

His eyes darkened and his lips pressed into a thin line as he suddenly picked her up and walked out.

Startled, Shen Jingni quickly clung to his neck, her lashes trembling. “Where are we going?”

“To bathe.”

His tone was cool, yet commanding.

Bathe? After bathing, would that mean they’d do that kind of thing?

“Zhao Zonglan, don’t be impulsive!”

Panic rose in Shen Jingni. She was in no mood for that sort of thing right now.

“Listen, intimacy between a man and a woman is best when it happens naturally.”

Zhao Zonglan, though he had entertained base thoughts, had no such intentions at the moment.

Since this little thing had been tainted by another man’s scent, she should be cleaned thoroughly by him.

He lowered his gaze, his eyes deep and unreadable as he stared at her.

Yet her anxious expression was genuinely amusing.

The girl was stiff all over, her cheeks tinged pink, her pearly teeth biting her lower lip, her clear eyes glistening like a startled fawn.

No, she was his little kitten.

A faint smile flashed in Zhao Zonglan’s eyes. He didn’t bother explaining.

Shen Jingni knew he was forceful and overbearing, never one to change his mind, so she resigned herself and mentally prepared.

Intimacy between boyfriend and girlfriend is perfectly normal.

She wanted him too, didn’t she?

Small matter.

Don’t chicken out.

But after all her mental preparation, almost talking herself into submission, Zhao Zonglan actually brought her to a bathing room.

The bath was set in its own room, large enough to fit several people. The marble floor gleamed, the water kept at a comfortable temperature by a smart thermostat, and fresh rose petals floated on the surface.

He set her down at the door and asked calmly, “Want my help, or will you bathe yourself?”

Abstinent, yet gentlemanly.

No trace of desire at all.

“Just a bath?” Shen Jingni nearly ground her teeth to dust.

He was clearly doing this on purpose.

Having her bathe for no reason, making her nervous for so long.

Zhao Zonglan enjoyed seeing her pout and sulk-it was a kind of youthful spirit unique to girls her age.

His gaze held a hint of amusement as he leaned in, “If you’d rather do something else, I’d be happy to join.”

???

Furious, Shen Jingni clenched her fists, refusing to acknowledge him, storming off inside.

But she was never one to swallow her grievances.

After just a few steps, she suddenly turned around, grabbed his shirt, stood on tiptoe, and kissed his neck.

Her lips closed over the soft flesh by his Adam’s apple.

This, Zhao Zonglan hadn’t expected.

The mixture of tingling and pain made him grunt, tilting his chin, his narrowed eyes turning slightly red.

It felt incredible.

His abdominal muscles tensed, veins bulging on his neck from self-restraint.

Just before reason snapped, she let go.

Shen Jingni grinned triumphantly: “A courtesy for a courtesy, Mr. Zhao.”

With that, she darted away.

Zhao Zonglan didn’t chase her.

He leaned against the doorframe, black shirt half open, looking lazy yet dignified, his deep eyes unreadable, the kiss mark on his neck bright and seductive.

Still just a mischievous little kitten.