Falling into the Capital's Radiance - Chapter 36

Chapter 36

She initiated the kiss, and the moment her softness pressed against him, the irritable anger in Zhao Zonglan’s heart gradually faded away.

But she was still too green, showing little improvement.

The most she could do was press against him, rubbing slightly before she ran out of ideas.

Zhao Zonglan cupped the back of her neck, turning her passive attempt into his own active pursuit as he reclaimed control.

His aggressive tongue tangled with hers wantonly. His calloused fingers grazed her swan-like neck before moving behind her ear…

Their hot breaths intertwined as his kiss grew increasingly fierce.

Shen Jingni could barely keep her footing.

Zhao Zonglan lifted her slender body and placed her onto the solemn mahogany desk.

He leaned in, capturing her slightly parted red lips.

The man’s sexy, thin lips curved into a seductive arc, and a low chuckle vibrated in his throat. “You’re so clumsy, Shen Jingni.”

“Don’t you dare laugh at me.”

Overcome with bashfulness, she balled her hands into weak fists and thudded them against his chest.

“Mhm, I won’t.”

Zhao Zonglan caught her wrists. He seemed exceptionally easy to talk to at this moment, coaxing her to take the lead and kiss him again.

The fires of desire were stoked, scorching their reason. Within the confines of the serious office, the two of them kissed deeply, their bodies entwined.

Suddenly, the office door was pushed open from the outside.

A bright, familiar voice rang out: “Fifth Brother, about the meeting later-”

Before Rong Heng could finish his sentence, an ashtray came flying toward him.

He froze in his tracks.

Fortunately, Ming Zhao was quick-witted and shielded his master.

The ashtray slammed hard into his shoulder with a dull thud, accompanied by Zhao Zonglan’s dark, icy voice: “Get out.”

Chang An hurried over to pull the door shut.

Wiping away a cold sweat, he said awkwardly, “Young Master Rong, please move to the reception room. As you can see, the Master is busy.”

He had tried to tell him, but this Crown Prince hadn’t believed him and insisted on coming to take a look.

Rong Heng was born with a silver spoon in his mouth and had been pampered by his family since childhood; he had never seen such a scene before.

However, he knew that Fifth Brother was truly angry just now.

He glanced at Ming Zhao beside him. “Are you alright?”

“I’m fine.”

Ming Zhao brushed the ash off his clothes. His suit was stained, and his right shoulder throbbed with pain, but since he was wearing a thick coat, the injury likely wasn’t serious.

Rong Heng’s heart was still racing, but he couldn’t resist gossiping.

He asked Chang An, “The one inside… is that the little sister-in-law Third Brother Xie and the others were talking about?”

Fifth Brother had shielded her so thoroughly that he hadn’t caught a glimpse of her face.

Chang An nodded.

The Crown Prince was never one to watch his tongue, and he chuckled teasingly. “No wonder he’s so angry. Turns out he was interrupted at the worst possible moment.”

Chang An and Ming Zhao both lowered their heads, neither daring to utter a word.

Inside, Shen Jingni had been startled by the intrusion.

Her face was flushed crimson as she shrank into Zhao Zonglan’s embrace, the traces of passion still lingering in her eyes. She turned her head to avoid his kiss.

“You were so mean just now.”

Zhao Zonglan wouldn’t let her hide. He pinched her small chin, his thumb grazing the skin of her cheek, his eyes dark and deep. “Scared?”

To this little pampered thing, that level of temper was nothing.

Shen Jingni shook her head.

She wasn’t that timid.

“Since you’re not scared, let’s continue.”

“Mm… don’t you have a meeting?”

Shen Jingni pressed her hands against the man’s chest, her voice soft and weak from his kisses.

“They can wait.”

Zhao Zonglan didn’t care. His burning kisses fell upon her cheek and the side of her neck. The air was thick with the pleasant scent of sandalwood, mingling with her fresh fragrance in a silent, lingering embrace.

He was addicted to her.
Once you’ve had a taste, it’s easy to lose control at the slightest touch.

Shen Jingni’s breathing grew erratic as well.

In the next instant, her beautiful, jade-like hands were seized by him and guided toward the cold metal of his belt buckle.

Zhao Zonglan’s breath was shallow, his eyes swirling with dark desire. His voice was low and magnetic, laced with a seductive pull. “Be good. Help me undo it.”

Her fingertips trembled violently, and her voice carried a hint of a sob. “I don’t want to do it here.”

They were at his company; it was too embarrassing.

Besides, he was being too aggressive. She couldn’t handle it and feared she wouldn’t be able to walk out of the doors of Jingyao Capital today.

Seeing that Zhao Zonglan still hadn’t let go, Shen Jingni called out again in a pleading tone, “Brother.”

Her peach-blossom eyes were misty and filled with trepidation.

Zhao Zonglan was completely defeated by her then.

He suppressed the agonizing restlessness within him and held her, kissing her for a while longer before finally letting her go.

“I’ll have Chang An take you back.”

He leisurely smoothed out his slightly wrinkled shirt. In the blink of an eye, he was once again the cold, aloof, and abstinent Mr. Zhao the public knew.

Shen Jingni nodded hurriedly, a wave of relief washing over her.

She was still sitting on the desk, her calves dangling off the edge as she gave them a light swing. She reminded him, “Don’t forget about the title sponsorship.”

–

After Shen Jingni left, Zhao Zonglan lit another cigarette.

With one hand tucked into his trouser pocket, he stood before the vast floor-to-ceiling window, looking down with an indifferent gaze at the heavy traffic and the crowds of people passing by.

The scent of nicotine gradually masked the wild thoughts in his mind.

But it was only temporary.

Even Zhao Zonglan couldn’t understand why he was so addicted to her.

He was losing control more and more frequently when facing her, which was not a good sign.

A knock sounded at the office door.

Rong Heng had learned his lesson this time. He waited until he heard a “Come in” from the man inside before cautiously pushing the door open.

Zhao Zonglan shot him a cold glance, his voice icy. “This had better be important.”

“Sorry, Fifth Brother. I didn’t know you and Sister-in-law were in here. I was reckless.”

Rong Heng apologized earnestly, terrified of having an ashtray thrown at him again.

He nervously ruffled his hair before getting down to business.

“The proposal for our collaborative new energy integration project is out. However, domestic technology isn’t mature enough yet, so we still have to rely on international technical teams. Plus, government policies… have made the approval process very complicated.”

Zhao Zonglan sat in his leather chair, his long legs crossed. He flicked the ash from his cigarette. “Technology is the core issue. Don’t you have a backup plan?”

Jingyao Capital had invested a hundred billion in this project. Zhao Zonglan had seen the planning proposal, but he hadn’t dedicated much energy to following it.

However, Rong Heng was highly ambitious and had been moving a bit too fast.

Because of this technical issue, Rong Heng had been so busy lately that his head was spinning, leaving him no choice but to seek help from Zhao Zonglan.

“That’s why I brought two core technical teams over today. Fifth Brother, could you help vet them?”

“Mm.”

Zhao Zonglan gave a faint response and checked his watch.

By now, the little thing should have arrived home.

Just then, his private phone rang.

Shen Jingni had sent a message: [I’m home!]

Zhao Zonglan leaned back relaxedly against the chair, cigarette held between his fingers as he looked down to type: [Shall I take you to buy hairpins tomorrow?]

Shen Jingni’s refusal was decisive: [Not going. Tomorrow is Saturday; I have to go shopping with my mom.]

Zhao Zonglan didn’t reply for a long time after that message was sent.

Shen Jingni truly couldn’t fathom his thoughts.

He couldn’t be angry, could he?

But what did he have to be angry about?

By not going, she was indirectly helping him save money.

Older men were truly inexplicable.