Chapter 99: The Only Man You've Ever Kissed
Gu Hanling smiled faintly and gently moved the woman’s hand away.
"Where did you get this confidence, dear wife?"
Hearing that, Shen Xi immediately felt annoyed.
"Big brother, weren’t you just complimenting me on how pretty I looked? Fine, I admit it now. I am pretty."
Hmph, so what if she was a little full of herself?
"Let’s get one thing straight, every single time, it’s always you who makes the first move, Mr. Gu. I’ve never had any improper thoughts about you."
Gu Hanling let out a cold laugh, then reached out and pinched her chin, a bit forcefully.
"Oh? So that means you only have improper thoughts about Shi Jingyan?"
Shen Xi frowned slightly, feeling a sting from his grip. She averted her gaze and muttered—
"Big brother, don’t you think you’re being a little too—"
Gu Hanling’s eyes darkened. He already knew she was about to say something that would annoy him, so before she could finish. He tightened his grip slightly, forcing her to look directly at him. His tone was casual yet teasing.
"Weren’t you just enjoying it?"
"So tell me, who makes you feel better? Me or Shi Jingyan?"
What Shen Xi didn’t know was, this was actually the second time he had asked her this question.
With no way to break free, Shen Xi had no choice but to hold her ground and meet his deep, piercing gaze.
Clearing her throat, she forced a casual tone.
"Big brother, you’re just… okay, I guess."
Like hell she was going to admit that being kissed by him felt good. So what if her body reacts when being kissed? That was a normal reaction… right?
"Your kissing skills are so unpolished."
Gu Hanling’s ridiculously handsome face slowly leaned in closer. His warm breath brushed against her skin, sending a slight shiver down her spine.
Seeing how she was trying so hard to act indifferent, his smile deepened.
"I can tell, I'm the only man you've ever kissed, right?"
Shen Xi’s eyes widened slightly as she was caught off guard. A faint blush crept up her cheeks, and she felt a mix of embarrassment and frustration.
"Heh… s-so what? This drama has plenty of emotional scenes between me and the male lead. Who knows, the director might just add a kissing scene?"
"And in the future, I’ll have plenty of chances to practice anyway."
Of course, that was completely impossible. Even kissing Gu Hanling already felt barely tolerable. Just the thought of doing the same with some other guy made her nauseous.
But as the queen of talking big, she refused to back down!
Gu Hanling simply smiled and said nothing.
It didn’t matter if the other guy was a top tier celebrity, a big shot, or just some nobody. He would like to see who dared.
Meanwhile, in the hotel, Zhong Wei had just finished his shower when he suddenly felt a chill run down his spine. Cold sweat formed on his back.
"Huh? Am I overworked from filming? Kidney deficiency?"
By the time Shen Xi and Gu Hanling returned to the private room, barely ten minutes had passed.
The time was too short.
No one in the crew even considered the possibility that they had done anything inappropriate in such a short span.
But as a fellow woman, Xiaoxiao was more observant. She noticed that Shen Xi’s lipstick was gone, leaving only faint traces that had been wiped clean with water.
Realizing the truth, Xiaoxiao held back a smile and threw Shen Xi a knowing look.
When Shen Xi met her gaze, Xiaoxiao raised an eyebrow and secretly gave her a thumbs-up, as if to say, “Damn, sister! You landed yourself a kiss with such a powerful, handsome CEO that fast?”
Shen Xi immediately knew what Xiaoxiao was thinking. She pursed her lips, rolled her eyes in frustration, and even shot Gu Hanling a resentful glare.
‘This is all your fault, you jerk! So embarrassing!’
But the man acted as if he didn’t notice a thing. Calmly, he even picked up a shrimp with the chopsticks and placed it in her bowl.
To everyone else, it looked like Gu Hanling was just being considerate and taking care of the beauty.
But Shen Xi knew better.
She could clearly understand what he was implying. He wanted her to peel the shrimp for him. And in front of so many people!
Her mind went blank for a second, then frustration surged through her. She picked up the shrimp and, without even peeling it, stuffed the whole thing into her mouth, spitting out the head.
“Hah. Thanks.”
As the banquet was coming to an end, Mr. Chen suddenly realized that someone was missing.
"Huh? Where’s Wu Liang?"
It wasn’t until Shen Xi returned to her hotel room that she saw the notification in the production group chat.
Producer Wu had been injured, fractured his right hand, lost two front teeth, and was already hospitalized.
According to Wu Liang, he claimed that he "accidentally fell down the stairs."
As for his position, the production company replaced him with a female producer to take over for now.
Hearing this wonderful news, Shen Xi instantly felt refreshed and at peace.
Hmph! See that? This is what happens to creeps who try to take advantage of women! Even walking down the stairs, he managed to break himself, hahaha! (≧▽≦)/
"Take it off, take it off, take off your shirt, take it all off…"
Feeling great, Shen Xi hummed a tune while unfastening her bra before heading to the bathroom for a shower.
Wrapped in a bath towel, her hair still damp, she stepped out of the bathroom and changed into a comfortable black spaghetti-strap nightdress.
The fabric was thin, and the front slightly revealed two noticeable points, making it quite... tempting.
Knock, knock.
Hearing the knock on the door, Shen Xi assumed it was Xiaoxiao—she would occasionally drop by to chat.
"Who is it?"
She walked to the door, but no one responded. Suspicious, she only cracked the door open slightly, just enough to peek outside.
The person outside was tall, so she had to tilt her head up. Only then did she see clearly.
Gu Hanling.
He actually hadn’t gone back yet!
BAM!
Shen Xi instinctively slammed the door shut, pressing her back against it, breathing heavily.
“Huh? What am I afraid of?”
But then, she realized, Gu Hanling standing outside her hotel room in the middle of the night? If someone saw this, who knows what kind of rumors would spread!
Without thinking further, she quickly reopened the door, grabbed the man's wrist, whose face had darkened a little, and pulled him inside before shutting the door again.
"Big brother, what are you doing here?"
Gu Hanling looked completely calm and natural, as if it was the most reasonable thing in the world.
"Sleeping."
"Uh…"
Shen Xi was speechless.
But at the same time, she couldn't help feeling a little nervous, memories of that ‘energetic’ morning resurfacing in her mind.
"But if the crew finds out, won’t they misunderstand?"
"Misunderstand what?"
The man’s voice remained as calm and cold as usual, but his gaze unintentionally lingered on the small, noticeable points beneath her nightdress before quickly looking away.
"Misunderstand that we are..."
Shen Xi’s sixth sense suddenly kicked in. There was something off about the way the man was looking at her.
Suddenly realizing something, she didn't finish her sentence, hurriedly grabbed the bath towel from her head, and covered her chest.
Seeing her flustered yet adorable reaction, the corners of Gu Hanling’s lips curved slightly with amusement.
"When were we ever not?"
Uh…
Hearing this, Shen Xi froze for a second, feeling like she had heard those words before somewhere…
"But you don’t have any sleepwear here. Maybe you should just go back to your room?"
"My assistant will bring it over later."
"......"
Seeing how stubborn the man was, Shen Xi gave up resisting and sighed.
"Fine, then sit here for a while. I’m going to dry my hair."
With that, she walked to the bathroom sink, picked up the hotel’s old and heavy hairdryer, and began drying her long hair, which always took forever to dry.
But with her slim arms, she only lasted a few minutes before they started to ache.
Suddenly, she felt the weight lighten, the hairdryer had been taken from her hands by a large, steady grip.
Shen Xi blinked in surprise and instinctively looked up, her loose strands of hair brushing against her eyelashes, while the familiar scent of wood filled her nose.
Her eyes could only reach the sharp outline of his jawline and his slightly protruding Adam’s apple.
"This way, it'll be faster. I'm sleepy."
Gu Hanling lowered his gaze, and their eyes met in the mirror.
Before Shen Xi could respond, the warm airflow from the hairdryer swept through her damp hair, while his long fingers gently combed through the strands. His movements slightly awkward, but incredibly gentle.
Just then—
"Knock, knock, knock—"
A series of rapid knocks shattered the delicate atmosphere between them.