Chapter 8: Dare Not

"Third Miss, your phone."

Shen Zhi held out the phone, but Guan Yueyue was too afraid to take it.

Shen Zhi shook the device in his hand. "If you won't take it, I'll answer it myself."

"Don't," Guan Yueyue said, reaching out to grab the phone.

Just as her fingers touched the device, Shen Zhi suddenly seized her wrist, pulling her into his arms and pinning her restless body against him. "Stay still. Answer it."

Held captive in his embrace, surrounded by his masculine scent, Guan Yueyue felt her face flush and her body heat up. Yet, she dared not move, focusing her gaze on the screen.

Xu Ziyu?

It was actually Xu Ziyu calling.

She pressed answer and held it to her ear. "Hello."

Guan Yueyue’s voice was naturally delicate and soft. That single word was enough to make Shen Zhi lose his composure; he couldn't help but press kisses to the corner of her lips.

Guan Yueyue immediately felt a tremor run through her entire body.

"Yueyue, it’s Ziyu," the voice on the other end said.

Shen Zhi kissed her with a bit more force, and Guan Yueyue couldn't help but let out a soft moan. The person on the other end of the line immediately sensed something was wrong. "Yueyue, what are you doing?"

Guan Yueyue turned her face away to stop Shen Zhi from kissing her. "I just bumped into something by accident. Xu Ziyu, if there’s nothing else, I’m hanging up."

"Wait, Yueyue," Xu Ziyu said hurriedly. "I’ve thought it over. I want to date you officially, with the intention of marriage. Would you like that?"

Xu Ziyu assumed that with such a proposal, Guan Yueyue would agree without hesitation. To his surprise, she refused. "I don’t want to date right now. Let’s just leave it at that."

She hung up the phone.

***

Shen Zhi finally let her go. "So, the Third Miss doesn't want to date. She only wants to do it."

Guan Yueyue said nothing.

"Can we do it tonight?" Shen Zhi asked, testing the waters.

Guan Yueyue wanted to sleep with him, but she didn't dare. Perhaps she was the only person in the world who truly knew how terrifying Shen Zhi could be. "No. I'm not interested."

"Not interested in me?" Shen Zhi asked, unwilling to give up.

Guan Yueyue retreated into the corner. "Just go. Don't come looking for me again. You were right—I’ve grown tired of playing."

Though Shen Zhi was furious, he didn't lash out, as he did not want to hurt her. "You say when it starts, and you say when it stops. You’re truly something, Third Miss."

With a cold face, Shen Zhi turned and left without looking back.

After he left, Guan Yueyue closed her eyes. To say she wasn't sad would be a lie.

***

In the dead of night.

Shen Zhi sat slumped on the sofa, exhaling rings of smoke.

Once the cigarette was finished, he stood up, extinguished the butt, and walked out the door. He headed for the Never-Sleeping Bar in Sea City.

The Never-Sleeping Bar was where he and Guan Yueyue had first met. At the time, the woman had been drunk, specifically demanding him.

She had completely mistaken him for a male model.

"A-Zhi," Li Wei called out to him.

Li Wei was the owner of the bar.

Shen Zhi looked at him. "Business is good, I see."

"It’s alright." Li Wei brought over a bottle of liquor. "You look miserable. Let me drink with you."

Shen Zhi had a terrifying tolerance for alcohol; no matter how much he drank, his expression never changed. Li Wei, by contrast, was soon drunk beyond recognition.

Li Wei forced his eyes open. "A-Zhi... she’s coming back soon."

Shen Zhi poured himself another glass. "That has nothing to do with me."

Li Wei waved a finger. "How can you say that? Back then, you two..."

Shen Zhi’s hand paused. "That’s in the past."

"Neither of you is married," Li Wei muttered. "You still have a chance."

With that, he passed out completely.

Shen Zhi drank the liquor in his glass, sip by sip, but it tasted like nothing at all.