They left the company before the evening rush hour, so the road was not too congested.
Song Chan sat in the back seat with Su Yicen. She glanced at the person next to her out of the corner of her eye. He frowned, his fingertip lightly tapping the phone screen, as if handling something urgent.
The long silence unexpectedly created a low-pressure atmosphere inside the car.
No matter what, Su Yicen coming to save the day today had been a huge help to her.
Song Chan broke the silence. She cleared her throat, her soft voice drawing his gaze.
Su Yicen set down his phone and pushed up the gold-rimmed glasses that had slipped down. He turned to look at her, the weariness hidden in his eyes softening into gentleness just for her.
The corner of her lips curved into a smile, her charming eyes bending slightly. “Thank you for your help today, Mr. Su.”
The polite form of address suited their private interactions.
Hearing this, Su Yicen played along. “No need to thank me. I thought something had happened to Miss Song.”
“What I need has never been just a thank you from you.”
He looked at her with deep meaning, drawing out the end of his sentence.
“Miss Song, I’m very greedy.”
His words were like seductive worms crawling on the tip of her heart, prickly and unbearably itchy.
Song Chan coughed lightly and turned her head away to dodge Su Yicen’s gaze.
But deep down, she was still puzzled. She hadn’t told him about being wronged at work today, yet he had still noticed her unhappiness.
Song Chan couldn’t help asking, “How did Mr. Su know I was in a bad mood today?”
Su Yicen tilted his head toward her, his expression inscrutable. He said in a deep voice,
“A reasonable guess.”
“Your eyes don’t lie.”
Hearing this, Song Chan was momentarily stunned. She didn’t know when Su Yicen had come to understand her so well. Even as she carefully hid her emotions, he saw right through her at a glance.
Seeing her bring it up, his brows furrowed tighter, and he pressed, “So, what was it?”
The more seriously he asked, the less she dared to answer.
She simply replied, “Nothing.”
The more she hid it, the more Su Yicen suspected something was up. But since Song Chan didn’t want to say, he didn’t press further.
It wasn’t until the car pulled into the underground parking lot of the movie city hosting the roadshow that Song Chan realized this wasn’t the way back to Hermitage Splendor Residence.
She looked out the car window in a panic, hearing only the noisy clamor outside and seeing the neatly parked cars in the lot—nothing else.
Seeing her worried expression, as if she’d fallen into a den of thieves and been abducted, a faint smile tugged at the corners of Su Yicen’s cool face. He told her,
“Don’t worry, I have work here.”
The tension in her heart eased at his steady tone.
“Miss Song doesn’t need to be scared. Wait for me here.” He spoke word by word, utterly serious. “Later, we’ll go home together.”
With that, without giving Song Chan any chance to object, Su Yicen opened the door beside him. He and Feng Zheng got out.
A cool breeze carrying the parking lot’s scent swept into the car. The sliding door closed slowly, leaving her with his upright, steady back.
In the car, Song Chan’s heartbeat fell into chaos once more. Su Yicen’s parting words felt just like a husband heading to work, telling his wife to wait for him to come home.
For an instant, she even uncontrollably slipped into the role.
But she had to remind herself to stay clear-headed. Legally, they were in that relationship, but in reality, they were merely partners bound by a secret marriage agreement.
Su Yicen hadn’t gone far before he instructed Feng Zheng in a deep voice.
“Help me look into what happened at ZE Fashion today and why they suddenly changed the cover model.”
He knew Feng Zheng had wide connections; digging into this would be no trouble at all.
“Because of Teacher Song?” Feng Zheng asked subconsciously. “If she doesn’t want to say, it’s probably not a big deal…”
No sooner had he spoken than Feng Zheng felt an icy gaze sweep over him. He immediately swallowed the rest of his words.
Feng Zheng hurriedly agreed. “Don’t worry. After the roadshow ends, I’ll go poke around.”
It wasn’t until the fans’ cheers, filtering through the thick walls into the car, that Song Chan felt Su Yicen’s popularity so viscerally up close for the first time.
The cheers and screams lasted more than half an hour. Even after Song Chan’s phone died, the fans’ overwhelming enthusiasm at the roadshow site showed no signs of dying down.
Bored in the car with her phone dead, after chatting idly with driver Old Wang for a bit, he got a call from home and busied himself.
After telling Old Wang, Song Chan opened the car door and stepped out, planning to stroll nearby for some fresh air.
This was the largest movie city in Hangbei Business District. Virtually all roadshows in Hangbei were held here.
The movie city had ties with ZE Fashion too. Song Chan had attended several fashion exhibitions here as a company rep, so she was somewhat familiar with the area.
The sky had mostly darkened, streetlights flickering on one by one.
Song Chan wandered idly along the street. For a long time now, under the crushing pressure of high-intensity workdays, her most effective decompression method had been post-dinner roadside strolls.
She loved walking aimlessly, watching the bustle around her—busy, idle, leisurely, exhausted—none of it touching her.
And she, in turn, was just such a part of everyone else’s world.
Suddenly, a massive poster lit up before her, drawing the eyes of passersby, Song Chan included.
The poster beamed onto the film city’s enormous screen: that clear, handsome man’s face, so familiar to her.
A passerby let out an exclamation of genuine admiration and whipped out their phone to snap photos of the poster.
She was used to seeing Su Yicen by her side every day, but now, blown up to giant size on the big screen, an indescribable feeling welled up in Song Chan’s heart.
A touch of unfamiliar distance, but far more shock and pride. This unreachable top idol star for the fans lived under the same roof as her—their names side by side on a marriage certificate.
She lost track of time staring blankly at the poster on the big screen. Her neck grew sore; she twisted it side to side to loosen the stiffness.
The tips of her hair clearly brushed a person’s face. Someone had appeared beside her at some point.
A cool male voice asked her softly,
“Watching me?”
The voice in her ear sent Song Chan’s heart pounding. She didn’t need to look to know who it was.
Her face flushed red-hot. Song Chan tried to step back but backed straight into his arms.
Her waist was slim enough for Su Yicen to encircle with one arm.
His windbreaker flared as he pulled her into his embrace, emphasizing with deep intent.
“Am I that good-looking?”
“That you, Miss Song, couldn’t tear your eyes away for so long?”
As he spoke, Su Yicen bent down, hands braced on his knees to match her height, peering up along her line of sight.
Song Chan snapped back to herself and turned to deny it, only for her gaze to crash into Su Yicen’s eyes. His pupils gleamed black and bright, vast and deep, reflecting only her image.
Even with preparation, facing Song Chan’s crystalline, charming eyes shattered Su Yicen’s defenses. He froze for a moment, his gaze turning palpably affectionate.
The nearby neon lights shifted red, the ambiguous glow heating the air.
Su Yicen’s lips parted with a faint tremble, his eyes fusing with hers.
He leaned in, pressing a light kiss to her lips.
That kiss jolted Song Chan awake.
This was a public street!
He was Su Yicen!
What if someone saw!
Her eyes darted past him, scanning the surroundings. Luckily, rush-hour pedestrians were all hurrying along; no one noticed. The occasional glance just pegged them as a normal couple.
Her panic settled, but Song Chan was still so embarrassed she fled.
Even after getting home, she kept dodging Su Yicen.
She stared at her reflection in the mirror, fingers pressed to the lips he’d just kissed.
Though it was only a fleeting brush, the scorching heat it ignited lingered on her lips even now.
Song Chan knew full well she didn’t dislike his kiss—she was just too shy to know how to respond.
Strange sensations rippled through her heart, stirring endless waves, an itchy, indefinable feeling.
Suddenly, a knock sounded at the bedroom door. Song Chan’s heart jolted.
Only two people were home; she knew exactly who was outside.
She opened the bedroom door. Su Yicen leaned against the frame in his pajamas, looking weary. After knocking, he neither moved nor spoke.
Song Chan had to ask, “What is it, so late at night?”
“Yes.” He nodded faintly, pausing before saying, “Come to collect a debt.”
“Col…lect what debt?”
Song Chan’s voice quivered; she seemed to guess his intent. Her hand gripped the doorknob tighter, but the door wouldn’t budge an inch. Looking down, she saw Su Yicen’s foot wedged against the bottom.
He pressed on, his intentions clear.
“Miss Song, when asking for a favor, you need the right attitude.”
Song Chan played dumb, trying to brush it off with a laugh. “Ah! Mr. Su means the save-the-day thing!”
“I’ll treat you to dinner another day.” She stressed, “A big meal.”
But Su Yicen wasn’t having it. He grabbed her wrist as she tried to shut the door.
“No need to stand on ceremony.”
His voice was unhurried, perfectly paced.
“I’ve washed up clean and delivered myself right to your door. Teacher Song wouldn’t refuse, would she…”
He no longer hid the desire in his dark eyes. His arm snaked around Song Chan’s waist, hauling her into his embrace. With his foot, he kicked the door shut.
Meeting her panicked gaze, Su Yicen reined in his aggressive edge. He waited for her to catch her breath before slowly nearing her lips. His tongue tip parted her teeth; too greedy for her taste, the kiss turned uncontrollably dominant.
Song Chan’s lips swelled painfully. She still hadn’t mastered breathing through it. In revenge, she bit his lip, the salty tang of blood flooding her mouth.
Su Yicen grunted in pain but didn’t pull away. His tongue delved deeper, as if he wanted to devour her whole. The sting tensed Song Chan’s nerves; despite her efforts to hold back, soft moans escaped.
Her heartbeat raced wildly, breaths turning ragged. Su Yicen’s uncontrolled grip left marks on her wrist.
Su Yicen called her name over and over.
“Chanchan…”
“Wife…”
“Wife… call me…”
The dim bedside lamp cast swaying shadows. Late-night wind slipped through the window cracks, fluttering the curtains in time with their silhouettes.
Kissed into a daze, Song Chan gazed at him through hazy, charming eyes, her voice gone soft and coquettish.
“Su…”
The moment the syllable escaped, a sharp smack landed on her.
It didn’t hurt, but it rang out loud—his punishment.
He’d actually spanked her!
Fuming, Song Chan bit down hard on his arm.
Su Yicen hissed, eyeing the two thin tooth marks. She’d really sunk her teeth in.
“Like a dog.”
Song Chan jabbed a finger at her slightly swollen lips. “Pot calling the kettle black.”
Su Yicen leaned in again, passion flickering in his dark eyes. He exhaled warmly against her ear, teeth grazing her lobe, his breath fanning her cheek. Her resistance melted fast.
Su Yicen taught her patiently, word by word.
“Chanchan, be good…”
“Call—hus—band——”
Her body had gone soft, but her mouth stayed stubborn. Song Chan clamped her lips shut, refusing those two words.
Su Yicen didn’t rush. He simply repeated his earlier moves, and she soon gave in.
Her soft, coquettish voice set hearts racing.
Her sealed lips finally parted in surrender.
Calling him.
“Hus…band…”