Chapter 4

 It was the middle of summer, so both Zhou Si and I were dressed pretty lightly. I was wearing a knee-length dress today and it honestly looked like I was offering myself up on a silver platter, super convenient for... umm..certain things.

Then he pushed me down onto the sofa. That chubby orange tabby cat took the opportunity to hop off the couch, as if it was graciously giving up the spot for me.

I looked at the round little cat stretching lazily and couldn’t help but laugh.

Zhou Si asked me what I was laughing about.

I told him, “You’ve seriously overfed Zhi Zhi, haven’t you?”

Zhou Si said, “Chubby is cute. All that fluff makes her more huggable.”

He wasn’t wrong. With animals, the fluffier they are, the more adorable they look. But it’s different with people. In this country obsessed with pale, youthful, stick-thin beauty, a lot of girls are forced to diet like crazy to maintain that doll-like appearance.

The orange tabby ran over and rubbed against my legs again. I couldn’t resist reaching out to pet her.

Zhou Si must have read my mind because he suddenly grabbed my wrist. He stood towering over me, looking down with a smirk: “You think this is about petting cats?”

I grinned mischievously, “What else would it be?”

Zhou Si slowly leaned down, placing his palm firmly over my collarbone, the base of his thumb nearly pressing into my neck. I instinctively leaned back, grabbing hold of his wrist. His hands looked good—slim and strong—but that didn’t mean they were weak. Veins were visible along the backs of his hands, and on his wrist was a Patek Philippe watch.

There was no denying Zhou Si had a kind of steady, masculine aura. That kind of presence was something a green, just-graduated guy like Chen Zhicheng could never compare to.

All my attention was instantly locked on Zhou Si. His lips landed on the corner of mine, and even with just that light touch, my body shivered and was already soft. It was hard to describe the feeling—it was strange, every one of my senses awakened. His kiss felt like it carried an electric charge, something intoxicating, straight to the heart.

Yep. I was hooked, just like that.

Zhou Si’s kisses trailed lower, and I tilted my head back to meet him.

Truthfully, I wasn’t as bold as I might’ve seemed. I’d always been pretty passive in this area. When I was with Chen Zhicheng, things were always rushed—start to finish maybe five minutes total. I thought that was just how it was for everyone… until a coworker, five years older than me, casually mentioned her experiences. I was stunned to learn some people could go for an hour.

An hour? That sounded like a stretch. I wasn’t sure I believed her.

She even emphasized, “If including foreplay it’s not even five minutes, what’s the point of a man like that?”

I couldn’t argue. I had no counter-evidence.

Right now, I had no idea what Zhou Si was planning to do next. At some point, I found myself curled up in a corner of the sofa, almost like I was bullied.

And yeah, I was so overwhelmed. I was nearly in tears. This was a whole new experience, like I’d floated into some paradise shrouded in soft clouds… only to be yanked down and shattered into pieces.

Zhou Si had his hands braced on either side of me, and he deliberately drew circles on my collarbone with damp fingers, teasing: “Already tapped out?”

My cheeks were burning, but I forced myself to act tough. “Is that all you’ve got?”

Zhou Si raised an eyebrow, then suddenly scooped me up into his arms.

Totally caught off guard, I let out a yelp.

He gave me a playful smack on the buttocks and joked, “I didn’t even do anything to you. What are you screaming for?”

I asked, “Where are you taking me?”

He said, “The sofa’s all wet. We’re going to the bedroom.” He glanced down at me, paused, then asked, “Unless... you had another location in mind?”

He’d already said that much. Not giving him an answer felt weirdly awkward. So I pointed outside and said, “The pool.”

Zhou Si stopped in his tracks, clearly surprised. “You sure about that?”

As he turned to head outside, I immediately chickened out. “No no no—bedroom is fine!”

Zhou Si laughed, his chest rumbling with it. I was so embarrassed I just buried my face in his chest. He must’ve noticed how flustered I was, because he kissed my forehead and said softly, “Scaredy-cat.”

And after that, everything just… flowed naturally.

I was lying on Zhou Si’s bed, my long hair fanned out over the gray sheets, completely surrounded by his scent. I couldn’t deny I was nervous—but it was also insanely thrilling.

Zhou Si went to turn the lights on, but I wouldn’t let him.

He took my hand and pressed it against his chest, asking in that devilish voice, “Don’t you want to see how you’re devouring me?”

I acted like a brat. “Nope. Not at all.”

He stroked my cheek and called my name in a soft but serious tone, “Xie Li.”

It was like I was under a spell. In the dim lighting, I looked into his eyes. He was like a gentlemanly werewolf under the full moon—charming and dangerous all at once.

In that moment, I completely forgot Zhou Si was my best friend Zhou Wan’s older brother. In front of me, he was just a ridiculously attractive man.

The phone rang about an hour later.

We’d just finished, and I was still recovering, barely able to move. Meanwhile, Zhou Si, the energizer bunny, was totally fine. He picked up my phone and handed it to me. I glanced at the screen—it was Zhou Wan.

My expression shifted instantly. I answered the call right in front of Zhou Si. Of course, he had no idea about the nasty things his sister had done. And I didn’t plan on telling him either. What was the point? Was I hoping he’d swoop in and demand justice?

I answered with a cold, “Hello.”

Zhou Wan’s voice was overly chipper. “Xiao Lili, where are you?”

I looked at Zhou Si, then replied, “Take a guess.”

Zhou Wan said, “I bet you’re not at home.”

I laughed softly, “Wow, you really know me.”

There was a pause, then she stammered, “So… I ran into Chen Zhicheng today.”

I snorted. “Is that so?”

She caught on to my tone. “Lili, why are you still holding on to a guy like that?”

I was about to respond when Zhou Si suddenly bit the back of my neck. The man had seemingly endless energy.

I had no idea what was going through his head. He knew I was on the phone with his sister, yet he still went and did that.

And I was still too sensitive from earlier.

Meanwhile, Zhou Wan was still going on: “…Listen to me, you really should break up with Chen Zhicheng.”

If I hadn’t seen her earlier today holding hands with Chen Zhicheng, acting all lovey-dovey, I might’ve been touched by her “concern.” But right now, every word out of her mouth made me sick. So sick I didn’t even want to fake a polite response anymore. I just wanted to let something out.

I hung up the phone without another word, tossed it aside, grabbed Zhou Si’s hand—and bit his wrist, hard.

“Hiss…” Zhou Si sucked in a sharp breath, but didn’t push me away. He just let me bite him.

I loosened my grip and looked at the teeth marks I’d left on his wrist. “Why didn’t you dodge?”

Zhou Si chuckled, “Why would I? I bit you pretty hard just now too.”

He leaned in close, voice low by my ear: “Call it payback—an eye for an eye.”

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