Chapter 39

Chapter 39: 039 – Invitation to Pleasure

Under the moonlight, his shadow stretched long across the stairwell. In that pale glow, his features came into full view.

Deep-set brows and eyes that looked slightly cold, a hidden emotion tucked beneath them. A high nose bridge. Thin lips, parted just enough that the breath he drew in was visible in the movement.

That face would have been top-tier even in the international entertainment world—like the kind of beauty a creator would be reluctant to subtract even a single point from.

His white shirt sleeves were rolled above his forearms, exposing long, fair arms. One arm rested on the windowsill. The other hung loosely, a cigarette burning between his fingers.

At the top of the stairs, Qiao Qing Yan looked down at him.

She hooked a strand of hair and twirled it lazily around her finger, leaning back against the wall. Her peach-blossom eyes shimmered in the dimness, bright and tempting, like they held their own light.

Instinct made her pull the stairwell door closed behind her. The latch clicked softly. In the next second, she stepped fully into the shadows.

She hadn’t expected to run into him again.

After last night’s encounter, she couldn’t deny it—she’d been moved, just a little, by love at first sight. But whatever came afterward had drained her interest quickly.

Still…

Meeting him here, like this, felt like a chance the heavens had dropped straight into her hands.

Of course, that was only if the open box of ma’am cigarettes by the window wasn’t there. Only if the half-burned cigarette between his fingers wasn’t there, either.

And only if she hadn’t caught that flash of embarrassment—and startled amazement—in his eyes when he looked up.

While Qiao Qing Yan studied him, he was studying her, too.

Fu Yan Shi hadn’t expected her in the stairwell. The first thing that happened was the smoke catching his throat.

Today she was still dazzling. If last night at the awards ceremony she’d looked like a queen returning to her throne…

Then tonight, she was an enchantress—one of the kind that made people offer up everything willingly, just for the privilege of being close.

The amazement in his eyes didn’t have time to retreat.

And Qiao Qing Yan… she didn’t seem to recognize him.

For some reason, Fu Yan Shi felt it strongly—she truly didn’t know who he was.

Sure enough, she proved it in the next moment.

A clean, fresh scent rushed over him. Before he could even shift his weight, the woman pressed in close and pulled him into the darker corner of the landing.

Her elbow braced lightly in front of his chest, caging him without force. Then she reached up, slender pale finger lifting, and gently pressed it to the center of his lips.

“Your hobby’s pretty special,” she murmured. “Want to play something more interesting with sister?”

Fu Yan Shi’s eyes flicked to the window.

The ma’am cigarettes were still there. The box was open, and it was obvious one was missing—the one between his fingers.

Before he could react, Qiao Qing Yan’s hand guided his down, and then—using the cigarette he was holding—she took a slow drag.

Then she exhaled softly through her nose.

Smoke curled in front of his eyes, a thin haze that turned the moonlight even paler. The scent of the cigarette filled the narrow space.

It didn’t sting the way it had moments ago. Now it was only a faint smoke tang mixed with the perfume on her skin.

She was wearing perfume tonight—light and clean, like grass and wood, with a sharp note of white pine.

Fu Yan Shi’s breath stalled.

And then his throat went wet.

Soft, red lips landed on his Adam’s apple. Her tongue swept over it, slow and teasing. His whole body went tight, instinctively bracing as if he’d been touched somewhere dangerous.

“You…” His voice came out lower than he intended, like a breeze brushing strings—clear, gentle, but tense beneath. “What are you doing?”

Qiao Qing Yan’s lips curved, close enough that her words brushed him like heat.

“Come home with sister.”

Her voice dropped even softer, like lovers whispering in the dark.

Fu Yan Shi’s gaze stayed fixed on her, intent and unblinking, as if he wanted to see through every layer—every mask, every rumor, every shadow—and look straight into her soul.