Liquid Courage
A knock sounded at the door.
Liu Qianxiu released the mouse beneath his hand.
The computer screen in front of him remained lit, dense with documents, figures, and text.
The hotel room was bright and quiet.
The floor-to-ceiling balcony doors stood wide open.
Liu Qianxiu pushed back his chair, crossed the room, and opened the door.
The entrance faced the balcony directly.
The moment the door opened, air moved through the room.
Cool air rushed over Mu Wan, easing some of the heat from her face.
At the same time, it carried the scent of alcohol from her body into the room.
Her skin was naturally pale.
When she flushed, a soft pink spread across her face like the faintest layer of blush.
She looked like a peach that had only just ripened.
And beneath that flush, her lips gleamed red and sweet.
“Liu Qianxiu…”
Mu Wan tipped her head back as she called his name.
Her eyes curved.
Starlight seemed to gather inside them.
Liu Qianxiu looked down at her.
His dark eyes remained still.
The faint scent of liquor mingled with her perfume, lingering even in the draft from the balcony.
His voice was low.
“Do you want some water?”
Only after he asked did Mu Wan realize how badly her throat burned.
She ran the tip of her tongue over her lower lip.
“Yes.”
Liu Qianxiu stepped aside.
From the doorway, Mu Wan could see straight through the room to the balcony beyond.
She walked inside, letting the cool air wash over her.
His room was similar to hers.
The main difference was that hers was a twin room while his had one large bed.
The bathroom, television, desk, floor-to-ceiling windows, and wide balcony were otherwise much the same.
Because one large bed took up less space than two separate beds, a long washbasin had been installed between the bathroom and sleeping area.
The room felt spacious.
Cool.
Immaculately clean.
Whatever warmth or domestic comfort the hotel had originally designed into the space seemed to vanish the moment Liu Qianxiu occupied it.
He looked quiet and restrained, yet his presence was unexpectedly strong.
Everything he owned, every place he entered, even the people who spent time around him seemed to absorb something of that stillness.
The kettle and glasses sat on the desk.
The long wooden surface stretched from the wall beside the balcony almost to the bedside table.
Its design was different from the desk in Mu Wan’s room.
He had probably brought it himself.
The water in the kettle was still warm.
Liu Qianxiu poured a glass.
It was clear and slender, with a thick base.
Water slowly filled it.
Mu Wan listened to the soft sound of pouring.
Then she looked at Liu Qianxiu beneath the lights.
Something shifted in her eyes.
Heat continued to build inside her.
She stepped closer.
“I can do it.”
Baijiu had a powerful delayed effect.
Mu Wan had only been standing there for a short while before her sense of balance betrayed her.
Her body tilted.
She gave a soft sound of surprise and instinctively reached for something to hold.
When people were falling, they sometimes grabbed with enough force to drag whatever they caught down with them.
The person Mu Wan grabbed did not move at all.
Not even a drop of water spilled from the glass in his hand.
Her fingers had closed around the hem of Liu Qianxiu’s shirt.
Mu Wan lowered her head.
Her heartbeat pounded against her ears.
Her earlobes burned.
The cotton-linen fabric beneath her fingers was slightly coarse.
Firm.
Though nowhere near as firm as the body beneath it.
The coolness in the room seemed to melt beneath the heat coming from her skin.
Mu Wan looked up.
Liu Qianxiu was already watching her.
Her lashes trembled.
As though the light had become too bright, she looked away.
Still clutching his shirt, she rose onto her toes and leaned toward the glass.
Then she took two small sips.
Like a kitten drinking water.
Moisture returned to her dry lips.
The burning in her throat eased.
But her body still felt unbearably hot.
The man beside her somehow remained cool.
Mu Wan moved her tongue lightly against her lips.
Then she looked up at him again.
The room was silent.
Only the faint rustle of their clothes disturbed it.
Mu Wan stared at Liu Qianxiu.
Her lips parted.
Slowly, the hand clutching his shirt loosened.
Her arms opened.
Then they wrapped around his lean, firm waist.
“You’re so cool…”
Her voice was barely above a murmur.
Her gaze had already gone hazy.
Warm breath brushed the pale skin along Liu Qianxiu’s neck.
Mu Wan smiled.
Then she leaned closer and pressed her cheek against him.
The instant warm skin met cool, her body shivered lightly in his arms.
His skin was smooth and cool.
It soothed the heat inside her.
Mu Wan was tired.
Still holding him, she gradually leaned backward.
But she did not fall.
Liu Qianxiu stood as firmly as a statue.
Mu Wan looked up.
Her brows drew together slightly.
There was a trace of grievance in her voice.
“I want to lie down.”
Alcohol filled the air with every word.
Liu Qianxiu lowered his eyes toward the obviously intoxicated woman in his arms.
His lips tightened.
He set the glass aside.
Its thick base struck the wooden desk with a muted sound.
Mu Wan lost her balance.
In the next moment, her back sank into the soft mattress.
Liu Qianxiu’s hands landed on either side of her head.
He supported himself above her.
Their bodies did not touch.
But the instant he leaned over her, his scent surrounded her completely.
Heat surged through Mu Wan again.
They were close.
Far too close.
Mu Wan’s gaze settled on his lips.
Her body felt as though it were melting into the mattress.
Her lips trembled.
Heat tightened her throat.
The woman beneath him looked soft as water.
Her cheeks were faintly pink.
Light shimmered in her eyes as she stared directly at him.
Liu Qianxiu supported himself with both hands beside her.
He looked into her eyes.
Neither moved.
A silent standoff.
After a long moment, Liu Qianxiu was the first to speak.
He let out a quiet sigh.
“You weren’t like this the last time you got drunk.”
Mu Wan’s pupils contracted.
Liu Qianxiu reached down and gently removed the hand still resting against his waist.
Then he lifted her properly onto the bed.
Mu Wan lay against the soft mattress.
The heat inside her gradually began to fade.
Beside her, Liu Qianxiu spoke in a low voice.
“Sleep for a while.”
Then he switched off the main lights.
He returned to the desk and turned on the small lamp beside it.
A circle of warm light fell over him.
Liu Qianxiu pulled out the chair and sat down.
Then he returned to the document he had not finished reading.
The alcohol in Mu Wan’s system continued to deepen.
Her vision blurred.
Strangely, her thoughts became clearer.
A dull ache began behind her eyes.
Alcohol had given her courage.
She had found the nerve to seduce him.
And he had refused.
Beneath the desk lamp, Liu Qianxiu remained focused on his work.
His expression was serious.
His presence cool and remote.
Long, elegant fingers moved over the mouse.
His gaze remained fixed on the screen.
One lonely lamp.
One book.
One immortal.
Immortals did not possess ordinary desires.
Perhaps one day he might develop them.
But not now.
And perhaps never for her.
The heat slowly drained from Mu Wan’s body.
She began to feel cold.
She curled inward slightly.
Liu Qianxiu noticed.
He looked toward the bed.
Mu Wan’s eyes were closed.
The color had faded from the small face beneath her dark hair.
Her red lips were pressed together.
Beneath the blanket, her body had curled into a small ball.
Liu Qianxiu stood.
He walked to the entrance and turned off the central air conditioning.
Gradually, the cold air disappeared.
Warm wind drifted through the balcony doors, carrying the damp scent of moisture.
The sky had been dark since afternoon.
Rain had been threatening for hours.
Mu Wan, thoroughly discouraged, curled beneath the blanket.
Her thoughts slowly emptied.
Eventually, she truly fell asleep.
Her breathing deepened.
Outside, the wind stirred the branches.
Liu Qianxiu’s gaze left the computer screen.
It settled on the woman sleeping in his bed.
She was asleep.
But not peacefully.
Her hands rested outside the blanket, fingers curled around the fabric.
A faint crease remained between her brows.
Liu Qianxiu watched her for a while.
The wind grew stronger.
It carried the wet scent of approaching rain.
He looked toward the balcony.
Then rose.
His movements were so quiet that the stillness of the room remained undisturbed.
Liu Qianxiu stepped onto the balcony.
Tiny raindrops blew toward him on the wind.
It had begun to rain.
He closed the floor-to-ceiling doors and returned inside.
Mu Wan showed no sign of waking.
Liu Qianxiu looked at her once more.
Then he left the room.
Mu Wan woke at six the next morning.
The hangover arrived before she was fully conscious.
Her head throbbed.
A frown immediately appeared on her face.
She made a small protesting sound and rolled over.
Mu Wan was used to sleeping in a single bed.
Usually, when she turned like that, one leg would reach the edge of the mattress.
This time, it did not.
Her eyes opened.
For a moment, she wondered whether she was still drunk.
Memories from the night before began replaying in her head.
Then everything returned at once.
Mu Wan sat bolt upright.
Rain was falling outside.
The sky was dark and overcast, so little daylight made it through the curtains.
The room was empty.
There was only a small desk lamp and a laptop that had already been shut down.
No Liu Qianxiu.
Within seconds, Mu Wan constructed the rest of the story herself.
Her seduction had failed.
Then she had taken over his bed.
Daoist Liu, determined to keep things proper, must have gone downstairs and booked another room for himself.
Mu Wan had been rejected.
— To be continued in Part 2 —
↞ Previous│❀ Table of Contents ❀│Next ↠
Não sei o que sentir com esse capítulo. Mas sei que sentir uma dor no coração
ReplyDelete