The Cat Who Tempts Him
The warmth of Liu Qianxiu’s lips spread to Mu Wan’s earlobe like fire.
She kept her eyes on the entrance to the emergency building.
Several young nurses seemed to have caught sight of something. Their faces flushed, and they hurriedly looked away.
The SUV was spacious, yet with their breaths mingling together, the interior suddenly seemed to shrink.
Liu Qianxiu’s dark eyes were like spring water softened by a faint ripple.
Mu Wan was almost bewitched.
It took some effort to pull herself free from his lingering gaze.
She leaned back against the seat and turned toward the window, her whole body warm.
Reminding herself not to be seduced by a beautiful face, she spoke with flushed cheeks and a dry throat.
“I’m not telling you.”
Her voice was sweet and soft, carrying the slightest tremor.
The words sounded stubborn, but the blush had already spread from her ears down the line of her neck.
Liu Qianxiu lowered his eyes.
Fragments of light rested in their clear depths.
He reached out and stroked Mu Wan’s hair.
Then he sat back properly and started the car.
They drove to Xu Xingkong’s house to pick up the cats.
Afterward, they returned to Liu Qianxiu’s apartment.
Even after being empty for several days, his home still seemed untouched by ordinary life.
The faint fragrance of sandalwood had soaked into the spacious rooms.
Subtle.
Lingering.
The moment they entered, Mu Wan changed into slippers and took the carriers from Liu Qianxiu.
She opened them and let Zhouyi and the three kittens out.
Zhouyi emerged first with all the dignity of an elder brother.
His long black body moved elegantly, like a strip of silk embroidered with two cat’s-eye gemstones.
The three kittens were more timid.
Eventually, Datou came out meowing loudly.
With the eldest leading the way and the youngest bringing up the rear, Ertong and Zhongfen followed.
In an instant, the soft cries of kittens filled Liu Qianxiu’s almost otherworldly apartment.
The quiet, ethereal atmosphere became lively.
Mu Wan sat down on the carpet.
She petted one kitten, then another, soft fur filling her palms.
She looked up at Liu Qianxiu and smiled.
“Look at me. I have so many cats now. I can pet whichever one I want.”
Her eyes curved.
“Does that make me fickle?”
She leaned back on both hands, utterly relaxed.
The three kittens wandered over her crossed legs while she smiled up at him like a wealthy woman showing off a private fortune.
Liu Qianxiu pressed his lips together.
He looked down at her.
His gaze was deep.
Mu Wan suddenly felt a little guilty.
She immediately straightened and sat properly.
Then she raised one finger.
“I’m not fickle.”
She added obediently,
“When it comes to men, I only keep you.”
His expression barely changed.
Liu Qianxiu raised one wrist and rolled his sleeve a little higher, revealing an elegant stretch of wrist.
“What do you want for dinner?”
Night made everything feel more intimate.
Mu Wan tilted her face up toward him.
Tall.
Lean.
Handsome.
Quiet.
He stood there looking almost immortal.
And yet he made every mortal desire inside her stir.
She wanted to eat him.
Heat rose beneath her skin.
Mu Wan wet her lips, her expression remaining perfectly composed.
“Tomato and eggs. Stir-fried broccoli.”
Liu Qianxiu went to the kitchen.
Mu Wan played with the kittens for a while before taking them into the cat room.
They were older now and no longer needed to be bottle-fed individually.
She mixed some formula for them, closed the door, then headed for the kitchen.
Liu Qianxiu stood at the sink washing vegetables.
His back was long and lean.
The movement of his arms drew the thin fabric of his shirt over his shoulders, revealing faint outlines of firm muscle beneath.
Mu Wan’s gaze shifted.
Then she walked over.
The moment she approached, Liu Qianxiu glanced back at her.
His hands did not stop moving.
“Does that taste good raw?”
Mu Wan stopped beside the sink and looked down.
“I want to try it.”
She pointed toward his hand.
Liu Qianxiu was holding a freshly washed tomato.
His fingers were long.
His knuckles clean and defined.
His skin was cool and pale, making the tomato look particularly vivid.
Far more appetizing than it had in the supermarket.
Liu Qianxiu glanced sideways at her.
Mu Wan looked up at him, then lowered her eyes to the tomato again.
The tip of her tongue passed lightly over her lower lip.
Like a cat watching a fish.
He said nothing.
He turned off the faucet.
Water rolled down the tomato and disappeared between his fingers.
After drying it with a paper towel, he held it out to her.
Mu Wan’s eyes brightened.
She looked at him.
His expression was unchanged.
His eyes calm as still water.
Mu Wan smiled.
Her red lips curved.
Instead of taking the tomato, she lowered her head and bit directly into it.
The posture almost looked obedient.
Like a kitten drinking milk, head lowered neatly, leaving only the soft crown of dark hair visible.
But Mu Wan was not a kitten.
She was a cat spirit.
There was nothing obedient about her.
She took one bite.
Then another.
On the second bite, her teeth caught his finger.
Very lightly.
Even the touch of her teeth was soft.
Afterward, she took the tomato from his hand, leaving his palm empty.
Mu Wan lifted her eyes.
They were bright and watery, carrying a faint, seductive gleam.
“It’s good.”
She held out the tomato with two little bite marks in it.
“Want to try?”
He did not.
Mu Wan watched his eyes.
They were much darker now.
Like a deep spring hidden beneath trees on a moonlit night.
She knew he did not want the tomato.
He wanted something else.
She had been the one to tempt him.
And she had succeeded.
Liu Qianxiu lowered his head and kissed her.
The sweet and tart flavor lingering in her mouth was immediately thrown into disarray.
Mu Wan accepted his kiss.
In the quiet kitchen, their breathing gradually became uneven.
Liu Qianxiu gathered the slender woman into his arms.
She was small enough to fit against him, yet somehow always knew exactly how to disturb his heart.
His lips lingered beside her ear.
His voice was low and rough.
“Eat later?”
Mu Wan’s gaze had gone hazy.
She seemed almost drunk on him.
Yet her answer remained perfectly clear, small and soft.
“That won’t just be a little later.”
She knew how long he took.
Liu Qianxiu kissed deeply at her earlobe.
Mu Wan’s composure collapsed completely.
Her fingers caught the edge of the sink.
Tomato juice ran over her hand.
Her voice trembled.
“Much later is fine too.”
He lifted her and carried her toward the bedroom.
The bed in Liu Qianxiu’s room was too firm for Mu Wan’s slender back.
Halfway through, he carried her to the guest room instead.
By the time they were finally done, Mu Wan no longer had the strength for dinner.
She drank a bowl of congee and fell asleep.
The night was cool as water.
The woman’s breathing gradually steadied.
Liu Qianxiu got up and returned to the kitchen to clean up the mess.
The kitchen light was clear and bright.
Usually the room felt cold and empty.
Tonight, somehow, it carried a trace of warmth.
After putting away the dishes, his phone vibrated.
Liu Qianxiu dried his hands, glanced at the screen, and answered.
“Uncle Cai.”
The call was from Cai Qingliang.
Cai Qingliang was the Liu family’s chief secretary.
His job was to carry information in both directions.
Reports from the various branches of the Liu family passed through him.
Orders from the family head went out through him.
Liu Auction Group operated throughout the world, with branches in many different countries, each managed by members of different lines of the Liu family.
But like Liu Qingyuan, they were only managers.
They might hold some shares.
The true owner remained the head of the Liu family.
Liu Qianxiu.
Cai Qingliang had served as chief secretary under the previous family head.
Liu Qianxiu had been raised beside his grandfather, and Cai Qingliang had watched him grow up.
In that sense, he was almost half an elder to him.
“I didn’t disturb your rest, did I?” Cai Qingliang asked.
“No.”
Liu Qianxiu looked toward his reflection in the kitchen window.
“Another problem?”
“You already know?”
Cai Qingliang sounded surprised.
Then realization followed.
“The Netherlands this time.”
He continued,
“Same situation as before. Before the auction, the piece was authenticated as genuine. After the sale, another appraisal declared it a forgery.”
“Both buyer and seller insist that we switched the item and are demanding compensation from the Liu family.”
He paused.
“This isn’t the first time something like this has happened. The other branches want you to investigate it thoroughly and give everyone an explanation.”
Liu Qianxiu was the head of the Liu family.
Everything belonging to the family belonged to him.
So did its responsibilities.
Liu Qianxiu withdrew his gaze from the window.
He walked from the kitchen into the living room.
During those few steps, he seemed to think.
By the time he sat cross-legged beside the low table and lowered his eyes toward the books before him, he had made his decision.
“I’ll go back to Austria next week.”
— To be continued in Part 2 —
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