Chapter 48: Qin Ruhua's Enthusiasm

The moment I saw the reprimanding expression on Ling Xuan's face, I already knew what was coming. I simply lowered my head, covered my face with both hands, adopting the stubborn attitude of a dead pig that isn't afraid of boiling water, and preemptively blurted out, "Big Sister, scold me however you want! But I'll say it again—no matter who insults you, I'll never let them off!"

Unexpectedly, after waiting for a long while, I didn't hear Ling Xuan's voice.

I raised my head and looked over curiously. Ling Xuan was glaring right at me. Seeing me look up, she suddenly burst out laughing, giving me a helpless, white-eyed look.

Seeing her smile put my mind at ease. I leaned back in my chair and said with a smile, "Don't worry, I know my limits. Besides, with Sister Yuan's immense influence, there's even less to worry about."

"Don't you smile!" Ling Xuan flashed a fierce glare with her beautiful eyes.

Ugh, my smile stiffened, and I said helplessly, "Big Sister, you're quite harsh with me, yet you show so much restraint toward everyone else."

Ling Xuan stomped her foot in exasperation, glaring at me angrily as she said, "I'm harsh with you because you're one of us, not just to scold you for the sake of it! I was furious just now too, and I wanted to hit someone as well, but you simply went too far—several of your blows crossed the line into illegality! You haven't the slightest clue that I'm worried about you, and you actually thought I was just yelling and cursing at you randomly, didn't you?!"

A warm feeling bloomed in my chest. I reached out, took her delicate little hand, and smiled, "All right. I know you care about me."

"You are such a pig!" Ling Xuan jerked her hand away, turned, and started to walk off.

I hurriedly rushed after her and embraced her from behind.

Ling Xuan's body stiffened, but it immediately relaxed. Lowering her head, she chided softly, "What are you doing? This is an office!"

I chuckled and said, "Let's continue what we left unfinished last night!"

Ling Xuan kept her head down and remained silent.

Without giving her a chance to think, I spun her around, pressed her body tightly against mine, and lowered my head to kiss her.

Ling Xuan shyly closed her eyes. Perhaps due to some psychological shadow left over from last night, her lips were tightly sealed at first, as if she were afraid of biting me again like she did yesterday, and it wasn't until a moment later that she slowly parted them.

Even though we were both novices at this, most of the time such things relied purely on instinct. As long as you went a little lighter and a bit slower, not only would you not bite anyone, but it felt just as amazing!

Before long, Ling Xuan's body grew softer and warmer. With a sudden soft gasp, she gave me a firm push, separated herself from me, and took two steps back.

By now, her cheeks were flushed with a shy, captivating red, and she looked breathtakingly lovely. A smile that mingled bashfulness with delight hung at the corners of her lips, and a trace of moisture glistened in her eyes.

Just as I was feeling a bit bewildered and reluctant to stop, I caught her stealing a quick, hurried glance downward at my crotch. With a shy, light giggle, she turned on her heel and fled back to her office desk.

Ugh, I glanced down at myself and laughed generously, "Don't worry. It's just a normal reaction."

Ling Xuan hid her face behind her computer monitor, her voice shy and gentle as she said, "Alright, cut it out, before Xiao Hui walks in on us."

"Fine! We'll talk about it tonight when we get back." I walked over, righted the sofa that had been knocked over, and set it back in place.

Shortly after, Huang Xiaohui knocked and walked in.

Everything returned to normal. Huang Xiaohui sat at her desk, occasionally casting glances over at me.

I asked curiously, "Xiaohui, what are you looking at?"

Huang Xiaohui smiled somewhat self-consciously and said, "President Chu, you were so terrifying just now."

"Don't worry. I only beat up bad guys; I would never bully you girls."

Huang Xiaohui smiled slightly, the look in her eyes a mixture of awe and admiration. "Actually, it's even better that you kicked Sun Liwei out. That guy is a complete pervert. Whenever he sees a woman, he gets this lecherous look on his face."

"Did he ever bully you?"

"I have President Ling to protect me, so he never dared to do anything."

"Ah, I see."

After another little while, Sister Yuan sent me a message: "Xiaofan, you were so handsome just now. (Blushing) (Blushing) (Blushing)"

I smiled faintly and replied, "Yuanyuan, why did you suddenly show up today?"

"Big Sister missed you, so I came to take a look. (Blushing) (Blushing) (Blushing)"

A warm feeling washed over me. Remembering all the ways Sister Yuan had supported me earlier, I replied, "I miss Big Sister too."

Sister Yuan immediately sent over three virtual hugging emojis, followed by: "Haven't seen President Ling for a few days. Judging by how things look between you two, have you already won her over?"

"More or less, I suppose!"

"Not bad! Did you use the method I taught you?"

"Ugh, I don't even know what happened myself." Knowing that Sister Yuan would definitely pursue the matter relentlessly, I avoided following her lead to claim it was her method.

After chatting for a bit, Sister Yuan had matters to attend to, and I drifted back into a state of boredom.

As for Sister Yuan's proposed capital investment and share purchase, since Ling Xuan needed to reclaim Sun Liwei's shares first, the paperwork wouldn't be processed immediately.

The afternoon passed uneventfully. After leaving work at six o'clock and having dinner, Qin Ruhua asked me to help her move the rest of her belongings.

"Big Sister, I'll go help Ruhua move her things over first. Wait for me in the office."

Ling Xuan raised her head and glared at me for a good long while before saying, "I can't possibly watch you twenty-four hours a day, nor would I do that—it'd just be annoying. But I'm warning you, you're my boyfriend now. Stay away from that little vixen!"

Surprised and delighted, I realized that although Big Sister was overbearing, she still possessed the poise and demeanor of a chairperson. I quickly smiled and said, "Alright, I understand."

Arriving at the parking lot, I saw Qin Ruhua already waiting beside Ling Xi's Hyundai.

"Brother Fan," Qin Ruhua's eyes lit up. "Didn't the Chairperson come along?"

"Our Chairperson isn't that petty. Let's go!"

Qin Ruhua happily hopped into the passenger seat.

All along the way, Qin Ruhua kept turning her head to gaze at me, chattering away nonstop. One moment she was talking about work matters, and the next, she was recounting things from her past.

When we reached the entrance of the small alley, we got out of the car and walked side by side.

Qin Ruhua suddenly fell silent. Unlike her talkative self in the car, she stole hurried glances at me every now and then, her hints glaringly obvious.

Several times I wanted to reach out and take her hand, but every time I thought of Ling Xuan's warning from earlier, I hesitated and held back.

Qin Ruhua let out a soft sigh, stopped turning her head to drop hints, and walked along with her head bowed in silence, looking thoroughly dejected.

Once inside the apartment, we found that Xinxin hadn't come back from work yet.

Since I wasn't quite sure which items belonged to Qin Ruhua and it wouldn't be appropriate for me to help pack them, I simply sat down in the living room to wait.

Qin Ruhua didn't speak either, quietly packing her things alone inside the bedroom.

I gave a silent inner sigh, sitting motionless outside while feeling a certain sense of loss in my heart.

Before long, Qin Ruhua finished packing and emerged carrying two large duffel bags.

I picked them up, one in each hand, and turned to walk toward the door.

"Wait a moment," Qin Ruhua suddenly called out.

I turned back around. Qin Ruhua was gazing at me with a lovelorn expression, her eyes moist and sparkling, her pure, flawless face filled with a poignant mix of heartbreak and sorrow.

"Brother Fan, do you not like me?" Her voice carried a faint trace of a sob.

I sighed and said softly, "It's not that I don't like you..."

Before I could finish, Qin Ruhua lunged forward, threw her arms around me, buried her face in my chest, and began to sob quietly.

A wave of tender pity welled up inside me, and I pulled her tightly into my embrace.

After a brief pause, Qin Ruhua suddenly raised her head and leaned straight in to kiss me.

The youthful, alluring scent drifted into my nose and mouth. My mind reeled, and completely losing control of myself, I responded to her with a passionate yet clumsy kiss.

This time, the kiss lasted for an extraordinarily long time. Qin Ruhua's hands were locked tightly around the back of my neck, showing no intention of letting go anytime soon.

A long while later, our lips parted, and we were both breathing heavily, unabashedly blowing our warm breaths onto each other's faces.

Qin Ruhua's cheeks were as flushed as ripe apples, her eyes swimming with moisture as she gazed at me in a daze. A moment later, she suddenly pulled my head down again and kissed me once more.

Completely melted by her passion and with my mind gone utterly blank, I reciprocated with an even greater fervor than before. Under the spell of intoxicating desire, my hands began to move of their own accord.

Qin Ruhua's body radiated intense heat as she trembled and yielded to me.

I could no longer hold myself back. In a hazy fog, remembering that the front door was still open, I frantically reached out, pulled the door shut, and threw the deadbolt. Then, sweeping Qin Ruhua up into my arms, I carried her into the bedroom.

To my utter astonishment, right at the most critical moment, Qin Ruhua's cell phone suddenly rang—it was Xinxin calling.

Qin Ruhua retreated beneath the covers, her naked body shrinking into the bedclothes as she flashed a smile tinged with both shyness and delight before finally answering the call.

My senses cleared somewhat. Staring at Qin Ruhua's breathtakingly lovely face, I found myself entirely incapable of mustering even a shred of refusal.

A short while later, Qin Ruhua hung up the phone and announced that Xinxin was almost back.

It seemed our romantic interlude was not meant to be completed.

Nevertheless, Qin Ruhua still scrambled over, pressed her warm body against mine, buried her little head in my chest, and whispered with bashful joy, "Brother Fan, I... I like you."

I smiled helplessly and said, "Ruhua, I've always liked you, but our situation is just too awkward. Still, the way you are right now is practically going to torture me to death."

Qin Ruhua was startled, then let out a soft exclamation. Scrambling to the side, she began putting her clothes back on and urged, "Hurry up, Xinxin is almost back."

With a helpless smile, I sighed, "Is this supposed to be a reward or a punishment?!"