Chapter 2: Just Pretend You're Humoring Me

The moment his tie was hooked by those slender fingers, Shen Yanhui lowered his eyes.

The dark silk wound around her fair fingertips, pulling into a loose arc.

The distance suddenly shortened; he could almost count the roots of her eyelashes and see clearly the wateriness she had intentionally stirred up in the depths of her eyes, delicate and charming, as if veiled in mist.

"Let you win?" he repeated, his voice low and raspy.

He did not pull away; instead, following that slight force, he moved even closer. The tips of their noses were almost brushing.

Gu Yan's breath hitched.

The aura of his approach was too oppressive, mixed with crisp cedar and the scent of alcohol, wrapping her tightly.

Her fingertips trembled slightly, but she did not let go.

"Mm." She tilted her face up, red lips slightly parted, her breath like orchids, "Just pretend... you're humoring me?"

She said it with such righteous confidence, as if the whole world ought to humor her.

Shen Yanhui's gaze fell upon her lips and lingered for a long time. So long that Gu Yan began to wonder if this little trick of hers had gone too far.

Then, he suddenly smiled.

It was a very shallow arc, yet it made that cold, stern face suddenly vivid, a dark glint flashing in the depths of his eyes.

"Fine," he said.

The next second, Gu Yan only felt a warmth at the back of her neck.

His hand had wound behind her head at some point. His palm was warm, his five fingers loosely clasping her slender neck, his fingertips even able to feel the pulse jumping at the side of her throat.

It was not a shackle, yet it was more heart-palpitating than one.

Her body stiffened slightly.

Shen Yanhui's thumb gently rubbed the delicate skin behind her ear, his movements slow and deliberate.

"Then tell me, Miss Gu," he began, his breath brushing against the corner of her lips, "how do you want me to let you win? How do you want me to humor you?"

His voice was too deep, too close. Every word seemed to carry a hook, scratching at her most sensitive nerves.

Their lips were extremely close, so close that it felt as if they could touch in the next second.

Gu Yan's heart beat like a drum. The bit of courage she had used to intentionally provoke him was suddenly teetering under his counter-offensive control.

Her eyelashes trembled rapidly; she wanted to retreat, but the warmth at the back of her neck reminded her that there was nowhere to retreat to.

"I... it's just..." Her voice softened, carrying a subtle tremor she hadn't even noticed herself, "Next time I take a fancy to something... don't snatch it..."

She didn't finish her sentence because the pressure of his thumb increased by a fraction.

"There will be a next time?" Shen Yanhui asked, his eyes bottomless.

Gu Yan's cheeks burned. The temperature of his fingertips, the scent on his body, and the undisguised aggression in his eyes wove together into an airtight net.

She suddenly felt that she had played with fire too much.

This feeling of being out of control made her panic.

"I..." She lowered her lashes quickly, avoiding his gaze, her voice as thin as a mosquito's, "I... I don't want it anymore, is that not enough..."

As she spoke, she released her hand from his tie and tried to shrink back.

But the hand clasped at the back of her neck did not let go immediately.

Shen Yanhui watched her instantly crimson earlobes in silence, watching the panic leaking out from her evasive eyes.

Like a bird that had finally realized the danger of the hunter.

The dark glint in his eyes deepened, then slowly faded away.

Finally, he let go.

As his palm withdrew, it brushed against the fine, soft stray hairs at the back of her neck, as if it were there or not.

Gu Yan stood up immediately, her movements somewhat hurried. Her skirt knocked over the unfinished glass of wine on the coffee table, and the amber liquid spilled out, spreading across the dark tabletop.

She didn't even look, turning around in a rush and walking toward the door.

Her back remained straight, but her footsteps were slightly messy.

When her fingertips touched the cold doorknob, his calm voice came from behind her.

"Gu Yan."

It was the first time he had called her by her name. Not "Miss Gu."

The articulation was clear, carrying a certain heavy texture.

Gu Yan's footsteps paused, but she did not look back.

"Running away," his tone was very light, yet one could faintly hear a hint of amusement, "is not how a spoiled person should behave."

Her spine stiffened slightly.

She felt some annoyance, some anger; his laughter was clearly mocking her.

Immediately, she twisted the door open and walked out without looking back.

The door closed gently.

Shen Yanhui sat alone on the sofa, his gaze falling on a tiny pearl earring she had left behind on the velvet rug.

Its lustrous sheen was exactly the same as the watery glint that had flashed in her eyes just moments ago.

He leaned over and picked it up.

His fingertips traced the cool surface of the bead.

Then, very lightly, he closed his palm.

——

When Zhou Wei pushed the door open and entered, Shen Yanhui was leaning against the window.

The night flowed outside the window, plating his silhouette with a faint edge.

Zhou Wei clicked his tongue; this figure, who could make Jingcheng tremble with a single stomp of his foot, truly possessed a deceptive appearance.

With that refined and handsome appearance, how could he be the ruthless, vicious, and cold-hearted tyrant from the rumors outside?

"Yo, you're actually here." He loosened his tie and walked over to the liquor cabinet on his own to pick out a bottle.

Zhou Wei, the third of the Zhou Family's current generation, grew up in the same courtyard as Shen Yanhui; he now holds several top-tier auction houses and galleries in his hands, is adept at handling all kinds of people, and is the most well-informed.

Shen Yanhui did not look up, "Something up?"

"Everyone downstairs is saying that some big shot played the destroyer of flowers and forcibly snatched away something that the little princess of the Gu Family had her eye on."

Shen Yanhui was noncommittal, his expression languid.

Those who knew him well understood that he was in a good mood.

Zhou Wei poured two glasses of wine, handed one over, and said with clear interest in his eyes, "Tell me, why are you picking a fight with a little girl? Bullying her?"

Shen Yanhui took the wine glass without speaking. The amber liquid swayed gently in the glass.

Zhou Wei did not mind, sitting down opposite him with his long legs crossed.

"That girl Gu Yan is quite eye-catching. She is delicate, but she is also truly arrogant." He took a sip of wine and smiled, "Why are you provoking her?"

"I'm provoking her?"

Shen Yanhui finally deigned to look up, his eyes narrowing slightly.

"Fine." Zhou Wei raised his hands in a gesture of surrender, "Consider me meddlesome."

Shen Yanhui set down his wine glass and tapped his fingertips on the tabletop, "Huanyu, name your price."

Zhou Wei raised an eyebrow, "What do you mean?"

Huanyu was the very auction house they were currently in, a vanity fair he had built with his own hands, renowned and prestigious.

It was also one of his most profitable businesses.

For this man to ask for something so big the moment he opened his mouth—he really is something.

Shen Yanhui did not explain, "Name your price."

Zhou Wei stared at him for two seconds, then suddenly laughed and leaned back against the sofa. "Talking about money is boring. If you want it, just take it."

"But you at least have to let me know why, right?"

Shen Yanhui's expression was indifferent, "Isn't it you who said I was bullying a little girl?"

Zhou Wei was surprised; Shen Yanhui used thunderous methods and had offended countless people—whoever he wanted a reason from, they all swallowed their losses trembling in fear.

How did his attitude change when it came to Gu Yan?

This is truly interesting.

"Alright," Zhou Wei stopped asking and readily agreed, "I'll have someone bring the documents over in a while."

Shen Yanhui stood up and unhurriedly fastened his suit buttons.

"Handle the paperwork as soon as possible," was all he said.