Chapter 22: Lacking a Girlfriend

"I know," Shen Yanhui said.

His body heat came through the thin silk nightgown.

Gu Yan's breath hitched; the morning light brightening outside the window reflected in her eyes, leaving her flustered and at a loss.

"And the payment?" he asked, his thumb pad rubbing against the delicate skin inside her wrist, as if there or not there.

"W-what payment?"

"You've watched me for so long? There has to be some payment, right?" Shen Yanhui leaned down slightly, his breath brushing against her ear, carrying a hint of dangerous warmth.

"I..." Gu Yan was at a loss for words, "I can pay you money."

"Do you think I'm short on money?"

Gu Yan bit her lip; he certainly wasn't, he was much richer than her. Even richer than the entire Gu Family.

"Then what do you want?" Gu Yan heard her own voice, light and airy, lacking any conviction.

Shen Yanhui smiled again.

He did not answer.

He simply lowered his head and kissed her already reddened ear very lightly.

It was a fleeting touch.

Yet Gu Yan felt it made her heart tremble even more than a kiss.

The man loosened his arms around her, and she immediately wanted to escape, but her shoulders were gently pressed down.

Shen Yanhui bent over, picked up the nightgown that had been piled casually on the floor, wrapped it around his waist in a leisurely manner, and tied a loose knot, barely covering the vital parts.

Gu Yan's gaze couldn't help but glance toward that area; it was partially hidden and partially visible, unclear.

It was even more alluring...

She immediately closed her eyes, the blush on her cheeks deepening.

This was testing her willpower too much, Gu Yan screamed internally.

A dense trail of kisses landed on her eyelids again, so itchy that it forced her to open her eyes.

"What can you give me?" Shen Yanhui lowered his voice, coaxing her.

The morning light danced between his deep brows and eyes, outlining his straight nose and slightly pursed lips; he looked so good he didn't seem mortal.

Gu Yan could feel her heart pounding against her chest; the beauty and the morning light were constantly bewitching her, melting away her reason bit by bit.

She blinked, and suddenly, out of the blue, she asked softly:

"Shen Yanhui, are you single?"

Shen Yanhui reached out to hook her waist and press her toward him, amused: "Otherwise?"

Having done such intimate things to her, was she still asking if he was single? Was this girl thick-skinned or just indifferent?

Gu Yan was certainly not thick-skinned, nor was she indifferent; she just wanted to confirm it from his own mouth.

If she had to say why, it was because she needed a sense of ritual.

She licked her somewhat dry lips and continued to ask: "Then do you have a 'white moonlight'? Or some unforgettable ex-girlfriend?"

"No, there has never been another woman."

Gu Yan's eyes lit up, and she also reached out to wrap her arms around his waist. Her cheeks were still red, but the flustered look in her eyes gradually faded. Shen Yanhui once again saw a familiar, slightly spoiled boldness in her eyes.

She said: "Then are you short a girlfriend?"

The hand Shen Yanhui was rubbing against her waist stopped abruptly, tightening imperceptibly for a moment. He looked at her deeply, his eyes becoming incomparably dark.

Gu Yan's heart pounded wildly under his gaze, but she refused to look away.

After a long while, Shen Yanhui's Adam's apple bobbed, his voice even hoarser and deeper than before:

"I am."

One word.

Clear, certain.

Her eyes lit up instantly, and her courage suddenly swelled.

She raised her hand, extended a slender index finger, and tapped it lightly on his chest.

Then, following the smooth lines of his muscles, she slid it up a short distance, tilted her face, looked into his bottomless eyes, and parted her red lips slightly:

"Then look... can I do?"

She paused and began to count off, "Fair-skinned and beautiful."

She blinked, "Gentle and considerate."

Her gaze drifted for a moment, and she added, "... most of the time. And—"

Her fingertips lightly drew a circle, her gaze falling back onto his face with a touch of cunning, "I can also draw you... super good-looking."

The morning light flowed in silence.

In the studio, only the sound of their intertwined breathing remained, along with the vibration of his accelerating heartbeat beneath her fingertips.

Shen Yanhui looked at her and suddenly, very lightly, very slowly, tugged at the corner of his mouth.

"You can."

He slowly spat out the two words.

Gu Yan held her breath.

He then added the second half of the sentence, slow and leisurely:

"However, you must be on a trial period first."

Gu Yan: "?"

A trial period? How do you trial? Can this even be trialed?

Shen Yanhui didn't give her time to be confused; he reached out, picked her up, and placed her on the workbench to the side.

He braced his hands on either side of her, leaning down to close the distance. Gu Yan instinctively leaned back, her palms pressing against the cold tabletop.

"You..."

Before the words could finish, he had already kissed her.

Their lips and teeth intertwined, plundering her reason.

Gu Yan only felt a buzzing in her brain and spots dancing before her eyes; her fingers unconsciously gripped the pajamas around his waist, the silk fabric bunching into a ball in her palm.

He kissed her for a long time, until her whole body went soft, her eyelashes grew damp, and her breathing became a chaotic mess, only then did he pull back slightly.

Their foreheads rested against each other, their scorching breaths mingling.

"Help me?" he asked in a low voice, his tone terribly hoarse.

Although it was a question.

His fingers were already covering the back of her hand, kneading and stroking her fingertips, the implication clear.

Gu Yan suddenly widened her eyes.

Her fingertips had already touched his cold skin; she shuddered all over, as if burned, and tried to jerk her hand back.

But she was gently held in place by him.

"Shen Yanhui!" Her voice carried a sob, her cheeks were red enough to drip blood, and even her neck was stained with a crimson hue, "I... I don't know how..."

"It's very simple." He lowered his head and kissed her burning earlobe, "I'll teach you."

Gu Yan's whole body stiffened.

She dared not move a muscle.

She even held her breath.

"Relax." He whispered in her ear, his lips brushing against her earlobe as if they were there and yet not, "Just follow my lead."

The air was so thick it could almost not be parted.

Gu Yan closed her eyes as if resigned to her fate, burying her head in his chest; the sense of shame was almost about to drown her.

He taught with patience, but she learned with difficulty.

"Shen... Shen Yanhui..." she called his name, feeling aggrieved.

"Good girl..." the man coaxed her with light kisses.

"..."

It was unknown how much time had passed, long enough for the sunlight to spill out from the clouds, drill through the window, and scatter onto the floor.

A muffled groan escaped his throat, and he suddenly tightened his arms, pressing her even more firmly into his embrace.

Everything slowly calmed down.

Gu Yan still dared not move.

"Are you alright?"

Gu Yan felt a bit embarrassed; he still had the nerve to ask.

"You still have the nerve to ask! My hands are for painting, not for... not for..." she protested.

Shen Yanhui lifted her down and chuckled, "This is what a girlfriend is supposed to do."

"You don't want to be my girlfriend?"

Gu Yan choked; this man!

"I do, I do, I do, stop talking, I'm dying of embarrassment." She couldn't help but curl her fingers, then, thinking of something, she suddenly let them go.

Shen Yanhui lowered his head and lightly touched her lips, "What a coincidence, I want that too."

A fleeting glance, disturbing his heart's melody.

From then on, every time he saw her, he wanted to make her his own.

"Thump, thump, thump—"

The studio door was suddenly knocked with a thunderous sound, accompanied by Gu Lin's megaphone-like loud voice.

"Gu Yan, open the door quickly, your brother is here to pay you a visit!"