Chapter 42: So Hot

Sheng Ze glanced at the easel in front of the floor-to-ceiling window and raised an eyebrow: "Does sister-in-law also love to paint?"

Gu Yan nodded, "Also? Who else likes it?"

Sheng Ze subconsciously glanced at Shen Yanhui.

The other party was lowering his eyes to brew tea, his slender fingers pinching the tea spoon, showing no sign of what he was thinking.

He smiled and vaguely brushed it off: "No one, just a casual remark. However, since sister-in-law studies art, you should have heard of 'Yan', right?"

Shen Yanhui finally raised his eyes, his cool gaze sweeping over Sheng Ze.

Gu Yan, however, felt it was strange.

How did one or two people know "Yan"?

Had her popularity in the country already reached such a level?

"I've heard of her... what's wrong with her?" Gu Yan asked cautiously.

Under Shen Yanhui's look, Sheng Ze dared not say more, "Nothing, just asking."

He immediately changed the subject and chatted with Shen Yanhui about some work matters.

Gu Yan had no interest in listening, so she got up and went to the easel, sketching and painting, starting to conceive her next work.

"Regarding the shipping route matter last time, thank you for your guidance. The Germans have loosened up, and the environmental assessment will pass this week." Sheng Ze suddenly remembered something, his tone becoming more serious.

Shen Yanhui poured boiling water into the teapot, white mist rising: "Did you go to Hans's daughter's wedding?"

Sheng Ze crossed his legs, "I went. Just as you said, I prepared that Pine Flower Stone Inkstone. The old man liked it so much that he called his son-in-law on the spot to give instructions."

"You didn't see it, but those people from the Chen family were so angry their noses were almost crooked. A matter they had been squatting on for three months without resolving, you solved with one inkstone."

"Is the Chen family also fighting for that route?" Shen Yanhui put the lid on the pot, his tone indifferent.

"More than that." Sheng Ze sneered, "Chen Baiyang's father flew to Frankfurt himself and didn't even get to see Muller."

He looked at Gu Yan and blinked, "So sister-in-law, when looking for a man, you have to find one like our Boss Shen; he's truly useful at critical moments."

Gu Yan nodded in agreement, exactly, exactly.

He is also very useful when he is her muse.

He is even more useful when he generously lets her touch his pectoral and abdominal muscles.

The two chatted for a long while before Sheng Ze said his goodbyes and left.

Before leaving, he specifically instructed: "I specially ordered the chef to make a local specialty soup tonight; you two must not miss it."

These words completely piqued Gu Yan's curiosity.

When evening came, after the servant served the dishes, she looked at the milky white soup with a few wolfberries and red dates floating on the surface, not seeing anything special.

She scooped a spoonful into her mouth; it was fresh and mellow.

It carried a unique fragrance of certain wild mushrooms, along with a trace of an extremely faint, indescribable sweet aftertaste.

"Delicious." Her eyes brightened, and she drank several more spoonfuls.

Shen Yanhui sat opposite her watching her drink the soup, his eyes deep, his fingertips tapping lightly on the tabletop, saying nothing.

Gu Yan was completely unaware, and the bowl of soup soon hit the bottom.

She was still wanting more: "What kind of soup is this? Can it be made tomorrow?"

"You like it?" he asked.

Gu Yan nodded repeatedly.

Shen Yanhui gave an "mm," not explaining the origin of the soup, only saying: "I'll have the chef make it again tomorrow."

——

After the meal, Shen Yanhui had a temporary video conference and went to the study.

Gu Yan finished her shower, bantered with Lin Wei for a while, and then lay back on the bed.

The moonlight outside the window was perfect, and the mountain breeze blew the gauze curtains, bringing waves of coolness. But for some reason, the more she lay there, the more she felt a dry heat all over her body.

It was as if a small fire was burning inside her body, burning so that her heartbeat quickened and her fingertips went numb.

She turned over, then turned back.

Finally, she simply sat up and performed a set of Eight-Section Brocade.

She was even hotter after finishing.

She irritably scratched her hair and picked up the sketchbook on the bedside table, wanting to draw to calm her mind.

The pencil scratched a few times on the paper.

The lines were crooked and looked like nothing.

Her mind was a mess, full of Shen Yanhui: his lowered eyelashes when he brewed tea, his warm lips when he bit her shoulder strap, and the muscle lines faintly visible under his shirt...

Gu Yan bit the pen barrel and stared at the blank drawing paper for a few seconds.

Then she slammed the notebook shut and ran downstairs barefoot.

The study door was ajar, revealing a warm yellow light. She quietly pushed it open a crack and poked her head through the gap.

Shen Yanhui was sitting behind the desk, looking at the computer screen. Hearing the movement, he looked up.

"Shen Yanhui," her voice was small, with a bit of tentativeness, "are you free now?"

He lazily beckoned her over.

Gu Yan immediately trotted in and sat on his lap very naturally.

Her arms wrapped around his neck, her eyes sparkling: "You said before that you wanted to be my long-term model, right?"

Shen Yanhui's hand rested on her waist, his fingertips stroking her snow-white, delicate thighs through the thin fabric of her nightdress.

The nightdress was very short, revealing a large expanse of snow-like skin.

"Mm," he responded in a low voice.

"Then... can I draw you now?"

The young girl's eyelashes trembled slightly, and she looked at him with brimming anticipation, her eyes filled with a watery sheen.

Shen Yanhui stroked her waistline; the temperature beneath his palm was abnormally high.

"How do you want to paint? Do you want to take it all off again?"

Gu Yan's cheeks flushed slightly, "Not that today."

She reached out, her fingertips landing on the collar of his shirt.

One, two, three buttons... she slowly unfastened them downwards.

The buttons popped open under her fingertips, revealing a firm chest and clear abdominal muscle lines.

When she reached the waistband of his trousers, her fingers paused.

Then, she gently pulled out the hem of his shirt.

Following her movements, her fingertips unconsciously brushed against the man's skin.

Shen Yanhui's breathing grew a fraction heavier, almost imperceptibly. He leaned back against the chair, letting her do as she pleased, his gaze as deep as ink that could not be dissolved.

"Just like this," Gu Yan directed him, "rest your hand on the armrest and turn your face to look out the window. Yes... hold that pose."

After speaking, she wanted to get off his lap to go get her painting tools.

But the arm around her waist suddenly tightened.

Her nightdress was rolled up by this movement, barely covering the tops of her thighs, the mint-green silk hem bunched at the base of her legs.

Shen Yanhui's voice was a bit hoarse: "If you're asking for a favor, shouldn't you give a little something in return first?"

Gu Yan felt her mouth go even drier, "What kind of benefit do you want?"

"That depends on what you're offering."

Gu Yan watched his sexy, thin lips move up and down, feeling as if her remaining sanity was about to vanish.

Stay steady, she still had to paint.

She shook off the inappropriate thoughts in her head, cupped his face, and kissed him all over in a flurry.

From his forehead to his eyes, from the bridge of his nose to his lips, she kissed him everywhere in a chaotic, haphazard way, yet it was teasingly sweet.

"Is that enough?" she asked, looking up after she finished kissing him.

Shen Yanhui stared at her moist lips for two seconds before finally letting go.

Gu Yan set up her easel not far away and picked up a pencil.

She began to draw.

The tip of the pencil landed on the paper, making a rustling sound.

A sound that should have been calming was, today, incessantly stirring her somewhat restless heart.

She looked up in distress, "Shen Yanhui, is the air conditioner in your study broken? I'm so hot."

Shen Yanhui didn't move, his gaze sweeping over her inch by inch, like a lion patrolling its own territory.

"It's not broken."

Gu Yan threw down her pencil and pouted, "Then what should I do?"

Shen Yanhui leaned back against the chair, his shirt spreading further to the sides, completely exposing his firm muscles.

"Come here, I'll help you."