009 - Kidnapping

“Hey, Road, isn’t that enough? You’ve hugged me, kissed me, and touched me—let’s just go our separate ways, shall we?” As they stepped out of the hall, Xia Yuwei finally managed to wriggle out of Lu Yichen’s arms, releasing a long-held breath of relief.

Facing him, she felt she had lost all dignity. She should hate him, forget him, yet why did he always end up seeing her at her most embarrassed, most vulnerable? Why did he get to hold her again and again, kiss her again and again? How utterly spineless—she must draw a clear line with this scoundrel, once and for all.

“So, you use me as your shield and then toss me aside when you’re done?” Lu Yichen raised an eyebrow with a faint smile.

‘Road?’ Was that really what she should call him? Fine, perhaps her shyness was unforgivable, but if she wouldn’t call him darling or sweetheart, she could at least use his real name, couldn’t she? Unbelievable. It had only been eight years—shouldn’t she miss him? Why did she always act as if she had amnesia?

“What… what shield? And who are you anyway? As for repaying you, haven’t I already given myself? Isn’t that enough?” Xia Yuwei’s words seemed to cement the idea of her ‘amnesia,’ adding fuel to the fire and making Lu Yichen’s temper flare.

“You’re sure you want to give yourself to repay me, are you?” He knew that with a woman this stubborn, the best answer was to show her who was in charge.

Without another word, he swept her up into his arms and strode toward the parking lot. With a “beep,” the fiery red sports car flashed, and he tossed Xia Yuwei inside. Circling to the driver’s seat, he slid in, started the engine, and sped onto the road without a pause.

The whole motion was smooth and effortless, completely ignoring Xia Yuwei’s struggles. But Xia Yuwei was always Xia Yuwei—no matter what he did, she could never master the art of a shrew’s resistance. All she could do was swing her little fists at him, soft and harmless. Did she not realize that this only made him want to cherish her more, to ravish her without restraint?

The red sports car raced down the highway.

“Hey, are you kidnapping me? Where are we going?” Faced with Lu Yichen’s dominance, Xia Yuwei felt powerless, pressing her hand to her forehead in exasperation.

“You’ll find out when we get there!” Lu Yichen’s lips curled into a smile. He put his foot down, and Xia Yuwei was thrown back in her seat, only to rebound forward again.

“Ah!” she screamed in fright, only to realize it was nothing but one of Lu Yichen’s pranks.

“You—you’re openly kidnapping me! I’ll report you!” Xia Yuwei fumed.

But her sulking only made her more charming, her bright, clear phoenix eyes radiating a natural grace. Her long, straight hair, dyed a shade of rose red, shimmered under the sunlight. Her full cherry lips, already kissed into disarray, were swollen and tinged with red, pouting with a hint of complaint, as delicate as a flower. Yet her voice still carried a childish sweetness, and every glance, every word, sent a rush of heat through Lu Yichen’s veins, like fire coursing beneath his skin.

“Damn it!” Lu Yichen slapped the steering wheel and cursed under his breath. If he weren’t driving, he would have thrown himself at her, straight to the heart of the matter…