C7 One-Night Stand

He was sporting a jacket which might appear casual to most, but was actually hand-tailored from an international brand.

Beneath that was a simple white shirt, which hugged his torso in a way that defined his pecs and hinted at the firm ridges of his abs.

Naturally, the women could not look away from his body.

He strode into the venue like he didn’t have a care in the world, and swept the place with an indifferent glance.

His aloofness made him almost regal, making the guests squirm under his sharp eye.

They all understood then that this was a man who had always gotten what he wanted, a man who was used to throwing his weight and influence around, if only to assert his authority.

“What the—it really is him,” Yanxi muttered under her breath as her heart pounded furiously inside her chest.

The look on her face caught Xiaolu’s attention, who immediately became suspicious. She leaned over and whispered, “What’s wrong, what are you mumbling about?”

"It's nothing."

Yanxi swallowed and looked back at the guest of honor. He was flanked by his goons on both sides as his hawk-like gaze continued its tour around the hall. And then…

Their eyes met and locked.

It lasted for no more than two seconds before he dismissed her and turned away. He never flinched at all. His cool expression never wavered.

The host of the party came up to him then, bowing and paying his greetings with utmost respect. “Young Master Tang, this way please.”

The quartet resumed playing, and the hall gradually grew lively again as the guests twittered among themselves, waiting for a chance to be introduced to Tang Zhengxun.

Seeing an opportunity to escape, Yanxi grabbed a glance of wine from a passing waiter and retreated to a couch in one corner of the room.

She was still in a bit of a daze, but her instincts were yelling at her to collect herself. She needed to be on her toes.

She took a gulp of her drink and watched Xiaolu doing what she did best—public relations.

“Miss Qin,” a polite voice came from the side of her seat. “I have the honor of asking you for a dance in Young Master Tang’s behalf. Won’t you oblige his invitation?”

She looked up to find none other than President Guo himself, beaming at her like a proud father figure.

He nodded his head toward the dance floor, prompting Yanxi to follow the direction of his gesture. Tang Zhengxun stood there, almost directly across her, much to her horror.

He wasn’t looking at her at the moment, and was instead engrossed in an animated discussion with the woman beside him. His lips were curved to his signature lofty smirk.

“Miss Qin,” President Guo spoke again, still smiling, albeit with a wide, pointed look in his eyes this time. “I highly suggest you seize this very rare opportunity.”

Yanxi paused and finished her drink, then finally nodded in agreement. But she wasn’t doing this in order to seize that much-coveted chance.

No, it was because there was a lot that she didn’t understand about this man, and a part of her felt the need to find out what made him tick.

She approached the man in question just as the quartet began to play some romantic tune.

He turned to her before she could even say a word, as though he had known this would happen, and he had simply been waiting.

He took her into his arms and guided her to the center of the room with ease, and they glided along to the music.

As expected, all eyes were fixed on them, some with curiosity, most with blatant envy. As for Xiaolu, her own eyes were practically popping out of their sockets in disbelief.

“Tang Zhengxun?” Yanxi asked tentatively after a while.

“You have some cheek, calling me by my full name in public. You’re the only one who has dared so far.”

He looked deep into her eyes, a wanton smile dancing at his lips. Yanxi shivered as alarm bells started to ring inside her head.

She quickly averted her gaze. “I apologize.” They danced in silence for a few seconds as she struggled to regain her composure.

Then she looked up and tried again. “Mr. Tang. We haven’t met somewhere else before, have we?”

His beautiful eyes narrowed dangerously at her words. His smile faded. Yanxi had to look away again.

“Then it really was a dream,” she mumbled with a frown.

“The night club,” Tang Zhenxun said abruptly. “We’ve met before, at the night club.”

Yanxi stared at him, speechless, even as his arm tightened around her waist and pulled her flush against his body.

“I am so, so sorry,” she gushed, her face hot with embarrassment. “I really had too much to drink that night, I have no other excuse. I am so sorry I called you a—”

“Male escort,” he supplied in a clipped tone.

“I deeply apologize for that.”

Goodness, just how much trouble had she courted after getting herself drunk? She had been very rude to the Young Master of the Tang Sect.

“Please forgive me, Mr. Tang. I know I can’t apologize enough, but I hope you can let me go just this once.”

“I don’t really care about that, but there are other things about that night that we simply can’t ignore. Other things that… happened between us.”

He pulled her even closer as he said this, pressing her soft, lush breast to his hard, toned chest.

He leaned over to whisper in her ear, “You’re so much naughtier than most unmarried girls I know.”

Yanxi turned her head sharply and glared at him, her cheeks red. “You…” she pushed against his body and tried to put some distance between them.

“Mr. Tang, what happened that night was… it was all a mistake, as I’m sure you know.

Please don’t take that incident to heart and just forget it ever happened. Let us be nothing more than strangers to each other from now on.”

“Are you saying that what we had was a mere one-night stand?”

Yanxi’s lips tightened into a thin line and a muscle worked at her jaw. She had no answer to that.