C9 Huo Shaoyang

Time had stopped all around them, and all they could see was each other. His subtle masculine scent wrapped around Jian Yun like a lullaby, as if luring her right under his gaze. Anyone would assume she had just run a marathon at the sight of her flustered face and wide eyes. Her heartbeat raced in her chest.

It had been years since she had felt this way.

His gaze shone with intent, a far cry from the indifference she had received from him the night before. There was a certain glimmer in his eyes–like an unspoken promise. Her face burned up at the thought.

Jian Yun wanted to push him away, but his hand tightened around her waist, preventing her from moving any further.

Luckily, Wu Wenjing was there to interrupt the moment.

"Pr–President Huo," she stuttered out. At first, Wu Wenjing had been curious to see a limited-edition Mercedes-Benz pull up right in front of them. Although she hadn't seen one personally, she knew for a fact that the price of these cars was one she could never afford in her entire lifetime. She wanted to ask Jian Yun about the man they'd be meeting tonight until she saw the man sitting in the backseat. To say she was surprised was a huge understatement.

However, what shocked her, even more, was the position the two were in. There was something about their actions that made it seem as if they had known each other for years, and the way they were gazing at each other was like a pair of blind men seeing light for the first time. It was enough to make even her tongue-tied. "Yun," she tried again. "A–aren't we going on a blind date? Is President Huo your blind date?"

Upon mentioning Huo Liancheng's name, her voice rose an octave.

The moment Wu Wenjing had spoken, Jian Yun instantly recovered from her reverie. She drew back from his hold and straightened her back. "What nonsense!" she snapped and her eyes widened pleadingly, begging her to quiet down.

As her back hit the leather seat, Jian Yun stroke her hair in embarrassment. It was a good thing that their surroundings had dimmed once more, else they'd be able to catch sight of her red face. "I'm sorry."

Although his face remained composed, Huo Liancheng's hands clenched into fists at the insinuation of Wu Wenjing's words. He raised his head to gaze at the driver's seat. His eyebrows were raised, and his dark eyes were even more unsettling. "A blind date?"

"It's not a blind date!" Cheng Muze shifted on his seat.

Where the hell did this chubby girl come from? How dare she say that Jian Yun was going on a blind date? As his fingers grazed across the wheel, he could feel a pair of eyes boring through a hole in his back. Cheng Muze resisted the urge to wince. Had Fourth Brother misunderstood their situation?

"Drive!"

Cheng Muze glanced at his phone, looking at all the pictures he had secretly taken. The bright lights reflected on his glasses as he stared at the ambiguous positions the two were in. Although the photos were blurry and dim, it was still enough to see who it was. The corners of his lips quirked up in satisfaction.

It seemed that Huo Liancheng acted differently around this woman.

"Yun, what's going on?" Wu Wenjing whispered. "Aren't you on a blind date?"

No matter how strong her nerves were, Jian Yun was still a ball of anxiety at the sight of her own boss sitting right next to her. Although they weren't speaking, his presence was enough to make people intimidated by him.

"No! I'll tell you later, okay? Could you scooch over?" Her hands stiffened on her lap. Although the back seat was wider than many cars she had seated in, Huo Liancheng was tall and muscled. Seeing as the two people beside her had taken up most of the space, she had no choice but to be squished in the middle.

"Okay!" Wu Wenjing couldn't help but glance over at President Huo. The man had on a long-sleeved shirt with two of his buttons popped open, revealing his defined collarbone. Under the dim lighting, she could make out his strong jawline and arched nose. His face was the epitome of perfection.

She immediately retracted her gaze and settled her attention onto the car door. After all, she knew her limits. A man like him was a man she could only dream about.

Jian Yun inched closer to her friend. Although she was practically squished right next to Wu Wenjing, it was still inevitable to bump her shoulders against Liancheng.

If she had known that he would be here, she would've found a reason to work overtime. She could still remember how he had helped her last night, and the way he had wiped his hands with a tissue as if he were being poisoned. From the number of times Jian Yun had fallen into his arms tonight, a part of her reckoned that he'd be burning his suit by the time he got back home.

Although she didn't know why, Jian Yun was terrified of him.

"Right, Mr. Cheng, where are we going to eat?" Jian Yun asked. The atmosphere in the car had gotten so awkward that none of them had said a word this entire car ride. Even she could only gaze at the window for a long time before realizing that she still had no idea where they were heading.

She glanced at the man beside him, noticing that the venomous gaze was gone. And instead, it was replaced with a mask of indifference. Jian Yun didn't know if it was because of Wu Wenjing's presence that had changed him, but this was definitely not the Liancheng she had met the other night. Despite this, she lowered her eyes and interlaced her fingers on her lap.

"I know a private restaurant that's up ahead!" Glancing at the traffic signal, he suddenly sped up.

The two women were suddenly thrown backward from the impact. Although Wu Wenjing had quickly steadied herself by grabbing onto the handle on top of the car door, Jian Yun wasn't as lucky. Just as she settled in leaning against her friend for support, Cheng Muze made a sharp turn, followed over by the brakes.

Immediately, Jian Yun was thrown to the side from the sudden turn. As soon as the car had halted, she had already fallen onto Liancheng's lap, with her face pressed close against his abdomen.

She gazed up at him, and their gazes met once again. However, upon seeing his furrowed eyebrows and pursed lips, her heart skipped a beat. She wanted to ask him what was wrong until she realized the provocativeness of the position they were in.

Jian Yun wasn't that naive. Immediately, she reeled back and sat up, feeling the hot air rushing up to her face. She bit her bottom lip so hard that it had already drawn blood.

God, what was wrong with her?

Wu Wenjing had been holding on so tightly that she didn't even notice what had happened. When she turned and caught sight of her friend's disheveled hair and swollen lips, she frowned. "Why is your face so red?"

As she asked, she snuck a peek at President Huo. Although he didn't look flustered, his indifferent features had dropped. Instead, it was replaced with a weird expression. Shrugging, she glanced out the parking lot, not thinking too much into it.

"Nothing! We've arrived, right? Let's get out of the car!" Not daring to look at the man beside her anymore, Jian pushed Wu Wenjing towards the door.

Cheng Muze had already gotten off the car and was opening the door beside Huo Liancheng. When the man had gotten out, he shot him a glare, to which Muze responded with an innocent smile.

The place Cheng Muze had picked out was quite remote, so there weren't any cars crowding over the parking space. They walked inside, with Huo Liancheng leading the way and Cheng Muze and Jian Yu walking side by side.