Chapter 1788: New Year’s Surprise: You’ve Provoked Me_2

The time passed, and it seemed quiet outside. The office where Yan Chi stayed was so silent that you could hear a pin drop. He squinted at his phone; after midnight, he hadn’t received any more messages from Jiang Ruan, probably because she was having too much fun.

Yan Chi lowered his head to work, while on the other side, the computer was still broadcasting a New Year’s Eve concert. After the live show ended, he sent a message to Jiang Ruan:

[Call me when you get to the hotel.]

The concert ended around twelve forty, and the hotel they booked was quite far from the concert venue, so Yan Chi patiently waited for a call until the time slid past two in the morning, still with no activity. Yan Chi pursed his lips tightly and was about to call Jiang Ruan’s roommate for an update when his phone vibrated.

It was Jiang Ruan calling.

"Hello." Answering the phone, Yan Chi felt a bit anxious inside, but his voice was calm.

"You’re still at the company?"

"Did you get to the hotel?"

"I’m downstairs at your office building, the doors are all closed, and I didn’t dare to knock..."

Yan Chi’s fingers clenched around the phone.

"You came back to Nanjiang?"

"Didn’t you say you were working overtime at the company tonight? You didn’t go home, did you? Otherwise, I came for nothing..."

"Wait for me."

Yan Chi grabbed his phone, took the elevator to the first floor, almost sprinted to the entrance. The security guard, who was dozing off, quickly opened the door for him when he saw him coming out.

At the entrance, he saw Jiang Ruan sitting by the flower bed.

The young girl was still clutching a few fluorescent sticks in her hand, and there was a small luggage bag at her feet. When she saw him coming, she quickly stood up, smiled, and took two steps towards him, "I’ve never been alone this late at night. The street’s so empty, and there are barely any cars. It’s kind of scary. Good thing you’re still at the office, if you weren’t, I’d..."

As Jiang Ruan rambled on, Yan Chi took two steps forward and wrapped her completely in his arms.

The night wind was chilly.

Jiang Ruan had long been chilled to the bone by the cold wind, yet he was warm and feverish.

The two stood close together, and his heat gradually enveloped her, filling her whole being with warmth.

"Why didn’t you tell me you were coming back?" Yan Chi’s voice was low and hoarse, "I would have picked you up."

"I wanted to surprise you, but..."

"Hmm?"

"I’m a bit hungry now."

...

A little past two in the morning, the night market in Nanjiang was still bustling. Yan Chi took Jiang Ruan to have a simple meal before arranging for her to rest.

At this time, going back to school was out of the question, so they found a hotel.

Nanjiang is a tourist city, and with the holidays, hotels were almost fully booked. They searched through several places before finding one with a vacancy; all the double rooms were taken, leaving only twin rooms. Jiang Ruan took out her ID to register.

"Just one person?" The hotel receptionist glanced at the two of them; after all, it was three in the morning, and it was rare for a mixed-gender pair to only book for one person.

Yan Chi also handed over his ID, and the receptionist stared at it for a long moment.

She thought he looked familiar, yet she couldn’t be sure, and now seeing the ID, she finally confirmed.

Isn’t this Mr. Xiaoyan?

Their hotel wasn’t too far from the Yan Family’s residence, close to home, and bringing a young girl to get a room?

Though surprised, she didn’t dare to say much, merely completing the check-in formalities silently and handed them the room keys after taking payment.

The two of them entered the hotel elevator.

Jiang Ruan still held onto her fluorescent sticks, inexplicably nervous inside.

Driving back from out of town in the middle of the night, she knew that they might end up staying together tonight.

The surrounding was excessively quiet, and they remained silent all the way.

Until they entered the elevator.

Yan Chi was carrying her small luggage bag, lips pursed, seemingly watching her, "Next time you decide to come back so late, make sure to let me know in advance."

Even though Nanjiang’s security was good, there was always the risk of unexpected incidents for a young woman out alone.

Jiang Ruan nodded in agreement, clutching her fluorescent sticks tightly, "Senior, can I ask you something?"

"Go ahead."

The elevator doors slowly closed, momentarily enclosing them from the world. Except for the faint sound of the elevator ascending, it was so quiet they could almost hear each other’s breathing.

"Is your work not going well lately?"

"No."

"Has something happened at home?"

"Also no."

"Then your recent low spirits are because of me, aren’t they? If work and family are fine, the issue must lie with me."

There couldn’t be no reason, right?

And Yan Chi, typically straightforward and candid, did not deny it when he looked at her.

This took Jiang Ruan by surprise. Their relationship had always been stable, without any quarrels, so why was he unhappy because of her? She refused to take the blame for this.

There are things that need to be clarified.

She raised her hand, holding a fluorescent stick, and poked Yan Chi’s arm, "Why would it be because of me? I haven’t done anything to provoke you..."

"Think carefully before you speak."

"Or else..."

Jiang Ruan’s tone carried a bit of a threat, warning him to be careful with his words.

Suddenly, the hand holding the fluorescent stick was grabbed, his palm burning hot, pounding heart abruptly heavy, and in panic, her fingers twitched...

"Clatter——" The fluorescent stick fell.

Yan Chi edged closer to her, the heat like a gust, wrapping her tightly in the confined space.

Jiang Ruan stepped back slightly, Yan Chi closing the gap further, the distance between them...

Becoming negligible.

"Or what do you plan to do to me?"

His voice rumbled low and hoarse, as he spoke, his breath almost caressing her lips.

"I..." Jiang Ruan indeed had no idea what she could do to him.

"Jiang Ruan."

Since they started dating, Yan Chi rarely called her by her full name, which made her heart skip a beat when he did.

"You have indeed provoked me."

"How did I provoke you, I..."

"You just need to feel it, don’t you?"

The next moment, Yan Chi pressed her entire hand against his chest.

Feeling the pulse of his heart, fast and strong, pounding against her palm, matching her own rhythm of breath and heartbeat unconsciously.

Fast, fervent...

Her palm on his chest, each heartbeat seemed to echo in her own heart.

Rapid, heavy, stir emotions to breathlessness.

"Do you feel it?" Yan Chi lowered his eyes to look at her.

Just then, the elevator reached the designated floor, "Ding——" sounded, Jiang Ruan’s breath hitched.

The next instant

Yan Chi tilted his head slightly, and the tiny gap between their lips vanished.

The air in the elevator seemed to thin in an instant, suffocating, rendering the surroundings so silent they could distinctly perceive each other’s hurried and disordered breaths.

Tangled, ambiguous.

At this moment, time’s passage seemed unnoticed. Uncertain how long it took, Yan Chi finally stepped back slightly.

Jiang Ruan’s fingers remained on his chest, feeling the heat through his shirt, the...

Scorching heat.

Gradually eroding the cooling temperature of her palm.

And at this moment, his heart rate seemed, off the chart disorderly.

Beating wildly, like a drum...

Utter chaos.

So, during a kiss, even he becomes nervous enough for his heartbeat to lose rhythm.

She always thought, Yan Chi seemed so expressionless, even in holding hands, hugging, kissing, he seemed calm, composed, managing the pace seamlessly.

Turns out...

He also became flustered because of her.

"Ruan Ruan."

"Do you think..."

"Does that count as a kind of provocation?"

Yan Chi’s hushed voice lingered by Jiang Ruan’s ear. At this moment, she felt as though her whole body was engulfed in flames, on the brink of suffocating from lack of oxygen.

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