{The esteemed Mr. Shen still has no shame… 1}

Act, or not to act.

Much like Hamlet’s most intriguing question, to be or not to be?
But his body reacted far more honestly than he did; as he leaned in slightly, he could already sense the woman’s breath. Unlike the sweet fragrance of an ordinary woman, she had an aura that brought calm and serenity, far more alluring than any seductive sweetness.

Soon, her eyes lowered, and her face nestled closely against his chest, like something a couple deeply in love would often do.

“Thump—”

He didn’t want her to hear his heartbeat, which was practically bursting out of him. Yet, she seemed oblivious to this detail. Though she remained silent, he could still sense her gaze saying, “Why isn’t that person leaving?”

And he, in turn, began to grow increasingly greedy.

Desiring that this moment would stretch on endlessly, becoming eternal.

If just a moment ago he had been torn about whether or not to act, ever since agreeing, everything had started to feel natural. That is to say, his hand’s gesture of tucking a stray strand of hair on her forehead was completely unnecessary, but he did it without much thought.
And as his palm touched her hair, he realized for the first time the difference between a woman’s hair and a man’s. Her hair was so fine and soft.

But such moments were fleeting and short-lived.

Soon, Qian Xu decided that the intimacy between her and Zhao Buhui had gone on long enough; if they went too far, it would lose authenticity.
She withdrew in time, only then realizing that her head had been resting on Zhao Buhui’s chest. Her cheek could almost feel the outline of his chest muscles, his warmth, and his erratic heartbeat…how close and ambiguous their proximity had been.
That heated gaze from outside finally disappeared from the window.
She had achieved her goal.

If she’d known that this would be enough to drive Shen Qi away, she might have gotten close to someone else in front of his eyes even sooner.
It wasn’t that Zhao Buhui didn’t matter; rather, the specific person didn’t matter. If it had been someone else here today, Qian Xu might still have played along with someone else.
“He’s gone.”

The gentle lighting illuminated the scenery outside, and the man who had been standing in front of the floor-to-ceiling window was indeed gone.
Any man with a shred of self-respect wouldn’t choose to witness the intimate closeness between her and Zhao Buhui from beginning to end.

She thought that this also meant Zhao Buhui wouldn’t have to wrestle with another internal “to act or not to act” debate and that it was time to end this performance and leave Mrs. Li’s estate early.
With that one sentence, Qian Xu prepared to leave.

On this side, Zhao Buhui, who had snapped out of it, seemed a bit flustered. He began clumsily gathering various trivial items, only to find that the car keys he’d been looking for were actually in his pocket. Busy with something but completely lost as to what he was busy with.
He was clearly awake, yet now he could only continue to feign drunkenness.

He didn’t even know how to speak the next sentence to Qian Xu; would a greeting seem too formal? If he talked about their seamless teamwork, would it make her think of that inconsequential Shen Qi over and over on this night?

But she, on the other hand, remained calm. The intense act of revenge over, she didn’t let the pleasure cloud her mind.

Suddenly, she fixed her gaze on him, as if in appreciation of his cooperation. With a gesture of gratitude, she said, “I just messaged Mrs. Li, and she said there are a few private parking spots nearby on the hillside. Parking fees on the highway aren’t cheap, so I’ll park it there for you. Tomorrow, you or your driver can come to pick it up.”

“Wait for me to drive you.”

“…Alright.”

Zhao Buhui tried to make his response sound as natural as possible.