Chapter 14: Escapade

“You can’t be really curious about what happens between a lonely man and woman when they get drunk?” Jing Yue teased as he led her down the empty hallway. Her face was flushed as red as an apple, and she sought an excuse to defend herself.

“It’s not that, Jing Yue-” she struggled to mouth, but she was only able to make out a few words. Without wasting any time, he pulled her into an empty room and kissed her senselessly. She could taste the alcohol in his mouth, but yet, it had felt insanely satisfying to make out with him this way. In her heart, she knew she needed more, even if it felt wrong. His mouth was pleasantly warm, leading her to indulge in more, savoury kisses.

Jing Yue’s touch sent waves of desire resonating through her body. His hands freely roamed her body, tingling her and spasming her with need. She fought her desire and attempted to keep her thoughts pure. How different he was now compared to when he was sober, she realised.

Her mind was now in an emotional turmoil. With every touch of his fingers on her, she was slipping into a bottomless pool of desire. It was like he was undoing the strings that kept her together. No, no, she told herself.

A part of her wanted to rebel and willingly surrender herself to this demon of a man to be unfolded and ravaged by him. Yet, another part of her was being careful. How would he even treasure her later when she showed him how easy she was?

He stopped the kiss temporarily. “Miss Tang, I have something to ask you.” Her confusion halted abruptly. Just minutes ago, she had been trying to tell herself no to sensual sin, but now, she was wondering why he had stopped.

“I would prefer if you could call me by my name, Jing Yue.”

Jing Yue recalled Xin Ran’s smiling face vaguely in his mind. This was one of the memories he held dearly in his head, one that had been created at the seminar. “Ying Xue, have you started to remember the past?”

She eyed him curiously, rolling a strand of her hair around her finger playfully. “What if I have?”

“What I want to hear is, if you remember us.” He made this statement with such expectation and for a split second, she could have sworn she saw a tinge of hope written in his eyes. The normally cold and stoic Jing Yue turned out to have such an emotional moment.

“Jing Yue, it doesn’t matter what we were before or whether I remember. I like you, Jing Yue, and that's what matters.”

She tousled her hair confidently, seeking to keep her body language and eye contact as positive as possible. She was a strong woman and as Qiwan had said, she was stronger than she thought herself to be. Chu Xin Ran, you can do it, she told herself in her mind.

He lifted her chin up so that she stared right into his eyes. Their eyes met dramatically for a moment that felt like the longest three seconds of her life. He moved a strand of her dark locks that had apparently gone rogue away from her face.

"Ying Xue, I've been waiting for this from you for a very long time," he said nonchalantly with his eyes gleaming with emotion. "Aside from you, I've never felt this way with another woman."

Her heart throbbed inside her chest. Was that why everyone had thought Jing Yue was a homosexual? Because he had never appeared to be in love or show interest in a female?

But for her to be that unique person in Jing Yue's life was so unreal. However, his words touched her deeply, wetting her eyes. It was like she had known him for an entire lifetime.

Out of the blue, her chest stabbed with pain for a few seconds as she contemplated her feelings for Jing Yue. Now she had no memories of him, but she couldn't wait for too long.

Who are you, Jing Yue?

If only he could read her mind, he would know that she had been thinking so much about him.

Following the confession of his feelings, Jing Yue pressed his lips against hers, enveloping her small mouth with his thick lips. Her mind didn't process how fast everything had escalated.

Before she knew it, he had her pinned on a sofa in the corner of the room, while strong arms held her arms unceremoniously over her head. Her heart thumped again and again at how wildly and hungrily he was kissing her.

Like a predator. She closed her eyes and returned his kisses vibrantly, reminding herself she was not drunk. She was as sober as she could ever be. If anything she was making out with him on the sofa wide awake.

Jing Yue was such an excellent kisser. Ending the kiss gradually, he moved downwards to nibble on the nape of her neck. She trembled as his lips made contact with more of her skin.

"I want you," he whispered. She opened her mouth to answer him, but no words came out. When she finally found her voice, all she could muster was a sensual whimper. It bothered her how she was giving herself to him so readily, that she wasn't sure if she would regret her actions afterwards.

Even if it was the twenty-first century, they were still living in a country where traditional mindsets and cultures were still held in high regard. Besides, she and Jing Yue weren't in a relationship. If it was to happen between them, how would it change their status? Would they get together?

In the silence of the room, he could hear her rapid breathing.

"Jing Yue, I…" she stammered.

Jing Yue paused abruptly, and promptly released his grip on her.

Xin Ran panted hard, as if she was running a marathon. She tried to regain her composure, adjusting the straps of her dress to restore it to the state it was before she entered the room.

"I'm sorry…" Jing Yue's voice called out to her, but it was beginning to trail off from her, like they were worlds apart. It began with her vision, starting to get fuzzy. She rubbed her eyes and tried to focus, but everything seemed to be fading away. Not just Jing Yue's voice, but nothing seemed to make her feel she was still in that room.

She must have fainted again or floated into oblivion, as the next thing was that she was seeing a series of high resolution, clear images. She resolved that they had to be memories of Chu Xin Ran and Fang Yiqi. Everything was as clear as day.

Again she was at the battlefield, watching Fang Yiqi hover over her, but this time, she could see his visage clearly. It shocked her to realise who he had been all along.

Jing Yue's voice reverberated in the room, returning her to the present. "Xin Ran, I'm sorry."

Xin Ran? Did he just call her Xin Ran?

A loud noise resounded through the hall, jolting them both in shock.