Chapter 49: I Thought You Weren't Coming Back

After obtaining Rong Nianqing's private contact information, Lü Yao lowered his profile and gradually faded out of the group's conversation.

Jian Xiaojie looked at Lü Yao beside her with considerable amusement.

Since she was the one who brought Lü Yao, his impressive performance in front of this group made her feel proud as well.

It proved that she had great taste!

Gan Xiaoxie, sitting diagonally across from them, cast a somewhat peculiar look as her gaze swept back and forth between Lü Yao and Rong Nianqing.

"Did the two of them really just exchange contact info like that?"

"What about me?"

"Hmph, I would never be that proactive. I want him to make the first move!"

Yet, until the gathering of their small circle came to an end, Lü Yao never once took the initiative to ask Gan Xiaoxie for her contact information.

Every time Gan Xiaoxie invited him for a drink or a game, Lü Yao interacted with her with extreme politeness and reserve, showing not the slightest intention of taking things further.

Once their gathering dispersed, Gan Xiaoxie returned to her car with a lingering sense of imbalance.

"What gives! I practically threw myself at him for a drink! Couldn't he have been a bit more proactive?"

So frustrating!

...

Inside Jian Xiaojie's car, Lü Yao had consumed quite a bit of alcohol.

Yet, he was in a rather good mood today.

Although he had attended Rong Nianqing's birthday banquet under the guise of a "male companion," he had successfully secured a preliminary footing within Rong Nianqing's inner circle.

He had even managed to make a strong impression by leveraging the vision and insights he had supposedly gained from studying abroad.

If he could truly secure the promised sweat equity from Rong Nianqing later on, his future layout would require much less effort, and his upper limit would far exceed his original planning.

"Hoo—"

Lü Yao let out a long breath as he sat in the car.

Today's harvest was abundantly fruitful!

"Thud!"

Amidst the sound of the car door closing, Lü Yao saw Jian Xiaojie take the driver's seat.

Lü Yao asked, perplexed, "Didn't you drink quite a bit? Can you still drive?!"

Although someone like Jian Xiaojie getting caught for drunk driving wouldn't be a catastrophic issue, driving after drinking this much tonight was still extremely dangerous.

Jian Xiaojie's cheeks were flushed a rosy red from the alcohol.

Sitting in the driver's seat with a somewhat hazy look in her eyes, she gazed at Lü Yao with a lingering, string-like intensity before chuckling softly, "Mmm~ I have a few questions I'd like to ask you."

Lü Yao nodded, "Go ahead."

Jian Xiaojie shifted closer to Lü Yao, leaning in. "Are you going back on your own tonight, or are you coming back with me?"

She leaned in very close.

Lü Yao could clearly smell the perfume on her skin, mingling with the rich scent of alcohol.

The narrow space.

The ambiguous fragrance.

The atmosphere inside the car grew increasingly suggestive.

Lü Yao neither refused nor agreed. Instead, he leaned closer and replied in an equally suggestive tone, "If you put a little more effort into it, it's not entirely out of the question for me to go back with you."

Jian Xiaojie smiled.

She was a seasoned veteran of the romantic playing field.

Naturally, she understood that Lü Yao was deliberately teasing her appetite.

People are always happiest when they are infinitely close to happiness, because the finest experiences often stem from one's own anticipation.

Therefore.

She also enjoyed this kind of mutual tug-of-war.

In the game of romance, the roles of hunter and hunted were never fixed.

What if she reeled Lü Yao in so hard that he ended up completely captivated?

That sense of achievement would be even more exhilarating!

So, Jian Xiaojie continued to smile and said, "Then I need some motivation to put in the effort~ Shouldn't you give me a little sweetness to keep me motivated, then~?"

Lü Yao smiled, "The sweetness is definitely there."

Jian Xiaojie's gaze grew even more intense as she stared at Lü Yao and asked with a sweet smile, "What kind of sweetness?"

Lü Yao took out a lighter, "Let me show you a magic trick."

Not this again?

Knowing that Lü Yao's magic tricks were never simple ones, Jian Xiaojie's eyes curved into a pair of crescent moons, "Alright then."

Lü Yao held the lighter in his right hand, placing his left hand in a dome shape directly above it. "Pay close attention!"

"Clack!"

The crisp sound of the lighter ignited, and simultaneously, Lü Yao blew a soft "hoo" while lifting his left hand rapidly.

Jian Xiaojie instinctively looked up, exposing her slender and fair neck.

The very next second.

Lü Yao thrust his head forward, burying his entire face into the crook of Jian Xiaojie's neck with lightning speed.

Gasp!

Jian Xiaojie was startled by this sudden shift, but before she could react, she felt a pair of soft lips land against her neck.

In that instant, an electrical current seemed to radiate outward from the point of contact.

Jian Xiaojie went completely numb.

Before she could recover from the tingling numbness, she felt a pair of sharp things gently bite down on her neck.

"Hiss—"

Jian Xiaojie's muscles instantly tightened, yet her bones ungratefully began to turn to jelly.

Layer upon layer of sensory stimulation, magnified by the alcohol, caused Jian Xiaojie's pupils to dilate rapidly, threatening to lose focus altogether.

Yet, just as her consciousness was about to surrender, Lü Yao decisively and abruptly pulled back.

"Hoo—"

Jian Xiaojie took a ragged breath.

Then, she looked at Lü Yao in sheer disbelief.

Why did you stop?

Keep going, you bad boy!

What else can you do besides leave a neck full of your saliva?!

Lü Yao said with an ambiguous smile, "That's about it. Time to go home."

Go home?

Dissatisfied and unconvinced, Jian Xiaojie directly started the car and reached over to lock the doors.

Lü Yao was taken aback, "What are you doing?"

Jian Xiaojie raised her hands to gather her loose long hair, tying it up into a ponytail at the back of her head as she flashed a mischievous smile, "Take a guess."

Damn it!

From that posture alone, I knew you were going to bite me back!

Before Lü Yao could retreat, Jian Xiaojie grabbed him and leaned over into the passenger seat—

"Hiss—"

This time, it was Lü Yao who drew in a sharp breath!

It was only at this moment that Lü Yao finally understood the true meaning of a master driver showcasing breathtaking oral skills!

Jian Xiaojie's revolutions were lightning-fast, navigating even the sharpest curves with effortless fluidity.

Yet, she merely tasted in moderation.

Completely ignoring Lü Yao, whose engine was running piping hot.

She lifted her head, settled back into the driver's seat, and while wiping her lips with a mischievous smile, she remarked, "This is my car. I'm the one who holds the steering wheel."

With that, she grabbed her handbag, applied her makeup with elegant composure inside the car, and then rolled down the window to snap her fingers. Soon, a valet from the Rong Manor parking lot came running over to serve as her designated driver.

Having secured her sweet reward and successfully turning the tables with a counter-hook, Jian Xiaojie was in no rush anymore and ultimately dropped Lü Yao off right downstairs at Sister Wang's apartment building.

Then she left just like that, carefree and unrestrained.

Standing downstairs at the apartment building, Lü Yao couldn't help but exhale a stifled breath.

Good grief!

This Sister Jian possessed romantic prowess that was by no means inferior to his own.

This was precisely why Lü Yao always maintained a calculated push-and-pull with her.

Unlike Sister Wang, who harbored a "white moonlight" nostalgic filter for Lü Yao—making a straightforward approach perfectly fine—Jian Xiaojie was a pure player.

To someone like her, things that were obtained too easily were rarely cherished.

Right now, they were hunters to each other, both treating the other as prey, waiting to see who would eventually lose control and willingly be trained into an obedient pet.

Lü Yao shook his head to clear it and calm down, then turned and headed upstairs.

When he unlocked the apartment door and stepped inside, he discovered that Sister Wang was actually home tonight, and a thick smell of cigarette smoke lingered in the air.

Lü Yao looked toward the balcony living room and saw Sister Wang sitting on the balcony, holding a cigarette between her fingers and gazing toward the entrance.

Sister Wang stubbed out the cigarette, a complex smile playing on her lips. "I thought you weren't coming back tonight."