Volume One, Chapter 14: A Jealous, Fierce Kiss

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“You and he seem to have quite a connection.”

It was nearly lunchtime. The group had gotten into the car and was preparing to head to the restaurant Chairman Wang had reserved in advance. Jiang Qin was fastening her seat belt when Huo Sili closed the door and spoke to her.

The luxury business vehicle was divided by a partition between the front and rear compartments. But dressed in professional attire, with business matters to attend to and something important weighing on her mind, Jiang Qin had no interest in responding to Huo Sili’s remark, which sounded more like sarcasm than jealousy.

“We merely happened to run into each other,” Jiang Qin replied coolly after fastening her seat belt.

As she spoke, she straightened the contract she had signed that morning, opened the safe brought along in the car, and placed it inside.

Huo Sili watched her movements. For a while, he said nothing more. His gaze only grew darker, like a sky thick with storm clouds gathering before a violent downpour.

After locking the safe, Jiang Qin bent down to place it in front of her. She was just about to sit upright when an overwhelming sense of pressure suddenly descended beside her. She instinctively turned back, only for an arm to sweep across her lower back from the side. Her chin was seized, and the man’s rough, unreasonable kiss sealed her lips.

Jiang Qin’s clear eyes widened in stunned disbelief. When she came to her senses, she pushed and struggled. “Huo—Huo Sili… Mmph!”

The tall, powerfully built man bent over her. One hand clamped firmly around her waist, holding her in place, while the other gripped her cheek and forced her mouth open, deepening the kiss with fierce, domineering insistence. In an instant, their breaths mingled.

Jiang Qin had never been his match under ordinary circumstances, let alone now, when she was already afraid to move too forcefully.

Their bodies knew each other far too well. Though she resisted him inwardly with all her might, she shamefully found that before long her legs had gone weak. She hated herself for it, but when she tried to push him away again, she no longer had the strength.

Only after a long while did the kiss end. Huo Sili looked at Jiang Qin, whose body had gone limp from his kiss, and released his grip on her cheek.

Her skin was delicate. Two distinct pink marks stood out against her pale cheeks.

Jiang Qin steadied her breathing and cast him a cold glance. She took out her compact and pressed powder onto her face. Looking into the small mirror attached to it, she saw that her eyes were terribly red. She composed herself, forcing down the wave of bitterness and anger in her chest.

Then a warning voice came from beside her.

“We’re not divorced yet.”

He had the nerve to accuse her first again. Jiang Qin gave a cold laugh. But at the moment, she had neither the strength nor the inclination to argue with him.

She was still thinking about the child in her womb.

Should she terminate the pregnancy, or keep it?

The arrival of a new life truly required careful consideration. By the time the car stopped at the restaurant entrance, Jiang Qin still had not reached a decision.

However, she had already clearly listed the circumstances she might face after making either choice.

And she knew that, deep down, she was more inclined to keep the child.

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There was no other reason. She was simply too lonely. After her grandmother’s death, she no longer had anyone in this world who was truly family.

When her grandmother had been gravely ill, she had repeatedly urged Jiang Qin to live well. Compared with death, Jiang Qin genuinely wanted to go on living. It was just that sometimes, as when she had watched Su Lejia leave the night before, she would suddenly sink into an immense loneliness.

Standing by the roadside, she would see how vast the world was and how many people filled it. The houses glowing with warm lights looked so inviting, yet none of them had anything to do with her.

And now, this child who had suddenly appeared shared the closest blood tie in the world with her.

It was as though fate had sent her a precious gift. It was difficult for her not to keep it.

Especially since she knew that, if the child were born safely, she had more than enough ability and financial means to raise it to adulthood—and she would love it wholeheartedly.

As for the child’s absent father, she had the looks and the earning power. If she truly wanted to find someone, that would hardly be a problem. Society was more accepting these days, and women who kept their children while leaving the father behind, then remarried, were hardly unusual.

“Secretary Jiang? Secretary Jiang?”

At the large round table, Jiang Qin was abruptly pulled back to reality. She turned and smiled at one of Chairman Wang’s female subordinates beside her.

“I’m sorry, I was distracted for a moment. Is something wrong?”

“Oh, I just wanted to trouble you to pass me that box of napkins.” The woman pointed to Jiang Qin’s left.

Jiang Qin glanced over, picked it up, and handed it to her. Lowering her eyes, she was about to continue eating the food she had already placed in her bowl.

Then she paused, one brow lifting slightly. She clearly remembered picking up only a piece of boneless fish.

Yet somehow, an extra serving of stir-fried lettuce stem—her favorite—had appeared in her bowl.

The hand holding her chopsticks stilled. She glanced to the left. Huo Sili was chatting amiably with Chairman Wang.

At an occasion like this, the important thing was socializing; no one had come merely to eat. And if the lazy Susan was to be turned, it had to wait until the superior made the first move.

She withdrew her gaze to her bowl. She did not want to eat anything Huo Sili had served her, but the dishes laid out on the lazy Susan directly opposite were all things she disliked. The only dish she could tolerate was the boneless fish already in her bowl.

Thus, at that moment, those few pieces of lettuce stem were no less precious than a spring appearing in the desert.

Never mind. He was detestable, but wasting food was shameful. Why should she punish her own mouth and stomach because of him?

It was already the usual time for lunch, and Jiang Qin was genuinely hungry. After finishing the fish, she ate the lettuce stem as well.

By the time they took their leave of Chairman Wang, it was already two in the afternoon. The car drove straight to the next engagement.

The destination was in a relatively remote area, in the western suburbs of the capital—a private estate.

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This client was familiar with Huo Sili and around the same age. He had worked with the Huo Group for many years and belonged to the Wen family, one of the capital’s prominent clans. His given name was Chen. He and Huo Sili were fairly close, and Jiang Qin had met him before.

Wen Chen was considered one of the more amiable people in their social circle, so Jiang Qin was not nearly as tense as she had been that morning.

She set an alarm on the way, relaxed against the seatback, and slept for a while. When she woke, she looked at the scenery outside the window, touched up her makeup, and checked once more the documents she would need to review and sign later. They were nearly at their destination.

The car drove straight into the estate and stopped in the open-air parking area outside the main villa. The moment Jiang Qin got out, she heard a young man’s voice.

“Why did she come too?”

The obvious displeasure in his voice made Jiang Qin look over. She found herself facing a not entirely unfamiliar face.

It took her a moment to remember. It was Sheng Zhan, the youngest son of the Sheng family in the capital. From the first time they had met, he had seemed not to like her very much. Jiang Qin had once looked into him and learned that he had earned the nickname “the capital’s little devil.”

In short, he came from a powerful family and had been spoiled since childhood, which had cultivated an arrogant temperament that made him regard no one but himself.

Yet his brand of arrogance differed somewhat from that of other young heirs. Sheng Zhan was one of Huo Sili’s devoted admirers.

Jiang Qin had discovered this before. Sheng Zhan had little patience for anyone else, but when it came to Huo Sili, he was extraordinarily patient. Even when Huo Sili gave him the cold shoulder, he never seemed to mind.

Just then, Sheng Zhan approached with a broad grin. “Brother Huo, you’re here! Brother Wen is putting his daughter to sleep and asked me to come receive you. Come on in!”

Huo Sili said, “You came at the perfect time. I’m a little thirsty, so I’ll head inside first. There are some things in the trunk. Could you help carry them in?”

Without even asking what he was supposed to carry, Sheng Zhan immediately agreed. But when he cheerfully opened the trunk, he was dumbfounded.

“These… All of these? I’m supposed to carry all of them? Brother Huo, are you…”

Did he really think that highly of him?

When Sheng Zhan turned around, Huo Sili had already gone inside. Jiang Qin was still standing nearby. Sheng Zhan glanced at her, then expressionlessly looked away. Gritting his teeth, he began hauling the things from the trunk like a strongman.

Jiang Qin took one look at Sheng Zhan’s willing, long-suffering expression, then glanced ahead and walked into the house with the documents in her arms.

But just as she was about to step into the hall, the rapid patter of adorable footsteps rang out. A delicately pretty little girl came bounding toward her and wrapped both arms tightly around Jiang Qin’s legs.

Jiang Qin started in surprise and immediately froze, afraid to move. Lowering her head, she saw the little girl lift her face toward her. Her large, grape-black eyes still looked somewhat hazy with sleep.

In a tender, childish voice, the girl called sweetly, “Mommy~”

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