As soon as he posed the question, my phone rang. I glanced at the screen—it was Hao Yi. Damn, I hadn’t checked in with him all evening.
“Go ahead, answer it,” Chu Ke Huan said with a shrug, his tone casual. “I’ll check the U.S. market trends while you do.”
I nodded and picked up the call. “Hello?”
“Are you still not home?” Hao Yi’s familiar voice came through, but my eyes remained fixed on Chu Ke Huan. My heart felt like it was about to burst out of my chest.
“I just got home,” I lied. “Every department needed me this afternoon, so I had to stop by the office...” It was late at night—well past “afternoon.” The lie sounded clumsy even to me, so I hastily added, “There was an issue with the product I’m working on—Marketing, RD, SWRD, all...”
“Wait, you know we work in the same industry. What you’re saying could violate company confidentiality,” Hao Yi cut me off, alarmed.
“Oh! I forgot...”
Though we worked for different companies, there wasn’t a direct competitive relationship between us. Still, Hao Yi’s strong sense of professional ethics meant that whenever we vented about work, we avoided details, using vague terms instead. Yet here I was, nearly spilling secrets in a panicked attempt to cover my guilt.
“It’s fine. Better to be cautious,” Hao Yi said, his tone softening. “I thought you weren’t calling because you were mad at me.”
“I’m not mad...” I said, stealing a glance at Chu Ke Huan. To my dismay, he lifted his eyes at the same moment, and our gazes locked. I couldn’t focus. Words escaped me.
“You left so quickly this time, I barely got a chance to look at you,” Hao Yi said, his tone shifting playfully. “I miss you. Can we video call?”
Before I could react, I felt Chu Ke Huan’s lips graze my ear, trailing down to my neck in a gentle yet provocative kiss. Shocked and overwhelmed, I gasped audibly, my thoughts spiraling. I tried to pull away, but his strong hand slammed against the armrest of the couch with a loud “thud,” trapping me between him and the sofa in a suffocatingly small space.
Was this... the infamous kabe-don?
Damn it. My heart won’t stop racing.
“Hello? Can you hear me?” Hao Yi’s voice called out as I remained silent.
Helpless, I stared at Chu Ke Huan’s face, now impossibly close. My chaotic mind could only come up with the simplest response. “Hao Yi, I’m really tired right now... Can we talk tomorrow?”
“Goodnight...” Hao Yi said, disappointed, as I hastily ended the call.
I knew I’d let him down, but the current situation left me no room to dwell on it. The thundering pulse in my chest made me want to crawl into a hole. Summoning my last shred of composure, I ensured the call was fully disconnected before allowing Chu Ke Huan to take the phone from my trembling hand and place it on the table.
“You said... we had to agree first...” I stammered.
“That’s why I’m asking you.” He pushed aside my bangs with a confident, almost predatory smile. “When you talk about ‘that thing,’ what words would you use? A quick fling? Or making love?”
0 Comments