Sure enough, Huo Jingtang appeared in her line of sight, his well-defined upper chest bare.
He walked over generously, with no signs of awkwardness, while Qin Yucen felt extremely embarrassed, unable to find a place to hide.
"Did you sleep well last night?"
Huo Jingtang's flawless features looked even more striking this morning, his eyes shaded by mist, carried a hint of chill yet were incredibly sharp.
Qin Yucen, with her head lowered, did not respond to him. In addition to the overwhelming shame on her face, her eyes revealed the guilt and unease of her unfaithfulness to her husband after her mistake.
This look in her eyes made Huo Jingtang very uncomfortable. But as always, he was not one to show his emotions and decided to respond with calm to control the situation.
He glanced at her lightly, then turned to go to the dressing room to change his clothes. Then he put on a white shirt, elegantly fastening the diamond cufflinks, sparkling under the sunlight.
His composure, as if nothing had happened the night before, only exacerbated Qin Yucen's internal turmoil, her teeth clenched tightly.
He put on his wristwatch which refracted the bright sunlight. Lowering his eyes to check the time, he said indifferently, "There's breakfast in the restaurant downstairs. Remember to lock the door when you leave."
Huo Jingtang picked up his suit jacket, draped it over his forearm, and turned to leave when Qin Yucen's voice suddenly rang out, clearly unsteady, "Nothing happened between us last night, right?"
After asking, she closed her eyes in distress, her heart flailing in the wind, ominously unsure.
For five years, she had been careful at every event, even when deeply drunk, she preserved her integrity. The only thought she had then was to keep her most precious virtue for her beloved husband, who alone deserved her entirely.
Yet, last night, had she mistaken Huo Jingtang for Guan Haoyang and slept with him? Had her five years of careful effort been ruined by her own actions?
"Last night..." his voice was gentle, as if recalling.
"Don't say anymore!"
Qin Yucen was full of regret, lacking the courage to face Huo Jingtang, nor the courage to hear the cruel truth.
"Got the courage to do it, but not to hear it?" Huo Jingtang recalled her boldness from the previous night and thought how timid she appeared now.
Upon hearing this, Qin Yucen felt as if she had been thrown into the icy waters of the Arctic, a sense of despair growing within her.
Her fingers clutched at the sheets, trembling uncontrollably. She mustered her courage, unwilling to relent as she asked, "Are you suggesting that we... we..."
Too embarrassed to continue, she repeated herself several times but dared not ask outright.
"Are you asking if we did anything last night?" he asked, glancing at her blushing face with a light scoff.
"Yes!" she said through clenched teeth, bracing herself to admit it boldly.
"What do you think?" Huo Jingtang unexpectedly countered.
She looked up somewhat bewildered, meeting his cool gaze, "I'm asking you."
"If I told you that nothing happened, would you be happy?" Huo Jingtang's eyes narrowed slightly, his gaze becoming sharp, like an invisible knife stabbing deep into her heart.
"Of course." She blurted out unguardedly, but his expression darkened, his gaze almost devouring her, causing her to clear her throat and slowly say, "If nothing happened, it would naturally be best for both of us, wouldn't it? No one loses anything."
Really, as long as she could preserve that one precious thing of hers, it was enough.
"Miss Qin, it seems you have forgotten that last night, you were crouched at my doorstep, you kissed me first, and asked me to test your skills. You were quite affectionate and embracing, and I am a normal man faced with a woman who threw herself at me twice. Do you really think I could just let you go without doing anything?" Huo Jingtang's words were ambiguously unclear, blurring the point.
However, the distressed Qin Yucen did not ponder his words carefully, only feeling that he was communicating to her that they indeed had relations.
"We are all adults, and men and women in love is the most natural thing," Huo Jingtang said in a relaxed and natural tone, "Just take it easy."
"If you were a girl and got...could you take it easy?" Qin Yucen's lips were tightly pursed, stubborn as a small, unbowed flower.
"Got what? You ran into my house and threw yourself at me. That's not my fault." He withdrew his gaze and left. "I have a quarterly meeting this morning, I need to go."
Qin Yucen watched his tall, clean figure leaving, her eyes gradually welling up with tears, yet she still maintained her pride, "Once you walk out that door, we have nothing to do with each other."
Huo Jingtang's hand paused on the doorknob, but he did not look back. The shadows cast upon his strikingly handsome face, "Good, that's what I thought too."
As the door shut behind him, Qin Yucen bit her lip, her eyes stinging severely, but she tilted her head back, inhaling sharply, refusing to let the tears fall. She would no longer act like a sentimental weak girl; she intended to be an indestructible tough woman.
Crying solves nothing.
What happened, face it calmly.
Perhaps the chastity she guarded so fiercely meant nothing in Guan Haoyang's eyes.
Why bother.
Thinking this way, Qin Yucen felt somewhat relieved. As she was preparing to leave, a knock on the door followed by a male voice sounded, "Miss Qin, I am Xu Rui, Mr. Huo's assistant. Mr. Huo asked me to bring you some clothes."
He brought her clothes?
"You... leave it at the door. I'll get it myself." Upon hearing his departing footsteps, Qin Yucen finally got out of bed, opened the door, and took the clothes.
She hurriedly took a shower, changed into new clothes, a white, tight-fitting tube dress with little black dots, paired with a bright red skinny belt and a small mustard-yellow blazer, her long hair stylishly done up, still the elegant, intelligent woman she was.
Qin Yucen, without time for breakfast, grabbed her coat, hurriedly left the place.
Driving to Guanshan Group, she had managed to compose herself, ready for a new day and work.
Upon reaching the twelfth floor where her office was located, her secretary Tian Yi brought her favorite roasted coffee, "Manager Qin, the president said to report to him as soon as you get to the office."