"That's right." Xiang Ri looked at her in confusion. *My mom's here, but why does it seem to concern you?*
"What are you staring at me for!" Iron Wan's face flushed again, her previous composure giving way to the embarrassment of having her thoughts exposed. Struggling in earnest, she tried to conceal her discomfort: "Let go of me, you bastard!"
"Let you go? I suppose someone's about to start punishing me again." Although he had no intention of going any further, Xiang Ri was determined to take full advantage of this rare opportunity to have Iron Wan pinned beneath him. So, he used her own words to trap her.
"Let me go now, or I'll bite you!" Iron Wan glared, showing a flash of silver teeth.
"No, I'll let you go right now," Xiang Ri replied quickly, his reflexes kicking in. The memory of the last time he'd been bitten was still fresh, not because of the physical pain, but because Lady Chu had seen the mark later and, after some tongue-twisting explanations, had convinced herself it was a result of their intimate encounter the previous night—thus sparing him from the worst.
However, that incident had clearly sparked suspicion in Lady Chu's mind. If he took another mark back today, it was likely to be disastrous.
"You're sensible for once," Iron Wan grumbled, sitting up and adjusting herself, smoothing down the areas that had become exposed during her struggle.
"Can I watch TV now?" Xiang Ri asked, seeing that she had no further violent intentions.
"No!" Iron Wan rejected him loudly but then seemed to remember something, her lips curving into a mischievous smile. "But seeing how pitiful you are, I'll let you stay here for the afternoon. However, you'll be responsible for dinner."
"That seems like an even exchange, so I wouldn't exactly call it a kindness," Xiang Ri replied, absentmindedly touching his nose.
"Say what you want, but I think it's a kind gesture. And honestly, your cooking's not bad. The taste could use some work, but it's still passable," Iron Wan commented, her eyes nearly narrowing into slits.
Last time, when his mom mentioned that dinner had been cooked by some man, Iron Wan had been too stunned to believe it. This guy had such skills? She'd been fretting about where to eat dinner, and now here came this self-proclaimed chef. No complaints about that.
Such cutting remarks—what were they, if not cruel? Xiang Ri watched the smug policewoman opposite him, inwardly rolling his eyes.
"Watch your TV! I'm going to sleep." Iron Wan shot him a glare before heading toward the bedroom, only to turn back at the door. "By the way, my mom gave me a bottle of wine yesterday, said it was for both of us. Are you drinking now?"
"Of course I will." Xiang Ri wasn't much of a smoker, but his love for wine was unmatched. It seemed like a perfect opportunity to unwind while watching TV.
"Wait here. I can't understand why my mom is being nicer to you than she is to me." Her words were full of discontent.
Xiang Ri wisely kept silent, not daring to add fuel to the fire. With no one left to vent at, Iron Wan ground her teeth in frustration before storming off to the kitchen to fetch the wine.
A moment later, Iron Wan returned, holding a bottle with no label, its shape slightly flattened and rounded. Inside, a pale pink liquid shimmered, catching the light as she moved.
Xiang Ri eagerly grabbed the bottle, uncorked it, and inhaled deeply from the neck, a look of pure pleasure crossing his face. Noticing that Iron Wan was still there, he asked, "Do you want some?"
"Of course! Why would I let it go to waste? My mom insisted we both drink it together," Iron Wan frowned, still perplexed by her mother's mysterious motives.
"You don't seem too keen on it. Then, I'll just have it myself." Xiang Ri held the bottle tight. From the scent alone, he could tell it was a rare vintage—at least 30 years old, aged to perfection.
"Dream on! This wine is my father's personal collection. It's said to only be found in a certain tribe in South America, and drinking it can even preserve one's youth." Clearly, the issue of whether it's truly a rare treasure was secondary, but the promise of maintaining one's beauty was a temptation that no woman could resist. Iron Wan, as a woman herself, could not avoid the allure.
"Did your mother tell you about this?" Unsettled, Xiang Ri felt a flicker of unease in his heart. Yet, thinking that a biological mother could never harm her daughter, his anxiety began to ebb. But soon, another possibility crossed his mind, causing his unease to flare up again.
"How do you know?" Iron Wan's eyes widened in disbelief.
"Guessing," Xiang Ri replied, reassured now. Her expression didn't seem fake, which dispelled any suspicion of her plotting against him. In fact, what he feared most was that Iron Wan had summoned him here with the intent to deceive, perhaps spiking the wine with something that would induce severe nausea or worse.
Now that the wine seemed safe, Xiang Ri poured himself a glass and downed it in one go. The sweet yet tangy flavor was nothing groundbreaking, but the subtle, indescribable fragrance intoxicated him entirely.
"This wine tastes good," he said, pouring another glass.
"Hey, don't drink it all! This is for preserving beauty. If you don't leave me some, I swear I'll kill you." Iron Wan threatened, her eyes filled with reluctance. After all, this was the only bottle of wine that could preserve beauty, and drinking more might just prolong her youthful glow.
"Fine, here, take it," Xiang Ri pushed the bottle toward her.
"Not bad," Iron Wan accepted it without hesitation, bypassing the cup and drinking straight from the bottle. Gulp, gulp, in the blink of an eye, she had downed a third of it.
Xiang Ri stared, dumbfounded. Was this girl insane? Even though the wine wasn't strong—under 15% alcohol—could she really handle drinking so much in one go without feeling its effects?
Iron Wan set the bottle down, clutching it possessively, her face gleaming with satisfaction. "Now do you still want some? It's all tainted with my saliva, ha-ha...."
Xiang Ri was speechless. If she wanted to keep it for herself, she could have just said so. There was no need for such clichéd tricks. He turned away, focusing his attention entirely on the TV screen, no longer interested in the woman beside him, who now seemed both crazy and wild.
Behind him, the sound of liquid swallowing continued, so he turned the volume of the TV up.
"Hey, why turn it up so loud? It's driving me crazy!" After what felt like an eternity, Xiang Ri felt a hot body lean against him.
Turning his head in surprise, he was taken aback to see Iron Wan's cheeks flushed crimson, her eyes glazed over. What made his eyes widen even further was that she had removed half of her jacket, revealing a tight-fitting tank top underneath.
"What are you doing, taking off your clothes?"
"I'm so hot," Iron Wan murmured, not hearing him, as she continued to unbutton her jacket.
"How can you be hot? There's air conditioning, isn't there? But now that you mention it, I feel a bit hot too. Damn it, this wine... Could it have something in it?" Xiang Ri cursed under his breath, as he began to feel the effects himself, his body growing warmer and his impulses stirring.
"I don't know. My head is spinning. I need to lie down, you can do whatever you want," she said, standing up. But she stumbled, and Xiang Ri quickly caught her. "Let me help you to the room."
"No need." Iron Wan tried to push him away, but her body grew limp, and what began as a feeble shove turned into a caress.
Xiang Ri carried her to the bedroom and tossed her onto the bed. But in the short distance between the living room and the bedroom, he began to feel his head growing unbearably heavy.
"I can't take it anymore, I'm dizzy too. I just need to lie here for a bit," he muttered as he lay down, only to find that Iron Wan, now awake, turned toward him like an octopus, wrapping herself around him and kissing his face relentlessly. His remaining self-control shattered, and he kissed her back, passionately and urgently.
As their clothes disappeared piece by piece, soon only their bare, heated bodies intertwined.
Finally, amidst her soft moans, Xiang Ri entered her body.
...
Xiang Ri felt as if he had just awoken from a dream, a dream filled with softness and desire.