The ring dropped into her mouth, and the intrusion of the foreign object made Qiao An instinctively clamp her lips shut.
Gu Jingxing raised an eyebrow. He gripped the sides of her jaw with his thumb and middle finger, pressing his index finger firmly against her lips, sealing them.
Qiao An blinked, deciding to behave for the moment.
"Are you... angry?" Lin Xi’s voice was cautious, clearly afraid of provoking him. "I'm sorry. I downloaded a couples' app that has a tracking feature, so..."
"You installed the app?" Gu Jingxing’s voice was cold and hard.
A soft sigh came from the other end of the line, followed by silence.
Qiao An blinked. Gu Jingxing seemed genuinely annoyed. Watching his expression, she suppressed the urge to smile and tentatively parted her lips. Thankfully, he wasn't using excessive force; she could still move.
She pressed the tip of her tongue through the center of the ring, resting it against the second knuckle of Gu Jingxing’s index finger. Gu Jingxing’s gaze shifted to her, the darkness in his eyes deepening.
Lin Xi’s voice returned, laced with helplessness and hurt. "Jingxing, please don't be angry. I—"
"Third one, why are you bullying Xiao Xi again!" An older woman’s voice cut in, laced with indignation. "Just because Xiao Xi likes you, you think you can act like a reckless fool! Everyone else dotes on their girlfriends; how did I give birth to such an unreasonable brat? Xiao Xi, don't be upset. Auntie has your back! If this unfilial son doesn't come back to keep you company within the hour, I’ll make him carry a rod and beg for your forgiveness!"
"Auntie! Please, don't be like that. It’s my fault. I was only thinking of myself and forgot to ask Jingxing how he felt about it. Jingxing, I didn't touch your phone. It was at the gathering before we went abroad—Chen Wang lost a dare, and the forfeit was to install a couples' app on your phone. I’m sorry, I forgot to tell you about it afterward."
Forgot? Or didn't want to.
Qiao An studied Gu Jingxing, curious about his reaction. At the same time, she grabbed his large hand with both of hers, pushing the ring upward, bit by bit, with the tip of her tongue.
When it reached the tip of his finger, she let go. The ring slid over his fingertip, hanging loosely on the first knuckle. Gu Jingxing applied a slight pressure with his index finger, leaving a pale pink indent on her lip. It was a warning to stop being so bold.
Qiao An moved her lips, silently mouthing: "She's lying."
A flicker of something complex passed through his dark eyes, settling back into an bottomless abyss.
Gu Jingxing remained silent while the apologies continued on the other end, occasionally punctuated by the older woman scolding her son. After a long while, Gu Jingxing seemed to give in. "I’m busy. I’m hanging up."
He cut the call immediately.
His cold, detached gaze returned to her as he pulled his hand away. "Finished playing?"
Qiao An looked at him with an air of innocence.
Gu Jingxing raised his hand to loosen his tie. "My turn."
The man’s calm, indifferent features turned dangerous in an instant. He slowly drew the slender tie from his collar like a supple whip. Though he hadn’t touched her yet, Qiao An felt as if she could already sense the thorn-like texture of its weave.
If the man had been a still, waveless well, he was now a nocturnal leopard poised to hunt. Even his gaze had turned into a dangerous cage, attempting to lock down every one of Qiao An’s senses.
The tremor rising from deep within her soul made her nerves tighten, and she found herself holding her breath. She had expected to be afraid. And in truth, she was a little afraid, but there was more of a secret, surging excitement rising from her depths.
Although they had already been intimate, Qiao An knew that had been the result of medication. That night, he had been held captive by instinct; she wasn't even sure if he had been fully conscious. But his anger now was real—burning with a hot, eruptive vitality.
It was the very thing she was gradually losing.
Her earlier boldness had been a deliberate way to tease him, but now, a genuine dryness settled in her throat, fueled by desire.Qiao An licked her lips, her voice soft and light. "Do you want to play it that rough, Brother?"
After she spoke, she pressed her hands together and proactively raised them toward him. "Tie me up?"
Gu Jingxing stroked his necktie, silent for two seconds, then suddenly laughed.
Qiao An dangled her bound wrists in the air, her tone urging him. "Hurry up."
She sounded so impatient, as if something wonderful were about to happen.
He looked down at her.
Gu Jingxing had seen many women.
Charming, sexy, straightforward, sharp, strong-willed, fragile...
Among all those who had tried every trick in the book to crawl into his bed, not one was like her.
Who taught her this?
Had others used these same tactics on her before?
Qiao An did not know that Gu Jingxing had thought so much in those few seconds while watching her. Her arms grew tired from being held up, and seeing that he still hadn't moved, she simply dropped her hands.
The mood vanished.
Qiao An slid off his lap and muttered, "Boring."
At these words, Gu Jingxing was amused to the point of anger.
He reached out, grabbed Qiao An’s hair, and pulled it back.
"Ah!"
"Boring?" Gu Jingxing draped the tie over her shoulder with one hand, then grabbed the other end from the opposite side and tightened it around her. "What exactly would be 'fun'?"
The cold fabric of the tie wound around her neck; with a single tug from Gu Jingxing, Qiao An’s breathing would be easily restricted.
Qiao An didn't mind; in fact, a glimmer of eager interest shone in her eyes. "Brother, you could be a little bolder."
Gu Jingxing let out a low, mocking laugh, his eyes darkening with a touch of malice.
The woman’s fragrant, soft body leaned slightly forward. She didn't press against him, but grazed her nose tip, almost imperceptibly, against his Adam's apple.
As she spoke, her hot breath spilled right into the hollow of his throat. "Brother, don't you want to?"
Without warning, the tie tightened. As soon as she finished speaking, Qiao An felt a surge of painful suffocation.
Instinctively, she reached up to claw at the tie, a faint trace of panic spilling into her eyes.
But the moment Gu Jingxing caught that flicker of emotion, it was gone.
The moisture that had just gathered at the corners of her peach-blossom eyes vanished within a few breaths.
Gu Jingxing felt as though something in the secret depths of his heart had been raked by sharp claws, and his hidden malice threatened to break through.
He...
"Buzz. Bzz, buzz."
The abrupt vibration shattered the delicate tension. Gu Jingxing snapped out of his daze and released his grip.
The high-quality tie fell instantly, brushing against Qiao An’s shoulder and hanging over her chest.
Qiao An braced herself against the sofa arm, her body arched as she breathed rapidly.
Gu Jingxing stood up abruptly and walked to the side to answer the phone. "Hello."
"Boss, we agreed to meet at your place. We're all here, why aren't you back yet?"
Gu Jingxing rubbed his fingers, his gaze drifting toward the window as he tried his best to ignore the faint, lingering itch in his throat.
He rarely let his emotions slip, yet he had almost been led by the nose by Qiao An just now.
Hearing Chen Wang’s voice, Gu Jingxing frowned. "On my way."
"Hurry up, then."
After hanging up, Gu Jingxing dialed Xie Jibai. "Are you at the family estate too?"
"Yes," Xie Jibai replied. Seeing Chen Wang gesticulating wildly while talking to Lin Xi, he stood up and walked to the window. "What's wrong?"
"Get me a new phone."
Hearing this, Xie Jibai looked back at the sofa, where Lin Xi was leaning against Mother Gu, looking out of sorts.
"Why?"
Gu Jingxing didn't answer, simply instructing, "Buy me a new phone, same model as this one. Keep it discreet."
Xie Jibai gave a short laugh. "Done."
Hanging up for the second time, Gu Jingxing unbuttoned the top two buttons of his shirt.