Xi Qian knew that she shouldn't be doing this. She knew that it was inappropriate for her to kiss the son of her employer. Well, former employer. What would Chairman Li think if he found out that she was this intimate with his eldest son?
However the more she kissed Li Xiran, the more she thought that it didn't matter now. The moment the clock hands hit twelve midnight, her contract was officially ineffective. She and Li Xiran knew this.
Perhaps this was one of the reasons why he was bold enough to make a move on her. Anyway, Xi Qian didn't care anymore. Besides, with the way he was kissing her, it was hard for her to think clearly. He was surely taking his sweet time kissing her.
Once they parted, none of them said a word until she broke the silence between them.
"Whatever happens to date first, kiss later?"
Li Xiran chuckled at her amusedly, his gaze lowered at her plump lips he just tasted.
"My apologies. I will make it up to you next time."
She snorted, but didn't pull away from him. She had never seen him this carefree ever since she met him at the hospital.
"Don't worry. I won't get you in trouble." He said while his hand traced up her arm. He was a little worried that she would reject him again earlier.
Li Xiran had wanted to kiss her so badly and he was craving for more. Now that she was no longer employed by his father, perhaps Xi Qian wouldn't be so hesitant if he asked her out again.
"You gotta stop looking at me like that." Xi Qian said, leaning close enough so that their breaths mingled. She stared into the bottomless depths of his eyes.
"Looking like what?" He chuckled.
"Looking as if you want to devour me alive."
He leaned forward as if to kiss her, but his lips diverted to her jaw, peppering it with soft kisses until he reached the lobe of her ear.
Xi Qian sucked in a deep breath and berated herself inwardly when she realized that her body was responding to his touch. His hands moved up her thigh, and she cursed as she thought of how devastatingly close it was to where she wanted them but still far away to satisfy her.
"You don't want to?" He whispered against her skin with a wicked smile.
"Depends, but surely not here?"
She must be out of her mind for allowing Li Xiran to kiss her here of all places. If Li Xingtian came and saw the two of them, Xi Qian was sure she wouldn't hear the end of it.
Makeout with him? Fine, but there was no way she would do it with him here in the kitchen where anyone could see them.
Xi Qian forced herself to remember why it would be a bad idea and where she was at the moment. Li Xiran's close proximity wasn't giving her any chance to clear her mind and think straight. She knew she had it bad for him. Wasn't this the reason why she had tried to avoid being close to him?
Was it about time for her to stop the dry spell she imposed to herself? Has it really been that long since the last time she shared this kind of intimacy with someone?
It was obvious that they were both attracted to each other, but Xi Qian wasn't quite ready to commit to a relationship at the moment. They could be friends, alright, but she wondered if casual sex with him was on the menu.
His darkened eyes looked at her for a long moment before he took her hand in his and gestured for her to follow him. It became apparent that Xi Qian wasn't the only one who was struggling with self control right now.
Xi Qian knew she shouldn't, but she silently followed him to his study. Once she stepped inside the room, the clicking sound that followed made her more aware of Li Xiran's presence next to her.
It didn't take long before she found herself pinned against the door, being kissed by him again, their hands wandering aimlessly on their bodies. His kisses were relentless and wanting.
The rest of the night was a blur for Xi Qian as she basked in Li Xiran's attention. She remembered a lot of drinking and laughing. There was also some kissing and touching, but she wasn't sure how far she and Li Xiran had done it.
When Xi Qian woke up the next day, it was already past nine in the morning, her head pounding. She was late for breakfast but she supposed she didn't need to join Chairman Li and his wife and chose to take a quick shower first.
Her memories from last night's events were still blurred, but she could remember drinking wine with Li Xiran after their little makeout session in his study. Her face burned red from the memory. If she and Li Xiran weren't at his parents' house, she had no doubt that they would have gone all the way.
She was having a hangover and couldn't even remember how she managed to return to her room last night. Thank goodness that she was fully dressed and Li Xiran was nowhere to be found.
Su Xiaofei and the Zhang sisters would arrive anytime soon to help her move back to Qiying City. Now that Yun Qingrong was finally released from the hospital, they were all relieved and the knot in their hearts was finally gone.
"You look pale, Qian. Are you sick?" Su Xiaofei asked as soon she alighted from the car and gave her best friend a good look. She expected Xi Qian would be quite lively today, but instead, Xi Qian looked like she needed some rest.
Xi Qian was dressed in a light gray sweater and a pair of denim pants. Her hair was free from its ties, covering the marks Li Xiran might have left on her neck from last night's activities.
"I'm fine. I think I drank too much last night." Xi Qian groaned. She regretted not taking something for her hangover.
Su Xiaofei smiled, giving Xi Qian a knowing look, but the latter averted her gaze. She probably had a good guess as to what had happened, but Xi Qian wasn't in the mood to discuss her personal affairs.
"Should we get going then?" Xi Qian said, trying to dodge her best friend's unspoken question, leaving no room for arguments. Even Zhang Ling was looking at her curiously, but she didn't care.
Xi Qian didn't really have much stuff and after bidding goodbye to her former employers, she left the estate with her best friend. Chairman Li and his wife seemed sad to let her go, but they sent her off with a smile on their faces.
"Thanks, Feifei. You know you don't really have to do this, but I'm glad you came to pick me up." She was starting to feel dizzy, her stomach was starting to churn. Xi Qian was thankful that she hadn't eaten anything yet or she could have made a mess.
She and her best friend were seated in the backseat, with Su Xiaofei busy working on her laptop. Even while traveling, Su Xiaofei can't seem to leave her work. It seemed like they had something in common after all.
"You don't have to thank me, Qian. I'm just glad that everything's working out for you. Why don't you take a short nap? I'll wake you up once we arrive." Su Xiaofei suggested, knowing that Xi Qian wasn't feeling well.
As soon as Xi Qian shut her eyes, she fell into a deep slumber. The ride back to Qiying City was filled with silence and when Su Xiaofei was done with her work, she found her best friend already dozed off. An hour or two was enough for her to rest, giving her enough energy to unpack her things later.
There were times she wondered if she had made a mistake for not intervening in her best friend's blooming romance years ago, saving Xi Qian from this heartbreak that changed her. Alas, she had been afraid that if she intervened, things won't go well with Xi Qian and Li Xiran once their paths crossed.
Whatever happened to Xi Qian these days, Su Xiaofei was glad that she was starting to see the old Xi Qian she knew, before her heart was broken. It had been a long time since the last time she saw Xi Qian at ease.
Had she made the right decision? Su Xiaofei wasn't certain. But seeing that Xi Qian was starting to get over her previous relationship, Su Xiaofei could only watch and hope that things would get better for her best friend.
"Be happy, Qian. That's the only thing I wish for you." Su Xiaofei whispered, allowing her best friend to rest her head against her shoulder, just like they used to do when they were younger.
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