The “Cold” Treatment

The rain had stopped falling. Xia Yanxi sat by the side of the road, warmed only by the dimmed lightings of the streetlights. Her clothes were plastered on that frail body of hers. 

Her face was reddening fast and all she could feel then was the figurative fire ants inside of her, biting and gnawing their way out all over her body; it was excruciatingly uncomfortable. 

She wanted nothing more than to feel better, and with that desperation, she tried her very best to tear her clothes off. 

Right before the Bentley was going to turn a corner, soon out of sight, the driver said, consciously and carefully, "Mr. Qiao, the girl… I think she's trying to remove her clothes." 

As soon as he heard the comment, Qiao Yanli's lips tightened, as he remained silent. 

Just when the driver thought Qiao Yanli was going to remain adamant, expressed as such by his silence, in allowing the girl to be on her own, naked on the streets, Qiao Yanli barked out the order. 

"Turn back!" 

Immediately, the driver turned back, returning to where his employer had ditched the girl. 

He turned back and fetched the girl before she could embarrass herself further. Sulking, he held her close and carried her into the car. 

The feeling of his cold chest was a comfortable sensation… too comfortable even. And with it, she complied. 

"Old Wang, drive to the Haoting Hotel," he said. 

"Very well, sir." 

***

In the hotel, after getting the presidential suite on the top floor, Qiao Yanli carried the girl, who was still intoxicated, and set her down on the bed. 

Before he could leave, the girl jumped to her feet and tried to wrap herself around him again. 

Qiao Yanli grabbed her wrestling hands and barked, "Have you had enough?!" 

She planted her face against him, shaking her head along with her ruffled hair. 

"I'm… I'm not feeling... so good…" 

She turned over as she faced the man and hastily wrapped her arms about his neck. She raised her face to meet the man's. With her unfocused eyes, she gazed and examined the man's flawless features. Slowly, without hesitation, she stood on the tip of her toes, pushing herself upward, aligning her own misty eyes with his. Then, she planted her lips against the perfect lips of his. 

With a sudden jerk, he grabbed both her arms and pushed her away from him. 

"Do you have no regrets?" 

Unconscious and dazed, the girl had no idea what she was doing and did not notice the glint in the man's eyes that contained malice. 

She curled her lips and smiled. 

"Why would I have regrets? It is comfortable leaning on you." 

As soon as the last words left her lips, the man pushed her onto the oversized bed. The last thing she saw, was a large silhouette of a man coming on top of her… 

***

Pain assaulted her brain, or rather, her entire body. She struggled, but when she was finally able to open her eyes, she froze at the sight of the beautifully decorated room. 

'Where… is this?' 

She placed her hand on the side of her head, cradling it as she sat upright. As she did, the satin blanket slid off her shoulders, revealing nothing but her flawless fair skin. Her eyes lowered and found nothing but the blanket on her. Her eyes instantly widened. 

There was something red smeared on her fair skin… 

She bit down on her lips, hard, trying to remember what events had transpired since last night. 

She remembered listening to the malicious conversation between her stepmother and stepsister, about how they had laced her drink and planned to deliver her to another man. She remembered trying to escape, and to prevent herself from being caught she pretended to faint in front of a black Bentley. She remembered getting into the car. She remembered the mysterious man inside the car. And she remembered… nothing else after that. Why could not she remember anything after that?

'It does not matter.' 

Judging by her current situation and condition, she had clearly been taken advantage of. 

The medicine she had unknowingly drunk, together with the red wine, had made her muddle-headed. Even so! How could the other man not know that? Just because a woman was not behaving like herself, did he think that it was within reason to take advantage of her?