013 Boundless Love in Three Thousand Strands of Hair

—When my hair grows long enough to reach my waist, will you, my general, return? My heart yearns for freedom, yet the world is in turmoil. We met at dawn's first light and shall grow old together till our hair turns white like the evening snow. —A red string ties our fates at the hair's end.

Ming Xichen staggered out of the bar, her mind a whirlwind of confusion. In her drunken haze, she couldn't recall if their private room was 308 or 309. Stumbling unsteadily, she was like a lost ship adrift in a sea of inebriation. Just then, the door of Room 308 creaked open with an eerie groan.

In an instant, a deathly silence fell over the room. Every pair of eyes swiveled towards this unexpected intruder. She had an oval face as flawless as a precious porcelain vase, smooth and delicate. Her long, slanting phoenix eyes, with their upturned corners, added an air of icy aloofness to her entire countenance, like a winter frost on a delicate flower.

She was clad in an extremely short sky - blue cheongsam. The sky - blue fabric was adorned with large crystal roses, a display of opulent luxury that was simply breathtaking. The crystal petals were like tipsy sirens, their alluring lips slightly parted, as if whispering sweet nothings to their lovers.

She was a vision of classical beauty, as if she had stepped straight out of an ancient Chinese scroll painting, a timeless work of art in the midst of a modern world.

In this era, the cheongsam had become a rarity. Few had the taste to wear it, and even fewer could pull off the look with the same exquisite grace as she did.

On the sofa, four men were seated. Except for Shen Yunyi in the middle, the other three men let out lecherous whistles. Their lascivious eyes roamed over her body like hungry wolves, feasting on the curves that the cheongsam so tightly hugged. Her figure was a masterpiece, a tantalizing sight that was impossible to ignore.

Ming Xichen surveyed the four men and three women in the room.

Most of the women were dressed to the nines, their makeup and jewelry a testament to their worldly ways. Generally speaking, such exquisitely - dressed women often had a hidden agenda...

It was easy to tell what kind of women they were.

Those with a business - minded approach to life often sold their most precious asset: their bodies.

They lay on the men's shoulders, silent as statues, only occasionally lifting a glass of wine to the men's lips. They knew their place in this world of vice and indulgence.

What kind of women were they exactly?

It hardly mattered. The important thing was that they knew how to please men...

Ming Xichen understood this in her heart, and a flicker of admiration for Qin Ge crossed her mind.

As for the four men, they were a study in contrasts. Some were lying lazily on the sofa, their eyes half - closed in a state of decadent relaxation. Others were drinking heartily with the women in their arms, their laughter and shouts filling the air. One was engaged in a finger - guessing game, his face flushed with excitement. And another sat there, smoking a cigarette, his eyes lost in a world of his own.

In the warm - yellow glow of the private room, this scene was like a painting of debauchery, a harmonious blend of sin and pleasure.

Ming Xichen's gaze finally landed on the man sitting in the middle of the sofa. There was no woman beside him. Since she entered the room, he had been reclined on the sofa, eyes half - shut, his posture exuding an air of lazy elegance.

The men looked at her with lust in their eyes, while the three girls stared at her in utter shock. They couldn't fathom what had happened to their General Manager Ming. How could such a thing occur on their own turf? Seeing the lecherous looks of those men, the three girls exchanged a knowing glance, and one of them slipped out of the room.

Ming Xichen seemed to have forgotten where she was. She just stared at the man across from her, her eyes a wellspring of heart - wrenching sadness. Tears welled up and streamed down her face like a torrential river, a testament to the pain that had been building up inside her. Staggering forward, she fixed her eyes on the man's features, as if he were the only thing that mattered in this world.

Seeing her approaching with tears in her eyes, Shen Yunyi squinted his sorrowful eyes slightly, as if trying to shield himself from the pain that radiated from her.

Ming Xichen ignored the gazes of others and locked her eyes on Shen Yunyi... The moment her body fell into his arms, Shen Yunyi's body stiffened like a statue, as if he had been turned to stone by a powerful spell. Only his deep, dark eyes, which reflected her figure, showed that there was still a soul within him.

The cheongsam was already so short that it was a blatant invitation. Now, due to her awkward sitting posture, the alluring secrets beneath the cheongsam were faintly visible... Shen Yunyi quickly covered her with his hands, a sudden surge of protectiveness washing over him. For some inexplicable reason, he didn't want other men to feast their eyes on her beauty.

She didn't even notice how irresistible she was at that moment. Her eyes were filled with this face that had caused her so much pain. Her gaze was a complex mixture of affection and sorrow, like a stormy sea on a moonlit night.

She raised her fair and delicate little hand and gently stroked Shen Yunyi's face. First, her fingers traced the strong outline of his thick eyebrows, as if she were mapping out a constellation in the night sky. Then, they glided down his proud nose bridge, a journey of discovery. Finally, her fingertips stopped on his lips. Those sexy lips. Xichen gently rubbed them with her fingers and murmured, "Fei, you've grown up. Look, your eyebrows are thicker, your eyes are more sorrowful, and your lips are more sexy."

Her face was so close to Shen Yunyi's that their breaths mingled. Her warm breath fanned across his face, and he raised his eyebrows slightly, a flicker of surprise in his eyes.

"Look, I've grown up too. I've kept my hair long for eight years for you. Do you like it?" With that, she pulled out the hairpin from her head, and her long hair cascaded down like a waterfall, a curtain of black silk that covered her cheongsam.

Seeing the sadness in her eyes, Shen Yunyi subconsciously reached out his finger to wipe away the tears from the corner of her eye, as if trying to erase the pain that she had endured.

Ming Xichen held his warm face in her hands and pressed her soft red lips against his...

Her lips were as soft as a cloud and as cold as a winter's night, with a hint of chill that sent shivers down his spine.

Shen Yunyi raised his eyebrows the moment her lips touched his, a spark of electricity shooting through his body.

Her lips didn't move at first. The two lips of different colors just stayed together, like two lost souls finally finding each other in the darkness.

The next second, when the tears in her eyes sparkled like diamonds, she closed her eyes and a tear slid down her cheek. All the yearning and pain of these years, along with the warmth on their lips, made her completely lose her mind. On the verge of a breakdown, she lost the last bit of her rationality and passionately opened her lips, clumsily but eagerly kissing his full lips.

This time, Shen Yunyi didn't raise his eyebrows. Instead, he responded to her kiss with equal passion, his lips entangling with hers in a dance of desire.

It was not until they were both gasping for breath that their lips slowly parted. She stuck out her little red tongue and licked his lips, as if savoring the last remnants of their kiss. Then, she rested her head on his neck and murmured, "Fei, don't go. Don't leave me..."

Oh, this was beyond all bounds. The two girls were simply stunned, their eyes wide with disbelief.

Shen Yunyi's slender fingers played with Ming Xichen's loose long hair, as if he were playing a delicate melody on a harp. His eyes were as deep as a bottomless lake, and no one could fathom what was going on in his mind.

The atmosphere in the private room instantly heated up, like a furnace stoked with passion. The soft lighting made the atmosphere even more intoxicatingly ambiguous.

Before anyone could fully comprehend what was happening, the door of the private room was pushed open forcefully again, with a loud bang that shattered the silence.

Everyone's eyes turned to the man who came in. He was very tall, his clear and bright eyebrows like a gentle stream, flowing with tranquility. His graceful figure was like a noble orchid tree, standing tall and proud. He quietly looked at Ming Xichen, who was clinging to Shen Yunyi like a vine to a tree, with gentle and warm eyes, as if he were looking at a precious treasure.

Leng Yan had something important to tell Xichen, but her phone was turned off. She knew that Xichen was in the VIP private room to welcome her classmates when she went out, so she called the bar.

As a result, after answering the phone, Ming Xichen went to the wrong private room and accidentally entered Room 308. Everyone who worked here knew Ming Xichen, the financial director of Fengwu Jiutian. When they saw Ming Xichen being stared at by those lecherous men, one of the girls went out to find the manager. The manager quickly called Chu Rui. Chu Rui was outside. After receiving the call, he drove back at breakneck speed, running several red lights on the way, his heart pounding with worry.

Shen Yunyi didn't know Chu Rui because he had just returned from abroad and wasn't very familiar with Xizi yet. But Peng Cheng and Liu Yu beside him? They knew Chu Rui all too well. Among those who played around and those in the underworld, not knowing Chu Rui would be like a sin, a mark of shame.

Chu Rui walked over, bent down, and picked up Ming Xichen, who was lying in Shen Yunyi's arms. His eyes passed over Shen Yunyi and landed on Peng Cheng's face. He said, "Sorry, brother. She's drunk and has spoiled everyone's fun. I'll call a few more girls later. Let's have a good time. The bill is on me."

Peng Cheng quickly stood up, a look of respect in his eyes. "Young Master Chu, there's no need to be so polite." Peng Cheng grinned playfully, looking as casual as ever.

Chu Rui returned a smile. His smile was so gentle and warm that it was like a ray of sunshine on a cloudy day, making the girls' hearts flutter. Who would believe that such a gentle - smiling person could be so ruthless and cold when the situation called for it?

Chu Rui carried Ming Xichen out. Then several more girls came in, and the private room became a whirlwind of activity. There were people shaking dice, their shouts of excitement filling the air. Others were playing finger - guessing games, their hands moving in a blur. Some were singing at the top of their lungs, their voices off - key but full of energy. And some were passionately kissing the girls in their arms, lost in a world of pleasure.

Only Shen Yunyi was left alone, holding the jade hairpin that Xichen had left on the sofa. He gently stroked it with his hand, his eyes flashing with an inexplicable light. He lightly licked the corner of his mouth, where there was still the taste of the girl, a heady mixture of wine and the delicate fragrance of a lotus flower.