CHAPTER 2:I LOVE YOU.

The air in Zayn's office was thick with tension. Ling Xi stood awkwardly, her gaze fixed on the floor, unable to meet his eyes. The silence stretched, punctuated only by the rhythmic ticking of the clock, each second a hammer blow against her already fragile nerves.

"Ling Xi," he began, his voice softer than she expected, "I need to apologize for the way I acted at the party. I… I wasn't myself. It was… irresponsible of me."

His words were a balm to her frayed nerves, a recognition of the weight of their transgression. But the relief was fleeting, replaced by a wave of sadness. "It was my fault," she whispered, her voice barely audible. "I should have been more careful."

He shook his head, his gaze intense. "No, Ling Xi. It was wrong of me. I shouldn't have taken advantage of the situation."

His honesty was disarming. She wanted to reach out, to touch him, to reassure him that she wasn't blaming him. But the fear of crossing that line again, of jeopardizing their future, kept her rooted to the spot.

"Look," Zayn continued, his voice laced with a frustration she couldn't help but empathize with. "I understand this is a difficult situation. But I need to be clear. I don't want to pretend this didn't happen. I don't want to pretend we don't have feelings for each other."

The words hung in the air, shattering the fragile facade she had built around her heart. He knew. He felt it too. The guilt, the longing, the unspoken desire.

She looked up, meeting his gaze, and in that shared look, she saw a reflection of her own emotions. The love she had...

Zayn started walking towards her, his every step a thunderclap in the silence of the room. "Ling Xi," he said, his voice a low rumble that sent shivers down her spine. "You can't pretend you don't have feelings for me. I see it in your eyes, I feel it in every glance, in every touch."

Ling Xi stepped back, her heart pounding against her ribs like a trapped bird. She wanted to deny it, to tell him he was mistaken, but the truth was undeniable, a burning ember in her chest. He was right. She had fallen for him, and his confession only deepened the abyss she had been trying to ignore.

Before she could even speak, Zayn had closed the distance, his hands pinning her against the wall, his body a wall of heat against her trembling frame. His lips found hers in a tempestuous kiss, full of savage passion, a desperate need that mirrored the storm raging within her. He tasted of coffee and mint, his touch a wildfire that ignited every nerve ending in her body.

"I love you," Zayn whispered between kisses, his voice a rough murmur against her skin. "I love you, Ling Xi."

The words were a revelation, a shock that left her breathless. She was stunned, her mind struggling to process the whirlwind of emotions swirling within her. He loved her. The forbidden professor, the man who had captured her heart, loved her.

It was impossible, it was wrong, it was dangerous. Yet, in that moment, as his lips claimed hers again, as his hands traced the curves of her body, as his love poured into her like a torrent, Ling Xi knew that she didn't care. She had fallen, and there was no turning back.

"Look into my eyes and tell me how you feel," Zayn demanded, his voice a husky whisper against her ear. He held her captive, his gaze burning into her soul, a challenge and a plea all at once.

She met his eyes, drowning in the depths of his emerald green gaze. It was a world of passion, a storm of emotion she couldn't escape. "I love you too," she whispered, her voice a soft sigh against the storm of his desire.

Zayn's face lit up, a brilliant smile breaking through the intensity of his gaze. He picked her up, whirling her around in a joyous celebration of their newfound confession. "You have made me the happiest man on earth," he said, his voice thick with emotion.

His joy was intoxicating, a wave of pure happiness that swept through her, a feeling she had never known before. "I want to kiss you," he said, his voice thick with desire, a tremor in his tone that mirrored the turmoil raging within her. He tipped her head back, his lips claiming hers in a ravenous kiss, a fierce hunger that echoed the passion that burned within them.

Just a kiss from him, and Ling Xi was lost, tipped into the dark abyss of mindless submission. She gasped away from his mouth, her chest heaving, her mind reeling from the intensity of his touch.

"How is this going to work?" she managed to say, her voice a breathless whisper. "Besides, you're a lecturer, and I'm a student. Your family is famous, your class, your social standing, it can't be compared to mine. This is wrong."

Before she could articulate her anxieties, Zayn ravished her mouth again, his kiss silencing her protests, his touch a whirlwind that swept away her doubts. He kissed her until she could breathe no more, his lips a relentless force that demanded surrender. She melted into his embrace, lost in the intoxicating haze of his love, forgetting the world, forgetting the consequences, forgetting everything but the intensity of his touch.The kiss was a storm, a whirlwind of emotions that left them breathless and trembling. Ling Xi clung to Zayn, her fingers digging into his back as if to anchor herself to the reality of his touch. His lips were a force of nature, a demanding, unyielding storm that threatened to drown her in a sea of passion.

When he finally pulled away, his eyes were dark and intense, his gaze a burning coal that reflected the heat of his touch. Ling Xi could only stare at him, her mind a swirling vortex of confusion and desire.

"It doesn't matter," Zayn whispered, his voice rough with emotion. "None of it matters. All that matters is that we have each other. And we'll figure it out, together."

He held her close, his embrace a shield against the chaos that raged within her. He understood. He saw beyond the differences, beyond the barriers that society had erected between them. He saw only her, the woman he loved, the woman he couldn't live without.

But even as she basked in the warmth of his love, a seed of doubt took root in her heart. This was a love that defied logic, a love that threatened to unravel everything she held dear. The weight of his family's expectations, the pressure of her own aspirations, the fear of societal judgment, all came crashing down on her, a chilling reminder of the reality she had been trying to escape.

"What will we do?" she whispered, her voice barely a breath. "How can this work? The world will judge us, our families will disapprove, our careers will be at stake."

Zayn's gaze softened, his touch gentle as he stroked her cheek. "We'll face it together," he whispered. "We'll fight for our love. We'll prove that our happiness matters more than anyone else's opinion."

His words were a promise, a declaration of war against the world. He was ready to fight for them, to defy the odds, to make their love a reality. And in that moment, Ling Xi knew she was willing to fight with him, to defy the world, to risk everything for the man who had stolen her heart.

But the path ahead was uncertain, the road ahead fraught with challenges. They had taken a leap of faith, a leap that could lead to a glorious future or a devastating fall. Only time would tell what their fate would be, but in that office, surrounded by the scent of paper and the promise of a love that defied all odds, Ling Xi knew that she was ready to take that chance.