Chapter 34: I'm Not Scary, Women Are the Scary Ones

Pausing her steps, Hua Lianxi swiftly turned around, intending to flee back to her room before he could see her, not wanting to meet him.

"Stop!"

A deep, mellow voice rang out behind her. Pretending not to hear, Hua Lianxi quickly trotted towards the stairs.

Just as she stepped onto the stairs, her right hand was suddenly seized, and she was pulled down to the next step, her body pressed against the wall.

Kong Chengyu stepped onto the stairs, one hand propped beside her forehead, the other resting on her waist. He leaned down, his breath heavy with the scent of whiskey, spraying onto her face. "Why are you running?"

Breathing slightly heavily, Hua Lianxi forced a smile. "I wasn't running, I just wanted to go back to my room!"

"Not running? Didn't you hear me calling you?" His warm palm gently roamed her waist, separated only by the thin fabric of her nightgown. He could almost feel the smoothness of her skin, making it increasingly difficult for him to control his actions.

His tall, sturdy body pressed down, leaning closer as he questioned her. His lips brushed lightly against her eyelids as he spoke, the strong scent of whiskey burning on her face. Hua Lianxi clenched her fists, trying to stay calm.

"Were you calling me? Oh, sorry, I didn't hear!" She tilted her head, slowly moving downward, trying to create some distance between them.

Watching her movements in the dark, Kong Chengyu's deep eyes showed a hint of amusement. His hand on her waist suddenly tightened, easily lifting her up.

"What are you doing?" His lips pressed against her forehead, and Hua Lianxi cried out in panic, using both hands to pry his grip. "It's late, I need to go to sleep!"

A faint fragrance lingered in the air. Kong Chengyu sniffed slightly, finding her scent more and more intoxicating. He kissed her forehead.

Sturdy as a mountain, no matter how hard Hua Lianxi tried to break free, she couldn't escape his hold. Her forehead burned, and she let out a soft cry. Her fingers, which had been prying at his hands, suddenly gripped his wrist.

Feeling her body go limp in his arms, Kong Chengyu's lips curved into a smile.

Twisting her head to avoid his kisses, Hua Lianxi pleaded with a tearful voice, "Mr. Kong, please... let me go, let me go..."

Lifting her slightly, he placed her feet on his own, pressing his tall body against hers, pinning her to the wall.

His cool fingertips brushed over her, and Kong Chengyu's body tensed. Suddenly, he scooped her up and strode swiftly towards his room.

"Why were you running? Am I that scary?" He tossed her onto the bed, leaning down to ask in a low voice, still not forgetting the initial question.

Hua Lianxi opened her dazed eyes, as if she hadn't heard his question.

He bit her earlobe hard, causing her to tremble and gasp. Kong Chengyu said in a deep voice, "I'm not scary, women are the scary ones!"

Biting her lip, enduring his torment, Hua Lianxi slowly closed her eyes, tightly wrapping her arms around his shoulders, swallowing the reason she wanted to escape.

The person she most wanted to flee from was now entangled with her in the most primal way.

Squinting, she weakly endured his torment, but heard him murmur with closed eyes, "Ding Ding... baby..."

Her raised arms fell limply onto the bed. Hua Lianxi turned her head to look out the window, while he, lying on top of her, had fallen asleep.

Ding Ding...

Baby...

Repeating the soft murmurs, Hua Lianxi finally knew who he was thinking of, finally understood all his concerns.

The soreness in her body now seemed even more ironic, making her feel even more pathetic and pitiful.

Waking up with a splitting headache, Kong Chengyu opened his eyes to the glaring sunlight.

Turning to the other side of the bed, the sheets were messy, but the space was empty.

Closing his eyes, the memories of last night gradually returned. He remembered being slightly drunk but still aware that it was the young Hua Lianxi.

Jumping out of bed, he headed straight to the bathroom, washing away the lingering scent of their intimacy.

Casually putting on a casual shirt and beige trousers, Kong Chengyu walked downstairs. As he reached the bottom, the aroma of seafood porridge greeted him, and he stood still, lost in thought.

"Mr. Kong!" Turning around after putting the ingredients back in the fridge, Hua Lianxi immediately saw the man standing at the staircase landing. As if nothing had happened, she smiled naturally and called out to him, "The porridge is almost ready!"

Nodding almost imperceptibly, Kong Chengyu stared at her. She was wearing a tight black dress paired with exaggerated high heels. The crisp "click-clack" of her heels echoed in the kitchen as her slender figure busily moved about. Seeing her natural movements, his initially not-so-bad mood suddenly turned to anger.

With a dark expression, he approached her from behind, wrapping his arms around her and pressing her arms. "Has no one told you that tight dresses don't suit you?"

The fresh scent of his shower lingered around her ears. Through the thin shirt, she could feel the warmth of his chest. Her cheeks flushed crimson, and even her earlobes turned pink.

"The porridge..." Opening her mouth, her lips moved several times before she managed to utter a single syllable. She gently pushed his hands with her elbows, trying to get him to let go.

Reaching over to turn off the heat under the seafood porridge, he pulled her even closer, his chest tightly enveloping her. Kong Chengyu said with a dark expression, "Hmm? Hua Lianxi?"

On his comfortable morning, he still saw her in the guise he had ordered. Suddenly, he hated her professionalism and good work ethic.

Her gaze fixed on the sink, Hua Lianxi took a deep breath and spoke in a relaxed tone, "Doesn't Mr. Kong like it? I'm just dressing according to your needs. According to our contract, this is what I should do!"

Releasing her from his embrace, he stood up straight again. Kong Chengyu raised an eyebrow, "I'm glad you like this role, my wife, Hua Lianxi!"

The pressure on her back suddenly disappeared, and Hua Lianxi breathed a slight sigh of relief in her heart. However, his cold and emotionless tone struck her fragile nerves. The corners of her lips curled up slightly as she softly said, "Mr. Kong, the title of wife is still mine for now, isn't it?"

Wife? How natural yet ironic.

As if he hadn't heard her soft words, Kong Chengyu put his hands back in his pockets and turned away from the kitchen. In that instant, he seemed to have calmed the rising anger and inexplicable irritation, accepting her explanation in a moment.

Wife? A custom-made wife?

To put it bluntly, she was just a wife he bought with a check. Wasn't this exactly the kind of wife he had been seeking?

Sitting quietly at the dining table, calmly swiping through financial news on his iPad, Kong Chengyu didn't slam the door and leave this time. Instead, he chose to sit down and wait for his seafood porridge.

While adding the seasoning, Hua Lianxi slightly turned her body, glancing at him with the corner of her eye. He was sitting lazily, waiting for breakfast. Her heart ached with sharp pain, her body felt weak and cold. She pinched her thigh, trying to use the pain to remind herself of her existence, hating her current disguise, hating the fact that even though the truth was cruel, she still used the disguise to cover it up. What was even more cruel was that she had chosen to continue in this way.

About ten minutes later, Hua Lianxi finally brought the steaming seafood porridge to the table, accompanied by a plate of mixed sauce noodles.

Putting down his iPad, Kong Chengyu raised an eyebrow at the unfamiliar plate of mixed sauce noodles.

Her hand trembled slightly as she served the porridge, noticing his gaze on the noodles. Hua Lianxi deliberately forced a smile and placed the porridge in front of him. "This is mixed sauce noodles. I thought just seafood porridge might not be enough, and the noodles have a stronger flavor, which goes well with the porridge!"

Elegantly picking up the porridge, he took a sip, chewing slowly as if carefully discerning the taste. After swallowing, he picked up his chopsticks and took a bite of the noodles, still chewing elegantly.

Gracefully placing her hands on her abdomen, Hua Lianxi watched him eat elegantly. For a moment, she forgot all the irony and sadness, staring blankly, forgetting that she was standing beside him.

The rice melted in his mouth, carrying the subtle sweetness of seafood. The ingredients in the porridge were finely chopped, easy to swallow without much chewing. The fusion of flavors in the porridge showed great care. Unconsciously, Kong Chengyu quickly finished half the bowl. As he reached for the noodles again, he looked up and saw her still standing in the same position, her eyes fixed on him.

The corners of his lips curled up, and Kong Chengyu smiled faintly, "You'll make lunch and bring it to the company."

The familiar voice snapped Hua Lianxi out of her daze. She quickly looked away, embarrassed at being caught staring. She tugged at the hem of her dress awkwardly, "Huh? Lunch?"

Although she had made dinner a few times before, he often slammed the door and left, leaving her to throw the food away. Now he wanted her to bring lunch to the company? Her brows furrowed in confusion. Hua Lianxi couldn't figure out his intentions at the moment.

"Deliver it by 1 PM. Ke Jie will send you the menu later." Swallowing the noodles, Kong Chengyu chuckled softly, "Didn't Grandma tell you to assert your position at the company? A virtuous wife should naturally care about her husband's meals."

Her heart pounded. Hua Lianxi's lips twitched, but she couldn't manage a smile. In her daze, she felt something was off but couldn't refuse his request.

Assert her position? Every banquet was followed by media frenzy, and the previous paparazzi stalking had exposed every detail of their intimacy. Did she really need to bring lunch to the company to assert her position?

While Hua Lianxi was lost in thought, Kong Chengyu had finished his breakfast and moved to the living room, leisurely sipping tea.

Sitting at the dining table like a lost soul, mechanically eating her breakfast, Hua Lianxi occasionally glanced at the man not far away, who still looked relaxed.

Noticing her gaze, Kong Chengyu suddenly turned his head, catching her peeking. His lips curved into a clear smile.

Her face flushed crimson, her ears burning. Hua Lianxi quickly lowered her head, shoving porridge into her mouth. She cursed herself inwardly, wishing there was a hole under the table for her to crawl into and escape the awkwardness.