Zhou Yining had never felt this way before. Ji Dongyang’s kiss was more intoxicating than wine.

Just as she’d imagined, the way Ji Dongyang kissed was the complete opposite of his usual cold, distant demeanor. He was passionate, more passionate than she could have ever imagined.

Ji Dongyang lowered his head and covered her lips, a slow and soft graze, inch by inch. His breath fanned across her face. It wasn’t a deep kiss, yet it was even more provocative.

Zhou Yining’s entire heart trembled. Her eyes were wide, fixated on his deep, dark gaze, wanting to remember the look in his eyes at this very moment.

His voice was a low murmur: “Close your eyes.”

No.

Ji Dongyang wrapped his arm around her waist, pulling her back a step to pin her tightly against the cold metal door. The chill made Zhou Yining shiver, and she let out a soft whimper.

The next second, he suddenly raised a hand to cover her bright, sparkling eyes. His other hand held her waist. He lifted her, and with her high heels and his slightly bent back, he was at the perfect height to press his lips to hers. He crushed his mouth against hers, a complete change from the light caress of moments ago. It was as if long-suppressed desire had suddenly burst forth, unhesitating and aggressive.

Zhou Yining gasped for air. Why wouldn’t he let her look at him?

She grabbed his wrist, trying to pull his hand away.

So unruly. Ji Dongyang moved his hand from her waist to seize her struggling hand, pinning it behind her back. His grip was so firm she couldn’t break free.

He took her lips into his and parted them. Zhou Yining opened her mouth to let him in, their tongues tangling together. Her breathing quickened. Her long eyelashes swept against his palm again and again, as she still refused to close her eyes. Ji Dongyang found her confusing. She always wanted him to kiss her, but when he finally did, she wouldn’t cooperate.

He punished her, fiercely sucking on her lips without holding back. Zhou Yining’s breathing grew more difficult as she desperately tried to draw a breath from his mouth, which only made the kiss go deeper.

Slowly, her long eyelashes brushed his palm one last time, then obediently fluttered down.

She had finally given in.

Her body went soft as water, pinned between him and the door.

Just as they were locked in a passionate embrace, the door was suddenly pushed from the outside. Ji Dongyang saw a waiter through the glass. He reacted quickly, the hand over her eyes now propping against the door, and he let her go.

Zhou Yining took deep, ragged breaths, her face flushed and her eyes dewy. She looked up at him. His gaze was incredibly dark, and for a moment, it was intimidating.

The waiter outside felt something was wrong and pushed harder, but the door wouldn’t budge. He had no idea the combined weight of two people was holding it shut.

Zhou Yining felt the door being pushed as well. She wrapped her arms around his waist and whispered, “Don’t move. I’ll get rid of him. You can come out in a bit.”

If anyone found out that Movie King Ji was hiding in a private room kissing a woman, tomorrow’s headlines would be outrageous.

Yang Xuan and A Ming would kill her. Wan Wei would scold her to death.

Ji Dongyang’s lips tightened, then he suddenly chuckled, a low, deep sound. “Okay.”

Zhou Yining took a step away, realizing her legs were a little weak. She took a deep breath, pushed him aside, ran a hand through her hair, and opened the door a crack. She looked at the waiter outside and asked flatly, “What’s wrong?”

This club belonged to Zhou Shen’s family. Any perceptive waiter knew his friends, and this one naturally recognized Zhou Yining. He was taken aback for a moment before saying, “Miss Zhou, what are you doing in here? This room is reserved, and the guests are on their way.”

Zhou Yining said, “I know. You go prepare, I’ll be leaving as soon as I finish this call.”

The waiter nodded. “Then please be quick.”

Zhou Yining nodded and watched the waiter leave before turning back. She looked at Ji Dongyang, who was already sitting on the sofa, seemingly so calm, as if he wasn’t afraid of the waiter suddenly walking in.

In the light from the doorway, Zhou Yining finally noticed that the room was decorated luxuriously and romantically. Who had reserved this room? And why were they coming so late, so close to midnight?

“Hey, I’m leaving first.”

Ji Dongyang looked up at her and simply nodded. “Okay.”

Zhou Yining touched her flushed cheeks and pursed her numb lips before opening the door and walking out.

A minute later, Ji Dongyang followed her out. They returned to the party one after the other. Alice quickly came up to Zhou Yining and grabbed her, frowning. “Where have you been for so long? The cake is here. Hurry, hurry, let’s get ready to cut it and make a wish!”

The lights in the room were dim, so no one could see her flushed face or slightly swollen lips. Zhou Yining laughed. “Didn’t I come back?”

Everyone instinctively looked at Ji Dongyang behind her. They didn’t say a word, just got ready to cut the cake.

Zhou Yining’s phone, which was on the side, suddenly rang. Everyone saw the name “Shen Yanjun” flash on the screen and froze for a moment. The birthday girl’s ex-fiancé.

Ji Dongyang also saw it and narrowed his eyes slightly. Zhou Yining picked up the phone to answer.

Shen Yanjun’s laugh was hearty. “Almost late. Which room are you in?”

Zhou Yining was puzzled and asked with a frown, “What? Where are you?”

He didn’t speak. Zhou Yining heard him say a few words to a waiter, and less than ten seconds later, the door to the private room was pushed open. Shen Yanjun walked in, laughing as he hung up the phone. Zhou Yining turned around, staring at him. “Why are you here?”

Shen Yanjun glanced at the crowd, and his gaze lingered on Ji Dongyang for a moment with some confusion before he composed himself and looked at her. “It’s your birthday. I had some work here, so I came to see you. It’s been years since you’ve celebrated your birthday in China.”

Zhou Yining had only returned to China this year, which he didn’t know. He also didn’t know that for the first two years after she went abroad, she hadn’t celebrated her birthday at all.

A waiter followed him in and asked, “Mr. Shen, everything in the private room across the hall is ready.”

Zhou Shen finally realized. “So you were the one who booked the room across the hall! Why are you so late?”

Shen Yanjun smiled. “The weather was bad today, and my flight was delayed.”

He turned back to the waiter. “Since it’s so lively here, let’s just move everything over here.”

Zhou Yining frowned and stared at him for a while. Then she noticed an even deeper gaze fixed on her. She looked up and met Ji Dongyang’s eyes, and she smiled at him.

Shen Yanjun’s sudden appearance made the atmosphere a little awkward. Most of the dozen people present had met him before. He and Qin Sen even had recent business dealings. But the matter of Zhou Yining running away from their arranged marriage and leaving him was a little embarrassing to talk about. The most important thing was that Zhou Yining clearly had something going on with Ji Dongyang, and Shen Yanjun probably didn’t know yet.

The waiter wheeled in a cart full of famous brand liquor.

Everyone knew Zhou Yining loved liquor. Since Zhou Shen’s family was in the wine business, he was usually in charge of stocking Zhou Yining’s liquor cabinet. The waiter asked, “Should I bring the cake over, too?”

Shen Yanjun said, “No need, there’s a cake here already.”

Zhou Yining pursed her lips. She knew Shen Yanjun’s feelings for her, but everything she had seen and experienced since she was little made her instinctively resist everything Zhou Lihui had arranged for her. Shen Yanjun was no exception. She couldn’t like him, and he knew that, too.

She thought they had already made everything clear between them.

Alice put the 23 candles on the cake and smiled at Zhou Yining. “Yining, darling, get ready to make a wish.”

She started clapping and singing the birthday song, and everyone joined in. Zhou Yining closed her eyes to make a wish. The candlelight flickered, illuminating her fair, beautiful face, her eyelashes drooping obediently, looking soft and lovely.

Ji Dongyang stared at her profile, his hands slowly clenching, then turned his head to look at Shen Yanjun.

Shen Yanjun was also looking at him.

The unspoken understanding between men was clear in one look.

Zhou Yining opened her eyes and blew out the candles. Alice squealed. “It’s almost midnight in three minutes! Hurry and eat the cake!”

Zhou Yining hooked a finger into the frosting and smeared it directly on her face. “Here, let me give you a treat.”

Alice glared at her, indignantly grabbing a handful of cake to smear on her. Zhou Yining nimbly dodged behind Ji Dongyang. Alice couldn’t retract her hand in time, and a handful of cake landed right on Ji Dongyang’s shoulder. She let out a gasp and quickly said, “Sorry, sorry…”

Ji Dongyang said faintly, “It’s nothing.”

Zhou Yining peeked out from behind him and glared at Alice, who stuck out her tongue at her. It wasn’t on purpose, anyway.

Midnight was just around the corner.

The waiter opened the door a crack, just in time to hear the countdown outside. “3, 2, 1…”

“Happy New Year!”

Zhou Yining quietly slipped her hand into Ji Dongyang’s. Just as she was about to pull it away, he grasped it and held it tightly, hiding it behind his back where no one could see.

Her heart skipped a beat, and a wide smile bloomed on her face. “Happy New Year.”

After only three seconds, their hands separated.

The revelry had just begun.

Ji Dongyang was witnessing for the first time just how wild she could get. Before this, he had never imagined he would become involved with a girl like her.

The music was deafening, and everyone was having a blast.

Ji Dongyang didn’t drink. He just sat in a corner of the sofa. Surrounded by a world of extravagance, he was the only one who didn’t immerse himself in the boisterous scene.

When Zhou Yining got tired of playing, she glanced at him and felt a sense of peace.

People began to leave in the middle of the night. It was almost 2 a.m. when Zhou Yining looked at Ji Dongyang, who was resting with his eyes closed. She burped from the alcohol. Shen Yanjun saw that most people were winding down and said, “It’s getting late. Everyone should head out.”

Zhou Yining’s steps were a little unsteady as she walked towards Ji Dongyang, but Shen Yanjun grabbed her. He stared at her. “I’ll take you home.”

Ji Dongyang stood up and walked over. He looked at Zhou Yining’s wrist, then at Shen Yanjun. “You’ve been drinking. I’ll bring her home.”

One said “take home,” the other said “bring.”

Shen Yanjun froze, staring at Zhou Yining. Zhou Yining pulled her hand free. “He lives next door to me.”

Shen Yanjun’s heart sank. He frowned, staring at her.

Zhou Yining smiled carelessly. “I’m going back. You should go back to the hotel to rest, too.”

Ji Dongyang looped his arm around her. When he smelled the strong scent of alcohol on her, he couldn’t help but frown. Zhou Yining pushed his hand away and burped again. “You go down first. We can’t leave together. Alice and Zhang Hui will take me down.”

Ji Dongyang looked at Alice. Alice quickly said, “Yup, yup, we’ll take her down.”