Volume One, Chapter 10: Lu Jinye, I Do Not Regret It
Lu Jinye’s suite was on the top floor. He declined Qin Yue’s offer to escort them up and instead carried Jiang Li into the VIP elevator alone.
Jiang Li had competed today, so she dressed comfortably.
A mid-length white fine-knit sweater, paired with sleek sharkskin leggings.
The sweater’s collar was a bit loose, and as Lu Jinye held her, the fabric slipped off her shoulder, revealing the slender black strap beneath.
A lump formed in Lu Jinye’s throat, and he instinctively turned his head away.
Yet the more he deliberately ignored it, the more his imagination ran wild.
His grip tightened slightly. The smooth texture of the sharkskin leggings beneath his hand reminded him of the softness and smoothness of Jiang Li’s arm that day in the car.
He clicked his tongue softly, struggling to control his thoughts.
“Ding!” The elevator doors opened. Lu Jinye prepared to free one hand to open the door, but Jiang Li was limp, unable to cling to him.
He had no choice but to set her down gently, wrapping his arms tightly around her waist.
Jiang Li’s body burned with heat; instinctively, she nuzzled against Lu Jinye’s cool face.
She deliberately leaned closer, her soft frame hanging on him, her hand trailing along his chilled skin from his Adam’s apple down to his firm abdomen.
Lu Jinye’s body shuddered, and the room card in his hand slipped to the floor with a soft clatter.
Jiang Li breathed heavily, her flushed cheeks betraying the heat coursing through her.
Following the blush, Lu Jinye’s gaze traveled to her ears, shoulders, and collarbones. He closed his eyes, biting back the desire that threatened to overwhelm him.
He bent down, hoisted Jiang Li onto his shoulder, picked up the room card, and opened the door in one fluid motion.
The bedroom inside was bathed in warm ambient light, adding a touch of intimacy.
He gently laid Jiang Li on the bed, covering her with a blanket… which she promptly kicked off, only to have him cover her again, and kicked off once more.
Lu Jinye chuckled. “Even when you’re asleep, you’re so stubborn. Looks like I really shouldn’t let you drink.”
Unexpectedly, Jiang Li wasn’t asleep. Her eyes remained closed, but she muttered stubbornly in protest: “I want to drink!”
Lu Jinye’s playful side stirred. Sitting on the edge of the bed, he whispered, “No, you can’t.”
“I want to!”
“No.”
“I want to!”
Seeing her brows furrow in defiance and her lips pout resolutely, Lu Jinye’s voice softened with amusement, “Alright, alright, drink as much as you want.”
If Qin Yue were here now, she would be utterly stunned. This was a version of her boss she had never seen before—gentle, patient, and ready to indulge her every whim.
He draped a corner of the blanket lightly over Jiang Li’s shoulder, preparing to take a shower and then rest in his study.
But Jiang Li grabbed the hem of his shirt stubbornly. “Lu Jinye.”
His pupils contracted sharply as he turned his head in mild surprise toward the figure on the bed.
Jiang Li’s eyes opened. Though there was no trace of drunkenness in them, her flushed cheeks and shoulders betrayed her lack of sobriety.
He exhaled sharply, soothing her softly again, “Be good, get some rest.”
“I don’t want to.”
“I’ll get you a glass of water.”
“No.”
“Then some food?”
“No.”
Lu Jinye resigned himself, sitting back on the bed and lowering his gaze to her.
Jiang Li was always clingier when drunk, and the look in her eyes gave him a fleeting illusion that perhaps she still loved him.
“Lu Jinye.”
He snapped back to reality with a bitter smile—how could that be? Jiang Li was drunk and had long since fallen for Shen Yechu.
“Lu Jinye!”
Lu Jinye grew irritated. “What do you want?”
Jiang Li stared at him for a long moment before saying, “You’re not happy.”
His heart was twisted as if being wrenched; she no longer loved him, yet she could still see right through him so easily.
Jiang Li sat up on the bed, wobbling as she knelt before him, her eyes shining with startling clarity.
Lu Jinye felt as if he could hear her heartbeat, pounding again and again—though perhaps it was only his own.
Before he could react, Jiang Li raised her hands and cupped his face, planting a fervent, longing kiss on his lips.
Lu Jinye had never struggled so much in a single moment.
He wanted to hold her, to return her awkward kiss with fierce passion.
But reason warned him otherwise—Jiang Li was drunk, never fully lucid after drinking.
Jiang Li seemed dissatisfied with his reaction. She bit down hard on his lips, the force so strong that Lu Jinye tasted a faint metallic sweetness.
“Why aren’t you paying attention?”
Lu Jinye took a deep breath, struggling to pull away from her, his voice low and hoarse, “Do you know what you’re doing?”
“I’m just kissing you. Is that not allowed?”
“Who am I?”
“Lu Jinye.”
He felt his reason unraveling, years of suppressed feelings threatening to surface.
Summoning his last restraint, he took out his phone and played a recording, asking Jiang Li again, “Who am I?”
“Lu Jinye.”
“What do you want?”
“To kiss you.”
“Do you regret it?”
“I don’t regret it!”
Her words slammed down like a verdict. The fragile thread of lucidity Lu Jinye held snapped completely.
He didn’t know where the phone had been tossed, only that the person in his arms was tender and enchanting.
Lu Jinye’s kiss was burning, scorching as he traced kisses behind Jiang Li’s vulnerable ears, prompting her soft, pleading breaths.
Her clothes slipped off, the ambient light was extinguished.
Bathed in moonlight, Lu Jinye asked one last time, “Jiang Li, do you regret it?”
Her lips parted slightly, her skin flushed a delicate pink.
Her voice was tender yet tinged with impatience, “Lu Jinye, I don’t regret it.”
Outside, the city blazed with lights and ceaseless traffic.
Inside, a spring tide of passion ebbed and flowed, their bodies entwined.
Afterwards, Lu Jinye leaned against the headboard and lit a cigarette.
Through the curling smoke, he gazed at the sleeping figure on the bed.
Her once radiant face now lay peaceful in slumber.
What he hadn’t expected was that despite being married to Shen Yechu for three years, she remained untarnished.
Had she truly been happy these past three years? She had once decisively broken up with him for Shen Yechu, only to end up here.
Had she ever regretted it?
Jiang Li lazily turned over, her thick black hair splayed across her alabaster shoulders, highlighting her porcelain complexion.
The red marks scattered across her fair skin spoke silently of their recent madness.
“Jiang Li.”
His voice was deep and magnetic, hoarse with lingering desire that bewitched the soul.
Snuffing out the cigarette, Lu Jinye gathered the clothes from the floor, glanced at her one last time, and left the room.
The faint sound of the door closing came from the entrance.
Jiang Li slowly opened her eyes.
She stared at the closing door in the darkness, tears held back for so long streaming down her cheeks.
“Lu Jinye.”
Her voice was heavy with grievance and a helpless weariness.
When Lu Jinye turned off the lights and spoke to her in the dark, Jiang Li had already sobered.
She had used the alcohol to unravel the deepest regret she rarely dared to mention, allowing herself one moment of indulgence.
But Lu Jinye left completely, unwilling even to stay for the night.
It had been him who lost control earlier, who clung to her time and again, yet in the end, it was he who left decisively.
Jiang Li’s tears flowed unchecked, as if reliving the heartbreak of their breakup four years ago.
Her heart ached unbearably. The blanket still seemed to hold Lu Jinye’s lingering warmth—but it was only warmth, nothing more.