When Song Ren permitted him to court other women outside of their marriage, he could not fathom those words. He knew that Song Ren was going into their union with the grounds of keeping their relations.h.i.+p solely platonic and mutually benefiting each other's companies.

But he liked Song Ren since they met, and never realized his feelings ran deep until he saw her again at the banquet, after months of parting. They occasionally saw each other after graduation.

He remembered seeing her at a Villa during an event hosted by mutual friends. She wore a white bathing suit with the brightest smile. His heart lept, and his thoughts consisted of her. He racked his brain for weeks, wondering why he missed her and why she occupied his mind. Later, he made sure that whichever events she attended, he'd be there.

Silently, he watched over her for three years at a distance. He only delved the courage to talk to her when she was close. Yet each time, she would act aloof, distant and reserved. She would ignore his existence around their friends, and she acted like they barely knew each other. That changed when he accepted the invitation towards Song Family banquet.

He remembered how shocked, excited, yet afraid he felt when Song Sheng announced his resignation. Song Sheng left everything for his sister, but that did not secure her position. In business, other men would have encouraged Song Jun to be the successor; Song Ren then would not get the opportunity she deserved. Therefore, when he saw her at the pharmacy, he had to see her and be sure of it. And when he invaded her family's home, he had to confirm it.

He was already in love.

Song Ren is defined as a strong person on her own, but as a the heir of her greatest compet.i.tor; Su Feng wanted to be her ally, her equal, her lover.

At that moment, he couldn't believe it.

"I want to give us a try," Song Ren proclaimed.

Su Feng's eyes widened, his lips parted, and he froze with the night-chill wind.

"Repeat it," he pleaded. Was Song Ren willing?

Song Ren bit her lip nervously. Her cheeks reddened, and Su Feng could not tell if it was from the cold or her blus.h.i.+ng.

Song Ren inhaled deeply before repeating, "I want to give us a try." She looked at him with sheer determination, the same way she looked at any task that's she willing to work hard on.

Su Feng smiled, towering over her with his height, reaching down to caress her soft cheek. She nearly gasped at his touch. Her eyes averted from his deep, affectionate gaze, and she puffed her cheeks in embarra.s.sment.

What was she thinking? She was not the type to give in so easily; and yet when she noticed how angry he was, she realized how much she offended him.

After all, she needed to know now of the possibility of their relations.h.i.+p. Today was the day she welcomed him or shut him out of her heart, forever. However, she was still afraid of letting him in.

"Is that what you want?" He asked, his tone low and smoky, his gaze lingering on her lips.

She felt herself get lost in the depths of his soothing voice. Instead of feeling nervous and erratic, she felt calm. She nodded to give him an answer.

Song Ren stepped forward, daring herself to let go of the ma.s.sive walls, protected by t.i.tans she kept around her heart for so long. Slowly, she leaned in on him and met Su Feng with a warm and soft embrace.

Su Feng held onto her gently, cradling her head, stroking her back and breathing in her scent as he seemed to have longed for it. Song Ren glanced at him, meeting his piercing blue eyes that reflected a pool of rough waves.

His scorching stare was hot and hungry, and he leaned in, their breaths lingering on each other's mouths, waiting, afraid.

"RENNNNN—Oh, OH. Sorry!" Jinyi yelled from the balcony door, closing the windows to her room swiftly.

Song Ren stepped away from him and composed herself quickly. She stole a glance at his face, his expression full of hunger and want.

"Let's go inside," she suggested.

Song Ren and Su Feng walked inside Song Mansion. They overheard Song Jinyi gossip with Qian Meigui, and they smiled at each other, playfully. They went to their respective rooms to change and sleep.

It was 2 A.M. when Su Feng woke to use the bathroom. As he finished and returned down the hall, Song Ren left her room meeting him halfway while holding a reusable water bottle.

Song Ren wore a tight nightgown that hugged every part of her body. They both did not expect to see each other, and it was like earlier again. Su Feng stared at her with an intense look of longing. His eyes lingered at specific parts of her body, shamelessly appreciating her.

Song Ren instinctively covered herself.

"Ren," he called out to her with something similar to pleading in his voice, needing.

Song Ren stepped closer towards him, reacting to him like a magnet. And within the next moment, they embraced each other hard. Their lips clashed like steel swords; except instead of sparing, they merged. The water bottle she held dropped on the carpeted floor with a soft thud. The kiss was hot and desperate, like all those years of wanting and hating and not knowing what to do with their uncertain feelings.

In school, they had to hate each other, as expected of rivals. And they did, but that hate slowly transformed into something they could not explain, did not antic.i.p.ate.

Su Feng's hands roamed her body freely, and she gasped against his lips. Quickly, he stole her breath away by stealing a kiss. And they held onto each other as if they were plummeting from the edge of the earth.

Song Ren stepped back as Su Feng moved forward, not separating. The distance between them grew smaller until she was back up against the wall, until he lifted one of her legs over his waist and caressed it. She held onto him, pulling his collar and face forward for a deeper kiss.

Song Ren was inexperienced, but she let a few men kiss her in the past. But this time it felt as if it was natural to respond to him. She felt like this was right. He kissed her until she ran out of breath; only then did he leave her lips.

Their breaths intertwined and their chests rose and fell. Song Ren felt something hard against her body and blushed at his reaction.

"Not tonight, Su Feng," She said.

"I know," he breathed in her neck. Su Feng knew that he had to be patient with her. It was the only way to grasp her heart entirely.

Song Ren glanced at him and gave him one long, gentle, and pa.s.sionate kiss. A promise of a future.