Chapter 39 Wonderful melody

The room suddenly fell silent; the only sound was the rhythm of their breathing, and the atmosphere grew charged with a sudden, intimate tension.

Zhou Han gazed steadily at the woman before him. After a long pause, he finally spoke: "You're drunk."

Lin Li looked at him and smiled. She had never held her liquor well; in the past, she could barely manage two glasses of beer—let alone red wine—before reaching her limit. Yet today, the more she drank, the clearer her mind became.

She shook her head. "No. I’ve never been more clear-headed than I am right now." It was precisely because she had lived in such a haze before that she had wasted ten years on a foolish, obsessive love. 

But now, it was time to wake up. One didn't have the right to remain muddled forever; for the sake of her parents—if no one else—she needed to live a better life, rather than causing them worry and heartache from thousands of miles away.

Zhou Han held her gaze; his eyes were sharp as a blade, capable of piercing through any armor in the world.

Despite having just insisted she wasn't drunk, Lin Li suddenly felt a wave of heat wash over her. A flush crept up her face, spreading a rosy glow across her delicate features.

She reached up to tug at the collar of her shirt, trying to breathe more easily and feel more comfortable. It was an entirely unconscious, unintentional gesture—but to a man, it was a devastatingly seductive move. This was especially true for a healthy man who had long abstained from intimacy.

----- please read the translation from https://irisatdusk.blogspot.com/

Zhou Han turned his head away, using the last shreds of his self-control and composure to keep his eyes from wandering. He stood up, his hands clenched tightly at his sides, and said in a cold, clipped tone, "You're drunk. I won't sleep with a woman who isn't fully aware of what she's doing. Let's save the idea of ​​turning this charade into reality for when you're sober." With that, he turned to leave.

He understood that she was in low spirits and wanted to use this moment to forget things she’d rather not remember. But he didn't want her to wake up the next morning, find him lying beside her, and be filled with regret and remorse. He might not be a paragon of virtue, but he certainly wasn't a scoundrel.

"I'm not drunk; I'm perfectly sober!" Lin Li shouted at his retreating back, a hint of defiance in her voice. "Zhou Han, are you scared?"

Zhou Han stopped in his tracks, his hands clenched tightly at his sides as he struggled to suppress the surging impulse rising within him.

Just as Zhou Han’s reason was battling his desire, Lin Li suddenly strode forward and rushed right up to him; she reached out, pulled his head down, and planted a kiss on his lips.

Zhou Han was caught off guard; he could only stare, wide-eyed, at Lin Li’s face—now looming large before him—as she kissed him with eyes closed and total focus.

Her lips felt exactly as he remembered: soft, warm, and carrying a faint, sweet taste. Yet, this kiss was unlike the previous two. 

On those earlier occasions—when he had taken her by surprise—her reaction had been stiff and resistant; she had seemed like an innocent young girl, charmingly clumsy. But now, her warm, soft tongue pried open his teeth and surged into his mouth, hooking around his own in an intimate dance. Gone was the stiffness and shyness; she was now passionate and bold.

Just as Zhou Han was momentarily dazed, Lin Li released the arm she had wrapped around him and pulled away; her face was flushed, and her lips—still glistening and rosy from the passionate kiss—looked inviting.

Suddenly deprived of those warm, sweet lips and tongue, Zhou Han instinctively frowned in dissatisfaction.

"See? I told you I wasn't drunk," Lin Li said, fixing her large eyes steadily on him and pouting slightly. She looked just like a stubborn child—cute in her obstinacy.

Zhou Han looked at her, a smile tugging at the corners of his mouth. "You don't act like this when you're sober."

Lin Li glared at him—a look of indignant protest. Her eyes seemed to accuse him of stubbornness; she had insisted repeatedly that she wasn't drunk, yet he kept stubbornly claiming she was. Would a truly drunk person grab him and kiss him like that?

Zhou Han held her gaze, silently telling himself that if she kept looking at him like that for a full minute, he wouldn't care whether she was lucid or muddled—he would take her right there on the spot.

But before he could finish counting down that minute in his mind, Lin Li wrapped her arms around his neck again, rose onto her tiptoes, and planted another forceful kiss on him. 

----- please read the translation from https://irisatdusk.blogspot.com/

This time, she kissed with more intensity, sucking on his tongue and playfully biting the tip of it. 

Then, pressing her lips against his, she whispered, "I told you I'm not drunk." As she spoke, the hands that had been around his shoulders had—unbeknownst to him—stealthily pulled his shirt out of his trousers; her small hands slipped beneath the hem, her soft palms gently rubbing back and forth against his bare back. 

If Zhou Han could still hold back and maintain his composure after all that, he probably wouldn't be a normal man. He let out a low curse—"Shit!"—and abandoned all reason and self-restraint. His hands, which had been tightly clenched at his sides, shot up to cup the back of her head; he seized the initiative, his agile tongue tangling with hers as he dominated her mouth with a fierce, sweeping intensity.

Lin Li parted her lips to meet him, but even with her enthusiastic cooperation, she couldn't withstand the sheer, fiery force of his passion. By the time he finally released her, she was breathless. 

The small hands that had been playfully roaming his back were now pressed weakly against his chest, bracing herself to keep from collapsing; her legs had turned to jelly, leaving her with barely any strength to stand.

Zhou Han looked down at the woman in his arms. With a firm movement, he wrapped his arms around her and lifted her up, then pressed his forehead against hers. Gazing steadily into her eyes, he said, "I’ll ask you one last time: do you realize what you’re doing?" 

He didn't want her to do something she might regret just because she was feeling distressed in the moment. Although he knew that failing to find relief right now would be sheer torture, he had his principles: they could sleep together without being in love, but it had to be entirely consensual—if there was even the slightest hint of reluctance, he would stop.

Lin Li was still breathing heavily as she gazed at him; they were pressed so close together—the distance between them a mere fraction of a millimeter, just like in the song. She could clearly see her own reflection in his eyes and feel his breath against the tip of her nose. She could sense his tension, too; his breathing was ragged, and the air he exhaled was hot enough to scorch her skin.

When no answer came, Zhou Han tightened his embrace, pulling her even closer. It was a form of torture for him as well; his voice dropped low, heavy with strain, as he spoke through gritted teeth: "Tell me—what are you doing right now?"

Lin Li took a deep breath, her own nerves tightening. Her chest rose and fell rapidly. Although she had drunk a great deal that evening, her mind remained clear; she knew exactly what she was doing, who was holding her so tightly, and what that searing, hard object pressing against her lower abdomen was.

"Tell me." Zhou Han stared intently at her, determined to get an answer.

Lin Li drew a sharp breath, looked at Zhou Han, and said firmly, "Zhou Han, make love to me."

----- please read the translation from https://irisatdusk.blogspot.com/

Almost the moment the words left her lips, Zhou Han swept her up into his arms—lifting her horizontally off the ground—and strode quickly toward his bedroom.

"Ah!"

His movements were so swift and sudden that Lin Li cried out in surprise. With her feet dangling in the air, a sense of instability made her cling tightly to Zhou Han’s neck, terrified that he might lose his grip and drop her.

Zhou Han kicked the bedroom door open and then slammed it shut behind him with his heel; the movement was so rough that the entire room shook with a loud, resounding crash. The room was pitch black; Zhou Han didn't even bother turning on the lights. He tossed Lin Li onto the bed—far from gently—and loomed over her, sealing her lips with his own just as a scream was about to escape her throat.

In the darkness, Zhou Han began tearing at Lin Li’s shirt with aggressive, rough movements. His haste made him clumsy; after struggling in vain to undo the tiny buttons, he simply ripped the garment open and tossed it under the bed, while his burning lips hurriedly pressed against her neck.

Amidst the frantic undressing, their clothes fell to the floor, and the temperature in the room seemed to spike instantly, growing hot and scorching.

Zhou Han’s kisses were searing; wherever his lips touched, Lin Li’s sensitive skin trembled in response.

Pressing against her satin-smooth skin, Zhou Han let out a low, soft chuckle. "So sensitive."

Lin Li bit her lip, annoyed by his teasing. She deliberately reached down toward his groin, and sure enough, she heard the ragged gasp she had anticipated. A triumphant smile played on her lips as she glanced at him sideways, saying provocatively, "We're even, then."

Amused yet exasperated, Zhou Han whispered hoarsely against her ear, "Don't say I didn't warn you—don't go begging me to stop later!"

Lin Li was stubborn and refused to back down; hearing his words, she retorted defiantly, "Don't worry—just make sure *you* don't finish too quickly."

Zhou Han glared at her, gave her shoulder a playful, punishing nip, and growled, "You'll be the one begging for mercy soon enough!" 

The nerve of this girl, questioning his prowess—didn't she know that nothing irked a man more than a woman questioning his ability in bed? 

"I just..." Lin Li wanted to say something more, but he silenced her with a kiss, leaving her unable to utter another word.

The room was filled with an amorous atmosphere, a blend of a man’s low, ragged breathing and a woman’s moans—the most primal and beautiful melody of human passion.

----- please read the translation from https://irisatdusk.blogspot.com/

TN: Shy.. 🙈