Chapter 102: A Captivating Grace

The Cullinan was parked by the roadside, not yet in a parking spot.

When the traffic officer came to tap on the window, Liang Jinshang’s lower back, pressed against the steering wheel, was throbbed with pain.

Shang Yucheng was fierce, and escape was impossible.

In the cramped space, the dangerous tension simmered, their provocations and teasing inching ever closer to a breaking point, ready to ignite completely.

Her painful personal experience proved that men really cannot hold back for too long.

Fortunately, the sudden arrival of the traffic officer interrupted their mounting passion on the street.

Though inside the car, on this eight-lane road with two-way traffic, the lights shone like daylight, making it no different from broad daylight.

Startled by the knocking, Liang Jinshang’s shame overflowed, nearly biting Shang Yucheng hard enough to draw blood.

Shang Yucheng pressed her face into his shoulder; in her breathless state, they could not let any other man see her like this.

Then, impatiently, he rolled down the window. “What’s the matter?”

The officer glanced at their tangled posture—the man showing no embarrassment, even a commanding air—and didn’t know where to look.

His prepared speech faltered.

Embarrassed, he put on a stern face. “Sir, parking here is prohibited. Please move your vehicle immediately.”

Shang Yucheng nodded with some restraint. “Understood.”

The officer averted his gaze but couldn’t forget the glimpse of the snow-white nape he had just seen. Clearing his throat, he added, “Dangerous driving is also not allowed!”

Shang Yucheng let out a dry chuckle, laced with amusement, prompting Liang Jinshang to grind her teeth against his collarbone in embarrassment.

Like a little beast caught in a trap, she made the most futile resistance.

The window rose again, but Liang Jinshang still buried her head, unwilling to get up.

Leisurely, Shang Yucheng teased her, “Weren’t you so brave just now?”

His voice was hoarse as he spoke.

Liang Jinshang lifted her head, a thin sheen of sweat on her beautiful forehead. “If you’re so brave, then carry on!”

Her sly, mischievous look carried a hint of wickedness.

Shang Yucheng wasn’t afraid of the traffic officer but had no intention of letting anyone else see Liang Jinshang’s alluring and vulnerable state.

Continuing inside the car would surely invite another interruption; he wasn’t that masochistic.

He pulled her out of the car. Once on her feet, Liang Jinshang realized her legs were weak.

Since worse things awaited later, she didn’t mind leaning on Shang Yucheng, hoping he would carry her inside.

Unexpectedly, in no time, the rookie officer returned, seeing the couple apparently preparing to leave. He hurriedly called out, “Hey! You can’t park here! I’m going to issue a ticket!”

“Go ahead!” came two indifferent voices, a man and a woman, nearly making the diligent officer explode with frustration.

***

Liang Jinshang never expected to return to this home.

Nor did she imagine that the first night back would stretch so long and be so chaotic.

Every second was unbearably intense, the sensory overload brought on by Shang Yucheng reaching a critical peak.

Her five senses were completely dominated by him—screams, suffocation, the world shaking beneath them—several times she thought she might die.

The last flicker of consciousness in her mind was falling, unsteady, from Shang Yucheng’s waist before losing awareness.

She felt she had only fainted for two or three seconds before the outside light pierced her awake.

Used to the automatic curtains of Yunshui Pavilion, no one had thought to draw the blackout curtains last night.

Liang Jinshang’s body screamed from excessive exertion but she had to get up to close the curtains.

Just as she raised her upper body twenty-five degrees, a strong arm pressed her back onto the bed.

More accurately, Shang Yucheng was still asleep and exerted no force at all, but Liang Jinshang felt like a lump of dough, overhydrated and soft.

Too soft to bear any weight.

Anger surged from her gut; she forcefully removed his arm and threw it onto his stomach.

The commotion woke Shang Yucheng.

Without opening his eyes, he wrapped his long arms around her, low and hoarse, “Don’t make noise. Sleep.”

His slightly impatient tone was starkly different from the near-tender murmurs she had heard before fainting in the early hours.

The callous man had appeared.

Liang Jinshang’s muddled mind momentarily froze, unsure if it was the emptiness that follows wild revelry.

She had thought Shang Yucheng would give her tender care in the early morning after last night—after all, this time their relationship was different.

Unlike every intimate moment before.

At least last night she had thrown herself fully into it, cooperating with reckless abandon, believing they had reached an unprecedented peak together.

But his single impatient remark shattered it all like a mirage.

In short, she was a little upset.

Sitting alone for a while, Liang Jinshang got up and pulled the curtains closed.

Then she went to the bathroom to freshen up.

The CEO had just returned from a business trip last night and didn’t have to work today; she, however, had no right to skip work.

Because of her mood, Liang Jinshang paced back and forth, with no consideration for his sleep.

The bathroom was lined with bottles of skincare products—not the affordable ones she usually used, but genuinely high-end.

She didn’t know whether to call this considerate or heartless.

She splashed cold water on her face and studied her reflection carefully: her delicate, flushed face showed no sign of exhaustion from last night’s indulgence, clearly well-moisturized.

Especially her eyes—like a spring pond blooming with peach blossoms, sultry, languid, and full of dew.

Liang Jinshang couldn’t bear to look and dropped her gaze, avoiding the faint spots on her neck and shoulders.

She sighed, bent her head, and brushed her teeth, wondering if she had entered the “sage mode.”

A trace of regret lingered.

“What are you sighing about?” Suddenly, a pair of arms wrapped around her waist from behind.

Shang Yucheng’s voice was lazy, still half-asleep, carrying a unique kind of sexiness.

He bent over, resting his head on her shoulder. “Why don’t you sleep a little longer?”

Liang Jinshang brushed her teeth without looking at him, shooting a glance through the mirror, wanting to ignore him.

However, she underestimated the allure of those peach blossom eyes for a man.

Feeling the hands on her waist growing unruly, she noticed her robe’s belt loosening.

“No!” She hurriedly rinsed the foam from her mouth and sternly warned, “I have to go to work, I’m going to be late!”

After last night’s excess, he still had the energy to come at her? Didn’t he fear wearing himself out?

Shang Yucheng paid no mind and continued his advances. “What work? Don’t go.”

Liang Jinshang’s resistance faltered for a moment, and she whispered, “What did you say?”

“Don’t work anymore,” Shang Yucheng said as he turned her face toward him, intending to kiss her. “Stay with me. You don’t need that salary.”

For a moment, Liang Jinshang felt as if her blood had turned cold.

His tone was exactly the same as the words he once said years ago: “You should take a leave of absence, give birth to the child properly. I will support you.”