Chapter 9 Separated By Just A Kiss

With her back against the wall, Yan Wan was gripped with anxiety as she stared at the big man in front of her. She explained in her shaky voice, “I've tried to wait for you, but you were gone for too long. So I took off instead.” Too long? The spark in his eyes dimmed as he replayed the scene in his mind. He had just been away for barely half an hour before he returned to the room, but she was no longer there. It seemed like her definition of too long was even less than ten minutes. Instead of exposing her lie, he lowered his head and swept his eyes across her midi skirt. The material was pretty thin, which made it perfect to touch her and have a good feel of her skin. “Let's carry on from where we stopped last night.” With one hand pressed against the wall, Huo Lichen almost engulfed the petite Yan Wan with his towering frame. His manly aroma was all over her, stiffening every inch of her body into a statue as if it had cast some invisible spell on her body. The scenes from last night were still flashing inside her head. Making out in the office? Are you kidding? Besides, what they had was just a contractual relationship. She would not agree to it. “This is the office. Watch yourself,” Shaken to the core, Yan Wan pushed away his arm and dashed aside. It was the door she had aimed for, not the opposite direction. Yet there was only the desk and wall behind her. Huo Lichen was running out of patience when he lost his grasp on her. “Do as l say, woman.” “It's my right to refuse cooperating with you, Mr. Huo, since our relationship is just an engagement contract. If you insist on carrying on with such unreasonable demands, l will end my contract.” Yan Wan's attitude was firm and resolute, as she stared at Huo Lichen with full alert. Huo Lichen frowned in dismay. Why can't she just do it when it's such a simple thing? He would not have given a damn if it was just any other woman. But Yan Wan could be the woman he met on that night, and he did not want to terrify her. He gave in after a moment of silence. “Let's talk about work then.” Yan Wan could finally let out a sigh of relief. Still, she stood as far away from him as she could. She would never have taken part in the contest had she known that the president was Huo Lichen. But it was too good a chance to miss now that she had been chosen. It was the perfect opportunity to move up from her newbie status. It took her three seconds to deliberate before she began in an all-for-work tone, “I'll be the designer of this series, Mr. Huo. Please feel free to lay out your requirements.” “I will get Wei Qi to send you my style and preferences.” Huo Lichen sounded casual as if he was barely interested in it. The president design contest was the brainchild of his predecessor. Huo Lichen had not axed it since he could use it to verify Yan Wan. “Sure. Let me get back to work then if there's nothing else.” Yan Wan could scarcely wait to get out of the room. It made her edgy as she faced him, given what transpired last night. Seeing that she was about to leave, Huo Lichen narrowed his eyes and held her back. “Don't you need to take my measurements, Ms. Yan?” “I suppose Wei Qi should have them.” Huo Lichen pursed his lips. “I expect my clothes to fit me perfectly without an inch of misfit.” While he made it look so matter-of-factly, Yan Wan was cursing inside, What an irritating jerk! Yet she dared not antagonize him, so she walked toward him with her measuring tape. It was something she had done umpteen times as a designer to take the measurements of a person. But she looked like a novice with her fluttering hands when she was facing Huo Lichen. His aura was overpowering her as she neared herself toward him. It made her heart almost skip a few beats. When she had finished measuring his back, she turned to face him as she struggled to open her mouth, “Can you please lift your arms for me to measure your waist?” Huo Lichen lifted his shoulders slightly as he stood straight and tall. There was not much emotion on his exquisite face, as if it scarcely concerned him. It eased her tension as she saw the detached look on his face. Yan Wan kept telling herself to treat him just like any ordinary person as she took his measurements. With the tape in her hands, she pulled it across his waist with one hand and pulled it back with her other hand. Despite not touching each other, her body was just inches from his. It gave her butterflies in her stomach. She tried to brush away those silly thoughts and was just about to pull herself back with the tape when Huo Lichen abruptly stepped forward. As a result, both bodies collided. Yan Wan's back was almost touching the floor when she fell back uncontrollably until a muscular arm stretched out horizontally to hold her up. Huo Lichen's exquisite face was pressing near hers. His warm breath was all over her face. His look grew darker and dimmer. Their lips were tantalizingly close to each other, separated by just a kiss.