Inextricable

The dark bedroom was filled with the scent of passion and loud rapid breathing sounds as two people rolled on the bed. When the battle was over, both of them were covered in layers of dense sweat.

Xu Xingxing tightly grasped Huai Jing’s shoulders with shaky hands just as he was about to rise. Huai Jing’s eyelids flickered, but he stopped rising and supported the woman’s body with his arms on either side of her, watching as her breathing gradually stabilised. Her sweat-stained hair, now attached to her white and red cheeks, enhanced her beauty.

“L…later… don’t…come to my…my house.” A soft, weak and shaky female voice sounded in the darkness.

Love and desire had not faded from those light brown eyes when a thin layer of coldness swept over them as Huai Jing smiled softly and agreed.

“Mmm…Ok…”

…………………………………..

October approached and the temperature dropped, with the holidays for National Day and Mid-Autumn Festival arriving soon. Therefore, the subject of idle chatter in the office had also shifted to the Mid-Autumn Festival.

[TL Notes: In China, the Mid-Autumn Festival is a celebration of the harvest of rice and many other fruits. Ceremonies are held both to give thanks for the harvest and to encourage the harvest-giving light to return again in the coming year. It is also a reunion time for families, a little like Thanksgiving.]

With everyone living a busy life nowadays, most people prefer online shopping rather than in-person shopping, just like Chen Wanwan. When Chen Wanwan started to purchase things online for the Mid-Autumn Festival, she pulled Xu Xingxing in to buy them together. This was why a few days before the holiday, Xu Xingxing was called to the company’s front desk to pick up her package.

Xu Xingxing went downstairs after her lunch break. There were not many people at the front desk, and after receiving the package from the lady at the front desk, Xu Xingxing thanked her and prepared to return to her workspace.

However, before she could leave, a woman behind her let out a low cry and tapped her shoulder.

“Look, it’s Mr. Huai, he is at the door.”

As soon as the woman’s voice fell, Xu Xingxing’s heart skipped a beat, and her gaze drifted to the entrance subconsciously. 

Through the revolving door entered a group of men dressed in suits and leather shoes, all led by Huai Jing. And though he was also wearing a suit, he stood out as the most conspicuous one among them.

A man of average appearance was saying something quickly to Huai Jing. In reaction to his words, Huai Jing’s long eyebrows curved into a slight frown, his thin lips pursed, and there seemed to be seriousness in the depths of his deep light brown eyes, as if he was thinking about something.

Huai Jing replied to the man, and his low deep voice spread through the empty and bright building, his expression serious, as if he were talking about some important arrangement. Suddenly, this man’s gaze swept flat towards the front desk, just to meet Xu Xingxing’s curious gaze.

For a moment, Xu Xingxing was stunned before she looked away shyly. 

By the time she broke eye contact with him, Huai Jing’s gaze had already left hers, and he continued to talk to the people next to him, but the moment he retracted his gaze, the seriousness on his face had faded as well. His right lip pursed slightly, and he seemed to be suppressing a smile.

His expression changed so quickly that Xu Xingxing could not detect it, and just as she was about to take a closer look, the group of men had already reached the elevator.

When the man’s slight smile just now flashed in her mind, Xu Xingxing’s heart started beating faster and her face turned red. She quickly turned around and brought her package back to her office.

The elevator was being used by the company’s high-level staff, so Xu Xingxing didn’t bother to wait for it. She decided to use the staircase to get to her office, that way she would also be able to get in some exercise.

As soon as she stepped on the staircase, she overheard some people gossiping while climbing the stairs on the second floor.

The two women on the floor above seemed to not have recovered from the excitement of seeing Huai Jing just now, and after exchanging a few words about Master Huai being really handsome, they sighed coolly.

“Do you know who President Huai was talking to just now? It’s his brother. ”

“His elder brother?” The other person asked in surprise.

“No, his cousin, Huai Yangping, who is the eldest son of Huai Changchao, the current president of the Huai Group. It is said that he is the eldest son, but he is actually an illegitimate child.”

“Oh, is that so? It’s too complicated,” said the other one.

“Alas, Mr. Huai is so pitiful. The former president of the Huai Group was his father, Huai Changzhuo, and he would have originally become the next president of the Huai Group. Who would have thought that after Huai Changzhuo died more than ten years ago,  another family member would become the president of the Group.  After Mr. Huai’s father died, his mother became a nun, and he had to live alone with only one sister, who was studying abroad at that time.” The woman sighed and continued, “Mr. Huai is very unlucky. Otherwise, how could he, the original heir to the entire Huai Group, now be in charge of a jewellery company?”

“Then isn’t President Huai all alone now?” The other said, “I don’t mind him being alone, I can accompany him.” 

After the woman finished speaking, the two laughed together, and the girl who had explained Huai Jing’s history patted her friend and commented, “You just want to be beautiful.”

Talking and laughing, the two soon arrived at the floor where the office was located. Xu Xingxing stopped and thought for a while about what the two had said. The relationship between members of rich and noble families has always been complicated, even if it looked harmonious outside, it actually was not.

Xu Xingxing walked up the steps in deep thought, the crisp sound of high heels echoing in the corridor.

She suddenly remembered a sentence Huai Jing had said—

‘I haven’t eaten home-made food in a long time.’

A trace of sadness twitched in Xu Xingxing’s heart. She had told she didn’t want Huai Jing to come to her house again, she had only cared about her reputation. ‘But what about him?’

This thought haunted Xu Xingxing all the way, and she entered her office with a heavy heart. When Chen Wanwan saw her come in, she walked to her, took her package and said, “Why did your parcel arrive earlier than mine when we both placed the order at the same time?” 

“I don’t know.” Xu Xingxing came back to her senses and chatted casually with Chen Wanwan, “You open it and take a look.” 

Chen Wanwan smiled and asked while opening the package, “Xingxing, how do you plan to spend the National Day holiday?” 

“Going back to my hometown,” she replied.

Chen Wanwan rolled her eyelids and said helplessly, “Just going home for a day during the Mid-Autumn Festival? Let’s go out to play this time. You’re single now, so you should do what a single woman does. If you stay at home every day during the National Day holiday, you will definitely be forced to go on a blind date.”

Xu Xingxing smiled helplessly after listening to this. She had never been so daring, and the thing that most concerned her in her heart was always her family, so it was better to go home and help her mother in setting up the food stall for two days.

…………………………….

Not only was the coastline brilliant during the day, it was also brighter than other locations at night during the full moon. After their tryst at Xu Xingxing’s house that day, Huai Jing seemed to like doing that in a room that was darker than usual. However, tonight, the room was full of moonlight, its silver rays creating a dreamy world.

Xu Xingxing was half-prostrate on the bed, her eyelids covering half of her eyes, with drowsiness sweeping her body. She stared at the moonlight on the ground and said softly, “I’m going home for the Mid-Autumn Festival holiday.” 

The woman’s voice was sexy and hoarse, it was as if a layer of tulle had gently been pulled over her heart by the wind, which was particularly provocative.

The implication of Xu Xingxing’s words was that during the Mid-Autumn Festival holiday, she wouldn’t be able to make an appointment with Huai Jing. And Huai Jing, naturally, also realised this.

He lay beside Xu Xingxing, watching as her shoulders sagged, the small and delicate butterfly bones bulged, and how her waistline of butterfly bones was meticulous, flowing down from the spine into darkness, covered under the quilt.

“Huaicheng?” Huai Jing asked.

Their first meeting had taken place in Huaicheng, and he remembered that she was driving a car with a Huaicheng licence plate at that time.

“Yeah,” Xu Xingxing replied softly.

“How many days?” Huai Jing shifted his gaze to the back of the woman’s neck, where several new red hickeys were present.

She closed her eyes and half-opened them, and said, “During the few days we get off, I will be going home.” 

The corners of Huai Jing’s lips twitched.

“Then there will be a meeting in the Huai Group, and the company’s holiday will be for a shorter period.”

Xu Xingxing, who was about to fall asleep, was completely frightened by Huai Jing’s words. She faced Huai Jing, with a trace of anxiety and uncertainty in her eyes.

“Really…really?” She looked as frightened as a small animal.

His eyes softened, and Huai Jing lowered his head and bit the woman’s red-pink earlobe. He then smiled softly, and his voice and the heat of his breath entered Xu Xingxing’s ears together.

With this trace of heat flowing through her ear, Xu Xingxing blushed even more. She tilted her head slightly and muttered to herself, “I knew you were joking.”

Huai Jing’s chuckles echoed in the room.

Xu Xingxing woke up completely and opened her eyes fully. She stared at the full moon outside the window and remembered the gossip about Huai Jing she had heard today.

“Where are you going for the Mid-Autumn Festival?” Xu Xingxing asked Huai Jing for the first time. 

Huai Jing raised his eyes slightly and answered lazily, “Going home.”

“Going home?” Startled, she turned her head and looked at Huai Jing in disbelief.

Huai Jing was taken aback by her reaction, and after a while, he couldn’t help laughing as he asked, “Otherwise? You think I popped out of the cracks in a stone?” 

She shook her head hurriedly, and her neck gradually turned red. Huai Jing watched the woman turn around a little bit and close her eyes, getting ready to sleep. The silver moonlight shone on her lashes, leaving a half circle of dark shadows under her lids.

“Why are you asking me this?” Huai Jing suddenly asked.

Xu Xingxing’s eyes opened instantly.

Before she could react, Huai Jing covered her with his body and looked into her eyes.

“Don’t tell me that you want to spend the Mid-Autumn Festival with me.”