The Unbidden Heart and a Treacherous Invitation

After running a considerable distance, Li Chunsheng slowly came to a halt at the street corner.

One hand pressed tightly against his chest, he panted heavily.

‘Thump-thump-thump…’ His heart hammered within his chest with unprecedented ferocity.

Possessing the physique of a Black Iron peak, he had never experienced such a violent heartbeat, not even when racing a bus.

Li Chunsheng could not deceive himself: this frantic pounding in his chest did not stem from his exertion, but rather from Liuxia.

‘What exactly… is wrong with me?’

He murmured to himself, his fingertips brushing against his scorching cheeks, his earlobes likely flushed crimson.

‘My behavior just now must have been utterly disgraceful.’

Thankfully, he had fled before his composure could completely unravel.

Yet, even after his escape, the rush of blood to his head in that moment still manifested as a hot, metallic tang in his nostrils.

‘How will Senior Liuxia view my actions?’

‘Will she find… me disgusting?’ A tremor of unease rippled through Li Chunsheng’s heart.

Li Chunsheng was, of course, acutely aware that Senior Liuxia had once been male.

He also understood that Senior Liuxia’s preference was for women; otherwise, she would not have had a former girlfriend.

Therefore, his behavior must surely cause her considerable distress. How could a junior she trusted harbor such overt lust for her in that moment?

Even though Li Chunsheng knew that, given Liuxia’s gentle and accommodating nature, she might very well compromise her boundaries to repay his kindness in taking her in, perhaps even acceding to some base demands.

But he absolutely would not allow himself to act in such a way. If he did, how would he be any different from that vampire, Mu Shengling?

‘Damn it, you’re beating far too fast!’ Li Chunsheng fiercely chastised his disobedient heart internally. ‘Slow down! Settle down!’

Yet his heart continued to pound, proclaiming, ‘I like her! Senior Liuxia… she’s truly beautiful.’

‘Is that really liking her? You’re just lusting after her body, you lecherous wretch!’ Li Chunsheng ignored the inner voice, continuing his self-reproach.

‘Alright… perhaps it is.’ His heart gradually quieted, its rhythm no longer so joyous.

‘Yes, this… is better.’ Li Chunsheng let out a long breath into the cool morning breeze.

As the morning sun cast its crisp, clear light, Li Chunsheng’s gaze grew calm.

‘This is absolutely not love. It cannot be love.’

****

Ultimately, Li Chunsheng skipped breakfast and headed straight to work.

Going without a meal or two was nothing new; he had endured far worse when he was jobless.

What was more pressing now was to save every single penny for Senior Liuxia’s identification documents.

While the cost of one breakfast wouldn’t save much, there were times when just a few or a dozen yuan could make all the difference.

‘Li Chunsheng, remember this: you are helping Senior Liuxia not to hold it over her head,’ Li Chunsheng admonished himself internally.

During commuting hours, the crowd outside the company entrance thickened, and amidst the flowing stream of people, a pink-haired girl in a white chiffon dress stood quietly, like a cherry blossom just beginning to bloom.

It was Mu Shengling.

Li Chunsheng merely glanced at her before striding past, his gaze fixed straight ahead.

“Hey—” A fair, slender hand delicately but precisely gripped his cuff. Mu Shengling’s voice held a hint of grievance. “Chunsheng, why are you ignoring me again?”

“Don’t you think you owe me an apology for hurting me yesterday?”

“It still hurts a little when I move now~”

The girl’s tone was cloyingly ambiguous, stirring a ripple of commotion among the surrounding crowd.

“What? Hurt her?” A passing colleague, hearing this, was so shocked that their forehead collided squarely with a pillar.

“Whoa, the CEO really is having an affair with this security guard!”

“What kind of rotten luck did ‘Iron Stone’ get?”

“Rotten luck? Show some respect to ‘Iron Stone,’ that’s skill! Understand?”

In an instant, a flurry of discussions erupted among the employees of the Mu Corporation, with gazes of envy, jealousy, goodwill, and malice all directed at Li Chunsheng.

This gave Li Chunsheng a considerable headache.

‘This woman always puts me on the spot in front of everyone!’ A surge of resentment welled up in his heart.

However, he was also at fault in this matter.

Truth be told, while he sensed Mu Shengling harbored ill intentions, she had never actually harmed him; on the contrary, she had helped him considerably.

Without Mu Shengling’s guidance, he wouldn’t even know where to go to get Senior Liuxia’s documents processed.

Consequently, Li Chunsheng’s demeanor softened as he said, “What happened yesterday, I was out of line.”

“I apologize!” He sincerely bowed his head.

“It’s alright, you know? Or rather… I’m quite happy about it.”

Mu Shengling’s smile deepened, a flicker of triumph glinting in her eyes. Outwardly, she maintained her noble and elegant smile, but inwardly, she was practically bursting with joy.

‘Ha~! It seems yesterday’s pain wasn’t for nothing. Now Li Chunsheng is finally willing to speak properly with me! This means his emotional defenses are being pried open by me!’

‘Heh heh, all I need to do now is send more signals of my affection to this little Chu Nan, and he’ll surely take the bait obediently, right?’

‘By then, won’t Li Chunsheng be just like Liu Xia, manipulated right into the palm of my hand?’

This interaction between the two of them completely solidified the employees’ earlier suspicions; now, almost no one believed there wasn’t a romantic entanglement between them.

If Li Chunsheng’s malicious intent to crush the girl’s ‘white rabbit’ was considered flirtatious behavior, then that was indeed the truth.

“Well, if that’s all, I’ll go punch in now…” Having apologized, Li Chunsheng attempted to extricate himself.

However, Mu Shengling did not release him. Instead, she tugged on his sleeve and followed, saying, “An apology like that feels a bit insincere, doesn’t it?”

“How about you treat me to lunch?” Mu Shengling suggested, her smile saccharine as she moved closer.

Li Chunsheng frowned, a look of difficulty on his face. “Miss Mu, my meager salary wouldn’t even cover one of your meals.”

“You don’t have to pay, would that be alright?” Mu Shengling pouted, speaking with a hint of resentment. “Are you really going to refuse even a single meal together?”

“But…” Li Chunsheng still wanted to refuse, unwilling to owe Mu Shengling any more favors.

However, Mu Shengling cut him off without a chance to argue, tossed out, “Then it’s settled,” and vanished behind the revolving door in a flash, forcefully creating a fait accompli.

The CEO’s aggressive pursuit completely dropped everyone’s jaws.

“Is this what they call ‘eating soft rice hard’? So impressive!”

All the men looked on with solemn respect, and even the female employees who usually ignored Li Chunsheng now regarded him differently.

‘Ugh… damn you!’ Li Chunsheng felt a vein throb in his temple.

Just then, the sky outside suddenly darkened, and large drops of rain began to fall without warning, the cold seeping through his light clothing, instantly chilling him to the bone.

‘What cursed weather… the temperature changes so fast this season!’ Li Chunsheng shivered.

With an empty stomach and a damp, cold body, Li Chunsheng was now both cold and hungry.

‘Tsk…’ This unpleasant physical sensation made Mu Shengling’s lunch invitation incredibly tempting.

‘No, Li Chunsheng, can’t you even endure skipping one meal? You need to have some backbone!’

And deep within the distant curtain of rain, a blurred figure in sunglasses watched the scene for a long time, a certain conclusion already forming in his mind…