Chapter 100 - So Real

The last-minute planned soirée took place at Jin Qing's house. Usually, he did not have guests over, but he wanted Long Mei's closest friends to spend the evening with them. 

Luo Nuying gaped at the interior and decorations once she walked in, amazed by Jin Qing's taste. 

"Don't break anything," Nikolai muttered. 

"Relax. I won't," Luo Nuying countered. "This is my first time here. That's all." 

Long Kun eyed the two curiously from behind, but Luo Nuying was far too distracted to notice. She would have been over the moon if she had caught his eye. 

Long Kun looked away before Luo Nuying glanced at him, wondering what he was thinking beneath his cold exterior. 

Long Mei then invited them to the kitchen and offered them some cheese, grapes, and crackers along with some wine. Jin Qing kept a short distance from her. He was close enough to touch but not enough to be all over him.

Long Mei wondered why she decided to have her friends over when she could have Jin Qing all to herself in bed or anywhere else in the house if they desired it. 

As if he read her thoughts, Jin Qing's gaze collided with hers. He gave her a subtle smile as if he knew. "What were you thinking?" he asked quietly. 

"Nothing," she flushed. 

His grin widened. "I will get it out of you later," he promised sensually. 

Long Mei gulped, trying to hide her obvious need. Once she tasted him, she couldn't get enough. Is this what it's supposed to feel like? She had never felt anything like this before. 

And yet, she hadn't told her family. She hadn't told anyone. 

Luo Nuying seemed to pick up on something, but she never said anything. 

Not many knew what Long Mei and Jin Qing had gone through to get here, but some might not care or understand. To them, her ex—the man she was supposed to marry—died, and she was with his brother now. 

It sounded worse than it was. Long Mei has known Jin Qing for a long time now. They'd been in each other's spheres, playing a dangerous dance, circling each other, hating each other, and wanting each other so bad that they did not know how to act or process it. 

The relationship between them was supposed to pretend, but then it became real. At least, she hoped it was real. 

They were all seated around a table when Jin Qing slipped a hand over the base of her back, keeping it there, away from the eyes of their friends. 

Luo Nuying was on her third glass of wine and nearly finished the contents of the charcuterie board when she stood, standing behind Long Kun. She wrapped two arms around his neck from behind. "Date me!" she boldly said, her face flushed red. 

Long Kun took a sip from his glass, not touching or pushing her away. "No," he rejected her flatly. 

Luo Nuying pouted, not taking the rejection to heart. "Why?" she questioned curiously, partly drunk. 

"You're noisy. Quite persistent," Long Kun answered and looked at her then. "And certainly not my type." 

Luo Nuying gaped at him. She then released him, finding a seat next to Nikolai. Nikolai looked amused, but he did not dare laugh, knowing he'd set off Luo Nuying. He also looked like he felt bad for her, but Luo Nuying still looked like her confident self, as if Long Kun's words did not affect her at all. 

On the contrary, she was beaming bashfully. Long Mei could not tell if her friend had heard the exact words as the rest of them or if she liked what he had said. 

Long Mei raised a brow. She whispered to Jin Qing low, "Do you think she has a humiliation kink?"

Jin Qing was just as curious as she was. "I think you're right…" 

...

A few hours later, they all ended up in the living room. 

Long Ken sat next to Long Kun, and next to Long Kun was Luo Nuying, who was leaning over him, attached to him like a piece of clothing. Long Kun appeared annoyed, but he also appeared as if he didn't hate having her there. Long Mei felt dizzy trying to understand them. 

Nikolai was the first to get up to leave, but he detached Luo Nuying from her new conquest, nearly dragging her away. Luo Nuying glared at him, but then he reminded her, "I'm your only ride home." 

"I could have left with Mr. Long Kun."

"I bet he would have left you stranded here." 

Luo Nuying looked back at Long Kun, and he didn't deny it. She then begrudgingly left with Nikolai, trying to hide her disappointment. 

The twins not long after said their goodnights to them and left as well, leaving Long Mei and Jin Qing alone. 

"Tonight was fun," Long Mei said to Jin Qing. "Thank you for inviting them over." She pecked him lightly on the mouth. But that peck quickly turned into rough kissing and frantic breaths. 

"You were so great today," he breathed. "The world should see you." 

Long Mei's heart skipped a beat. Jin Hu wanted to hide her from the world, but Jin Qing wanted everyone to see her. She did not know how to process it. 

She touched the side of his face, dragging her fingers across his skin, tracing his rough edges. "Is this real?" she questioned. 

He put one of her hands over his rapid, beating hard. It pounded so fiercely. She wondered how he was still breathing. "So real," he answered. 

Long Mei smiled and then she kissed him hard again, pressing against him, wanting him so near that she could feel every inch and crevice of his body against hers. "I need to tell you something," she parted and whispered to him. 

"What is it?" he asked. His eyes were wary with anxiety. 

"I…well. I need to say it delicately--"

The door then barged open, and the two of them pulled apart out of reflex.

"Forgot my wallet," Long Kun said. He then eyed them curiously, glancing at them from their dazed expressions to their plush mouths. He raised a brow and said, "good night." 

"You think he knows?" Long Mei asked him. 

"He knows now," he answered.. "Now it's a matter if he tells your brother or not."