The Beauty Is Seducing Me Again Chapter 16
byChapter 16: 016 Yes, that’s right, she desired Chen Xiaonuan’s body.
The night was deep, and the city’s neon lights flickered.
Inside an exclusive, high-end members-only bar in Quanhai City, soft jazz music played.
Shen Qing’an rarely indulged herself, seldom proactively inviting friends out for a drink, let alone showing the kind of irritation she displayed tonight.
Half a glass of whiskey remained in the crystal tumbler. Shen Qing’an’s hand rested on the glass wall, unconsciously rubbing it. Her brows were slightly furrowed. She picked up the glass and drained it in one gulp.
The two people sitting opposite Shen Qing’an were her closest friends, whom she had known for many years—it wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say they had played together since kindergarten.
“What’s her deal? She called us out late at night just to watch her drink?” Su Man saw Shen Qing’an down another glass, turned her head, and whispered.
Su Man had just finished hosting an art exhibition today and hadn’t had time to rest. She arrived wearing a sharp business suit dress. She thought it was a casual get-together with friends, but it turned out her friend was drowning her sorrows, looking utterly miserable and frustrated.
How unusual, truly unusual.
Qin Siyu shook her head; she was even more confused.
When she received Shen Qing’an’s call, she was still working on design drafts, planning to pull an all-nighter to finish the initial sketch. But Shen Qing’an drove to her studio to pick her up, heading straight for the bar.
Su Man clicked her tongue lightly, swirling the cocktail in her hand. “I say, Qing’an, you called us out late at night and haven’t said a word. Are you planning to just let us watch you drink and space out all night?”
“Could it be that the company ran into a major problem that even you find tricky?” Qin Siyu scrutinized Shen Qing’an, who was clearly out of sorts. After a minute of thought, she shook her head. “No, I haven’t heard my parents mention any trouble the Shen Family is facing. Didn’t you just secure a huge project recently?”
Su Man leaned lazily against the back of the sofa, a playful smile on her lips. “I don’t think it’s business. Our CEO Shen is busy with a myriad of tasks, a standout who fought her way through countless battles. Why would she be worried about work?”
“I think, eight times out of ten, it’s… personal matters.”
She drew out her tone, her words full of probing curiosity.
Shen Qing’an raised her eyes and glanced at them, hesitating to speak. She picked up her glass. The spicy liquid slid down her throat, failing to extinguish the inexplicable restlessness in her heart.
Qin Siyu asked, “Is it really personal, like Man’er said?”
Hearing this, Shen Qing’an nodded.
Su Man put down her glass, sat up straight, and said seriously, “What exactly happened? What can’t you tell us?”
Shen Qing’an fell silent again.
Since the day she realized her feelings for Chen Xiaonuan, numerous problems had followed, wrapping around her like vines. The more she thought, the tighter the grip became, almost suffocating her.
She needed to confide, needed objective judgment from the outside world for correction.
Shen Qing’an took a deep breath and finally spoke, her voice slightly hoarser than usual.
“I met a girl.”
“Oh?” Su Man immediately perked up, and Qin Siyu raised an eyebrow.
A girl who could make Shen Qing’an mention her in this tone was highly unusual.
Su Man pressed, “And then?”
“And then…” Shen Qing’an carefully chose her words, trying to avoid mentioning overly private details, like the dream. “When I see her, or rather, when I get close to her, my heart rate accelerates uncontrollably, and I can’t even focus my attention.”
She also experienced certain inappropriate physical reactions.
Shen Qing’an didn’t voice the last sentence. Just thinking about it made her ears feel slightly hot.
Su Man and Qin Siyu exchanged glances, seeing disbelief and a hint of excitement in each other’s eyes.
Qin Siyu eagerly asked, “This girl, could she be the one you mentioned before, the one who goes to the hospital every day to take care of Auntie Yuan?”
Shen Qing’an nodded.
“Wow.” Su Man whistled, her expression becoming more playful. “Not bad, huh? As expected, the early bird gets the worm. The ancients truly didn’t lie to me.”
Qin Siyu was clearly calmer. She scrutinized Shen Qing’an as if seeing her for the first time. Especially when she noticed Shen Qing’an’s slightly red ears, she felt like posting an announcement on Weibo: Was this the same aloof Shen Qing’an, who was indifferent to power and beauty?
A few seconds later, Su Man suddenly slapped the table. The sound wasn’t loud, but it was full of certainty. “Shen Qing’an, why are you talking nonsense? If you like the girl, just say so earlier! Stop dragging your feet. You just desire her body.”
Desired her body.
These words struck Shen Qing’an’s heart like a heavy hammer.
She instinctively denied it. “What nonsense are you talking about?”
“Where am I talking nonsense?” Su Man stated emphatically, counting on her fingers as she analyzed. “Heart racing and inability to focus when you see her—that’s a sign of attraction. Physical reactions when you get close to her—that’s the most primitive form of attraction. If this isn’t desiring her body, then what is it?”
“Do you have a physical reaction to your financial reports? Does your heart race uncontrollably when you meet a business partner? If you dare to claim you don’t like her, I’ll go home right now and perform a handstand while washing my hair!”
Qin Siyu was shaking with laughter beside them. Afraid the fire wasn’t hot enough, she added fuel to the flames. “Exactly, Qing’an. Your symptoms are textbook examples of falling in love, couldn’t be more typical. Although ‘desiring her body’ sounds a bit crude, it is indeed the truth.”
“But… what does the girl look like? Cute? Pretty?” Qin Siyu couldn’t help but recall that Shen Qing’an had mentioned the girl was studying at Yunjing University. She raised an eyebrow. “A female university student, I didn’t see that coming, Qing’an. You’ve been so self-disciplined all these years, turns out you have a taste for pure college girls.”
Shen Qing’an was speechless, blocked by their rapid-fire questions.
She wanted to refute them, but found that Su Man’s words precisely hit the mark in her heart. Yes, that’s right, she desired Chen Xiaonuan’s body.
For over twenty years, she had never felt out of control around anyone. Chen Xiaonuan was the sole exception.
Shen Qing’an’s unexpected silence was interpreted by the two friends as tacit agreement.
“Tsk tsk tsk, looks like there are times when our CEO Shen, this iceberg, melts.”
Qin Siyu also laughed. “Congratulations, congratulations. When does CEO Shen’s journey to win her wife begin?”
Shen Qing’an felt a mix of embarrassment and anger at their teasing. She said coldly, “Stop fooling around.”
“I’m not fooling around, I’m serious,” Qin Siyu stopped laughing, but the mischief in her eyes was still evident. “So, how does the girl feel about you? How far have you two progressed?”
When the topic turned to progress, Shen Qing’an’s expression visibly dimmed.
She poured herself half a glass of whiskey and drank it down. The familiar spicy sensation rushed down her throat again, but it couldn’t suppress the bitterness in her heart.
Shen Qing’an’s voice was low as she said, “She… treats me like an older sister.”
The air immediately fell silent for a moment.
When Su Man recovered, she burst out, “Sis, sister? Hahahaha, Shen Qing’an, I never thought I’d see the day! She treats you like a sister, and you harbor inappropriate desires for her.”
“Your path to winning her over is not just long; it’s practically endless.”
Qin Siyu also couldn’t help but laugh, covering her mouth with her hand, her eyes curved like crescent moons.
“This… this is a bit tricky. Qing’an, the pursuit is a long and arduous task. Keep it up! We support you spiritually and wish you an early success in bringing the Great Beauty home.”
Shen Qing’an’s face alternated between green and pale from their laughter, but she was powerless to refute them. This was indeed the most accurate and frustrating summary of her current situation.
“But seriously, you are Shen Qing’an, the sole heir of the Shen Family, the CEO of the Shen Group, the peerless, aloof Great Beauty.” Su Man finished laughing, sat up straight, wiped the tears from the corners of her eyes, and her tone became slightly more serious. “If you truly intend to pursue her, is there any way you can’t win over a naive young girl?”
“Good job, Qing’an. You have sharp taste, specifically going for the young ones.”
The last sentence turned inappropriate again.
“Su Man,” Shen Qing’an warned, glaring at her.
“Alright, alright, I won’t joke anymore.” Su Man raised her hands in surrender, pretending to beg for mercy.
Then, her eyes sparkled with a smile. “Seriously, since you’ve confirmed your feelings, don’t keep it bottled up. If you like her, go for it. Being timid is not your style. When has CEO Shen ever failed to get what she wants?”
“I don’t think this time will be an exception.”
Qin Siyu nodded in agreement. “Although it sounds a bit crazy, it might not be a bad thing. It’s better if the feelings are pure. The most crucial point is that you must make her realize that you are not just her sister.”
“Otherwise, if you work hard to woo her, and she ends up thinking it’s intense familial affection, then you’re screwed.”
Shen Qing’an listened in silence. Her friends’ words sparked a fierce debate in her mind.
Go for it, make Chen Xiaonuan realize?
How should she do that? It was completely outside Shen Qing’an’s realm of knowledge. The strategic planning and decisive action she used in the business world seemed utterly useless when it came to emotions.
“By the way, bring her out for us to meet sometime, okay?”
Su Man leaned closer, her eyes twinkling with gossip, her curiosity unconcealed. “I really want to know what kind of Little Beauty has the ability to conquer our CEO Shen, this Iceberg Great Beauty.”
Qin Siyu looked expectant, nodding repeatedly. “Exactly, you must bring her for us to see. We’ll vet her for you.”
Vetting was fake; gossip was real.
Bringing Chen Xiaonuan out to meet her friends.
Shen Qing’an couldn’t imagine Chen Xiaonuan sitting timidly in a corner while Su Man and Qin Siyu, those two who loved a good show, would relentlessly tease her.
Immediately, Shen Qing’an dismissed the idea.
“We’ll talk about it later,” Shen Qing’an vaguely replied. She raised her hand and called the waiter. “Another glass.”
She needed more alcohol to numb herself.
“Drinking again? You’ve had quite a bit tonight, drink less,” Qin Siyu couldn’t help but advise when she saw her down another glass.
Su Man said, “How about this: we’ll give you advice. Tonight, while you’re drunk, just go straight up and kiss her forcefully. See how she reacts.”
Shen Qing’an said coldly, “I am not a pervert.”