Every movement and glance filled my mind. Every nerve in my body resisted this unfamiliar intimacy. After a few seconds of endurance, I finally couldn’t suppress it and pushed Yin Zhongtian away. Moved by emotion but restrained by propriety, he left only a brief, light kiss before releasing me.
I let out a huge sigh, opened my eyes, and saw Ye Zhengchen walking over, his sharp gaze fixed on my lips, as if something belonging exclusively to him had been violated.
I licked my cold, numb lips and said to him, “Thank you!” I sincerely thanked him for not punching Yin Zhongtian at that moment. Ye Zhengchen’s clenched fists gradually relaxed.
“It’s almost noon. Let’s have lunch before returning to Nanzhou.”
The task force was conducting cross-location interrogation, and Yin Zhongtian was detained in Lingzhou, about a three-hour drive from Nanzhou. Although I preferred to limit interaction between Yin Zhongtian and Ye Zhengchen, I couldn’t ignore our hunger.
Yin Zhongtian made the decision, saying, “Sounds good.”
I reluctantly expressed gratitude as we walked to the car. Ye Zhengchen, disliking unnecessary pleasantries, simply said, “Get in.”
Noticeable was the white car and its license plate. Yin Zhongtian appeared to recall something, glancing between me and Ye Zhengchen.
I opened the back door. “Let’s sit in the back.”
Ye Zhengchen had once taught me that if the driver isn’t just a driver, a passenger should sit in the front to chat. If all sit in the back, it feels like treating the driver as a taxi driver.
As I prepared to get in, Ye Zhengchen turned back and glared at me, as if to say, “Try sitting in the back with him!”
Embarrassed, I nudged Yin Zhongtian. “You sit in the front.”
Ye Zhengchen drove us to the most luxurious hotel in Lingzhou.
As soon as we entered, the hotel manager approached us with a beaming smile, showing extreme respect towards Ye Zhengchen. He personally ordered dishes for us while delivering a long-winded flattering speech.
From their conversation, I gathered that Ye Zhengchen had hosted lavish banquets for guests here for two consecutive days at high expenses, with guests of distinguished status.
