Mu Bai, however, was in no state to process the system's paranoid ramblings. Her entire world had narrowed to the woman in front of her. The system's warnings were just background static, an annoying fly buzzing in a room where a symphony was playing. She didn't answer 001. Instead, she took another step closer, the click of her heel on the concrete sounding abnormally loud in the tense silence. She was close enough now to see the faint, almost imperceptible tremor in Shen Ming's lower lip.
Her usual cold, boardroom voice was gone, replaced by a tone that was several degrees softer, laced with a concern that felt entirely genuine, not part of any script. "Why are you here?" she asked, her voice low so it wouldn't carry.
She bent her knees, lowering herself to be more on Shen Ming's level, and without a second thought, she offered her hand. It wasn't a calculated move; it was pure instinct. Shen Ming's eyes darted down to the offered hand, a flicker of surprise passing through her damp gaze. Then, slowly, she uncurled one of her own arms from around herself and extended it. Her movements were hesitant, almost shy.
Their hands met.
The moment their skin touched, a jolt, subtle but undeniable, shot straight up Mu Bai's arm. Shen Ming's hand was slender and pale, almost delicate in its structure, and it was cold, like she'd been holding ice. Mu Bai's own hand was broader, warmer, her grip firm and steady. She closed her fingers, enveloping Shen Ming's completely, and the contrast was startling. Her palm was a furnace against the other woman's chilled skin. The softness of Shen Ming's hand was incredible, the skin like fine silk against her own. That slight, cold touch seemed to seep through her skin, travel up her veins, and settle directly in her chest, bringing with it a strange, fluttering itch she couldn't scratch.
It was only their second real meeting, but Mu Bai felt a dizzying sense of inversion. Logically, she was the one holding Shen Ming's hand, offering support and stability. But deep in her gut, in some primal part of her that recognized a power far greater than physical strength, she felt the complete opposite. It was she who was being held. She was a kite, and Shen Ming's delicate, cold hand was the string, tethering her completely. This woman, in a moment of apparent vulnerability, had somehow captured Mu Bai's frozen, disinterested heart right in the palm of her hand.
Using Mu Bai's grip for support, Shen Ming began to rise. But as she straightened her legs, she wobbled precariously. A sharp gasp escaped her lips as she lost her balance, her body swaying like a reed in the wind. Panic, raw and instinctive, flared in Mu Bai's chest. Without a single thought for propriety or the system screaming in her head, she acted. She tightened her grip on Shen Ming's hand and her other arm shot out, wrapping firmly around Shen Ming's waist to steady her.
The motion pulled Shen Ming forward, directly into Mu Bai's space, into her arms. Shen Ming stumbled into her, one hand flying up to brace against Mu Bai's shoulder for balance. The distance between them evaporated. Mu Bai could feel the slenderness of her waist through the fabric of her clothes, the faint tremor that still ran through her frame. She could smell a faint, clean scent on her—like jasmine and rain.
Shen Ming steadied herself, her breathing a little quickened from the sudden movement. Then, she looked up.
Their faces were now only inches apart. Mu Bai was trapped, drowning in the direct gaze of those phoenix eyes. Up close, they were even more mesmerizing. They were still watery, making them shine like dark pools, and the long, crow-feather lashes that framed them trembled just slightly. It was an expression of pure, unguarded distress, and it gave her a heartbreaking, indescribable charm that hit Mu Bai like a physical force. For a terrifying second, Mu Bai felt her soul being pulled right out of her body and into the depths of those glistening eyes. It took every ounce of her famed SSS-level mental strength to anchor herself, to pull her senses back from the brink.
Shen Ming's voice, when it finally came, was soft, a little shaky, and so quiet Mu Bai had to lean in even closer to hear it, bringing their faces dangerously close.
"I… I was on my way home after practice…" she began, her words trailing off as if she was hesitant to say more, her gaze dropping for a moment before lifting back to Mu Bai's, filled with a mixture of embarrassment and something else Mu Bai couldn't quite name.
Mu Bai's gaze, desperate for a safe place to land, inadvertently drifted downward, and that's when she truly registered what Shen Ming was wearing. The loose, graceful practice clothes were gone. Instead, a simple snow-white T-shirt clung to her upper body, the soft cotton fabric doing little to hide the gentle, alluring curves beneath. It outlined two rounds of fullness that were impossible to ignore. Her lower body was sheathed in washed blue jeans, faded in just the right places, and they were tight, hugging a pair of long, slender legs that seemed to go on forever.
Mu Bai felt her thoughts skidding dangerously off-road into territory that was entirely new and deeply unsettling. A sudden, intense heat flashed through her body, completely at odds with the garage's cool air. Her throat went impossibly dry, scratchy and parched as if she'd been wandering a desert for weeks. The sight before her was an oasis she was not allowed to drink from, and it was frankly making her feel a little crazy. This was a level of physical reaction she'd never experienced; in her real life, she was always in perfect, icy control.
Flustered, she forced her eyes away, staring fixedly at a spot on the Pagani's windshield as if it held the secrets of the universe. She cleared her throat, the sound unnaturally loud, and tried to summon her signature 'cold' voice. It came out softer, warmer than intended, lacking any of its usual sharp edge. "Why are you squatting here like this? Is there something wrong?" she asked, trying and failing to sound like a detached CEO.
Shen Ming, seemingly oblivious to the internal crisis she was causing, didn't pull away. If anything, she leaned even more comfortably into the circle of Mu Bai's arms, settling against her as if it were the most natural place in the world. The movement pressed them closer together, and Mu Bai could feel a devastating softness against her, a warmth that seeped right through her expensive blazer. And the scent—oh, the scent. It was Shen Ming's unique fragrance, something clean like jasmine and fresh rain, but with a subtle, underlying sweetness that was purely her. It invaded Mu Bai's nose, clouding her thoughts, making her head feel light and fuzzy, as if she'd downed a strong cocktail on an empty stomach. It took every ounce of her legendary SSS-level mental strength to just keep standing upright and not, say, pull the woman even closer.
Completely unaware of the mental pressure she was unleashing, Shen Ming spoke again, her voice small and pitiful, trembling just enough to sound genuinely afraid. "I… After I got off the elevator, I could feel a man in a baseball cap and a mask following me from a distance." She shivered, a full-body tremor that Mu Bai felt against her own. "I looked back to make sure but when I saw the look in his eyes, I got really scared and ran here to hide, director Mu."
She stopped speaking, and then, to Mu Bai's simultaneous relief and despair, she gently eased herself out of the embrace. She took a small half-step back, just enough to look up and meet Mu Bai's eyes directly. Those phoenix eyes were still shimmering with unshed tears, wide and pleading.
"Please help me, director Mu."
The look was a direct hit. A kill shot.
'Ah! It's over. How could I refuse when she gives me a look like that!' The thought screamed through Mu Bai's mind, short-circuiting all higher reasoning. The words were out of her mouth like a cannonball, too fast for her brain to intercept, her voice startlingly loud and enthusiastic in the quiet garage.
"Of course!"
The force of her own response seemed to startle both of them. Shen Ming's eyes widened a fraction in surprise, and Mu Bai immediately felt a hot wave of embarrassment. She coughed, trying to cover her eagerness, and schooled her features into what she hoped was a look of dignified concern. She gave Shen Ming a deep, measured look, attempting to reclaim some of her lost composure.
"Ahem… Come with me," she said, her voice dropping back into a lower, more controlled register. She gestured toward the waiting Pagani, its winged door still open like a promise. "Don't be afraid anymore."
.
.
.
Thanks for reading.
Stay tuned for more.