Chapter 3 Kissing “Mr. Zhao, have you kissed enough?”

“Afraid?”

Upon hearing this, Han Rao rolled her eyes inwardly.

It was him who caught her off guard and pulled her over, causing her to lose her balance and fall onto him. There was no foreplay at all, not even a moment to prepare herself mentally—of course she was scared.

Moreover, ever since she dared to stop his car, she had been feeling very confused, unsure of how to interact with him. The thought of what might happen tonight brought a vague, indescribable sense of frustration to her heart, making her feel burdened both physically and mentally.

Therefore, her somewhat guarded demeanor was only natural.

But Zhao Jichuan didn’t think so; he just believed she was playing the game of “catch me if you can.” Her peach blossom eyes feigned deep affection, yet her body’s reactions were full of resistance.

He sincerely found her sense of contradiction and fragmentation very interesting; this was what made her charming.

Zhao Jichuan continued to gently wipe the corner of her reddened eyes with his fingertip. Looking down at her inquisitive expression, he repeated the question he had just asked, “Afraid of me?”

Han Rao refused to admit it, defiantly retorting, “Why should I be afraid of you?”

Zhao Jichuan curled his lips, his gaze sweeping over her body. Her skirt lifted, rolling up to her knees. As his eyes moved upward, he took in the beautiful view before him at her chest.

His eyes darkened, but his gaze was raw and straightforward, without any hesitation.

“Your body is very stiff.” He exposed her.

Han Rao lightly pressed her lips together, seeming a bit helpless. “President Zhao, do you think my body can relax in this position?”

She leaned forward, one hand supporting the thigh wrapped in his suit pants, the other gripping the back of the chair tightly to maintain her balance. Only by firmly bracing herself with both arms could she prevent herself from collapsing entirely into his embrace.

Zhao Jichuan casually glanced at her and suddenly burst out laughing.

It was as if the layer of haze in the air had suddenly been peeled away, and he finally saw her true nature.

The man withdrew his hand and said in a deep voice, “Get up.”

Han Rao cursed him a thousand times in her heart, but didn’t utter a word, stumbling as she climbed up his body. The moment she stood, her gaze inevitably shifted slightly upward from his thigh, trying to catch a glimpse of the desire hidden beneath his neatly tailored trousers.

He showed no change, at least not one she could see.

She felt a bit disappointed, yet somewhat relieved.

Han Rao stood up, casually picking up the handbag that had just been knocked to the ground and held it close to her chest. Then, almost unconsciously, she shifted slightly toward the window side, leaning half her body against the car door to maintain a comfortable posture. Her face pressed against the cold car window, she felt her intoxication clear a bit, and her heartbeat gradually returned to normal.

Zhao Jichuan glanced at her out of the corner of his eye, too lazy to pay attention to her pretentious act, as if she were trying to deceive herself by putting so much distance between them.

But the space inside the car was only so big. If he wanted to argue with her tonight, where did she think she could run to? Even if she were the Great Sage Equal to Heaven, she would hardly escape from the palm of his hand.

Han Rao hadn’t thought that far. She felt that the alcohol she drank tonight had killed half of her brain cells, and dealing with him had killed the other half. She no longer had the energy to keep going, her head spinning badly. Rubbing her temples, she simply wanted to find a comfortable spot to rest and recover for a moment.

Moreover, given their current relationship, she certainly wouldn’t lean on him to sleep, right?

Zhao Jichuan withdrew his gaze, lowered his eyes, and reopened the document. He didn’t want to delve into her childish thoughts; after all, she was already in his car, and from now on, this relationship would be completely under his control.

And he eagerly anticipated, like poison slowly corroding, to possess her entirely, bit by bit.

He felt it was like investing in a stock with great potential but extreme volatility; the heart-wrenching feeling during price fluctuations was the very essence of what made stock trading so captivating.

He was interested in her because of the unknown variables she carried, like stocks.

Han Rao was not as complicated as he was, nor did she expect him to have such intentions from the start. Her reason was simple: she was tired of a life where she was at others’ mercy, a dead-end existence, and wanted to change her situation. She craved power and wealth, needed resources, and he just happened to have them.

Han Rao never thought she could be so carefree. Maybe the drink that President Du gave her at the party had something impure mixed in, because she actually fell asleep right in the car.

Han Rao’s last memory lingered on the street scene outside the window, shrouded in hazy neon lights, a quiet atmosphere that felt both dreamlike and real…

She recalled scenes from Wong Kar-wai’s films and vaguely felt that for a moment, she had somehow stepped into the world of “Chungking Express.”

Perhaps it was the basic temperament of being an actor—sensitive and easily empathetic.

Over the years, with no roles to shoot, she repeatedly watched classic old films, studying the performances of her predecessors, then stood in front of the mirror imagining, “If I were this character, how would I act…”

“That afternoon I had a dream. I went to his house, and when I walked out of that place, I thought I would wake up. Who knew, this dream would never end.”

One moment, Han Rao still had the classic lines from the movie echoing in her mind; the next moment, all memory was gone.

When she suddenly woke up, she instinctively looked out the window and realized the car had already stopped.

It seemed they had arrived at their destination. Wang Jie had somehow already gotten off the car, leaving the interior feeling empty.

Han Rao rubbed her sore neck and suddenly heard the crisp sound of paper flipping. She turned her head and met Zhao Jichuan’s gaze.

The man raised his hand to check the watch on his wrist and said, “Awake.”

Han Rao felt parched and made a swallowing motion, withdrawing her hand and casually asking, “You were waiting for me.”

Zhao Jichuan closed the file and set it aside, then raised his hand to wrap around her waist and pulled her closer. “What else?”

Man

His hot breath brushed against her face, and a suggestive voice followed, “Han Rao, I’ve been waiting for you for half an hour.”

Meaning, after the car stopped, she slept for another half hour?

Han Rao really wanted to pat her own head—what on earth was going on? She usually couldn’t sleep soundly when she was alone, rarely sleeping through the night without waking up twice.

It seemed she was just too tired today, or maybe she suddenly felt that life had some hope, momentarily forgetting the psychological pressure.

Han Rao took the opportunity to clutch the corner of his shirt, her eyes shimmering like spring water, and apologized, “I’m sorry.”

Zhao Jichuan felt that waiting for half an hour wasn’t in vain after all. At least she wasn’t an ungrateful woman, nor did she stubbornly blame anyone—so he was willing to wait for her.

He reached out and lifted her chin, examining her delicate face in the dim light. Her makeup was a bit smudged, but it didn’t diminish her beauty. For a woman as strikingly glamorous as her, makeup was just an added flourish.

Zhao Jichuan stared at her for a few seconds, tracing from her forehead, eyebrows, eyes, slowly moving downward. Finally, under her gaze, he leaned in and kissed her lips.

Even though she had prepared herself, when the man’s lips touched hers, Han Rao still felt her heart race, clutching his clothes tightly.

She didn’t even know how to react—should she yield or resist?

She could only stand there dazed, letting his lips press against hers, inhaling the faint scent of sandalwood on him, feeling waves of static electricity ripple through her scalp.

Zhao Jichuan quite liked the feeling of kissing her; her lips were as soft as jelly, and that hand lightly brushed across his chest, like a cat scratching an itch.

It’s just that she was a bit slow and didn’t know how to respond.

Zhao Jichuan suddenly pulled away from her lips and wiped the lipstick he had smudged with his fingertip, then suddenly chuckled softly.

She closed her eyes tightly, slightly tilting her chin up, looking as if she was willing to be taken. It was clearly just a kiss, lips touching—she wasn’t being asked to die heroically or have her head chopped off immediately. Was it really necessary to close her eyes so tightly?

“Han Rao, open your eyes,” he commanded.

Han Rao trembled as she opened her eyes, and seeing the man’s face so close, she actually let out a sigh of relief.

It was Zhao Jichuan; she could accept it was Zhao Jichuan, at least she was very satisfied with his appearance and figure.

There’s a popular term now called “physiological liking,” and she could be certain that her feelings for Zhao Jichuan were physiological liking.

Han Rao suddenly realized that her earlier behavior was probably too lacking in romance. Her hand slowly traced up his shirt, finally resting on the unbuttoned button. She casually fiddled with the button, while her other hand wrapped around his waist, her fingertips barely grazing his skin through the fabric.

The two were in an extremely intimate posture, Han Rao’s half body weight leaning against him.

Zhao Jichuan quietly watched her little gestures, knowing she was acting.

But romance itself relies half on acting and half on genuine feeling.

True feelings are lacking, so we make up for it with acting.

Her acting skills were good, so she never came across as sycophantic or off-putting.

Zhao Jichuan immediately grasped her struggling right hand, and with his other hand, he single-handedly lifted her onto his lap.

The space in the car was limited after all, and Han Rao, afraid of hitting her head, had no choice but to wrap her arms around his neck, arching her body with her back pressed against the cold car window.

Zhao Jichuan cupped her chin and kissed her again.

This time, he was not as gentle as before; he simply brushed her lips lightly. Wanting more, he extended his tongue, pried open her lips, and tasted her flavor.

She really had quite a lot to drink tonight; no wonder she was bold enough to sleep for so long in the car. When the car came to a stop, Wang Jie called out “Miss Han” several times but couldn’t wake her.

At this moment, her mouth still carried the lingering rich aftertaste of the wine, a crisp and mellow fragrance that was even sweeter than the glass he had personally tasted.

Zhao Jichuan couldn’t help but deepen the kiss, stealing her breath away.

Starting off this wildly, and not even being the one in control, Han Rao felt a bit overwhelmed and hunched her body to step back.

But her back was already pressed tightly against the car window, feeling the coolness of the glass—there was no way out.

However, her attempt to pull away was keenly noticed by the man. Instead of stopping the kiss, Zhao Jichuan changed his position. With one hand gripping her waist, the other clasped the back of her neck, his fingers tangled in her hair, leaving her unable to move.

He only gradually let her go after he had finished the kiss to his heart’s content.

He lowered his eyes, looking at her lips flushed from the kiss, then raised his hand to tuck her disheveled hair behind her ear, as a gesture of comfort.

Han Rao originally didn’t want to accept his feelings, but he kissed her so fiercely that she couldn’t resist at all, as if he wanted to suffocate her. And now he was pretending to be a gentleman.

But she quickly suppressed her anger, reminding herself that she was the one asking him for a favor now. She had to control her bad temper and not make things awkward for herself.

Han Rao wrapped her arms around his neck again. “Mr. Zhao, have you had enough kisses?”

“Hmm?”

Han Rao raised her eyebrows, turning the passive into the active this time, taking the initiative. She gently pecked his lips, kissing them delicately.

A woman’s kiss is different from a man’s; she is not so urgent, but rather has a feeling like slowly boiling a frog in warm water, teasing him until he gradually becomes restless, wanting to regain the initiative.

The hand Zhao Jichuan had gripping her waist tightened with more force. He deliberately waited for the right moment, intending to deepen the kiss, because at this level of intimacy, a mere taste no longer satisfied him. He wanted to conquer the woman sitting on his lap and strip the smug mask off her face.

But Han Rao anticipated his thoughts a second earlier and timely turned her head to avoid his kiss.

His lips brushed past her ear, and her earring struck his face. He slightly turned his head.

Zhao Jichuan saw through her trick, chuckled softly, ran his hand through her hair, and did nothing else, just quietly watching her.

Her every move was too enchanting; at this moment, he was instead willing to be at her mercy.

Han Rao couldn’t figure out what he was thinking. Seeing the look on his face that showed no desire to continue kissing, she assumed he was going to end this ambiguous interaction.

She let out a breath, stepped down from him, smoothed her rumpled skirt, and picked up the handbag placed beside her, clutching it tightly in her hand.

“Mr. Zhao, can we have a detailed discussion now?”

Her words were tactful, but he caught the underlying meaning. What she meant was simply that after they had kissed, they needed to settle the score, to calculate what he could truly offer her and whether he could meet her needs.

Zhao Jichuan truly thought she was too clear-headed. He had been completely lost in that kiss just now, and she was deeply immersed as well, yet as soon as it ended, she started talking about conditions, which really spoiled the mood.

Since that was the case, he had no intention of continuing to get closer or flirt with her. He rolled down the car window, and the ambiguous atmosphere inside the car suddenly vanished.

They sat upright on opposite sides, looking every bit like two people discussing business.

Han Rao looked at him somewhat awkwardly. The man changed his posture, elegantly crossing his legs, remaining silent.

Han Rao gritted her teeth and said nothing. Then she would take it as his consent. After all, these matters needed to be clarified; it was best to set clear boundaries and state the conditions from the start to avoid trouble later. He was a businessman and understood this principle better than she did.

Han Rao clenched the hem of her skirt. “I need to terminate my contract with my current company, and the penalty fee… I need you to help me pay the penalty first. This amount is not small. When I borrow it from you, I can give you an IOU.”

“But I need opportunities to act; I need at least two to three decent productions to bring me back into the public eye…”

“But this process might be a bit difficult, and I need you to step in and help me handle it. I have had conflicts with the Lin family before, and they might block me again.”

Han Rao was well aware that her relationship with Zhao Jichuan was nothing more than a means to help her escape her current predicament and return to the public eye.

As for whether it would become popular, or how popular it would get, he couldn’t decide that. Small success depends on support, big success depends on fate—she knew this.

But now, she had to have a chance—there was always a possibility of a future acting opportunity that could make her famous.

Actually, from the moment she filmed her first movie, she never thought about becoming wildly famous or a key star in the industry. She simply loved acting, enjoyed performing, and wanted to have roles to play and good scripts to come her way.

Later, after being blacklisted because of that incident, she finally understood that these two were actually two sides of the same coin, complementing each other.

Only fire can have a voice, only fire can perform the play it loves.

Zhao Jichuan didn’t interrupt and quietly listened as she finished stating her conditions. She glanced at him from time to time, probably hoping for a reaction, but seeing that he said nothing, she went on until she had said everything in one breath.

“Is this the first time you’ve seen me?” Zhao Jichuan suddenly changed the subject and asked.

“What do you mean?” Han Rao was puzzled.

Zhao Jichuan suddenly laughed, feeling as if he had been outmaneuvered by her. He directly asked, “Han Rao, you know me.”

Han Rao’s heart trembled, and she lowered her eyes guiltily.

Actually, she couldn’t say she knew Zhao Jichuan, nor had she ever seen what he really looked like before. But although she had been blacklisted for many years, she had been part of this circle, so she had naturally heard through the grapevine about the power of the Zhao family.

Today at the drinking party, the arrogant General Manager Du stood up as soon as he saw him enter

He came to greet them, addressing each person respectfully as “you.” When General Manager Du offered him a drink, he waved his hand and said he had other matters to attend to tonight and wouldn’t drink. Not a single person in the room dared to urge him to drink again, showing how much his status commanded respect.

“I don’t know, I just guessed.”

Seeing that the conversation had reached this point, Han Rao simply decided to speak honestly, without deliberately hiding anything.

In this relationship, it was he who extended the olive branch to her, not her who actively seduced or provoked him.

She was merely weighing the pros and cons when agreeing to this relationship.

Extreme honesty and straightforwardness, on the contrary, dispelled his suspicion.

He still thought…

Zhao Jichuan rubbed her hair, “All these conditions are acceptable, and you don’t have to pay back the money.”

He was referring to the penalty for breach of contract.

Only the poor fuss over trifles; since he had decided to help her, he was unwilling to make such clear distinctions with her.

Still asking her to write an IOU? He wouldn’t stoop to such a tasteless thing.

“As for the rest, you can bring up conditions anytime you want, but whether I agree or not depends on what conditions you propose.”
Zhao Jichuan spoke as he gently tapped her chest with his hand. Of course, he didn’t say it outright, but as long as she pleased him enough, he could give her even more.

Han Rao’s heart trembled; she suddenly felt grateful, grateful that he was a generous man who gave her enough, at least enough that she wouldn’t have to worry about making a living in the short term.

“If you’re willing to invest more in me to act in a few more films, I’d naturally be willing too,” she said, following his lead to gain the greatest benefit.

Zhao Jichuan readily agreed, “This is the first time I’ve supported an actor.”

“I…” Han Rao was afraid he would think she was arrogant and only spoke unrealistic things, so she swallowed her words back.

Zhao Jichuan seemed very curious about what she had held back and asked, “You what?”

Han Rao took a light breath and looked at him seriously. “I have great confidence in my professional abilities. Mr. Zhao, you can consider it an investment in me. I’m confident I won’t let you lose money.”

In that moment, Zhao Jichuan saw a fierce ambition shining in her eyes.

He suddenly laughed, not mocking her for overestimating herself. He had always believed that ambition was a virtue; ambition drives motivation, though ambitious people also have their flaws.

“Then I look forward to it.”

Han Rao hadn’t expected that over these four years, countless close people had advised her to leave the industry, to terminate her contract with the company and find a stable job at home. In the end, it was a stranger who gave her the greatest confidence.

No, they weren’t strangers at all—they had just kissed moments ago. How could they be considered strangers?

“What about you? What do you need me to do, and how long should I stay with you?” Han Rao asked.

Zhao Jichuan chuckled lightly, “I haven’t thought about that in detail, and it’s not important. You just need to behave well, and leave the rest to me.”

That ambiguous sentence made Han Rao’s heart, which had just settled, rise again; she felt uneasy and anxious.

The meaning behind his words conveyed one message: the initiative between them was entirely his, and she was not to defy him.

Han Rao nodded, masking her emotions. Although she still had things to say, she felt today was simply not the right time to continue the conversation. She had no advantage to play against him. Better not to “lose the chicken while trying to steal the rice,” ending up angering him and gaining nothing.

She knew when to advance and retreat, waiting for the right moment.

After mentally preparing herself, Han Rao lifted her eyes and met the man’s gaze.

Zhao Jichuan said bluntly, “It’s getting late, let’s go, head upstairs first.”

Han Rao shuddered inwardly, feeling her scalp prickling. She looked out through the open car window and belatedly realized that they were in the hotel’s underground parking lot.

So when he said “let’s go up first,” he meant going back to the hotel.

She was with him.

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