Xie Yao guided Nie Yan around the various rooms in her house before finally leading him to her bedroom. This was his first time entering her room. It was clean and tidy with the walls painted in a warm pink while a fragrance that reminded him of spring hung in the air.
The windows faced the water, giving a perfect view of the lake.
Nie Yan walked into the room and looked around. He saw many photo frames set on Xie Yao's desk with pictures of her when she was younger. Even back then, she looked quite adorable.
Xie Yao stood by Nie Yan's side and started telling him about when and where each of these pictures was taken with a big smile on her face. She loved this sort of feeling. It was as though the two of them were in their own little world.
Nie Yan looked over at the dresser near her bedside and saw something he shouldn't have, like the dress Xie Yao had worn to her birthday banquet, her frilly lace bra with a delicate design, and other risque articles of clothing. Her three sizes immediately popped into his mind.
Nie Yan gave Xie Yao a mischievous smile. Following his line of sight, her cheeks immediately flushed red. She rushed over to the dresser to put everything away.
Xie Yao right now resembled a startled rabbit, her mind riddled with chaotic thoughts. When she went to her room to change earlier, she forgot to tidy up. She bent down to store everything away in her dresser, giving Nie Yan a nice view of her butt.
Nie Yan recalled the incident where the both of them got drunk in the restaurant. At that time, Xie Yao was like an irresistible lotus flower just waiting to be picked, filling his mind with overwhelming lust.
As Xie Yao returned to Nie Yan's side after tidying everything up, he suddenly hugged her. She trembled as her mind turned chaotic. She could feel his solid and thick arms wrapped around her waist and back, holding her firmly.
Xie Yao didn't offer up any resistance. She had already fully accepted Nie Yan in her heart.
As Nie Yan continued holding onto Xie Yao, he felt an indescribable serenity wash over his heart. In the previous timeline, he was no better than a pitiful mutt at death's door. But in the biting cold, he was rescued by her warmth. She was the shining ray of hope in a world of eternal misery and darkness. He never imagined he could get this close to her in this life. However, the knowledge that he was currently too weak to keep her by his side nagged at the back of his mind. He needed to get stronger, strong enough to stand above everyone in this world! Only then would he be worthy of her!
Xie Yao pressed her hands against Nie Yan's chest, all her anxieties and worries scattering away in his embrace. Given her gentle personality, she had a hard time even turning him down. She was normally cool and collected in front of others, her heart only ever wavering around Nie Yan.
A selfish thought crossed Nie Yan's mind. He wanted to make Xie Yao his own. But he knew it was too early. Xie Yi's words still lingered in his ears. His background was too low.
Xie Yao awkwardly wriggled in Nie Yan's embrace, her mind turning hazy from the heat. As she gazed into his eyes, she let out a sigh. Perhaps this was fate. If he wanted to do something at this moment, she would be helpless to resist. Picturing the events that might follow next, her heart couldn't help but race. She resigned herself to fate. Wasn't this only natural? They could already be considered a couple, after all.
It might be too early to eat the main dish, but there was no harm in trying the appetizers, right?
"Xie Yao..." Nie Yan gently whispered into her ear, his breath brushing along her neck.
"Hng," Xie Yao groaned, leaning into Nie Yan's chest.
Nie Yan lowered his head and pressed his mouth down on Xie Yao's. He staggered several steps forward before pushing her down on the bed. He recalled their night in the secret chamber in his past life and recently when they both got drunk as he lost himself to lust.
Feeling Nie Yan's rugged body pressed against her skin, Xie Yao wriggled helplessly. Little did she know that her struggling only further ignited his desire. His right hand reached under her shirt and groped her smooth underbelly, which was akin to a supple flower, before gradually moving upwards. The only thing separating his fingers from the two pillowy mounds on her chest was a thin piece of fabric. She dressed rather casually at home with loose fitting and revealing clothes. He gently lifted her bra as his hand tunneled inside. Xie Yao's figure was perfect. He had long since known this, but this was his first time experiencing it in real life.
Xie Yao let out a moan as she felt Nie Yan caress her bosom. A numb sensation ran down her spine as pleasure coursed through her very being, draining her of all strength. She was powerless to his touch.
Nie Yan gently kneaded the pair of moons, which were surprisingly too large to fit into his palm. Besides that one time in the secret chamber, he had never truly gotten this intimate with Xie Yao. The incident from his past life, which had long since become a fuzzy memory, once more flashed before his eyes and became all the more vivid.
In the previous timeline, Xie Yao got close to him with her identity as Yao Yao. Nie Yan couldn't help but wonder what sorts of thoughts ran through her mind during that night they spent together.
Perhaps back then Xie Yao had already accepted that the two of them could never be together. She knew that staying by his side was a fruitless effort, but she still watched over him without any regrets.
This realization shook the core of Nie Yan's soul.
Nie Yan's hand slid over Xie Yao's delicate body, past her smooth silky shoulders, then to her sleek back before finally resting on her perky butt. Xie Yao felt his large hand give a firm squeeze as an electric shock ran through her body. With a flustered expression, she struggled to grab onto something, but all she found was thin air.
Xie Yao twisted and squirmed, her body shuddered intensely as she gasped for breath. She finally let out a loud moan before losing all her strength and collapsing weakly into her bed.
Nie Yan was surprised Xie Yao was this sensitive. He slid his hand around to the front and felt a damp sensation.
Xie Yao's cheeks flushed scarlet with an intense feeling of shame. She pushed Nie Yan off her and quickly crawled out of bed.
"Nie Yan, my parents are coming home soon. Next time, alright?" Xie Yao said in a seductive voice, her face still bright red. Her body felt a little strange, preventing her from fully speaking her thoughts.
Nie Yan gave an apologetic smile. He had overstepped his bounds. Hearing Xie Yao's gentle voice, he couldn't help but feel a trace of guilt. "Sorry."
"I'm going to head to the washroom for a bit," Xie Yao said. What just happened left her feeling incredibly embarrassed.
Xie Yao walked into the en-suite. Nie Yan could vaguely make out her figure through the frosted glass panels on her door as his mind filled with all sorts of indecent thoughts. He had no clue what she was doing right now.
A little while later, Xie Yao walked back out of the en-suite. She didn't dare to meet his eyes. Recalling the words she had just spoken to him, she couldn't help but turn red again. Are we really going to... one day?
Xie Yao's coquettish figure filled Nie Yan with lustful thoughts. If he continued staying here, he was afraid he wouldn't be able to hold back any longer and throw himself at her. "Since your parents are coming soon, I should get going. Give them my regards."
"Mhm." Xie Yao nodded as she felt a bit disappointed. She actually wanted Nie Yan to stay with her a little longer. Being home alone was dreadfully dull. But she was afraid he might try to do something improper again. It was quite the predicament.
Xie Yao accompanied Nie Yan to the garage and saw him off as he got into his car. Waving him goodbye, she watched him turn on the engine.
"Well, I'm off." Nie Yan smiled before driving off.
After safely arriving home, Nie Yan received a surprise phone call from Tuoba Time. Only now did he remember giving Tuoba Time his phone number.
「How have you been?」Nie Yan cheerfully asked.
「I don't want to talk about it,」Tuoba Time replied with a regretful look on his face.
「Did you... fail?」Nie Yan inquired hesitantly. If Tuoba Time had truly lost, he probably couldn't speak right now.
「I mean, I didn't fail, but I didn't succeed either. Some bigwigs popped up out of nowhere and beat me to the punch. They ate their fill, then ran off, leaving me with only the scraps. Tuoba Hongye took heavy losses, but I didn't profit off of it,」Tuoba Time explained.
The bigwigs Tuoba Time referred to also included Nie Yan's father, who had made off with a sizable share of the pie. Nie Yan, on the other hand, knew nothing about the intricacies behind such corporate conflicts.
「I think you need to take him out, or else he's going to retaliate the moment he gets a chance to reorganize. If that happens, you're doomed,」Nie Yan advised.
「I naturally understand this, but I'm too weak right now. Unless I somehow magically get the funds to deal Tuoba Hongye the finishing blow, I'll be the one to go down, not him,」Tuoba Time said with a bitter smile. He had found backing in the form of a financial group from North America. But he was extremely wary of them, fearing he was leading a fox into the henhouse. This was why he was paralyzed with indecision.
「How much do you need?」Nie Yan asked.
「Not that much. I think a billion would be enough,」Tuoba Time replied.
¥1 billion really wasn't that much to a well-established group like the Tuoba Family. However, it was far too much for the Nie Family, whose net worth had yet to top ¥3 billion.
「If you're willing to give me ¥1.6 billion, I'll transfer over 12% of the Tuoba Family to you. But I need your guarantee you'll back me. When I finish dealing with the aftermath, I'm willing to buy back those shares for 30 billion,」Tuoba Time offered.
Nie Yan was in a slight daze by all these numbers. He still didn't quite understand what was going to happen, but he managed to figure out some bits and pieces. Tuoba Time wanted to borrow the Nie Family's strength to purge the Tuoba Family of Tuoba Hongye's influence. Although he had to pay a heavy price, he already had nothing to lose.
「I'll give you my father's number. Discuss it with him instead, since I'm not that well versed in the business world. I'll explain the situation to him. If there's something in it for him, he'll probably accept,」Nie Yan said before texting over his father's number to Tuoba Time.
¥1.6 billion might not mean anything to the large financial groups, but it was enough to bankrupt the Nie Family.
「Alright.」
Nie Yan chatted awhile longer and learned Tuoba Time had already completely withdrawn from Conviction. Everything remaining belonged to Tuoba Hongye. The heavier the losses Tuoba Hongye suffered in the game, the better for Tuoba Time.
What Nie Yan didn't know was that he had given his father an incredible opportunity. As for how his father would proceed forward to reap the most benefits, he would have to wait and see for himself.
As the sun gradually fell below the horizon, Nie Yan put on his game helmet and once more returned to the world of Conviction.