Quick Travel to the Clouds

Chapter 679 My Sister 14

The medicine box left by Shen Bai, with its categorized notes marked down to the minute, was silently stored by Yun Chu on the top shelf of the medicine box.

Whenever she took her medicine alone, her fingertips would trace the crisp, handwritten notes next to the cold, hard printed words, and an indescribable ripple would stir within her. She could not deny that extreme, precise, and forceful thoughtfulness.

Every morning, Xiaolin would spontaneously place a cup of warm honey water on Yun Chu's desk.

She thought it was a new habit until one day, when she casually mentioned that "the honey water that President Shen recommended last time was especially good for your throat recovery," Yun Chu didn't frown or interrupt as she used to. She just gave a soft "hmm," picked up the cup, and let the familiar, soothingly sweet taste slide down her throat.

This became another silent "label" left by Shen Bai.

The faint scent of pine wood and disinfectant in the apartment had indeed dissipated, but it stubbornly seeped into Yun Chu's olfactory memory bank.

A few days later, at a business dinner, when Shen Bai, as an important business partner, naturally approached her to exchange pleasantries, his restrained and steady pine-like aura suddenly enveloped her.

Yun Chu's fingers tightened almost imperceptibly around the wine glass—this time not out of repulsion, but because an overwhelming sense of familiarity, carrying the memory of disinfectant, instantly struck her, reminding her of that sick night she had been cared for.

Shen Bai keenly sensed this softening and seamlessly switched from the "care" mode to "normalized presence".

At the launch meeting of a high-intensity project, Yun Chu coughed slightly due to fatigue from working hard for several days.

Before anyone could react, Shen Bai casually picked up a spare bottle of water from the conference table, unscrewed the cap, and gently slid it to her side.

The movements were fluid and effortless, as if he were simply passing on a document.

There was no eye contact, no questioning, yet it exuded an undeniable, forceful "You should drink water" attitude.

There was a moment of silence in the meeting room, and the expressions on everyone's faces were subtle.

Yun Chu remained expressionless, but a few seconds later, she reached for the water and took a sip.

He started appearing more often "on her way" to her commute or at her usual lunch restaurants.

It wasn't a deliberate date invitation, but rather a natural "chance encounter," and then it was only natural for him to offer to pick me up or pay the bill. He provided a highly efficient form of "companionship" without any clingy or intrusive feeling.

Yun Chu initially refused to give him a ride a few times, but he always had a reason that was hard to refute immediately. Coupled with his attitude of "purely for your convenience," it made refusing seem particularly difficult and heartless.

Gradually, getting on the bus and closing the door became a kind of silent acquiescence.

His "external cooperation" with Kobayashi became even closer.

It was no longer a one-way inquiry, but evolved into Xiao Lin "unintentionally" revealing a sentence or two in his project communication with Shen Bai during certain high-pressure moments in Yun Chu's life, such as "President Yun has set aside half an hour this afternoon" or "President Yun seems to prefer that Cantonese restaurant in the South District."

This information became the cornerstone of "chance encounters" and targeted "services".

The key steps for the project's ultimate success have been completed.

The team left early to celebrate, leaving Yun Chu alone in the now empty, huge office to work on the final report.

After dozens of hours of intense tension, the sudden release of those tensions brought a wave of immense fatigue and a strange sense of emptiness. Outside the window, the city lights shone brightly, but inside, a chilling silence reigned.

There was a knock on the door. Yun Chu looked up and saw Shen Bai leaning against the doorframe. He didn't seem to be home either; his tie was slightly loose, and he was carrying two steaming cups of tea and a small plate of beautifully packaged Chinese pastries (from her favorite Cantonese restaurant).

“That was a good ending. Want some tea?” He placed the snacks beside her, then casually leaned against the edge of her massive desk, his long legs outstretched, his posture relaxed yet exuding an absolute sense of intrusion.

The familiar scent of pine wood filled the air once again.

The only sounds in the office were the rustling of papers and the occasional sip of his tea.

A strange stillness permeated the air, carrying a tension even more intense than the previous nights spent sick.

Shen Bai's presence was like a silent barrier, separating the noise outside the window from the coldness inside.

Yun Chu's tense back gradually relaxed amidst the aroma of tea and this atmosphere, in the vulnerability following extreme exhaustion. She didn't say "thank you," nor did she urge him to leave. It was a deeper acceptance than the tacit consent of someone in illness.

Yun Chu finished organizing the last document, rubbing her lower back, which ached from sitting for so long. Shen Bai's gaze remained fixed on her. Suddenly, he reached out, picked up the half-cup of coffee that had gone cold on her desk, and walked towards the coffee machine in the corner.

It was this extremely natural action, this return to the role of "caregiver," that, like the last feather, gently landed on the scales.

As Yun Chu watched his tall figure intently pour out the cold coffee for her, rinse the cup, and brew a fresh batch, the iceberg in her heart, which he had been relentlessly bombarding and building up, finally cracked open under the onslaught of exhaustion, the emptiness after victory, the cumulative infiltration of his forceful methods, and the familiar atmosphere of "service."

"Shen Bai." She spoke, her voice still hoarse and carrying an unreadable emotion.

Shen Bai stopped what he was doing and turned around. He didn't ask "what's wrong," but just stared at her intently with his deep eyes, which were now half-lit and half-dim under the overhead light, as if waiting for an answer he already knew.

Yun Chu stood up, walked around the desk, and stood in front of him. She didn't hesitate for long; perhaps it was impulsive, or perhaps she was being pushed forward by the complex emotions that had accumulated over a long period of time.

She looked up at him, speaking in a statement rather than an interrogation: "You've always... been here. Around me."

Shen Bai silently and gently took the document she was still holding from her hand and placed it aside.

He took a half step forward, his warm body and the scent of pine completely enveloping her. "Yes." He lowered his head, his gaze like that of a hawk locking onto its prey, making no attempt to conceal the predatory intent and the certainty he had finally waited for. "I've always been here. And I will always be here."

This is not a gentle confession, but more like a forceful final declaration.

Yun Chu felt a familiar sense of suffocation and dominance in his naked gaze and approaching aura, but this time, something deeper was burning within her.

Instead of backing down, she met his gaze with a complex expression that blended defiance and acceptance, a result of her long-standing persistence.

Shen Bai understood. He didn't give her any more time to think.

He forcefully wrapped one arm around her waist, cupped her cheek with the other, and suddenly lowered his head to kiss her.

The kiss carried his usual domineering and unquestionable nature.

At first, it was a cold, ruthless act of plunder, as if to stamp his ownership.

But soon, upon touching her cool, soft lips, that icy coldness cracked, bursting forth with a long-suppressed, scalding, magma-like desire.

He pried open her teeth, not with a gentle invitation, but with a declaration of possession.

Yun Chu stiffened briefly, seemingly instinctively wanting to resist this overly direct attack.

But in the end, overwhelmed by a profound sense of exhaustion and the collapse of a long-turbulent mind, she closed her eyes.

She did not yield, but she also stopped resisting, letting the scalding heat invade and melt away her last bulwark of defense.

Just as she accepted his medicine, his water, and the scent of his pine, she now silently accepted him as a person and his kiss. This silent acceptance confirmed their relationship more clearly than any response.

When Shen Bai finally stepped back a few inches, breathing heavily as he looked at Yun Chu in his arms—her face flushed, her eyes hazy but still holding a trace of her last stubbornness—he said in a low, hoarse voice, "Now, my domain covers." He wasn't just referring to this office.

Yun Chu didn't refute him. She pushed him slightly, trying to regain some of her usual sternness: "Don't delay my finishing up." Her tone was icy and bluffing, but her reddened earlobes and slightly rapid breathing betrayed the turmoil in her mind.

Shen Bai chuckled softly, released his hand, and picked up the table to report: "I'll help you tidy up." The action was perfectly natural.

Yun Chu turned around and walked back to her seat. In the instant her back was turned to him, she subconsciously wiped her lips, which still seemed to retain the mark of his strong breath, with the back of her hand.

The cold document on the table was next to a cup of still-steaming tea.

The scent of pine is no longer just a fleeting lingering molecule in the air; it has become an indelible, tangible imprint he left on her world.

Their relationship was sealed with this powerful kiss and her tacit consent. This invasion, which began with a flu outbreak, ultimately conquered the entire fortress.