It was another night of working overtime on a business trip.
Feng Feng finished her data analysis. It was already one in the morning, but the office building on Wall Street was still brightly lit.
“Manager Feng, your coffee.” Her subordinate, Ming Qing, brought Feng Feng coffee. Seeing her drink half of it in one gulp, Ming Qing couldn’t help but say, “You should go back to the hotel and rest.”
“You go back first, I need to reply to an email.” Feng Feng had already opened her laptop.
Ming Qing had been working with Feng Feng for over a year and was often shocked by her drive to succeed.
She was like a spinning top, always full of energy, as if Feng Feng never looked tired.
Knowing that persuasion was futile, Ming Qing yawned and returned to the hotel first.
Feng Feng finished her email at two in the morning. She picked up her phone and scrolled through WeChat, just in time to see the heated discussion in her graduate student group chat.
As soon as she opened it, she saw a photo someone had posted.
In the photo, a tall and handsome man stood beside a beautiful woman. The woman held a child by the hand. The scene of a family of three was warm and glaring.
The subsequent chat content was nothing more than praise for how well-matched the man and woman were, and how adorable the child was.
Feng Feng scanned through the messages quickly, her expression unchanged.
After leaving the company, she looked at the bustling night view of New York, a hint of irritation rising in her heart.
She thought she had become accustomed to it, even numb, but seeing their family of three still stirred her emotions.
Feng Feng did not return to the hotel. She changed direction and went to a nearby bar. When she was stressed, she liked to drink to numb her nerves.
She walked to the bar with practiced ease and ordered a custom cocktail.
Not long after she started drinking, someone approached her to strike up a conversation.
Feng Feng’s appearance was that of a typical Eastern beauty – cold, elegant, and giving off an air of aloofness. Even in a foreign land, she was often approached.
The man who approached her this time was a white man, estimated to be over six feet tall and powerfully built. Honestly, he was quite handsome, but his attitude was too frivolous, and he started getting handsy right away, which was a turn-off.
Feng Feng rejected him, but he was unwilling to give up and continued to pester her.
Just as she was about to call the police, she suddenly heard a voice laced with a smile, “Brother, stop bothering my girlfriend.”
Feng Feng was somewhat of a sound connoisseur, and the man’s voice was too pleasant, drawing her to turn and look.
To her surprise, the man also had an Asian face. He had his hands in his pockets, a half-smile on his face, and a dangerous glint in his eyes. It was clear he wasn’t someone simple.
After being warned, the white man left, and the other man then sat down next to Feng Feng.
“Thank you.” Although Feng Feng was usually reserved, she still had basic manners.
“Chinese?” the man asked her in English.
Feng Feng replied directly in Chinese, “Are you too?”
“Yes, I’m from Nanjiang,” he said.
Feng Feng was surprised by the coincidence, “Me too.”
Then, they introduced themselves to each other. As a gesture of gratitude, Feng Feng bought Shen Su a drink.
While drinking, Shen Su said with a smile, “Actually, I’d prefer if you thanked me in a different way.”
Both being experienced in nightlife for years, Feng Feng immediately understood his meaning.
She looked Shen Su up and down. He had a great physique, a high nose bridge, and looked like he would be quite capable.
However, his casual demeanor suggested he was an old hand, and Feng Feng was a little concerned about his health.
People who were so unrestrained might have picked up something unclean.
Before she could ask, Shen Su seemed to read her mind and handed her his phone, “My physical examination report. It’s a coincidence, but I just had it done yesterday.”
Feng Feng took it and looked. There were no illnesses. “You’re quite professional.”
Shen Su said with a smile, “It’s only right when you’re out having fun.”
Feng Feng was in a bad mood, her mind filled with that family photo. Shen Su had arrived at a time when she most needed to vent. Feng Feng put down her wine glass and asked him, “Hotel?”
They hit it off immediately and went to the hotel Shen Su had booked.
As soon as they entered the room, Shen Su began to pull off her small suit jacket and lowered his head to kiss her neck.
He said, “When I saw your back, I wanted to do this.”
Some women, even with a cold expression, could stir up wicked thoughts in men. Shen Su, having been in the dating scene for many years, honestly, Feng Feng wasn’t his usual type.
But tonight, when he saw her, he felt an inexplicable spark.
However, Feng Feng’s performance in this regard was a pleasant surprise to him.
She was very proactive, not at all as aloof as she appeared, and very cooperative.
The two of them moved from the mirrored wall at the entrance to the floor-to-ceiling window, then back to the sofa, then to the bathroom, and finally to the bed.
Shen Su usually only had sex with women twice before losing interest. A situation like this was a first for him.
Feng Feng was like some kind of poison, attracting him, making him increasingly addicted and insatiable.
Perhaps it was the so-called inherent flaws of men at play; seeing a cold beauty fall was satisfying his vanity.
But that was all. Shen Su had no intention of developing a relationship with her.
Coincidentally, Feng Feng felt the same way. Both were very principled. After the night was over, they got dressed and went their separate ways, not even exchanging contact information.
A one-night stand should be like this.
When Feng Feng returned to the hotel and showered, she looked at the marks on her neck and felt a headache coming on.
She had a banquet to attend tomorrow and would be wearing a formal dress. She needed to find a way to cover these marks.
She had told Shen Su not to bite her neck, but he hadn’t been listening at that point.
The reunion with Shen Su was unexpected. The next day at the banquet, he was also present and, as a company partner, was introduced to her by her superior.
At that moment, Feng Feng deeply regretted it.
She had a rule: she didn’t date people she had work interactions with, as it could easily lead to many unnecessary troubles.
After making eye contact with Shen Su, Feng Feng quickly made the most appropriate move: pretend not to know him.
“Mr. Shen, hello. It’s a pleasure to meet you.”
Shen Su’s lips curved into a smile, and it was unclear what he meant. He shook hands with Feng Feng and praised, “Manager Feng, you’re very capable.”
Feng Feng didn’t intend to ponder whether Shen Su’s comment had any hidden meaning, but she felt that Shen Su was a very “principled” person and wouldn’t bring up their one-night stand.
Moreover, her business trip was ending in a few days, and Shen Su seemed to be based in New York long-term, so there shouldn’t be too much work interaction.
When Feng Feng went to the restroom, she encountered Shen Su kissing a blonde, blue-eyed woman in the hallway.
She was wearing high heels, and the sound of her footsteps disturbed them. Shen Su stopped and looked at her from a distance.
Feng Feng saw desire in his eyes. After all, they had slept together the night before, and she couldn’t forget it for the time being.
The woman was disrupted and displeased, so she pulled Shen Su into a dressing room.
Feng Feng, on the other hand, turned and went into the restroom, parting ways with them.
In the days following the banquet, Feng Feng did not see Shen Su again. She completed her work in New York and, along with a few subordinates from her department, returned to Nanjiang.
Feng Feng had been on this business trip for nearly two months. Upon her return, the company arranged for her ten days of paid leave. She finally had time to go out for drinks with two of her friends.