usatvline Chapter 338 The Ship of Desire
Chapter 338 The Ship of Desire
"...Have you ever considered that our cooperation could go deeper and last longer?"
Upon hearing Zhou Chengjing's words, Bai Li's heart stirred. She turned her head and met the man's deep eyes.
The snow-capped mountains outside the window gleamed with a cold, hard blue light under the moonlight, casting flickering light on his deep brow bones and straight nose.
Go deeper?
Longer?
Bai Li felt that she wasn't overthinking things, but rather that Zhou Chengjing's words did indeed have a hidden meaning.
Leaning back in her expensive leather chair, she feigned confusion: "Brother Zhou, what kind of in-depth cooperation are you referring to? Strategic cooperation, or...?"
Bai Li skillfully avoided the question, leaving her words unfinished, but the unspoken meaning permeated the small space, carrying a certain tacit ambiguity.
Zhou Chengjing's lips curled into a slight smile as he called her by her full name: "Bai Li, you know perfectly well what I'm talking about, so why ask when you already know the answer?"
The darkness in his eyes made Bai Li's heart pound with fear.
Perhaps it was the accumulated time spent together over the past six months that gradually relaxed Bai Li's tense nerves. She didn't know when it started, but she had forgotten that the person in front of her was not a "safe" or "reliable" person at all.
Realizing that Zhou Chengjing was serious, Bai Li concealed the dark glint in her eyes and mentally called out to Xiao Hao, "How much favorability do you have with Zhou Chengjing?"
Xiao Hao confirms: "Reporting to the host, it's 60 points."
"Okay, I understand."
Bai Li had made up her mind.
Over the past six months, the two have maintained a close working relationship, and Zhou Chengjing's favorability towards him has been slowly increasing, until it has now reached 60 points.
But 60 points is only the level of close friends and mutual appreciation, far from the level of liking each other. Why would Zhou Chengjing make such a suggestion?
Bai Li met the man's eyes again: "Why?"
Zhou Chengjing pondered for a moment, as if considering this question for the first time.
"Because I need a perfect collaborator?" Zhou Chengjing looked at her, his expression devoid of emotion, only one of focused scrutiny. "Perhaps we can try extending our collaboration to a more private dimension, which could make our alliance unbreakable."
really.
This cunning madman.
Bai Li understood.
She believed that Zhou Chengjing was sincere at this moment.
But what he wanted was never love; it was a purely transactional bond of interests.
For someone like Zhou Chengjing, love would only be a burden.
A contract, shared interests, and aligned actions—this cold, political marriage is their way of navigating the world.
After forming that political relationship with Zhou Chengjing, she was indeed able to obtain an extremely grand career plan. If it were anyone else sitting here today instead of Bai Li, they probably wouldn't be able to resist such a temptation.
But unfortunately...
Bai Li was here. The Godly Rich System had given her unlimited wealth and confidence. She was only slightly distracted before quickly calming down.
She met his gaze without flinching or moving closer, and said calmly, "Brother Zhou's suggestion is indeed tempting, but unfortunately, that's not what I'm looking for. You've come to the wrong person."
Zhou Chengjing's gaze darkened, and he leaned forward slightly, instantly compressing the distance between them. Bai Li could clearly smell the crisp, pine-like scent emanating from him, mixed with the faint aroma of whiskey.
This is an extremely aggressive move.
"Bai Li, I admire your clarity of mind and respect your views on love, but if you stop moving forward because of love, wouldn't you be wasting your infinite possibilities?"
Zhou Chengjing's voice was very low, with a captivating magnetism.
Shirai felt a subtle dizziness.
The man before her knew how to manipulate people's hearts. He saw through her ambition and her defenses, yet he could still throw out even more tempting bait.
"In this era where material things and sex have replaced love, are you sure you want to talk to me about love?"
Bai Li did not back down. Instead, she faced Zhou Chengjing's oppressive aura and slightly raised her face. This movement made her neck form a beautiful and fragile arc, like a fragile porcelain in the dim light, yet it carried a silent provocation.
She moved closer to him, her breath warm: "Zhou Chengjing, are you sure... you can control your feelings?"
Their eyes met, and an invisible current crackled between them.
There was no ambiguity, only the sharp edges of power clashing between the strong.
The next second, Bai Li didn't give Zhou Chengjing a chance to speak. She grabbed his tie and pulled him towards her with irresistible force. With her other hand, she precisely pinched his chin, forcing him to face her completely.
Zhou Chengjing was only stunned for a moment before snapping his fingers.
"Snapped--"
The soundproof partition on the extended sedan descended silently, isolating the front seats.
He then stretched out his long arm and scooped Bai Li up onto his lap, his tongue forcefully forcing open her teeth and penetrating deep inside, igniting the kiss completely.
Their lips met, without any tender prelude, only fierce confrontation and plunder.
Bai Li did not close her eyes; her wide-open pupils clearly reflected Zhou Chengjing's deep eyes, which were close at hand and filled with lust.
She snorted, closed her eyes, and slowly let Xiao Hao inform her in real time about the changes in Zhou Chengjing's emotional value before fully immersing herself in the battle.
Zhou Chengjing's kiss was a skillful plunder, his teeth grinding against her lower lip with just the right amount of pressure, bringing a slight stinging and tingling sensation.
Bai Li did not passively endure the attack; instead, she fought back with a force that refused to be outdone.
In the cramped space, their breaths mingled and collided intensely, producing subtle sounds that made one blush.
"...61 points...64 points...continuously rising..."
Outside the car window lay the unchanging, cold, snow-capped mountains.
Inside the car window was a scorching battlefield of lips and tongues entwined.
His body heat seeped through the fabric, his taut muscles pressed against her, and his knees even unconsciously dug between her legs, holding her firmly in place.
The air was thick and sticky, like solidified honey, mixed with the rich aroma of whiskey and the crisp scent of cedar on his body, creating a suffocating dizziness.
Xiao Hao read out the numbers, and eventually the number was forever fixed at "69", never to rise again.
—A very subtle score.
It is an extremely high appreciation, yet it falls far short of fervor and decadence.
Even with their close interaction, Zhou Chengjing's score never exceeded 70 points.
This is a rational, well-considered, and precisely calculated optimal solution.
It was Zhou Chengjing's unique, icy temperature.
enough.
Just as Zhou Chengjing's kiss seemed to be deepening, with a force that threatened to completely devour her, Bai Li ended the kiss.
The rapid breathing sounded especially clear in the silence.
Bai Li's lips were slightly swollen and red from being ravaged, glistening with an alluring moisture. She raised her hand and used her fingertips to wipe away all the traces he had left behind.
“Zhou Chengjing, you are indeed a perfect collaborator—calm, powerful, and unfathomable. I can gain a lot by joining forces with you.” Bai Li smiled, then changed the subject, “But what I truly want is something you can’t give me.”
She sat up straight, pushed away his hand that was still around her waist, deftly stepped off his lap, sat back in her original position, straightened her slightly disheveled clothes, and her voice returned to its steady tone:
"I'll stay on your ship. We're in the same boat, it's mutually beneficial, as for the rest..."
She paused, then continued, "We'll talk again when you can give me what I want."
Zhou Chengjing stared at her, his eyes filled with an appreciation for a worthy opponent, and... a hint of amusement at being manipulated in reverse.
He slowly leaned back in his chair, a low chuckle escaping his throat: "Alright, let time prove it..."
He didn't say the rest.
Point to end.
But this kiss today is destined to leave an indelible mark on both of their hearts.
The Milky Way outside the window still shines brightly, and the snow-capped peaks silently witness this silent struggle.
This is a ship called Ambition and Desire.
As for how far this ship can travel and where it is headed, only time will tell.