Volume 1, Chapter 60: Punishment

Lu Miao stared blankly at the approaching man for a second before the cue in his hand was shoved into hers.

"But I really don't know how..."

Before her refusal could fully escape her lips, a scorching, solid chest pressed flush against her back.

"I'll teach you."

Fu Shiyue murmured once more against her ear, raised a hand to crush out his cigarette, and then leaned forward, pinning her over the pool table.

Lu Miao couldn't help trembling all over. Wait, no, is this really how you teach someone?

Her face flushed crimson as she turned her head to look at the man's face just inches away. His handsome features were sharply chiselled, exuding a cold and ascetic aura that left her momentarily mesmerized.

"Focus," a low reminder sounded beside her ear.

Lu Miao hastily withdrew her gaze, looking down at the cue on the table to adjust her stance. Fu Shiyue closed his hand over hers as she gripped the cue, his rough calluses scraping against the back of her hand.

He taught her how to hold the cue properly and helped her adjust the angle.

Surrounded by his deep, magnetic voice, Lu Miao's mind was in a turmoil, and she didn't really take much of it in.

Suddenly, with a heavy thud, a cluster of balls rolled wildly across the table in a dazzling blur, followed only by the sound of balls dropping into the pockets one after another.

Lu Miao found it incredible; those balls seemed to obey the man's every command.

Shen Lü and Wen Ling stood nearby, watching with their jaws dropped in astonishment.

Come on, bro, you were just supposed to humor the little girl, are you actually playing for real?

***

Fu Shiyue asked her, "Which number do you want to hit next?"

Lu Miao looked over the table and said decisively, "The black eight."

"That's the last ball to be sunk. Hitting it now will result in penalty points," he informed her of the rules.

Lu Miao was stubbornly persistent. "No, I want to hit it."

"Fine."

Fu Shiyue tightened his arm, pinning her against the pool table once again.

This time he didn't teach her the technique, but instead asked in a low voice beside her ear, "What reward do I get if it goes in?"

"Sink it first and we'll talk." That black eight was blocked by numerous other balls; she refused to believe the man had the ability to sink it now.

Fu Shiyue let out a low scoff. "Then it'll be entirely up to my mood."

His chest pressed against her like a heavy mountain, and she looked exceptionally frail and petite beneath him, like a helpless little bird with nowhere to fly.

His broad back blocked out the dazzling overhead light, casting her in a shadow. Her vision was obstructed, preventing her from seeing the gaze in his eyes that was firmer than solid rock.

She could only feel how close his breath was, lingering by her ear, carrying the burning fragrance of strong liquor and a faint trace of tobacco.

Suddenly, with a dull thud, she felt her hand shoved quickly forward. By the time she regained her senses and turned her head, all she saw was the black ball rolling steadily into the pocket.

"What the hell, Fifth Bro, why did you sink the eight ball?" Wen Ling scratched his head in bewilderment, assuming it was a mistake on Fu Shiyue's part.

Yet someone as meticulous as Fifth Bro would never make such a rookie mistake.

***

Fu Shiyue ignored him, pulled the cue from Lu Miao's hand, and lifted her delicate, soft body so she stood upright. Lowering his head, he gazed with burning intensity into her flushed little face. "Going home now?"

Lu Miao's heart skipped a beat. She knew very well what he wanted to do when they got home.

Just now, pressed together so intimately, she had felt the hard, searing heat of the man's body.

Suddenly, a mood-spoiling voice cut into the moment.

"Did you learn how, Sister? I'd like to play a couple of rounds with you." Bai Youwei masked the jealousy in her eyes as she walked into the billiard room, arm in arm with Xu Mubai.

"I'm a slow learner, I still don't really know how," Lu Miao declined tactfully.

"It doesn't matter, I don't know how either," Bai Youwei invited warmly. "Let the men go play by themselves, we can learn from each other."

Lu Miao could tell that Bai Youwei must be quite skilled at billiards; saying this on purpose was clearly an attempt to make a fool of her in public.

Lu Miao contemplated for a moment before readily accepting. "Alright."

"Playing like this is boring. Why don't we add some stakes?"

"How do you want to play?"

Bai Youwei feigned naive thought. "The loser..."

"See that bartender over there? Just give him a kiss."