Forced by fate – Destined to be his Wife

“Come on, baby!!! You know you want to!” Linlin was bouncing up and down, tugging at TangShi’s sleeve as she tried to finish washing up after dinner. “Zhengy promised me that when he got off work he would take me out, and you two should totally come. A double date to celebrate your best friend’s first serious boyfriend! This is a big deal.”

“I know it is, and I’m really happy for both of you. I love you two together. It’s not that I don’t want to. It’s just YuZhi has been tired the last few days with work and the arrangements for the engagement announcement. I don’t want to pressure him into a night out when he already seems exhausted.” TangShi defended, not entirely being truthful. Since the awkwardness of a few days ago things seemed a little off between them and he was being distant and overly subdued. Like he was overthinking again, the same as the time they kissed.

They got home in relative silence that night and he worked in his study, barely spending two minutes of conversation the whole night and she had gone to bed depressed. He had his driver take her to school every morning this week and Linlin had been collecting her due to their work Rota at the moment. She really felt like he was avoiding her again only, still being nice enough when passing at home. It was strange. She couldn’t read his mind over it.

“Fine, leave him here then, although I can almost guarantee he’ll come. He’s YuZhi Leng, do you know what kind of mad party animal he’s been all these years? You only see the tamed version since you got married but that boy has been a headliner since he was too young to drink.” Linlin pointed out, hand on her hip and way too sassy for a late Friday evening.

“If he was that bad there’s no way he would have been approved as CEO by the board of directors. They would rather not have someone like that representing Leng group. Stop exaggerating.” TangShi eyerolled at Linlin’s dramatics and carried on with her chores. Shaking her head and sighing at her.

“He was that bad! We just paid lots of money to keep his reputation untarnished!” ZhengLi strolled into the kitchen and surprised them both with his stealth approach of showing up without them hearing the door. Linlin broke into a happy grin at his appearance, visually melting into goo at her handsome boyfriend and rushed to slide into his open arms.

“That’s only half true.” YuZhi popped up behind him, sliding his jacket and tie off and TangShi swallowed her nerves, trying to act normal around him and hoped he was back to his usual self. “It took way more than money to keep my antics quiet.” He grinned, high fiving ZhengLi for what TangShi assumed was shared guilty memories of two wild boys pasts. She really didn’t want to know and tarnish how she thought of him.

“Well, we also romanced many female reporters to write nicer things about us.” ZhengLi grinned, full on mischievous reminiscing with a wistful look and Linlin smacked him in the shoulder. Jealous fury on show and then jabbed him in the abdomen to snap him out of it.

“Yah!!!!” She pouted, ready to cause bodily harm and ZhengLi pulled her into his chest so he could hug her from behind. Pinning her arms down and resting his chin on top of her head to keep her prisoner and save himself injury. Crooning at her and swaying in time to her wriggles.

“Are you in denial about my previous littered dating history? How do you think I got so good at …… ” He ducked in, nuzzling against her ear and whispered the remainder of the sentence, turning Linlin’s face scarlet as she spun in his arm and slapped a hand over his mouth. Shocked he would be so brazen about something so personal as that in front of their friends. Aware he wasn’t exactly wrong but still, what happened between them at night should stay in the bedroom. TangShi pretended not to hear and YuZhi shook his head at them, not even shocked at his besties shameless behavior after years of living it with him.

“What are we discussing anyway?” YuZhi slid into the kitchen to bypass the public display of affection and lifted the dish out of TangShi’s hand she was drying. Taking over for her and moving her aside. They had been sharing chores and cooking since moving here but he always felt like he didn’t do enough because of his long hours at the office.

“Going out to play, the four of us. A great nightclub, music, atmosphere, and lots of booze! Providing my boyfriend doesn’t piss me off more.” Linlin sulked and then beamed at being able to call him that, snuggling up in ZhengLi’s arms once more as he lassoed her around the neck in a weird almost aggressive looking choke hold but softened it with a kiss on her cheek. He had her purring like a kitten at being back in his arms.

Since they officially started dating they had spent most nights sleeping at his apartment and had consummated a solid relationship with an unplanned drunken night of wild sex that neither had remembered. After vowing not to that night, it seemed alcohol had been the root of all evil, horniness, and amnesia. They had to have a do over aware that waking up naked in bed together, in a ransacked room, clothes hanging from the most unusual places, while covered in love bites, was probably evidence enough of a first time. Linlin had no complaints about her new lover and his skill, and always looked for a reason to end up back at his place at the end of the day to recreate it. In passion they were equally matched, and sex was mind blowing.

“Sounds fun. I could use a night to shake off the stress. How about it?” He leaned down to TangShi who was lost in thought and staring at his strong muscular shoulders and straight masculine back and blinked back to reality. Aware that since she admitted openly to wanting to be physical with him, she had caught herself lusting over him at the strangest times. She couldn’t seem to control it. It’s like she had opened a door inside her head and now all these naughty thoughts could no longer be contained.

“Yes.” She blurted out not sure what she was agreeing to as her mind had been miles away. Shame heating her skin in case he read her mind and caught her.

“Awesome. If we go to Cheng’s we don’t need to dress up. We can go as is!” Linlin cheered, always looking nightclub ready anyway so she was the only one who didn’t need to change. TangShi looked down at her daytime outfit of a summer dress and sandals which was pretty enough for a bar, and then at the two men who were in designer work suits. They were all decently dressed, and it would save time and effort.

“True. Let’s just go!” ZhengLi cut in, also not caring about getting smarted up as he had his girl for the night already on his arm. He only had to impress her and knew she was a sure thing.

“Not Cheng’s. How about somewhere new? We could go find a casual bar and still not need to get dressed up.” YuZhi cut in. Not in the mood for a place that was filled with mostly rich or famous people looking to escape the limelight. Cheng’s was good when they wanted specific entertainment but tonight he wanted relaxation and casual, like other normal groups of friends. Maybe a place that sold food too, so they didn’t get too drunk as he had work tomorrow.

“There’s a bar near TangShi’s school that opened up a few weeks ago. It seems lowkey and has a dancefloor area up back. I’ve seen good reviews from students online.” Linlin clicked her fingers with her lightbulb moment and hauled out her phone to find the exact address. Remembering an ad she spotted.

“What are we waiting for? Let’s head.” ZhengLi smiled, tugging her with him to the door to put their shoes back on, and YuZhi picked up his jacket but left his tie discarded. Sliding an arm loosely around TangShi’s shoulder to lead the way and heading out with her. They all looked presentable anyway and he definitely needed a night to unwind and get his head straight.

After TangShi told him she would sleep with him, sort of, he had become extra aware of how often he had the urge to hold her hand, touch or cuddle up to her, and yet now it seemed like the innocence in it had been stripped away. He couldn’t stop evaluating it. He kept thinking of the possibility of them together, and what she would feel like to be naked with. How sex with TangShi would be, given he was aware he cared about her on a major level, and it had been screwing with his ability to focus. He needed a drink and a good night to clear the air between them. To stop focusing on it.

It took them a half hour to drive around looking for this place as Linlin couldn’t find the name online and therefore couldn’t remember where it was. Only a general idea of the area. Finally spotting glowing club lights down an alleyway from a neon sign, so close to the art school it was within walking distance.

It was a quaint little building, stuck between older traditional ones and yet was long and narrow so inside was split into a seated quiet bar for regular drinkers and had a rear area for dancing and louder music. It also had a back set of patio doors which led into a private garden area where seats sat out all night in a lit-up courtyard. They picked up a tray of drinks and headed to a corner that was as close to the dancefloor as possible so Linlin and TangShi could use it.

The bar wasn’t overly crowded, was dark and foggy in atmosphere due to a smoke machine in the disco area, but also had a warm and fun environment with friendly staff. Seats were a mix of tables and booths, and it was modern and clean and pretty enjoyable.

YuZhi and ZhengLi got in about the drinks as though they had been deprived for a long time while the girls danced, and yet all four somehow ended up at a level of drunkenness that was equal due to tolerance. The happy stage, where they were still almost all in control of their faculties, only looser, and losing inhibition. ZhengLi and Linlin curled up together in one of the couch booths, always glued together and watched YuZhi and TangShi pouring some beer cocktails for a fun shot. Aware they had been sitting separately.

“Last one to down it has to kiss YuZhi.” Linlin blurted out knowing TangShi was the only non-seasoned drinker here and already struggling to keep up. She had watched them all evening being flirty together but there was a clear barrier of properness between them that wasn’t before, and she wondered if it was YuZhi being cautious.This is property © NôvelDrama.Org.

TangShi seemed overly uptight too. Linlin was calling it extreme sexual tension and realized her friends had reached that crossroads dictated by feelings where they had to choose which direction they would go. Stay on the friend road by making an eternal decision of platonic or bite the bullet and get it on. She hoped booze was loosening them up enough to give in to their desires.

“I second that.” ZhengLi cut in and raised his current drink in salute. Also reading the signs tonight.

“You know that’ll be me! Stop bullying me!” TangShi giggled, too happy and swaying around, to feel offended, but YuZhi slid his arm around her and pulled her up against him on the seat. Alcohol blurring all his lines and boundaries, especially after the last two whiskey shots he did with ZhengLi. He was chilling and forgetting all his reasons to keep a distance.

“I’m not against it.” He teased her and winked, his tone low and sultry, his eyes straying to her mouth impulsively and sighing at how pretty she always looked. Leaning in to angle his face at hers while smiling unintentionally sexily and she pushed him away with a reddening face. Losing her confidence when he was flirting so outrageously and obviously and missing the fact he wasn’t joking. Her heart bumped out of time and her stomach churned up into knots.

The drunker he got tonight, the less he was able to keep thoughts about him and TangShi hooking up out of his head. He knew he was attracted to her physically and that had never been an issue, and he definitely wasn’t grossed out about picturing her naked. The emotional side was holding him back. He had even looked through old online pictures of him and Rhea earlier today to try and douse the flickering flame in his gut, and yet alcohol was removing the doubts.