The motorcade cut through the night of Chengdu, eventually coming to a stop in the heart of the Taikoo Li commercial district.
The car doors opened. Jiang Cheng looked up at the building before him—The Temple House—a fusion of modern and classical architecture.
He remembered this hotel, a member of the 'House Collective' brand under the Swire Hotels group.
The entrance was a restored gate from a Qing Dynasty Courtyard House, yet the interior was styled in minimalist modern design.
In Chengdu, when it comes to the most upscale and stylish hotels, The Temple House and Niccolo are both in the top tier.
But The Temple House wins with its sense of a secluded courtyard hidden within the bustling city, better suiting the private atmosphere needed tonight.
Originally, Jiang Cheng had intended to take them back to the villa, but since Wang Congcong had already made the arrangements, Jiang Cheng didn't refuse.
A change of environment occasionally helps with psychological adjustment.
Commonly known as adding a little spice.
After all, some couples even book hotel rooms on their days off.
Otherwise, always doing the same thing in the same place would bore even a machine, let alone people with more complex psychological states.
Wang Congcong leaned out from the car behind: 'Brother Cheng, I had someone book the rooms. The penthouse suite, several rooms, plenty of space~.'
When he said 'plenty of space,' Wang Congcong deliberately raised an eyebrow.
Jiang Cheng smiled: 'What's the use of many rooms if they won't be used...'
After saying that, without looking at the slightly crestfallen faces of the three women, Jiang Cheng took Chloe's hand. With Chen Jiaxue and Zhao Yihan following behind, he walked straight into the hotel.
Since everything was already arranged, Jiang Cheng took the three women up the elevator directly to the top floor.
The moment the door opened, even Chloe, who was accustomed to luxurious scenes, had a slight gleam in her eyes.
It was a duplex suite. The floor-to-ceiling windows faced the night view of Taikoo Li, capturing the dazzling city lights in their entirety.
The living room was absurdly large; the sofa area alone could accommodate over a dozen people.
A spiral staircase led to the second floor, where the door to the master bedroom could faintly be seen.
Chen Jiaxue and Zhao Yihan stood at the doorway, glanced at each other, and neither had the nerve to be the first to step inside.
'Come in,' Jiang Cheng glanced back at them, his tone casual.'Standing at the door like greeters?'
Only then did the two women, blushing, walk in, though their steps remained somewhat hesitant.
Although they were Flight Attendants and had seen plenty of first-class luxury, a private top-tier suite like this was indeed their first time entering.
If it were just Jiang Cheng alone, it might be one thing, but now Chloe was here too.
So, were all three of them clearly staying in this suite together tonight?
Chloe, however, was more at ease.
After all, on the plane earlier, she had already misunderstood Jiang Cheng's words and, in that misunderstanding, had even talked herself into agreeing to certain conditions she had assumed.
Seeing the excellent view from the suite, she couldn't wait to kick off her high heels.
Barefoot, she stepped onto the soft carpet, walked to the floor-to-ceiling window, looked at the night view outside, and softly said in French: 'C'est magnifique.'
Watching her move so lightly, her golden hair slightly lifting as she trotted, coupled with her exotic French accent, Jiang Cheng's gaze couldn't help but fix on her.
Her silhouette was reflected in the glass of the floor-to-ceiling window.
Chloe stood barefoot before the window. Warm yellow indoor light shone from behind, casting a soft halo over her golden hair.
She tilted her head slightly, looking at the night scene outside. The lines of her profile were smooth and delicate, her eyelashes casting a small shadow on her eyelids.
In that instant, Jiang Cheng suddenly recalled a scene from *The Lord of the Rings*.
The elf princess Arwen stood in the woods of Rivendell, sunlight filtering through the leaves onto her hair, the golden light as if from another world.
She turned slightly, looking back over her shoulder. That beauty, not of this world, made one feel she might vanish into the depths of the forest the next second.
The Chloe before him evoked that same feeling.
Not the kind of meticulously posed, retouched beauty, but a natural, breathtaking allure tinged with a sense of distance.
Golden hair, fair skin, blue-grey eyes, and that uniquely French feminine languor.
She stood before the floor-to-ceiling window, the myriad lights of Taikoo Li behind her, yet it was as if she stood at the entrance to a forest in some fairy-tale world.
The kind that might disappear at any moment.
Damn. Isn't this the feeling of falling in love?
Jiang Cheng quickly walked over and gently wrapped his arm around her waist from behind.
The sensation in his arms was real, warm, carrying a faint scent of perfume.
Not an elf.
His.
Chloe tilted her head to look at him, a smile in her blue-grey eyes: 'With you, I like anywhere.'
Jiang Cheng lowered his head and whispered in her ear: 'Good.'
He still spoke in English, his voice low and carrying a hint of laughter. Then, he turned his face to press it against Chloe's.
Receiving the signal, Chloe very proactively brought her lips to Jiang Cheng's.
Witnessing the two figures pressed against the glass window in intimacy, Chen Jiaxue and Zhao Yihan, who had just walked in, stood frozen.
The two women stood in the center of the living room, watching this scene. They exchanged a glance but said nothing.
Yet that subtle feeling in their hearts had quietly surfaced.
Back at the airport, when that woman named An Xin appeared, they were comrades-in-arms, united in shared misfortune.
Now An Xin was gone, leaving only Chloe.
This French woman looked exactly like an elf that had stepped out of a movie.
Beautiful to the point of seeming unreal.
Chen Jiaxue pursed her lips and gently tugged at Zhao Yihan's sleeve.
Zhao Yihan understood. The two wordlessly grasped each other's hands.
It was true they weren't as beautiful as Chloe.
But they had the advantage of numbers.
Although both felt a bit stifled, stimulated by the passionate kiss between Jiang Cheng and Chloe...
They both, by unspoken agreement, did not leave.
A few minutes later, just as Jiang Cheng was thinking of going to freshen up first, he remembered that Chen Jiaxue and Zhao Yihan were still in the room.
Turning his head, he saw the two standing in the center of the living room like two fawns who had strayed into a wonderland, looking around, wanting to touch things but not daring to.
'What are you standing around for?' Jiang Cheng released Chloe, walked over, and put an arm around each of the two women. He gestured with his chin towards the upstairs area: 'There are many rooms. Pick your own. There should be four bedrooms here. See which one you like.'