These are some extra scenes I should've written earlier but didn't. I've also added a few paragraphs here that were removed from scenes you might have seen before October 19th, as they seem to fit better in this section.
This is set immediately after Meilin's (failed) confession.
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Now alone in the office at headquarters, Ningshun settled at his desk, staring at the screen that illuminated his minty irises, the light shimmering in his eyes. He glimpsed something pink in the corner of his eye—an ad featuring a round perfume bottle with a spiked lid.
His gaze drifted to the tiles underfoot. 'Perfume...' Heat rose up his neck, pooling in his cheeks as his pulse quickened.
The memory of this morning slammed into his mind—his lips almost brushing Meilin's neck.
His heart pounded, and he coughed, pressing his palms to his heated face. 'I can't believe I actually pulled that move. WHAT WAS I THINKING? I wonder... how she felt after that... NO! God, what am I even thinking...'
He tightened his grip on the metal frame of the desk.
Recalling her scent brought him back to when she pulled him close, their eyes meeting like a dream unfolding, breaths coming shallow, and whispers igniting shivers through him. The heat between them thickening, the space narrowing—him, the wall, and her pressed in between—simmering with tension. Her closeness becoming unbearable: the soft scent of her skin and the warmth radiating from her. An ache rose deep within him for the touch that hovered just out of reach.
For a moment, he forgot to be mindful of his expression, a corner of his lips curling as his cheeks flushed red—only for it to vanish as awareness punched his thoughts. 'What the hell is wrong with me?'
With a deep breath, he shot up and rushed to the windows, opening them all and welcoming the cool breeze as it caressed his flushed skin.
Behind him, the lower part of the desk was wrecked. The metal frame bore a deep, crescent-shaped indentation, twisted from the force of his grip. The surface buckled, and the paint cracked and chipped where his fingers had dug in moments earlier.
"Hey Ningshun."
Standing by the large windows, he turned around as Meilin stepped into the office, the breeze brushing against her shivering skin and making her glossy lips tremble. She still sported the dolled-up look from this morning, but now she wore a form-fitting gray coat that accentuated her figure in all the right ways.
Ningshun's brow twitched, and he cleared his throat before glancing away. "Hey."
This narrative has been purloined without the author's approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.
'Just 'hey'? After this morning? He was ready to do all that, but now he can't even look me in the eyes.' Scoffing, Meilin's chest tightened despite herself. "Can you close the windows? I want to take it off."
He swiftly turned his head. "What?"
She blinked. "It's cold... I can't take off my coat like this."
His facial muscles tightened as he glimpsed her furrowing brows, flustered. "No, I need air."
"Is it really that hot in here to open the windows? I'm freezing!" She crossed her arms.
"I..." He maintained his steady gaze. "Yes, I'm in here."
"How typical of you." She rolled her eyes.
"If you want to warm up, you can..." He glanced around, then darted his gaze back to hers. With a sharp exhale, his tone lowered as he sauntered toward the door, head held high. "You can clean your desk. It's a mess."
Meilin glanced at her tidy desk, then back at him, an eyebrow raised. "You trolling me? My desk is perfectly fine!" She frowned as he closed the door behind him with a sharp thud, as if she did not exist. Her mouth opened in a scoff, her pride taking a hit like a bulldozer.
Ningshun stood outside the office, leaning against the door with his eyes closed as a heavy exhale escaped him. "But I'm not..." he breathed, his voice low and barely above a whisper. Clenching his fists, his heart raced as he took a deep breath. After a moment of silence, he turned the handle and stepped inside, just as Meilin closed the last window.
Meilin glanced over her shoulder. "I guess you aren't that hot."
Ningshun straightened, a cocky grin spreading across his face. "Oh, I assure you, I'm definitely hotter than the sun."
As she opened her mouth to reply, Han showed up, cutting off their conversation as the rest of the team joined.
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(Some additions to the "Old Man" scene that I made today)
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A strange presence prickled at Ningshun's senses, like unseen eyes lurking in the shadows. He clenched his jaw, forcing a casual shrug. 'I'm probably just tripping.'
A subtle ripple of energy emanated from the bustling crowd, precisely, one man who stood out among the rest in his black worn-out robes covering his head. His eyes, weathered by the passage of time, caught a glimpse of their interaction, jolting his pupils into a tremor.
"This feeling..." The old man's eyes, shadowed and hollow, landed on Ningshun. "His power... it's from realms beyond here. Yet he is not of my kind. What is he?" his voice quavered like the rustling of old parchment. Bowing his head, a ray of twisted hope shone through his gaze. "It matters not; he may be my escape... Yes, yes, at last. This is a sign. I can go back to my world..."
He lingered in the periphery, his gaze filled with unsettling intensity, following Ningshun's every move as dark energies whispered in his ears.
"I know, little ones," the old man murmured in an eerie voice as his ghastly creatures circled around him.
A sly grin crept across his face as he snapped his fingers.
In the distance, Ningshun froze for a moment, a sudden chill creeping down his spine like icy fingers as an unseen force tugged at him. His fist clenched, teeth gritted as he turned, movements sharp and tense.
A blinding white ray shot from his palm, making its way to his victim, only to fizzle out as it approached Ningshun, as if repelled by an unseen force.
"No reaction? How odd." The man ground his teeth. "He's not ploying something? An ambush?"
He scanned the area, eyes narrowing, but nothing unusual emerged.
"Better to stay low for now. It wouldn't be fun if it were easy. We'll meet again... when the time is right." The man scowled in the shadows, hidden in the bustling crowd, his mind racing as he plotted his next move for the next time he would see Ningshun.
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Now that I've updated you on the changes in the earlier chapters, I can finally focus on Chapter 15! Thank you so much!