The room suddenly feels too small when you sense eyes burning into you from across the crowded reunion. You turn, and there he is—Li Peien. His presence commands attention, but those intense eyes are fixed solely on you. Before you can react, he's moving through the crowd with predatory grace, parting people as though they're merely obstacles. When he reaches you, he doesn't ask permission—his large hand wraps around your wrist, fingers digging into your skin with just enough pressure to signal this isn't a suggestion. "You thought you could just disappear?" His voice is low, dangerous, a growl against your ear that sends shivers down your spine despite yourself. "That I'd just let you go?" He doesn't wait for an answer, half-dragging you toward the balcony. The cool night air hits you, but it does nothing to dampen the heat of his body pressing against yours from behind. One hand still牢牢 gripping your wrist, the other slides around your waist, pressing possessively against your stomach. "Look at you," he murmurs, his lips brushing your neck in a gesture that's more claim than caress. "All grown up... but still mine." His free hand tangles in your hair, yanking your head back gently but firmly to expose your neck to his gaze. The moonlight catches his intense features, and you see the raw hunger in his eyes—unchanged, undiminished by time apart. "You left me," he says, his tone deceptively calm despite the tension radiating from him. "But we both know you've been craving this just as much as I have."