Mao Li seemed to see through her emotions and chuckled, with a hint of meaning in his tone: “Do you think I have pointed out his fatal flaw?”

Judy bit her lip and didn’t answer, but her silence said it all.

Mao Li looked at her slightly red face, suddenly stood up, walked in front of her, leaned over and whispered: “Sometimes, people need to learn to let go of their obsessions. Especially for those who will never belong to them.”

Judy looked up at him with a complicated look in her eyes: “You say it easily. But you know? Some obsessions can’t be let go.”

Mao Li looked into her eyes, was silent for a moment, and then smiled: “Since you can’t let it go, then find another way to make yourself happy.”

After saying that, he stood up straight, picked up the glass of water on the table and took a sip, as if waiting for Judy’s response.

With alcohol and emotions intertwined, Judy made a bold decision.

Judy’s hand tightly grasped the water bottle, and a bold idea emerged in her mind.

She suddenly raised her head and looked at Mao Li with burning eyes: “You are right. Since you can’t let it go, then try another way to make yourself happier.”

Mao Li raised his eyebrows and looked at her without saying anything, but his eyes were obviously filled with interest.

Judy stood up, staggered to the bed, picked up her phone, and whispered, “Take a picture for me.”

“Photos?” Maori showed a hint of doubt.

Judy nodded, with a complicated light in her eyes: “I want to take a photo… to let some people know that he is not irreplaceable.”

Mao Li seemed to understand what she meant and smiled: “Interesting. So what kind of photos do you want to take?”

Judy looked up at him, a stubborn smile on her lips: “It’s a simple one – just make him jealous.”

Mao Li was slightly startled, then he laughed, with a hint of teasing in his eyes: “It seems that you are quite confident in your influence on that person.”

“Stop talking nonsense,” Judy glared at him angrily, “Are you going to help or not?”

Mao Li shrugged and took her phone. “Okay, I want to see what kind of photo can shake that cold silver bullet.”

Judy didn’t respond, but stood there stubbornly with her head held high. Mao Li adjusted the angle with his phone and said with a smile, “Come on, strike a pose.”

Judy hesitated for a moment, and finally chose to sit on the edge of the bed, turning sideways to expose her legs slightly, with a hint of provocation in her eyes.

Maori smiled and pressed the shutter.

After taking the photo, he handed the phone back to Judy, saying jokingly, “I’m warning you, if you play with fire, don’t burn yourself.”

Judy looked at the photo, the corners of her mouth curled up slightly, but her heart was still extremely complicated.

She didn’t know whether this plan could really make Shuichi Akai waver in the slightest, but at this moment, she could only take a gamble.

Judy leaned against the head of the hotel bed, holding a mobile phone in her hand. On the screen was a photo she had just taken – she was sitting on the edge of the bed, her slender thighs were white and smooth, and the bed sheet was casually draped on one side. The overall picture exuded an unintentional sexiness.

She opened Akai Shuichi’s chat box and stared at the cold conversation record.

She took a deep breath, her fingertips paused on the screen for a moment, and then pressed the send button.

After the photo was sent successfully, she put the phone aside, her heart full of anticipation and nervousness.

This photo doesn’t look like her usual appearance – Akai Shuichi is so cold, he should have some reaction to her like this, right?

She seemed to be able to imagine Akai frowning after seeing the photo. Maybe he would call her to question her, or even get angry out of jealousy.

However, as time passed, there was still no movement from the phone.

Judy glanced at the screen. It was still a deserted chat interface with no new messages.

She began to get a little restless.

The alcohol she drank seemed to rush through her blood, stirring up deeper emotions – shame, resentment, and a bit of sour heartache.

He won’t even bother to text back?

She clenched her phone tightly, and finally couldn’t bear it anymore, so she made a video call to Shuichi Akai.

The phone rang for a long time, and when Judy was about to hang up, the screen finally lit up.

Shuichi Akai’s face appeared on the screen. His expression was normal and calm, as if everything in front of him had nothing to do with him.

“What’s the matter?”

He spoke, his voice low and with his usual sense of distance.

Judy tried to force a smile, pointed at the screen and said, “Chijun, did you see the photo I sent you?”

Akai Shuichi glanced subconsciously, and then said lightly: “Yeah, I saw it.”

“that’s it?”

Judy could hardly believe her ears, “Don’t you have anything to say?”

Akai Shuichi’s expression remained calm: “I’m working, there’s no need to disturb me with this kind of thing.”

His attitude was like a bucket of cold water, pouring heavily on Judy’s heart.

She stared at him in amazement, and even her anger was replaced by a moment of grievance: “Chijun, you are always like this… indifferent and indifferent. I just want you to care about me a little bit, don’t you really care about me at all?”

Akai Shuichi frowned slightly, but soon regained his composure: “Judy, we are colleagues, I hope you know the limits.”

Before he finished speaking, Shuichi Akai hung up the video call.

Judy stared blankly at the black phone screen, the anger in her chest almost swallowing her.

She clenched her phone, her eyes slightly red.

How could he be so heartless?

She worked so hard, but in return she received such coldness and alienation.

“Judy, what’s wrong?”

Mao Li’s voice came from the side. He seemed to have changed into lighter home clothes. There was some concern in his tone, “You don’t look well.”

Judy looked up at him, and at that moment, her reason was almost completely swallowed up by alcohol and emotions.

She suddenly stood up, walked to Mao Li, and stared at him with burning eyes: “Maoli, what do you think of me?”

Mao Li raised his eyebrows and looked at her with a half-smile: “You are beautiful, smart, and interesting. Why do you suddenly ask this?”

Judy bit her lip, her voice a little hoarse: “If I say that I want to make someone regret and let him know that I am not unwanted, will you help me?”

Mao Li was slightly stunned, then a meaningful smile appeared on his lips: “Of course. I’ll listen to you on what to do.”

Judy didn’t say anything else, she raised her arms and put her arms around Maori’s neck and kissed him fiercely.

Mao Li obviously didn’t expect Judy to do this, but he didn’t refuse. Instead, he gently put his arms around her waist and deepened the kiss.

As Judy kissed him, she picked up her phone, turned on the camera, and took a picture of the two of them.

Chapter 457: Judy’s Struggle

In the photo, Judy’s cheeks are slightly red and her eyes are blurry, while Maori is looking at the camera with a smile.

Mao Li’s hand gently lifted her chin, ending the deep kiss, and whispered, “Did you finish the photo shoot? What else do you need?”

Judy stared at him blankly, her heart in turmoil.

Was her action just now intended to provoke Shuichi Akai, or was it because she really began to develop some feelings for the man in front of her?

“enough……”

She whispered, but just as she finished her words, Maori suddenly picked her up sideways.

“Now that we’ve started, we might as well continue.”

Maori’s voice was full of a hint of teasing, “You need to relax. I can help you.”

Judy struggled instinctively, but was quickly dissuaded by Maori’s warm embrace and his firm eyes.

She was silent for a moment, and finally chose to close her eyes and let Maori carry her to the bathroom.

There was steam rising from the bathroom.

Maori gently placed Judy on the edge of the tub and turned to adjust the water temperature.

His movements were unhurried, and he seemed completely unaffected by the atmosphere.

Judy looked at his back, feeling extremely complicated.

Her eyes fell on Mauli’s hands, the ones that had just held her and were now handling everything with ease.

“Are you…always so at ease?”

Judy finally spoke, a hint of uncertainty in her voice.

Mao Li looked back at her and smiled: “It’s called habit. Or, the right person can always keep me calm.”

“The right person?” Judy was stunned.

Mao Li did not answer, but directly carried her into the bathtub, and the warm water instantly surrounded her body.

He brushed her cheek gently and whispered, “Don’t think too much. Tonight, you just need to relax.”

Judy pursed her lips, her eyes reddened again. Perhaps, occasionally letting go of the obsession with the past is not a bad thing.

“You…you go out first! Let me think about it!”

Judy motioned for Maori to leave the bathroom, and Maori shrugged and nodded in agreement.

As a woman, you need some time to fall.

Anyway, we are already in the room, so there is no need to worry about her running away.

……

The bathroom was filled with hot steam, and Judy’s cheeks were slightly flushed from the steam and shyness.

She looked down at her palms which had turned red from soaking in warm water, and felt mixed emotions.

A complex emotion entangled her: shyness, anticipation, nervousness, and a hint of excitement that came from nowhere.

“What am I…doing?”

Judy murmured softly, raising her hands to cover her face.

The image of Akai Shuichi’s cold expression appeared in my mind, forming a sharp contrast with Mori’s deep and charming eyes.

She shook her head vigorously, trying to get rid of these messy thoughts.

“Relax, Judy.”

She took a deep breath and said to herself, “It’s just a joke. It’s normal. You’re an American. It’s nothing serious.”

Despite comforting herself in this way, Judy’s heart was still beating so fast that it almost jumped out of her chest.

She plucked up the courage to stand up, took the bathrobe and put it on. Her movements were a little hasty and she almost forgot to tie the belt properly.

She looked at herself in the mirror. Her face was still flushed, but there was a rare determination in her eyes.

“Judy, come on!” She silently encouraged herself in her heart, opened the bathroom door and stepped out.

In the guest room, Mao Li was sitting on the sofa with a glass of red wine in his hand.

His expression was as calm and composed as ever, and there didn’t seem to be any trace of the ambiguity from just now.

He heard the bathroom door open and looked up. The moment his eyes met Judy’s, a deep smile flashed in his eyes.

Look, here it comes.

Judy tensed up at his gaze, and heat welled up in her cheeks again.

She looked down at her loose bathrobe and suddenly felt a little uncomfortable.

But she quickly regained her composure, straightened her chest, and said as if nothing had happened: “Mr. Maori, you should take a bath. The water temperature is just right.”

Mao Li put down his glass, smiled, stood up, and whispered teasingly: “Thank you for the reminder. But I thought you would invite me to join you.”

“Do not make jokes!”

Judy glared at him unhappily, but her heart became even more flustered by his teasing, “Go quickly, I still need to blow dry my hair.”

Maori shrugged, raised his hands in an innocent gesture, and walked into the bathroom with a change of clothes.

The moment the bathroom door closed, Judy breathed a sigh of relief and slumped down on the sofa.

Judy picked up the hair dryer and started blow-drying her hair in front of the mirror.

Her golden hair was slightly blown by the warm breeze and reflected in the mirror, making her look charming and attractive.

However, her eyes revealed deep confusion.