After the punishment just now, Wen Xuxue didn’t dare refuse him anymore. She could only clumsily hook her arms around his neck, arching her chest to avoid tiring herself out while kissing him.
After a long while, Zhou Shijing finally released her but didn’t immediately lift his face away.
His thin lips remained just ten centimeters apart from hers.
He breathed lightly, his scorching breath fanning across the girl’s face. Wen Xuxue’s body stiffened, and she gently pushed him away.
Only then did Zhou Shijing sit up, then lay down beside her, asking, “Is Xiao Xue going home tonight?”
“Go home? How can I go home like this?” Wen Xuxue bit her lip, looking aggrieved and pitiful.
Her words were clearly a reproach, but to Zhou Shijing’s ears, they took on a different meaning.
He casually twisted the facts: “Xiao Xue is so good, willing to stay and keep Older Brother company instead of going home.”
Wen Xuxue snorted, pulling the blanket tightly around herself, her tone dripping with sarcasm: “You still need me to keep you company? Don’t you have anyone else to keep you company usually?”
Zhou Shijing glanced at her and said, “Older Brother is all alone. Who would keep me company usually?”
Wen Xuxue didn’t believe him: “You’re lying.”
“It’s true.” Zhou Shijing had never liked discussing such trivial matters with others, but at this moment, he was unusually patient and continued, “Older Brother even spends New Year’s alone.”
Wen Xuxue turned to look at him, hesitating for a moment: “Ah…”
In her memory, it seemed to be exactly as he said.
He did spend New Year’s alone every year.
But with such a large Zhou family… how could there be no one to spend New Year’s with him?
Zhou Shijing stared at her intently, suddenly propping himself up and reaching out to stroke her hair. “Does Xiao Xue think Older Brother is pitiful?”
Without waiting for her answer, he added, “If you think Older Brother is pitiful, come keep me company more often, okay?”
Still resentful of his earlier mischief, Wen Xuxue deliberately provoked him: “Who wants to keep you company? If I’m keeping anyone company, it’ll be my boyfriend.”
Zhou Shijing’s expression remained blank, but his voice turned cold: “Do you really like your boyfriend that much?”
Wen Xuxue had lost count of how many times he had asked her this.
She found him truly strange—why did he keep asking the same question over and over again?
Did he want her to answer it repeatedly?
As she remained silent, Zhou Shijing suddenly smiled, but the smile didn’t reach his eyes, remaining icy and cold.
His gaze, devoid of warmth, fell steadily on the girl as he said, “Do you like keeping your boyfriend company?”
Wen Xuxue didn’t respond.
Zhou Shijing continued, his tone betraying no emotion: “Fine, go ahead. Go keep your boyfriend company, but take Older Brother’s things with you.”
Wen Xuxue was stunned.
At first, she didn’t understand what he meant by “take Older Brother’s things with you.” It wasn’t until she met his gaze and saw the turbulent emotions swirling in his pitch-black eyes that she suddenly realized.
Wen Xuxue’s face instantly turned pale, her voice trembling: “You… you didn’t… you didn’t wear one just now?”
Panicking, Wen Xuxue didn’t even have time to curse at him. She threw off the blanket, jumped out of bed, and rushed toward the bathroom.
Zhou Shijing grabbed her arm, asking, “Where are you going?”
Wen Xuxue couldn’t shake him off, growing increasingly frantic: “I don’t want to have a baby…”
“It’s all your fault!”
As she spoke, she began to berate him, her eyes wide with anger: “How could you do this? You jerk, you scoundrel, you beast!”
Faced with her scolding, Zhou Shijing remained indifferent, completely unfazed.
Wen Xuxue didn’t believe him and still wanted to leave, but Zhou Shijing suddenly exerted force, his long arm sweeping out to directly pull the girl over.
“Thump—” With a sound, Wen Xuxue’s body landed on the soft mattress. Before she could get up, the man’s scorching body pressed down over her.
Zhou Shijing held her down but made no move—neither kissing her nor touching her inappropriately. He simply watched her quietly.
Unable to do anything about him, Wen Xuxue suddenly opened her mouth and bit down hard on his shoulder.
Zhou Shijing frowned slightly but didn’t move.
After biting enough, Wen Xuxue released her hold, yet still unsatisfied, she glared at him and said, “What if I get pregnant?”
Zhou Shijing replied, “Have it. Older Brother will raise it.”
“Get lost!” Wen Xuxue kicked him fiercely. “Who wants to have your child!”
Zhou Shijing’s expression turned slightly cold. He didn’t want to ask useless and childish questions like “Whose child do you want to have then?” Instead, he just pulled her under the blanket, turned off the light, and said firmly, “Sleep.”
Wen Xuxue insisted on opposing him. “I won’t.”
Zhou Shijing held her waist tightly and said, “Do you want to be late tomorrow?”
Wen Xuxue was taken aback, only then remembering that she still worked at his company.
This was an offer Jiang Jing had secured for her.
Moreover, if she weren’t afraid of him firing her, she wouldn’t even be here…
As she relaxed, Zhou Shijing continued, “If you’re late, your perfect attendance bonus will be deducted entirely.”
Wen Xuxue asked, “How much is the perfect attendance bonus?”
Zhou Shijing had always intended to give her special treatment—her salary was entirely up to him. So, he casually said, “Ten thousand.”
Wen Xuxue’s eyes widened slightly.
Ten thousand wasn’t much to her before—back when Zhou Shijing was supporting her.
But now, with her card balance pitifully low aside from the few million Zhou Shijing had transferred, it was a lot.
Yet she found it strange. “Your company’s salary is that high? Even the perfect attendance bonus is ten thousand?”
Zhou Shijing lied without changing his expression. “Of course. Older Brother is very rich.”
“Then I don’t want to be late. I’ll sleep now,” Wen Xuxue’s attitude did a complete one-eighty. “But can you let go of me?”
Zhou Shijing paused and said unreasonably, “Defying the boss also results in the perfect attendance bonus being deducted entirely.”
Wen Xuxue: “…”
Fine, let him hold her.
Bending for money—saying it out loud sounded quite glorious.
Seeing her become obedient again, the corners of Zhou Shijing’s lips lifted into a faint curve.
It seemed he had grasped this little one’s weakness.
After a while, Wen Xuxue muttered, “Then, can I get extra pay for being in the boss’s arms?”
Zhou Shijing agreed readily. “Yes.”
Wen Xuxue’s eyes lit up, and she boldly asked, “An extra hundred thousand?”
Zhou Shijing raised an eyebrow, reached out, and accurately found his phone on the nightstand in the dark. He opened the banking page right in front of the girl, found her account, and entered 1000000.
Wen Xuxue was dazzled by all those zeros. She counted them carefully.
It was one million.
Her lips parted to remind him he had entered the wrong amount, but she quickly closed them again.
She wouldn’t remind him.
Hmph.
The girl’s subtle expressions were all captured by the man. A flicker of amusement passed through Zhou Shijing’s eyes as he directly entered the payment password in front of her.
One million transferred.
Overjoyed, Wen Xuxue tugged at his sleeve and cooed, “Older Brother, you’re so good.”
Zhou Shijing looked at her and asked, “Satisfied?”
Wen Xuxue chuckled softly, “Extremely satisfied.”
Zhou Shijing replied, “Mm.”
Wen Xuxue snatched his phone and eagerly said, “Older Brother, let me put it back for you.”
Zhou Shijing watched her figure, wanting to sigh yet also wanting to curl his lips into a smile.
This girl only cares about money, not people.
So pragmatic.
Who raised her like this?
Yet he knew better than anyone that it was—
—he himself who raised her.