Jiang Qing Group Office
Ling Feng: “President Shen, isn’t it going to be a bit difficult to seal this deal this afternoon?”
Shen Li: lifts his gaze from a pile of documents. “Hmm?”
After stammering for a long while, Ling Feng finally managed to get it out. “The person coming to discuss the contract this afternoon is the daughter of Sheng Yang Group’s CEO. She requested that you go alone, without your assistant.”
“And?”
Ling Feng took a deep breath and blurted it out. “She is gunning for you. She has improper intentions and wants to do unspeakable adult things with you. If you want this partnership to succeed, President Shen, you will just have to sacrifice yourself.”
Shen Li’s expression shifted slightly as he lowered his head to continue reviewing documents. “This partnership is vital.”
Ling Feng interpreted Shen Li’s words as: I am willing to sacrifice myself for the company.
“President Shen, good luck.” Ling Feng turned to leave, then paused to look back with a reminder. “Remember to use protection.”
Shen Li: “…” (Note: The ellipsis here represents a silent pause in the original dialogue formatting).
What I meant was that the cooperation is crucial and we will do our best to secure it. I never said anything about sacrificing yourself.
At three in the afternoon, Ling Feng drove Shen Li to the meeting location. Right before Shen Li stepped out of the car, Ling Feng shoved something into his pocket.
As he walked, Shen Li reached into his pocket and pulled the object out. It was a small square box.
Noticing the word “condom” printed on the small box, Shen Li darkened his face and shoved the item straight back into his pocket.
The clients had arranged the meeting at a bar. Shen Li walked inside and located the representative right by the dance floor.
The woman was wearing a red slip dress, her graceful figure instantly catching the gaze of the surrounding men. Upon spotting Shen Li, the corners of her lips curled upward. She sauntered over from the center of the dance floor, flashing a charming and seductive smile. “President Shen, take a seat.”
The woman negotiating the partnership was named Sheng Wan.
Shen Li handed her the project proposal file. “President Sheng, this outlines the development prospects for the project.”
Sheng Wan kept an ambiguous, meaningful gaze fixed on Shen Li. She took the document he handed her and casually tossed it aside. “Bringing up work is such a mood killer. Whether we cooperate or not entirely depends on my word. If President Shen keeps me company and plays along nicely tonight, forget about just the partnership. Sheng Yang will inject working capital to bring Jiang Qing back from the brink of death.”
What an enticing offer.
As Sheng Wan posed seductively in front of him, Shen Li averted his gaze. “How does President Sheng wish to play?”
Sheng Wan picked up a glass of wine from the table, walked over to sit right beside him, and leaned deliberately against his body. “Everyone in Jiang Cheng knows about Jiang Qing Group’s financial crisis. Since Sheng Yang is taking a risk by partnering with you, we naturally expect something in return, do you not agree?”
Maintaining his composure, Shen Li shifted away to put some distance between them. “President Sheng makes a fair point.”
Sheng Wan gently swirled her wine glass. “I do not care about money. I only care about people. I wonder if President Shen would be willing to come home with me tonight?”
Shen Li pressed his thin lips together. “I am sorry, President Sheng, but I have other matters to attend to tonight.”
Any adult would have understood the refusal. Sheng Wan frowned in dissatisfaction and stared at him. “President Shen, I will lay it out straight. I am only giving you this chance because I find your looks somewhat appealing. Since you are not interested, there is no need to discuss the partnership.”
With things having reached this point, Shen Li saw no reason to say anything further. He picked up the folder from the side and turned to leave, failing to notice the gaze watching him from a dark corner.
Stepping out of the bar, Shen Li loosened his tie and let out a long breath. Looks like I will just have to find another way.
A man in a black suit walked toward him head-on and stopped right in front of him. “President Shen, I am President Ji’s assistant. President Ji would like to see you.”
President Ji…
Ji Zhouye.
Ji Zhouye’s assistant led him toward a Maybach, respectfully opened the door, and gestured for him to get inside.
Shen Li stared at the cold, well-tailored man sitting inside the car. The man had his long legs crossed and wore a luxury wristwatch, exuding an air of noble detachment.
Shen Li froze for a good moment before finally climbing inside.
The moment he entered, the door clicked shut, and the oppressive atmosphere in the tight space became suffocating.
Silence enveloped the interior.
After a tense standoff, just as Shen Li felt the heavy air pressing down on his chest so hard he could barely breathe and opened his mouth to speak, a hand grabbed his wrist. A figure wrapped in a chilling aura lunged forward.
Trapped in the corner, Shen Li reached out to push the person pressing down on him. “Ji Zhouye, get off me.”
“Shut up.” Ji Zhouye gripped his jaw, his gaze playful yet scrutinizing. “Short on cash?”
With that face inches from his own, Shen Li turned his head away, shook off Ji Zhouye’s grip, and pushed him back. “State your business, keep your hands to yourself.”
His hand brushed against something.
Shen Li glanced sideways, and the moment he laid eyes on that box, his face turned completely green.
The item must have fallen out during their scuffle.
Locking eyes with Ji Zhouye, Shen Li reached to pick up the box and shove it back into his pocket, but Ji Zhouye grabbed his wrist first, snatching the protective item away.
Ji Zhouye toyed with the contraceptive in his hand, his gaze playful while his tone turned exceptionally icy. “Cannot live without a man?”
“That is right. I cannot survive without one.” Shen Li kept his expression blank, though his eye sockets burned fiercely. He shifted his gaze out the car window, refusing to look at him anymore.
Anger choked up in Ji Zhouye’s chest, threatening to burn away his remaining shreds of rationality. He glared at Shen Li, his dark eyes deep and heavy. “Has Jiang Qing Group managed to survive all this time by relying on you selling your body, too?”
Shen Li clenched both fists so tightly that the veins bulged on the back of his hands. “Ji Zhouye, you…”
Unwilling to argue any further or spend another second in his presence, Shen Li reached for the car door handle, preparing to get out.
“Shen Li, if you dare walk out that door today, I will destroy Jiang Qing Group and wipe it completely off the map.” Ji Zhouye’s expression was darker and more menacing than a storm cloud ready to crush a city.
Shen Li froze. His jaw tightened, his expression growing sharper and colder as pure fury blazed in the depths of his eyes. “Ji Zhouye, what are you losing your mind over? What on earth do you want?”
Ji Zhouye shook the small square box in his hand. “Accompany me. Since you bought it, letting it go to waste would be a shame.”
The car sped toward Ji Zhouye’s estate. Shen Li stared blankly out the window, a heavy, suffocating knot wedged tightly in his chest.
If Ji Zhouye’s sole goal was to humiliate him, then he had succeeded.
Ji Zhouye was no longer the boy he used to be. Things had long since changed beyond recognition.
Shen Li felt a momentary daze, as though that brief period of time belonged to a lifetime ago.
By the time they reached the estate at five o’clock, a sprawling modern villa came into view, complete with a swimming pool, a sprawling lawn, a greenhouse, and a pavilion.
Upon entering the living room, the housekeeper hurried over. Ji Zhouye exchanged a few words, and the housekeeper immediately excused himself.
Shen Li was led into a bedroom, where Ji Zhouye spoke without a shred of warmth in his voice. “Clean yourself up.”
Making Shen Li miserable did not bring Ji Zhouye any real satisfaction. If anything, it only intensified his inner irritation.
“I will not make you do it for free.” Ji Zhouye pulled out a bank card and placed it on the table. “Once we are done, three hundred million is yours.”
“I never knew I was worth so much.” Shen Li’s smile failed to reach his eyes.
Without another word, Ji Zhouye turned and walked out of the bedroom.
He knew that Jiang Qing was Shen Li’s entire lifeblood. He would not fight back, nor could he afford to.
Standing by the study window, Ji Zhouye irritably tugged at his tie. Ever since their reunion, certain hidden emotions had spun completely out of control.
Countless times, he had thought: If only he would speak up, if only he would admit he was wrong, I would help Jiang Qing weather this financial storm.
Yet, Shen Li never did. He preferred to bear everything alone, suffering through difficult negotiations, being bullied by clients, drinking until he got a bleeding ulcer, going days without sleep on a relentless schedule, and lowering his pride to beg others, rather than come to him.
And so, he poured all the pent-up frustration of these past years straight onto Shen Li.
If Shen Li was living through a living hell, was he not doing the exact same thing?
Over all these years, no one could truly claim they were having an easier time than the other.