The bedroom was heavy with lingering passion, the atmosphere stretched to its absolute limit.
Ji Zhouye pinched his chin, forcing the man beneath him to look straight into his eyes, not letting him dodge away. “Shen Li, look into my eyes and tell me, who am I?”
Sweat dampened the loose strands of hair clinging to Shen Li’s forehead. The corners of Shen Li’s eyes were flushed red, desperately suppressing the raw desire deep within his gaze as he remained silent, refusing to face the question directly.
Hearing no reply, Ji Zhouye’s voice dropped into a hoarse, threatening tone. “Speak.”
Shen Li’s brows furrowed tightly, his breathing heavy and ragged. “Ji Zhouye.”
“Why didn’t you sleep with Sheng Wan today?”
Meeting Ji Zhouye’s gaze, which was completely flooded with desire, Shen Li countered, “Why on earth would I sleep with her?”
“Weren’t you feeling quite empty?”
“Isn’t President Ji right here to help me solve my needs? Compared to anyone else, I actually prefer President Ji’s skills in bed.”
Ji Zhouye’s brow twitched upward slightly. “Let’s see how long your stubborn mouth can hold out. If you are crying and begging for mercy by the end of the night, I will lose all respect for you.”
His lips pressed down, sealing Shen Li’s mouth as they plunged into a deep, tangled kiss.
A moment later, Ji Zhouye pulled back, his voice low and rasped. “How do you want me to take you?”
Shen Li gritted his teeth. “Ji Zhouye, talking won’t kill you.”
“Not fucking you will.”
Shen Li glared at him in silence.
The intensity of the battle that night far surpassed the previous one; Ji Zhouye used up every single item in that box of protection.
Unlike that night, however, Ji Zhouye did not completely disregard his well-being. He patiently went through the foreplay, meticulously watching and savoring the way Shen Li looked when he lost himself to passion.
When it was finally over, it was two in the morning. Ji Zhouye stepped out of the bedroom.
Though completely exhausted, Shen Li found himself unable to sleep. He propped himself up against the headboard, smoking a cigarette, and accidentally caught sight of the used wrappers in the trash can. His eyelashes trembled slightly.
The more he thought about it, the darker his expression became, prompting him to call Ling Feng.
A sleepy, groggy voice answered from the other end of the line.
Shen Li opened his mouth and immediately started cursing. “Are you out of your mind? Damn it, why on earth did you stuff that stuff into my bag?”
“What?” Ling Feng mumbled. “Are you talking about the condoms? I heard that Sheng Wan’s private life isn’t clean, so I wanted you to take precautions and avoid catching anything.”
“Get lost.” Shen Li hung up the phone and tossed it aside.
Even if he was going to pack some, one would have been more than enough. Why on earth did he pack a whole box, leaving him to be pinned down and tortured for so long?
Then again, it wasn’t really fair to blame Ling Feng. Ling Feng had always assumed Shen Li was the one on top; nobody could have possibly guessed that he would be the one underneath, getting completely wrecked.
Ji Zhouye walked in carrying a bowl of noodles and set it down on the table. “Eat.”
Shen Li glanced at it indifferently. “Not hungry.”
“Hurry up, stop dawdling.” Ji Zhouye shoved the chopsticks directly into his hand.
When it came down to it, even after torturing him for so long, Ji Zhouye’s heart still softened in the end.
Shen Li was lying when he said he wasn’t hungry. Having skipped dinner and kept going until the early hours of the morning, his physical energy had long since been completely depleted.
He climbed out of bed, sat down at the chair, and began to eat leisurely. Ji Zhouye sat off to the side, watching him.
“Rumor has it that President Ji is ruthless, merciless, and devoid of human empathy. Who would have thought he would still lovingly cook a bowl of noodles the morning after?” Perhaps caught up in the intimacy of the night, Shen Li felt far less resistant toward him than usual, speaking whatever popped into his head without filtering it through his brain first.
A small smile curved the corners of Shen Li’s lips. “Tastes pretty good. Just like it used to.”
Ji Zhouye suddenly lashed out, kicking the leg of the chair hard. “Don’t mention the past to me.”
Shen Li almost flipped backward out of the chair, barely managing to keep his seat.
He still knew when to draw the line. Since Ji Zhouye didn’t want the past mentioned, he wouldn’t mention it, wisely shutting his mouth.
After finishing the noodles, Shen Li said, “Find me some clothes.”
He had sweated quite a bit during the intimacy, leaving his entire body sticky, damp, and thoroughly uncomfortable.
Ji Zhouye shot him a cool sidelong glance.
Shen Li suddenly realized that his previous tone had sounded like a command, whereas right now, he was the one being ordered around.
And Ji Zhouye was his Sugar Daddy.
How could he possibly dare to give orders to his Sugar Daddy?
If his Sugar Daddy wanted to, Jiangqing Group could go bankrupt by tomorrow.
“President Ji, since you brought me straight back here, I didn’t bring a change of clothes.”
Ji Zhouye pulled a set of pajamas and a pair of underwear out of the closet and tossed them at him.
After a shower, his entire body felt refreshed and clean. Emerging from the bathroom, he found Ji Zhouye in the middle of changing the bedsheets.
The original sheets had been completely ruined.
The moment Shen Li touched the mattress, he collapsed into a deep sleep. Ji Zhouye turned off the overhead bedroom lights, leaving only a single warm-toned floor lamp glowing in the corner.
He didn’t sleep. Instead, he sat in the chair beside the bed, gazing down at the person resting under the covers.
He had grown up, and he had lost weight.
He had been thin in the past too, but not quite like this.
I don’t know how much time passed before Ji Zhouye finally switched off the last remaining floor lamp, slid into bed beside him, and pulled him tightly into his arms.
All those hidden, unspeakable emotions surfaced completely in this single moment. He wanted to hold him even tighter, yet he was terrified that he might wake him up and expose the restraint he was forcing upon his own feelings.
Shen Li woke up at six o’clock, feeling much clearer-headed.
People are always prone to indulgence in the dead of night.
Now that he was sober, he knew exactly what he wanted.
And that was to protect his father’s lifelong life’s work.
When Shen Li left the villa, the three hundred million yuan Ji Zhouye had thrown at him was left sitting right on the bedside table.
When Ji Zhouye woke up, the spot beside him was already empty.
Resting on the bedside table was that card containing three hundred million yuan, alongside a small note.
[I listened to what you said. Leave Jiangqing alone, I am begging you.]
Begging someone was something Shen Li would rather have died than do in the past.
It was the pressure of society and his current situation that had forced him to learn how to beg. The rebellious, unbridled, and utterly proud youth had now learned to be slick and worldly, saying whatever needed to be said to whoever he met. Compared to Jiangqing’s financial crisis, his pride meant nothing at all in his eyes.
Forced by his family to go on a blind date, Ji Zhouye arrived at the cafe, and his expression darkened the moment he laid eyes on the man sitting across from him.
Noticing his gloomy complexion, the man opposite him gave a nervous, light cough, awkwardly offering a self-introduction. “Hello, my name is Lin Xi, your blind date.”
“We’re not a match.” Without even bothering to introduce himself in return, Ji Zhouye dropped those words and walked out without looking back.
Stepping out of the cafe, Ji Zhouye dialed He Ya’s number.
The call went through. “My precious son, what is it?”
Ji Zhouye pinched the bridge of his nose. “A male blind date?”
For a mother to set her own son up on a blind date with another man was a truly mind-blowing phenomenon in the dating world.
“Your younger brother told me you like guys,” He Ya replied casually. “And I figured as much anyway, considering you wouldn’t even meet any of the girls I introduced to you before.”
Ji Zhouye stared in silence.
“Tell Ji Zhiyu that he shouldn’t expect to take a single penny from me this month.”
“Don’t be so fierce, okay? Let mom ask you one last thing, don’t get mad, alright?”
“Ask.” Ji Zhouye’s sixth sense told him it was definitely not going to be a pleasant question.
“Are you the one on top, or the one on the bottom?”
Ji Zhouye stared in silence once more.
Hearing the dial tone of the call being hung up, He Ya muttered softly, “I thought we agreed you wouldn’t get mad.”
With the partnership with Shengyang Group falling through, Shen Li had no choice but to rack his brains for another way out.
For some reason, looking at Shen Li right now, Ling Feng felt as though Shen Li’s gaze was sharp enough to slice him to pieces. “President Shen, please don’t look at me like that, I am terrified…”
Shen Li picked up a document from his desk and hurled it straight at him. “This is all because of you…”
Ling Feng caught the file, neatly gathered the scattered papers, and placed them back on the desk. “What happened because of me?”
Because of you, my entire body is aching.
“It’s nothing.” Shen Li leaned back, exhausted, reaching up to press his temples. “Get out of sight.”
Assuming Shen Li was just in a foul mood because the deal with Shengyang fell through, Ling Feng didn’t press further. “Just call me if you need anything, President Shen.”
Without saying another word, he turned and left the office.
During his first year back in the country, living in the exact same city, he hadn’t crossed paths with Ji Zhouye even once, not even by chance. That night of the business meeting had been their very first encounter.
The youth who used to be cold, aloof, and utterly devoid of smiles had grown up. The contours of his brow and jawline had only become sharper and more intimidating.
He had imagined countless scenarios for their reunion, but never in his wildest dreams had he pictured it happening in bed.