Shen Li received a phone call in the evening. At first, he did not recognize who it was, but after the caller stated his name, a vague impression came to mind.
He remembered him because the person had once confessed his feelings to him right in front of Ji Zhouye.
His name was Lu Ang, a tall, slender, and sunny young man.
“Shen Li, do you still remember me?” Lu Ang asked from the other end of the line.
Shen Li’s thoughts were pulled back. “I do.”
“I work at Ningyi Company. I briefly looked into the latest project on your hands, and the development prospects are quite good. Would it be convenient for us to meet and chat about it?”
He was referring to the project he had discussed with Sheng Wan.
“Alright.” Shen Li knew of Ningyi Company. If he could secure this deal, it would help resolve his current crisis.
Lu Ang suggested a restaurant.
The restaurant was chosen by Lu Ang, and it was a well-known, high-end establishment in Jiangcheng.
Since Lu Ang was still away on a business trip, they scheduled the meeting for Friday evening.
On Friday night, as Shen Li finished up his work and prepared to leave the company, Ling Feng trailed behind him, hesitating and stammering for a long time.
Shen Li cast a sidelong glance at him. “Spit it out if you have something to say.”
“Well, I will just come right out and say it. For tonight’s business meeting, I assume you do not need to sell your body, right?” What he actually wanted to say was that if his boss needed to sell his body, he should go buy some protection.
Shen Li stared at him in silence.
What kind of sensible assistant spent every day hoping his boss would sell himself?
Shen Li stopped in his tracks, bit down slightly on his back molar, and threatened, “If you do not want to die, get lost where I cannot see you.”
“Understood, President Shen.” Realizing the situation was turning south, Ling Feng turned around and scurried off.
Shen Li drove there himself.
Lu Ang had made his intentions clear enough, even if it was just a gathering of old classmates who had not seen each other in a long time, they would casually chat about the cooperation along the way.
The restaurant was located on the thirty-second floor, and the table Lu Ang had booked was right next to the floor-to-ceiling window.
They exchanged brief greetings before taking their seats.
“What would you like to eat?” Lu Ang asked with a smile.
“Anything is fine by me. You order.”
“Then I will just pick a few things.” Lu Ang flipped through the menu and ordered several signature dishes.
“How have you been lately?”
Shen Li replied, “Pretty good.”
Lu Ang nodded. After a moment of silence, he tentatively asked, “Do you and Ji Zhouye still keep in touch?”
He guessed they did not. Given Ji Zhouye’s current status in Jiangcheng, if they were still in contact and considering their history, Ji Zhouye would never have stood by and watched Jiangqing hover on the brink of bankruptcy.
Back then, no one else knew about the relationship between Shen Li and Ji Zhouye, but he did.
He had accidentally witnessed Shen Li and Ji Zhouye kissing in an alley near the school.
On the day Shen Li dumped Ji Zhouye, he had seen that too.
How could a person as proud and aloof as Ji Zhouye possibly help someone who had once ground his self-esteem into the dirt? Not announcing Jiangqing’s bankruptcy directly was already the utmost sign of mercy.
Although he already had his answer in his heart, he still wanted to hear Shen Li confirm it in person.
Shen Li’s deep gaze darkened slightly. “No.”
Shen Li clearly did not want to bring up Ji Zhouye, so Lu Ang dropped the subject. He just wanted to confirm whether they had any connection now. “Did you bring the documents for the cooperation project?”
“Yes.” Shen Li handed the document over to him.
Lu Ang asked again, “What about the contract?”
“It is right underneath the document.”
Lu Ang scanned the contract roughly, picked up a pen, and signed it without a moment of hesitation. “I am honored to be able to help you resolve your current crisis.”
Lu Ang knew what kind of situation Jiangqing Corporation was currently in; no enterprise would take on a certain level of risk to cooperate with a company facing such a crisis.
Collaborating with Jiangqing at a time like this meant he had his own selfish motives, which Shen Li naturally understood.
“Thank you.” Shen Li gave a slight nod.
During the meal, Lu Ang chatted with him about many things, and both of them ended up drinking quite a bit of red wine.
The dinner went fairly pleasantly, and Shen Li took care of the bill.
Lu Ang pressed the elevator button and smiled as he glanced sideways. “Let us add each other on WeChat. We can stay in touch when we have time.”
Shen Li had no reason to refuse. “Sure.”
Lu Ang said, “I will scan your QR code.”
Shen Li opened his QR code. Just as Lu Ang scanned it, the elevator doors slid open.
Lu Ang kept his head down looking at his phone and did not notice the people inside the elevator, but Shen Li did.
When he clearly saw the person standing inside, Shen Li’s heart tightened.
The man in the elevator wore an impeccably tailored black suit, boasting broad shoulders, a narrow waist, and long, straight legs.
Shen Li locked eyes with him.
Ji Zhouye’s dark eyes narrowed slightly, a chilly gaze sweeping across both him and Lu Ang.
“I added you. Please accept the request.” Lu Ang raised his head and only then noticed the people inside the elevator.
The three of them stood in a stalemate for a few seconds. Seeing that Shen Li’s expression did not look very good, Lu Ang was about to speak when Shen Li stepped directly into the elevator.
Since there was no point in avoiding it anyway, Lu Ang did not think too much about it and followed him inside.
The cramped space carried extremely low atmospheric pressure, and no one spoke.
A message notification chimed on Ji Zhouye’s phone.
After reading the message, Ji Zhouye’s pitch-black eyes grew even colder, the knuckles of the hand holding the phone turning stark white.
Time felt as though it had been slowed down.
Shen Li sensed that piercing gaze, finding the suspense agonizingly unbearable.
When the elevator doors finally chimed open and he stepped forward to walk out, his wrist was suddenly grabbed, and a forceful, domineering strength dragged him away.
Only Lu Ang was left behind, watching the two departing figures with an unfathomable look in his eyes.
Shen Li could not shake free. Having already consumed some alcohol, his stomach began to ache faintly.
Dragged into a dim, shadowed alleyway, Ji Zhouye shoved him away without a shred of gentleness.
His back slammed against the wall, and Shen Li furrowed his brow slightly. “Ji Zhouye, what kind of madness are you acting out?”
Ji Zhouye’s eyes were bloodshot, his brow laced with anger.
He leaned in close, pressing forward as he grabbed his jaw with extreme dominance. “Tell me, what method did you use to get him to cooperate with you?”
An overwhelming sense of oppression washed over him.
Ji Zhouye tightened his grip, causing Shen Li’s jaw to ache sharply.
“Speak,” Ji Zhouye demanded, struggling to suppress his raging fury. “Did you sleep with him?”
Shen Li looked straight into his eyes without dodging or hiding. “Does President Ji lack the means to find out whether I slept with him or not?”
Ji Zhouye wanted to hear it straight from his own mouth, his gaze biting. “I want to hear you say it.”
“No.” He did not sleep with him.
Only then did Ji Zhouye’s expression soften slightly before his thin lips pressed down onto his.
Shen Li turned his face away out of reflex, but Ji Zhouye grabbed his chin and forced it back. “You are not allowed to hide. Shen Li, this is what you owe me.”
Threatened by Ji Zhouye, Shen Li did not dare to dodge again. Yet, unwilling to swallow his anger, he hooked his arm around Ji Zhouye’s neck and bit down hard.
Since he was told he was not allowed to dodge, nobody said he was not allowed to bite back.
Ji Zhouye was half a head taller than him, forcing Shen Li to tilt his head upward.
The taste of blood filled their mouths. Ji Zhouye cupped the back of his head, deepening the kiss and aggressively plundering his senses.
Even if Shen Li wanted to escape, he had nowhere to run and could only passively endure it.
As the kiss grew passionate, the corners of their eyes stained with red, Ji Zhouye finally released him. His thumb brushed across Shen Li’s dampened lips. “Living through such a hard time, why did you not come beg me? Hmm?”
“I had no face to do so.” He had no face left to beg him.
“One billion.” Ji Zhouye pressed his forehead against his. “Be my lover, and you will never need to beg anyone ever again.”
“President Ji is certainly generous.” Shen Li stepped out of his confinement. “What if I refuse?”
Ji Zhouye raised an eyebrow slightly. “You have no choice.”
The hand at his side clenched into a fist, knuckles turning pale.
Ji Zhouye was right; he had no choice.
If Ji Zhouye was determined to entangle himself with him, he could only obey and let himself be toyed with. Whether Jiangqing Corporation survived or perished rested entirely on a single word from Ji Zhouye.
Since he could not escape and could not hide, he might as well accept his fate.
Sleeping with someone was just sleeping with someone, once was sleeping with them, and a hundred times was the same. Once Ji Zhouye vented his pent-up anger and grew tired of playing around, he naturally would not continue entangling himself with him.
One billion, only a fool would turn it down, and who would ever pick a fight with money?
Shen Li and Ji Zhouye walked out of the dim alley.
Under the illumination of the streetlights, Ji Zhouye finally noticed that Shen Li’s complexion was deathly pale, a layer of sweat beading on his forehead, and the hair at his temples soaked through with perspiration.
Ji Zhouye frowned, a hint of worry flashing in his depths. He caught hold of his wrist, his tone carrying a trace of tension. “Are you feeling unwell?”