Cen Zhen remained silent, forcing herself to appear calm as she looked at him.
Under the dim, yellowish light, their gazes silently tangled. The air grew thick with their increasingly unsteady breaths.
In the next moment, Fu Linyuan reached out and switched off the bedside wall lamp.
The room plunged into sudden darkness. Before Cen Zhen could even adjust to the gloom, a warm, moist heat pressed against her lips.
Instantly, her entire body tensed.
She was so nervous she could only stare wide-eyed.
Her mind began screaming in panic—
Why is he doing this again!
Aren’t unfamiliar couples supposed to get straight to the point? Why does he have to kiss first?
The thought had barely formed when the man’s hand somehow found its way to her waist.
His cool, rough fingertips began playing a silent melody.
Cen Zhen’s heart suddenly raced with panic.
Every touch from him made her stiffen even more.
Perhaps sensing her discomfort, the man paused his movements.
In the pitch-black darkness, she heard his low, magnetic voice beside her ear.
It was incredibly sensual, carrying a hint of reassurance. “Relax, don’t be afraid. I’ll follow your pace.”
Her pace?
Cen Zhen disliked this slow, torturous approach. She remained rigid, not daring to move a muscle.
Her heart pounded violently in her chest.
Clenching her fists, she steeled herself and said, “Alright then, stop kissing and just get to the point.”
This drawn-out, hesitant approach was not only a waste of time but had also made her break out in a sweat.
Hearing this, Fu Linyuan paused. He looked down at the woman beneath him, whose face was scrunched up with tension, and his Adam’s apple bobbed.
“Are you sure?”
Cen Zhen replied with full conviction, “Absolutely!”
Fu Linyuan’s voice was hoarse. “Your body isn’t ready yet. If we force things, you’ll get hurt…”
His words carried an educational tone, and Cen Zhen looked at him curiously.
“How do you know so much about this?”
As soon as she asked, she belatedly realized the answer.
He was 33 years old and had only recently broken up with his ex-fiancée, so he must have had sexual experience.
It made sense that he’d know.
But thinking about it, she felt somewhat at a disadvantage.
He was battle-hardened, while she was like a blank sheet of paper, completely clueless about such matters.
A moment later, her thoughts shifted again.
His experience might not be a bad thing. At least he wouldn’t be as reckless and clumsy as those young hotheads people talk about.
Maybe he even knew how to please a woman, and she could just enjoy it.
However, she had overestimated him.
“I learned about it in physiology class.”
“…”
A long silence hung between them.
Finally, Fu Linyuan asked hoarsely, “Shall we continue?”
A faint blush began to spread across Cen Zhen’s fair cheeks. She didn’t dare meet his eyes and mumbled, “…Then let’s follow your pace.”
After all, she had no experience in this.
The man whispered, “Alright.”
In the time that followed, Cen Zhen experienced what it meant to be a frog slowly boiled in warm water.
The man’s warm, moist lips.
His heated breath.
His scorching body.
His cool, rough fingertips.
…
With every touch, Cen Zhen felt as though her soul no longer belonged to her.
Rising and falling.
Stumbling and swaying.
Everything fell into place naturally.
She didn’t know how much time had passed—it felt like half a century—before she finally sensed the man leaving her body.
Just as her consciousness was about to drift away, his low, raspy voice slowly sounded beside her ear.
“In the future, if you have needs, you can let me know in advance.”
Cen Zhen listened drowsily.
It occurred to her that they truly lived up to being a contractual couple.
Even something like going to bed had to be reported in advance and scheduled.
The next day, Cen Zhen was late for work.
After being scolded by her supervisor, she yawned sleepily as she made her way to her desk and replied to Wen Qinghe’s message.
【It was terrifyingly long-lasting, and it even made me late, costing me a hundred yuan in fines】
A few minutes later, a reply came.
【How long-lasting?】
Cen Zhen propped her chin on her hand and thought back. 【At least five times, with a minimum duration of three hours】
Wen Qinghe sent several shocked emojis. 【A man his age is still that fierce?】
【Cen Zhen】：One moment of initiative is about to make me introverted for life.
【Wen Qinghe】：You should be secretly thrilled to have gotten something so good.
Cen Zhen slumped over her desk, discreetly rubbing her sore waist. She couldn’t feel even a hint of joy.
Last night, although Fu Linyuan had started off quite gentle, later on, he suddenly became like a runaway wild horse.
The more she cried out, the more enthusiastic he became.
It was as if Wen Zhiyun had never eaten a meal before.
A terrifying man.
She’d better avoid provoking him for a while.
Otherwise, her salary wouldn’t be enough to cover the deductions.
That evening, after returning home and taking a shower, Cen Zhen crawled into bed to rest and recuperate.
But strangely enough.
Before eight o’clock, Fu Linyuan returned.
The man was dressed in a suit and tie, carrying a briefcase, every inch the elite. Seeing Cen Zhen curled up under the covers hugging a plush toy, he stood in the shadows by the doorway and asked softly,
“Do you have any needs tonight?”
His question caught her off guard, and Cen Zhen’s heart raced for a few seconds.
Her almond-shaped eyes widened as she stared at him, remaining silent for a long while. Fu Linyuan, however, was quite patient and didn’t press her.
He simply watched her quietly.
After a tense moment, Cen Zhen buried her face deeper into the blanket, hiding the lower half completely beneath it. Only her glistening almond eyes were visible as they met the man’s deep gaze. She shook her head gently.
The air fell silent for an instant.
The man’s Adam’s apple bobbed, and his low voice slowly sounded.
“Alright.”
The moment he agreed, whether it was Cen Zhen’s imagination or not, she felt his gaze darken slightly.
It seemed… almost as if he was quite disappointed.
But as the man picked up his briefcase and turned without hesitation to work overtime in the study, she dismissed it as her own misperception.
Fu Linyuan was a workaholic—how could his mind be swayed by such trivial matters in bed?
Over the following week, Zhao Lingxi went all out to make her life difficult.
Cen Zhen had an endless stream of franchisees to attend to, leaving her without even a moment to sit down, take a sip of water, or catch her breath.
Fu Linyuan worked overtime, and so did she.
He was busy with work worth billions, earning fortunes daily—a little hardship was inevitable.
But she, earning just a few thousand a month, now had to go home every night to make work calls without overtime pay.
Her life was so miserable she felt like blowing up the world.
Ever since they made up for their wedding night, every evening when he returned home, he would routinely ask if she had any needs.
Each time he asked, Cen Zhen’s heart would churn with mixed emotions.
She really wasn’t as desperate as he seemed to think!
But the man kept misunderstanding her. Every time she said she had no needs, he would thoughtfully add,
“No need to be polite. This is what I promised you before marriage—it’s my duty, and I’ll cooperate.”
Cen Zhen, “…”
Friday after work.
Wen Qinghe brought over the replicated bracelet.
Without a close look, Cen Zhen couldn’t tell which one was fake.
Wen Qinghe thoughtfully helped her put the fake bracelet on her wrist. “Now you can set your mind at ease. Even if Zhao Lingxi wants to tamper with your bracelet, this one is the fake.”