“What is wrong?”
Shen Wanli turned back to look at Jiang Rou, who had grabbed her hand, and asked coldly.
“Why are you in such a rush to leave so early?”
Jiang Rou took one look at Shen Wanli’s dressed-up appearance, and her anger flared up instantly.
Was she really that eager to rush to the company just to see Qin Miao? Shen Wanli replied, “Because of the dinner party last night, I promised the people at the company that I would resolve a work issue, and since it hasn’t been settled yet, I have no choice but to head over early today.”
Hearing Shen Wanli’s answer, Jiang Rou demanded to know if this person in question was Qin Miao.
Shen Wanli nodded, and in an instant, Jiang Rou’s face darkened completely.
It was as if the warmth of the previous night had suddenly vanished into thin air.
The two of them had fallen right back into their original state of confronting each other like needles against awls.
Jiang Rou sneered coldly. “I did not expect her to run off to your company so quickly. What, do you want to start an office romance?”
Hearing Jiang Rou’s thorn-filled words, Shen Wanli frowned. “Her coming to the company was the company’s choice, not my personal decision.”
Shen Wanli originally thought she had explained herself clearly, but hearing this, Jiang Rou laughed even more sarcastically. “Does President Shen not represent the company itself?”
Shen Wanli thought back to how docile and well-behaved Jiang Rou had been just moments ago while her eyes were still closed, only for her to turn into such a sharp-tongued person the moment she opened them. This abrupt transformation left Shen Wanli at a loss for words.
Seeing Shen Wanli fall silent only fueled Jiang Rou’s anger further.
What, could she not even bother to offer a single explanation now? Hearing Jiang Rou’s sarcastic remarks, Shen Wanli felt a chill run through her heart. “Explain? What obligation do I have to explain anything to you?”
Hearing Shen Wanli’s words, Jiang Rou let out a low laugh. “We have slept together. Does that not count?”
Jiang Rou’s words were both blunt and cynical, causing Shen Wanli’s face to alternate between pale and flushed before she simply gave up on engaging in a pointless verbal sparring match with her.
Just as she thought their conversation had come to an end, Shen Wanli tried to shake off Jiang Rou’s grip, only to discover that Jiang Rou’s strength was immense and utterly impossible to break free from.
“So what on earth do you actually want right now?”
Shen Wanli asked.
She could not understand what Jiang Rou’s aggressive tone was supposed to mean. For days on end, the one giving her the cold shoulder had been Jiang Rou.
The one who showed her no public courtesy was also Jiang Rou.
She had never once given her a pleasant expression, so by what right did she demand answers to so many things? Jiang Rou stared directly into Shen Wanli’s face and repeated her question, “So you are only going to the company today because of Qin Miao, is that it?”
Hearing Jiang Rou’s tone, Shen Wanli found it utterly ridiculous. She nodded and said, “Yes, so what?”
Jiang Rou sneered coldly.
She yanked Shen Wanli forward.
Pressing Shen Wanli down onto the bed, she kissed her fiercely.
Shen Wanli struggled desperately, unwilling to engage in this kind of physical contact with Jiang Rou at a time like this.
Perhaps the tenderness of the previous night had made Jiang Rou overly greedy, which was why Shen Wanli’s struggling now only triggered the dark side within her heart.
She exerted even more strength, causing Shen Wanli to involuntarily let out a soft ouch.
Jiang Rou ground her lips against Shen Wanli’s as if venting her own frustration, wishing she could lock Shen Wanli away and keep her in a daze within her own arms every single day.
That way, Shen Wanli would never say those aggravating words again.
Shen Wanli pushed back with all her might, but Jiang Rou’s body remained as immovable as a statue.
A while later, Jiang Rou finally pulled away from Shen Wanli’s lips and asked, “So you are still going to find Qin Miao today, are you not?”
Hearing Jiang Rou’s dangerous tone, Shen Wanli did not know what to say anymore. No matter what she said, it felt like Jiang Rou would not listen to a single word.
“Why are you not saying anything?”
Jiang Rou asked, eyeing the tight-lipped Shen Wanli.
What do you want me to say? Shen Wanli thought to herself.
Jiang Rou kept staring straight at Shen Wanli until it gave her the creeps.
Then, she suddenly pinned Shen Wanli down.
A sharp pain suddenly flared at the back of Shen Wanli’s neck as that warm, fuzzy head pressed right against her nape.
A moment later, Jiang Rou suddenly stood up and said, “Alright, you can go now.”
Shen Wanli glared at Jiang Rou, hurriedly put on her clothes, and bolted out the door. Amidst the housekeeper’s bewildered gaze, she fled the Jiang residence.
By the time she arrived at the company, everyone was looking at her with strange, knowing glances.
Feeling deeply puzzled, Shen Wanli hurried straight to her office.
Seeing that Qin Miao had already arrived, Shen Wanli felt a bit awkward. After all, she was the one who had asked Qin Miao to wait here last night, only to end up running late this morning.
“I am sorry. I drank a bit too much last night, woke up late this morning, and got delayed a bit. Have you been waiting long?”
Shen Wanli asked.
To her surprise, Qin Miao had been staring intently at her neck the entire time.
Recovering her wits a second later, Qin Miao said, “It is fine. I have not been waiting long.”
As she spoke, Qin Miao handed the documents she had prepared over to Shen Wanli. These were excuses she had racked her brain all night to come up with, so naturally, her preparation was thorough.
Yet for some reason, Qin Miao kept gazing at the back of her neck. Could there be something strange there? Under Qin Miao’s persistent, probing gaze, Shen Wanli finally asked, “Is something the matter?”
Qin Miao shook her head, but her lingering behavior left Shen Wanli with a strong sense that she was holding something back.
Midway through, Shen Wanli made up an excuse to step into the restroom. Looking into the wall mirror, she finally understood why Qin Miao had been staring at her earlier.
There was a massive mark right on the back of her neck, left behind by Jiang Rou earlier that morning.
Shen Wanli felt a wave of awkwardness and mortification, wondering just how many people had seen it along the way. No wonder everyone’s expressions had been so peculiar when she walked in today.
She barely managed to get through handling things with Qin Miao, whose mind had not been in the right place all day either.
In fact, right after Shen Wanli finished speaking, Qin Miao hurriedly packed up and left.
When she reached the downstairs lobby, Shen Wanli spotted a familiar figure waiting for her.
It was actually Jiang Rou.
Recalling everything that had happened during the day, Shen Wanli marched over, seething with anger.
“You actually have the nerve to stand here?”
Shen Wanli demanded angrily.
To her astonishment, Jiang Rou did not get angry at all; instead, she chuckled. “Why would I not be allowed to come?”
Hearing Jiang Rou laugh it off, Shen Wanli snapped, “Look at the mess you made. So many people were staring at me all day on my way here, making a fool out of me. Are you happy now?”
Shen Wanli pointed furiously at the mark on the back of her neck.
Yet Jiang Rou showed not an ounce of remorse; instead, her eyes locked onto the mark.
She took step after step toward Shen Wanli.
Faced with Jiang Rou’s gaze, Shen Wanli felt a sudden prickle of fear, retreating step by step until her back hit a wall with nowhere left to run.
Jiang Rou pressed her body forward, lightly tracing the mark on Shen Wanli’s neck with a hint of genuine regret. “I originally wanted to make it even bigger, but you were not very cooperative this morning.”
Hearing this, Shen Wanli stared at her in disbelief. “Have you lost your mind?”
Instead, Jiang Rou smiled and said, “I was just letting Qin Miao know, so she remembers who you belong to.”