After that, Lin Wan never appeared at school again, and no one seemed to remember her.
Lu Zhou had been so worried about Lin Wan harming Si Yin that he had spent every day in a state of high tension, sticking to her like glue. Si Yin had assumed that once the Lin Wan situation was resolved, Lu Zhou would return to normal. Now that graduation was approaching and there was no need to go to class, Si Yin found she couldn’t even sleep in.
“Go back to sleep,” Lu Zhou murmured.
Si Yin nuzzled into his chest. It was the same every day—she would fall asleep in bed only to wake up being carried into his office.
“From now on, you go by yourself. I’m staying home,” she declared.
Lu Zhou felt as if his world was collapsing. He spent the entire morning clinging to her in the lounge, hoping she would take back her words.
Slap! The next second, he took a playful swat to the face.
“Go to work! I want taro ball milk tea and fried chicken for lunch.”
Lu Zhou wanted to be with her every second, but work was a necessity. He closed his eyes and held his soft, fragrant “baby” for a moment before a brilliant idea struck him: starting tomorrow, he’d just work from home! His mood brightened instantly. He stayed to watch a bit of TV with her before finally leaving the lounge.
Once he was gone, Si Yin’s phone rang. There was no caller ID. Hearing the voice on the other end, Si Yin’s expression went blank as she answered coldly:
“Mom, why are you calling me?”
“Find a way to get Lu Group to give our family a spot in their new development project.” Without waiting for an answer, the line went dead.
Her good mood evaporated. Si Yin had long since lost any affection for them. Even as she drank her milk tea at lunch, she remained gloomy.
“Why the long face?” Lu Zhou noticed her mood immediately. He had already checked the lounge surveillance from while he was out—who had called her?
Before he could investigate, Si Yin took a huge drag of her milk tea, chewing the boba as she grumbled, “It’s my mom. She’s never cared about me a day in my life. All she does is use me. I don’t want to be her daughter anymore.”
“Then cut ties with them,” Lu Zhou said firmly. If the Lu family made that demand, the Si family wouldn’t dare refuse.
Si Yin shook her head. “They’ve made so much money off me over the years. Cutting ties now would just be letting them off too easy.”
Seeing Lu Zhou’s “everything is under control” expression, she scurried over and sat in his lap. She pressed her milk tea to his lips and acted spoiled. “I know you definitely have a plan.”
Lu Zhou shared his thoughts: “Don’t they want to collaborate? Then we’ll collaborate. We’ll make sure they sink every penny they have into it. Once they’re bankrupt, it’ll be a natural step to acquire the company. You’ll be the boss.”
Si Yin stared at him unblinkingly, her eyes full of adoration. Lu Zhou, naturally fair-skinned, turned a light shade of pink with shyness. Gradually, the look in Si Yin’s eyes began to change…
A short while later, Lu Zhou’s eyes were filled with plea. “Let’s… let’s go inside the lounge.”
“No. Listen to me. Be a good boy.”
In such a formal office setting, Lu Zhou felt a sense of shame, but he couldn’t win against Si Yin. Moreover, since this was the first time she had taken the lead in such a way, he didn’t have the heart to refuse.
Si Yin looked down at him as his eyes slowly turned red. Luckily, she had tied him up just moments before. Lu Zhou stared intensely at the snowy-white calf right in front of him; if his hands weren’t bound, he would have definitely grabbed hold…
The two didn’t go home that night. Fortunately, the lounge was stocked with clothes. Late that night, after cleaning the office, Lu Zhou opened the windows to ventilate and messaged Assistant Lin: Buy a few more air purifiers tomorrow.
Si Yin had been teased quite a bit the night before. When she woke up, she was in a daze, her large eyes blinking curiously as the lounge door opened and her gaze landed on Lu Zhou. Since she was the one who started it yesterday, she was too embarrassed to complain.
Lu Zhou had been up early working. He had Assistant Lin notify Si Yin’s parents about the collaboration, and everything was moving like clockwork. Seeing her awake through the monitor, he came in seeking praise.
“Thankfully I have you. If you weren’t here, I wouldn’t know what to do. I love you the most, forever and ever…”
Her praise brought out Lu Zhou’s “puppy” side. If he had a tail, it would be wagging at the sky. He couldn’t help but push his luck: “Then… can I have a reward?”
“What kind of reward?”
Lu Zhou had discovered the spicy lingerie Assistant Lin had prepared a long time ago. He had been waiting for Si Yin to find it herself, but he couldn’t wait any longer. “When we get home, just listen to me and you’ll find out.” He subtly hinted at how “obedient” he had been the previous day. Thinking of yesterday, Si Yin’s face flushed crimson.
A few weeks later, Si Yin received another call. Unlike the last time, the voice on the other end was explosive:
“Si Yin! Do you think just because you’ve latched onto the Lu family you’ve made it to the top? What are you without the Si family? What good does it do you if we go bankrupt? Do you think the Lu family will let someone with massive debts through their door?…”
Lu Zhou snatched the phone away. “Hello?”
“Xiao Lu! You two have been together for so many years, you can’t just kick us to the curb now. It won’t look good on you if the Si family goes bankrupt.” Hearing Lu Zhou’s voice, Mother Si’s tone became gentle and persuasive, trying to move him with reason and emotion so he would spare them.
“I have nothing to do with you. But if you obediently hand the company over to Si Yin—she is my wife, after all—then I might let her spare you.”
“What’s going on?” Si Yin was confused. How long had it been? Was the Si family really going bankrupt? Even though Lu Zhou was powerful, the Si family’s commercial empire shouldn’t have collapsed this quickly!
“You can only blame your parents for being too impatient,” Lu Zhou explained. “I was going to take my time finding dirt on them, but I didn’t expect them to be bold enough to tamper with the collaboration. They aren’t just bankrupt; they’re going to be buried in debt.”
Soon, the day arrived when the company officially belonged to Si Yin. Without outside help, the company wouldn’t just go bankrupt; it would be blacklisted in the industry. Giving it to Si Yin, their daughter, felt like keeping it in the family—or so they thought.
Si Yin produced the contract she had prepared. The company and the debts were separated: the company was hers, the debts were theirs. She also officially severed ties, allowing her to start her own independent household registration.
While they were trying to review the contract, a constant barrage of debt-collection calls wore down their patience. They quickly scribbled their names.
“Yin Yin, your father and I neglected you for years. We will definitely make it up to you from now on.” They didn’t notice that as soon as they signed, the phone stopped ringing.
Lu Zhou walked in, resting a hand on Si Yin’s shoulder, a smile on his face as he delivered the cruelest blow: “From now on, I’ll take care of Yin Yin. You two should focus on your son and figure out how to pay back all that money!”
“Pay back? Pay back what money?” “Ahhh! Si Yin, don’t leave! We’re your parents, you can’t just leave us like this…”
The voices faded into the distance. Back in the office, Si Yin pressed Lu Zhou into his chair and kissed him. But just as her lips met his, she was stunned by his next words: “I bought a lot of clothes, do you want to see them?”
The last time she wore that spicy lingerie, her social media feed started recommending similar things. Afraid Lu Zhou would see, she had tried to “train” her algorithm by searching for things like Male Servant Outfits and Chest Chains…
The Big Data was indeed magical. She had scrolled past a video of a man in a suit with nothing underneath, showing a glimpse of a lean waist and abs. She had subconsciously murmured, “A chest chain would look so good on that.”
Lu Zhou had overheard her. Naturally jealous and possessive, seeing Si Yin looking at other men made him feel “abandoned.” His eyes welled up with tears—and this time, they were real. His tears soaked Si Yin’s shoulder strap.
Si Yin was “punished” for the entire night.
After she fell asleep, Lu Zhou took her phone, ordered a massive haul of items, and reported a bunch of “thirst-trap” male bloggers for “indecent behavior.” And that led to exactly what was happening today.