Shen Chuhe did not hesitate for even a moment before hurriedly wrapping her arms around the man’s muscular waist. “I’ll go with you.”
At this point, Rong Yuchuan was not yet as composed as he would be seven years later. He still had some youthful recklessness in him, and at times he could act almost crazily, fearless of everything.
But she was afraid.
At least for now, she could not afford to make a scene like this.
Otherwise, she would definitely be the one to suffer.
The moment they entered the room and the door closed, Rong Yuchuan grabbed her face.
His eyes were blazing.
His grip grew increasingly tight, and his expression became increasingly fierce.
“Shen Chuhe?”
“It hurts!”
That soft, delicate whimper was the feeling he was familiar with. This was the Shen Chuhe he knew.
Only then did Rong Yuchuan loosen his grip.
The harshness in his eyes gradually faded as well.
“Did you see my message?”
Shen Chuhe took the opportunity to step back and shook her head.
Rong Yuchuan snatched her phone away and opened her messages. Sure enough, there was nothing there.
She had deleted it?
That was a first. How interesting.
“Shen Chuhe, what are you playing at?”
His message was sitting in the phone’s recently deleted folder, while Assistant Li was actually in her blacklist.
Rong Yuchuan narrowed his eyes, a clear sign that he was becoming angry.
“I wasn’t playing at anything…”
Shen Chuhe was momentarily at a loss for words.
She simply wanted to stay completely away from him and have nothing more to do with him or anyone around him.
That was all.
As she thought about it, she shifted her feet and took another step backward.
But now was not the right time to tell him any of that.
Shen Chuhe curled her fingers into a loose fist and answered his question with another question. “Why did you come here today?”
“You?” Rong Yuchuan caught that particular word. He tilted his head slightly and curved his lips into a smile, his expression impossible to read. Yet the light in his eyes was sharp and piercing, dangerously cold while carrying an arrogant, noble air.
Shen Chuhe raised her head and met his gaze calmly. “Yes. You’re my elder, so I should address you respectfully.”
“When you climbed into my bed, did you ever think of me as your elder?”
Shen Chuhe was rendered speechless, and an inexplicable sense of humiliation flickered through her eyes.
“I was young back then and didn’t think things through. Now I’ve grown up and have a clear head. I know what I should and shouldn’t do.”
In reality, she had only just turned eighteen that night.
If she had been even a little later, Rong Shuhua might have used her to curry favor, deliberately packaging her up and sending her to one of the Rong family’s business partners.
According to Rong Shuhua, he was a widower in his forties with a notoriously disgusting reputation in their social circle, and he had a mentally disabled son who was even older than Shen Chuhe.
Rong Shuhua’s goal had been to completely ruin Shen Chuhe’s life, keep her firmly under her control, torment her, and manipulate her.
At that time, Shen Chuhe had been too young, with no influence, no support, and no ability to resist.
She had been the one who seduced Rong Yuchuan.
She admitted that the original mistake had been hers.
Rong Yuchuan was watching her.
Although she was no longer as reckless and bold as she had been at eighteen, she now appeared remarkably calm, her eyes lowered slightly.
This appearance of hers… was somewhat different from usual.
He gently rubbed his fingers together, inexplicably feeling a slight itch. The warmth of Shen Chuhe’s face still seemed to linger there.
He scolded her lightly.
“Is that so? If you know what you shouldn’t do, then why did you play this kidnapping game? Or did you simply ignore everything I told you?”
“I didn’t kidnap her.”
Shen Chuhe answered immediately.
“First, I have no connections, and second, I have no money. Where would I find those kidnappers? What do I have that would make those kidnappers risk their lives to help me kidnap someone?”
Rong Yuchuan had warned her long ago that she was not allowed to hurt anyone from the Rong family, especially Rong Jiasi.
In his eyes, she and Rong Jiasi had been at odds for years.
But why had he never considered how much Rong Jiasi had actually suffered at her hands?
“So you admitted it in front of the Old Master because you wanted to leave the Rong family?”
Rong Yuchuan’s mind worked too quickly.
In her previous life, the matter had ended with her being locked in a dark room for one night. But in this life…
A flicker passed through Shen Chuhe’s eyes. “Yes.”
“Heh.”
A mocking laugh escaped him, and Shen Chuhe caught the fleeting contempt in his eyes.
He did not believe her.
That made sense.
In his eyes, the Rong family possessed overwhelming power, and the status of being the eldest daughter of the Rong family brought her immeasurable respect and benefits.
What fool would willingly give up such an identity?
“I don’t care what you’re calculating in your heart. Don’t take things too far, Shen Chuhe.”
His gaze held a warning, along with the certainty of someone who seemed to have already seen through her.
Shen Chuhe could guess some of what he was thinking, but she had no desire to explain herself or prove anything.
There was no point.
“Is there anything else? If not, I’ll go back to my room.”
Shen Chuhe lowered her eyes, looking exceptionally obedient.
Rong Yuchuan stared at her, an inexplicable irritation rising in his heart. Was she ignoring him just now?
After waiting for a long time without hearing a response, Shen Chuhe glanced up. She was about to leave, not wanting to say anything more, when he suddenly grabbed her around the waist.
Before she could struggle, he forcefully pulled her onto the bed beside them.
The next moment, she was held firmly in place beneath him, unable to move.
His breath was hot and intense, falling heavily and slowly against her face.
Shen Chuhe had no choice but to meet his gaze.
His eyes were as dark as ink, carrying an oppressive scrutiny, yet also a mocking amusement, as though he were looking at a clown.
“What are you trying to do?”
A sense of restlessness caused by the pressure of fate rose within Shen Chuhe, and even her voice carried a hint of anger.
“Aren’t I your elder? Where’s the respectful form of address? Shen Chuhe, did that brick knock something loose in your head?”
Rong Yuchuan’s voice was just like the man himself, carrying an unmistakable harshness.
“What are you pretending not to understand?”
Shen Chuhe froze after hearing that.
Pretending not to understand?
He was right about that.
How could she have followed him here without knowing what he wanted?
Although he had never had the slightest affection for her, whether in her previous life or this one, the two of them had always shared an extraordinary understanding of each other, especially when it came to their private relationship.
At least during those four years, she had played the role of his “bed partner” properly, and she had never hidden her genuine feelings for him.
So it was no wonder Rong Yuchuan was so certain.
His patience had always been limited. When she remained silent, his hand gradually moved behind her.
He loved kissing her earlobe, and this time was no exception.
But at that moment, Shen Chuhe instinctively turned her head away.
Their eyes met.
His gaze was dark and unreadable.
Her eyes were slightly red, yet she deliberately maintained a calm expression.
“I don’t want to.”
This was the first time she had defied him.
The first time in both her previous life and this one.
Rong Yuchuan’s gaze immediately darkened, and the haziness that had lingered in his eyes disappeared without a trace.
“I don’t want to.”
Shen Chuhe repeated herself.
After a moment, Rong Yuchuan suddenly released the wrist he had been gripping tightly, a faint trace of mockery appearing in his expression.
“Go ahead, tell me. What do you want to bargain for this time?”
Shen Chuhe was actually very good at using Rong Yuchuan’s status to obtain benefits for herself. For example, she had once brought him before the classmates who had bullied her and used his presence to intimidate them. Sometimes she would also make small requests or ask for little favors. As long as they were not excessive, he would agree.
This time, he assumed she wanted something again.
“I don’t want anything. I simply don’t want to. Not now, and not in the future…”