Lin Wanrong immediately stepped back and pressed her hand against the study door, stopping Cao Chuan from closing it. She stared at him warily and with some surprise, “You—what are you trying to do?”
Cao Chuan tried twice, but when he couldn’t shut the study door, he simply pushed Lin Wanrong lightly by the shoulder, forcing her back until she was leaning against the door. Then he stepped in, placing both hands beside her, trapping her with a textbook kabedon stance, “I’m a young, hot-blooded man. You, on the other hand, are a delicate, stunning beauty. You tell me—what do you think I want to do?”
While trapping her, Cao Chuan seemed to enjoy it, taking a deep breath of the fragrance on her body and narrowing his eyes in satisfaction.
Lin Wanrong’s pupils instantly trembled, her face visibly shaken. “Cao Chuan, are you insane?! I’m Cao Hai’s aunt, the CEO of Cao Corporation, your father’s confidante and sister-in-law!”
“You—you actually dare to take liberties with me?!”
Cao Chuan slowly pressed closer, his lips curling into a teasing smile, “Whether I dare or not… haven’t you already seen for yourself?”
“You’re crazy!” Lin Wanrong hurriedly tried to push him away, “If your father finds out about this, he’ll kill you!”
But compared to Cao Chuan’s sturdy frame, her petite body was no match. Her hand on his chest was like a gentle massage, completely ineffective.
Cao Chuan felt her panic, and his smirk only deepened.
“Kill me? That would require him knowing about it first. But the real question is, CEO Lin, are you willing to let him know?”
“In order to maintain your perfect goddess image in my father’s heart—even if I actually did you today—you probably wouldn’t dare report it, would you? You wouldn’t want him to hold a grudge.”
“You… let go of me!” Lin Wanrong finally panicked for real.
Seeing she couldn’t budge him and feeling his strong male aura pressing closer, not to mention his words tearing apart her bluff, she instinctively raised her hand to slap him.
But Cao Chuan was faster. The moment her hand lifted, he seized her wrist and forcefully pinned it behind her against the door.
Now, not only was she pinned to the door, but with one hand locked overhead and her body fully exposed under his gaze, her position looked even more degrading.
Cao Chuan’s towering body nearly pressed into hers.
“You lunatic! I’ll fight you!” Lin Wanrong completely lost her composure, shrinking her body back as much as possible while kicking toward him.
Unfortunately, she was wearing a qipao slit too low for mobility. She couldn’t lift her leg high enough. Though she managed to land a kick, it was weak—barely a graze against Cao Chuan’s leg.
The effect was like a gentle brush. Cao Chuan grinned wildly, “Fight me? You mean this desperate little leg rub just now?”
“CEO Lin, all these years without a man—deep down, you envy Song Keran, don’t you? You’ve been dying for this, haven’t you?”
As he spoke, the hand he had braced beside her slowly lowered, landing right on the leg she had just kicked him with.
“CAO CHUAN!” Lin Wanrong exploded, her body going rigid and her voice rising to a scream.
“My hearing’s perfectly fine, no need to yell,” Cao Chuan said with a smirk, eyes fixed on the breathtaking female lead in front of him, ready to go a step further.
Suddenly, a tall, burly figure rushed in at sprinting speed.
Seeing what was happening, the man paused in shock for half a second—then quickly turned his head away and stammered, “Young Master, the Chairman wants you in the family meeting room immediately!”
Cao Chuan was forced to stop.
Lin Wanrong seized the opportunity to break free. She glared at him fiercely and quickly fled the study.
[Ding! Congratulations, Host. You’ve completed a villainous action. Villain Reward: 2,000 points.]
As expected, the system notification echoed in his mind. Cao Chuan glanced at his right hand, still carrying her lingering fragrance, then turned his gaze toward the bodyguard who had delivered the message, his expression flat. “Who told you to pass on the message?”
Under his stare, the bodyguard looked nervous and quickly replied, “Young Master, it was Steward Hong Sangui from the estate. She said the Chairman’s family meeting is about to begin and asked me to fetch you immediately.”
“Mm.” Cao Chuan nodded, face unchanged. He asked again, “If I’m not mistaken, what’s your rank in my bodyguard squad?”
“Yes, sir!” The bodyguard stood straight with a respectful tone, “My name is Li Shunzhi. I’m ranked sixth in the squad. I’m honored that Young Master remembers even these minor details.”
“You’ve followed me for years. I should be aware of at least this much,” Cao Chuan said without expression. “Alright, you can go now.”
“I’ve always remembered your loyalty. I’ll speak to Dachun and have him assign you a cushy job.”
“Thank you, Young Master. This is my duty.” Li Shunzhi bowed repeatedly in gratitude, then turned and quickly left.
Cao Chuan gave a slight nod. Once Li Shunzhi was gone, he picked up his phone and called his head bodyguard, He Dachun.
“Dachun, I’ve found the traitor in the squad—it’s that guy Li Shunzhi, alias Old Six.”
“Here’s the plan: say I need a trustworthy man to infiltrate Cao Hai and Lin Wanrong’s faction. Send Old Six.”
“I’ve even figured out how to make it convincing—we’ll stage a self-sacrifice act. Beat Li Shunzhi half to death and say he ruined something important for me, so I lashed out. In retaliation, he turned against me and pledged loyalty to them…”
He Dachun was a former street orphan whom Cao Chuan had saved by chance. Loyal to the bone, even in the original novel when Cao Chuan lost everything, this man never once thought of betraying him.
Cao Chuan trusted him fully and believed he’d know exactly what to do.
After hanging up, everything was in place. He didn’t bother thinking more about Li Shunzhi’s interruption and instead turned to the only person left in the study—Song Keran.
“Secretary Song…”
As soon as he spoke, Song Keran, visibly shaken, waved her hands frantically and shook her head, “I didn’t see anything! I didn’t hear anything!”
Her expression was utterly terrified.