Chapter 83 Authority and Temptation

——＜A dividing line＞

Back at the penthouse, the invisible pressure did not dissipate with the end of the dinner, but instead permeated the air more concretely.

Huo Shen didn't seem to have any intention of going to the study to handle official business right away. He took off his suit jacket and casually threw it on the sofa, then walked to the wine cabinet and poured two glasses of amber whiskey. He handed one of the glasses to Su Yan, who was standing in the middle of the living room and had not yet fully recovered from the shock of the night.

Su Yan looked at the glass of wine and hesitated. He had a low alcohol tolerance, and at a time like this, he needed to stay absolutely sober.

"Are you afraid that I'll drug you?" Huo Shen's voice contained a subtle hint of mockery.

Su Yan looked up at him and took the wine glass. The coolness of the glass brought a sense of sobriety through his fingertips. He took a small sip, and the spicy liquid slid down his throat, bringing a burning sensation that slightly relaxed his tense nerves.

Huo Shen took his wine glass and walked to the huge floor-to-ceiling window. He turned his back to Su Yan and looked at the night view outside the window.

"Do you think I'm taking advantage of you?" he suddenly asked, his voice sounding a little vague in the empty room.

Su Yan gripped his glass tightly and didn't answer immediately. He knew it was a trap. Admitting it would seem ungrateful and foolish; denying it would seem hypocritical.

He chose a relatively conciliatory statement: "Mr. Huo, you naturally have your reasons for doing things."

Huo Shen chuckled softly, turned around, and looked at him sharply: "Su Yan, you are smarter than I thought, and you know how to...assess the situation better."

He walked back to Su Yan, so close that Su Yan could smell the faint smell of alcohol and the cold woody aroma on him.

"What did you see tonight?" Huo Shen asked, as if testing him.

Su Yan pondered for a moment, organizing his words. "Su Chen's anger and... uneasiness. Elder Lin's detachment and... scrutiny. President Zhao's greed and... probing." He paused, then added, "Also, they're wary of you and the... vacancy left by Assistant Zhou."

A flicker of approval flashed across Huo Shen's eyes, but it was quickly replaced by a bottomless darkness. "Well said. So, do you know why I took you there?"

"To tell them that Assistant Zhou's position is not irreplaceable, or rather, you have more unexpected arrangements." Su Yan expressed his guess, "and also to... stimulate Su Chen."

"What else?" Huo Shen pressed.

Su Yan raised his eyes and looked directly at Huo Shen: "To make me see my situation clearly. Let me know that without your 'protection', those people outside will tear me apart like jackals. And I have no choice but to rely on you."

There was a subtle hint of self-mockery and resignation in his words, but this was exactly his truest feeling at the moment, and it was also what he hoped Huo Shen would see.

Huo Shen stared at him, as if trying to determine the truth and falsehood in his words. After a long pause, he suddenly reached out and gently brushed a strand of unruly hair across Su Yan's forehead with his fingertips. The action was gentle and almost intimate, yet it sent a chill down Su Yan's spine.

"You're half right." Huo Shen's voice deepened. "I'll take you there. More importantly, I want to see what kind of claws you'll reveal when you're cornered."

His fingertips slid along Su Yan's temples and slowly slid to his jaw. His force was gentle, but it carried an irresistible sense of control.

"I'm very satisfied with your reaction tonight." Huo Shen's gaze fell on Su Yan's slightly trembling eyelashes. "You didn't panic, you didn't make foolish excuses, and you even... learned to use ambiguous words to protect yourself."

He leaned closer, his hot breath almost spraying on Su Yan's ear: "My little bird, you learn very quickly."

Su Yan stood frozen in place, his grip on the wine glass barely clenched. Huo Shen's approach brought no warmth, but rather a sense of mortal danger, like being targeted by a large, ferocious beast. He could sense the powerful aura emanating from Huo Shen, a mixture of alcohol and an inexplicable...interest.

"So," Huo Shen's voice was like the whisper of a devil, "I decided to give you a little reward, which is also... a new test."

He stepped back slightly, took out a pure black card without any logo from his trouser pocket, and handed it to Su Yan.

"This is the permission card for the spare computer in the study. It contains some... basic business cases and information." Huo Shen looked at Su Yan's eyes, which widened instantly, and a meaningful smile appeared on the corner of his mouth. "Didn't you say you were 'still learning'? I'll give you a chance to learn."

Su Yan's heart began to beat wildly. The computer in the study! The information inside was incomparable to the introductory book he had in hand! This was undoubtedly one of the keys to the core secrets. Even if it was just a spare computer, its value was immeasurable.

But he also knew that this was definitely a trap. Huo Shen was testing his curiosity and ambition to see if he would be impatient to touch those files that might hide more deadly secrets.

To answer or not to answer?

Su Yan looked at the black card. It represented danger but also unprecedented opportunities.

Finally, he reached out his hand, his fingertips trembling slightly as he took the card. The card was cold and heavy, as if carrying an unknown fate.

"Thank you, Mr. Huo." His voice was a little dry.

Huo Shen looked at him with satisfaction as he held the card in his palm, as if completing some kind of handover ceremony.

"Remember, Su Yan," he warned finally, "What I can give you, I can also take back at any time. And the price of peeking into things you shouldn't see... you can't afford it."

After saying that, he didn't stop, picked up his wine glass, turned and walked towards the bedroom, leaving Su Yan standing alone in the middle of the living room, holding the permission card that seemed to be burning hot tightly in his hand.

Reward? Test?

Su Yan couldn't tell the difference.

He only knew that Huo Shen had opened a door for him, behind which might be a treasure or a bottomless abyss.

He looked down at the card in his hand, then raised his eyes to look at the tightly closed, heavy wooden door of the study.

He knew that he had to be more cautious with every step he took next.

But at the same time, a long-lost flame called "hope" quietly ignited in his heart.

Perhaps he could really find the key to breaking the deadlock.

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