Chapter 287 Velvet Soft Girl (3)

The next night, the weather was gloomy and it would rain again soon.

Chu Hengkong threw his suit jacket onto the bed, thinking back to the Russians who had fought a life-and-death battle with the old man, and cursed: "I told you that Russians all have some problems with their brains."

“I agree,” Velvet said tiredly.

The Russians—the Ivanlenko family—are secretive, still playing the blindfolded trick in the 21st century. Their head is arrogant, rude, and neurotic, totally unworthy of his Orthodox priest robes. He is a bald man who yells at the negotiating table.

Chu Hengkong threatened to shove a pistol into his mouth more than once. To maintain even the most basic order in the negotiations, Velvet repeatedly stepped on his foot under the table to remind him to control his temper. But even Velvet, known for her patience, couldn't stand it any longer at the very end: Ivanlenko brought a fiery copper pillar and demanded that both parties "mark each other's scorching friendship" with a physical imprint.

Chu Hengkong smashed the multi-ton thing into pieces in front of everyone, then lifted the largest piece and slapped the Russians in the face. Velvet jumped onto the negotiating table and said, "Yes, friendship is a testament to strength." Velus was standing right there, and anyone qualified to brand him could come forward.

Only then did the Russians finally give in. Velvet seized the opportunity and slashed the price, declaring an everlasting friendship after the negotiation. This farce delayed them for most of the day, and it was already late in the evening when they returned to Pittsburgh.

"A bunch of bullies who only care about the weak and fear the strong. They just think they can rip you off because you're a little girl. They have no shame at all." Chu Hengkong sneered, "Would your father do the same? Would they dare to make such unreasonable demands on your father?"

Of course they didn't dare, because their father's snake would break their necks.

"They did nothing wrong. They were simply seeking the interests of their family," Velvet said. "This world has always been a place where the strong prey on the weak. If it weren't for you, I wouldn't even have had the chance to negotiate. I would have been killed by Lucas' gun long ago."

Chu Hengkong was flipping through the hotel menu when he heard this and laughed, "Boss, this is boring. Following this line of thought, you could also say if your father hadn't died, if your uncle was a good man... What's the point of saying "if" all the time? Isn't it okay to just focus on the present?"

He called her boss again, seemingly enjoying the flattery, but Velvet didn't dislike the boy's tone. He thought he was just trying to amuse the child, but he didn't realize that this statement made him inherently inferior. With this relationship, she could more easily influence Chu Hengkong's thinking and slightly control his actions...

These thoughts that naturally emerged made Velvet feel nauseous and deeply self-loathing.

“I was just too focused on the present,” she said. “I’m sorry. You saved my life, and I was thinking about how I could use you.”

Chu Hengkong looked at her with interest.

"You paid a lot of money to hire me to do this job, so shouldn't you consider how to make the best use of me?"

“People are not props.”

"Vilbert, you can't be like this. You're a wealthy family head now, how can you still be so kind?" Chu Hengkong urged her vigorously, "You must be like those Russians—greedy, cold-blooded, tyrannical, and shrewd. Make them tremble uncontrollably at the mere mention of your name, and make them fear you and be terrified of you!"

Velvet waited quietly for his impromptu speech to end and said, "Yesterday someone wanted me to be a lively, beautiful and lovely young girl."

Chu Hengkong was speechless.

"You can't take every word a man says seriously..." He tried to get away with it.

“So you’re actually a frivolous man. You only talk to please the situation and don’t take your words seriously.” Velvet pressed on.

"Don't make a big deal out of it!" Chu Hengkong was a little angry, and the reaction was just as she expected.

Velvet continued slowly, "Or maybe you're always true to your word, but sometimes you speak without thinking."

Chu Hengkong raised his hand to say something, but his fingertips lingered in the air for a long time before a single word came out. He plopped down on the sofa and said, "You're so good, little girl. You win this one."

Velvet laughed triumphantly, completely unaware of how childish she seemed. She pressed the issue, "So what's your real opinion?"

"What?"

"A young girl or a cold-blooded head of a family."

Chu Hengkong patted her head and said seriously, "For your own sake, I hope you will still be a simple little girl."

Velvet nodded. “I will become a cruel and ruthless head of the family.”

Chu Hengkong poked her forehead again and again: "Do you think it's fun to piss me off?"

"yes."

Velvet went into the bathroom, leaving him alone at the table, listening to the sound of water filling the tub. Chu Hengkong felt a surge of irritation, wanting to rip the wooden door open and go in to scare the smug little girl, making her tremble in the tub and teach her a lesson about antagonizing someone you can't handle...

He covered his face with the magazine, extinguishing the anger in his mind like putting out cigarette ash.

Why are you angry with that little girl? You know how much she depends on you. She carefully observes your every move, guessing your moods, just to try not to make you unhappy. Her hands were shaking when she was fixing your collar yesterday, afraid that her actions would anger you.

It's not that she doesn't respect you, it's just that little girls are like that. They will be obsessed with some inexplicable little details, and will be complacent because of verbal gains, just like those stubborn top students in school.

"A good man doesn't fight with a woman..." Chu Hengkong muttered a few times, turned around and ordered: "Don't soak for too long, it's not safe."

"I thought you were capable of protecting a girl in the bath."

"Miss Velvet, if you say anything more, I'll go in and help you wash."

"please."

He knew full well that Velvet was giggling in the tub, but he couldn't do anything about it. He had saved so many people on a whim, but this girl was particularly difficult to deal with, and he really didn't like the feeling of being out of control.

Being able to handle things no matter how they unfold is what makes you "strong." However, if you become insecure about the other person's choices and feel awkward about their responses, then you lose control of the initiative, and this shift in focus is what makes you "weak." Velvet is exceptionally skilled at orchestrating shifts between strength and weakness through non-physical means; perhaps this is her true talent.

People like this are always difficult to deal with. After this mission is completed, it is best to keep your distance from Velus.

Velvet finally finished washing up when thunder rumbled in the sky. Chu Hengkong lay on the sofa and said unhappily, "Wait until I finish washing and go to bed early."

The girl's answer was a little slower than he expected: "...Okay."

Chu Hengkong took the magazine down and threw his suit jacket over as he stood up. Velvet leaned against the wall, her black hair draped wetly over her shoulders. She wore a thin, white gauze nightgown, her exposed wrists and cheeks a strange red. She had soaked in the tub too long out of spite, and the lingering heat had caused her to break out in a new layer of sweat even after she wiped herself off. The translucent nightgown clung to her, revealing almost everything.

The suit jacket fell on the girl's head, and Chu Hengkong took a bathrobe and wrapped her up: "Hehehe, pay attention to your image."

Velvet looked back in confusion, her mind slowing down. She wrapped herself in her bathrobe and after a few seconds, she smiled. "You're interested in a body like this?"

"I'm not interested. I like plump types." Chu Hengkong ruffled her hair unhappily. "But whether I'm interested or not, you can't be so careless. You have to protect yourself at all times, understand?"

Velvet nodded. He lifted the quilt, threw the little girl in, covered her with the quilt, lay down on the other bed, turned off the light, and announced firmly, "Turn off the lights and go to bed!"

"good evening."

How did my image change so quickly? Chu Hengkong thought gloomily. Two months ago, she was looking at Superman, so how come after just two days together, she could say "goodnight" so naturally?

Outside the window, the sound of rain grew heavier, mingled with thunder. He leaned against the headboard, listening to the rain and focusing on Velvet's breathing. After all, this was a security mission, so he didn't dare sleep too deeply. He simply stayed up for two consecutive nights and then went back to catch up on some sleep.

But somehow, Velvet hadn't fallen asleep that day. He dozed off for a moment, then saw a flash of white light outside the window and a loud boom of thunder. Velvet's heart skipped a beat. She took several deep breaths, but her heartbeat remained slightly faster than usual.

There was another burst of thunder. Chu Hengkong opened his eyes and saw the young shoulders trembling under the quilt.

She is afraid of thunder.

How could she be afraid of thunder? She could deceive the Spaniards without batting an eyelid, she ignored the roaring Russians, and she even dared to make fun of Chu Hengkong.

Perhaps this had something to do with Lucas's threats during thunderstorms. Perhaps it was one of those nights when she heard the news of her father's death. Regardless, human reactions were unpredictable, and Velvet was afraid of thunder, just like any other child is afraid of ghost stories.

It was then that he truly realized Velvet was only in her early teens. She'd performed so well in the negotiation that even he'd mistaken her for a tough, cold adult. But she was still a little girl, after all. Little girls are afraid of thunderclouds, typhoons, ghost stories—the kind of scary things they should be afraid of. On sleepless nights, they'd clutch a pillow and bang on their parents' door, begging them to sleep with them.

And both her parents are dead.

Chu Hengkong stood up and pulled the curtains tighter. He hesitated for a moment and lay down beside Velvet's bed.

"Don't be afraid, I'm here," he said.

Velvet said nothing, but held his arm tightly. After a while, he heard the sound of steady breathing.

Velvet fell asleep.

(End of this chapter)