Chapter 10, Chapter 10: Not here, Zhou Yingchen, please…

The night sky was deep and the balcony, far from the hustle and bustle of the banquet hall, was peaceful.

The cool autumn breeze brushed against Wen Yu's exposed skin.

The sky was dotted with stars, each one twinkling softly, truly following its own trajectory.

Wen Yu's mood gradually improved.

Although she was unsure of her own path, looking at the free sky, it seemed as if the shackles binding her were slowly being peeled away.

Until all of this was shattered by the sound of footsteps suddenly approaching from behind.

A powerful, icy aura enveloped Wen Yu from behind, causing her to tighten her grip on the railing.

Zhou Yingchen, having ended the conversation at some point, went to the balcony.

He didn't look at Shen Jinhuai; his deep gaze fell on Wen Yu, his tall figure completely enveloping her.

Zhou Yingchen grabbed Wen Yu's wrist.

His palm was very hot, so hot that Wen Yu's exposed skin recoiled.

"Excuse me, Mr. Shen."

Zhou Yingchen's gaze toward Shen Jinhuai was polite and distant. He turned to Wen Yu, his deep voice carrying a hint of patient coaxing: "It's windy, we should go back."

Wen Yu lowered her eyelashes and silently followed Zhou Yingchen.

Just as the two were about to leave the balcony, a hand with distinct knuckles gently gripped Zhou Yingchen's forearm.

Zhou Yingchen paused, his deep eyes narrowed slightly, and his sharp gaze turned to Shen Jinhuai.

For a moment, the air was filled with the silent smell of gunpowder.

Shen Jinhuai's face held an impeccable, gentle smile, as if it were just a casual touch between friends, but the force of his fingertips was immense.

The man's gaze swept quickly across Wen Yu's pale face before meeting Zhou Yingchen's scrutinizing gaze again, his tone natural.

"Mr. Zhou, why are you in such a hurry to leave?"

Shen Jinhuai smiled and raised his wine glass: "I happen to have something to discuss with President Zhou about that piece of land in the east of the city. I wonder if we could talk in private?"

The Zhou family was determined to acquire the land in the eastern part of the city.

However, the obstacles were too great, and Zhou Yingshen was getting annoyed by this matter.

Upon hearing his former business partner Shen Jinhuai bring it up, Zhou Yingchen's gaze lingered on Shen Jinhuai's face for two seconds.

He gave Wen Yu, whose wrist was being held and whose head was hanging down, a deep look, and slowly released his grip on her.

"certainly."

Zhou Yingchen straightened his cuffs, his voice flat: "Please, Mr. Chen."

The two men exchanged a glance, turned around together, and walked side by side to a corner of the banquet hall.

With the two leaving, the tense atmosphere that had just been palpable vanished.

The oppressive feeling suddenly disappeared.

Wen Yu secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

Only when Zhou Yingchen went to discuss work could she get a moment's respite.

Wen Yu looked up at the sky again.

The anxiety that had been gripping me gradually eased and was replaced by clarity.

She smiled, took a deep breath, and savored this brief moment of freedom.

·

The banquet ended an hour later.

On the way back, the atmosphere was oppressive, gradually becoming suffocating.

Zhou Yingchen closed his eyes to rest, remaining silent.

Wen Yu pressed herself tightly against the car window, trying to minimize her presence.

Silence spread through the carriage.

Wen Yu waited anxiously, wondering if Zhou Yingchen would mention that she was staying at Zhou Shiye's apartment.

Time moved forward second by second.

After a long while, Zhou Yingchen glanced sideways at Wen Yu.

In the darkness, the man's profile appeared even more striking, and his voice was deep and resonant: "In the future, if you encounter anything you can't handle,"

"You can contact me directly."

Wen Yu was taken aback, not understanding for a moment what Zhou Yingchen meant by those words.

Yes, did she find out about the dormitory incident and feel that her affairs were bothering Aunt Zhou?

Or did I disturb Zhou Shiye?

Was Zhou Yingchen using this method to remind her not to cause any more trouble for the Zhou family?

This realization made Wen Yu's hands and feet feel cold.

After a long while, she lowered her eyelashes and obediently replied, "Okay."

Zhou Yingchen looked over at Wen Yu.

The dim lighting inside the car cast ambiguous shadows on Wen Yu's delicate nose and full lips.

Her long, trembling eyelashes, like butterflies, silently stirred the taut strings in the air.

Zhou Yingchen's already deep eyes darkened further.

He looked at her tightly pursed lips, at the soft curves outlined by her dress, and his prominent Adam's apple bobbed uncontrollably.

Then, Zhou Yingchen reached out and pinched Wen Yu's chin with his long fingers, forcing her to turn her head and face his deep and unfathomable gaze.

The man's fingertips were warm, a stark contrast to Wen Yu's icy skin.

“Look at me.”

Wen Yu wondered if it was just her imagination, but Zhou Yingchen's voice sounded a little hoarse than before.

His gaze, fixed on himself, revealed an undisguised desire.

Realizing what the man wanted to do, Wen Yu's lips parted slightly in a panic.

I want to say something, but I don't know what to say.

Before she could think of a solution, a slight sound was heard and the partition between the front and back seats slowly rose.

Instantly blocking the view of the driver and Assistant Chen in front, turning the back seat into an absolutely private and cramped space.

Wen Yu grew increasingly terrified, raising her eyes to meet the man's deep, unfathomable gaze in the dim light.

"What are you afraid of?"

The man's suppressed voice was dangerously hoarse.

Before Wen Yu could answer, Zhou Yingchen leaned down and his cool lips covered Wen Yu's trembling lips without any room for doubt.

In an instant, Wen Yu's mind went blank, her only thought being that she absolutely must not make a sound.

She clenched her teeth tightly, suppressing any sob that might escape her throat; her body was extremely stiff.

But this silent resistance only fueled the man's deeper desire for control.

His kisses deepened, biting her forcefully as if punishing her, and his hands around Wen Yu's waist tightened, almost as if he wanted to meld her into his body.

The man's breathing grew heavier, and the body temperature transmitted through the thin clothes to Wen Yu became increasingly hot.

What made Wen Yu even more terrified was that his burning lips began to slowly move along her jawline towards her neck.

And there, there were traces left by Zhou Shiye, which she covered up with heavy foundation.

Overwhelmed by extreme fear, Wen Yu's mind went completely blank.

Then, just a second before Zhou Yingchen's lips were about to touch her neck, Wen Yu, with a sudden surge of courage, turned her head away, closed her eyes, and awkwardly and eagerly pressed her lips against his prominent Adam's apple.

Zhou Yingchen's body stiffened, and the muscles in his arms around Wen Yu's waist suddenly tensed.

His breathing suddenly stopped for a second, then became heavier and hotter.

Her clumsy kisses, like feathers, one after another, lured him into a surge of emotions that he had been trying so hard to suppress.

The man's Adam's apple bobbed violently, and he let out a low, extremely suppressed gasp.

"parking."

Zhou Yingchen's voice was terribly hoarse as he gave the order towards the driver's seat.

The car slowly came to a stop on the side of the road.

Without Zhou Yingchen giving any instructions, the driver's and passenger's doors opened, and the driver and Assistant Chen got out of the car and carefully closed the two front doors.

At this point, only the hot breaths of Zhou Yingchen's forceful kiss on Wen Yu's lips remained inside the car.

"No, not here, Zhou Yingchen, please..."

Wen Yu's suppressed sobs escaped in small, fragmented bursts.

Her slender fingers pressed helplessly against his firm chest: "Zhou Yingchen, no, not in the car."

"Can't."

Wen Yu's eyes were filled with tears, filled with fear and pleading. Her small body, held tightly in his arms, was trembling slightly.

Zhou Yingchen's eyes were deep and somber.

It sank and sank.

A terrifying desire surged in the man's intense, burning eyes, which he tried so hard to control that the veins on his forehead were faintly visible.

The force with which he gripped Wen Yu's waist was astonishing, as if he were about to tear her apart at any moment.

a long time,

"Then why did you provoke me?"

The man's voice was extremely hoarse.

Wen Yu was on the verge of tears and dared not say another word.

Finally, Zhou Yingchen took a deep breath and closed his eyes tightly.

When he opened his eyes again, he forcibly suppressed the storm in his eyes, leaving only a bottomless darkness.

"Stay away from Shenjinhuai in the future."

The man suddenly brought up this topic.

Before he could finish speaking, and before Wen Yu could even express her surprise, Zhou Yingchen lowered his head and forcefully kissed her lips.

A moment later, the man released his grip on Wen Yu with great restraint.

He leaned to the side, creating distance between himself and Wen Yu.

He rolled down the car window and gave the order in a hoarse voice.

"drive."

Assistant Chen and the driver, who were outside the car, quickly returned to the vehicle.

Soon, the car restarted and continued driving towards the apartment.

Wen Yu huddled in the corner, tightening her slightly disheveled collar, burying her face deep in the shadows, no longer daring to look at the man beside her.

Her heart was pounding wildly, and the exhaustion and fear of surviving the ordeal enveloped her completely.

A long time later, not understanding why Zhou Yingchen suddenly brought up Wen Yu of Shen Jinhuai, he remembered something very important and very terrible.

She glanced at Zhou Yingchen, who was casually looking at documents beside her, and quietly took out her phone to open WeChat.

Wen Yu secretly breathed a sigh of relief after confirming that Zhou Shiye's WeChat message to her read: "[Busy with work tonight, all night, don't wait for me]".

Although I don't know how Zhou Yingchen found out where she is now, as long as he and Zhou Shiye don't run into each other, it should be fine.

Thinking this, Wen Yu glanced casually out the window as the scenery outside became familiar.

Immediately, his body stiffened.

In the distance, beneath the apartment building, where the dim lights meet the night, a swaggering blue sports car is parked.

Beside the car, a familiar, tall figure was leaning lazily against the driver's side door frame.

Zhou Shiye held a cigarette between his fingers, the scarlet flame flickering in the darkness.

His long legs were casually crossed, seemingly relaxed, but his posture was clearly that of a hunter patiently waiting for his prey, exuding a strong sense of pressure.

The man's silver-gray hair fluttered in the night wind, but it couldn't hide the intense, expressionless gaze he gave when he looked towards Wen Yu's car.

Wen Yu's heart sank.

Didn't Zhou Shiye say that there was an emergency at the law firm and he wouldn't be back tonight?

How did I end up here?

So how long did Zhou Shiye wait here?

What was he waiting for her to do?

She knew what Zhou Shiye was going to do, but...

Wen Yu's breathing, which hadn't yet relaxed from the previous panic, tightened again.

She reflexively looked at Zhou Yingchen, who was intently reading documents beside her.

Just then, as if sensing something, Zhou Yingchen slowly raised his eyes.

He glanced sideways at the apartment building below.

For a moment, Zhou Shiye and Zhou Yingchen locked eyes.

Wen Yu's heart tightened, and her face turned deathly pale.

A note from the author:

----------------------