Chapter 57 Don't be afraid, I'm here.

The room was deathly silent.

Lin Zaoyi forced herself to look at him, even though those dark eyes were devoid of warmth. "Can we go now?"

He reached out and placed his hand on her lips, rubbing them back and forth a couple of times with a rather harsh touch. "You'd better not make me angry."

"What I said is the truth."

She tried to reason with him, saying, "Brother Zhaojing, we have already gone against common sense."

Tan Zhaojing smiled, but it was a little cold. "Whether it's against the rules or not is not for others to define."

He bent his neck, lowered his head to find her earlobe, and bit it, saying, "Be good."

Lin Zaoyi jolted in pain, "What do you mean by 'obedient'?"

She parted her legs and asked, "Kept by your side? As your mistress?"

The arm binding her waist suddenly tightened. She was wearing a silk nightgown, the thin fabric offering no protection against the warmth of his palm. She instinctively tried to break free, but there was a wall behind her, leaving her nowhere to escape. She could only press her hand against his chest to create distance between them.

The man stared intently at her. "Is this how you've always seen me?"

The oxygen was escaping, and Lin Zaoyi's forcibly suppressed emotions crumbled little by little. "Then what do you want?"

"Just stay with me like this." Tan Zhaojing completely exposed his possessiveness to her.

"You're practically insane!" Fear was etched in his voice, and Lin Zaoyi's gaze, fixed on him, was trembling with unease, unable to conceal it. "Don't forget, we—"

He suddenly lifted her face, forcing her to look at him. "I've repeated this countless times: the kind of relationship you're talking about is impossible between you and me."

A desire ignited in the corner of his eye, and Tan Zhaojing could no longer restrain himself, bowing his head.

Taking her breath away, Lin Zaoyi instinctively resisted, but her wrists were forcefully twisted behind her back.

Unable to move, she changed her approach and bit his lower lip hard.

Instantly, the taste of blood filled my mouth.

Tan Zhaojing hissed in pain, freeing one hand to hold her face and forcefully penetrate her, while pressing her against the wall with the other hand, giving her no chance to escape.

Soon, the taste of blood mixed with the lips and teeth spread across the tip of the tongue, and the warmth hidden beneath the surface was no longer concealed.

Violent, forceful, and relentlessly clashing.

His hand was on her waist, and his fingers had somehow slipped inside her clothes, causing Lin Zaoyi to flinch and tremble, unconsciously letting out a soft moan.

Tan Zhaojing's Adam's apple bobbed sharply, becoming increasingly unrestrained.

Indoor temperatures are rising steadily.

Lin Zaoyi was gradually losing breath, and she struggled to squeeze out a few words, "Tan Zhaojing..."

The tone was full of bewilderment.

His hand stopped, and the kiss slowly ceased. Tan Zhaojing buried his face in her neck and sighed deeply. He had lost his composure like this with her time and time again.

He tugged at the strap of her dangling nightgown, his voice hoarse, "Stay away from Tan You."

He bit his lip until it bled, the red bloodstain extremely conspicuous, but he ignored it. Lin Zaoyi wasn't in the mood to wipe it for him either; her heart was pounding.

She turned her face away, slightly out of breath, her fingers grabbing at his shirt shirt haphazardly, pulling weakly, but her words were sharp and forceful: "It's better to stay away from you."

He laughed angrily, "Still trying to annoy me?"

A warm sensation approached her nose; it was his lips. The man gently nuzzled her, his movements tender and affectionate. "Don't be afraid, I'm here."

How could I not be afraid?

She was very scared.

I'm afraid that in the end, she'll be the one who's beyond redemption.

She was also afraid that she would have no bottom line and become his woman who couldn't be seen in public.

But her feelings had already been stirred and there was no going back. Only reason held her back. As for when things would turn around, Lin Zaoyi herself couldn't give a definite answer.

Her remaining senses told her that an improper relationship could not exist between them.

......

The next day, Lin Zaoyi slept soundly until eight o'clock.

There was only Tan Jiani in the restaurant downstairs. An aunt passing by casually asked, "Where are Uncle Tan and my mom?"

"Going for a walk."

She hummed in agreement and sat down in the dining chair.

Perhaps after last night's fight, Tan Jiani no longer showed hostility towards her, but she didn't go so far as to speak to her first.

They glanced at each other and then ate their own food.

Footsteps came from the stairwell, and Lin Zaoyi subconsciously looked over. It was Tan Zhaojing.

It was probably the weekend, and she wasn't dressed as formally as usual. She wore a white French-style shirt with pleated cuffs, the quality of which was as exquisite as ever. She also wore a tourbillon watch on her wrist, which added a touch of coolness.

They withdrew it without making a sound.

Tan Jiani turned her head, and the words "Brother, you didn't just get up, did you?" were swallowed back the moment she saw the wound on the corner of his mouth.

Instead, they asked, "What's wrong with your mouth?"

Upon hearing this, Lin Zaoyi glanced at the man again. After a night, the wound looked even more obvious, and she lowered her head guiltily.

Tan Zhaojing pulled out a dining chair and sat down. Instead of answering, she asked the aunt to make her a cup of tea.

"Brother, say something!"

Tan Jiani stopped eating and put down her chopsticks. "Don't try to argue or get angry. Your lips look like they've been bitten. So, your girlfriend was at the banquet last night?"

Then she realized something was wrong, "Why wasn't there any wound when I came back last night?"

Lin Zaoyi lowered her head even further.

The sound of knuckles tapping on the table was right next to my ear. "A hair got into the bowl."

"..."

Why worry about something so trivial?

He glanced at it secretly.

Tan Jiani noticed it, but didn't think too much about it. She just felt that her brother was meddling in other people's business. Lin Zaoyi was the same; her brother kindly reminded her, but she glared at him. She was so ungrateful.

No, I have to say something sarcastic.

With a pursed lip, she said, "Lin Zaoyi—"

He had barely called her name, and before he could finish his sentence, Lin Zaoyi suddenly stood up in a panic, "It has nothing to do with me!"

"???"

"What do you mean, does it have anything to do with you?"

Lin Zaoyi belatedly realized she had been excited, frowned in annoyance, and slowly sat down.

"Oh...that's it..."

She tried to explain, "I thought you were suspecting that I introduced some woman to your brother."

After saying it, he himself felt that the reason was too far-fetched.

He awkwardly added, "I'm not that bored."

Tan Jiani curled her lips, "I knew you wouldn't dare."

“Yes,” Lin Zaoyi agreed, “I wouldn’t dare.”

Just when I thought the conversation was over, the man asked, "Then tell me, which little dog bit you?"

"..."

You're the dog.

With a fake smile plastered on his face, he said, "Brother Zhaojing, here's the question. Maybe you have too many girlfriends and don't even remember them yourself."

“Nonsense.” Tan Jiani defended her brother, “My brother never messes around.”

Lin Zaoyi stopped talking. Knowing when to shut up was a form of self-protection. Tan Jiani's voice rang in her ears, "Brother, just tell me who it is, and I promise I'll keep my mouth shut."

Despite his sincerity, he was extremely sparing with his words.

After finishing his tea, Tan Zhaojing put down the cup and said, "I'm leaving."

Tan Jiani: "...Where to?"

Tan Zhaojing's gaze lingered on the girl, and he said lightly, "Let's talk to Tan You."

Lin Zaoyi didn't believe in a simple chat. Once the figure was out of sight, she opened the chat window with Tan You: [Brother Zhaojing is coming to see you, you'd better hide!]

Just after I sent it, a message popped up: "Did you secretly tip off Tan You?"

"..."

Go set up a fortune-telling stall!