Chapter 36 "Begging for mercy is useless"

It was 3 a.m. yesterday.

,

At Lin Yi's doorstep, Zhang Zexuan was wrapped in a bulky black down jacket, with the corner of his fluffy pajamas peeking out from underneath, and indoor cotton slippers on his feet.

His hair was disheveled, he had heavy dark circles under his eyes, and he was carrying a brown paper bag.

The door opened.

Shen Beidao stood inside the door, his gray pajamas clearly hastily put on, the belt tied rather hastily, the neckline slightly open, revealing a section of his collarbone.

Professor Shen, who is usually meticulous, looked rather disheveled at this moment.

There were a few fresh, fine red scratches along the edge of the robe's collar, which stood out starkly against her pale skin.

"Professor Shen!" Zhang Zexuan said irritably as soon as he entered the room, "You can't treat people like this. It's true that we have a deal, but you should at least have some basic humanity, right?"

I'd only been lying down for less than an hour when your phone call woke me up!

"In the dead of winter, in the early morning, you made me go to that remote corner..." His complaints stopped abruptly as his gaze fell on an open file folder on the coffee table, revealing a signed document titled "Letter of Understanding."

"Holy crap?!" Zhang Zexuan's eyes widened instantly, all sleepiness vanished, and he picked up the document in disbelief, examining it from all angles. "Really? You just gave it to me like that?"

"Hmm." Shen Beidao responded casually, raising his hand to rub his temples. As he did so, a section of his robe sleeve slipped down, revealing several fresh finger marks on his wrist.

He looked somewhat tired, his gaze fixed on the bedroom, completely oblivious to Zhang Zexuan's surprise.

Zhang Zexuan's attention immediately shifted from the letter of understanding to Shen Beidao, especially to those conspicuous marks, which were simply too numerous.

He clicked his tongue, his tone becoming subtle, carrying a hint of reproach and a touch of gossip: "Professor Shen, I didn't realize... your battle with Brother Yi was quite intense."

"But let me warn you, my brother Yi accidentally drank that stuff and he's feeling unwell right now. He's probably in pain all over and feels very hot, making him more likely to lose his senses. Don't take advantage of him and ruin his life!"

Shen Beidao paused in tying the belt of his bathrobe. He looked up at Zhang Zexuan with a scrutinizing gaze: "Why do you know so many details?"

"...I guessed!"

Feeling guilty, Zhang Zexuan quickly handed over the brown paper bag he was carrying: "The thing you wanted... that place is really out of the way, dark and without any shop signs, it looks like an underground transaction..."

He couldn't help but mutter again, "Although I have a rough idea of ​​what's inside."

Shen Beidao didn't reply. He took the paper bag, turned around, and sat down on the sofa. Right in front of Zhang Zexuan, he opened the tightly sealed bag.

Take out a palm-sized white cardboard box. There is no Chinese on the box; it is covered with incomprehensible foreign characters and abstract patterns.

Zhang Zexuan craned his neck to look: "What is this again? I'm warning you, I personally tasted it last time to make sure it wasn't poisonous!"

"Don't even think about feeding my Yi-ge anything random this time! I need to check him out first!"

He said he was about to rob it.

Shen Beidao twisted her wrist, avoiding his hand, and held the medicine box in her palm. She looked up at him, her tone carrying a hint of absurdity: "...Do you think I would harm him?"

He looked Zhang Zexuan up and down, his gaze lingering for a moment on the ambiguous marks on Zhang's neck that weren't completely concealed. Combined with Zhang's earlier statement that he had "personally tasted" the marks, Shen Beidao seemed to understand something.

He chuckled softly: "Zhang, although I'm not a good person, I still have basic legal principles. I won't do anything illegal or criminal."

He paused, then asked in a questioning tone, "Lin Yi is my lover. What reason do you think I would have to hurt my lover?"

"But don't you think your behavior is... very perverted?"

"Me?" Shen Beidao raised an eyebrow slightly, as if he had heard something interesting, and a smile curved his lips. "I don't think so."

"But you, Zhang, always seem to think about things in a complicated and gloomy way."

He had previously thought Zhang Zexuan was quick-witted and a useful "pawn," but now it seemed that he had misplaced his intentions.

"Then what exactly is this in your hand?" Zhang Zexuan pointed at the box of medicine, persisting in his questioning.

This time, Shen Beidao was quite straightforward, simply tossing over the medicine box: "Hangover medicine, imported, specifically to relieve various discomforts after drinking, especially hangover reactions after accidentally ingesting certain aphrodisiac ingredients. You can look it up yourself."

Zhang Zexuan took out his phone, opened a translation app, and took a picture of the foreign text on the box to recognize it.

A few seconds later, the translation results popped up, and the indications did indeed state "for relieving excessive drinking and related discomfort".

"Holy crap! It really is a hangover cure?"

Zhang Zexuan was stunned. He looked up at Shen Beidao and said, "So you want me to sneak around and go to an adult product store in the middle of the night to pick up the goods? It's like a spy rendezvous! Couldn't you just have said so directly?!"

“You didn’t ask.” Shen Beidao said succinctly, stood up, and casually took the medicine box back and put it into his bathrobe pocket.

"I……"

Zhang Zexuan was speechless. He hadn't asked, because he knew that even if he had, the professor wouldn't have told him!

"It's too late, I can't keep you any longer."

Shen Beidao made a "please" gesture, which meant he was about to ask the person to leave.

Zhang Zexuan turned around, feeling a bit annoyed.

Shen Beidao reminded him, "I gave you the things so that you could feed them to that troublesome person, but you not only fed them to the wrong person, but you also ate them yourself."

Zhang, this is the consequence of your own careless behavior; it has nothing to do with me. I hope you won't mention any speculation about me in front of Lin Yi.

His plan: If Chen Zhinan is fed that stuff and enters the room while Lin Yi is unconscious, he will most likely do something inappropriate, and he will stop him immediately.

Whether Lin Yi felt utterly disgusted with Chen Zhinan because he was offended, or felt guilty for being caught in an embarrassing situation by his "current boyfriend," either way, it would be beneficial for him to further solidify the relationship and clear away obstacles.

Unexpectedly, Zhang Zexuan, the "executor," was so "outstanding" that he completely turned the plan upside down.

Zhang Zexuan turned pale at what he said, and was speechless even though he wanted to refute it, because what Shen Beidao said was basically true.

He gritted his teeth and strode out the door.

The moment he stepped out the door, the elevator dinged.

A deliveryman in uniform came out and, seeing Zhang Zexuan emerge from the door, naturally handed him a tightly wrapped bag: "Hello, here's your delivery."

Zhang Zexuan took it instinctively.

Shen Beidao stopped in his tracks as he was about to close the door, his gaze falling on the bag.

Zhang Zexuan was already seething with anger, and in a moment of impulsiveness, he tore open the seal on the pharmacy bag right in front of Shen Beidao and reached inside:

Several tubes of lubricant of different brands, sizes, and even "flavors" fell out and landed on the clean floor.

Two of the tubes also clearly stated "edible" and "fruit flavor" on their packaging.

The air froze.

Shen Beidao looked at the few things on the ground, then at Zhang Zexuan, who was frozen in place, still clutching the tattered bag in his hand, and narrowed his eyes slightly.

Zhang Zexuan, however, seemed to have seized some incredible leverage, and his previously dejected face instantly broke into a provocative smile.

He picked up the items all at once, stuffed them back into the bag, and then handed them back to Shen Beidao: "Professor Shen, do you... want to use this?"

He paused, observing Shen Beidao's reaction, and then directly stated his condition: "If you want to use it, you have to do me another favor."

Shen Beidao stared at him for two seconds, and out of consideration for him being Lin Yi's friend, he stepped aside and said, "I'll give you three minutes."

Zhang Zexuan quickly went back and closed the door behind him: "Not three minutes, one minute is enough!"

He forcefully shoved the pharmacy bag into Shen Beidao's arms, saying, "I...I slept with Lin Yi's dad! Help me think of a way!"

Although Shen Beidao was a man of deep thoughts, he was also momentarily stunned, a very subtle look of surprise flashing across his face.

He twitched the corner of his mouth, as if he hadn't heard clearly: "What?"

"It's all because of that piece of junk you gave me!"

Zhang Zexuan got angry just thinking about it and, not caring about saving face, said directly, "I originally mixed some water to taste what it was, but my hand slipped and I accidentally spilled it into Uncle Xie's teacup..."

Then I forgot about it, and then he drank it! And then…”

Ignoring Shen Beidao's reaction, he accused, "In the end, it was all your doing! You have to take responsibility for me! Help me think of a solution..."

After listening, Shen Beidao remained silent for a full five seconds.

He raised his hand and rubbed his throbbing temples, feeling an unprecedented sense of exhaustion from "taking care of a child."

“First of all…” he began, his voice losing its usual calm, “you should resign from Xie Chun Company. Physical isolation is the foundation for solving the problem.”

He paused, looking at Zhang Zexuan's face that instantly fell, and continued, "Leaving your current environment, distance and time will gradually make you forget this...accident."

After that, I can help you find a new job, even if it's not in Jiangzhou. A new environment, a new beginning.

What are you saying?

Zhang Zexuan almost jumped up, his face turning bright red. "I asked you to help me figure out how to win over Uncle Xie!"

Shen Beidao:………

Looking at the young man in front of him with a "I'm serious" expression, he began to doubt his own judgment of people for the first time.

"Smack."

Zhang Zexuan's response was a door that slammed shut without a second thought.

Zhang Zexuan stomped his feet in anger at the tightly closed security door, but dared not make a sound. In the end, he could only grit his teeth, make a face at the crack in the door, and turn away.

Shen Beidao let out a long breath.

Fortunately, he was prepared and had disconnected the power to the surveillance system in Lin Yi's home beforehand.

Otherwise, if those chaotic conversations had been recorded, the consequences would have been unimaginable.

*

At this moment, Lin Yi sat at the dining table, sipping the millet porridge that Shen Beidao had cooked early in the morning.

He always felt restless, with an indescribable soreness and a faint itch in his body, especially in the muscles of his buttocks, as if someone had pinched or hit him hard.

He couldn't help but shift slightly in his chair.

Shen Beidao was already dressed and tying his tie.

The dark gray suit accentuated his broad shoulders and long legs, restoring his usual meticulous and elite professor demeanor. Only with careful observation could one notice a faint trace of weariness under his eyes.

“Shen Beidao…” Lin Yi put down his spoon, licked his lips, and said in a weak voice, “Yesterday…last night, did we…do anything?”

"What?" Shen Beidao, who was adjusting his bow tie, paused upon hearing this, turned around, and deliberately asked in a tone that was both bewildered and inquisitive, "What are we doing?"

"It's...it's that kind of..."

Lin Yi hesitated for a long time before finally saying, "It's something embarrassing... I drank too much yesterday, and I only remember a few fragments... It seems like there was... but it also seems like there wasn't. I saw that thing on the table."

Looking at his shy yet determined expression, Shen Beidao showed no unusual reaction; in fact, he even slightly furrowed his brow, as if trying to recall.

Then, meeting Lin Yi's expectant gaze, he nodded very naturally and confidently: "Yes, I did it."

Lin Yi's eyes widened instantly.

Shen Beidao took two steps forward, leaned slightly towards Lin Yi at the dining table, and said in a tone that was mixed with indulgence, pampering and a little helplessness: "Last night, my little bunny was especially amazing."

Lin Yi's ears perked up.

"He held me tightly and wouldn't let go. He was so strong that I couldn't break free." As Shen Beidao spoke, he raised his hand and gently touched the area near his collarbone, where there was a fresh scratch that he flashed in front of Lin Yi.

Lin Yi's gaze followed his finger, and his face turned even redder.

"Time and time again..." Shen Beidao's voice lowered, becoming slightly breathless, as if sharing a sweet yet painful secret, "completely disregarding my life or death, even my pleas for mercy were useless..."

"Hey... stop talking! I know!"

Lin Yi finally couldn't listen anymore and suddenly reached out to cover Shen Beidao's mouth. He felt the suppressed laughter on Shen Beidao's lips and was even more ashamed.

But undeniably, a mix of pride, sweetness, and a secret thrill of "I was so brave" quietly bubbled up in my heart.

So, it really was him who slept with Professor Shen?

...So powerful?

Shen Beidao's mouth was covered by him, and the smile in his eyes deepened.

He gently pulled Lin Yi's hand down, held it in his palm, and rubbed his thumb against the slightly warm skin on the back of Lin Yi's hand: "Baby is so amazing, I want more next time."

"Oh dear! I know, I know! You...you'd better go to work! You're going to be late!"

Lin Yi was taken aback by his blunt words. She forcefully pulled her hand back and pushed him toward the door, trying to cover up her shyness with her urging.

Shen Beidao obediently let him push him to the entrance. Before leaving, he turned back, ruffled Lin Yi's blond hair that had sticked up from sleeping, and placed a gentle kiss on his cheek:

"I'm leaving now. Take good care of yourself at home. Call me anytime if you feel unwell."

"Okay, let's go!" Lin Yi didn't dare to look at him, and just kept nodding.

The door closed.

Shen Beidao stood outside the door, listening to the faint sound of Lin Yi humming an off-key tune as he walked briskly back to the restaurant. He finally couldn't help but chuckle softly and shake his head.

It seems... he believes it.

Fortunately, he still had some sense last night and stopped at the last minute. Halfway through, the person in his arms started crying in pain, sobbing and crying out. He couldn't bear to continue, so he had to stop abruptly and hold and comfort him for half the night.

It seems we need to take a longer-term approach to this size mismatch issue and think of other "solutions".

Lin Yi sat down happily and continued drinking his porridge, feeling that his slight discomfort had turned into a badge of honor, a "trophy" of victory.

He picked up his phone, unlocked it, and the first message he saw was a dozen unread messages from Zhang Zexuan.

Too lazy to scroll up to read the usual nonsense, he skipped straight to the latest posts and started typing with great enthusiasm:

[Lin Yi] Xuanzi, do you know what sweet love feels like?

[Lin Yi] You definitely don't know this~

[Lin Yi] He said I'm super awesome (little rabbit spinning around triumphantly.jpg)

[Lin Yi] I'm in a good mood today, so I'll treat you to dinner tonight! Speaking of which, I have to thank you for this! (Grinning face.jpg)

At this very moment, at Xie Chun's company.

A data error in a critical contract has strained the relationship with a key supplier and could potentially affect a series of subsequent collaborations.

Zhang Zexuan, as one of the project coordinators, and several other colleagues were standing in front of the desk, receiving a stern reprimand from Xie Chun.

Xie Chun, dressed in a sharp dark suit, sat behind a large desk with a stern expression.

He then clearly and sternly pointed out the problem, demanding an immediate remedial plan and accountability for those responsible.

Zhang Zexuan stood at the back with his head down, secretly turned his phone brightness to the lowest setting, hid it behind a folder, and opened the message sent by Lin Yi.

Upon seeing those four lines of text, Zhang Zexuan's eyelids twitched violently twice.

His fingers stiffly typed a reply:

[Zhang Zexuan] Impressive?

[Zhang Zexuan] slept with your Professor Shen?

Almost the instant he sent the message, Lin Yi's reply appeared:

[Lin Yi] Of course! I'm a super strong guy!

"puff!"

Looking at the words "Da Meng 1" on the screen, Zhang Zexuan couldn't help but think that Lin Yi might still be curled up on the sofa, laughing like an idiot.

In the tense atmosphere of the conference room, the sudden "poof" sound was particularly jarring.

Everyone stopped what they were doing and turned to look at him.

Zhang Zexuan froze instantly, hurriedly stuffing his phone back into his pocket, and lowered his head as if nothing had happened.

Xie Chun stared at him silently for a few seconds, then looked away and waved to the others: "You all go out first. Get the rectification plan ready as soon as possible, Zhang Zexuan—"

"You can stay behind alone for a bit."