Chapter 25: 47 days until Shangqiu Zhu and Yan You's wedding.
Yan Shuang dragged her aching body to the bathroom. Hot water gushed out from the showerhead, and in the rising steam, she saw several obvious finger marks on her side.
That man was basically choking her with brute force last night.
Yan Shuang pressed her forehead against the cool tiles, the hot water washing away the red marks on her back.
She gave a bitter smile, squeezed too much shower gel into her palm, and vigorously scrubbed every part of her body that he had touched.
But those marks are like branding marks; they can't be washed off no matter how hard you try.
After taking a shower, Yan Shuang wrapped herself in a towel and walked out of the bathroom.
The doorbell rang at that moment.
Room service.
The woman's voice outside the door was polite to the point of being rigid.
Yan Shuang pulled the bath towel up a bit and stepped barefoot onto the carpet.
Through the peephole, she saw the hotel manager's standard smile, holding a silver tray in his hand.
"This was sent on Mr. Shang's orders." The tray was handed forward, with a glass of water and a white pill on it. "Please take it in person."
"Okay." Yan Shuang's voice was calm. As she reached out to take the tray, the edge of the bath towel slipped half an inch, revealing a fresh bite mark on her shoulder.
The manager skillfully turned his face away, but this subtle avoidance was more embarrassing than a direct gaze.
Yan Shuang picked up the pill, and the bitter taste immediately spread in her mouth.
She tilted her head back and gulped down a large mouthful of water, then opened her mouth wide for the manager to examine the underside of her tongue.
"Would you like me to order breakfast?" the manager asked as he took back the tray.
"No need." Yan Shuang's fingers, gripping the doorframe, turned slightly white. "Could you please prepare a set of clothes for me?"
The manager agreed and soon delivered a set of clothes.
The moment the door closed, she slid to the ground as if all the bones in her body had been removed.
She unfolded the bath towel, and the cold door panel pressed against her bare back, making her shiver.
After a moment, she stood up and slowly put on her clothes.
She carefully dressed each piece of clothing like armor, and the woman in the mirror was flawless. Only she knew how many bruises and bite marks were hidden beneath that outfit.
-
The back seat of the Bentley was dimly lit, with only the cold light from the phone screen illuminating Shang Qiuzhu's expressionless face.
High-definition surveillance video is playing footage of the madness captured by the corridor cameras last night.
As he watched her overcome with emotion, she tilted her head back and bit his shoulder beneath his shirt.
He had originally planned to send the video to Yan Zhenye this morning; the clear footage was enough to legitimately tear up that disgusting engagement.
As the car drove onto the coastal highway, the salty and fierce sea breeze instantly rushed into the car, ruffling his hair and brushing against his cold and handsome face.
Just then, the screen of the phone in my hand suddenly lit up.
This is Yan Shuang's message: She has taken her medicine.
Those four simple words conjured up an image in his mind of her trembling as she swallowed the pills, her eyelashes drooping wetly, her Adam's apple bobbing delicately.
Even though she was completely under his control, with no way to hide, she still tried in vain to maintain her dignity. This was far more interesting to him than her trembling and sobbing in bed last night.
The sea breeze howled in.
Shangqiu Zhu turned off the surveillance video that was still playing silently and pressed the cancel button.
Then, I decisively dragged the video into the deletion area and confirmed.
"Back to the company."
He rolled up the car window and gave instructions to the driver in the front seat in a cold voice.
Silence and confinement returned to the carriage.
When Yan Shuang got home, it was already noon.
The sound of the key being inserted into the lock startled the kitten inside the house.
The moment the door opened a crack, the orange ball of fur rushed in like a cannonball, circling around Yan Shuang's ankles, its tail held high like an angry feather duster.
“Snowball…” She crouched down, and the cat immediately pounced into her arms, its pink nose sniffing around her neck. Suddenly, it let out a dissatisfied “meow” and scratched at her collar, which was covered in the scent of a strange man.
She buried her face in Snowball's fluffy fur, breathing in the scent of sunshine and cat food emanating from the cat—the only untainted, safe aroma.
The next second, a dizzying sensation swept over them.
Yan Shuang, supporting herself against the wall, slowly moved to the bedside and collapsed heavily onto it.
Snowball immediately jumped up and licked her wet fingers with its barbed tongue, its eyes full of worry.
"I'm fine..." Yan Shuang hugged the cat and curled up into a fetal position.
The alarm clock by the bedside showed 2:17 PM.
Yan Shuang wanted to reach out and turn off her phone, but she didn't even have the strength to lift a finger.
Her eyelids felt as heavy as if they were filled with lead, and her last memory was of Snowball's fluffy tail brushing against the diamond bracelet on her wrist, a cool touch.
The dream was bizarre and fantastical.
One moment it's Shangqiu Zhu pinching her chin and saying, "I'll marry you," the next it's the hotel manager holding a silver tray of birth control pills, and finally the scene freezes on her sister Yan You's tear-streaked face: "Why you?"
"Meow~" Snowball patted her cheek with its paw pads.
Yan Shuang groggily opened her eyes and found that it was already morning outside the window.
She slept for two whole days, but was even more tired than before she slept.
On her way to work, Yan Shuang silently calculated while looking at the traffic lights: there were still 47 days until Shang Qiuzhu and Yan You's wedding.
1347 hours.
She would submit her resignation as soon as the red carpet was laid out and the rings were exchanged.
Run far away.
Go to a place where there is no Shang family or Yan family.
Go somewhere where nobody knows Yan Shuang.
Yan Shuang walked to her workstation by the window, controlling her pace as usual.
As usual, she prepared the documents and coffee, then headed to the president's office.
The moment she pushed open the door, Yan Shuang instinctively held her breath.
Shangqiu Zhu sat behind his large desk.
"Good morning, President Shang." Yan Shuang heard her own voice, steady to the point of being almost mechanical.
She walked to her desk and placed the coffee and documents she was holding on it.
"This is today's schedule and the documents that require your signature."
"Hmm," he responded, his voice low and unchanged.
Yan Shuang waited quietly.
This time, however, she didn't stand close to the desk as usual. Instead, she took a half-step back, maintaining a more distant and polite distance.
She subconsciously wanted to use distance to redefine that seemingly blurry boundary.
After finishing processing the emails, Shangqiu Zhu finally looked up, his gaze first falling on the documents on the table before turning to her.
His gaze swept over her where she stood with complete ease, lingering on her face for a very brief moment, his deep eyes revealing no emotion whatsoever.
Yan Shuang's heart skipped a beat for no apparent reason.
“I have prepared the materials for the board meeting at ten o’clock,” Yan Shuang forced herself to focus on her work. “There are a few data points in the quarterly report submitted by the marketing department that require your special attention, and I have marked them.”
“Yes,” Shangqiu Zhu said, “I need you to review the risk assessment for the Huayuan project again.”
“Okay, Mr. Shang.” Yan Shuang nodded.
He naturally turned his gaze back to the document, took it, and neatly signed his name where it was required.
After signing the last document, he closed the file and handed it to her.
Yan Shuang immediately stepped forward and reached out to take it.
"Thank you, Mr. Shang," she said softly, lowering her eyes.
After leaving the office, Yan Shuang practically fled back to her workstation.
She put down the tablet, her hands trembling slightly.
It wasn't out of fear; Shangqiu Zhu had never engaged in any inappropriate behavior at work, and even in her most furious moments, she maintained basic respect.
But that strange normalcy left her feeling lost and disoriented.
Yan Shuang turned on her computer and forced herself to get into work.
The numbers and charts on the screen gradually filled her mind, and the tension slowly subsided.
This is what she excels at: filling every gap with work, leaving no room for idle thoughts.
Yan Shuang didn't look up from her work until lunch break.
She stretched her stiff body, which had been stiff from sitting for a long time, and decided to go to the break room to make a cup of coffee to refresh herself.
I had just gotten up when I heard the door to the CEO's office open.
Shangqiu Zhu strode out, followed by several senior executives.
Yan Shuang's heart tightened, and almost reflexively she immediately sat back in her original seat, refocusing her gaze on the screen and pretending to be concentrating on her work.
A series of steady, rapid footsteps approached from afar.
Shangqiu Zhu walked briskly, his gaze casually sweeping over the secretariat's office area as he passed by, listening expressionlessly to Lin Sheng's low-pitched report beside him.
The group quickly walked past her and headed towards the elevator.
Only when the oppressive footsteps faded into the distance did Yan Shuang breathe a barely audible sigh of relief, her tense shoulders relaxing slightly.
"Secretary Yan?" Yang Xuanyun poked her head in. "Would you like to join us for lunch?"
Yan Shuang smiled and replied, "Okay, wait for me."
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