Chapter 128: The Rescue

Xu Yinian’s entire body went rigid, but her upward gaze had already caught that stunning reflection.

Shen Yi still hadn’t removed the gold-rimmed glasses she wore while reviewing documents. Her words were blatant and coercive, revealing the predatory nature hidden beneath her sophisticated exterior.

With a keen instinct for danger, Xu Yinian could clearly sense the woman’s mounting hunger.

Under such an unequal power dynamic, those “promises” were not talismans of protection; they were hidden mines that could detonate at any moment. All it took was a bit of interest or a single thought from the woman in power.

The air, thick with a cold fragrance, grew viscous, locking her in place.

Xu Yinian remembered the last time she was told to “climb up yourself.” Shen Yi had scooped her up when she was limp and weak, placing her astride her lap.

She… she really had “taught” her before.

Xu Yinian remained silent, averting her eyes from the dark gaze behind those gold-rimmed glasses. However, her elbows propped against Shen Yi’s knees as she slowly lowered herself, making her repeated capitulation obvious.

Shen Yi’s brow twitched. Her inscrutable gaze fixed on that striking, pale wrist.

She knew that Xu Yinian, who was desperate to escape, couldn’t possibly be trying to seduce her. Yet, those clumsy, timid hands—unintentionally provocative—were anything but settled.

She is so dull that I’ll have to strip her down and devour her before she learns not to provoke other women with that same lack of self-awareness.

Xu Yinian was entirely unaware of this. She thought her little scheme of stalling for time was working. She didn’t realize that Shen Yi saw through everything and had all the time in the world to waste with her. She had no idea how this “playing with fire” would push her into an even more dangerous situation.

Finally, with her hands braced on either side of the leather chair, Xu Yinian ran out of excuses to delay.

Her knees, which Shen Yi had just covered by pulling up her socks, bent awkwardly. The movement hitched her skirt up as she cautiously climbed onto the chair, maneuvering around Shen Yi’s body.

“Mm…”

Her body was halfway across when she suddenly froze, unable to stop a soft whimper from escaping her lips.

As the blood flow returned to her numb knees, the contact with the hard leather finally forced her to register the accumulated pain.

“Now you know it hurts?”

Shen Yi had expected this. Her gaze swept over nonchalantly. “You were so reluctant when I took them off. If I hadn’t said anything, would you have even thought to pull them up yourself?”

“Let the pain be a lesson to you.”

It… it was her who forced me…

Xu Yinian lowered her eyes and bit her lip, only daring to feel aggrieved in her heart.

In the next second, Shen Yi’s hand clamped around her waist, hoisting her onto her lap.

The movement seemed as forceful as ever, yet she clearly didn’t let Xu Yinian’s pained knees bear any weight. Shen Yi’s words were always cold and critical, but which of her actions toward the girl wasn’t actually protective?

Suddenly being so close to that woman, her skirt fanned out like petals. Her bent legs, caught in a state of confusion and embarrassment, instinctively tried to shrink back under the cover of her clothes.

She suddenly remembered what that position implied from their time in the car and quickly relaxed in a panic.

Shen Yi didn’t miss this small gesture.

Not entirely stupid.

Just then, Shen Yi’s phone on the desk rang at an inopportune moment.

It was her private number; only a few people had it. At this hour, it was undoubtedly a call from her secretary.

Shen Yi knew why she was seeing Xu Yinian. If it weren’t an emergency, the secretary wouldn’t come to spoil the mood.

Fine. She would just have the secretary postpone her schedule again.

She had no intention of letting her captive go, cruelly extinguishing the spark of hope that rose in Xu Yinian’s eyes.

Shen Yi only released one hand from Xu Yinian’s slender waist to reach for the phone.

Pinned down and unable to dodge, Xu Yinian could only turn her face away as Shen Yi leaned in close.

When the woman was in her dark formal shirt, one didn’t notice it as much. But at this moment, Xu Yinian seemed to suddenly sense something. The tips of her ears, hidden beneath her hair, flushed deep red.

She’s… she’s just like Shen Ruoshuang…

Few of Shen Yi’s lovers could resist being captivated by her timeless beauty. She was far more beautiful than the mistresses she kept—which was why people said CEO Shen was practically “doing charity.”

However, only those who had been in an unequal relationship with her knew the truth: one would only ever see this arrogant, cold woman perfectly dressed and looking down from above.

CEO Shen didn’t need a lover. She simply enjoyed controlling and tormenting people, watching with cold eyes, devoid of a shred of actual lust.

***

On the other end of the line, Secretary Zhou was actually standing just outside the door.

She glanced at the young girl beside her—who was smiling and acting spoiled with drooping eyes—and felt a wave of hesitation.

Logically, no one should be allowed to disturb CEO Shen.

Except…

The newcomer had recognized her identity and claimed to be Xu Yinian’s younger sister. She said her “older sister” had told her how much CEO Shen and Secretary Zhou had looked after her when she applied for the Shen Group Financial Aid, and she had come to the lecture specifically to thank CEO Shen.

“My sister has had a hard time. You’ve been a huge help to her, so I wanted to thank CEO Shen in person, but I can’t get in touch with my sister right now.”

As the girl spoke, a faint glimmer of tears appeared in her eyes. Her sincerity was incredibly endearing.

Although Secretary Zhou didn’t know the full story, she knew Xu Yinian—who desperately wanted to keep this matter hidden—obviously wouldn’t go around bragging about it. She guessed that the girl had likely slipped up while lying to her sister.

The reason she couldn’t reach Xu Yinian was that the girl’s phone was still in the secretary’s possession…

Since Xu Yinian had already told her sister she was seeing CEO Shen, and the sister had come looking for her, the lie had to be maintained.

Secretary Zhou could only pray fervently that the two inside weren’t doing anything inappropriate as she dialed CEO Shen’s number.

She didn’t notice at all that the girl who had moved her to pity actually had a look of frenzied, irrational anxiety in the depths of her eyes.

Jiang Ke hadn’t been able to sit still since she saw Shen Ruoshuang enter the room.

It was possible it was just a coincidence. But Jiang Ke could not afford even the slightest possibility of Shen Yi agreeing to let Shen Ruoshuang be with her sister.

Even after Shen Ruoshuang came out, her sister seemed to have vanished into that lounge without a trace.

Something was wrong…

Very wrong!

Jiang Ke no longer cared if her sister discovered she had been stalking and spying on her. Just as she was about to knock, she saw a familiar figure entering the Chemistry Building through the staircase window.

Shen Yi’s secretary!

She suddenly knew what to do. She put on a performance in front of the secretary.

This would not only “rescue” her sister but also allow her to share in this hidden secret. She could offer comfort, provide cover, and gain her sister’s exclusive trust and gratitude.

And, if necessary…

She would have leverage.

Just then, the call seemed to go through. Jiang Ke instantly went on high alert.

But the secretary’s professional discretion was top-tier; even her practiced business expression didn’t change a bit.

However, what the secretary didn’t know was that the “sister” she was worried about had just let out a soft, familiar muffled groan over the phone.

It almost made the well-trained Secretary Zhou lose her composure.

Clearly, this was not a good time…

Cold sweat broke out on the secretary’s forehead as she pretended she hadn’t heard a thing.

Surprisingly, Shen Yi’s voice wasn’t particularly impatient; she sounded like she was in a good mood.

“Push tonight’s schedule back further. I won’t be leaving until after eleven. You may speak.”

Her cold voice was inexplicably husky, punctuated by strange rustling sounds and a ragged breathing that didn’t belong to CEO Shen. It sounded as though someone was exceptionally close to the phone.

Secretary Zhou took a deep breath when she heard this.

Eleven o’clock? Isn’t that the curfew for X University?

By setting the time for then, she was extending this meeting as long as possible. The reason why was self-evident.

This was bad. This was really bad.

With the girl’s sister standing right here, it would be a miracle if they could keep this under wraps…