Chapter 124: Settlement Part 2

Shen Yi was always in control of everything—including her own desires. But she never practiced restraint. If she wanted something, she took it.

When she couldn’t see the girl, the craving was like an addictive poison, seeping into every pore. But now that the girl was right in front of her, she wasn’t satisfied at all.

This fragile body that could be controlled at will, this cowardly nature that lacked any ability to resist, this clumsy habit of using pleasing obedience to trade for a sense of security…

Everything about Xu Yinian seemed utterly unremarkable and within arm’s reach, yet Shen Yi couldn’t quite grasp her. Having seen Xu Yinian under the influence of the drug and as a substitute, how could she not crave her?

Shen Yi had never tasted the flavor of something she couldn’t have. Under the weight of that unfulfilled desire, it wasn’t that she lacked harsher methods. It was that Xu Yinian’s traits made her feel a bizarre, inexplicable softness of heart.

…At least for now, she still possessed a rare bit of interest and patience.

The atmosphere seemed to congeal. Xu Yinian was terrified of Shen Yi’s cold, forceful tone of a superior. But now, waiting for a judgment that wouldn’t come was even more agonizing.

Unable to help herself, she stole a glance, only to be caught by the deep, cold eyes waiting behind those gold-rimmed glasses.

“Finally willing to look at me?”

As always, she spoke from a position of power, her tone laced with displeasure. Yet, in an instant, the words pulled Xu Yinian back from her attempts at distance, reminding her of the intimate secret they shared from that night.

Xu Yinian couldn’t help but remember Shen Yi’s previous remark: “If you don’t take the money, do you think our relationship is suddenly clean?”

This scorched Xu Yinian more than the awkwardness of the chasm between them. Even her fear was starting to fail her.

“Xu Yinian.”

It was the first time those red lips had uttered those three words, savoring each syllable. Over their three meetings—aside from the time she was forced to call out “Shen Yi”—they had never addressed each other by name.

Shen Yi had a habit of giving arrogant commands. Xu Yinian’s silence, however, stemmed from that initial mistake of the wrong identity; names had always been their taboo.

Xu Yinian could sense that Shen Yi didn’t like being called “CEO Shen,” but she didn’t dare call her by name while sober. Consequently, she had been as direct as Shen Yi, which only made her stand out more against the respectful employees, making their relationship seem even less “clean.”

Hearing Shen Yi say her name made her heart tremble. Under the tension of the unknown, the ambiguity felt like a physical electric current, numbing her from her fingertips to her chest. Her attention was so easily snared that she forgot how to hide.

After another long silence, Shen Yi stood still, watching the girl’s reflection in those pale, glass-like eyes for a long time. She began walking toward Xu Yinian, stopping only at the edge of the sofa.

She casually took off the gold-rimmed glasses and set them on the coffee table. The metal made a crisp clink—a prelude to an execution.

Only then did the jealousy behind her “settlement” for the “someone’s here” phone call finally show its teeth.

“Does she call you that too?”

Her knuckles lightly rapped against the back of the sofa as she leaned down, looming over the girl.

Xu Yinian had expected this, yet she was still a beat slow because of the familiar cold fragrance that washed over her. She tried to turn away, but in a practiced motion, Shen Yi’s powerful, calloused fingertips—honed by years of lab work—forced her face back toward her.

In those clear, sober eyes, there was panic, shame, and a light mist of tears. But finally, the blur of that night’s crying had cleared, revealing Shen Yi’s features with perfect clarity.

“Or rather,” the cold voice paused, uttering the nickname with a natural, practiced intimacy, “Niannian?”

Given the age gap, there was a unique sense of maturity and indulgence in her tone. Shen Yi had known “Niannian” before she knew the full name; she had whispered it in her heart since their first meeting.

However, whether it was “Niannian” from Bai Ran’s mouth or the “Sister Ran” that Xu Yinian used like a lifeline, both were incredibly grating to her ears. The “she” Shen Yi referred to wasn’t just Shen Ruoshuang; it clearly included Bai Ran as well.

“Nian… Niannian…?”

Xu Yinian’s brain practically short-circuited. She was completely trapped by those cold, gorgeous eyes invading her space. At this moment, she couldn’t remember Bai Ran, who had first called her that, or Shen Ruoshuang, who had tried to steal that privilege and made her hide her face in shame.

Only this natural, dominant indulgence occupied the entirety of the name “Niannian.”

Shen Yi’s gaze didn’t waver, but she thought of something else. Her knee pressed against the space between Xu Yinian’s knees, silently and deliberately rumpling the girl’s skirt for a long time. If she wanted to, she could surge forward and wedge herself in without a second thought.

She wondered just how much the girl would be frightened.

Shen Yi’s tone relaxed, casually setting a trap. “Do you know what to call me this time?”

The single-minded demand was evident in her intensifying stare. If Xu Yinian gave the wrong answer, she couldn’t blame Shen Yi for not letting her go.

Xu Yinian was sober; she wouldn’t mistake her for someone else again. But how was she supposed to know what would satisfy her?

CEO Shen? Shen Yi?…

She already called me Niannian!

Shen Yi’s presence was more suffocating than anyone else’s. Xu Yinian sensed that the longer she hesitated, the more dangerous it would become. Just as she was about to speak, a knock suddenly sounded at the door.

The string of tension in Xu Yinian’s mind snapped instantly. She forgot everything else, her voice frantic and panicked. “Some… someone’s here…”

Shen Yi had waited patiently for so long, only to have the girl desperately use an excuse to brush her off.

Shen Yi’s eyes went completely dark. She shifted her weight, and her knee pressed firmly and solidly against the girl.

Xu Yinian had considered everything, but she never could have guessed Shen Yi’s long-plotted obsession with her skirt. She hadn’t expected her to strike now.

With her mind entirely on the noise outside, she was defenseless. As the hem of her skirt bunched up and wrinkled, the edges of her socks were revealed—they had naturally slid down a bit, no longer the impenetrable barrier Xu Yinian remembered.

Shen Yi suddenly spotted something.

The air pressure around Shen Yi plummeted. It was a dark, roiling mood no less intense than the night she had heard the name “Shen Ruoshuang.”

…A tiny clue that was never meant to be discovered, caught right at the edge of the fabric.

And one of the culprits… was currently right outside the door.