Zhao Yicheng made a brief comment, withdrew his hand, and picked up his chopsticks again, but his other hand pressed down on Xu Yinsheng’s fragrant shoulder, preventing her from standing.
He picked up the stir-fried fish mint with pork, placed it into his mouth, and chewed deliberately.
Then he wiped his mouth with a damp towel and set the chopsticks down by the plate.
Smack!
Another loud slap rang out.
“The oil is too much, and the fish mint is too tough.”
Smack!
“The wood ear mushrooms aren’t cooked through, bad review.”
Smack!
“The herbal soup…”
After a round of spanking more humiliating than punitive, Xu Yinsheng’s eyes were red and watery, on the verge of tears.
Zhao Yicheng, however, was utterly pleased with the sight of her reddened nose and tearful face, making him want to hold her close and punish her even harder.
Ding dong.
For some unknown reason, the elevator doors suddenly opened without any warning.
The two sliding doors parted to reveal the girl with the loli face Xu Yinsheng had seen earlier in the lobby — Bai Ruoxi.
She was clutching a dossier in her arms, staring at the scene unfolding before her, her starry eyes full of shock!!
Xu Yinsheng was pouting, back turned to Zhao Yicheng, just facing the elevator entrance.
She tilted her head back, and their eyes met.
At that moment, Xu Yinsheng felt her whole body go numb.
Smack!
Another crisp sound shattered the silence.
Next moment.
“Ah!!!”
“Zhao Yicheng, I never thought you were this kind of person!!”
“You still want me to bring you documents!”
“You pervert!!”
“I’m going to tell my dad and expose your true colors!!”
Bai Ruoxi covered her eyes as if seeing something filthy, spat out those words, and dashed back into the elevator.
Xu Yinsheng stood frozen, watching everything, listening to Bai Ruoxi’s words, which suggested some connection between her and Zhao Yicheng.
At that moment, a large hand helped her up.
Due to the pain in her buttocks, Xu Yinsheng struggled to stand steadily.
The large hand took the opportunity to steady her.
Zhao Yicheng leaned close to her earlobe and whispered softly, “Sorry about that.”
“But at least for the time being, my ears will be much quieter.”
Xu Yinsheng turned her head.
Zhao Yicheng’s handsome face wore a gentle, apologetic smile, completely different from before.
Xu Yinsheng was utterly confused.
After a long moment, she tentatively asked, “What’s 1 plus 1?”
A crack appeared in Zhao Yicheng’s tender smile.
Apparently, she suspected he was having another episode.
He took a deep breath and looked at Xu Yinsheng.
“Xiao Yin, I want to tell you something, but after you hear it, don’t overthink. You have to believe I’m sincere with you. I’m not the kind of man who starts something and abandons it.”
“Oh, okay, go ahead,” Xu Yinsheng replied with perfunctory indifference.
Zhao Yicheng’s occasional odd behavior had become routine.
If it weren’t for the lack of solid evidence, she would have suspected he had multiple personalities.
Her past tolerance toward him had been: “Don’t lose your mind, just be normal, and don’t try to turn me into someone untouchable.”
Now, after everything that had happened, Xu Yinsheng’s acceptance of Zhao Yicheng had significantly increased.
Or rather, she no longer held any moral expectations for him: as long as he didn’t put a knife to her throat, she could tolerate almost anything.
After hearing Zhao Yicheng’s explanation, Xu Yinsheng pursed her lips and still rubbed her sore buttocks, complaining, “Of course, I’m just a tool.”
She roughly understood the story Zhao Yicheng had told:
Zhao Yicheng had a father and many business partners, one of whom was the Chairman of Bai Group.
The Bai Group’s helm had three heirs.
The eldest was a top university scholar but physically weak and sickly, barely hanging on for a few more years.
The second son was a playboy, skilled in all pleasures, much like Xu Yinsheng.
The third was Bai Ruoxi — the arrogant little princess raised in a sugar-coated cocoon, unaware of the harsh realities of the world.
Recently, due to an international financial downturn, the Bai Group lost hundreds of billions in investments and faced a cash flow crisis.
The Chairman of Bai Group then considered selling his daughter.
Zhao Yicheng’s father was a highly ambitious businessman wanting to form a strong alliance. So the two Chairmen sought to matchmake the heirs.
“So this is a potential ally…”
Xu Yinsheng muttered to herself.
With someone like Zhao Yicheng—a walking disaster—she would pay ten million just to have someone take him off her hands.
The situation was now crystal clear: Zhao Yicheng had deliberately ruined his own reputation to force Bai Ruoxi to deliver the documents, making sure she’d be caught in the act so the proud little princess would stop pestering him every few days.
Even without Xu Yinsheng’s fish mint and coriander platter, Zhao Yicheng would still punish her arbitrarily, like pressing her onto his desk for “unspoken rules.”
He presented it so grandly and naturally, as if these unspoken rules were as normal as eating and drinking.
Xu Yinsheng’s teeth ached with resentment.
“Xiao Yin, you’re not a tool. You’re my most beloved treasure.”
Zhao Yicheng leaned in and pressed a light kiss onto her tender, smooth skin and flawless, fair cheek.
“Ugh, ugh, ugh~ Can you not be so cheesy?”
Xu Yinsheng’s goosebumps instantly rose as she pushed him away and grabbed a wet tissue to frantically wipe her face.
“You say I’m a treasure? I might as well be the Sea Demon Second Generation.”
“At least the Sea Demon Second Generation washes up after use. You don’t even wash, and I have to do it myself.”
“That’s for the kid, isn’t it?”
Zhao Yicheng said matter-of-factly.
“You and I are both in our twenties. Having a child now is legitimate.”
“For what?!”
Xu Yinsheng rolled her eyes.
“Also, don’t even think about getting married just because of a pregnancy.”
“Listen, I’m not buying that. If I got pregnant, do you think I wouldn’t get depressed? And you better be clear about one thing: we’re not in a relationship. You’re holding me captive and forcing me. That’s multiple crimes combined, enough to have you executed by machine gun for two and a half hours.”
Xu Yinsheng spoke mercilessly, reducing Zhao Yicheng to nothing but a scoundrel.
Zhao Yicheng rubbed his nose and, not gonna lie, Xu Yinsheng had hit the nail on the head—he really had thought about the whole pregnancy-to-marriage plan.
Women’s maternal instincts increase exponentially after pregnancy.
Maybe he could bind Xu Yinsheng to him for a short while, but it wasn’t a long-term solution.
He couldn’t drag Xu Yinsheng to a church and force her to say “I love you” under the priest’s witness.
He needed something—whether a child, a pet, or something else—that would make Xu Yinsheng willingly stay by his side.
To put it bluntly, Zhao Yicheng had long been willing to do anything for Xu Yinsheng: children, pets, money, or fame.
Right now, he couldn’t be a proper lover, much less a proper father.
Xu Yinsheng’s words thoroughly crushed Zhao Yicheng’s “marry-for-pregnancy” fantasy.
He could hear the meaning behind her words—the few remaining stands of her dignity.
Xu Yinsheng was like a curled-up hedgehog with nowhere to retreat; one more step forward and she would explode.
Seeing the darkness cloud his eyes, Xu Yinsheng breathed a long sigh of relief.
Damn, finally knocked that terrifying idea out of his head.
At first, while practicing “Mirage,” Xu Yinsheng had accidentally entered Zhao Yicheng’s bedroom.
Usually locked, she was too curious but dared not pick the lock on camera.
Only at night, when he was asleep, did she sneak a peek.
One night, she saw Zhao Yicheng leafing through a stack of books:
How to Best Achieve Pregnancy Positions, Postpartum Care for Pregnant Women, The Greatness of Maternal Love…
Even more, his notebook was filled with detailed notes on techniques to get her pregnant…
Xu Yinsheng nearly cried out of fear.
She had thought being a sex-changed captive and being forced into “training” until untouchable was tragic enough.
If she got pregnant too… she might as well be dead.
Taking this opportunity, Xu Yinsheng gently but firmly rejected him.
If Zhao Yicheng tried any forced pregnancy, she’d just live as his corpse from then on.
Tossing the crumpled paper into the trash, Xu Yinsheng packed away the lunchbox.
“Anything else?”
“If not, I’m going to the gym.”
“There is,” Zhao Yicheng said.
“Come with me to see a doctor this afternoon.”
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